Try Again chapter 36

Clearing Things Up

Deng Yi’s birthday party was set up by the poolside at a hotel. Deng Feng had hired a party planning studio to arrange everything according to Deng Yi’s preferences. At the entrance stood a three-tiered archway entwined with vines and white roses. Inside, white roses, tulips, and purple irises were scattered around the venue. Each girl who arrived was given a lace umbrella as a sunshade.

All the guests were Deng Yi and Deng Feng’s friends, and most knew each other, gathering in small groups. Only one person sat alone on a lounge chair by the pool, eyes closed, listening to music with headphones. Several people had greeted him, but he responded only faintly, until someone took off one of his headphones.

Annoyed, Ji Minglun opened his eyes to see Deng Yi standing against the sunlight, smiling at him. She was wearing a strapless top with small pink and white polka dots and a two-layered lace skirt.

Ji Minglun took his headphone back from Deng Yi and continued to listen to music with his eyes closed.

Despite his cold attitude, Deng Yi wasn’t upset. After all, although he had stubbornly claimed he wasn’t interested in Jiang Lin that night, Deng Yi could tell he was hiding something. Besides, even though he had been avoiding everyone by hiding out on Gulangyu Island for the past few days, the fact that he showed up today for her birthday, out of respect for Deng Feng, was enough to make her feel better. As long as he was distancing himself from Jiang Lin, she felt it was worth it.

Without disturbing him further, Deng Yi greeted other friends and eventually approached Shi Xiaomin, who was eating a small cake at the snack area. She asked her why Wang Shi hadn’t come.

Shi Xiaomin said Wang Shi had some family matters and couldn’t make it last minute, but had sent his gift with her.

Deng Yi smiled and said it was fine, then asked, “Have you seen my brother?”

“No,” Shi Xiaomin turned to look at the entrance, “Maybe he hasn’t arrived yet.”

Last night, Deng Feng didn’t come home, and in the morning, she found him passed out on the living room sofa, reeking of alcohol. His body was almost slipping off the edge.

She had no idea what had upset Deng Feng so much that he drank himself into oblivion. When she left at noon, he was still sleeping soundly.

“Forget it, I won’t worry about him,” Deng Yi said. “Come with me to check the kitchen; they’re about to set up the buffet.”

..

Jiang Lin parked his car in the B3 parking lot and locked the door. As he headed for the elevator, he overheard two girls talking about how the observation deck on the third floor of the hotel had an amazing view, perfect for photos. He noticed they had pressed the button for the third floor and decided to go up and check out the pool situation.

The observation deck was located at the outermost part of the third floor, separated from the art space on the other side. Following the signs, Jiang Lin reached the deck, and the view was indeed stunning. From there, he could see the blue pool below, where he spotted Ji Minglun lounging on a deck chair, fiddling with his DSLR.

He hurried downstairs and ran to the pool entrance, but was stopped by the doorman. The staff asked him to show his invitation card, but Jiang Lin realized Deng Yi hadn’t sent him one. He explained that he was just here to find someone and would leave shortly.

The doorman reminded him that no one could enter without an invitation, so Jiang Lin had no choice but to wait nearby. Soon, a group of new guests arrived, and while the doorman was checking their invitations, Jiang Lin pulled down the brim of his baseball cap and quickly slipped inside.

Once inside, he headed straight for the pool. Just as he turned left, someone called out to him from behind.

“Jiang Lin?”

The voice sounded familiar. He turned and saw Shi Xiaomin, with Deng Yi also looking his way.

Jiang Lin knew it wasn’t appropriate to sneak in like this, but he didn’t want to waste any more time. Before he could take a few steps, Deng Yi caught up with him, grabbing his arm and saying, “What are you doing here? I didn’t even invite you!”

He didn’t know what had happened recently, and Deng Yi’s sudden change in attitude made him think she was upset because he had come uninvited. He was about to explain, but before he could finish, Deng Yi was already pulling him out.

“Deng Yi, I really need to talk to Minglun about something urgent. I’ll leave right after I say it,” Jiang Lin pulled his arm free and turned to see that Ji Minglun had noticed them and was standing up, frowning.

Jiang Lin quickly walked over to Ji Minglun, “I have something really important to talk to you about. Can you give me a few minutes?”

