Orange Storm chapter 16
Mango
Fang Xing turned off his phone and hailed a taxi on the roadside.
Technically, he could have gone straight home, but the thought was quickly dismissed after a second of consideration. It used to be Jiang Zhijin picking him up. After returning home, he would freshen up, and then Jiang Zhijin might watch a movie or play a game. Fang Xing would be left alone in his room, doing homework and solving problems. Sometimes, their conversations wouldn’t exceed five sentences.
But back then, there was light at home. Fang Xing could sometimes take off his headphones and vaguely hear the muffled sound of a movie coming from the living room.
Now, being alone, Fang Xing suddenly didn’t feel like going back.
Cloud Seven was indeed crowded, and although the bar lights were warm and slightly dim, Fang Xing still attracted quite a bit of attention when he entered.
Firstly, it was because he was wearing a school uniform and carrying a school bag, and secondly, it was because of his face.
Zhou Hong was cleaning a table near the door that had just been vacated. When he looked up and saw Fang Xing coming in, he immediately greeted, “Hey, school’s over?”
Fang Xing nodded. “Need any help?”
“No, go in first. Jiang-ge…” Zhou Hong looked around and pointed to a corner. “Jiang-ge is over there. Wait for a moment.”
Following Zhou Hong’s pointing finger, Fang Xing looked over and saw Jiang Zhijin standing by a table in the corner, slightly bending down and saying something to three or four customers.
Sensing the gaze from this side, Jiang Zhijin raised his head, and when he saw Fang Xing, a smile appeared on his face. He gestured toward the bar, indicating for Fang Xing to come in.
Perhaps due to the influence of the bar atmosphere or the well-designed lighting of Cloud Seven, the low-saturation warm light in the corner shone on Jiang Zhijin’s face, making his facial features clear and giving him a comfortable appearance. He was wearing a navy blue jacket, making him look quite relaxed.
… Fang Xing suddenly realized that Jiang Zhijin was actually quite handsome.
Maybe it was because he was used to seeing the other person playing games or watching dramas while lying on the sofa, or maybe it was the way he walked around with messy hair in the morning… Fang Xing hadn’t noticed it in time.
When they reached the bar, Gu Xun smiled as soon as he saw him, handling a newly arrived order. “Long time no see, Cool Bro. You’re the first high school senior I’ve seen wearing a school uniform in Cloud Seven.”
“… I just got off school,” Fang Xing said a bit helplessly.
Gu Xun nodded. “I know. Jiang-ge comes to pick you up from school every night, like raising a son.”
“…,” Fang Xing was momentarily speechless.
He thought if compared with Fang Chenglin, Jiang Zhijin did indeed seem more like raising a son.
“What are you talking about?” Jiang Zhijin walked over, handed the just-ordered drinks to Gu Xun, and said, “A keg of black beer.”
“You’re quite diligent,” Gu Xun took the order with a smile. Fang Xing felt a bit awkward standing there and asked, “Do you need any help?”
“No.” Jiang Zhijin glanced at him and suddenly smiled. “Helping out in a bar while wearing a school uniform might make others think you’re working part-time to pay your school fees.”
Fang Xing had nothing to say. To avoid being too eye-catching, he took off his school uniform jacket.
As the weather gradually cooled down, the morning and evening temperatures were a bit low. Fang Xing wore a blue knitted sweater that day, with a loose neckline revealing a clear collarbone. His crew cut hadn’t grown much longer, and his facial features were exposed under the bar lights.
If Jiang Zhijin’s face gave a clean and handsome impression, Fang Xing’s face was like a freshly sharpened dagger, carrying a bit of a sharp taste.
He sat at the bar, and the part of the bar above his waist blocked his school pants. In just a short ten minutes, three people had come over, asking for his WeChat.
Fang Xing shook his expressionlessly, lowered his head, and said, “Sorry.” He had no other words, making the whole process look pretty arrogant.
When he heard the third “Sorry,” Jiang Zhijin, not far away, sighed, put down what he was holding, and walked over. He lightly patted Fang Xing’s shoulder.
“Take your things and let’s go.”
Fang Xing stood up and picked up his school bag. “Are you done already?”
“Zhou Hong and Gu Xun will manage,” Jiang Zhijin looked at Fang Xing seriously. “High school students are not allowed to stay in bars; it’s causing trouble.”
Fang Xing reviewed the last twenty minutes he had spent standing still since entering the bar. Staring at Jiang Zhijin, he repeated, “I’m causing trouble?”
