Grabbing Jiang Lin's arm, Ji Minglun tried to push him away, but Jiang Lin's legs went weak and he fell down as soon as he exerted force. He immediately hugged Jiang Lin's waist, and after steadying him, he held him in his arms again.
"Jiang Lin," Ji Minglun called his name with gritted teeth, "Stand still."
Jiang Lin didn't answer, his head hung limply on his shoulders and neck. He couldn't let go in this situation, so he had to grab Jiang Lin's hand, turn around, and carry him on his back.
Jiang Lin's head drooped beside him, and his breath with the smell of alcohol brushed his face again. This almost invisible contact inevitably brought back memories of that night. He warned himself not to think too much and walked towards the stairs.
Compared to his high-rise apartment with an elevator, Jiang Lin lives in an old house left by his mother. Although it is also in the city center, this house is 20 to 30 years old and has no elevator. When Ji Minglun carried him to the 7th floor, he was sweating from the heat.
Jiang Lin was still sleeping motionless. Ji Minglun put him at the corner of the stairs and let him sit against the wall. He touched both sides of his thighs and felt the key on one side. He reached into his trouser pocket, took it out, opened the iron door and went in.
The moment the light came on, Ji Minglun closed his eyes, adjusted to the strong light, and looked around.
This home is no different from what it was a year ago. Compared to the cozy furnishings that can be found everywhere in other people's homes, there are too few things here.
Looking at the empty living room, Ji Minglun turned around and walked to the door, his eyes fell on the person sleeping against the wall.
Not wanting to care whether Jiang Lin was really asleep or just pretending, Ji Minglun walked up to him, turned around and squatted again, carried him back to the room and put him in the bed.
Jiang Lin let Ji Minglun toss him around as if he had no bones, but when Ji Minglun helped him to lie down, he grabbed Ji Minglun's arm and pulled with the force, so that Ji Minglun's upper body tilted and fell directly on him.
When he fell, Ji Minglun supported his side with his hands, so not all the force fell on him, but their waists and hips collided.
Jiang Lin was hit by Ji Minglun's hips, and the unbearable pain dyed the corners of his eyes red. Hearing his muffled groan, Ji Minglun quickly propped himself up to look at him.
Jiang Lin tilted his face, his narrow eyes were tightly closed, and his hair covered his red ears. Seeing him biting his lips to endure the pain, Ji Minglun wanted to ask him how he was feeling, but when the words came to his lips, he remembered their awkward relationship.
Although he couldn't ask, Ji Minglun's gaze was very direct, and Jiang Lin had no way to avoid it even through his eyelids.
Despite the effect of alcohol, Jiang Lin still raised his arms to cover his face, not wanting Ji Minglun to see his embarrassment.
After a short pause, Ji Minglun asked in a low voice, "Are you feeling better?"
He nodded, and Ji Minglun rolled off him to the side. When he wanted to get up, he was pulled by the clothes on the back.
Looking back, he still had his arm covering most of his face, his thin red lips parted, and he said to himself, "I want to drink some water."
While boiling water in the kitchen, Ji Minglun leaned his right shoulder against the cold brick wall, his mind full of what had just happened.
Jiang Lin's lips were just a few inches away. Even if he didn't think about it actively, his subconscious mind reminded him how difficult it was to describe Jiang Lin's birthday night last year.
And I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but Jiang Lin, who was drunk tonight, seemed to be more…
How to say it, he couldn't think of a suitable adjective, but it might be because he had drunk alcohol and his mind was not clear, or he still had unspeakable desires for Jiang Lin, so he made a mistake.
Impossible.
He warned himself not to let his imagination run wild, and when the light on the kettle went out, he poured the boiling hot water into the mug, added half a bottle of mineral water, put the bottle down, and glanced at the kitchen.
Jiang Lin has been away for more than a year, and it can be seen that no one has ever cleaned the house, otherwise they would not have even replaced the drinking water machine and bought large bottles of mineral water to stockpile.
