Orange Storm chapter 39
Ignition
Fang Xing looked at himself in the mirror, his previously short hair had grown a bit longer, and he hadn’t bothered to fix it. His features were distinct, and perhaps due to the climate in Shaojiang, he had become somewhat fairer recently. However, when he had no expression, he always seemed a bit impatient and somewhat fierce.
In short, he looked very “straight.”
A cold and aloof straight guy, getting turned on by watching another guy smoke…
Fang Xing muttered quietly, “Damn it.”
Instead of being in a panic, he felt more bewildered.
His first reaction was: Am I gay?
As this thought emerged, a second question immediately followed.
Do I like Jiang Zhijin?
Fang Xing had never been in a relationship, though he had received a few love letters from both boys and girls. However, he never cared about that because he had never liked anyone, never wanted to date anyone, and certainly never had an awkward experience like today.
Do I like Jiang Zhijin?
Am I crazy?
Don’t like him?
Then why are you hard? Why do you feel these palpitations, like a teenage girl experiencing her first crush? Why are you now hiding in the bathroom, not daring to come out, your heart pounding as if you’ve just finished a 5,000-meter run?
In this quiet and cramped space, he felt like he could even hear his own heartbeat, which was beating like a drum, chaotic and irregular, making it almost impossible for him to catch his breath.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump—
“Thump, thump!”
Suddenly, there were two knocks on the door from outside, catching him off guard, and his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.
“What are you doing?” It was Jiang Zhijin’s voice.
Fang Xing breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his head to make sure nothing seemed unusual, and then opened the bathroom door.
Jiang Zhijin stood at the door, looking up when the door opened. Fang Xing tried to keep his expression and voice as normal as possible—maintaining that aloof and impatient, slightly provoking attitude.
“Taking a shower.”
“Did you get your pajamas?”
Fang Xing hesitated for a moment, then said, “Forgot.”
“…Your memory is still not good enough to be a top student.” Jiang Zhijin couldn’t help but tease. “Did you copy someone else’s test during the last exam?”
He thought Fang Xing would retort, but unexpectedly, Fang Xing didn’t say anything. He went back to his room to get some clothes, glanced at Jiang Zhijin when he returned to the bathroom, and said, “You…”
Jiang Zhijin was already planning to return to the bedroom but turned back to look at Fang Xing. Fang Xing paused for a moment and continued, “Blow-dry your hair before sleeping.”
“…Quite a lot of instructions.” Jiang Zhijin regained his senses. “Go on, take your shower.”
Indeed, he was increasingly becoming a busybody. Fang Xing closed the bathroom door, sighed deeply, and locked it.
That night, he wrote two English papers, a math paper, and reviewed all the classical Chinese texts from Compulsory One to Compulsory Five. By the time it was 3 AM, he was sure that he couldn’t sleep.
But he didn’t dare to stop because as soon as he stopped, his mind would be occupied by one thing.
—It seemed like he might like Jiang Zhijin.
He threw down his pen, lowered his head, leaned against the table, and closed his eyes. The hard and cold wooden edge pressed against his forehead, and this touch could help him stay a bit more awake.
For the first eighteen years of his life, he had never liked anyone. The first time was so stimulating that he felt a bit overwhelmed, and his mind was somewhat foggy.
A slight meow came from beside him. Fang Xing turned his head to look, and he didn’t know when Tang Yuan had sneaked into the room. Just crawling out from under the bed, its eyes widened, staring at him.
Fang Xing reached out and hooked it, just able to touch it. He casually picked up the cat, placing it on his lap. Tang Yuan didn’t run away, obediently lying in Fang Xing’s arms, looking up at him.
“Why don’t you go to Jiang Zhijin’s room? Why do you always come to mine?” Fang Xing whispered.
“Meow—”
“Do you find him annoying?” Fang Xing smiled and continued, “He’s lazy and talkative, smokes a lot, and can be annoying sometimes.”
“Meow—”
But he will always help you solve your troubles. Sometimes he’ll hug you, listen to you, and tell you, ‘I’m here.’
Fang Xing couldn’t continue, scratched the cat’s chin, and sighed softly.
Although he slept close to four in the morning the previous night, it was Saturday the next day, and Fang Xing had classes all day. He thought he might doze off during class but surprisingly found himself quite alert the entire day. He even discussed yesterday’s physics exam with Jiang Xinxin, Xu Hang, and others.
Of course, Jiang Xinxin was seriously discussing the exam questions, while Xu Hang was there for some gossip.
