Orange Storm chapter 93
Extra 3
“Is this cat getting fat?”
Jiang Zhijin took Tang Yuan from Gu Xun’s hand and weighed it in his hands. It had only been about ten days since they left home, but he felt like this cat had actually gained some weight.
Tang Yuan probably had some pride too, as it seemed to dislike Jiang Zhijin weighing its weight like this. It stretched out its paw into the air, trying to grab something, but it didn’t catch anything and could only continue to endure the humiliation in Jiang Zhijin’s hand.
“I don’t dare to starve it.” Gu Xun rubbed the cat’s head and looked at Jiang Zhijin and Fang Xing in front of him.
“Both of you went on a trip, leaving only this cat behind. Shouldn’t I be good to it?”
“You’ve been working hard.” Jiang Zhijin smiled and patted Gu Xun’s shoulder. “I’ll give you and Zhou Hong a raise.”
“You’d better give me an assistant instead. The part-time students for the summer vacation have all gone back, and you’ve left too. It’s exhausting.” Gu Xun finished speaking and glanced at Fang Xing, raising an eyebrow in greeting.
“Future college student, school’s about to start, right?”
“Soon.” Fang Xing nodded. “In half a month.”
He was about to start campus, and Jiang Zhijin could feel that Fang Xing was quite attached to him recently. He insisted on cuddling together at night, and during the day, they basically stayed together. Even going out to buy groceries, they had to go together.
Jiang Zhijin didn’t tease Fang Xing. Apart from the sensitivity of a teenager in his first relationship, he could also feel Fang Xing’s dependence on him.
Moreover, this time apart when Fang Xing would be away for campus would be for half a year, and Jiang Zhijin figured he wouldn’t be able to bear it himself.
A week before the start of school, Zhou Ling called Fang Xing and asked him to come home to prepare for school and that she would send him over when the time came.
That made sense. Before starting school, Fang Xing also felt it was right to accompany his mother for a few days.
On the day he returned to Chaocheng, Jiang Zhijin escorted him to the airport.
There was still some time before the flight took off, so Jiang Zhijin parked the car in the parking lot and didn’t rush to get out. He turned his head to talk to Fang Xing.
“Go back and spend a few days with your mom. Let me know on the day of departure. When you get to college, you’ll definitely have to live in the dorms, so try to have a good temper and avoid conflicts with your roommates as much as possible. Otherwise, if I’m called to come again, it’ll be a three-hour flight, which is quite a hassle.”
“I’ve only been called to the principal’s office once in my life.” Fang Xing sighed. “You really can’t let that one time go, huh?”
Jiang Zhijin smiled and continued, “But don’t let anyone bully you at school. If anything happens, just call me.”
“You’re making it sound like I’m going into a tiger’s den.”
“You’ll be there for half a year.” Jiang Zhijin chuckled. “I’m worried you’ll get home sickness and become a poor little guy who can’t eat or dress warmly.”
Fang Xing smiled and rubbed his face before whispering softly, “Being apart for half a year, I already feel quite pitiful now.”
On the other end, Jiang Zhijin looked at him for a moment, smirked, then casually unfastened his seatbelt and leaned over to kiss Fang Xing. Fang Xing immediately reached up and pressed down on the back of Jiang Zhijin’s neck, gently pushing him down.
They kissed for a while before Jiang Zhijin raised his head, pinched Fang Xing’s earlobe, and spoke softly.
“Get off the car, boyfriend.”
He escorted Fang Xing all the way to the security checkpoint. There were quite a few people around, and the two of them didn’t engage in any ambiguous actions. Only before Fang Xing went through security, he hugged Jiang Zhijin for a few seconds before quickly letting go.
“I’m leaving.”
Jiang Zhijin watched him go through security before turning around and leaving. Before driving away, he stayed in the car and ate a lemon candy.
The candy was left in his car by Fang Xing. Jiang Zhijin was trying to quit smoking, and when he had cravings, he would suck on a candy, which was quite effective. But today, he didn’t have much patience and crushed the candy in his mouth.
Although he had said that if he missed Fang Xing, he would fly over to see him, facing the separation directly still made him uncomfortable.
Perhaps that’s what being in love is like.
“Is it necessary?”
Cloud Seven finally recruited two new people, and Gu Xun felt considerably relieved. Taking advantage of the fewer people around, he chatted with Jiang Zhijin in passing.
“I see you and Fang Xing texting each other a thousand times a day. I bet even when you’re together, it’s the same.”
“I can see him and kiss him when he’s around,” Jiang Zhijin replied in between messages, glancing at Gu Xun. “Can it be the same?”
“…I really hate couples like you.” Gu Xun frowned. “In every sentence, you either show affection or act like you’ve lost the ability to speak.”
The new girl beside them overheard and chimed in with a smile, “You don’t understand. When you really, really like someone, just seeing them makes you happy.”
“I really, really like money now. I’m quite happy just checking my bank balance every night,” Gu Xun immediately retorted.
The group burst into laughter, and Jiang Zhijin glanced down at his WeChat messages.
Jiang Zhijin: “Registration tomorrow?”
Fang Xing: “Yeah, my mom insists on taking me to school. Early flight tomorrow morning.”
Jiang Zhijin: “Okay, call me if you need anything.”
Fang Xing: “Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong.”
Jiang Zhijin: “Really? It’s one in the morning. Are you so nervous about starting university life that you can’t sleep?”
Fang Xing probably didn’t expect him to say that and took a moment to reply slowly, “The last time I was nervous about starting school was when I first started elementary school, twelve years ago. Don’t spread rumors.”