“What’s so important?” Deng Yi squeezed between him and Ji Minglun, angrily saying, “Jiang Lin, don’t take advantage of knowing us to act shamelessly. This is my birthday party, and I didn’t invite you. What’s your deal?”

Their argument caught the attention of those nearby, with several sets of eyes turning their way. Then, the sound of glass shattering came from the side. Everyone looked over to see a guy who had accidentally knocked over his girlfriend’s glass.

Taking advantage of Deng Yi’s distraction, Jiang Lin stepped past her to reach Ji Minglun. Realizing what happened, Deng Yi was furious and gave him a push.

Jiang Lin had been standing a few steps away from the pool, but when he moved around Deng Yi, he ended up at the edge. Not noticing, Deng Yi pushed him, and he fell backward into the pool.

Deng Yi froze. Before she could say anything, there was a thud behind her. Looking down, she saw that Ji Minglun’s DSLR had fallen onto the poolside bricks. Ji Minglun shoved her aside, as if ready to jump into the water. Just as he was about to, the water splashed, and Jiang Lin resurfaced.

The pool was only 1.5 meters deep, so even though Jiang Lin couldn’t swim, he could stand. After choking on some water, he coughed and looked toward Ji Minglun on the shore, his face showing that he had something to say.

Ji Minglun had almost jumped into the water, but seeing Jiang Lin resurface, he reached out to pull him. However, when Jiang Lin looked at him with that expression, Ji Minglun immediately snapped back to reality. His face darkened even more, and he turned around to leave.

“Jiang Lin, you were the one who couldn’t stand properly just now, it’s not my fault!” idiot.

Deng Yi quickly left this remark and ran after Ji Minglun. When she caught up with him, she deliberately linked arms with Ji Minglun, and seeing that he didn’t push her away, she felt a bit relieved. But as they reached the door, Ji Minglun stopped and looked at someone approaching them.

Following his gaze, Deng Yi noticed a boy who looked quite handsome and gave off a familiar feeling. She suddenly realized this boy resembled Jiang Lin a little. Thinking that Jiang Lin might have brought someone to disrupt her birthday party, she complained, “Who is this? Is he Jiang Lin’s relative?”

Ji Minglun, already full of anger, became even more irritated upon hearing this. After giving Deng Yi a glare, he forcefully pulled his arm away and asked Su Yan and Ji Qian, who were a few steps away, “What are you two doing here?”

Su Yan responded, “I was about to ask you the same thing. Who is that?”

Su Yan pointed with his chin towards the pool, where Jiang Lin was climbing out. Ji Minglun didn’t explain and just said, “I’m leaving now,” before striding toward the hotel.

Su Yan had never seen him so cold before and curiously continued to look toward the pool.

Jiang Lin had already gotten up and ignored the stares from others around him. He walked to the door and saw the young man standing there.

The man had a smooth, long ponytail and was holding hands with another, more mature man next to him. When Jiang Lin looked at them, they were also sizing him up, with an expression of sudden realization.

Jiang Lin recognized this young man as someone he had seen during sunrise at Baiyun Temple, also Ji Minglun’s masked neighbor. It turned out that Ji Minglun and this person didn’t have any ambiguous relationship.

Feeling a bit relieved, Jiang Lin stopped overthinking and hurried toward the hotel. Unfortunately, Ji Minglun was walking too fast, and Jiang Lin, drenched and dripping water, was stopped by the doorman at the hotel entrance. The doorman called for a waiter to bring him towels and a blanket to dry off a bit before allowing him inside.

By the time he got in, Ji Minglun was nowhere to be seen.

Jiang Lin tried asking the front desk for the room number of the guy who had just entered, but they refused to provide it, citing privacy concerns. He took out his phone from his pocket, but it had been soaked and wouldn’t turn on after several attempts.

Some guests waiting to check in nearby glanced at him, and he felt embarrassed. Just as he was thinking about booking a room to clean up, the elevator doors opened not far away, and a young man ran out in a sports vest and casual shorts.

The man ran toward the exit but stopped suddenly after a few steps, turned, and then rushed toward Jiang Lin.

“Jiang Lin, are you okay? What happened to you?”

Seeing Jiang Lin’s disheveled appearance, with his bangs sticking to his eyes, Shen Ran pulled out his wallet and said, “Give me your ID. I’ll help you book a room so you can take a bath.”

