Try Again chapter 47

His All

Jiang Lin’s fingertip hovered over the button he was about to press, and he answered without hesitation, “Mm.”

That day, he had already confessed over the phone to Deng Feng that he liked someone. Now, facing Deng Feng’s slightly probing words, he felt it necessary to clarify. After all, tonight, Deng Feng had looked at him several times, so obviously that even he couldn’t avoid it by looking down at his phone.

He understood Deng Feng’s difficulty in letting go, but he didn’t want to make Ji Minglun feel uncomfortable. Especially since Ji Minglun and Deng Feng were friends who ran the café together, he couldn’t let his own issues affect their relationship.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Lin said seriously, “Being with him feels like nothing has changed from before, yet everything has changed.”

“I’m very aware that I need him more than I imagined and that I can’t live without him.”

As he spoke these embarrassing words, he didn’t avoid Deng Feng’s gaze and showed no hesitation in his expression.

The last time Deng Feng heard him say he liked someone was over the phone, where he couldn’t see his expression. Now, sitting face to face, Deng Feng watched his face and heard it again.

Through the words and expressions, Jiang Lin made it clear that Ji Minglun was irreplaceable.

The atmosphere gradually became heavy in silence, and Deng Feng felt it, suddenly laughing lightly and saying, “That’s great! You two together feels very natural. Maybe that’s the advantage of growing up together.”

Jiang Lin stared at the small, faded blisters of eczema on his fingertips, slowly nodding. Deng Feng continued, “Actually, Minglun usually doesn’t take care of others much, but he’s genuinely very patient and attentive with you.”

After saying that, Deng Feng felt a bit speechless. Why was he praising Ji Minglun for how well he treated Jiang Lin? Although what he said was indeed true.

Jiang Lin still didn’t respond, but luckily at that moment, Ji Minglun appeared at the door and quickly walked back to his seat.

When he saw him coming, Deng Feng stood up and said, “Let’s go, I still need to go to the supermarket to buy other things. If I don’t go soon, it’ll be closed.”

“You go ahead,” Ji Minglun said, “I’ll go home with him directly.”

Deng Feng turned around briskly but paused before leaving. He turned back to the two of them and said, “Let’s get together before you leave. The other day, Zhu Zhu said it was a pity that Jiang Lin resigned so suddenly.”

Ji Minglun looked down at Jiang Lin, who met Deng Feng’s gaze and calmly said, “Sure, let’s set a time.”

Deng Feng smiled at him and finally waved goodbye for real.

Ji Minglun and Jiang Lin also left the restaurant, heading towards where they had parked. On the way, taking advantage of the fact that there weren’t many people around and the lighting was dim, Ji Minglun held Jiang Lin’s hand, which was hanging by his side, and asked, “What did Deng Feng talk to you about earlier?”

Looking at the row of phoenix trees swaying in the evening breeze, Jiang Lin avoided a fiery red phoenix flower that had fallen by his feet and said, “He asked if being with you makes me happy, and said you treat me better than others.”

“Is that all?” Ji Minglun was a bit surprised.

“That’s all,” Jiang Lin sighed lightly, though he didn’t look completely at ease. “Actually, Deng Feng is very understanding.”

Ji Minglun also avoided the phoenix flowers that had been trampled on the ground. “He’s more open-minded than Deng Yi. He figured it out last night, though he still needs a little time.”

The person beside him remained silent, and Ji Minglun also stopped talking. The two held hands as they walked back to the car. As soon as they locked the car doors, Ji Minglun leaned closer to Jiang Lin and suddenly asked, “Jiang Lin, are you happy being with me?”

The car’s air conditioner hadn’t been turned on yet, and even though it was nighttime, the air inside was stifling. Jiang Lin was trapped against the seat by Ji Minglun. Beads of sweat quickly formed on his forehead, and as he stared into Ji Minglun’s eyes, which were eagerly awaiting his response, he felt even hotter. His heartbeat began to race out of control.

