Try Again chapter 53

Summer Breeze Romance (End of Main Story)

There were indeed plenty of ingredients in the fridge, but as Lu Zhe was taking them out, he realized he’d forgotten to buy two bottles of sauce he needed.

It wasn’t as convenient abroad as it was back home, where you could just order whatever you needed through a delivery app. Jiang Lin said he’d go buy them, and Lu Zhe added a few more items to the list. While Ji Minglun went upstairs to get Jiang Lin’s supermarket gift card, Lu Zhe quietly asked, “How long is he staying with you this time?”

“A week,” Jiang Lin replied as he wrote down what Lu Zhe needed in his phone’s memo app. When he looked up, he saw Lu Zhe staring at him and couldn’t help but ask, “What is it?”

Leaning against the kitchen island, Lu Zhe sighed, “When the time comes for you to send him off again, you’ll have to wait another year.”

Perhaps because he was with a close friend, even when confronted with the dreaded topic of parting, Jiang Lin didn’t feel any resistance. He leaned against the kitchen island shoulder to shoulder with Lu Zhe and said, “It won’t be a whole year, really. I can go back home during the Lunar New Year, and then there’s spring break. If I can graduate before summer, I’ll be gone by then.”

“You really don’t plan on staying in Los Angeles after?” Lu Zhe asked.

Jiang Lin shook his head and raised his hand to show the eczema on his fingers. “I got better after resting for two months back home. I really can’t adapt to the environment here.”

It wasn’t just the environment. Ever since he came here, Jiang Lin had felt out of place in every way. When Lu Zhe first met him, Jiang Lin had already adapted somewhat to the local lifestyle, but his eczema never improved. His fingers were red year-round, and this was the first time Lu Zhe had seen his hands without the usual small blisters, with his skin almost back to its normal color.

Lu Zhe, who went to the same school, was also uncertain about his post-graduation plans. They had discussed this topic before, and he didn’t have a strong desire to work in Hong Kong. He had a complete family and loving parents, something Jiang Lin envied. But Hong Kong held both a reason Lu Zhe wanted to return and one he didn’t.

Jiang Lin wanted to ask about what happened at that wedding Lu Zhe had attended, but just as he was about to speak, they heard Ji Minglun’s footsteps coming from the stairs. He held back his question, and Lu Zhe smiled, giving him a playful push. “Go on, take your boyfriend out for a bit. Don’t rush back—I’m not really hungry anyway.”

Jiang Lin’s expression turned slightly awkward at the mention of “boyfriend,” but seeing Lu Zhe’s happy smile on his behalf, he couldn’t help but smile as well. He looked over at the man coming downstairs, bathed in sunlight.

As they were about to leave, Lu Zhe tossed the car keys over. Jiang Lin and Ji Minglun walked ahead, unlocking a black, modified off-road Jeep parked by the roadside.

Ji Minglun, standing by the passenger door, looked at the rugged vehicle and asked, “Can you really drive this thing?”

The Jeep belonged to Lu Zhe, and since Jiang Lin was about the same build as him, it wasn’t a problem. Seeing that Ji Minglun underestimated him, he climbed into the driver’s seat, fastened his seatbelt, pulled out his sunglasses from the glove compartment, and, without saying much, showed off his driving skills.

They had both gotten their driver’s licenses in China at the same time. After moving abroad, Jiang Lin had also gotten an American license. He was usually a homebody, staying at home or in the library, with little social life. But after meeting Lu Zhe, who often took him out for drives, he had gotten used to driving this Jeep.

The vehicle smoothly exited the community and onto a road with little traffic. Jiang Lin pressed harder on the gas pedal, and the force from the acceleration kicked in. He rolled down the windows, letting the dry wind rush in. It wasn’t as cool as the air conditioning, but as the buildings on either side grew sparse, he felt a sense of freedom swelling in his chest.

