Orange Storm chapter 78
Sleeping Together
The sounds of firecrackers and fireworks outside the window hadn’t ceased yet. Someone loudly shouted “Happy New Year,” and there were children’s screams and laughter. Probably too close to the fireworks, adults were shouting at them to move further away…
However, Fang Xing felt that this moment had suddenly become very quiet.
Quiet enough that he could only hear the calm breathing of Jiang Zhijin on the other end of the phone, along with the sentence that traveled hundreds of kilometers, “I love you.”
After a long while, Jiang Zhijin had almost finished a cigarette when Fang Xing finally spoke on his end.
“I—”
The first word came out hoarse, and Fang Xing had to pause.
He felt a bit embarrassed, couldn’t help but want to laugh, and there was a hint of a stuffy nose.
“Hey, this is too sudden… I haven’t even reacted yet… I just wanted to say, I also… kind of—”
“Take your time.” Jiang Zhijin, who sounded like he wanted to laugh, interrupted, “You’re making it sound like you’re forcing a marriage proposal.”
“Get lost.” Fang Xing raised his hand to cover his eyes, also laughing, and spoke softly after a while.
“I love you too.”
“I know.” Jiang Zhijin said with a smile.
Fang Xing has always approached relationships with courage and sincerity. He knew the boundaries, yet within a reasonable distance, he maximized his sincerity, like a flame that would never extinguish.
So when this flame was occasionally extinguished, Jiang Zhijin would be especially distressed.
Not far away, Gu Xun and Zhou Hong lit up new fireworks. Half of the sky was illuminated with colorful lights. Jiang Zhijin extinguished his cigarette and looked up at the sky.
“Happy New Year, Fang Xing. This is our first Spring Festival together, although we are temporarily unable to be together, I still wish you happiness.”
Although we are separated by hundreds of kilometers on this first Spring Festival, in different cities, we will probably be together for a long time in the future.
So, it’s not just “Happy New Year.”
Wishing us happiness throughout the seasons.
After a long time, Fang Xing sighed.
Because of the incident just now, his anxious and uneasy mood had been smoothed out by Jiang Zhijin’s phone call, replaced by endless longing.
“Doing this… makes me really want to go back to Shaojiang.” Fang Xing said.
“Just… miss talking to you, hugging and such. Or doing nothing, just the two of us being together is enough.”
“Just the two of us, doing nothing.” Jiang Zhijin sighed, “Do you believe that yourself?”
“…No, can you be serious for a minute?” Fang Xing couldn’t help but laugh.
Jiang Zhijin finished laughing before continuing, “Persist, persist. Just a few more days, stay at home and accompany your mom.”
“Got it.” Fang Xing said. “Go light fireworks with Gu Xun and Zhou Hong. I’m afraid they’ll get into trouble if you don’t keep an eye on them.”
Even through the phone, Fang Xing could hear those two shouting at the top of their lungs, mixed with the explosions of fireworks, which was simply disturbing.
Jiang Zhijin laughed while saying, “Hang up, go to sleep early.”
In the next few days, Fang Chenglin did not appear in front of Fang Xing and Zhou Ling again. He might be in the hospital, or he might have returned to school, Fang Xing couldn’t be bothered.
On the afternoon of the 18th, Zhou Ling sent him to the airport.
“Endure for the last three months, work hard.” Zhou Ling handed the luggage to Fang Xing and whispered, “It will be over after the college entrance exam. If anything happens, talk to Zhijin. I think you and him get along well.”
“…Mm.” Fang Xing nodded.
“You’ve been chatting with him so much in these few days of leave.” Zhou Ling smiled.
Fang Xing hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he didn’t say anything. He looked at Zhou Ling and said, “Leaving now, take care of yourself. If someone bothers you again, call the police and then call me.”
“Why call you? You’re so far away.”
“Maybe it won’t help much, but it lets me know and think of a solution.” Fang Xing smiled at Zhou Ling. “I just want to say, you still have me, nothing to be afraid of.”
“Good son.” Zhou Ling raised her hand and rubbed Fang Xing’s hair, revealing a smile. “Go on.”
When Fang Xing’s plane took off, Jiang Zhijin had just returned home from the supermarket.
That day, Fang Xing came back, insisting not to let him pick him up. Therefore, Jiang Zhijin planned to cook a good meal.
Jiang Zhijin cooked on time, and when the corn spare rib soup was bubbling, he took the steamed fish out of the pot. Immediately afterward, the sound of the door opening came from the entrance. Someone entered and walked straight to the kitchen.
