Orange Storm chapter 88

He Loves Fang Xing

Probably because of the slap from Zhou Ling and the definitive words she spoke, Fang Chenglin didn’t dare to continue arguing with Zhou Ling. Before leaving, he glanced at Fang Xing with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t.

The living room was suddenly empty, with only Fang Xing and Zhou Ling left.

In the silence, only the morning breeze blew in through the window, causing the curtains to flutter slightly.

It was still a bit chilly early in the morning. Fang Xing stooped down to pick up the fruit knife Zhou Ling had thrown to the ground and placed it on the coffee table. Then, he went upstairs to fetch a pair of slippers for her, squatting down to place them beside her feet.

Zhou Ling stood still, watching Fang Xing’s movements. All the anger from earlier and the fatigue from a sleepless night suddenly dissipated, replaced by a feeling of heartache and bitterness.

Fang Xing waited until Zhou Ling put on her shoes before speaking for the first time.

“Let’s have breakfast first, Mom.”

After washing his hands, he served breakfast, and Zhou Ling sat at the dining table, looking at the food in front of her: toasted bread, fried eggs, and two bowls of thick, golden-yellow millet porridge. She took a sip and found that it tasted surprisingly good.

Zhou Ling put down her spoon silently after tasting it and said softly, “I didn’t know you could cook all this.”

“I just learned,” Fang Xing replied.

As for where he learned it and who taught him, it was self-evident.

Zhou Ling sat silently for a long time after listening, then sighed softly.

“I am not so stubborn, nor do I fail to understand liking the same sex, but why is it my son, and why…”

She paused for a moment, suppressing the emerging bitterness before continuing, “Is it Jiang Zhijin?”

“I was thinking last night, maybe it’s because I sent you to Shaojiang that this happened, it’s my fault—”

“No, it’s not.” Fang Xing interrupted Zhou Ling, looking up at her.

Jiang Zhijin felt it was his fault for being gay, leading Fang Xing astray. Zhou Ling also felt it was her fault for sending him to Shaojiang, allowing the two boys to be together.

“Why must we think it’s someone’s fault?” Fang Xing said.

“No one is at fault, I just like him.”

It wasn’t anyone’s fault that he and Jiang Zhijin fell in love. The reason they fell in love was simply because he liked Jiang Zhijin.

Zhou Ling fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “I couldn’t sleep last night. I looked at your old photos. I remembered the first day you went to kindergarten. All the children were crying, and you wanted to cry too, but I told you boys weren’t allowed to cry, so you held back, your face turning red. Later, it seemed like I never saw you cry.”

Seeing Fang Xing looking at her, Zhou Ling forced a smile. “Was I too domineering back then?”

From childhood to adulthood, Zhou Ling had always been proud of Fang Xing, but she rarely knew what he needed.

“I wanted to be strong, so I hoped my son could also be outstanding. I hoped he could grow up well… I was wrong.”

Zhou Ling looked across the table at Fang Xing, his back straight and broad shoulders, clean and neat like a poplar tree.

The term “grow up well” was too vague. In Zhou Ling’s mind, it had always meant academic success, smooth sailing in everything, and a life more comfortable than her own…

She had always hoped Fang Xing would grow up to be something, but she forgot to ask him what he himself wanted to become.

Thinking about it now, most of it didn’t really matter that much.

“As long as you’re happy,” Zhou Ling said softly.

Fang Xing was momentarily stunned, then immediately lowered his head. The steam rising from the millet porridge made his eyes feel hot, almost bringing tears to his eyes.

His throat rolled up and down as he struggled to hold back the tears in his eyes, then he looked up at Zhou Ling solemnly and nodded.

“I understand.”

…..

It was after 7 o’clock in the afternoon, and the sun had finally set. Jiang Zhijin waited until this time to go out. He ordered a bowl of knife-cut noodles at the entrance of the community and asked for a can of Coke. He planned to finish eating and then go to Cloud Seven

The TV in the restaurant had been on the whole time. After the news broadcast ended, the weather forecast followed. The owner brought Jiang Zhijin the Coke, his eyes still glued to the TV as he chatted with Jiang Zhijin.

“I thought there was supposed to be a typhoon passing through this week. Why hasn’t there been any news about it?”

“The meteorological department said it’s going to be this weekend,” Jiang Zhijin replied casually.

“Wasn’t the typhoon last year in August or September? Why is it so early this year?”

Another customer at the opposite table chimed in, “Hey, you can’t predict the weather just by looking at the sky.”

Jiang Zhijin smiled and quickly finished his noodles, then, as he was paying the bill and leaving the restaurant, his phone rang. He took out his phone and saw that it was from Fang Xing.

Jiang Zhijin was taken aback for a moment, quickly settled the bill, and answered the phone as he left the restaurant. Fang Xing’s voice came from the other end, sounding cheerful.

“Have you eaten?”

“Just finished.”

“What did you eat?”

“Knife-cut noodles.”

“Ate alone?”

“Yeah.” Jiang Zhijin paused for a moment. “Did you call just to check up on me?”

“Who’s checking up on you.”

That day, Zhou Ling went out and hadn’t returned yet. Fang Xing sat at the desk, looking out the window. Several boys in the neighborhood were playing basketball, and the sound of the ball hitting the basket echoed one after another.

Jiang Zhijin sensed something else and asked, “When are you coming back?”

“In a few days.” Fang Xing felt relieved. “Anyway, I have to come back to fill out my college applications, might as well come back soon.”

