Orange Storm chapter 6
Changing Dressing
Tang Yi picked a specific time and began discussing the test papers after half an hour, claiming they were questions from the last test. Fang Xing also received a fresh set and started working on it while listening to the teacher.
The questions weren’t too difficult, but Fang Xing needed to readjust to Tang Yi’s teaching style. Tang Yi liked to start with classical Chinese and ancient poetry reading, then move on to language usage, and casually cover reading comprehension and essay writing. The pace was fast, but clear, and he finished just in time for the end of class.
The entire classroom came alive again, especially Xu Hang beside Fang Xing. He stretched and sighed, looking like he was about to burst into tears.
“Revise this test paper tonight, and besides the essay, also complete the seventh set of the forty-five sets of papers. I’ll discuss it in tomorrow’s class.”
Cheers immediately turned into cries, and Tang Yi left with a smile, carrying the test papers and teaching materials.
During the break between evening self-study classes, there was a fifteen-minute break. The teaching building immediately became lively—people going to the restroom, getting water, or going to the small store at the other end to buy snacks. After sitting for an hour and a half, everyone wanted to stand up and stretch. Xu Hang stood up and asked Fang Xing.
“Going to the restroom?”
Seeing Fang Xing shake his head, he didn’t pay much attention and took another male student out.
Fang Xing was too lazy to move and had no interest in exploring the new environment. He took out the forty-five sets of papers Tang Yi mentioned from the stack of teaching materials he had just received. Someone passing by his seat sneakily observed him, but Fang Xing was aware and didn’t mind.
The seventh set. Fang Xing quickly scanned it and estimated the time it would take to finish.
He wasn’t too worried about Chinese and English; it relied on accumulation, and his scores had stabilized. He was more concerned about the progress in other subjects. When Xu Hang returned with the bell ringing, Fang Xing borrowed notes on integrated science from him.
Fortunately, Xu Hang, despite appearing as if he was incompatible with studying, was still a third-year student. He had notes, and he generously let Fang Xing take them home because Fang Xing had to correct the Chinese test paper that Tang Tang had just taught, and he didn’t have time to look at integrated science.
In the second self-study session, there was no teacher, and it relied entirely on self-discipline. Some people did homework, some read books, and occasionally there were two or three who sneakily slept or played with their phones.
Fang Xing had just finished the test paper assigned by Tang Yi, and his phone in the drawer vibrated slightly. He took out his phone, and there was a text message.
“I’m waiting for you at the school gate.”
The source was a string of unidentified phone numbers.
Fang Xing took a few seconds to react and understood that this should be Jiang Zhijin’s number—last time, he didn’t save it.
Then he looked at the time, 9:58.
Around him, there were the sounds of closing pen caps and zipping book bags. People had started packing up. Xu Hang murmured beside him, “It’s over, I won’t finish writing.”
When everyone was waiting for the bell to ring, there was a sudden loud noise from the row on the left of Fang Xing – the sound of a glass hitting the ground.
Immediately after, a loud voice exclaimed, “Are you crazy!”
The entire class was startled by the commotion, and they all turned their heads to the source.
A short-haired girl’s desk was covered in water, and she was frantically using tissues to wipe it. Her deskmate held a pile of water-soaked books, anxiously consoling her.
The shout came from the guy in front of the short-haired girl, diagonally across from Fang Xing. He was not tall, wore glasses with frames resembling a beer bottle bottom, and his school uniform zipper was pulled down to his chin. His face had turned red with anger.
“Do you have a problem! Why did you put the glass on the table? My clothes are wet!”
The short-haired girl hadn’t spoken yet, and her ponytailed friend spoke up first, “Tan Zhuo, are you unreasonable? Clearly, it was when you were taking off your backpack that you brought down Wang Jingjing’s cup.”
Tan Zhuo seemed to have his ears blocked; he didn’t listen at all. Like a high-decibel repeating machine, he shouted again, “Who let her put the cup on the table! Are you crazy! Are you crazy, are you crazy, are you crazy!”