Jiang Zhijin nodded. “Your face alone is trouble enough.”
…The way he spoke just now made it seem like he wasn’t the one who said it was okay for him to come. Fang Xing had already gotten used to Jiang Zhijin’s habit of speaking nine out of ten sentences non sequitur. He followed Jiang Zhijin out of Cloud Seven.
On both sides were bars or restaurants, brightly lit, and a bit of wind had picked up on the street, bringing a hint of coolness. Some of the roadside trees in Shaojiang were sweet osmanthus, which were in full bloom at this time. When the night wind blew, the entire street was enveloped in the fragrance of sweet osmanthus.
Jiang Zhijin glanced at Fang Xing. “Do you want to go back now?”
Fang Xing was taken aback. “… What?”
“You didn’t want to go back earlier. How about now?”
Fang Xing looked at Jiang Zhijin. “When did I say I didn’t want to go back?”
“If you wanted to go back, you should have said it in the text you sent me at school.” Jiang Zhijin looked at him and smiled. “You came to Cloud Seven, didn’t you?”
Not wanting to go home, he had asked him if he was at Cloud Seven and then said he would come to find him. Jiang Zhijin had understood it as soon as he received the message, but he didn’t say anything; he just let Fang Xing come over.
Fang Xing remained silent for a moment.
Jiang Zhijin’s guess was quite accurate, catching Fang Xing off guard and making him a bit displeased.
Because the other party guessed too accurately, Fang Xing didn’t want to admit it.
But before he could refute, Jiang Zhijin casually said, “If you still don’t want to go back, let’s go. I’ll treat you to barbecue.”
Jiang Zhijin’s suggested barbecue place wasn’t far away. At the end of the street, they turned into an alley and walked about five minutes, where they could see a sign with LED lights.
“Lao Wang Barbecue” hung alone on the door. The LED light on the top bar of the character “Wang” was not working. At first glance, Fang Xing thought it said “Old-fashioned Barbecue,” thinking that the name was quite straightforward.
A massive and rudimentary long table was placed in front of the door, neatly arranged with different ingredients—chicken wings, ribs, tofu, leeks, small melons, potatoes, and more. They looked organized and fresh. Next to it was a huge barbecue grill, behind which sat a chubby man in his forties, flipping a large row of grilled shrimp.
Jiang Zhijin should be a regular customer here. When the owner saw him, he tossed over a small basket with ease.
“Help yourself.”
Jiang Zhijin took a bit of everything, passing it back one by one.
“Less spicy.”
He readily agreed, “Sure, let’s go inside and have a seat.”
The interior of the store was not large, with several long tables. Jiang Zhijin led Fang Xing inside and chose a random spot to sit down. Just as they settled, the owner walked over and asked what they would like to drink.
“We have white wine, beer, and homemade green plum wine, which is ready to drink. Do you want some?”
“Not drinking today.” Jiang Zhijin smiled and replied, “Do you have any soft drinks?”
The owner also responded promptly, “Yes, we have mango juice, sour plum juice, and grape juice. Which one would you like?”
Fang Xing hadn’t spoken yet, and Jiang Zhijin said, “No mango, but one bottle of each for the other two.”
Fang Xing looked at Jiang Zhijin, didn’t say anything further, and waited for the owner to leave before looking at Jiang Zhijin casually. “Don’t you like mango?”
It was a bit… coincidental.
“I do.” Jiang Zhijin replied, “But you don’t, right.”
Fang Xing was stunned for a moment. “How do you know?”
“… The first time we bought groceries, when we picked ice pops, you didn’t want mango.”
Jiang Zhijin’s expression looked a bit helpless. “With your memory, how could you still be a top student?”
Fang Xing remained silent for a while.
Actually, he wanted to say that his memory was pretty good when doing homework, or even argue that even with a good memory, a top student wouldn’t be so bored as to remember someone else’s ice pop preferences.
But Jiang Zhijin remembered.
It made his mood somewhat complicated. He wanted to ask why he remembered this, but it felt inappropriate, so he didn’t speak again, lowering his head to look at the blue floral pattern on the tablecloth. Jiang Zhijin didn’t say anything either, casually opening his phone to check WeChat.
At this moment, the door creaked open, and a voice with a hint of surprise came from the entrance: “Boss Jiang?” Jiang Zhijin looked up, and at the entrance stood Li Xingyan.