“Did your mom agree?”

“She did.”

Fang Xing hesitated, closed the window to block out the sound of the basketball, waited until the room was completely quiet, then continued, “I told her about us.”

Jiang Zhijin, who had been in a good mood, suddenly stopped in his tracks, standing in the middle of the road.

He frowned and asked, “What?”

Fang Xing cleared his throat. “I told my mom about us, about our relationship.”

Jiang Zhijin fell silent for a long time.

The silence lasted too long, so long that Fang Xing’s previously high spirits gradually subsided. When he was almost feeling a bit uneasy, Jiang Zhijin on the other end of the phone suddenly sighed.

“You’re really bold.”

“You…” Fang Xing paused. “Are you angry?”

“What do you think?” Jiang Zhijin said. “If you were in front of me right now, I’d hit you.”

His tone didn’t reveal much emotion, so Fang Xing slightly relaxed, briefly recounted what happened that day, then whispered, “I just thought, if you were to tell her, you’d probably be under a lot of pressure, so it’s okay if I told her first.”

How could Jiang Zhijin not be angry?

He had imagined many times in his mind how he should say it if he were to confess to Zhou Ling, so as not to hurt her as much as possible, not to affect Fang Xing, and not to let Fang Xing face another bigger trouble while still dealing with the mess at home…

But he didn’t expect Fang Xing to be so direct, to cut through the chaos like a hot knife through butter.

He underestimated him.

“You…” Jiang Zhijin said a word and then stopped, after a while, he sighed again.

More than being angry, he felt more heartache.

Just when the mess at home had been sorted out, Fang Xing had to face such a big thing on his own, bearing the responsibility himself. Fang Xing’s account just now was quite brief, but Jiang Zhijin could still feel the pressure.

“Fang Xing, let’s discuss things in the future. Can you let me know first if something like this happens again?”

“If I were to tell you first, would you come all the way from Shaojiang to Chaocheng to kneel in front of my mom?” Fang Xing chuckled. “I can handle it myself, no problem.”

“It’s not about whether you can handle it, it’s about both of us. You’re facing Fang Chenglin and Zhou Ling alone…”

Jiang Zhijin imagined the scene as Fang Xing described it and felt a lump in his throat.

Fang Xing finally realized, “You’re not angry, are you? You’re… feeling sorry, right?”

“What do you think?” Jiang Zhijin said. “I feel so sorry.”

Fang Xing chuckled in a muffled voice for a while, leaned his head on the desk, and replied again, “I’m fine, really.”

“Send me a message before you come back, I’ll pick you up.” Jiang Zhijin didn’t join in the laughter. “Then be prepared to get hit.”

Fang Xing replied quickly, “Got it.”

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Zhijin didn’t continue walking.

He stood still for a few minutes with his eyes closed, sorting out his thoughts, then immediately found Zhou Ling’s number and called her.

Zhou Ling answered quickly, sounding a little surprised, “Xiao Zhijin?”

“Sister Ling, Fang Xing just called me and said he told you something about me and him.”

Zhou Ling on the other end immediately fell silent, not saying anything else. Jiang Zhijin didn’t hesitate, he continued, “I’m sorry.”

Zhou Ling had sent her son to him in Shaojiang because she trusted him. Now, he should apologize to her.

“I don’t know how Fang Xing told you, but a big part of the responsibility for what happened between me and him lies with me.”

Jiang Zhijin looked down at the yellow and white bricks under his feet, trying to take the blame on himself as much as possible.

“After all, I’m ten years older than him, and there are many things I didn’t handle well, it’s my fault.”

Zhou Ling finally spoke, her voice sounding helpless through the phone line, “Fang Xing said it’s his fault, you say it’s yours. Who should I believe?”

“Me… me, I’m older, so I should take responsibility.”

Zhou Ling sighed.

“I don’t object to you and Jiang Zhijin, I’m not that old-fashioned. I’m just worried about what you two will do next?”

“Fang Xing just finished the college entrance exam, it’s too early for him to enter society. You’re ten years older than him, you know how difficult it is for homosexuals in society. When the time comes, you two—”

Zhou Ling didn’t finish her sentence, but Jiang Zhijin already understood what she meant.

The age difference, the difference in living environment, the difference in social awareness, these were the undeniable factors between Fang Xing and him.

Jiang Zhijin said again, “I’m sorry.”

Compared to his usual tone when talking to others or Fang Xing, his apologies were very low, sounding sincere to the point where it couldn’t be ignored.

“I was quite hesitant when I decided to be with Fang Xing. I always felt like I was corrupting a child, and… I’m sorry for you. But if you ask me to reject him and give up, I really can’t do it.”

Zhou Ling on the other end didn’t speak for a long time. “You guys really are…”

Her voice sounded helpless.

Jiang Zhijin closed his eyes and said again, “I’m sorry.”

In just a few minutes, Jiang Zhijin had apologized three times.

He really felt sorry for Zhou Ling. Fang Xing was right, if he had known about this at the beginning, he probably would have flown to Chaocheng and knelt in front of Zhou Ling.

“How about I come to Chaocheng, and I’ll talk to you in person?”

“No need.” Zhou Ling was a little stunned. “It’s not that serious. Fang Xing will probably come to Shaojiang in a few days. I’m just worried… How long can you two hold on now that you like each other?”

“As long as he insists, then I’m willing to persevere with him.”

Regardless of what the future holds, at least for now…

He loved Fang Xing.