Try Again chapter 13

Drink More Hot Water

In the past, Jiang Lin and Ji Minglun had been to this Marriott several times, so they were familiar with the environment. However, this was the first time they weren’t sitting side by side, but rather facing each other.

“Do you want something to drink? Should I get you a cup of iced water?”

Shen Ran’s voice came from the side, snapping Jiang Lin back to reality. Before he could respond, he hiccupped again, feeling a bit embarrassed as he covered his mouth and shook his head, saying, “I’ll get it myself.”

Shen Ran smiled, assuring him not to worry and got up to get food. Deng Yi also pulled Ji Minglun up, and they walked toward the food area. Jiang Lin sat alone for a while, surrounded by tables of classmates he didn’t know. As he surveyed his surroundings, he noticed two boys at the nearby table discussing him. When they caught his eye, they quickly fell silent and focused on their food.

If he hadn’t felt out of place during the match earlier, he clearly felt so now.

Shen Ran quickly returned with two plates. Jiang Lin also got up to get food, but after a long search, he couldn’t find anything he wanted to eat. Instead, he witnessed Deng Yi and Ji Minglun selecting blue crabs from the seafood section.

Deng Yi was hesitant to grab the crabs due to their moving claws and legs; she wanted to pick one up but was too scared. Ji Minglun stood beside her, watching her, and although he didn’t help her, he was smiling. When Deng Yi finally handed him the tongs, unable to catch one, he reached in and grabbed one, tossing it into the small bucket he was holding. The crab tried to crawl out after being dropped in, which startled Deng Yi, causing her to step back. He laughed and teased her about her fear, and then went on to grab a second crab.

They were so focused on catching seafood that they didn’t notice Jiang Lin watching them from a distance. Once Ji Minglun and Deng Yi moved to the shellfish section, Jiang Lin walked over to the crab area, staring at the group of lively blue crabs in the tank, then glancing at the quieter Chinese mitten crab beside them.

He loved eating hairy crabs, something Ji Minglun knew better than anyone, but now Ji Minglun wasn’t even touching them.

On his way back, Jiang Lin only had one plate. Seeing that he had only chosen a few shrimp, some razor clams, and a shrimp skewer, Shen Ran asked if he couldn’t eat because of his hiccups.

He was indeed still hiccupping, though not as frequently as before, but he couldn’t stop. He said he wasn’t very hungry and poured the seafood from his plate into a small hot pot to cook. He then got up to grab some soda, and after opening the bottle, he gulped down half of it.

Originally, he thought this might help suppress his hiccups, but after preparing the sauce, they still wouldn’t stop. He gave up and returned to his seat only to find that the seafood had already been cooked.

Shen Ran was peeling shrimp, and when he noticed Jiang Lin looking at Ji Minglun, he proactively explained, “Senior said that if you cook it too long, it will become tough, so I pulled it out for you.”

Jiang Lin’s gaze remained fixed on Ji Minglun, who seemed completely oblivious, focused on eating the freshly grilled honey wings. Deng Yi took a sip of Coke and used her fork to put a piece of herb lamb chop onto Ji Minglun’s plate, saying, “Eat this; it’s really delicious.”

Ji Minglun put the lamb chop back on Deng Yi’s plate, saying, “You eat it; I’ll get some later.”

Deng Yi thought he found it dirty and slapped his arm, saying, “What’s wrong? I haven’t touched this lamb chop; if you wait and go back later, it’ll be gone. This thing is very popular.”

Ji Minglun remained indifferent: “If it’s not there, I won’t eat it.”

Deng Yi frowned at him: “Aren’t you quite fond of this? What’s going on today? You’re not pregnant, so why the change in taste?”

Shen Ran couldn’t help but snicker, quickly covering his mouth and coughing a few times. Ji Minglun shot a sidelong glance at Deng Yi, and when he looked up, his gaze collided with Jiang Lin’s, who was still watching him. He instinctively turned away.

Jiang Lin watched him look away, but his mind was preoccupied with Deng Yi’s words.

