Try Again chapter 44
Does It Hurt?
Just as Cheng Yu finished speaking, Cheese grew impatient after standing still for too long and hopped forward twice. Ji Minglun, jerked by the dog leash, nearly dropped the breakfast he was holding, but he couldn’t care less about that anymore. Shocked, he asked, “You’re here so early?”
“I have a meeting this morning, and this is the only free time I have,” Cheng Yu reminded him. “Don’t waste time. Come up quickly. I also brought you some special products from Uncle Wang that need to be put in the fridge.”
Ji Minglun felt a sudden panic. Jiang Lin was still lying in his bed, covered in marks and not wearing anything. If Cheng Yu saw this scene, he couldn’t imagine how Jiang Lin would react. But he quickly calmed down, remembering that he had changed the door lock code when Jiang Lin returned from abroad, and no one else knew the new code, including Cheng Yu.
With that in mind, he steadied himself and said, “I’ve jogged far away already. You should head to the office first. I’ll come find you when I’m free today.”
Cheng Yu checked her watch and said, “I wanted to have breakfast with you. I brought your favorite chicken wontons.”
Cheng Yu usually didn’t meddle much in Ji Minglun’s life, and they didn’t meet often. Ji Minglun was independent, and his grades were never something she had to worry about. Besides, her new family with Wang Mucong brought its own set of concerns.
When it came to raising her son, Cheng Yu always felt guilty. Her career ambition was too strong, and even when she had a tumor and had to recover for six months, she couldn’t leave work behind. Although Ji Minglun never asked for much emotionally, she knew that, like Ji Zhuosheng, she wasn’t a great parent. She could only make small efforts to compensate.
“Mom,” Ji Minglun’s tone grew impatient, “You’re making me rush back in the middle of my run, just to talk about immigration? You know I don’t speak Korean. Why would I leave a perfectly good life here and go to Korea with Ji Zhuosheng?”
Ji Minglun tried to speak slowly, his mind racing with ways to get Cheng Yu to leave. “I even gave up studying in Los Angeles. If I wanted to go abroad, I wouldn’t choose Korea. Besides, he’s going there with Xie Min. How could I possibly pretend to be a family with her?”
Xie Min was Ji Zhuosheng’s current wife, and Cheng Yu knew Ji Minglun didn’t like her. This comment reminded her that Ji Minglun had no real intention of immigrating.
The elevator reached the 28th floor, and Cheng Yu picked up the bag beside her as she stepped out. “As long as you know what’s important. If he tries to persuade you again, tell me, and I’ll deal with him.”
“Got it,” Ji Minglun sighed with relief. He was about to remind her to go to work when he heard a couple of beeps on the phone – the sound of an incorrect door code. As expected, Cheng Yu said, “What’s going on? I didn’t enter the wrong code.”
Ji Minglun quickly started walking back toward the complex. “I changed it. Just leave the stuff at the door. I’ll grab it after my run.”
“What’s the new code? I’ll put the things in the fridge for you.”
“Just leave it on the ground. Last time the door lock lost power and reset, so you won’t be able to open it without fingerprints.”
Ji Minglun picked up his pace, anxiety surging through him. Luckily, Cheng Yu didn’t doubt his words, and since she had to head back to the office for a meeting, she said, “Make sure to put the stuff in the fridge as soon as you get back, or it’ll spoil.”
“I know. Don’t nag.”
After hanging up, Ji Minglun timed it so he reached the gate just as Cheng Yu’s car left. Sure enough, there were two neatly packed bags by the front door. Inside, Jiang Lin was still asleep, completely unaware of what had just happened.
After refilling Cheese’s food and water, Ji Minglun gave the fluffy pup a rub on the head before heading to the kitchen to wash his hands. He grabbed a sports drink from the fridge and downed half of it, then returned to the bedroom and closed the door.
A beam of sunlight spilled onto the floor from a gap in the curtains. Dust particles floated in the light, creating a peaceful and quiet atmosphere. But his mood wasn’t as bright as it had been that morning.
Sitting on the bed, he gazed down at the person sleeping soundly among the pillows. He couldn’t help but lean down to kiss the smooth cheek, then bent over to embrace him.
Deng Feng’s words from the night before echoed in his ears. The coming year was bound to be difficult for him and Jiang Lin.
They had just gotten together, but now they were facing a long-distance separation across countries. It would be a long time. Although his second year of graduate school didn’t have many required classes, giving him more freedom, with hours of flight time between them, it wouldn’t be possible to just hug whenever they wanted.
Grasping the hand resting on Jiang Lin’s stomach, Ji Minglun brought it to his lips and kissed it.
The eczema on Jiang Lin’s hand was getting better, and the swelling in his fingers had gone down. Ji Minglun studied the shape of his fingertips, then interlocked his fingers with Jiang Lin’s.
This was a hand he had finally managed to hold. Neither the physical distance nor the challenges with their families would be an issue for him.
As long as Jiang Lin felt the same, Ji Minglun was confident.
