Try Again chapter 43

 Try Again

When Ji Minglun unlocked the door with his fingerprint and password, he saw a figure standing quietly behind it.

Cheese, the corgi, tilted its head, its big round eyes staring at him. The light in the kitchen was on, and the sound of running water could be heard continuously.

After changing into slippers, Ji Minglun scratched Cheese’s head before quietly walking to the kitchen door.

Jiang Lin, wearing Ji Minglun’s pajamas, was standing by the sink washing dishes. The microwave on the side was running, heating milk, visible through the glass door.

Walking over and spreading his arms, Ji Minglun hugged Jiang Lin from behind.

Jiang Lin was startled but quickly relaxed and looked back at him. “Why didn’t you make any noise?”

Burying his face in Jiang Lin’s hair, Ji Minglun took a deep breath. “You smell so good. I never thought my shampoo smelled this nice. Did you start using it when you were in Los Angeles?”

Jiang Lin felt ticklish but didn’t know how to respond. Instead, he nudged Ji Minglun with his elbow. “Stop messing around, let me finish the dishes.”

Ji Minglun leaned over to see that Jiang Lin was washing the new dishes they had bought for Cheese that evening.

“Did you and Deng Feng drink a lot?” Jiang Lin asked.

“Only had two drinks.” Letting go of Jiang Lin’s waist, Ji Minglun reached for the plate in his hand. “Your hand hasn’t fully healed yet; don’t use these cleaning agents.”

“I’m wearing gloves.” Jiang Lin wiggled his hand, showing the gloves, and took back the plate to continue rinsing. “Go shower. I’m almost done here.”

Leaning over to kiss Jiang Lin on the cheek, Ji Minglun smiled suggestively. “I’ll go shower then. Wait for me.”

Jiang Lin nodded, the tips of his bangs brushing lightly against the corner of his eye. After Ji Minglun disappeared into the bathroom, Jiang Lin turned to glance at Cheese, who was sitting by his feet.

Although Ji Minglun didn’t smell of alcohol, Jiang Lin still poured a glass of milk from the fridge, replaced the one that had been heated, and put it in.

Ji Minglun finished his shower quickly and came out in less than ten minutes. Jiang Lin placed the warm milk he had prepared for him on the bedside table. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, but immediately froze in place, maintaining his bent-over posture without moving.

Ji Minglun was only wearing a bath towel around his waist, water droplets from his wet hair falling onto his neck and shoulders. The water on his chest, not yet dried, shimmered under the light, highlighting the firm contours of his muscles.

As Ji Minglun’s Adam’s apple moved beneath his skin, Jiang Lin inexplicably felt thirsty. He straightened up, intending to go to the kitchen for a glass of water. However, as he passed by Ji Minglun, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Without giving him time to react, Ji Minglun held the back of his head, and a hot, passionate kiss ensued.

Jiang Lin’s hands rested on Ji Minglun’s shoulders, while the hand on his back pulled him closer. The lingering steam from Ji Minglun’s body clung to Jiang Lin’s pajamas, but the slight dampness paled in comparison to the sensation of the other person’s tongue invading his mouth. Tears began to form in his eyes, and his long eyelashes trembled as he closed his eyes involuntarily.

Ji Minglun’s hand slid down to Jiang Lin’s waist, lifting the hem of his pajamas with his fingertips. Jiang Lin couldn’t help but let out a breathless sound, his tightened fingers leaving four pale red marks on Ji Minglun’s shoulders, but it did little to ease the tension that Ji Minglun had ignited within him.

It wasn’t until his lips were swollen from the kiss that Ji Minglun finally paused. Gasping for air, Jiang Lin barely had time to catch his breath before feeling another overwhelming sensation.

Grabbing Ji Minglun’s hair, Jiang Lin tried to pull the head buried at his neck away, but he couldn’t bring himself to hurt him. This moment of hesitation seemed to act as a catalyst, and Ji Minglun lifted him up, walked to the bed, knelt down on one knee, and laid him down on the pillow.

Under the light, Jiang Lin’s neck, kissed, was flushed red and hot. His Adam’s apple was slightly protruding, fragile as if it could be crushed with any force. Unconsciously, Jiang Lin swallowed, like a fish out of water, yet the person who had reeled him in left him no space to breathe. Pressing his lips against Jiang Lin’s again, Ji Minglun’s hand slid down his arm and to his waist, hesitating for only a moment before continuing.

[…]

By the time the morning light first appeared, a misty fog hovered over the sea, and the sound of a passing water truck’s music drifted up. Ji Minglun blinked, not yet fully awake, but he could feel the soft warmth in his arms.

