Holding his breath, Jiang Lin listened to the increasingly clear heartbeat deep in his mind, nervously waiting for Ji Minglun's next move, but the person holding him did not respond. Just as he tried to raise his left hand and wanted to hug Ji Minglun, the arms on his shoulders slid down to both sides, and Ji Minglun muttered again.
Turning his head quietly, he saw Ji Minglun still had his eyes closed, leaning against the headrest as if he had never woken up.
His palms had been resting on the edge of the seat for too long, so they were inevitably shaking. Jiang Lin returned to the passenger seat and sat down. His rapid heartbeats followed his emotions, and with it came a feeling of emptiness and fatigue that permeated his chest.
Ji Minglun must be dreaming, or just half asleep, but he was excited at that moment, thinking that Ji Minglun wanted to...
With his right fingertips clasped on the door handle, Jiang Lin endured another wave of pain in his lower abdomen and got out of the car quietly.
When the sound of the door closing was heard, the man who had opened his eyelids a little to peek at him dared to relax a little and open his eyes to look.
Jiang Lin opened the iron gate and went upstairs. There was no light outside. Ji Minglun vaguely felt that his posture was a bit strange, but before he could see clearly, the iron gate closed. Then he saw his mobile phone placed next to the car door.
The screen reflected the lavender light of the ambient lighting. Thinking of the hug he had just had with him, Ji Minglun rubbed his face in annoyance.
I didn't expect that I would be so sleepy that my mind couldn't think straight and I actually hugged him.
The unit stairs on the right could not be seen from the driver's seat. Ji Minglun could only feel that Jiang Lin should have entered the house, so he lowered the car window and looked out. A faint light was coming from Jiang Lin's kitchen.
Leaning back in his chair, he looked at Jiang Lin's phone again.
It would be very embarrassing to take it now. After all, he just pretended to sleep, and Jiang Lin shouldn't think of anything wrong. Let's wait a little longer.
He opened the door and got out of the car, then walked to the nearby phoenix tree and leaned against it. The night was dark in front of him, and a shared bicycle by the wall and a sandbag on the ground were hidden in the shadows. He stared at the blue and white body of the bicycle, and the hug just now unconsciously emerged in his mind again.
Jiang Lin didn't push him away, most likely because he was frightened. Fortunately, he chose to continue pretending to sleep, otherwise he didn't know how it would end.
He couldn't help but light another cigarette. He calmed down between puffs of smoke and stood for a long time before returning to the car. When he thought it was time to give Jiang Lin the phone, he found that the lights on the seventh floor were on, followed by the fifth and fourth floors. Soon the iron door was pushed open and Jiang Lin walked towards the car again.
Subconsciously closing his eyes, Ji Minglun pretended to sleep again.
Jiang Lin got in quietly, and then closed the door and there was no more sound. Ji Minglun was suspicious, but he was facing the door in a hurry and couldn't see Jiang Lin's position. Thinking that it was no use to hold on like this, he decided not to pretend anymore and opened his eyes as if he had just woken up.
Glancing at his yawning, Jiang Lin didn't mention the moment he saw him leaning against a tree trunk smoking in the kitchen. He just asked, "Why didn't you wake me up when you got here?"
"You look very tired. I'm also full and a little sleepy." Ji Minglun acted out the whole act and stretched.
Picking up the phone next to the car door, Jiang Lin said, "Then I'll go up first."
Ji Minglun watched him open the door and said, "Your car is still parked in the same place. Remember to pick it up tomorrow."
"Well," Jiang Lin's tone was slightly flat, and as he turned around and closed the door, he reminded her, "Go slowly on the way back."
"good."
Ji Minglun waved at him, started the car after he walked into the iron gate again, turned around skillfully, stepped on the accelerator lightly and drove away.
Jiang Lin stood at the corner of the second floor, looking at the car shrouded in the night. The red taillights became brighter as it was about to turn, then dimmed and completely disappeared from sight.
Leaning against the wall, he stared at the deep night sky in a daze until a resident on the first floor opened the door and then he remembered to go upstairs.
After entering the house, he took off his clothes and stood under the shower.
The stomach medicine I took was very effective, and it didn't hurt much anymore. He adjusted the water temperature to a comfortable level and reached out to squeeze the shampoo. The familiar scent of sandalwood and cedar quickly enveloped him. He tilted his face up and let the water splash over him. Although he didn't think about it deliberately, the hug came back to his mind.
It was as if a pair of invisible hands behind him embraced him, and the person's breath fell on his ears. The dry palms were wet by the water, and they slid down along his chest, finally stopping at the place where he wanted to be touched the most.
The panting sounds he heard gradually became heavier, and he couldn't tell whether it was his or that person's. His consciousness was quickly dominated by the fiery feeling, and soon something splashed onto the ground and was carried by the clear water, sliding into the sewer.
Leaning against the wall and breathing heavily, he looked at his disheveled self in the mirror.
After taking a shower, he lay down on the bed in a daze. His overdrawn body was so tired that he didn't want to move anymore, but his brain was reluctant to fall asleep. When the morning light slowly seeped into the room from the balcony, he was still dreaming clearly.
He dreamed that Ji Minglun kissed him, hugged him, whispered in his ear and asked him if he liked him. His body, which had just been released, was still longing to be touched. That uncomfortable, unsatisfied feeling was like a slow fire devouring his heart. It was painful and hot, but he was powerless to break free.
He was late this afternoon.
Deng Feng called him twice but he didn't answer. He called back around three o'clock. Deng Feng could tell that he had a heavy nasal tone and a hoarse voice, so he thought he was sick. He said he just didn't sleep well and would be there soon.