Holding the cup, he opened the bedroom door. Jiang Lin was still lying on the bed without moving. The air conditioner in the room was running, relieving the hot room temperature. He closed the door and walked over. Jiang Lin opened his eyes when he heard the noise and said to him weakly, "Can you help me get the stomach medicine again?"
Placing the cup on the bedside table, he asked, "Stomachache?"
"A little." Jiang Lin's face looked worse than before. After sitting up on the edge of the bed, he placed his palms on his stomach to cover it.
Ji Minglun came to the medicine cabinet in the living room and found Jiang Lin's stomach medicine. There were many other common medicines in the cabinet. Ji Minglun picked up a few boxes at random and looked at them. The expiration dates had all expired. It seemed that these were left by Jiang Lin when he went abroad.
Ji Minglun handed the stomach medicine to Jiang Lin and watched him swallow it with water. His eyes stayed on the tiny blisters on his fingertips for a moment, and he couldn't help asking again: "What's the matter with the eczema on your hands?"
Jiang Lin used a little force to hold the mug in his right hand, and said casually: "It's nothing, I just can't adapt to the climate there."
"How long has it been?" Ji Minglun asked again.
Jiang Lin took a sip of water, raised his head and answered: "What?"
"eczema."
Ji Minglun's tone was still very calm, and there was no excessive emotion in it. However, this was a rare concern for Jiang Lin. He replied, "It happens intermittently. It's more severe in spring and summer, and it's much better in autumn and winter."
"There is no cure?"
"This is an environmental problem. The doctor said it's also my own stress. If there's no way to solve it, I can only try to calm down and take medicine to relieve it."
After he finished speaking, Ji Minglun still didn't look away from him. His silence made it hard to guess what he was thinking, but he seemed to be getting nervous, so he lowered his head and took another sip of water.
The warm liquid flowed down his chest into his stomach, soothing the faint tingling sensation. Just as he was thinking about changing the subject, Ji Minglun put his hands back in his trouser pockets and said to him, "You take a rest, I'm leaving."
Seeing that man turning around to leave, Jiang Lin subconsciously stretched out his left hand and grabbed the back of Ji Minglun's T-shirt.
Ji Minglun didn't move. Jiang Lin faced his back and used a little force on the fingers that were pinching the T-shirt. Realizing that Jiang Lin was unwilling to let go, Ji Minglun had to reach his hand behind him, pull those fingers apart, and then turned around.
Jiang Lin stared at the wrist he held, thinking that he would let go of her when he turned around, but he didn't expect that he just loosened his grip, but still held on with a force that seemed to indicate he would not let go.
The water in the cup was no longer shaking as violently as before. Jiang Lin suppressed the chaotic emotions in his chest. After thinking for a moment, he just said the word "I" when Ji Minglun's cell phone rang at an inopportune time.
He was interrupted by the rock music, and Ji Minglun let go of his hand and answered the phone in front of him.
His released hand leaned weakly on the edge of the bed, and the skin on his wrist felt numb. When Ji Minglun hung up the phone, his attention was still on his wrist, immersed in the warmth of his palm that was slowly disappearing.
"The driver is urging me to leave," Ji Minglun said. "I'll go first."
Without asking him what he had just unfinished, Ji Minglun glanced at his right hand hanging on the edge of the bed. He didn't intend to waste any more time waiting for his answer, but this time when he walked to the door, he spoke again.
"Minglun."
Ji Minglun held the door handle. The metal texture was hard and cold. The sharp contrast reminded him of the warm and soft touch of Jiang Lin's face against his just now. Exhaling towards the door, Ji Minglun turned around and asked, "Anything else?"
Jiang Lin looked at him and said, "Aren't you angry if I work in your store?"
Ji Minglun asked back: "Since you guessed that I might be angry, why did you do this?"
The mug that had been held in his hand was placed on the bedside table. Jiang Lin smiled, but his smile carried a hint of powerlessness.
"If we don't do this, we won't have the chance to meet again."