Orange Storm chapter 41
Ancestor
Xu Hang’s words were quite accurate. When the physics exam rankings were posted, there were noticeably more unfamiliar faces outside the classroom during breaks. After all, handing in the paper half an hour early and getting the only perfect score in physics for the whole school was quite impressive. Sometimes when Fang Xing went to the cafeteria, he could overhear people wearing uniforms from the first and second years discussing.
“Who is that?”
“The one in front, the really tall one.”
Fang Xing frowned and glanced back at them. A few people quickly turned away, discussing other topics.
Fortunately, most people were just curious for a few days, and the crowd dispersed quickly. A week later, the list for the provincial physics competition was finalized, with a total of seven participants, and their class took up three spots—Fang Xing, Tan Zhuo, and Jiang Xinxin.
During those days, Teacher Tang was in high spirits. When attending classes, he seemed to be floating, radiating an atmosphere of joy.
They were scheduled to depart on Saturday. On Friday evening, during the self-study session, Tang Yi called Fang Xing and the others into the office, rambling on for almost half an hour.
“Just do your best in the competition, don’t put too much pressure on yourselves. If anything happens outside, contact the teacher in charge immediately and prioritize your safety. We’ll depart from the school at 8:00 am tomorrow, don’t be late.”
Tang Yi thought hard about anything else he hadn’t reminded them of, “Oh, have you all informed your families?”
Fang Xing paused for a moment and remained silent.
Although they were leaving tomorrow, he hadn’t talked to Jiang Zhijin yet—because this week, he hadn’t run into Jiang Zhijin much.
It seemed that a lot had happened in Cloud Seven this week. Jiang Zhijin hadn’t come to pick Fang Xing up after school for several days, and when Fang Xing got home, Jiang Zhijin usually hadn’t returned yet. As for the mornings, Jiang Zhijin was still asleep when Fang Xing left.
In this way, the two of them surprisingly had no time to meet.
As the end of class approached, Fang Xing’s phone gently vibrated twice; it was a text message from Jiang Zhijin.
“I have something to do tonight, go home by yourself.”
As expected, Fang Xing put his phone back in his bag.
He felt a bit anxious, not knowing if Jiang Zhijin had sensed something, and whether he had any certainty. After all, Jiang Zhijin’s tone in the WeChat messages still seemed quite normal.
Fang Xing didn’t feel like walking, so he took a taxi home. The house was pitch-black, so he turned on the lights and went back to his bedroom to pack his things.
Clothes, pants, underwear, shoes, toothbrush, towels…
He spent quite a while organizing and carefully checked everything to make sure nothing was left behind. Once everything was in order, he checked the time; it was almost midnight.
Fang Xing still couldn’t sleep. He absentmindedly took out a workbook to do some exercises. Just as he sat down at the desk, he thought of something, stood up again, and casually closed the bedroom door that he had just opened.
“So, don’t treat an almost eighteen-year-old teenager as a child, calling him ‘your son’ all the time.”
Tonight, there weren’t many people in Cloud Seven, and they only made a few tables, so it wasn’t very busy. Gu Xun wiped the spoons clean and put everything back in its place, smiling at Jiang Zhijin.
“Crash and burn, huh?”
“I was wrong. I really treated him like a child before,” Jiang Zhijin laughed and sighed. “I never thought it was wrong before.”
Apart from that night, Jiang Zhijin vaguely sensed that Fang Xing’s words were somewhat ambiguous.
That was a kind of emotional ambiguity, conveyed through his inconsistent words. It made Jiang Zhijin feel that something was a bit off.
He thought for a moment and continued, “I’m wondering if it’s because of me. Spending too much time with him, picking him up after school, chatting with him, and him knowing about my situation—”
Jiang Zhijin didn’t elaborate.
Since the day when Zhou Ling handed Fang Xing over to him, Jiang Zhijin felt that he had a responsibility towards this kid. He had to let him pass high school safely, perform well in the college entrance examination, and make sure he didn’t encounter any troubles. However, as time passed while interacting with Fang Xing, Jiang Zhijin found that he genuinely liked this kid.
Responsible, intelligent, though not very talkative, he was good at taking care of others. Sometimes, he seemed mature beyond his high school years, while at other times, he displayed a bit of the unique vulnerability and sensitivity of his age.
So, whenever there was an issue, Jiang Zhijin tried to resolve it. When Fang Xing had something on his mind, Jiang Zhijin also made an effort to communicate with him.
Rather than being a temporary guardian, Jiang Zhijin preferred to spend this time with Fang Xing as a good friend. He suspected that perhaps it was because he was too involved or sometimes hadn’t been mindful enough in their interactions, leading Fang Xing to have other thoughts.
“So, that’s why you’ve been staying at the bar for the past few days and not daring to go home?”
Gu Xun felt a bit speechless, looking at Jiang Zhijin, analyzing seriously.
“According to what you said, even if he really has other thoughts, I think this matter needs to be looked at separately.”
“First, you need to figure out whether he is really gay. If he wasn’t from the beginning and just hadn’t been in a relationship before, suddenly realizing he’s gay and falling for you, then it’s just a matter of a high schooler experiencing his first crush.”