At first, Ji Minglun’s attention was on Jiang Lin’s confident, windswept expression. It wasn’t until the surrounding mountains became more prominent that he started admiring the scenery and Jiang Lin asked him, “The view on this road is pretty nice, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Ji Minglun replied with a smile, casually resting his arm on the car door as he gazed at a green lake reflecting the sunlight in the distance. “If my mom hadn’t gotten sick back then, I would have been familiar with this place too.”

Jiang Lin glanced at Ji Minglun. Back when they were both considering studying abroad, Ji Minglun had even filled out his application forms, but then news came that Cheng Yu had been diagnosed with a tumor.

That year, Tang Ying had passed away from cancer, and they both knew how dangerous that illness was. Later, Ji Minglun gave up on his study abroad application to spend more time with Cheng Yu, but fortunately, they eventually received good news—Cheng Yu had recovered.

Jiang Lin reached over, grabbed Ji Minglun’s left hand, and when Ji Minglun turned to look at him, he said, “Let’s go see my school.”

“Now?” Ji Minglun asked, glancing at his watch. “Isn’t Lu Zhe waiting for us at home?”

Jiang Lin smoothly maneuvered the car past an RV ahead of them. “He said he wasn’t really hungry, so he told me to take you around.”

After driving for nearly half an hour on the open road, the buildings and signs of human activity started to reappear. After turning onto a few tree-lined streets, the UCLA campus came into view.

Jiang Lin found a parking spot nearby. As they got out of the car, they passed a row of shops with many tourists gathered outside. He asked Ji Minglun if he wanted coffee. Ji Minglun asked where he usually got his coffee from, and Jiang Lin led him through the row of shops to a small, secluded alley behind the main street, where they entered a coffee shop decorated in an Indian style.

Walking up to the counter, Jiang Lin greeted the young black man who was focused on making orders inside. The man looked up at him, immediately flashing a smile that revealed two rows of white teeth, and bumped fists with him.

Ji Minglun listened to their conversation in English. The young black man appeared to be in his early twenties and seemed very talkative, even asking about Ji Minglun, who was behind Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin introduced them to each other, and Ji Minglun nodded in greeting. The young man proceeded to make two cups of espresso for Jiang Lin, during which they chatted and mentioned Xiamen.

After leaving the coffee shop, Ji Minglun observed Jiang Lin drinking coffee and asked, “Does your social anxiety only act up back home?”

Jiang Lin had just taken a sip and nearly choked when he heard that. He took off his sunglasses and looked at Ji Minglun, confused. “What?”

Walking side by side under the shade of trees, Ji Minglun casually remarked, “From Zaya this morning to Lu Zhe, and now Moss, your social circle seems pretty wide.”

Jiang Lin stopped and looked at the figure that had walked a few steps away. Finally, he realized what was happening. He quickly caught up with Ji Minglun and said, “Moss is Lu Zhe’s friend. I didn’t know about this place before; it was Lu Zhe who brought me here multiple times.”

“Zaya is the landlord’s daughter. She learns Chinese from me and Cantonese from Lu Zhe.”

Jiang Lin explained seriously. Seeing that Ji Minglun was still silent, he couldn’t help but laugh. “What’s wrong? You’re not bothered, are you?”

Ji Minglun glanced at him, neither confirming nor denying.

Jiang Lin was momentarily stunned and then burst into laughter, almost spilling his coffee. After walking a few more steps, he looked around and lightly touched Ji Minglun’s hand.

Ji Minglun didn’t pull away, so Jiang Lin took hold of it and said, “You’ve met all the people I’m close to today; there’s no one else.”

Ji Minglun continued sipping his iced coffee. Jiang Lin was actively holding his hand and explaining; he didn’t mind anymore. Actually, he hadn’t been petty; after spending the day seeing Jiang Lin either hugging others or smiling at them, it felt very different from when they were in China, making him a bit uncomfortable.

However, it was a good thing that Jiang Lin could improve his social skills, as entering society would inevitably involve social circles. But privately, Ji Minglun still hoped Jiang Lin would rely on him like before, coming to him for everything and discussing only with him.