Sensing Jiang Lin’s nervous reaction, Ji Minglun kissed him gently on the lips and then pulled back, continuing to look at him.

Having just confessed his feelings for Ji Minglun in front of Deng Feng, Jiang Lin’s heart was still soft and vulnerable. The overwhelming emotions in his chest made it hard to breathe. He wrapped his arms around Ji Minglun’s neck, pressed his palm against the back of his head, pulling him closer, and tilted his head to kiss those lips.

This was the first time he had initiated a kiss with Ji Minglun. Just like the previous night, there were things he couldn’t say out loud, but he hoped Ji Minglun would understand through his actions.

Not only was he very happy, but he was also incredibly lucky to have the chance to win back the person he had almost lost, who was still willing to return to him.

That night, when they returned home, Jiang Lin was uncharacteristically assertive.

He kissed Ji Minglun from the sofa to the bathroom, and under the warmth of the water and the embrace of the bathtub, he accepted Ji Minglun. Ji Minglun, between gasps for breath, whispered a secret about himself into Jiang Lin’s ear.

It turned out that during the time when Jiang Lin had just returned, Ji Minglun had thought of him in this very bathtub.

The cold, hard surface of the bathtub suddenly felt scorching to the touch, and the warm water rhythmically washed over Jiang Lin, splashing onto the floor. The whispered, shame-filled words made his skin flush, and his mind became hazy as though fevered, yet he could still vividly imagine the scene Ji Minglun described in his ear.

It was the time when they hadn’t yet reconciled, and Jiang Lin had not fully won Ji Minglun’s heart. But tonight was completely different.

Even when he was utterly exhausted and carried to bed, Jiang Lin still refused to let go. He buried his face in Ji Minglun’s neck, entrusting his still-racing heart and heated breath to the other person until he fell into a deep sleep.

The next afternoon, when Jiang Lin woke up, he noticed the blackout curtains were drawn, and the pillow beside him was empty.

He had slept very soundly. Stretching comfortably, he frowned slightly as he sat up, reaching for the area around his lower back, where he found a medicinal patch.

The bathtub had been slippery the previous night, and though Ji Minglun had held him tightly enough to prevent a fall, the position had made their movements rather rough. Jiang Lin gently touched the spot, wondering when Ji Minglun had applied the patch for him. After sitting for a while, he stood up and opened the door of the master bedroom.

The soundproofing in Ji Minglun’s home was excellent. He hadn’t heard any noise from outside while he was in the bedroom. Now, as he opened the door, he saw someone sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching TV.

The person was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, sitting cross-legged on the sofa with a bag of chips in hand. When he saw Jiang Lin come out, he smiled, revealing a neat row of white teeth. Then, turning his head towards the kitchen, he called out, “Senior, Jiang Lin is awake.”

Following the voice, Jiang Lin saw the refrigerator door close near the kitchen island, and Ji Minglun, who was wearing an apron, turned around. When he saw Jiang Lin, he put down what he was holding and walked over to pull him into the bathroom.

As he closed the door, Jiang Lin heard the TV volume being turned up by Shen Ran, who was outside. Ji Minglun reached behind him, asking, “I put that patch on you this morning. Does it feel any better?”

His words were full of concern, and Jiang Lin felt a wave of warmth in his heart, smiling as he replied, “Much better.”

Handing Jiang Lin his electric toothbrush with toothpaste already on it, Ji Minglun explained, “Shen Ran came over to borrow some English materials. He’ll leave after sitting for a while.”

“Okay.” Jiang Lin had glanced at the clock on the wall when he woke up earlier; it was almost five o’clock. He took the toothbrush and asked, “Aren’t you inviting him to stay for dinner?”

“If you don’t mind, I can ask him.” Ji Minglun leaned on the sink with his right hand, watching Jiang Lin with a playful smile as he brushed his teeth.