“If he wasn’t gay from the beginning but fell for you and then—”
“Understood.” Jiang Zhijin nodded. “So, I would be unforgivable, and it would be an irredeemable offense.”
“…Hey, how did it escalate to this level?” Gu Xun couldn’t help but laugh. “He’s an almost eighteen-year-old man. You have no responsibility for whether he likes the opposite sex or the same sex. Do you think you have the right to control that?”
Jiang Zhijin laughed, “So, if he really likes me—”
“Then you bear with it,” Gu Xun said seriously. “Congratulations—no, condolences.”
Jiang Zhijin sighed midway through his laughter.
Gu Xun continued with a smile, “Moreover, I think you might be overthinking it. Just a few words can’t prove anything. Maybe he just went through something recently, normal emotional fluctuations at midnight, or just bored, talking nonsense… anything is possible.”
“Alright, it’s already past midnight. Your ‘son’ is probably asleep. Hurry back.”
“He’s not my son.” Jiang Zhijin now had a headache whenever he heard those two words, reaching for his coat nearby.
“Now, I feel like he’s my ancestor.”
When Jiang Zhijin arrived home, it was almost one in the morning. Only the wall lamp was on in the living room, and he immediately saw the light coming from Fang Xing’s room.
The next second, Fang Xing came out.
Jiang Zhijin was momentarily stunned before entering the room, and he casually turned on the lights in the living room.
“You haven’t slept yet?”
“Working on homework.”
Jiang Zhijin nodded, preparing to change his shoes. His gaze swept casually and landed on the suitcase next to the shoe cabinet at the entrance.
He was slightly taken aback and pointed to the suitcase, asking, “What’s this?”
“For the competition I mentioned last time. We’re leaving for the provincial capital tomorrow. I should have told you earlier, but you’ve been quite busy lately.”
…Damn.
Jiang Zhijin suddenly felt a bit guilty.
These past few days, due to the speculations in his mind, he didn’t know how to face Fang Xing and forgot to ask him about the competition. As a result, he was about to depart, his luggage was already packed, and he still knew nothing. He had to be informed late at night…
This felt a bit like the first time they met when he forgot the time to pick him up.
Whether as a guardian or a friend, he seemed to be pretty trash.
Jiang Zhijin didn’t know what to say for a moment, only instinctively asking, “What time do you leave tomorrow, and for how many days?”
Fang Xing was quite calm, “Gathering at the school gate at 8 a.m., taking the expressway. Departure is on the 7th, and I’ll be back on the 13th, a total of 7 days.”
Jiang Zhijin had a thought, feeling like there was something he forgot temporarily. He couldn’t recall it for a moment, so he refocused and nodded, “I’ll send you to school tomorrow.”
“At 8 a.m.,” Fang Xing looked at him. “Can you wake up that early?”
“…What kind of question is that,” Jiang Zhijin couldn’t help but laugh, “with some effort, I can wake up.”
Fang Xing also laughed. “Alright.”
A normal exchange, normal teasing, normal jokes…
Everything seemed quite normal.
The next morning, Jiang Zhijin woke up quite early and even cooked noodles for Fang Xing as breakfast.
Bamboo shoot and ham noodles with a few shrimp, quite light. After finishing breakfast, Jiang Zhijin drove him to the school gate. The business car was parked outside the school, and a few students had already arrived. The teacher in charge was checking the list in front of the car.
During the drive, the two didn’t talk much. Jiang Zhijin parked the car, opened the trunk, intending to help with the suitcase, but Fang Xing smoothly got out of the car. “I’ll handle it myself; you don’t need to get out.”
Jiang Zhijin hesitated for a moment, watching him pick up the suitcase and close the trunk. He then walked around to the driver’s seat window.
“Make sure you’ve got everything, and be safe on the road.”
“Mm.” Fang Xing nodded, hesitated for a moment, and stood outside the car window without moving.
After a few seconds of eye contact, Jiang Zhijin asked, “What’s wrong?”
“…I thought you had something to say.” Fang Xing said. “Like, do well in the competition. If you don’t win any awards, don’t expect me to attend any parent-teacher conferences.”
Jiang Zhijin burst into laughter halfway through hearing that. “In your eyes, I seem quite fierce.”
“Well, you do like saying such things normally.”
“Fair enough.” Jiang Zhijin chuckled. “Let me say something then.”
“Go well, come back safe. If there’s anything, send a message. Whether you win an award or not, just have fun.” Jiang Zhijin said.
He wanted to reach out to pat Fang Xing’s shoulder after saying this, but hesitated for a moment. His hand stayed on the steering wheel without moving, and he nodded directly at Fang Xing.
“Alright, go ahead.”
“…Mm.” Fang Xing nodded. “I’m leaving.”
Fang Xing turned and walked towards the business car. The suitcase’s wheels rolled over the dried branches on the road, making a slight crackling sound, rhythmic, like a heartbeat.
Pathetic, Fang Xing thought.
In just these few steps, he felt like he was already starting to miss Jiang Zhijin.