Reminding himself not to hold onto such selfish thoughts, Ji Minglun held Jiang Lin’s hand back, and he didn’t let go even when they reached the busy street.

America values freedom, and the streets were filled with people of various races and sexual orientations; no one would care about two boys holding hands while walking. Ji Minglun didn’t want to let go, and Jiang Lin didn’t pull away either. They crossed the street together and walked onto the campus.

UCLA has a history of over a hundred years, and most of the buildings are in the Lombard style, with Renaissance-style red brick walls everywhere. Walking on the uneven slopes, looking at the large patches of lush green grass, even in the midday summer heat, it felt very pleasant.

In the past few days, reports had started to circulate, and many students were either sitting or lying under the shade of the trees, either using tablets or playing PSP, while a few boys were practicing their skateboarding skills in the corridor nearby.

The two leisurely crossed a slope, and when they passed by the basketball court, Jiang Lin’s shoelace came undone. He bent down to tie it, and suddenly he heard a surprised shout. He instinctively turned around to see Ji Minglun’s arm shielding him from behind. A basketball first hit the inside of Ji Minglun’s forearm, then he skillfully turned it, catching it in the crook of his arm.

“Are you okay?”

Jiang Lin immediately stood up, wanting to check Ji Minglun’s arm. The sound of the basketball hitting was loud, and he was worried Ji Minglun got hurt. However, Ji Minglun said he was fine and looked towards a small young man running towards them, who clasped his hands together and spoke in Thai.

Ji Minglun was well aware that balls frequently flew out of the basketball court and accidentally hit passersby, and the young man’s apology was sincere. So, he threw the ball back with his right hand. Unexpectedly, the young man failed to catch it, and Ji Minglun deftly dodged past him, retrieving the ball. Then, he aimed and made a precise point-to-point pass; the brown basketball arced through the air, landing in the hands of another young man with yellow skin a few meters away.

His passing technique and angle were very professional, and the young man who caught it was momentarily stunned. Ji Minglun then withdrew his gaze and said to Jiang Lin, “Let’s go.”

Jiang Lin nodded. They had just taken a few steps when they were called out to. The young man who caught the ball quickly ran over, complimenting Ji Minglun on his pass in English and asking if he wanted to play a few games.

Ji Minglun felt a bit eager; he had been accompanying Jiang Lin lately and hadn’t played basketball in a long time. Jiang Lin reminded him it was fine to play since they weren’t in a hurry. So, he handed his coffee to Jiang Lin and followed the two young men over.

Jiang Lin sat under a nearby tree, placing the two cups of coffee beside him, and focused on watching Ji Minglun play.

The 5v5 game was not much different from what they had in China. Ji Minglun communicated with a few young people and began to warm up, dribbling. Within a few minutes, he scored three consecutive layups.

The expressions of the young men became serious, starting to double-team him on defense, but unfortunately, their efforts were ineffective. Ji Minglun was practically a genius at feints, easily breaking past the defense and scoring repeatedly.

He was 184 cm tall, which was not a big deal back home, but here, there were three guys taller than 190 cm. However, basketball isn’t just about height; technique and teamwork are crucial. The team Ji Minglun joined happened to be all Asian, and their skills were decent. After playing a few rounds, they found their rhythm, and the game became more fluid.

Jiang Lin watched him speed across the court, his dribbling smooth as flowing water. Each time he dunked, his T-shirt flew up, revealing his toned abs, and without realizing it, Jiang Lin became captivated, clapping several times in excitement.

Ji Minglun played for over twenty minutes under the blazing sun and was already drenched in sweat. He wasn’t one to linger; once he had his fill, he said goodbye to everyone. Jiang Lin saw the boy who had first caught the basketball put his arm around Ji Minglun’s shoulders, saying something he couldn’t hear. Ji Minglun smiled and shook his head, the boy’s expression showing some disappointment, before he walked back towards Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin took out a tissue from his chest bag to wipe the sweat from Ji Minglun’s forehead. Ji Minglun didn’t take it and just said he wanted to wash his face. Jiang Lin led the way to the nearest restroom and watched as Ji Minglun leaned under the faucet to rinse his face directly.