He spoke while gasping for breath, his face turning red, and veins popping on his forehead. Fang Xing was worried he might faint from the effort.
The school bell happened to ring at this moment.
Wang Jingjing pulled her deskmate, “Forget it, let’s go back to the dorm.”
Tan Zhuo suddenly pulled out a chair, making a harsh dragging sound. Without looking at anyone, he gasped for breath, grabbed his backpack, and left the classroom. Fang Xing heard Xu Hang mutter beside him, “What an idiot.”
This incident happened quickly and ended quickly, as if it were just a brief episode before the end of school. Immediately afterward, some people left, and the classroom emptied like a tide. Fang Xing followed the crowd out of school and immediately saw Jiang Zhijin standing in front of a car across the street.
There were quite a few people at the entrance of the high school just after school – students going home, parents picking up their children, street vendors selling roasted sweet potatoes and fried skewers. However, Fang Xing didn’t know why he saw Jiang Zhijin in the bustling crowd.
Perhaps it was because Jiang Zhijin’s height and appearance did stand out a bit in the crowd.
Jiang Zhijin also saw Fang Xing and waved at him.
After getting in the car and driving a certain distance, the number of people on the street decreased. There was a soft English song playing in the car, and Fang Xing listened for a while before realizing it was “Fly Me to the Moon.”
“How was it?” Jiang Zhijin asked. “The first day at school.”
Fang Xing fell silent for a moment, then corrected him, “The first day at school after transferring to the third year.”
“Okay, okay,” Jiang Zhijin clicked his tongue, “Can you adapt?”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s okay is good enough. Your mom said you’re particularly smart, really worried that I might ruin you in a year.”
Fang Xing suddenly asked, “Did my mom tell you why I transferred?”
“No,” Jiang Zhijin glanced at him. “Do you want to talk to me about it? Teenage rebellion?”
Fang Xing didn’t say anything.
Jiang Zhijin didn’t mind either, turned on the turn signal, and entered the residential area, saying with a smile, “Regardless of the reason, you’ve got guts. Maybe all top students are this arrogant.”
Guts? Fang Xing wondered.
No, he was actually timid, which was why he chose to transfer.
Or rather, chose to escape.
After entering the house, Fang Xing quickly took a shower and returned to his room to sit at the desk, looking at Xu Hang’s notes on integrated science.
Compared to his review progress in Chaocheng, Shaojiang’s progress was somewhat different – physics was a bit slower, just reviewing the middle of compulsory one, while biology and chemistry had already covered a significant portion, starting from the beginning of compulsory two, Fang Xing needed to catch up on this part himself.
He sighed, comparing the textbook with the notes, starting to take notes from the beginning.
Speed formula, displacement formula, average speed formula; first reduction division, second reduction division; seven horizontal and eight vertical short perimeter and long perimeter…
Midway through, his phone next to him vibrated twice, and a few WeChat messages came in, probably because he hadn’t replied; the other party directly called.
Fang Xing felt a bit annoyed and frowned, glancing at the caller ID, then directly hung up.
He was in the midst of doing something very serious and detested external disturbances.
Only when a chapter ended did he put down the pen, stretched his neck twice, took the phone and glanced at it – 11:43.
He opened WeChat.
【Qi Xiang】: ??? Ge, Lao Zhang said you transferred to another school? Is it true?
【Qi Xiang】: Damn, Answer me.
【Qi Xiang】: Got it, reply to me after finishing your review.
Fang Xing replied: Yes, I transferred.
Messages immediately followed.
【Qi Xiang】: … Just because of that woman at the last school?
Fang Xing stared at this message for quite a while, considering how to reply.
Yes, and no.
That woman and the child did play a certain role, but they were just the trigger that ignited the explosive buried in the hearts of the three of them, blowing them apart.
Blowing them apart, yet unable to truly separate, that was the reason he left.
Qi Xiang was his friend, but he didn’t know how to say it in a way that the other party could understand.
Fortunately, Qi Xiang’s emotional intelligence was always online. Seeing that Fang Xing hadn’t replied for over two minutes, he immediately changed the topic.
