Building and Unit Numbers
Jiang Zhijin had initially intended to return to his room. When Fang Xing suddenly stopped, he also halted, turning his head inexplicably.
“What’s the matter?”
Fang Xing remained silent for a few seconds before replying, “Why don’t you go first.”
“…No need to be polite.” Jiang Zhijin raised his injured arm toward Fang Xing. “Can’t take a shower. I’ll wipe myself down with a towel later.”
Fang Xing looked at Jiang Zhijin, not knowing what to say. Eventually, he broke the ice, “Okay, do you have new underwear?”
It didn’t matter that they were meeting for the first time; after all, both were men. Besides, Jiang Zhijin was also his senior. It would be too embarrassing otherwise.
The wall light in front of the bathroom was a faint yellow. The two exchanged glances under the light for a moment. Jiang Zhijin finally spoke again.
“What?”
“New underwear, a new toothbrush and towel, and maybe some pajamas. Just find a random T-shirt.” Fang Xing discovered that once a person threw away their dignity, speaking became much smoother. “My luggage is at your bar.”
Only now did Jiang Zhijin recall that Fang Xing had followed him the whole way and hadn’t brought anything with him.
It was already raining outside, and most likely, no store was open at this hour. Jiang Zhijin looked at Fang Xing, who wore an expression of wanting to die but pretending to be calm, feeling a bit amused but holding it in.
“Toothbrush is in there. As for the rest… you go ahead and wash up; I’ll find something.”
During Fang Xing’s shower, Jiang Zhijin spent over ten minutes searching and finally found an unopened pair of underwear. It was boxer briefs, navy blue in color, looking quite mature, possibly bought at some point without any specific purpose.
As for new pajamas, there were none. Jiang Zhijin found a pair of sweatpants and placed a black tank top outside the bathroom door, then knocked on it.
The sound of running water in the bathroom immediately stopped.
“The clothes are outside the door.”
A muffled “Hmm” came from inside, transmitted vaguely through the white bathroom door.
Sitting back on the living room sofa, Jiang Zhijin took out a cigarette from his pocket. Only one remained in the Huanghelou pack. He bit it between his lips, lit it, and tossed the empty cigarette box into the trash can, watching the smoke rise in the air.
He could sense Fang Xing’s somewhat awkward and distant state when facing him. After all, the relationship of being the “neighbor’s friend from Mom’s past” sounded a bit more awkward than dealing with a stranger.
So when Zhou Ling called and said she wanted Fang Xing to come to Shaojiang for studies, Jiang Zhijin was quite surprised.
Transferring to a different city for the third year of high school involved complicated procedures, and entrusting a son to someone else indicated something significant happening at home. Jiang Zhijin had asked on the phone, but Zhou Ling remained vague, only saying that she wanted to change Fang Xing’s environment. Jiang Zhijin didn’t press for more details.
In any case, that was someone else’s private matter.
Jiang Zhijin recalled the year he passed the high school entrance exam, a 15-year-old with no means of earning money. He wanted to work on a construction site but was sent back home. At that time, over ten years ago, the hometown was extremely underdeveloped, and there weren’t well-established channels to seek assistance. In the end, it was Zhou Ling who supported him through his entire high school education.
This was why he agreed to Fang Xing’s arrival.
Having finished smoking a cigarette, the sound of the bathroom door opening reached Jiang Zhijin’s ears. He raised his head.
Both of them were of similar height and build. Jiang Zhijin’s clothes fit Fang Xing well. Because he had short hair, Fang Xing didn’t bother drying his hair. His whole body emitted the dampness of just having showered. Jiang Zhijin extinguished his cigarette.
“Go to sleep.”
Fang Xing took two steps toward his room’s door. Not sure what crossed his mind, he turned back to look at Jiang Zhijin’s left hand, wrapped in gauze.
“Do you need help?”
“No need.” Jiang Zhijin had already stood up and walked toward the bedroom. “Close the window; it’s raining heavily tonight.”
Fang Xing didn’t bother being polite anymore and went into his room.