Before Jiang Zhijin could finish laughing, Fang Xing sent another message.
“I just really miss you.”
This message probably made Fang Xing feel a bit embarrassed, as he showed as “Typing…” for a while before sending it. Immediately after, he swiftly changed the topic with “Still at Cloud Seven, right?” attempting to steer the conversation away.
Jiang Zhijin pretended not to notice and replied with a simple “Yeah.” After chatting for a few more moments, he told Fang Xing to rest soon.
Although Fang Xing wasn’t nervous, he was still slightly curious about university life. After all, it was a new city, a new environment, and new people.
It was somewhat similar to when he first arrived in Shaojiang.
Of course, when he arrived in Shaojiang at that time, he was truly not nervous, just a bit bewildered.
The university campus was indeed quite large, and it was bustling with people during the start of the semester. There were welcoming teachers and senior students, freshmen, and parents accompanying their children to school… Fang Xing’s slight curiosity was immediately worn away by the crowds, as he followed the flow of people to fill out forms, register, get his student ID, receive keys, and get his campus card…
By the time they finished all the hustle and bustle and got to the dormitory, it was already noon. Zhou Ling was still efficient, helping Fang Xing to settle in, and they went out for a simple lunch together.
Zhou Ling’s flight was in the afternoon, and she had to rush back to Chaocheng. Fang Xing tried to persuade her to rest for a day before leaving, but Zhou Ling insisted on leaving immediately.
“There’s so much to do.” She looked at Fang Xing after they finished eating, handing him a napkin. “You pay attention to yourself, get along well with your classmates. I’ll transfer your living expenses by semester, and plan how to use it yourself.”
Seeing Fang Xing nod, Zhou Ling continued, “Studying in university is also important. Don’t just focus on hanging out—” She paused and then smiled, “Forget it, I’m being annoying. You know what to do.”
Fang Xing didn’t smile. He listened attentively to Zhou Ling’s instructions, nodded, and said seriously, “Got it, Mom.”
After sending Zhou Ling off to the airport, Fang Xing returned to the dormitory.
Only one of his three roommates was present, currently napping. Fang Xing thought for a moment, then backed out and walked to the window at the end of the corridor, looking outside at the ginkgo tree. He took out his phone and dialed Jiang Zhijin’s number.
Jiang Zhijin picked up quickly. Fang Xing had only dialed for a few seconds before the call connected.
“Hello.”
“Hey, I’ve arrived at school—” Fang Xing originally wanted to tell Jiang Zhijin that he had settled in, but he paused halfway through, “Why is it so noisy over there?”
Jiang Zhijin was probably outside, surrounded by noisy chatter. He had to raise his voice slightly to be heard.
“I’m outside,” Jiang Zhijin replied.
“Oh, have you eaten yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Then you should quickly—” Fang Xing raised his voice halfway, couldn’t help but ask again, “Where are you? It’s so chaotic.”
This time Jiang Zhijin paused for a moment before answering, “At the East Gate.”
Fang Xing didn’t react immediately. “Huh?”
“Peking Universit, East Gate. I’ve already come in. Is that your campus?” Jiang Zhijin asked.
“…Holy crap.” Fang Xing hadn’t reacted yet, and Jiang Zhijin’s last word made him stand up straight. When Jiang Zhijin finished speaking, Fang Xing blurted out, “Holy crap!”
“Don’t be so excited,” Jiang Zhijin chuckled, “Try to leave a good impression on your classmates.”
“Are you crazy, Jiang Zhijin?” Fang Xing’s mind was blown away, and he turned and rushed downstairs, blurting out a bunch of words without knowing what he was saying.
“You didn’t tell me before coming, where are you standing now? Don’t move, send me your location first… What are you doing here!”
“You said you missed me, right?” Jiang Zhijin teased him, finding his scattered words quite amusing, and cleared his throat.
“Just so happens, I also really missed you.”
Fang Xing fell silent for a moment.
The silence lasted quite a while, long enough for Jiang Zhijin to suspect that Fang Xing had hung up, before the person on the other end muttered, “Wait for me, I’ll come find you.”
Jiang Zhijin was indeed not far from the entrance after entering through the East Gate of the university. He was handsome, and even though he was only wearing a white T-shirt, he still stood out enough. When he saw Fang Xing coming, he raised an eyebrow.
“Your university is really big. I was worried I’d get lost if I hadn’t seen your acceptance letter,” Jiang Zhijin said.
He hadn’t finished speaking when Fang Xing rushed over and hugged him tightly.
Amidst the bustling crowd, no one paid attention to them. Jiang Zhijin felt Fang Xing burying his head in his shoulder, his warm breath hitting his neck.
He hugged Fang Xing back, softly saying, “Moved, huh?”
“Yeah,” Fang Xing replied.
“I’ve said it before, if I miss you, I’ll come find you. It’s just a matter of buying a plane ticket,” Jiang Zhijin smiled and continued, “No big deal.”
“Yeah,” Fang Xing said with a hint of emotion in his voice. He blinked hard, suppressing the sourness in his eyes, before straightening up.
Jiang Zhijin also released him and spoke up, “Haven’t eaten yet, starving? I’ll take you out to eat.”
Fang Xing immediately agreed.
Side by side, they walked out, and because they were so close, Jiang Zhijin’s right hand and Fang Xing’s left hand would often brush against each other.
In the vast crowd, no one noticed the two of them.
Fang Xing gently squeezed Jiang Zhijin’s hand and didn’t let go.