【Qi Xiang】: Lao Zhang looked like he was about to cry when he mentioned it, like losing a beloved disciple. Can you adapt to your new school now?
Fang Xing used his left hand to tidy up the things on the table and his right hand to type a quick response: “I can’t adapt to wherever I go to school.”
【Qi Xiang】: You f***ing… awesome.
After exchanging some banter with Qi Xiang, it was almost 12, and Fang Xing sent a message: “Going to sleep, we’ll talk another day.”
Normally, 12 o’clock was Fang Xing’s fixed sleeping time during the school semester, whether the studies were particularly relaxed, when others were lying in bed early in the morning; or during the senior year, when some people wished to stay up and fight until two or three in the morning.
Next semester might be pushed back by an hour, butFang Xing currently had no intention of changing his habits.
Qi Xiang also understood this well and replied promptly with a simple “Okay.”
After turning off his phone, Fang Xing planned to get a glass of water from the kitchen before going to bed.
He opened the door and found that the living room light was still on.
He hesitated for a moment, walked into the living room, and discovered Jiang Zhijin sitting on the sofa.
The focus wasn’t on that; the focus was that Jiang Zhijin wasn’t wearing any clothes.
He was bare-chested, probably just finished a shower, as there were still traces of water on his collarbone. Due to the lack of clothing, his attractive but not exaggerated muscles were exposed.
Fang Xing’s first reaction was: This guy actually has abs.
The second reaction came: What is this guy doing?
Jiang Zhijin also heard the sound, lifted his head, and met Fang Xing’s gaze.
Then Jiang Zhijin said, “Still awake.”
Fang Xing nodded slightly, “came for a glass of water.”
“Just in time.” Fang Xing felt as if Jiang Zhijin had heaved a sigh of relief, “Come over and help me change the dressing – I accidentally got it wet while showering.”
Fang Xing just noticed that the gauze on Jiang Zhijin’s left forearm had already been removed, revealing a fresh red wound. There was a first aid kit on the table in front of him, with some gauze and medicine piled up.
Without agreeing, Fang Xing walked over to the sofa where Jiang Zhijin was sitting. After standing in front of him, he spoke.
“Don’t you need to go to the hospital for this?”
“No need. Just wipe it with iodine cotton, then use the medicine from the white bottle, and finally, wrap it with gauze.”
Jiang Zhijin said casually, and Fang Xing remained silent for a moment, went to the bathroom to wash his hands, and returned to sit next to Jiang Zhijin. He picked up the iodine from the table.
Jiang Zhijin directly extended his hand.
The color of the iodine was very dark, contrasting with Jiang Zhijin’s pale forearm, where the blue veins under the skin were clearly visible. Fang Xing was multitasking and inexplicably remembered what Zhou Hong had said – that Jiang Zhijin was quite dark when he returned from the military.
A little dark-faced guy.
But judging by Jiang Zhijin’s current reflective whiteness, he probably wasn’t that dark.
However, he joined the army right after graduating from high school. Why didn’t he go to college? No money?
Fang Xing pondered for a while. Jiang Zhijin snapped his fingers in front of his eyes, the sound crisp.
“Daydreaming?”
Fang Xing glanced at him, his tone unchanged, “The home environment is not sterile; there might be a risk of infection. It’s better to go to the hospital.”
Jiang Zhijin found this kid quite cute with his serious demeanor and replied, “It’s fine; I’ve tried it.”
Fang Xing didn’t say anything more, efficiently changed Jiang Zhijin’s dressing, and wrapped it with new gauze before standing up.
“All done.”
Jiang Zhijin withdrew his hand, “Thanks.”
Fang Xing mumbled a vague “no problem,” went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water, and returned to the living room. Jiang Zhijin had already entered the room, and a faint light emanated from the master bedroom.
When Fang Xing lay back on his bed and checked his phone, it was 12:17.
Seventeen minutes later than usual.
Tossing his phone aside, feeling annoyed, he turned over and closed his eyes.