The rain was indeed heavy. The typhoon brought thunderstorms and strong winds. The rain battered the windows, making a clattering sound. The immense thunder could be heard through the windows. Looking outside, the entire city was shrouded in the swaying storm.
It looked like a scene from a doomsday movie.
Chaocheng didn’t experience typhoons; it only had continuous rainy days that lasted for a month or two during the plum rain season. The rain was fine and dense, never-ending.
At 10:11 PM, it was still quite early. Fang Xing charged his phone, then opened WeChat to send a message to his mother.
【I’ve arrived.】
Two minutes later, Zhou Ling’s call came directly.
“Did you arrive at Xiaojin’s place?”
“I’ve arrived.”
Zhou Ling’s voice on the other end sounded somewhat weary. “Why so late? I just called Xiaojin, and he didn’t answer.”
“His phone is broken.” Fang Xing didn’t tell Zhou Ling about the chaotic events of the night, listening to the faint horn sounds in the background. “Just finished work?”
“I took an extra shift. Just got off work from the company.” Zhou Ling’s voice was a bit unclear, probably due to being far from the phone. “Shaojiang’s teaching conditions are quite good. Study well there, don’t cause trouble for others. I’ll transfer your living expenses on the 1st of every month. If it’s not enough, let me know.”
“You should transfer it to Jiang Zhijin.”
“He doesn’t want it, asked to give it directly to you. I’ll thank him properly when there’s a chance.”
Zhou Ling paused for a moment and continued, “Fang Xing, adult matters have nothing to do with you. You don’t need to worry about anything; just focus on studying.”
After saying this, there was a silence between the two for about ten seconds. Fang Xing sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the pouring rain outside, his tone devoid of emotion.
“So, you’re not getting a divorce, right?”
On the other end, Zhou Ling remained silent for a moment before repeating the same response, “This isn’t a divorce issue.”
“If you say so.” A sense of disgust welled up in Fang Xing’s heart. “It doesn’t matter. Since you both think I’m not qualified to meddle in your affairs, drive safely, and get some rest soon.”
After hanging up the phone, Fang Xing leaned back on the bed, raised his hand, and turned off the light.
His hair was almost dry. He turned over, listening to the sound of rain hitting the window. The bedding had probably been washed; there was a faint scent of laundry detergent, similar to the one on his clothes, making it quite comfortable. Fang Xing recalled that the laundry detergent on the shelf under the sink in the bathroom should be Omo.
The bathroom in Jiang Zhijin’s house was similar to the one outside. It had few items, with essential toiletries placed on the shelf. The toothbrush was light blue, with two bottles of facial care products beside it. The shower gel and shampoo were from the same brand. Half a bottle of aftershave and a Philips razor were placed together. The bath and face towels were a complete set, light gray, hanging on the coat hook. After struggling with his thoughts for more than two minutes, Fang Xing still used the other person’s bath towel.
Oh, and there was that pair of old man-style boxer briefs—what kind of aesthetic was this?
Fang Xing went through it again, then turned back, feeling bored with himself. But this was a habit he couldn’t change. Whenever he was in an unfamiliar environment, he habitually observed as many details as possible to alleviate his emotions: restlessness, dissatisfaction, uncertainty about the upcoming life.
Fang Xing pulled the quilt over his head, sighing with melancholy.
Although he was exhausted on the first day, he still woke up a little after seven on the second day.
He was awakened by hunger again.
In terms of time, Fang Xing had been without a meal for almost a whole day.
He didn’t change into clean clothes and pushed open the door. Jiang Zhijin’s bedroom door was tightly closed, and the living room was empty. The torrential rain had stopped after a night, and sunlight poured in from the balcony, causing Fang Xing to squint instinctively.
He stood in the living room for a while, facing the sunlight, not knowing what to do.
Technically, he should go to the kitchen right away and see if there’s anything to eat, anything would do—he felt that if he stayed hungry a little longer, he might end up in the hospital. But after all, this was someone else’s home, and it was the first day. The host hadn’t woken up yet, so it seemed inappropriate to go searching for things himself.
