Waiting for the Wind to Come | Chapter 7 | An Instinctive Shield | Novela.app

Lin Jiang was in no mood to worry about exams. She packed her bag early and vanished like a bolt of lightning the moment the bell rang. As soon as she stepped out of the school gates, she spotted a familiar back. She hurried over and tapped the girl’s shoulder from behind. Wang Jiaqian turned around, her face lighting up with a wide grin when she saw it was her. "Guess why I'm here?" Wang Jiaqian said, hooking her arm through Lin Jiang’s. Lin Jiang shook her head. "Just tell me." Wang Jiaqian huffed, speaking as they walked. "What about that thing I asked you to look into a couple of days ago?" Lin Jiang turned slightly, sighing before she spoke. "Wang Jiaqian, can you give me a break? I told you on the phone—Jiang Weifeng and I really don't run in the same circles..." Hearing this, Wang Jiaqian didn't blame her. Instead, she laughed heartily. "Oh, I’m just teasing. Actually, Gu Xiang already confessed what he’s doing over here." "Doing what?" Lin Jiang asked curiously. "You really want to know?" Lin Jiang replied, "Obviously." Wang Jiaqian raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Fine, but accompany me somewhere first." Lin Jiang was speechless, but she didn't refuse. "A fight?" Lin Jiang’s eyelid twitched when she heard those words from Wang Jiaqian. "Someone at your school has their eye on Jiang Weifeng’s girl and wants to start trouble. Most of Jiang Weifeng’s brothers are still at our East Campus, so Gu Xiang came to help him out. But he was afraid I’d worry, so he didn't dare tell me," Wang Jiaqian explained succinctly. Lin Jiang was startled, but her mind raced, and a name inexplicably popped into her head. "The one causing trouble... it wouldn't happen to be Lan Jingyu, would it?" Wang Jiaqian let out a surprised "Whoa!" and exclaimed, "Yes, yes, that’s him! Do you know how much of a loser this guy named Lan is? They set a date to fight last week and Gu Xiang and the others showed up, but he said he wasn't ready and wanted to do it Friday. When Friday came and everyone was here, he said he wasn't ready again. Jiang Weifeng told him to pick a final date, and he said this Friday. But then, last night, he got some people to corner Jiang Weifeng." Lin Jiang blurted out, "Is Jiang Weifeng okay?" Fortunately, Wang Jiaqian didn't read too much into her concern. "He’s fine. But how could he just swallow that insult? Lan Jingyu didn't dare show up for class today, and Jiang Weifeng’s been looking for him all day. Gu Xiang just told me someone spotted him at the Xinhua Bookstore, so they’re heading there now." "Why hide in a bookstore?" "Silly girl, if he went to an internet cafe or something, he’d be found in minutes." Lin Jiang felt like there was too much information to process at once, and something felt off. She asked, "So, we aren't... going to the Xinhua Bookstore right now, are we?" Wang Jiaqian gave an embarrassed smile. "You really do know me best." It was dusk, and the essence of autumn was thick in the air. Lin Jiang and Wang Jiaqian didn't get off the bus at the bookstore. In an alley not far from the shop, Wang Jiaqian spotted Gu Xiang from the window and hurriedly pulled Lin Jiang off the bus early. Just as they reached the mouth of the alley, the people inside looked toward them warily. When Gu Xiang saw it was Wang Jiaqian, he strode over in a few steps and asked in a panic, "My lady, what are you doing here?" Wang Jiaqian smiled sweetly. "I missed you." A chorus of catcalls and cheering immediately erupted. Jiang Weifeng laughed too. He was dressed in an innocent white, his long sleeves pushed up a bit to reveal the refined lines of his arms. A cigarette was tucked between his right fingers, looking lazy and casual. But from a distance, he still looked like a sharp, high-contrast black-and-white photograph. Compared to him, Lan Jingyu, sprawled on the ground, looked like a crumpled piece of scrap paper tossed aside. Lin Jiang’s eyes dimmed. This was her first time seeing something like this, after all. She felt a bit afraid and a bit pitying; her grip on her backpack straps tightened. Wang Jiaqian let out