Try Again chapter 21
Let’s Watch a Movie
While Ji Minglun was washing up in the bathroom, Jiang Lin received a call from Deng Feng.
Thinking Deng Feng had something to say about the café, he was surprised when the first thing Deng Feng asked was if he was alright.
Jiang Lin was puzzled. “I’m fine. Why?”
“Nothing much. I saw the news this morning. Two areas near you lost power, so I wanted to check on you.”
Jiang Lin replied, “The power’s still on here. Thanks for asking.”
“No problem,” Deng Feng chuckled. “Actually, I wanted to bring you the cakes yesterday, but Minglun said he was coming over, so I let him deliver it. Did you get them?”
Deng Feng still didn’t know that Jiang Lin and Ji Minglun had known each other before. Feeling a bit guilty, Jiang Lin answered, “The cakes were great, and he mentioned it to me. Thanks for thinking of me.”
“Everyone got one, so I couldn’t leave you out.”
Jiang Lin hummed in response, and the conversation fell into silence. He wasn’t good at small talk, especially with people he wasn’t close to. But Deng Feng didn’t find the silence awkward and continued, “By the way, can you work at the café tomorrow afternoon?”
“No problem.”
“Great, I’ll schedule you for tomorrow. Remember to stay safe.”
Before hanging up, Deng Feng reminded him once more. Jiang Lin had to thank him again before putting down the phone. Thinking about how warm-hearted Deng Feng was, Jiang Lin realized why he and Ji Minglun got along so well—Deng Feng didn’t act like a boss at all and often shared the workload with everyone.
After finishing breakfast, Jiang Lin was stopped by Ji Minglun as he was cleaning up the dishes.
“Your eczema is getting worse,” Ji Minglun said, taking the chopsticks from him. “Remember to take your medicine.”
Jiang Lin glanced at his hands. The small blisters on his fingers had increased, but since they didn’t itch, he hadn’t noticed. Ji Minglun, however, had seen them first.
Feeling a warmth spread through his heart, Jiang Lin went to the medicine cabinet, took two pills for his eczema, and then opened the curtains to check the weather outside.
The torrential rain that had lasted all night was slowing, but the wind was even stronger. The howling could be heard through the windows.
The view downstairs was a mess. A phoenix tree in the center of the greenbelt had been blown over, and the ornamental plants were scattered, lying wilted in the water. Ji Minglun’s car was littered with plastic bags, branches, and other debris. A shared bike next to it had fallen over, but luckily, it hadn’t hit the car.
“Do you want to cover your car?” Jiang Lin called towards the kitchen.
“It’s fine,” Ji Minglun replied. “It’s insured. If anything happens, I’ll be compensated.”
Thinking back to the near accident he had yesterday, Jiang Lin decided not to say anything more. However, Ji Minglun’s words gave him peace of mind; even after a night, this person still had no intention of leaving.
Entering the guest bedroom, Jiang Lin opened his laptop. Just as he logged in to the data website he needed, he saw Ji Minglun walk in. Ji Minglun opened the floor-to-ceiling window and lowered the drying rack, touching the underwear hanging on it.
Jiang Lin’s washing machine was a washer-dryer combo. Last night, he had thrown Ji Minglun’s underwear into it, planning to switch to the drying mode after the wash was done. Unfortunately, since the washing machine hadn’t been used for over a year, the drying function didn’t respond at all, so he could only hang the underwear to dry. But in this weather, it was very humid, and even after a night, the underwear was still damp.
Seeing Ji Minglun’s frowning expression, Jiang Lin felt a pang of guilt. He then recalled the area on Ji Minglun’s body where he had bumped his knee upon getting out of bed, a restless feeling surged in his heart, and his face began to heat up.
He gently patted his cheeks twice and focused his attention on the computer screen.
Ji Minglun passed by from behind again, his footsteps stopping at the sofa. Then he heard the TV turn on; Ji Minglun lowered the volume so as not to disturb him. For the next two hours, one was researching while the other watched an English movie projected on the screen. Although they were in a state of mutual non-interference, this long-lost comfortable atmosphere made Jiang Lin feel relaxed and surprisingly focused on his studies.
At one o’clock in the afternoon, Ji Minglun knocked on the door of the guest room: “What do you want for lunch?”
Jiang Lin turned his head, not having time to take off the silver-rimmed glasses on his face. Ji Minglun walked over to the desk and asked, “Why are you wearing glasses again?”
