Orange Storm

Orange Storm chapter 71

I’ve always needed you

Jiang Zhijin hesitated for a moment, unsure when things would conclude on his end, so he decided to delay his response for now.

Upon reaching the police station, the commotion persisted. The intoxicated girl seemed to have just realized what happened and was sitting in the lobby crying. As for the other three, they insisted they did nothing wrong, just passing by to see what was happening. Their attitude was extremely arrogant, and they even clashed with the police. The officers had to temporarily detain them, a few went to check the surveillance footage, and a couple began questioning Jiang Zhijin and Gu Wenyao.

Back home, Fang Xing had finished studying English around 11 PM. He sent a message to Jiang Zhijin but noticed he hadn’t replied.

Waiting for a while and becoming concerned that Jiang Zhijin might be drunk, Fang Xing hesitated before deciding to call him.

At this moment, Jiang Zhijin was being questioned about the incident. Since their actions could be considered courageous, and the police were just gathering information, they were questioned in the mediation room and then asked to wait for a few minutes.

Fang Xing’s call came in right at this moment. Jiang Zhijin took out his phone, hesitated for a few seconds, and eventually answered the call.

The kid was probably getting anxious.

As the call connected, Fang Xing paused from spinning his pen, shouting, “Jiang Zhijin?”

Jiang Zhijin replied with a simple “Yes.”

Gu Wenyao, who was beside him, looked up at Jiang Zhijin and then lowered his head to continue texting.

The soundproofing in the mediation room wasn’t great. The police station lobby outside was noisy, and even on the phone, Fang Xing could vaguely hear the commotion.

“Where are you? Why is it so noisy?” Fang Xing asked.

“Outside,” Jiang Zhijin didn’t want to reveal too much, afraid Fang Xing might sense something. He quickly added, “What’s up?”

“Nothing, just checking when you’ll be back.” Fang Xing felt like he might be bothering Jiang Zhijin and awkwardly coughed. “Do you need me to pick you up?”

Jiang Zhijin’s lips curved into a smile, whispering, “No need, it’s almost over here—”

Just at that moment, the door to the mediation room was pushed open, and the police officer who had gone out returned. He waved to Jiang Zhijin and loudly said, “Are you Jiang Zhijin? Come over and sign the statement.”

Jiang Zhijin: “…”

He felt he was about to suffer. As expected, the next second, Fang Xing’s voice came through the phone, and the speed of his speech increased significantly.

“Jiang Zhijin, where are you?”

“At the police station,” Jiang Zhijin sighed and walked over to sign the statement while continuing the call. “I got into a little trouble, but it’s resolved now.”

“Which police station?” Fang Xing immediately asked.

“I’m almost done here; I’ll be home soon.” Jiang Zhijin finished signing and returned to his original spot, trying to lower his voice. “It’s late; you don’t need to come out.”

“Tomorrow is Sunday, and I don’t have classes.” After a pause, Fang Xing’s voice came through a bit muffled. “Can I come pick you up?”

Jiang Zhijin remained silent for a few seconds, sighed internally, and said, “Sure, I’ll wait for you.”

After stating the address and hanging up the phone, Gu Wenyao on the other side finally raised his head.

Gu Wenyao looked at Jiang Zhijin for a few seconds before speaking, “Actually, we are almost done here. It’s quite troublesome for him to rush over now.”

It wouldn’t make much difference.

“I know,” Jiang Zhijin turned his phone in his hand, not continuing the conversation.

At this pace, it was possible that Fang Xing might arrive when everything was already settled, and there was really no need for him to come. However, Jiang Zhijin, listening to Fang Xing’s tone on the phone, couldn’t help but agree to let him come.

Fang Xing lacked a sense of security, especially evident in his occasional jealousy, and inquiries about his past relationships…

After all, the two had significant differences in age, experience, and status. But Fang Xing was very earnest about establishing the identity of “Jiang Zhijin’s boyfriend.”

So Jiang Zhijin didn’t want to outright reject Fang Xing when he felt that Fang Xing needed him. He avoided saying things like, “Your presence won’t change anything.”

Fang Xing needed his trust.

Gu Wenyao remained silent.

After another not-so-long interval, the police officer who had left earlier walked in again, notifying the two that they could leave.

Outside the police station, Jiang Zhijin checked the time. It had been more than 20 minutes since that phone call, and Fang Xing should be arriving soon. He turned to Gu Wenyao.

“You go back first; I’ll wait for someone.”

“I’ll wait with you for a while,” Gu Wenyao said. “I messaged Chen Bo and the others just now, told them everything’s fine, asked them to disperse, and not to wait. We can discuss the details tomorrow.”

Jiang Zhijin, distracted by Fang Xing’s call earlier, had forgotten about this. He nodded without saying anything.

After ending the call, Fang Xing grabbed nearby clothes and changed before rushing out. Because he was in a hurry, he ended up grabbing his school uniform that he had taken off when he returned home. Waiting at the entrance of the community, he quickly got a taxi, gave the address of the police station, and urged the driver “faster.”

The driver hesitated, gave him a glance, and stepped on the gas.

