Try Again chapter 24
Wait for Me
With the anticipation of the concert, Jiang Lin felt much brighter than in the afternoon. Several times, when Deng Feng turned around to grab something, he caught a glimpse of a faint smile at the corners of Jiang Lin’s lips.
Handing the packaged takeaway to the waiting delivery driver, Deng Feng leaned in closer as Jiang Lin was folding paper trays: “What’s the good news?”
The warm breath on his ear made Jiang Lin instinctively take half a step back; he touched his earlobe and asked, “What?”
Deng Feng used two fingers to gesture towards his mouth, lifting the corners to create a somewhat silly smile: “You’ve been smiling.”
Jiang Lin was amused by Deng Feng’s expression, and he couldn’t help but smile again: “It’s nothing; you must be mistaken.”
Deng Feng wanted to say he had seen it several times, but when he saw Jiang Lin lowering his head, still smiling while folding paper trays, he suddenly lost the urge to speak.
“Jiang Lin,” Deng Feng called.
Jiang Lin looked up: “Hmm?”
“You’re going back to Los Angeles next month, right?”
Caught off guard by the reminder of his return date, Jiang Lin straightened his mouth and nodded slightly.
Deng Feng had been observing his expression; seeing that he seemed unwilling to go back, he continued asking, “You’ll be graduating in a year, right? Are you planning to return to work in China next year, or continue your studies?”
This was a question Jiang Lin had been pondering recently, but he was more concerned about whether Ji Minglun would go to Seoul. He wondered how Ji Minglun was considering it and whether he would really go.
“Not sure; I’ll see when the time comes,” he replied absently.
“Will you still use this WeChat when you go to Los Angeles? Or do you have other messaging apps?”
Separating two sheets of greaseproof paper stuck together, Jiang Lin said, “I’m usually quite busy; I hardly chat.”
“I can tell,” Deng Feng chuckled. He put on gloves, picked up a brownie from the nearby plate, and helped place the cake into the stacked paper trays. “What I mean is, since you’ve worked in our café, we’ve gotten to know each other. If you come back to China, we can often hang out.”
“If you ever need my help, feel free to ask,” Deng Feng added. “You can feel the atmosphere in the café; everyone gets along like family, so there’s no need to hold back.”
“I’m not holding back,” Jiang Lin answered seriously. “I really like the atmosphere here.”
Deng Feng smiled again, but before he could finish his next sentence, Jiang Lin said he was going to the bathroom and turned to leave.
Watching his back, Deng Feng sighed helplessly. Jiang Lin was the kind of person who was difficult to approach, and he wasn’t sure about his sexual orientation. Though Deng Feng guessed he might be able to change him, he didn’t dare act rashly for fear of scaring him away.
Putting the last brownie into a flower-shaped paper tray, Deng Feng caught a glimpse of Ji Minglun walking over flamboyantly and couldn’t help but tap the marble countertop: “Where are you off to now?”
“Where? I’m going home to shower and sleep,” Ji Minglun replied casually, but his expression was quite the opposite; it looked as if the words “This Charming Person Has a Date” were carved on his forehead.
In another ten minutes, they would be closing. Xiao Xu at the cash register turned around and smiled, saying, “Minglun Ge, your expression gave you away.”
“What expression?” Ji Minglun asked in confusion, but upon meeting Deng Feng’s look, which seemed disinterested in exposing him, he quickly realized and straightened his face, saying, “I really am going back to sleep. I have things to do in the morning.”
Deng Feng had seen through him long ago and disdainfully said, “Hurry up and leave. Don’t linger here.”
Ji Minglun didn’t want to stay any longer either. He had run into Jiang Lin at the bathroom door earlier and had already agreed to go first; Jiang Lin would leave after closing.
He waved goodbye to Deng Feng and Xiao Xu, leaving without looking back. Watching his carefree walk, Xiao Xu asked, “Feng Ge, Minglun has been coming to the shop a lot recently. Does he have a lot of time on his hands?”