Jiang Lin didn’t move, his dark eyes fixed on Shen Ran. “Did you come down to find me?”

Shen Ran hesitated for a moment. Jiang Lin then asked, “Did Minglun send you?”

Although Ji Minglun had told him not to say anything, Shen Ran thought there was no point in hiding it, so he admitted, “I was chatting with friends in the lounge when Senior called me, saying you fell into the pool and asked me to help you get a room to clean up.”

“What room is he in?”

“He’s not in any specific room. Deng Yi Jie booked several rooms for people who needed to rest, and none of the rooms have just one person in them.”

Jiang Lin extended his hand toward him. “Let me borrow your phone to make a call.”

Shen Ran handed over his phone without hesitation. Jiang Lin called Ji Minglun, but after saying only two words, Ji Minglun hung up. When he tried calling again, the phone was switched off.

Returning the phone to Shen Ran, Jiang Lin asked him to take him to the lounge. Shen Ran warned him that if Ji Minglun was avoiding him, they wouldn’t be able to find him. But Jiang Lin insisted, so Shen Ran took him upstairs. They checked each of the rooms one by one, and finally, someone said that Ji Minglun had changed clothes and left.

Dragging his steps out into the corridor, Jiang Lin looked toward the distant, glaring light reflected at the far end, leaned against the wall, and squatted down.

Even though they had met today, he still hadn’t been able to say what he most wanted to say to Ji Minglun.

“Jiang Lin, are you alright?” Shen Ran squatted next to him, his palm resting on Jiang Lin’s shoulder, asking, “How about taking a bath first?”

Jiang Lin shook his head, wrapped the blanket tighter around his shoulders, and stood up. “I’ll go back home and shower. Thanks for your help today.”

“I’ll walk you downstairs.”

“No need. I can go myself.”

Jiang Lin’s voice had become quite hoarse, and when Shen Ran insisted on escorting him, he raised a hand to stop him. Watching Jiang Lin enter the elevator, Shen Ran sighed helplessly and pulled out his phone to contact Ji Minglun.

Ji Minglun was just getting into his car when he saw Shen Ran’s message.

Deng Yi pressed against the car door, preventing him from leaving. Ji Minglun lifted his gaze and gave her a glance. Deng Yi’s eyes were red, and she bit her lip as she asked, “Do you care about him that much? I didn’t do it on purpose earlier. It’s my birthday today!”

“You’re just walking away without considering my feelings.”

Initially, Ji Minglun didn’t want to completely cut things off today, but by this point, even Deng Feng’s feelings were no longer worth considering.

He tossed his phone onto the dashboard and sneered, “I told you when we first met that I don’t like girls. You didn’t believe me and thought I might be like your brother. So how about now?”

“You’re right. I do like Jiang Lin. Whether he’s with your brother or not, there’s no way anything will happen between you and me. But if you keep making a fuss, I won’t even stay friends with your brother.”

He grabbed the door handle, slammed the car door shut, and didn’t look at Deng Yi again. Once he was driving, he called Shen Ran back.

“Senior, what’s going on? How did Jiang Lin fall into the pool?” Shen Ran asked.

Recalling Jiang Lin after he fell in, Ji Minglun gripped the steering wheel tightly and said in a low voice, “How is he now?”

“He just left, said he was going back to shower.”

“I see. Thanks.”

Feeling a bit relieved, Ji Minglun tossed his phone back onto the dashboard.

The traffic light ahead was about to turn yellow, so he stepped on the gas to get across the intersection. The entire drive back, he was speeding, nearly at the limit. Once he reached the city, he still didn’t feel like going home, so he decided to stop at a quiet rooftop bar at a hotel to drink.”

Originally, he just wanted to vent and relax, but unexpectedly, halfway through his drink, the couple next to him started flirting. Their suggestive words kept drilling into his ears, making him feel increasingly annoyed, so he decided he didn’t want to drink anymore and went to the hotel next door to book a room to sleep.

To avoid thinking about Jiang Lin, he only turned on his phone when paying; he kept it off the rest of the time. However, even then, his mind wouldn’t let him go, especially after lying down in bed when the scene of Jiang Lin falling into the water flashed back in front of him.

His heart seemed to remember his reaction at that moment, and it twitched again, feeling heavy and painful in his chest.