After washing up, he went downstairs and remembered that his car was parked opposite Lao Yu Congee Shop, so he went outside the community to take a taxi. When he arrived at the shop, the slanting sunlight had already shone on the west side of the counter. A person was sitting on the only high stool at the bar, chatting with Deng Feng.
Seeing him coming, the man nodded to him. He also nodded to the other party, and then heard Deng Feng ask him: "Are you really okay? Don't pretend to be so ugly."
While talking, Deng Feng walked around the counter, came in front of him and touched his forehead with the back of his hand. He avoided it and said, "It's really okay."
"Let's go back and rest today."
"No, I'm fine." After looking at Deng Feng seriously, Jiang Lin walked around him and went in.
Looking at Jiang Lin's back, Deng Feng put his hands on his waist and sighed, while Shen Ran, who was sitting on a high stool, asked, "Brother Feng, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Deng Feng turned around and saw a customer standing in front of the order counter, so he walked over quickly.
Shen Ran took out his phone and looked at it. Deng Feng finished taking the order and started to work. He heard him say, "Senior, what's wrong? You haven't turned on your phone yet."
"Let's play later. I guess he played all night last night." Deng Feng said casually.
Shen Ran knew that Ji Minglun and Jiang Lin had an emotional entanglement. Thinking of Jiang Lin's face when he came in, which was obviously overindulged, he couldn't help but ask tentatively: "Who did he go out with last night?"
"No," Deng Feng poured the cut avocado into the juicer and added some ice cubes. "My sister ran into him at the music festival last night, but I didn't see who he went with."
Shen Ran also had a friend who went to the Grassland Music Festival last night and posted more than a dozen videos of the scene on WeChat Moments. If Ji Minglun really went there secretly with someone else and played all night, then it was most likely Jiang Lin.
After all, Ji Minglun came out to their group of friends, but he never expressed his love for anyone. Last time he used him to provoke Jiang Lin, he also told him not to tell anyone afterwards, not even Deng Feng.
He picked up the lemon tea in front of him and took two sips. When Jiang Lin came out after changing into an apron, Shen Ran looked at him with a different look in his eyes.
Jiang Lin didn't notice that Shen Ran was looking at him. He had been up all night. Although he fell asleep during the day, he was very tired and now he felt a little sluggish.
In the evening, Ji Minglun finally showed up, walking into the store with his hands in his pockets. He glanced around but didn't see Jiang Lin. Instead, Shen Ran, who was standing by the bar, stretched out his arm and waved it in front of him, complaining, "Senior, you're finally here. I've been waiting for you for two hours, and your phone isn't turned on."
Ji Minglun said, "What's the matter?"
Deng Feng interrupted, "This guy wants to discuss with you whether you can take him with you to Xi'an."
Ji Minglun looked at Shen Ran: "What about you and Li Ting?"
He didn't finish his words, but Shen Ran understood. His face darkened, and Shen Ran whispered, "I broke up with her and I'm not going to Yangzhou anymore."
This result was expected. He stretched out his right hand from his pocket and patted Shen Ran on the shoulder: "It's good to go and relax. You can arrange your own time."
Deng Feng on the side said with a smile: "See, I told you it was no problem, but you insisted on waiting here."
Shen Ran's expression eased a little, and he got off the stool and said, "I still need to ask clearly before I can feel at ease. I'll leave first, I have something else to do at school."
Ji Minglun reminded him to drive slowly, and after Jiang Lin walked out of the store, Ji Minglun turned around and was about to go in to find Jiang Lin when he saw the small door of the material room next to the refrigerator opened from the inside, and Jiang Lin walked out with a bottle of mint juice.
The two looked at each other, and Ji Minglun walked towards the lounge. Deng Feng took the fruit juice from him and asked, "I'm going to order dinner, what do you want to eat?"
"It's all right," Jiang Lin looked at Deng Feng taking the fruit juice and asked, "Were you talking about going to Xi'an?"
Deng Feng paused while opening the lid: "Yes, we will leave on the 6th of next month. The store will be closed for a week, but everyone's salary will still be calculated."
Jiang Lin nodded and plugged the disposable pointed bottle that he had taken out with the fruit juice. Just as he put the fruit juice on the iron rack, he heard Deng Feng say, "Are you interested?"
Jiang Lin turned to look at Deng Feng: "Are many of you going?"
He didn't refuse directly, and Deng Feng immediately perked up: "There weren't many people. Minglun wanted to go at first, and I went with him because I had never been to Xi'an. Later, my sister called her friends, and now Shen Ran wants to go too."
"If you're coming with us, there will be six of us. We haven't booked our flights or hotels yet. If you come, you don't have to worry about anything. Just come along and have fun."
Jiang Lin listened carefully, but Deng Feng was afraid that he would say forget it in the end, so he racked his brains to mention several famous scenic spots in Xi'an.
"How about it?" Deng Feng touched his arm, "Would you like to go out and play together for a few days to relax?"
Jiang Lin had never been to Xi'an, but the destination was not the point. The point was that Ji Minglun was going with him. But Ji Minglun had never mentioned this to him. Would he be willing to go with him
He was hesitating about how to talk to Ji Minglun. At this time, Deng Feng, who was standing next to him, called out to the back of him, "Minglun, is it okay to go to Xi'an with one more person?"
Jiang Lin immediately looked behind him and saw Ji Minglun, wearing the black apron from the store, looking at them expressionlessly.
Deng Feng didn't notice that the atmosphere was not right. He walked over, hooked his arm around Ji Minglun's neck, pointed at Jiang Lin and said, "Let Jiang Lin go too. It's rare for him to come back to China for the summer vacation. He can't just work in our store."
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Deng Feng: I'm shooting myself in the foot