Deng Feng put the plate of brownies into the cake’s dedicated refrigerator and casually said, “That guy only works intermittently; he’s not reliable.”
“True.”
Xiao Xu laughed and began to take over from Deng Feng. Not long after, three customers exited the seating area, and Jiang Lin followed behind them, saying to Deng Feng, “There’s no one left inside.”
Deng Feng replied, “You should go back and rest too; you worked hard today.”
Jiang Lin emptied the tray’s cups into the trash, then cleaned and put the tray away. He reached behind his waist to untie his apron: “You guys should head back early too.”
Deng Feng’s gaze lingered on his waist. The way Jiang Lin reached behind to untie the apron accentuated the curve of his waist, which was usually hidden under the loose apron. It was only now that Deng Feng realized how slim Jiang Lin’s waist was, even slimmer than he had imagined.
A nudge from Xiao Xu brought Deng Feng back to reality. He resumed checking the receipts with Xiao Xu. After Jiang Lin grabbed his bag and left, Deng Feng couldn’t help but glance at his retreating figure again.
Back in the car, Jiang Lin called Ji Minglun and asked, “Do we need to buy anything to eat?”
“I’ll buy it. You just head over,” Ji Minglun replied.
“Alright, I’ll call you when I arrive.”
After hanging up, Jiang Lin fastened his seatbelt and drove towards Xinglin Bay, where the Grassland concert was being held.
Located in Jimei District, it would take 30 minutes to drive there from his current location. Thankfully, the evening rush hour had ended, and the roads were clear. Most of the traffic lights at intersections were green, matching his smooth drive and mood. However, when he reached the parking lot, he was worried about being late due to the dense sea of cars. Fortunately, a car nearby turned on its lights, signaling it was leaving.
Jiang Lin quickly drove over and parked in the vacant spot. After getting out of the car, he called Ji Minglun again. Ji Minglun had just arrived, so they both headed towards their seats from the nearest entrance.
The concert started at 6 p.m. and would last until midnight. Being a Friday, the crowd was large. As Jiang Lin weaved through the noisy crowd, listening to the deafening music and cheers, his heart started racing faster.
When he reached their seats, he found that there were no empty spots in the row. After double-checking the row number, he moved closer and saw that their seats were taken by a young couple.
The band on stage was playing a heavy metal song, and the atmosphere was wild. Jiang Lin tried to speak to the guy twice, but his voice was drowned out by the music and cheers. He had no choice but to lean in and shout in the guy’s ear, “Excuse me, you’re sitting in my seat.”
The guy looked at him as if he were crazy, but the girl next to him leaned in and asked, “What?”
“The seats,” Jiang Lin showed them his electronic ticket stub. “These are for me and my friend.”
The girl nodded, tugging at her boyfriend to get up. But the guy, lost in the music, didn’t want to move and impatiently shouted at Jiang Lin, “There are empty seats in the back, just find one! Everyone’s sitting wherever; only country bumpkins care about seat numbers!”
After muttering a curse, the guy suddenly found himself being pulled by the wrist. Jiang Lin turned to see Ji Minglun standing behind him with a stern expression, saying to the guy, “Move.”
At 184 cm tall, Ji Minglun blocked the view of several rows of people behind him by just standing there. People started waving at him to sit down. But Ji Minglun ignored them, repeating with a firmer tone, “Either move now, or no one will be watching.”
The guy, knowing he was in the wrong, felt intimidated by Ji Minglun’s assertiveness. His girlfriend, embarrassed, quickly pulled him up, and they moved to the back.
Ji Minglun shot them a glance before being pulled down by Jiang Lin, who took the bags from his hand and opened them. Jiang Lin peeked inside at the food. “You managed to stop at Pizza Hut and still get here this fast?”
“There was one nearby,” Ji Minglun replied, declining the disposable plastic gloves Jiang Lin offered. “I’m not hungry. You eat first.”
“I’m not hungry either. That big portion of soup noodles and steamed buns you got earlier still has me stuffed,” Jiang Lin said, looking at him.