Since childhood, Ji Minglun had never liked eating lamb chops, complaining that they had a strong odor. Every time Jiang Lin savored them, Ji Minglun would keep his distance. Now he was suddenly changing his preferences?

Jiang Lin really wanted to ask what was going on, but the environment didn’t allow for such a conversation with Ji Minglun, so he suppressed all his questions and focused on eating.

After almost two hours at the restaurant, everyone was very satisfied. Once Ji Minglun settled the bill, they all bid him farewell, leaving the way they had come.

Shen Ran didn’t leave with them. Deng Yi and Ji Minglun sat in the backseat of Jiang Lin’s car again, heading home.

On the way, Deng Yi said it was still early and wanted to invite Ji Minglun to the beach to stroll and digest, but Ji Minglun declined, saying he hadn’t finished his research. Deng Yi then suggested going to an exhibition tomorrow afternoon, but he still used studying as an excuse to turn her down. Deng Yi was unhappy, and for the rest of the time, she sulked and ignored him. Jiang Lin occasionally glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the two of them maintaining a certain distance while sitting together.

Although they hadn’t interacted for long, Jiang Lin had already noticed that Deng Yi had feelings for Ji Minglun. However, he couldn’t guess what Ji Minglun thought of her and didn’t dare to analyze it too much.

As for Shen Ran, Jiang Lin had previously speculated whether Shen Ran and Ji Minglun had a secret relationship like what he had seen that day at Ji Minglun’s apartment. But now, judging by Shen Ran’s attitude towards him, it seemed to be just a misunderstanding.

He sighed inwardly, feeling a burp rise that made him uncomfortable in his chest. He grabbed the bottle of mineral water from below the central armrest, took a sip, and just then, his phone rang.

Looking at the car screen, he pressed the hang-up button on the steering wheel. After a moment, the ringtone rang again. He hung up, and after about two minutes, it was Ji Minglun’s phone that rang this time.

He instinctively felt something was off. Just as he glanced in the rearview mirror, he found Ji Minglun looking back at him.

The understanding in their eyes was unspoken, confirming his suspicions were correct.

Gripping the steering wheel, he thought Ji Minglun wouldn’t answer, but then he heard Ji Minglun say, “Hello, uncle.”

His heart leapt into his throat as he stared at the road ahead, listening to Ji Minglun continue his conversation.

“Yes, we met. We’re not together right now.”

“He’s pretty good… Um, maybe he’s just not in a position to answer your call.”

“Okay… I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll tell him.”

“Alright, goodbye, uncle.”

After hanging up, Ji Minglun glanced at Jiang Lin through the rearview mirror. At that moment, Deng Yi spoke up, asking, “Which uncle is that?”

“You don’t know him,” Ji Minglun replied flatly. Deng Yi was already displeased, and his casual response only made her angrier. She shot him a glare and continued staring out the window.

The atmosphere in the car felt much more oppressive than before. Jiang Lin was feeling restless, constantly thinking about the phone call earlier.

It seemed that Jiang Jianchen was unaware of the fallout between him and Ji Minglun.

After dropping Deng Yi off at her place, Jiang Lin unlocked her side of the car door. Unexpectedly, Deng Yi insisted that Ji Minglun also get out to talk.

Ji Minglun hesitated, but Deng Yi was very insistent. He had no choice but to get out as well. She grabbed his arm and led him a few steps away, standing by a patch of flowers to talk.

Jiang Lin wanted to roll down the window to hear what they were saying, but doing so would be too obvious. He had to sit in the car and wait. However, he soon couldn’t stay put, as he saw Deng Yi grab Ji Minglun’s hand, looking very upset.

Ji Minglun had his back to the car, and Jiang Lin watched their movements, feeling his breathing quicken with nervousness, afraid that Ji Minglun might hug Deng Yi.

Fortunately, that concern was quickly alleviated. Ji Minglun withdrew his hand and said something to Deng Yi before turning and returning to the car. Jiang Lin immediately looked ahead, and as Ji Minglun opened the car door, a vehicle on the left honked, warning the car in front of it that it wanted to change lanes. The sudden, jarring noise startled Jiang Lin’s heart.