Ten minutes later, Fang Xing walked to the kitchen.
Whether it was appropriate or not, he could lie down when Jiang Zhijin woke up.
In the kitchen, there were pots, bowls, and utensils—everything that looked quite promising. In the corner, there was a double-door refrigerator. Fang Xing walked over and casually opened a layer.
Empty.
In the freezer, apart from thin ice chips frozen on the walls, there was nothing inside.
Fang Xing expressionlessly closed it and opened the remaining door.
A dozen cans of beer were neatly stacked in the refrigerator—dark beer, craft beer, interspersed with a few bottles of Snow beer. Apart from that, there were two eggs, cowering in the corner.
Fang Xing stared at those two eggs for almost five minutes, contemplating whether to cook them in plain water, but eventually gave up.
Mainly because those two eggs exuded a sense of antiquity. Fang Xing simply didn’t have the confidence that they were still good.
After leaving the kitchen, he opened a food delivery app again, and chose a restaurant with the shortest delivery time, Cantonese cuisine. He didn’t bother checking the restaurant’s name; he had already randomly selected a bunch of items.
Shrimp dumplings, custard buns, soy milk, fried dough sticks, rice noodle rolls… a total of fifty-one items. He placed the order, and the interface jumped to the address entry.
Last night, with strong winds and darkness, Fang Xing didn’t see what kind of community this was. Fortunately, the system automatically located it at Yunshan Elegant Gardens, between buildings 18 and 19.
…But was it building 18 or 19?
Frowning, Fang Xing refreshed the location four times, and the position became increasingly bizarre. In the last attempt, it had already left the community.
He took a deep breath and finally gave up on the idiotic system, walked to the door, unlocked it, and abruptly pulled it open, looking up.
The doorplate at the entrance only had【32-01】—32nd floor, apartment 01.
Afraid of taking up extra space, they didn’t write more than two characters.
Fang Xing couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
The corridor was empty, devoid of anyone else. Fang Xing considered for a moment whether to rush downstairs to check the unit number at the entrance, but looking at the door that automatically closed when he let go, he ultimately gave up.
32nd floor, he had no key.
The sense of hunger and irritation might be directly proportional. Fang Xing felt a surge of anger rushing to his head. He irritably slammed the door, turned around, and walked straight to the entrance of the master bedroom. He knocked on the door three times.
No response from inside.
Fang Xing knocked three more times, and then, after a brief pause, started a continuous, rhythmic knocking.
Bang, bang, bang, bang… Did this person sleep to death?
Probably around the eleventh or twelfth knock, the door to the master bedroom was abruptly pulled open.
Probably fearing contact with the wound, Jiang Zhijin was only wearing a black tank top and sleeping shorts. His hair was quite messy, almost covering his eyes. He held the door with his left hand, and with his right, casually swept the hair hanging in front of his eyes, revealing a face that hadn’t fully woken up yet and was extremely annoyed.
Jiang Zhijin stared at Fang Xing for four or five seconds, perhaps trying to recall who this person was and why they were in his house.
After figuring it out, Jiang Zhijin finally spoke, “What’s up?”
His voice was still hoarse.
“Morning.” Fang Xing greeted expressionlessly. “Which building and unit number is this?”
Silence surrounded them.
After knocking on the door for so long, waking someone up, and asking such a question, I would probably have already wanted to hit someone. Moreover, Jiang Zhijin, who chose the emergency room as the address for the first meeting…
Fang Xing thought this way and inexplicably felt a bit amused.
As Fang Xing was thinking this, he suddenly heard the person in front of him answer, “Building 19, Unit 2.”
Fang Xing: “…Huh?”
“Building 19, Unit 2.” Jiang Zhijin leaned in a bit, met Fang Xing’s eyes, slowed down, and repeated, “Did you hear me?”
The tone was light, without impatience.
“Oh.”
Fang Xing’s anger suddenly dissipated, and he subconsciously said, “Thank you.”
Jiang Zhijin didn’t respond. The next second, he slammed the door shut.