an "Eek!" and asked, "Did you guys really hit him?" "This is none of your business. Take your friend and leave," Gu Xiang said. Someone in the crowd laughed. "Gu Xiang, your wife’s heart is aching for him." "Xiang-zi is the lucky one, having someone to care for him. Not like the rest of us..." the voice trailed off with exaggerated longing. Another round of laughter followed. Gu Xiang cursed, "Fuck off, all of you." "Wait? Aren't you Lin Jiang from Class 15?" Before the laughter died down, a tall, sturdy boy wearing glasses walked toward Lin Jiang. After getting a clear look at her, he asked in surprise. Lin Jiang looked toward the voice; he looked familiar. "I'm Shi Lei from Class 16, everyone calls me Shitou," the boy said with a smile. "Our two classes have PE together." Lin Jiang remembered, of course. She replied, "I know." The boys nearby started teasing Shitou. Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Jiang saw the person on the ground move, and she finally saw the bruises on his face. The injuries didn't look too severe. No one cared whether the person on the ground lived or died. Lin Jiang ultimately couldn't bear it. She glanced at Jiang Weifeng nearby; he happened to be looking down at his phone. She thought that perhaps the fight was over. So, staring at her toes, she gathered her courage and squeezed out a sentence: "Aren't we leaving?" The alley fell silent instantly. Lin Jiang felt a surge of panic. Having spoken, she didn't dare look up. It was Wang Jiaqian who came over and patted her shoulder. "Alright, let's head back first." Only then did Lin Jiang slowly look up, but not at Wang Jiaqian. Instead, she met Jiang Weifeng’s gaze. His bangs slightly obscured his eyes, and his expression was unreadable. "Aren't you guys leaving?" When Lin Jiang spoke, she realized her voice was somehow a bit raspy. Wang Jiaqian nudged her arm with her elbow. Jiang Weifeng let out a short laugh and slowly lit another cigarette. Throughout this, a faint, ambiguous smile remained hooked on the corner of his mouth. It was impossible to tell what Jiang Weifeng was thinking. His entire aura was like the colors he wore—deep, saturated ink. But finally, he said, "Sure." Everyone, including Lin Jiang, was stunned. "Alright then, we've given this kid a lesson today. I'll deal with him at school later. Let's disperse for now," Shitou stepped in to smooth things over. Hearing this, everyone felt the matter was settled. Jiang Weifeng hadn't come out on the losing end, and though the other kid hadn't been hit many times, it was enough to make him ache for a few days. Thus, the crowd scattered like startled birds and beasts. Jiang Weifeng walked at the very back of the group. Wang Jiaqian pulled Lin Jiang to turn around as well. Lin Jiang took one last look back at Lan Jingyu, only to meet a pair of eyes filled with both humiliation and hatred. It gave her such a jolt that she quickly turned her face away. After only a few steps, Lin Jiang felt something was wrong. Sure enough, in the next second, she didn't know how Lan Jingyu managed to spring up from the ground so quickly. She only saw a shadow lunging forward with a roar. Lin Jiang instinctively moved to block him. Everything went black. "Lin Jiang!" It was Wang Jiaqian’s anxious voice. Lin Jiang blinked and realized she had been thrown to the side on the ground. She had pitched forward, instinctively bracing herself; her wrists were scraped raw, and her knees throbbed. She couldn't help but hiss, sucking in a breath of cold air. But she didn't have time to focus on her own pain. Her first thought was to look for Jiang Weifeng. In that split second, he had violently yanked her aside; otherwise, her injuries would have been much worse. The boy was standing there, looking down at her. The sky had darkened by then, and Lin Jiang couldn't see his expression clearly. "Are you stupid, Lin Jiang? You saw a whole person lunging at him and you actually tried to block him?" Wang Jiaqian’s eyes were red with anger. "If Jiang Weifeng hadn't been quick enough to pull you, and that kick had landed, would you even still have your life? Use your brain—if he could actually hurt Jiang