Try Again chapter 26
 Hugging Him
The napkin, now crumpled, lay on the table beside him. Ji Minglun casually glanced at Jiang Lin, who was staring blankly at the spoon.
Considering his earlier actions, Ji Minglun knew he had gone too far, but Jiang Lin had handed him the spoon without any hesitation, without worrying about them sharing it.
Sensing that Jiang Lin was now staring at the spoon because he was uncomfortable, Ji Minglun reached out, gripping the end of the spoon handle. “Let’s ask the server for a new one.”
Jiang Lin snapped out of his daze, tightened his grip on the spoon, and said, “No need.”
Ji Minglun met his gaze, then let go and picked up his phone. As soon as his attention was on the screen, Jiang Lin relaxed, scooping up another spoonful of taro paste.
Ji Minglun was sitting right across from him. He couldn’t make any inappropriate moves, so he simply let the spoon slide lightly through his mouth and then put it down.
After eating a few bites, the waiter brought over the soup base and a few plates of ingredients for the hotpot. Ji Minglun put down his phone, and Jiang Lin asked if he wanted more. He declined, so Jiang Lin continued eating his plate of taro eight-treasure rice until there was nothing left.
A thin layer of oil clung to the bottom of the white plate. Just looking at it made Ji Minglun feel greasy, but Jiang Lin seemed like he wanted more. Watching him lick a grain of rice from the corner of his mouth with his tongue, Ji Minglun couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Even if it’s delicious, control yourself. Eating too much is hard on the stomach.”
Jiang Lin didn’t plan to order more, so he pushed the plate aside and said, “This place is really good. Let’s come back next time.”
Ji Minglun handed him some leafy vegetables from the pot, “Have some greens to balance it out.”
Jiang Lin picked up his chopsticks. Before he could finish a couple of bites, Ji Minglun kept adding chicken mushrooms, yam, asparagus lettuce, winter melon, and broccoli to his bowl.
These were all vegetables Ji Minglun liked to eat when having hotpot. As he ate, he kept adding them to Jiang Lin’s bowl. When it seemed like he’d had enough, Ji Minglun put down his chopsticks. “You’re full by now, right?”
“Yeah.” Jiang Lin wiped his nose with a napkin, his voice muffled as he said he was full.
Ji Minglun also wiped his mouth with a napkin. Jiang Lin asked, “How come you only ate that little?”
Due to allergies, Ji Minglun couldn’t touch certain foods, so he mostly ate just vegetables. “Just clearing out my system,” he said, raising his hand to call the waiter. “I had spicy stir-fry for lunch, so I’m still feeling a bit greasy.”
After paying the bill and walking downstairs, the temperature had climbed back up to over 30 degrees Celsius after the typhoon. The moment they stepped out of the restaurant, a wave of heat hit them. They quickly made their way back to the car. Jiang Lin grabbed a napkin to wipe the sweat from his neck and noticed that Ji Minglun had set the air conditioning to a lower setting. He said, “It’s really hot. Turn it up a bit.”
Ji Minglun replied, “Blowing it too hard can make you catch a cold. Just bear with it until we get home to shower.”
Jiang Lin gave up, leaned back in his seat, and fanned himself with his hand. Just before leaving, he had a bowl of hotpot soup, which made it hard for him to calm down. Ji Minglun’s gaze lingered for a moment on his sweat-dampened collarbone before starting the car and driving towards Jiang Lin’s house.
After sitting in the car for a bit, Jiang Lin finally cooled down and stopped fanning himself, placing his hand on his thigh. Soon, Ji Minglun heard him yawning.
The car clock read 3:44. Jiang Lin rested his head against the headrest, his eyes half-closed, looking drowsy.
Jiang Lin had a regular sleep schedule and usually went to bed before midnight. In the past, Ji Minglun’s sleep schedule followed his, but after they separated for a year, Ji Minglun started staying up late. Sometimes, he would get so hooked on gaming that he’d play all night, and now it was normal for him to stay awake until two or three in the morning without feeling tired.
Without saying anything to disturb him, Ji Minglun slowed down the car. After driving for a bit more, Jiang Lin fell asleep.
Ji Minglun eased his foot off the gas pedal and glanced at the person beside him.
The car was silent, with only the faint hum of the engine. His right elbow rested on the center console, just inches away from Jiang Lin’s left hand, which was placed on his thigh. His bent fingers brushed against the texture of the armrest but didn’t reach out. Instead, Ji Minglun lifted his hand to grip the steering wheel.