There wasn’t much traffic at night, and Fang Xing arrived at the entrance of the police station in half an hour. From a distance, he saw Jiang Zhijin standing at the entrance, feeling the breeze, wearing a gray coat, tall, and quite eye-catching.

Beside Jiang Zhijin stood another person, in a black coat, hands in his pockets, standing upright.

Fang Xing just got out of the car, and Jiang Zhijin spotted him, waving at him. He walked two steps to Jiang Zhijin’s side.

“Everything okay?” Fang Xing asked.

“No problem, just acted on a sense of justice. I’ll tell you more when we get back.”

Fang Xing breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to look at the person beside Jiang Zhijin.

Jiang Zhijin followed his gaze, gestured towards the person, and introduced, “This is Gu Wenyao, my former comrade.”

Oh, former boyfriend.

Fang Xing turned his head to face Gu Wenyao.

Since getting out of the car, Gu Wenyao had been watching him. Now that their eyes met, he smiled, nodded slightly at Fang Xing, and then turned to Jiang Zhijin, asking, “Who is this—”

He paused slightly, and Jiang Zhijin glanced at Fang Xing, who also quickly looked back.

During this exchange of glances, Fang Xing’s face showed no emotion. His Adam’s apple moved slightly, but that was it.

Jiang Zhijin felt a bit awkward, and Fang Xing could see that. After all, the scene was quite embarrassing – at the entrance of a police station, an ex-boyfriend and a current boyfriend. It didn’t seem appropriate to say much, especially when Fang Xing was still wearing his school uniform…

After a moment of hesitation, Fang Xing thought about whether to initiate the conversation himself, like saying he’s Jiang Zhijin’s brother or something similar to the way he dealt with Li Xingyan last time.

But the next second, Jiang Zhijin spoke first.

“My boyfriend,” Jiang Zhijin said.

Fang Xing was taken aback, looking up at Jiang Zhijin. Jiang Zhijin, with a calm expression, turned to Gu Wenyao and said, “Let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Fang Xing.”

Gu Wenyao had already guessed more or less, but after hearing this answer, he still visibly paused. Fortunately, he quickly regained his composure and extended his hand towards Fang Xing.

“Hello.”

“Hello.” Fang Xing nodded, shaking hands with him. After retracting his hand, Gu Wenyao changed the topic, looking at Jiang Zhijin. “Then, I’ll go back now. If there’s anything, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

Talking about it tomorrow most likely meant that Gu Wenyao would definitely find him tomorrow.

“Sure,” Jiang Zhijin nodded.

On the way back, Jiang Zhijin recounted tonight’s events to Fang Xing, doing most of the talking himself while Fang Xing listened. It wasn’t until they entered the house that the conversation concluded. Fang Xing went to pour a cup of hot water to help Jiang Zhijin sober up, waiting until he had finished drinking before speaking.

“Should I praise you? Getting arrested for acting heroically.”

Jiang Zhijin, lying on the sofa, finished half a cup of water, glanced at Fang Xing, and chuckled, “You want to scold me?”

“…I…” Fang Xing, hearing this, felt less inclined to be angry. He slowly began, “I just thought it was quite dangerous.”

“I know, I’ll be more careful in the future,” Jiang Zhijin said.

His attitude was sincere.

Fang Xing was initially a bit upset when he heard about the knife and three people, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but smile. The incident was over, and he chuckled before speaking again, “But when you told Gu Wenyao…”

He hesitated for a moment, and Jiang Zhijin took the initiative to continue, “Told him you’re my boyfriend.”

“Yeah.” Fang Xing looked at Jiang Zhijin. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I was worried about you. Your expression then was like if I didn’t admit it, you’d burst into tears on the spot.”

“Tsk, cut it out.” Fang Xing laughed for a moment, then sat down next to Jiang Zhijin.

“Did I cause you trouble tonight?” Fang Xing asked.

“No.” Jiang Zhijin looked at him. “Why would you think that?”

“Actually, as soon as I got in the car, I realized going there myself wouldn’t make a difference. But when you said you were at the police station, I got a bit anxious. I felt that at least, if you needed me, I might be there.”

“And when Gu Wenyao asked, I was thinking of saying I’m your little brother,” Fang Xing continued, laughing at himself, “but you just said it directly. I was a bit happy and a bit… worried.”

Love, panic, apprehension, maturity, and innocence—this was Fang Xing’s first love at eighteen, facing the already adult Jiang Zhijin.

Jiang Zhijin quietly watched him for a moment, then sighed.

“Come here.”

Fang Xing didn’t hesitate, obediently moving closer to Jiang Zhijin. As he approached, he asked, “Mmmh?”

“Kiss.” Jiang Zhijin said.

Fang Xing was taken aback; Jiang Zhijin had already extended his hand, waiting. Fang Xing lowered his head, and Jiang Zhijin, in turn, hooked Fang Xing’s neck, giving him a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

“No need to worry about when you might need me. That assumption doesn’t hold. I’ve always needed you,” Jiang Zhijin said, tilting his head slightly, resting his forehead against Fang Xing’s brow, speaking clearly.

“I’ve always needed you.”

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