Try Again chapter 46
Are You Happy?
Deng Feng hadn’t expected to run into Ji Minglun and Jiang Lin while shopping at the supermarket. Just as he was about to greet them, he heard a chuckle from beside him. Turning, he saw Deng Yi, hands in her jeans pockets, looking at Jiang Lin with a mocking expression, “Impressive! You really can’t judge a book by its cover.”
Jiang Lin felt as if he had been hit in a sensitive spot by her words, suddenly realizing that the condoms had become as tricky as a hot carbon block; putting them back wasn’t an option, but neither was continuing to hold onto them. At this moment, Ji Minglun took the box of condoms away, turned around, and grabbed two more boxes of the same taro flavor, tossing them into the cart. He held Jiang Lin’s hand and said, “Let’s go buy some cold dishes on the first floor. Get some of the vinegar kelp you like.”
Jiang Lin was so embarrassed that he couldn’t even speak. If it were just Deng Yi, he might not have felt this way, but the problem was that Deng Feng’s gaze was fixed on him, unwavering.
Ji Minglun turned to lead him away, and just as they were about to walk forward, they heard Deng Feng calling out to them: “Minglun, Jiang Lin, wait a moment.”
Jiang Lin paused, and Ji Minglun grew a bit impatient. However, before he could turn around, Deng Feng coldly said, “You go back first; I want to talk to the two of them for a bit.”
Deng Yi grumbled, “Why should I go back? You brought me to the supermarket.”
Deng Feng looked even more displeased. “Can you act a little more sensible? Is there anything that can’t be discussed when we get back?”
After being scolded by Deng Feng, Deng Yi felt humiliated, and her eyes turned red. She glanced at Ji Minglun, who seemed to be focused on Jiang Lin, leaning in close to whisper something in his ear and even laughing happily.
Deng Yi felt stifled but also understood that staying any longer would only bring more embarrassment. After shooting Jiang Lin a glare, she sneered and finally turned and left.
Once she left, the atmosphere became less tense. Deng Feng sighed and pushed the cart closer to them, saying to Jiang Lin, “I’m sorry; my sister has been spoiled by our family since she was little. She tends to speak and act on a whim. I’ll talk to her properly when we get back.”
Jiang Lin shook his head, unwilling to continue the topic. Fortunately, Deng Feng didn’t pursue it and asked, “What brought you two to the supermarket?”
This supermarket wasn’t near Ji Minglun’s house. Ji Minglun replied, “I’m just accompanying Jiang Lin to get something; we happened to pass by.”
Deng Feng’s attention was focused on Jiang Lin. After talking with Ji Minglun last night, he had let go of some of his worries but hadn’t expected to see Jiang Lin so soon, especially in a situation like this.
He felt a strange sensation in his heart, especially when he noticed that Jiang Lin was reluctant to meet his gaze. He wanted to ease the tension, so he asked, “Have you two had dinner yet?”
Ji Minglun said, “Not yet.”
“I haven’t eaten either,” Deng Feng glanced at his watch, “Let’s have a meal together.”
Before Ji Minglun could refuse, Deng Feng added, “Just now, Deng Yi spoke out of turn. I also feel very sorry about the incident where she pushed Jiang Lin into the pool. Let me treat you to a meal as an apology.”
Deng Feng directed his words at Jiang Lin, and Ji Minglun looked at Jiang Lin. After a moment, Jiang Lin looked up at Deng Feng and said, “Alright.”
Unexpectedly agreeing made Deng Feng’s expression brighten instantly.
The three of them finished paying and left the supermarket. Jiang Lin walked on Ji Minglun’s left, while Deng Feng was on his right, and they took the elevator down to the basement.
After placing their purchases in the trunk, Ji Minglun and Deng Feng drove to a nearby hot pot restaurant, one car in front of the other.
Since Jiang Lin couldn’t eat seafood and wasn’t suitable for spicy food, Ji Minglun chose a mild Yunnan hot pot. Although it was Deng Feng treating, he had no objections. Once they were seated and ordered the dishes, Deng Feng and Ji Minglun discussed receiving a notice from their landlord about raising the rent.
The location of “Chaka” was chosen by Deng Feng. He was also the one who signed the contract with the landlord. Now that he heard about the 25% rent increase, Deng Feng felt a bit hesitant.
Initially, he opened the café purely out of boredom and a passion for making hand-crafted coffee at that time. After opening the café, he met more people and started spending most of his time there, becoming increasingly invested.
In fact, compared to Ji Minglun’s major, Deng Feng’s graduate studies felt more like a way to escape his family’s arrangements, and now that the café had been open for nearly a year, their graduation season was approaching, making it time to seriously consider the future.
“What are you thinking?” Ji Minglun asked Deng Feng first.
Beside him, Jiang Lin was looking down at his phone. Deng Feng’s gaze would unconsciously drift toward Jiang Lin, only to pull back upon realizing it. Ji Minglun pretended not to notice and patiently waited for Deng Feng to respond.
“I know you’re aware of my family situation,” Deng Feng thought for a moment and said, “Honestly, I don’t want to close ‘Chaka.’ Even if I have to go back and accept a job arranged by my family in the future, I still want this café to keep running.”
Deng Feng’s family situation wasn’t much better than Ji Minglun’s. His parents had never divorced but had long lost their feelings for each other, merely remaining a family for the sake of their children and the inseparable assets. Like Ji Minglun, Deng Feng wasn’t short on money but envied Ji Minglun for being able to live independently without being burdened by family relations.