When Ji Minglun straightened up, he handed him the tissue and asked, “What did he say to you just now?”

“Nothing much, he just asked for my contact information and asked if we could meet up to play basketball sometime.” 

Ji Minglun wiped the water dripping from his neck. The flush of exercise gave his handsome face a healthy glow, which inexplicably reminded Jiang Lin of Ji Minglun breathing heavily on his bed before leaving, also with a flushed face.

After Ji Minglun finished wiping, he fanned himself with his collar. Noticing Jiang Lin’s gaze was somewhat distracted, he couldn’t help but laugh and ask, “Are you mesmerized by how handsome your boyfriend looked just now?”

Ji Minglun was always confident about his basketball skills. He had started playing in elementary school and had been praised by coaches all the way through. In high school, he was even selected for the provincial team, but he eventually decided to give it up, thinking it would affect his studies.

Looking at the exuberant smile on Ji Minglun’s face, Jiang Lin didn’t deny it. He handed him the coffee and seriously praised him, “Yeah, you were really handsome just now.”

This was the first time Ji Minglun had received such an honest compliment from him. Seeing the unabashed admiration in Jiang Lin’s eyes made him unable to resist. He pulled Jiang Lin into a stall, and as soon as the door was closed, he pinned him against the door and kissed him.

In that small space, they were taking what they needed from each other. Compared to Ji Minglun’s carefree impulsiveness, Jiang Lin was overwhelmed with a single thought—this was his school, he had been to this restroom many times, but he had never thought Ji Minglun might set foot here, nor did he ever imagine this person would kiss him like this at school. 

Jiang Lin’s phone, which was in his pocket, vibrated several times before he gasped and pushed Ji Minglun away. Just as he was about to bend down to grab his phone, he froze. Ji Minglun, now a bit of distance away, also realized what had happened and, laughing, leaned in closer to him, playfully taking away the silver thread connecting their lips before kissing his slightly swollen lips.

It was a call from Jiang Jianchen.

Breathless, Jiang Lin didn’t press the answer button. After the call ended, he saw a notification for a short message on his lock screen.

A few minutes ago, the bank had sent a transfer alert. Jiang Jianchen had transferred him 600,000 RMB.

Seeing Jiang Lin staring at the screen without moving, Ji Minglun leaned in for a look and understood right away.

Since that day when he had caught them kissing, Jiang Jianchen had been openly opposed to their relationship. Jiang Lin thought that he had stopped caring, but unexpectedly, just after he arrived in the U.S., the transfer from Jiang Jianchen came through.

Last year, when he came to study abroad, Jiang Jianchen also gave him 600,000 RMB, which included 200,000 for tuition and 400,000 for living expenses. Although he had property and savings left by Tang Ying, Jiang Jianchen, as his father, had never made him feel lacking in financial support.

Ji Minglun, tucking a damp strand of Jiang Lin’s hair behind his ear, said softly, “Why not call him back?”

Jiang Lin stared at the screen, hesitating for a moment before unlocking his phone, but a new reminder popped up on the lock screen.

Jiang Jianchen had sent a WeChat voice message.

Jiang Lin held the phone to his ear and listened. Jiang Jianchen’s voice was calm as he said, “The money I transferred has arrived. Check it out. Also, when are you going to Los Angeles? Come out for a meal before you leave. I have something to discuss with you.”

He played the voice message for Ji Minglun. Ji Minglun’s expression was subtle, and it matched Jiang Lin’s slightly speechless look.

“What are you going to say to him?” Ji Minglun couldn’t help but laugh. “You blew up!”

Jiang Lin was also speechless, but he couldn’t blame Jiang Jianchen; he hadn’t informed him before leaving.

“Let’s be honest; he didn’t know when I left last year either.”