“I heard you finished the exam in half an hour and handed it in early?” Xu Hang was almost ready to write ‘admire’ on his face. “Awesome, desk mate.”
“…Who spread that rumor?” Fang Xing was a bit helpless. “Why not say I finished the paper in ten minutes.”
“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, it’s already spread throughout the school. Super awesome! Even students from other classes are coming to admire your style. Next step should be the juniors and sophomores.”
…Fang Xing finally understood why unfamiliar students had been wandering outside the classroom all day. Jiang Xinxin, who was sitting next to him, was delighted and added, “Really, really! A girl from our class who was in the same exam room as you told me she thought you looked cool when you handed in the paper early.”
Fang Xing: “…” I don’t understand contemporary aesthetics.
“She even asked me to ask if you have a girlfriend.”
“No.” Fang Xing answered without hesitation.
Jiang Xinxin continued to ask with a smile, “Then, is there someone you like? If not, she’s willing to give it a try.”
This time, Fang Xing remained silent.
The question from last night was placed in front of him again, causing him a headache.
He took quite a while to respond, and Jiang Xinxin and Xu Hang noticed that something was wrong. Xu Hang, looking shocked, stared at him.
“Damn, desk mate, who is it? Is it someone from our class? From our grade? You’re a top student, dating will affect your studies!”
Jiang Xinxin was also a bit shocked but responded quickly, immediately teasing Xu Hang, “Even if it does affect him, he won’t perform as terrible as you. How did you do in yesterday’s physics exam?”
“Jiang Xinxin, as a class monitor, is this how you treat your classmates?”
“I treat you like this because I still haven’t received the English homework from you last night.”
“Oh damn, I forgot…”
The topic kept going farther and farther away, and Fang Xing breathed a sigh of relief.
As the last class of the afternoon ended, a message from Jiang Zhijin arrived right on time.
“Go home and cook first. I’ll be back later.”
Fang Xing replied with a simple “Understood” and felt a sense of relief.
After the events of last night, he was a bit unsure how to face Jiang Zhijin. Although the other party definitely didn’t know about his convoluted mental journey, Fang Xing still felt a bit awkward and anxious.
It felt a bit inappropriate to say he was guilty as if he were a thief, but that was indeed the feeling—Pandora’s box had been unintentionally opened by him, and though he wanted to close it, the contents were already out.
Denying the reality was futile.
Back home, Jiang Zhijin was indeed not there. Fang Xing cooked a bowl of rice, started boiling, and then went to the living room to clean the cat’s litter box, change its food and water.
By this time, he finally felt tired, especially after staying up so late the previous night. He didn’t bother going back to his room, just collapsed on the sofa, grabbed a cushion, and fell asleep in less than two minutes.
He slept deeply, without any dreams, until he vaguely felt someone turning on the living room light and approaching him. Soon, there was a slight weight on him, and someone covered him with a blanket.
Fang Xing struggled to wake up, and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Jiang Zhijin.
Jiang Zhijin stood beside the sofa, still in the posture of covering him with a blanket. Seeing Fang Xing awake, he raised an eyebrow and said, “Did I wake you up?”
Fang Xing reacted after a moment and replied, “No.” His voice was still hoarse.
“You were sleeping soundly. Did you sneak around last night?” Jiang Zhijin straightened up. “Go wash your face; dinner is almost ready.”
Fang Xing didn’t speak; he sat up on the sofa and stayed there. His head ached a bit, and having just woken up, he didn’t feel like moving much. Jiang Zhijin glanced at him, made a clicking sound, and took something out of his bag, tearing open the packaging.
“Open your mouth.”
Fang Xing asked, “What?”
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Zhijin fed something to him. Fang Xing instinctively ate it.
A familiar sour taste of lemon exploded in his mouth, making him shudder with its acidity. Jiang Zhijin showed a faint smile. “Awake now?”
Without waiting for his response, Jiang Zhijin casually rubbed his face.
Because he had just returned from outside, his hands were very cold, like ice. When they touched Fang Xing’s face, they brought a chill. But it was only for a few seconds before he quickly withdrew his hand.
“Awake now? Go wash your face.”
This time, Fang Xing was truly awake.
Although Jiang Zhijin’s hand was very cold, the places he touched seemed to have ignited a fire. A wildfire spread rapidly, burning him, even his heart, making him feel a bit feverish.
Jiang Zhijin was still in the kitchen, and Fang Xing stood up and went to the bathroom, turning on the cold water faucet and washing his face.
In just a few seconds, Fang Xing, whose heart was burning hot, came to a sudden conclusion.
Forget it, it seems like…
He likes Jiang Zhijin.