It wasn’t until the car turned into the gate of Jiang Lin’s apartment complex that he remembered Jiang Lin’s car was still parked across from the porridge shop.
Driving back to get the car now would be too much trouble, especially since Jiang Lin was already exhausted. Ji Minglun couldn’t bring himself to wake him up, let alone let him drive in this state.
He parked the car downstairs and turned off the engine, sitting there for a while.
Moonlight shone through the glass, casting a frosty glow on Jiang Lin’s face. His fair skin looked as soft as a peeled egg under the moonlight. Ji Minglun instinctively reached out, but when his fingertips brushed against Jiang Lin’s face, he didn’t dare move further, afraid that even this light touch would wake him.
After a moment, seeing that Jiang Lin wasn’t waking up, Ji Minglun moved his fingers to his lips, gently brushing over the warm lips, searching for the sensation of their first kiss.
That brief, out-of-control kiss had been the boldest thing he had ever done to Jiang Lin. But in the privacy of his mind, he had already imagined releasing his pent-up desires for Jiang Lin countless times. Thinking back on the reckless thing he did earlier that morning, he pulled his hand away, grabbed a pack of cigarettes, and got out of the car.
Leaning against a nearby tree, he smoked while checking his phone. A friend from his game group was messaging him on WeChat, asking why he hadn’t been online for a while. The captain of his basketball team said the practice match scheduled for four days later had been moved up to the day after tomorrow, reminding him to attend practice tomorrow afternoon. His mother, Cheng Yu, had also sent a message, asking if he had time next week to join them for his uncle’s birthday dinner.
There were plenty of things to take care of, but Ji Minglun didn’t feel like replying to any of them. After finishing his cigarette, he got back into the car.
Jiang Lin was still asleep. Ji Minglun pulled a thin blanket from the back seat and draped it over Jiang Lin’s shoulders, turning the air conditioning down a bit more. He watched Jiang Lin for a while, then closed his eyes.
As long as Jiang Lin was by his side, even an extra minute of such quiet companionship was enough. Ji Minglun fell asleep with this thought, even though he knew it was an ill-timed wish. The peaceful atmosphere soon lulled him into slumber.
About ten minutes later, Jiang Lin woke up in pain.
Pressing on his cramping lower abdomen, he glanced at Ji Minglun, who was asleep beside him. Looking around, he realized they were already downstairs at his apartment.
Staring at Ji Minglun’s sleeping face for a while, Jiang Lin reached out from under the blanket, first touching Ji Minglun’s hand. Seeing no reaction, he endured the discomfort and sat up, leaning closer to observe Ji Minglun’s face.
Ji Minglun must have been tired too. Even as he moved closer, Ji Minglun’s eyelashes didn’t flutter. The night outside was deep, and the area around the apartment complex was silent, with only the purple ambient lighting in the car casting a faintly intimate glow.
The pain in his abdomen was probably due to the taro eight-treasure rice being hard to digest, but since it was a rare chance to be alone with Ji Minglun, Jiang Lin didn’t want to leave just yet. After a while, maybe due to a placebo effect, he didn’t feel the pain anymore. Instead, a wave of drowsiness crept over him again.
Before falling asleep this time, he reached over with his left hand and gently held Ji Minglun’s right hand.
This time, his sleep was light. Over the course of half an hour, he opened his eyes multiple times. His lower abdomen began to cramp again, and soon he couldn’t sit still any longer. Turning to look at the person sleeping soundly beside him, he hesitated briefly before deciding to head home and take his medicine before Ji Minglun woke up.
Letting go of the hand he was holding, Jiang Lin removed the blanket. The car had been turned off by Ji Minglun, and the door could only be unlocked from the driver’s side. Bracing himself on the center console, he stretched his arm to press the button on the door. With a “click,” the door unlocked, and Ji Minglun was awakened by the noise.
“Hmm?”
Murmuring in confusion, Ji Minglun was still dazed. Seeing Jiang Lin’s face so close to him, he didn’t even realize it wasn’t a dream. He instinctively raised his arm and pulled him into an embrace, resting his face against Jiang Lin’s neck and nuzzling it.
Jiang Lin’s back and waist stiffened at the movement. He didn’t dare to move, maintaining an awkward posture with one knee on the seat and one hand pressed against Ji Minglun’s leg. His mind was racing, nearly losing control of his thoughts.
Ji Minglun was… hugging him?