Looking at the two cars speeding past, he hadn’t come to his senses before hearing Ji Minglun say, “We can go now.”

The person in the rearview mirror looked serious, gazing out the window as if he didn’t feel Jiang Lin’s gaze. Jiang Lin glanced at Deng Yi again.

She had turned to leave, and from her stride, it was clear she was angry.

Retracting his gaze, Jiang Lin slowly pressed down on the gas pedal.

The rest of the drive was as quiet as before. Jiang Lin stole glances at the rearview mirror, each time seeing Ji Minglun looking down at his phone. He tried to find a topic to ease the awkward atmosphere, but after several attempts to speak, he didn’t know what to say.

Even when there was nothing to say between them before, the atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable; it was never like now, where the air felt almost solidified.

When they reached Ji Minglun’s apartment complex, Jiang Lin didn’t stop outside but instead turned the steering wheel to drive through the gate. The system recognized his license plate and automatically lifted the barrier. Ji Minglun in the back seat still showed no reaction until Jiang Lin parked in the basement next to his car.

Ji Minglun locked his phone screen, stuffed it into his pocket, and raised his hand to open the door. When he pulled, he found the door wouldn’t budge, so he turned to look at Jiang Lin.

Leaning against the headrest of the driver’s seat, Jiang Lin had his hand resting on the door armrest, showing no intention of unlocking it.

Letting go of the door handle, Ji Minglun leaned back in his seat and asked, “Are you wondering what your dad said?”

Jiang Lin raised his eyes, and their gazes met again in the rearview mirror. His expression was one of hesitance, which Ji Minglun noticed for just a moment before looking away.

“He said he called the school and found out you were back in the country. He tried calling you but couldn’t get through. You should call him back later.”

“He doesn’t know we had a fight?” Jiang Lin asked softly.

Leaning his elbow on the car door and resting his fist against his chin, Ji Minglun stared out the window. “I didn’t tell him.”

“Why not?”

Studying the reflection of the neighboring car’s body, Ji Minglun curled his lips, though his tone was slightly displeased. “I’m not a three-year-old who needs to tell my parents every time I have a fight.”

Jiang Lin was at a loss for words. Ji Minglun let his hand drop. “Open the door. I still have assignments to catch up on.”

Although Jiang Lin wanted to ask what Deng Yi had said earlier, he knew it wasn’t a good time. He could only watch Ji Minglun get out of the car and stride toward the elevator.

Once inside his apartment, Ji Minglun grabbed a bottle of Coke from the fridge and drank it before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

As he took off his shirt, his T-shirt snagged on his right ear. Looking in the mirror, he noticed his ear was still somewhat red, but thankfully it didn’t hurt much anymore. After his shower, he lay on his bed, and without even checking his phone, he fell asleep quickly. He was very tired, but despite this, he tossed and turned, unable to stop thinking about Jiang Lin.

He reflected on everything that had happened today related to Jiang Lin and remembered every glance Jiang Lin had given him.

He kept reminding himself not to overthink, but for some reason, he felt that Jiang Lin’s gaze was a bit off.

Staring at the hazy night sky on the ceiling, Ji Minglun sighed deeply, sat up, lit a cigarette, and grabbed his phone to check for messages. He found an unread message from Jiang Lin sent half an hour ago on WeChat.

It was just one sentence: “The hiccups just won’t stop.”

Looking at these words, Ji Minglun couldn’t help but recall the image of Jiang Lin pressing his lips together, looking at him with a hint of grievance, then suddenly “hiccuping.”

Thinking of Jiang Lin’s rare expression, Ji Minglun couldn’t help but smile, but then he straightened his face and scolded himself.

Leaning against the headboard, he stared at Jiang Lin’s chat window and hesitated for a moment before typing four words and sending them.

“Drink more hot water.”

—

Author’s note:

Jiang Lin: ? He told me to drink more hot water?