He hated that he could still be affected by Jiang Lin’s every move, so even though he knew this act of avoidance wouldn’t help, he still stayed in the hotel in a daze until the next day before going home.

After arriving home and taking a shower, he heated some milk and finally turned on his phone. As expected, he saw that Jiang Lin had called him, and among the other missed calls, two were from a pet shop.

This pet shop was where Jiang Lin had boarded Cheese. When Jiang Lin was in Los Angeles, he often went to see Cheese but instructed the owner not to tell Jiang Lin.

When he returned the call, the owner said Jiang Lin hadn’t taken Cheese out for a while and had asked yesterday if he could take Cheese for a walk since he was a bit busy these days.

Pets that are boarded for an extended period need regular companionship from familiar people. Ji Minglun didn’t refuse; he went to pick up Cheese and took a stroll in a nearby park. After that, he returned to the community and had just sat down on a bench to smoke when he heard someone calling him.

Su Yan, dressed for going out, was sizing up Cheese at his feet. He casually asked where he was going, and Su Yan replied he was heading to the train station. Seeing him looking unwell while smoking, Su Yan sat down beside him and asked about the situation at the pool yesterday.

He had never told Su Yan that Jiang Lin had returned, and now he didn’t want to go into details. But based on his instincts, Su Yan recognized Jiang Lin, so he explained a few things.

Noticing that Ji Minglun didn’t seem very chatty, Su Yan changed the subject to the corgi. After finishing his cigarette, Ji Minglun asked Su Yan how he was getting to the train station. Upon learning that Su Yan was taking a taxi, Ji Minglun offered to give him a ride to clear his head.

Since neither of them had eaten breakfast, Ji Minglun first took a detour to the McDonald’s drive-thru. On the way, Su Yan couldn’t help his curiosity and asked about his past with Jiang Lin. He spoke in bits and pieces, remaining relatively calm while talking, even feeling a false sense of having truly moved on. After dropping Su Yan off at the train station, he picked up his phone to unlock it.

While driving earlier, Jiang Lin had called him twice. He didn’t answer the first call, and he hesitated over the second one.

This was because, during their small talk, Su Yan mentioned something.

Not long ago, Su Yan and Ji Qian went to Wuyi Mountain, and on their way to Baiyun Temple to watch the sunrise, they encountered Jiang Lin. Su Yan said that Jiang Lin kept sneaking glances at him and Ji Qian, and he thought Jiang Lin was interested in Ji Qian, so he deliberately kissed Ji Qian in front of Jiang Lin.

He asked Su Yan if Jiang Lin had shown any signs of disgust at the time. Su Yan said no. At this point, he was already sure that Jiang Lin’s sexual orientation had indeed changed, but he sensed another unsettling thing.

Why would Jiang Lin go to Baiyun Temple to watch the sunrise?

That place Jiang Lin had only been to once, and it was when he went with him. Moreover, Su Yan mentioned that the place was still not well-developed and the road was as difficult as before. Jiang Lin probably wouldn’t go there for no reason unless—

That lingering thought, which he couldn’t completely dismiss, flickered back to life. The more he thought about it, the more it didn’t make sense. After hesitating repeatedly, he finally opened WeChat.

These past few days, he had set WeChat not to show message notifications, so he hadn’t looked at any of the messages, afraid he might accidentally see something Jiang Lin sent.

He scrolled down until he found Jiang Lin’s profile picture. The latest unread message on the right read: 【If you’re no longer angry and willing to hear me out, could you please reply?】

His fingertip hovered over the message box, and after bending his thumb joint a few times, he pressed down.

Jiang Lin’s messages weren’t many, and there was a photo of a bracelet among them.

【I don’t know if you misunderstood something, but I really want to explain it to you.】

【This bracelet is indeed a birthday gift I wanted to buy for you. When you caught me buying that night, I thought there would be no surprise anymore, so I planned to change it. I didn’t expect Deng Feng would buy it.】

【After that, I looked at many other gifts but wasn’t satisfied. I’ve already decided in my heart that this bracelet suits you the best. I ordered it online, and it should arrive in a couple of days.】

【As for Deng Feng, I don’t know how he came to that misunderstanding. I’ve explained it to him; I told him I have someone I like.】

【Minglun, I’ve been back for over a month. After spending this time together, can’t you tell who I like?】

【If you’re no longer angry and willing to hear me out, could you please reply?】