Jiang Lin picked up his phone and typed a message: [I’ve arrived in Los Angeles. Minglun brought me here. I received the transfer notification.]

Within less than a minute, he received a voice message in return. Jiang Lin opened it again; the first few seconds were blank, and then he heard Jiang Jianchen ask, “Why did you leave without saying a word again?”

Even though they couldn’t meet face-to-face, it was clear Jiang Jianchen was in a bad mood and was suppressing his tone.

It was normal for Jiang Jianchen to be upset; he hadn’t informed him of his departure for two consecutive years. However, given how tense things had been before, it was unlikely he would take the initiative to tell Jiang Jianchen when he was leaving.

“Tell your dad that when I come back, I’ll treat him to a meal, and I’ll bring him some gifts that you picked out for him. I think he won’t be mad anymore.” While touching Jiang Lin’s soft earlobe, Ji Minglun tried to mediate. “Actually, your dad still cares about you. Even if he’s angry, he still remembers your tuition and living expenses, and he hasn’t mentioned our situation to my parents.”

On the matter of catching them in an intimate moment, Jiang Jianchen hadn’t crossed Jiang Lin’s bottom line. However, Jiang Lin still didn’t feel that Jiang Jianchen cared about him. If he really did, he wouldn’t have only sent money for so many years while disappearing during holidays.

However, Jiang Lin didn’t want to prolong the conflict. He replied to Jiang Jianchen’s message and accompanied Ji Minglun to visit the famous Powell Library and the Royce Hall across the street before heading toward the school gate along the way they had come.

By the time they were leaving, it was nearly two o’clock. Lu Zhe sent a message asking if they should change lunch plans to dinner, giving them more time for a date.

Seeing the words “date,” two girls happened to walk by, each enjoying a creamy ice cream cone, taking a bite from each other’s. It wasn’t anything unusual until the two girls kissed without any regard as they passed by.

Such things were quite common abroad, and Jiang Lin was used to it. Instead, Ji Minglun turned to glance at the two girls.

Jiang Lin thought Ji Minglun wanted to make some comments, but to his surprise, Ji Minglun quickly shifted his gaze back to him and said, “I saw a convenience store selling those ice cream cones earlier. If I’d known, I would have bought one.”

So he was craving it. Jiang Lin smiled and mentioned that there was still a convenience store ahead where they could buy one. Just as he finished speaking, he saw Ji Minglun lean in closer and kiss him on the lips. Taking advantage of his surprise, Ji Minglun smiled and said, “No need to buy it. Here, I don’t need to hide my feelings.”

The summer afternoon breeze blew through, lifting the branches and leaves of a row of short trees nearby. A white couple were sitting under the tree, clearly having seen them kiss. The boy whistled, and the girl smiled brightly at them, even making a heart shape with her hands.

Jiang Lin felt embarrassed and didn’t dare to meet their eyes until he was led away by Ji Minglun. Only then did he lift his head and look at the figure in front of him, recalling this time last year.

It was the same bright summer sun and the same gentle breeze in the campus air. Everything seemed no different, yet it was completely different.

He raised his hand to block the scorching sunlight, squeezed the hand in his palm, and when Ji Minglun turned back, he smiled pleasantly and said, “The lunch with Lu Zhe has been moved to the evening; let’s go on a date.”

Author’s note:

I’ve finished writing another story. Thank you all for following along these past two months, witnessing how they moved closer to each other and happily came together.

I’ve started the story about Zhao Jiyu and Shen Ran, titled Unexpected Intimacy. Interested readers can check it out. That one will be updated after this one because it’s part of a series, so there will also be cameo appearances of characters.

As for side stories, since the setting of this story itself isn’t long and they have a childhood friend relationship, I can’t think of what to write for extras as there won’t be significant ups and downs after they get together. If you have any ideas for side stories you’d like to see, please share them in the comments, and I’ll consider writing the interesting ones.

Wishing everyone a prosperous new year in advance, filled with joy!