Jiang Lin tilted his chin to look at him: “They’re just blue light blocking glasses.”
Glancing at the four rows of windows crowded together in the status bar at the bottom of the computer, Ji Minglun asked again, “It must be stressful over there.”
Jiang Lin leaned back in his chair and massaged his shoulders: “It’s okay; it feels similar to back home. You shouldn’t be too relaxed either.”
They were in the same major, and although the environment and teaching methods differed between home and abroad, the overall experience was quite similar. Ji Minglun leaned against the edge of the desk, just about to reply when a loud grumbling noise came from Jiang Lin’s stomach.
Both of them were taken aback. Jiang Lin adjusted his glasses and said a bit awkwardly, “Studying makes me hungry.”
“Do you have any soda crackers?” Ji Minglun turned and walked outside, not letting Jiang Lin see the smirk on his face. “If you do, eat some to tide you over. I’ll cook now.”
While Ji Minglun was cooking, Jiang Lin nibbled on a few crackers and contacted the pet shop owner to ask about the situation with Cheese over the past few days.
The owner replied that there were no major issues; it was just that a row of awnings across the street had blown down last night, making a loud noise, which startled the cats and dogs in the shop, but they had calmed down now.
He wanted to video chat with Cheese, and the owner told him to wait a moment. As soon as the video request came through, he answered it and saw Cheese’s familiar, slightly dazed little face.
Upon seeing him on the screen, Cheese straightened up and stuck out his tongue to puff at him. The owner gently stroked Cheese’s head and taught him to greet Jiang Lin. Watching Cheese almost jump onto the screen several times made Jiang Lin’s heart ache.
Leaving Cheese behind when he went abroad was a decision made out of necessity. Now that he had finally returned for the summer, he couldn’t bring Cheese home due to eczema and had to leave him at the pet shop.
After playing with Cheese through the camera for a while, Jiang Lin had to hang up since the owner had other matters to attend to. Leaning back in his chair for a moment, he looked towards the bedroom door and thought it would be great if he could place Cheese with Ji Minglun as they had discussed before going abroad.
At dinner, he wanted to bring it up several times, but thinking that they had just reconciled and that Ji Minglun would find it annoying given everything else, he held back. In the afternoon, he continued his research on the computer while Ji Minglun took several phone calls.
The person on the other end spoke in a hushed tone, and even with his ears perked up, Jiang Lin could only faintly hear discussions about some activities and where to go.
He caught snippets of the conversation, unsure of who they were planning to hang out with. After dinner, Ji Minglun looked outside at the sky. The rain had lessened, but the wind was still strong.
The streetlights in the community cast a hazy light, illuminating only a corner of the rain curtain, and he occasionally saw residents walking by with umbrellas. Seeing Ji Minglun standing on the balcony for quite a while made Jiang Lin nervous that he might say he was leaving. However, he only lowered the drying rack again to check if a few pairs of underwear were dry.
Finally, he came in empty-handed, opened the left side of the wardrobe, and took a clean set of pajamas to head to the bathroom.
Jiang Lin retracted his gaze, which had been stuck to Ji Minglun’s back, biting down on the pen cap in an attempt to hide his happy expression.
When the sound of running water came from the bathroom, Jiang Lin got up and walked to the living room, rummaging through a new box on the cabinet above the television.
Last week, Deng Feng had added a projector to the café, reminding him that there was also one at home. It was a machine that Jiang Jianchen had brought when projectors first became popular for home use, which he had said was a gift from a client.
At that time, it was right before the final exams, and he had been feeling off and couldn’t focus on studying, so he wasn’t in the mood to play with something like that. Since it was brought by Jiang Jianchen, he just stuffed it back into the cupboard. He hadn’t mentioned it to Ji Minglun either, and as time passed, he forgot about it. Now, four years had gone by, and he wondered if it could still be used.
Wiping off the dust, Jiang Lin tore open the outer plastic wrap, took the machine out, studied its appearance and ports, and then picked up the manual to read.
This projector brought by Jiang Jianchen was a high-end product with many functions. He ignored the pile of exaggerated parameters, figured out how to use it, then took the projector back to his room, connected it to power, linked it to the computer, adjusted the resolution, and casually clicked to play a video.
The computer screen went black. He looked at the wall directly in front of the projector, waiting for a moment but seeing no movement. He followed the instructions in the manual to reset it, but it still didn’t work.