“I calculated the accounts this afternoon. Maintaining a balance between income and expenses will be difficult,” Deng Feng said with a frown but spoke sincerely. “Think about it. If you don’t want to continue, I’ll find other partners, or I can run it by myself.”
Ji Minglun turned to look at Jiang Lin beside him and noticed his gaze. Jiang Lin raised his head, and saw Ji Minglun asking him, “What do you think?”
Jiang Lin was taken aback.
He had been looking at his phone but had been focused on Ji Minglun, so he had clearly heard what Deng Feng and Ji Minglun were discussing. However, he didn’t understand why Ji Minglun was asking for his opinion.
Seeing that Jiang Lin seemed hesitant, Ji Minglun clasped his hands under his chin and said to Deng Feng, “List the possible losses first. Raising the price so much all at once is unreasonable. The landlord must have seen that our business is doing well. If you want to continue but can’t find a way to balance income and expenses, my suggestion is to find a new location.”
“The sign for ‘Chaka’ can remain the same, but we can look for a place nearby.”
“Moving the café?” Deng Feng looked a bit confused. “Won’t that affect the loyalty of our regular customers?”
“It will definitely have some impact, so what I mean is to find a place nearby,” Ji Minglun explained. “There’s no shortage of stores around the Shapowei area. Finding a new location will also affect the landlord, after all, not every tenant is easy to deal with.”
“Moreover, he raised the rent so much all at once. If we don’t accept it, it will be difficult for him to find new tenants willing to pay such a high price; he will definitely have to lower it later. So this is also a strategic retreat.”
Deng Feng originally planned to swallow this bitter loss if things didn’t work out and then think of ways to increase the café’s revenue. However, after Ji Minglun’s analysis, he suddenly had an epiphany and slapped the table, laughing, “That’s a good point! After all this fuss, the landlord might end up lowering the rent himself.”
Ji Minglun smiled, “Have you calculated how much of an increase would balance the income and expenses?”
Deng Feng raised his right hand and wiggled his five fingers, “It can’t exceed ten percent.”
“Then negotiate for a five percent increase. If that doesn’t work, we can settle for seven or eight percent. Meanwhile, let’s think of ways to boost our revenue,” Ji Minglun said while contemplating, “I think we can make the simple meals more formal. We have a lot of customers coming in for takeout and dining in during lunch, but our menu options are limited.”
“Hmm,” Deng Feng agreed. Previously, they had planned to run the café casually, focusing on enjoyment. Now that they decided to continue and improve, they needed to work on their weaknesses. “I’ll hire a dedicated chef and renovate the supply room to create a kitchen.”
While they were talking, the staff brought the pot to the table. Ji Minglun turned the heat to maximum and urged the staff to bring over the grilled fish blocks for Jiang Lin to eat first.
Jiang Lin didn’t interrupt their conversation, but Ji Minglun always had half his thoughts on him. He noticed earlier that Jiang Lin was staring at his phone while subtly rubbing his stomach under the table.
When the grilled fish blocks were served, Jiang Lin pushed the plate to the center, encouraging the two to start eating as well. Ji Minglun picked up a piece and placed it in Jiang Lin’s bowl, saying, “Eat it while it’s hot; otherwise, your stomach will act up again.”
Jiang Lin picked it up and started eating. Seeing Ji Minglun pour coconut juice for him and offer him a napkin to wipe his mouth, Deng Feng couldn’t help but grab his chopsticks. Unfortunately, he lost his appetite after picking up a piece of grilled fish and put it back in the bowl.
Although he had let it go, at that moment, Deng Feng suddenly began to understand the emotions that Deng Yi had earlier.
Wanting to let go was one thing, but facing it was another difficult feeling to digest.
Fortunately, he didn’t indulge in that emotion and made an excuse to go to the bathroom. When he returned, he looked as usual and continued to discuss the cafe’s arrangements with Ji Minglun.
Throughout the meal, Ji Minglun was multitasking, either responding to Deng Feng or serving Jiang Lin. Eventually, Deng Feng noticed the atmosphere between them felt very natural. Considering they had grown up together, it seemed they had always interacted like this.
Before leaving after the meal, Ji Minglun went to the bathroom.
Jiang Lin had just been there not long ago, so he sat at the table, continuing to look at his phone. When Deng Feng returned after settling the bill, he asked, “Are you full?”
Jiang Lin looked up at Deng Feng, “Yeah, thank you for treating me. I’m very full.”
His reaction was still a bit subdued, but compared to before, Deng Feng understood him a bit more. He knew this was just his nature and couldn’t help but laugh, “I wonder how long we’ll have to wait to sit down for a meal like this again. You’re leaving in half a month, right?”
This was a topic Jiang Lin didn’t want to face but couldn’t avoid, and he was reminded of it twice in one day. Not wanting to show his emotions in front of others, he simply replied with an “Mm” and continued scrolling on his phone.
Deng Feng sensed the change in his mood and realized that his comment was inappropriate, so he quickly changed the subject: “My sister pushed you into the water the other day. I only found out about it last night when Minglun told me. I scolded her when I got home yesterday. She might still be a bit upset today because I was harsh…”
“It’s fine,” Jiang Lin didn’t let Deng Feng feel more awkward and took the initiative to respond, “That day, I wasn’t standing steadily myself, and I messed up her birthday party. Please apologize to her for me.”
Deng Feng nodded, noticing that after Jiang Lin finished speaking, he continued to look down at his phone, seemingly without anything else to say. This made Deng Feng feel a bit stuffy inside. His fingers curled up, pressing against his palm, and he suddenly asked, “Are you happy being with Minglun?”