At noon, Ji Minglun used the free-range chicken Cheng Yu had brought to make a fragrant pot of chicken soup. As he was about to add the noodles, he opened the master bedroom door. Cheese followed him inside with its little short legs bouncing, it hopped to the bedside and looked up at him as he bent down. Before long, the sticky sound of heavy breathing came from the bed.
Ji Minglun’s bed was higher than usual, so Cheese couldn’t jump up, and naturally didn’t see Jiang Lin’s reddened ears after being woken by a kiss. Jiang Lin pushed against Ji Minglun’s chest and covered his mouth, looking at him with narrow eyes that seemed to hold back words.
Ji Minglun pulled Jiang Lin up, and as he sat up, the blanket slipped from his chest, revealing the area above his thighs. Jiang Lin hurriedly pulled it back to cover his waist. Ji Minglun didn’t tease him and went to the wardrobe to fetch a clean set of pajamas. He first draped the pajama top over Jiang Lin, only asking after buttoning it up, “Does it hurt there?”
Jiang Lin, adjusting his sleeve cuffs with his head lowered, froze a bit at the question, then shook his head. “It’s fine.”
“That’s good,” Ji Minglun wrapped his arms around him, locking them behind Jiang Lin’s waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. “It was a little swollen when I cleaned you up this morning. I applied some ointment, and it seems to have worked.”
Jiang Lin didn’t know how to respond, especially when he couldn’t bear to imagine the scene Ji Minglun was describing. Though they had done more intimate things the night before, it was now daytime, and without that atmosphere, Jiang Lin still found it hard to adapt.
He locked eyes with Cheese, who was wagging its tail by the bedside, then asked, “Are you making chicken soup?”
“Yeah,” Ji Minglun didn’t release him immediately. “My mom brought over a freshly slaughtered chicken. It’s just the right balance of fat and lean. Since you love chicken, I’ve simmered the whole thing, and I’ll add noodles when you get up.”
Jiang Lin hadn’t had chicken soup with noodles in a long time, and hearing this made him feel hungry. Right on cue, his stomach growled. Ji Minglun couldn’t help but laugh, kissed him on the cheek as he let go, and said, “Get dressed and brush your teeth.”
Ji Minglun took Cheese outside. After Jiang Lin put on his underwear and pajama pants, he felt a bit unsteady on his feet when he got off the bed, so he sat back down and rubbed his sore waist.
Memories of the bold moments from last night came rushing back, and now that he recalled them, they still felt unreal. He actually went through with it with Ji Minglun and, far from feeling repulsed, had immersed himself so deeply that he lost control.
Especially at the end, when he had actively guided Ji Minglun to touch him. Thinking about the things he had said to Ji Minglun then—
No, he couldn’t think about it anymore. He rubbed his face and walked out of the bedroom to wash up.
When Ji Minglun brought the noodles topped with chicken soup and scallions to the table, Jiang Lin had just come out of the bathroom.
After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Jiang Lin looked much more refreshed, though he still walked a bit slowly. Ji Minglun, seeing him approach, quickly walked to the sofa, grabbed an oval cushion, and placed it on the chair. Jiang Lin froze for a moment, then mumbled, “I’m fine, I don’t need it.”
Ji Minglun didn’t argue and shifted the topic to the food. “Hurry and eat; the noodles can’t sit for too long.”
Cheese was chewing on a chicken bone near the table leg. After Jiang Lin sat down, Cheese glanced at him, barked twice, and continued eating.
Jiang Lin smiled, picked up his chopsticks, stirred the noodles in his bowl, and took a sip of the soup.
The temperature of the chicken soup was just right—not too hot. Ji Minglun had added plenty of aged wine, and the rich aroma filled the air. This was a taste Jiang Lin had loved since childhood. He couldn’t help but take several more sips, and by the time Ji Minglun turned back around, half the soup in his bowl was already gone.
Ji Minglun refilled his bowl with more soup, then sat down beside him with his own chopsticks. The two ate their noodles quietly. Jiang Lin was truly hungry, and it wasn’t until he was halfway through that he found time to talk. “When did Auntie bring the chicken over?”
Handing Jiang Lin a tender piece of chicken leg from his own bowl, Ji Minglun replied, “This morning.”
Jiang Lin was about to give the piece of meat back, but paused after hearing that. “This morning?”
“Yeah,” Ji Minglun placed his chopsticks on the rim of his bowl and looked at him. “I went for a run this morning, and she came over without warning. Good thing I had changed the door code earlier.”
Ji Minglun didn’t intend to scare Jiang Lin, but now that they were together, this was a hurdle they’d have to face sooner or later. Rather than avoiding it, he thought it best to talk it through now.
Jiang Lin, like him, had grown up in an incomplete family. Though Jiang Lin was more dependent on him, Ji Minglun didn’t believe Jiang Lin was fragile.
Jiang Lin’s expression darkened, and he set his chopsticks down. After thinking for a while, he asked, “What do you think about our future?”