Ji Minglun glanced towards the stage where the lead singer was a blur, saying, “Let’s put it away for now and eat it later if we get hungry.”
Jiang Lin rewrapped the food and placed it on his lap, turning to watch the stage. The lead singer had finished a song and was interacting with the audience. The sound system was excellent, and the lead singer’s voice was so clear it felt like they were speaking right into Jiang Lin’s ear. After a while, Jiang Lin’s heart started to feel a bit uncomfortable, but Ji Minglun didn’t seem bothered at all.
They had never gone to such events together before. Even in karaoke bars, Ji Minglun never turned the music up too loud. Jiang Lin plugged his right ear with his finger, feeling better, but as he turned back to the stage, Ji Minglun bumped his left arm.
Turning to him, Jiang Lin saw Ji Minglun extending his hand. “Do you have any tissues in your bag?”
Jiang Lin handed him a tissue from the front pocket of his chest bag. Ji Minglun tore it in half, rolling each piece into a small ball, and gently plugged one into Jiang Lin’s left ear. “Does that feel better?”
Jiang Lin nodded, and Ji Minglun motioned for him to turn around so he could plug the right ear too. With the noise significantly reduced, Jiang Lin chuckled and gave Ji Minglun a thumbs up.
The stage lighting illuminated his bright, clear eyes, with specks of light reflecting in them. After just a glance, Ji Minglun shifted his gaze, curling his fingers, still feeling the warmth of Jiang Lin’s chin. Leaning back in his seat, he continued watching the performance.
The concert was organized by several well-known bars, and the bands on stage were all amateur groups. Despite that, each band had great energy. After about forty minutes, even though Jiang Lin wasn’t used to the loud atmosphere, he gradually got into the performances, nodding along to the beat and humming familiar songs.
Ji Minglun sat beside him, seemingly focused on the stage, but his mind was on Jiang Lin. Several times, under the guise of small movements, he sneaked glances at him and saw the joy on his face.
It had been a long time since he had seen Jiang Lin look so genuinely happy, and it made him relax too. During the second half of the concert, the two exchanged a few words occasionally, mostly about the performance, but the conversations felt natural. Whenever Jiang Lin couldn’t hear clearly because of the tissue in his ears, Ji Minglun would lean in and speak directly into his ear.
The atmosphere reached its peak when the final headlining band took the stage. The lead singer performed a classic song known by everyone, and the audience, who had been sitting, all stood up, waving glow sticks and singing along.
The organizers placed a glow stick on every seat, but the two of them didn’t have any because their seats were taken when they arrived. However, this didn’t affect the atmosphere. Ji Minglun stood up first, and Jiang Lin looked up at him. He took Jiang Lin’s wrist and helped him stand as well.
As the audience’s harmonious singing became more synchronized, Ji Minglun also began to sing. Jiang Lin knew the song too, and as Ji Minglun sang while looking at him, Jiang Lin gradually relaxed and sang along until they finished the whole song.
They arrived late, and after sitting for less than two hours, the performance ended. The host enthusiastically summarized the evening’s show, and audience members began leaving their seats one after another.
Jiang Lin removed the tissue ball and glanced at his watch. It was already past midnight. He scrolled down on his screen and noticed several unread messages on WeChat. Just as he was about to switch to his phone, Ji Minglun beside him said, “I’m going to the restroom.”
Jiang Lin nodded. “Should I wait for you here?”
Both of them had driven separately, and after the show, they were supposed to head their separate ways. However, Ji Minglun seemed to have forgotten this and leaned closer to Jiang Lin’s ear, saying, “Just wait for me here. We didn’t eat the pizza I bought earlier, so let’s grab something else before we go.”
Unlike earlier when a tissue ball muffled the sound, this time Ji Minglun’s breath and voice directly tickled Jiang Lin’s ear, causing an indescribable sensation to rise in his chest. He tightly pressed his lips together, suppressing the strange feeling, and clenched the plastic bag on his lap. “Okay,” he replied.