After rinsing his mouth and spitting out the foam, Jiang Lin replied, “Why would I mind?”

Ji Minglun leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, “I thought you’d be embarrassed to be seen wearing my pajamas and sleeping in my bed.”

Jiang Lin glanced at him and, seeing the increasingly mischievous smile on Ji Minglun’s face, pushed him out of the bathroom.

When Ji Minglun stepped out, Shen Ran was looking down at his phone. Whatever he saw on the screen made his expression turn grim, and his left hand clenched the cushion beside him so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand bulged, showing signs of growing anger.

Shen Ran had a generally good-natured personality and often smiled. Ji Minglun had never seen him look so upset before, so he walked over and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Ran snapped out of his daze, and his first instinct was to block the phone screen. Only then did he say, “It’s nothing.”

He reacted quickly, but there was still a brief delay, which allowed Ji Minglun to see what was on the screen.

It was a photo, showing one person pinned against the back of a sofa being kissed by another. The setting seemed to be a nightclub.

At first, Ji Minglun didn’t think much of it when he saw the photo, but Shen Ran’s attempt to hastily cover it up made him remember that the person being pinned, even though only part of their face was visible, looked like Shen Ran. As for the other person, who had their back to the camera, Ji Minglun found them familiar too, but he couldn’t immediately recall who they were.

Just the fact that Shen Ran was kissing a man was already enough to highlight the seriousness of the situation. Ji Minglun frowned and asked, “What’s going on with you?”

Not long ago, Shen Ran’s breakup with his popular girlfriend had caused quite a stir, with many people gossiping behind his back, claiming he had been the rebound for a lesbian. At the time, Ji Minglun had privately comforted Shen Ran, telling him not to dwell on it. But it had been Shen Ran’s first love, and under such awkward circumstances, he had been forced to break up, which would be hard for anyone to accept.

That day, Shen Ran had been very emotional, but by the next morning, he had calmed down. Ji Minglun didn’t know what had happened that night, and when he asked Shen Ran later, he didn’t get an answer. Now, thinking back carefully, Ji Minglun remembered that Shen Ran had called him that night, saying he had gone to a gay bar with friends to “experience life.”

At the time, Ji Minglun had been at Jiang Lin’s house, watching a movie with him. There was a typhoon outside, and he wasn’t in the right mood either, so he just reminded Shen Ran to be careful and not do anything reckless. Now, seeing this photo, it seemed that something had happened that night which had helped Shen Ran get over his breakup so quickly.

Ji Minglun didn’t realize how expressive his face was while he was piecing things together. Seeing his expression, Shen Ran thought he had figured something out, and he became even more eager to leave. He stood up and urged, “Senior, could you give me those materials? I have something to do and need to go.”

Ji Minglun didn’t move. When Shen Ran bent down to put on his slippers, his body leaned forward slightly, revealing a mark below his collarbone that hadn’t faded yet.

Connecting that to the familiar back in the photo, Ji Minglun remembered something else and asked, “Was the other person in the photo Zhao Jiyu? Did you run into him that night at the gay bar?”

Shen Ran froze as he stood up, and his phone slipped from his hand, hitting the carpet with a dull thud.

“That’s someone else’s photo. Senior, don’t make things up.” He tried to stay calm as he bent down to pick up the phone, completely unaware that by doing so, he was showing the back of his neck to Ji Minglun again. Ji Minglun noticed two hickeys and a faint bite mark stretching from his neck to his right shoulder.

The intimate marks were so obvious that, as someone who had been through it, Ji Minglun quickly figured out why Zhao Jiyu had mysteriously shown up to support Shen Ran recently, while Shen Ran claimed he had strained his back and couldn’t compete.

However, since Shen Ran wasn’t willing to admit it, Ji Minglun didn’t press further. He simply reminded him, “If you want to hide what’s going on with Zhao Jiyu, make sure to wear shirts with higher collars when you go out these days. The marks on your body are too noticeable.”