Seeing the machine with no hope, he thought it might be broken. He pouted and stood up to tidy up. Just as he unplugged the cord, the bathroom door opened, and Ji Minglun walked out.
Seeing him kneeling on the bedroom floor with the machine and box beside him, Ji Minglun came in and asked, “What’s this?”
“A projector,” Jiang Lin patted the box in his hand, “I’ve never used it before. I wanted to see if I could play a movie, but it seems to be broken.”
“Let me take a look.” Ji Minglun squatted down beside Jiang Lin, picked up the small machine to inspect it, and took the manual Jiang Lin handed him to study. After reviewing it, he tried setting it up again.
After Ji Minglun set it up, it still wouldn’t play, and Jiang Lin was completely disheartened. Supporting himself on the floor, he stood up and said, “Forget it, don’t bother. I’ll buy a new one tomorrow.”
Ji Minglun didn’t reply, sitting down at Jiang Lin’s desk to open the browser and search for the brand and model. Jiang Lin watched from the side, and soon Ji Minglun found a post that resolved the issue. Following the instructions, the projector finally responded; the light flickered, and a beam of bright light shone onto the opposite white wall.
Looking at the smooth image on the wall, Jiang Lin couldn’t help but praise, “You’re really something.”
Ji Minglun asked, “Did you want to use this to watch online classes?”
Jiang Lin shook his head and turned to look at him: “I can’t concentrate on that anymore.”
Jiang Lin didn’t immediately finish his sentence, but Ji Minglun could sense that he had more to say, so he waited for him to continue.
Under that direct gaze, Jiang Lin’s fingers, which were propped up on the table, curled inward slightly before he finally said what he truly wanted to say.
“How about watching a movie?”
In the past, when the two were at home, they would also choose movies to watch together. However, since Jiang Lin preferred art films and Ji Minglun loved action-packed gunfight movies, they rarely found common ground. But after entering university, Ji Minglun suddenly changed his taste and started accompanying Jiang Lin to watch art films.
Although he often dozed off while watching, Jiang Lin had told him many times that it wasn’t necessary to do that. However, at that time, Jiang Lin had an innocent mind; even if he felt strange, he didn’t think too much about it.
But the feelings that he couldn’t understand back then, Jiang Lin now understood clearly.
Worried that Ji Minglun would refuse, Jiang Lin planned to pick an action movie that matched his taste. However, before he could speak, Ji Minglun asked first, “What do you want to watch?”
Not long ago, a Hong Kong movie about rescuing hostages was released. Lu Zhe had gone to see it and came back raving about it. Jiang Lin remembered the movie’s name and mentioned it. Ji Minglun was a bit surprised and shifted his gaze from the screen to Jiang Lin’s face. “You’ve changed your taste now?”
“I’ve watched quite a few of these types of movies this year, and I think they’re not bad.”
Ji Minglun smiled and remarked, “That’s rare.” Jiang Lin watched as he searched for the movie source. After pressing play, the film projected onto the white wall beside the bed, and the music started, accompanied by the dragon logo at the beginning.
“Should I grab a chair or sit on a cushion?” Ji Minglun asked.
“Let’s go with the cushion,” Jiang Lin replied, turning to walk out. “I’ll go get it.”
Ji Minglun followed Jiang Lin outside. Jiang Lin thought he was going to help, but he headed toward the kitchen instead.
After retrieving two cushions from under the coffee table, Jiang Lin returned to the room, placed them, and sat on the one on the right. The opening of the movie featured a racing scene, and he paused it, waiting for Ji Minglun to come back in.
Ji Minglun entered with a beer in each hand and a plate of cheese cream cake in the other. After handing over the plate, he went to turn off the lights.
The room suddenly darkened, with only the light from the projection illuminating their faces.
Ji Minglun sat beside Jiang Lin, just like before, pulled the tab on one beer, and handed it to Jiang Lin, then picked up the remote to continue the playback.
The movie’s protagonists were a young police officer couple. With the opening scenes filled with racing and explosions, the pacing was very tight. After half an hour, the plot progressed to a bus hijacking by kidnappers.
With the beer can held between his teeth, Jiang Lin took a sneaky glance at the person beside him in the dim light.
Compared to his distraction, Ji Minglun was very focused on the film, only occasionally taking a sip of beer and not touching the cake that Jiang Lin had offered.