With a smile, he opened his eyes just a sliver to peek. Jiang Lin was facing him, their legs and feet intertwined, but from this angle, Ji Minglun could only see the top of Jiang Lin’s head.

Recalling the wildness of the previous night, Ji Minglun kissed Jiang Lin’s hair, inhaling the familiar scent of sandalwood and cedar. He hugged Jiang Lin’s back and waist a little tighter, savoring the feeling that this person was now his. But he accidentally squeezed too hard, causing Jiang Lin to mumble in his sleep and turn over, pushing him away.

Ji Minglun didn’t quite catch what Jiang Lin murmured. Holding his shoulder, he leaned in to check, realizing that Jiang Lin hadn’t woken up—he had merely turned over and continued to sleep.

Considering how exhausted Jiang Lin had been last night, Ji Minglun didn’t want to wake him. But they hadn’t cleaned up before falling asleep, so Ji Minglun yawned and got out of bed, first taking a shower and then carefully wiping down Jiang Lin with a hot towel.

He moved gently, inspecting Jiang Lin as he cleaned to make sure there were no injuries. Once satisfied, he went to the living room to fetch some imported ointment from the medicine box, applied it to Jiang Lin, and covered him with the blanket.

After all that, Ji Minglun felt tired but couldn’t fall back asleep. So, he put on his workout clothes, leashed up the dog, Cheese, who had already woken up, and went out for a run.

It had been a while since Cheese had gone for an early morning walk. Though Cheese hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, he was especially lively and excited, frequently running ahead to lead the way and occasionally turning back to wag his tail and bark.

This jogging path was right across from Ji Minglun’s apartment complex. When he bought the apartment, aside from the endless sea view, the main reason was the developer’s plan for this scenic jogging route. Only a wide road separated it from the outer wall of the complex, allowing you to run while gazing at the vast ocean to the right. The palm trees planted along the coast and the colorful decorative sailboats swayed gently in the sea breeze, creating an exotic atmosphere.

When Jiang Lin had first considered studying abroad, Ji Minglun had thought about going with him. But at that time, his mother, Cheng Yu, had been diagnosed with a malignant tumor. Although Cheng Yu had remarried and had a husband to care for her, Ji Minglun was her only son, and he couldn’t leave her alone in that situation. In the end, he applied to a graduate program at his own school. Since Jiang Lin left, Ji Minglun had reduced the number of times he ran along this route to avoid triggering memories.

“Cheese, come back.” He called to the dog, who had run far ahead, then leaned against a low wall, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he squinted at the sunrise over the eastern sea.

Cheese trotted back to him, panting with his tongue out. After watching the view for a moment, Ji Minglun looked down at him, crouching to pat his head with a smile, saying, “Let’s go buy him breakfast, and I’ll get you a sausage.”

Whether Cheese understood or not, he barked once, ran a couple of circles around Ji Minglun, his little legs bouncing and his rear end shaking with each step.

Ji Minglun, in high spirits, leashed Cheese again and continued walking. They passed by a McDonald’s, where he bought two German sausages. After waiting for Cheese to finish, they crossed the street and went to an old store to buy salted porridge, spring rolls, and fried dough sticks.

The aroma of tea eggs wafted through the shop, so Ji Minglun had the owner pack four tea eggs as well. After finishing, he headed back. Since it was a weekday, traffic on the streets was starting to build up. He leisurely strolled along the sidewalk, with just a few hundred meters left before reaching the entrance to the complex, when his phone rang.

Stopping Cheese, he fished his phone out of his pocket and saw it was a call from Cheng Yu.

Curious as to why she was calling so early, he answered the phone, hearing her displeased voice on the other end: “Are you awake?”

“Jogging downstairs,” Ji Minglun said. “What’s going on so early?”

Cheng Yu pressed the elevator button, entered, and said, “How long were you planning to keep from me that your dad wants you to go abroad?”

Ever since Ji Zhuosheng told Ji Minglun about his immigration plans, Ji Minglun knew he couldn’t keep it hidden. But since he had already decided not to go, he explained, “I turned him down. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d be upset. You know your health, don’t worry about these things.”

“How can I not worry?” When it came to Ji Minglun’s future plans, Cheng Yu was always in opposition to Ji Zhuosheng. Both of them wanted their only son to take over their businesses after graduation, so it wasn’t something that could be explained away quickly.

Watching the numbers rise on the elevator panel, she said, “Come home now. I’m coming up on the elevator. We need to have a proper talk about this.”

Author’s note:

Cough, cough…