Weifeng, Jiang Weifeng would have been flattened by him yesterday..." Wang Jiaqian spoke in a rush, her chest still heaving with anger. Lin Jiang hurriedly said, "I'm sorry." She truly felt embarrassed. She didn't have the skill for it but had impulsively tried to save someone, only to cause worry instead. She heard the other boys pinning Lan Jingyu down again and throwing a few more punches and kicks his way. Lin Jiang felt even more like her good intentions had caused trouble. For a moment, she was both afraid and vexed, not knowing what to do. It was Jiang Weifeng who spoke up: "Enough, let him go." "Have you lost your damn mind? We said we'd just teach him a lesson, but didn't you see that vengeful look just now? If we don't beat him into submission, will it ever end?" The one speaking was Gu Xiang. Having met Lin Jiang a few times through Wang Jiaqian, he was angrier about the girl getting hurt than the others were. Jiang Weifeng’s voice was cold, carrying an air of finality. "Let him go. We'll settle this later. Get the girls home first." Hearing this, Lin Jiang felt a warmth in her heart. The others didn't persist and let Lan Jingyu leave. Once Lan Jingyu was gone, the others said their goodbyes to Jiang Weifeng, saying to call if anything came up. Jiang Weifeng replied to each with a simple "Mm." Suddenly, in the narrow alley, only Wang Jiaqian, Gu Xiang, Shitou, Jiang Weifeng, and herself remained. Wang Jiaqian broke the silence. "You guys head back first. I'll take my friend to a nearby clinic." Gu Xiang immediately stopped her. "No, I'll go with you. I'll hail a taxi to send you both back in a bit." Lin Jiang hated troubling others most of all. She waved her hands hurriedly. "No need, I'm fine. I just took a little tumble. Gu Xiang, you take Qianqian back. I can just take a taxi home myself." Hearing this, Wang Jiaqian’s temper flared up again. She was about to say something, but the words were cut off— "I'll take her back." It was Jiang Weifeng who spoke. Lin Jiang froze, her heart jolting. But her first thought was: *Absolutely not.* In fact, as soon as the thought appeared, she protested, "Really, there's no need. I'm fine." Wang Jiaqian, however, smiled. "That makes sense. My friend just blocked a hit for you; it's only right you return the favor." Lin Jiang was frantic hearing this, constantly squeezing Wang Jiaqian’s hand and shooting her looks, but it was useless. After speaking, Wang Jiaqian ignored Lin Jiang’s plight and shooed Gu Xiang and Shitou away. Shitou was clearly a bit dazed and didn't have time to say anything before being dragged off by Wang Jiaqian and Gu Xiang. Only Lin Jiang and Jiang Weifeng were left. Pedestrians bustled outside the alley, but inside, the breathing was quiet. Lin Jiang felt as if she were facing a great enemy. The wounds on her arms throbbed rhythmically, making her feel tense and awkward to the extreme. Jiang Weifeng still had no expression. He held a cigarette but didn't smoke it. He said to her, "Let's go." He didn't wait for her after speaking, but strode out. Lin Jiang hurried to keep up, only to find that walking made her knees hurt even more. She didn't dare make a sound, only trying her best to catch up. But she was still too slow. After walking a distance, the boy seemed to sense something; he stopped and glanced back at her. When he started walking again, his pace was much slower. He took her to a nearby clinic. She didn't want to be difficult; she simply felt that resisting was useless and would only annoy him. After the doctor applied some antiseptic and gave her a blister pack of anti-inflammatories, it was already past seven when they came out. He then hailed a taxi to take her home. Throughout the entire process, Jiang Weifeng didn't say a single word to Lin Jiang. Lin Jiang didn't dare look at him either. When she got into the car, she instinctively shrank into the furthest corner. But just as she settled, the car door closed with a "thud," and the boy got into the front passenger seat. Lin Jiang’s face heated up. Even when the driver asked where they were going, her reaction was delayed by half a beat before she said, "Xiangjiang City." The car