About fifty minutes in, Ji Minglun’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and stood up, telling Jiang Lin he needed to take a call.
The bedroom door closed behind him, and Jiang Lin pressed pause, leaning against the bed’s edge to rest his eyes.
Having spent the entire day on the computer, his eyes felt sore and dry after watching the movie in the dim light.
Ji Minglun’s phone call took a bit longer than expected. Jiang Lin could hear muffled voices but couldn’t make out the content. When Ji Minglun finally returned, he saw Jiang Lin leaning against the bed’s edge, seemingly asleep.
Thinking he had dozed off, Ji Minglun moved quietly, walking to his side to turn off the projector. Jiang Lin tugged at the back of his sleep shirt, turned his head, and said, “I’m not asleep. Let’s continue watching.”
Ji Minglun asked, “Aren’t you tired?”
Jiang Lin straightened up and replied, “Just my eyes are a bit dry. I’m feeling much better after resting.”
Pressing the play button, Ji Minglun sat back down to continue watching. A little later, he heard Jiang Lin ask, “Is someone still looking for you to chat this late?”
Ji Minglun responded with a “Hmm,” taking a sip of beer. “A friend of mine broke up and is looking for me to vent.”
The words “broke up” struck a nerve in Jiang Lin. Staring at the wall he said, “To talk about something like this with you, it must be someone you’re quite close to.”
“Yeah, pretty close.”
Ji Minglun’s tone was casual, and as Jiang Lin felt a bit down because he didn’t deny it, Ji Minglun glanced back at the movie and added, “But you know him too.”
Looking back at him, Jiang Lin asked, “Who is it?”
“Shen Ran,” Ji Minglun sighed. “This guy is a bit unlucky; he got the girl he liked on his first try, but after less than two months, he found out his girlfriend is a lesbian.”
Jiang Lin widened his eyes, and Ji Minglun helplessly continued, “The whole thing was witnessed by a few classmates in his class, so it’s really embarrassing for him.”
Jiang Lin wasn’t very familiar with Shen Ran, but during the last basketball game and the buffet, Shen Ran had taken care of him quite well. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, “His girlfriend is bisexual?”
“I’m not sure, but he just got drunk and said they only held hands and hadn’t gone that far.”
“That far?” Jiang Lin blinked in confusion. After Ji Minglun turned to look at him, he suddenly realized, feeling awkward as he stared at the movie scene. “So, are you going out to comfort him?”
“He said he wants to go to a gay bar to broaden his horizons, and he doesn’t need me to accompany him.”
Hearing the term “gay bar,” Jiang Lin thought of another thing.
In the year he had been away, had Ji Minglun also frequently visited those kinds of places?
Imagining Ji Minglun possibly drunkenly leaning on a sofa, joking or hugging someone casually, that image rooted itself in his mind and wouldn’t go away. For the remaining forty minutes, he was completely oblivious to the movie, even missing the two thunderclaps that rang outside.
Ji Minglun also noticed that Jiang Lin was distracted and regretted intentionally bringing up that topic earlier.
He knew very well that Jiang Lin wouldn’t accept homosexuality, yet he still brought it up to provoke him.
When the ending song started playing, Ji Minglun used the remote to turn off the projector and stood up, saying, “It’s late; let’s get some rest.”
With the only source of light gone, the room was even darker than before, and they could only see the outlines of each other’s forms. Just as Ji Minglun was about to turn on the light, Jiang Lin tugged at the hem of his pajama top.
“Minglun,” Jiang Lin’s voice was very soft. In the unclear visibility, it gave a feeling of being close enough to hear a breath against his ear.
“The sofa is too uncomfortable to sleep on. Can I sleep in bed with you tonight?”
Author’s note:
During this period of updates, I have felt everyone’s love for Jiang Lin and Minglun, as well as the sympathy for their silence. In fact, I also hope they can break through the barrier and embrace each other immediately, but their situation is different from couples who break up and get back together. There is still a misunderstanding between them, creating a communication gap. Jiang Lin has made mistakes in the past, and now he cannot just ignore Minglun’s feelings to express his desires. I hope everyone can give him a little more patience and tolerance. He is trying to approach Minglun in his own way, opening his heart, and I won’t let you down in the future. 【wink~】
Thank you for following this far, and thank you for liking this story. It’s not long, and if you continue to follow the updates, you’ll feel a stronger blend of sweetness and heartwarming moments.