“Back so quickly.” Jiang Zhijin spoke, and when he turned around, Fang Xing had already plunged into his arms. Jiang Zhijin was initially startled, then he laughed.
“Hey, you’ve gained weight over the New Year.”
Jiang Zhijin reached out and embraced Fang Xing’s back, saying with a smile, “I can’t even wrap my arms around you with just one hand.”
“…That’s because I didn’t have time to take off my coat.” Fang Xing, who hadn’t seen Jiang Zhijin for so many days, originally had a complicated mood. He was a bit amused by the way the other person teased him.
“Can you be quiet for a moment and let me hug you?”
“Okay, okay.” Jiang Zhijin nodded with a smile. “Come here.”
After saying that, he reached out and also hugged Fang Xing.
He hugged him tightly, bringing the two closer.
He had a feeling that Fang Xing must have been wronged this time when he went home, especially on New Year’s Eve. As for why, it was probably related to the things between Fang Chenglin and Zhai Wan.
After hugging for about five or six minutes, Fang Xing sniffled.
“You’re stewing soup? Spare ribs and corn.”
Jiang Zhijin let go of Fang Xing, and quickly kissed him on the lips. “Yes, go wash your hands and let’s eat.”
Fang Xing smiled, released his grip, and quickly changed his clothes before washing his hands and sitting at the table. Tang Yuan was crawling around under the table when the aroma of the meat wafted out. Jiang Zhijin poured cat food for it and placed it beside the table.
Jiang Zhijin scooped a bowl of soup for Fang Xing and asked, “How is your mom?”
“She’s doing fine.” Fang Xing took a sip of the soup. “Why didn’t you come back to celebrate the New Year together?”
“Next time, maybe next year.” Jiang Zhijin said.
Fang Xing looked up at him. “So confident?”
“I have to be confident.” Jiang Zhijin added a piece of spare rib to Fang Xing’s bowl. “I’m afraid that next New Year’s Eve, you’ll cry and call me, you poor thing.”
“…Who cried?” Fang Xing didn’t even touch the food, staring at Jiang Zhijin.
“What if I cried, thinking about you spending the New Year alone without my hugs, it’s heartbreaking.” Jiang Zhijin said with a smile.
Fang Xing laughed along, then spoke after a while, “Just… on New Year’s Eve, Zhai Wan came to find Fang Chenglin at home, and they had a fight.”
Jiang Zhijin frowned and put down his chopsticks.
“Then what happened?”
“Then I said I absolutely wouldn’t donate bone marrow for their son.”
“Good for you.” Jiang Zhijin said, “I’ve said it before, once you’ve decided, everything else doesn’t matter.”
Jiang Zhijin had felt it a long time ago—Fang Xing was a bit stubborn.
He came to Shaojiang, as if he had already left the messy environment of Chaocheng behind, but mentally, he stubbornly forced himself to face—how to face Fang Chenglin and Zhai Wan, how to treat the child in the hospital, how to protect his own mother…
People like Zhai Wan inadvertently held onto his character, constantly forcing him. Fang Xing should donate bone marrow, Fang Xing should accept his younger brother, Fang Xing should…
Go to hell, Jiang Zhijin thought. As long as Fang Xing is willing, he can do whatever he wants.
Returning to Shaojiang, Fang Xing’s mood obviously improved a lot. After dinner, they took a stroll downstairs. When they came back after taking a shower, the two played games together again.
After the two rounds of the game, Tang Yuan began to come over, rolling between the two, tail wagging and crawling all over Jiang Zhijin.
Fang Xing temporarily put down the game console, looking at the cat.
“…What is he doing?”
“He’s probably sleepy. It’s already eleven o’clock.”
Fang Xing scratched Tang Yuan’s chin, looking at him comfortably squinting his eyes. “Then let’s go to sleep.”
“He’s been sleeping in my room these past few days.” Jiang Zhijin also looked down at Tang Yuan.
“In the past few nights, there were fireworks, and it scared him a lot. He kept meowing in the living room, so I temporarily let him sleep in the bedroom.”
“…Ah.” Fang Xing was clearly stunned, looking at Jiang Zhijin for a long time without knowing what to say, “Oh.”
Jiang Zhijin glanced at him and suddenly laughed.
“What’s with that expression?”
“What expression?” Fang Xing looked at him.
“A face full of shock and ‘how could you’ written all over it…”
“Do you also want to sleep with me?” Jiang Zhijin laughed and asked.