hadn't been driving for long when Jiang Weifeng’s phone rang. Lin Jiang held her breath, listening to him answer. "Nothing much. How do you have time to call me today? Your mom isn't watching you?" The person on the other end said something. He laughed after hearing it, saying casually, "I do. How could I not?" Lin Jiang’s heart sank. She immediately understood who was on the other end. At that moment, the car was waiting at a red light. Lin Jiang turned her face to look out the window, rolling it down a crack to let the wind in. A hair salon by the road was playing a Miriam Yeung song: *"Even if the red lights along the way get redder, no one can block my path; I charge straight ahead as if facing ten thousand horses and a thousand troops."* Her heart felt damp and heavy. For some reason, Lin Jiang suddenly remembered thinking that if you liked someone, you should either say it out loud or let no one know. She used to secretly think she would be the former, but having actually experienced it, she realized she didn't have the courage to speak. She could only retreat and keep her mouth shut. The call lasted two or three minutes. It seemed the girl had something urgent to do, so she hung up in a hurry. After Jiang Weifeng hung up, he waited a moment before asking the driver, "How much longer?" The driver said there was traffic and he couldn't be sure. Lin Jiang listened intently. Connecting it to the phone call just now, she assumed he was going to see Zhao Siyi, so she said, "If you have something to do, I can go back the rest of the way by myself." Jiang Weifeng glanced back at her. "If I'm going to help, I might as well see you all the way home." Lin Jiang didn't dare speak again. Unexpectedly, Jiang Weifeng asked, "Which character is it?" Lin Jiang was stunned, but her mouth reacted faster than her brain. "The 'Jiang' from Yang Jiang." The other person didn't speak. After a pause, she added, "The one with the silk radical. It means deep crimson." As soon as she finished, the boy laughed. "My Chinese isn't so bad that I don't know who Yang Jiang is." Lin Jiang panicked and hurried to explain, "No, it's just because a lot of people don't know which 'Jiang' it is..." Before she could finish, she felt she was only making things worse and nearly bit her tongue. The boy seemed not to mind, changing the subject. "Thanks for today. But your friend was right. Next time something like this happens, think more before you act. See if you can handle the consequences first. If someone else can handle it and you rush out and get hurt, it’s not good." His voice had no warmth, sounding like a completely different person from the one on the phone. Lin Jiang’s heart turned cold. His meaning was all too clear... He thought she was overestimating herself, causing trouble and getting in the way. Lin Jiang felt her throat tighten. She didn't find her voice until just before getting out of the car. "I caused trouble for you guys today. It’s just a bad habit of mine; I would have blocked it for anyone else too. Don't take it to heart." As she spoke, she quickly shifted toward the door, her words coming out in a rush. "Thanks for sending me back today. You don't need to get out. I'm going now." She bolted from the car as if escaping. Jiang Weifeng sat in the car, a bit dazed. When the car stopped, he had originally intended to tell the girl, "I won't walk you in," but before he could, she had run off. He followed her silhouette with his gaze, only to realize there was a familiar figure standing at the entrance of the residential complex. No wonder. Jiang Weifeng withdrew his gaze and said to the driver, "Green Island Bar on Qingtan Road." *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 蓝竟宇 | Lan Jingyu | The antagonist/troublemaker from Lin Jiang's school. 石磊/石头 | Shi Lei / Shitou | A student from Class 16; "Shitou" means "Stone." 杨绛 | Yang Jiang | A famous Chinese writer and translator (1911–2016). 香江城 | Xiangjiang City | The name of the residential complex where Lin Jiang lives. 绿岛酒吧 | Green Island Bar | The bar Jiang Weifeng goes to at the end of the chapter. 绞丝旁 | Silk radical | The radical (纟) used in the character 绛 (Jiang).