Jiang Lin went around two shopping malls and only came out when all the stores were closing one after another.
He had already set his eyes on the bracelet, and even after looking around in other brand stores, he couldn't find anything more suitable. Later, he took a fancy to a belt worn by a model, but that belt was a pre-season model for autumn and winter and had not yet been officially launched on the market.
After returning to the hotel room and taking a shower, he sat on the bed and opened the shopping app to continue choosing bracelets.
It was almost two o'clock when Ji Minglun came back. Seeing the light on in the room, he thought he was still awake. When he came in, he saw that he was sleeping soundly on the edge of the bed with half of his arm stretched out. His cell phone fell on the carpet beside the bed.
Bending down to pick up the phone, Ji Minglun's eyes stopped at his two legs that were not covered with a blanket.
In the past, Jiang Lin always wore long pajamas regardless of winter or summer. I don’t know if he forgot to bring pajamas this time, but he actually slept in these loose cotton shorts. If he wasn’t careful, it would become like this, with the trouser legs rubbed up, revealing his black **.
Reminding himself not to think too much, Ji Minglun covered Jiang Lin with a blanket and went to take a shower. When he came out, he turned off the lights and went to sleep.
Because Deng Feng sent a notice in the travel group before going to bed, asking everyone to have their own breakfast, Jiang Lin did not change clothes immediately after waking up and saw it. After washing up, he went back to bed.
They had been outdoors for the past three days, and the high summer heat was very exhausting. Now, lying in an air-conditioned room, looking at the bright sunny day through the window, even Ji Minglun didn't want to move. After washing up and drinking a large bottle of mineral water, he also lay back in bed with his cell phone.
Seeing him open the game, Jiang Lin touched his leg with the back of his foot: "What do you want to eat in the morning?"
"Just take care of it. Takeout and hotel breakfast are both fine."
Ji Minglun said casually, and received a team invitation from his friends as soon as he went online. Jiang Lin opened the food delivery app and found a nearby Shaanxi-style restaurant with good reviews. He asked Ji Minglun if there was anything else he wanted to eat, and Ji Minglun said KFC egg tarts.
After placing the order, Jiang Lin checked WeChat and found that Lu Zhe had sent him a new message.
[How was your outing? How did it go?]
After agreeing to Deng Feng's travel proposal last week, he told Lu Zhe about it. At that time, Lu Zhe said that this was an opportunity, and he also felt that he should seize the time, after all, there was less than a month left, but when it came time to really do it, he was confused.
He and Ji Minglun had a special friendship since they grew up together. Now that this relationship has been almost repaired, he can't tell whether Ji Minglun still has that kind of feelings for him.
The night before yesterday, when he went out for supper, he thought about confessing to Ji Minglun under the influence of alcohol, but the words seemed to be choked several times when they came to his lips. The word "I like you" was harder than any other words he had ever said in his life. It also made him realize how much courage Ji Minglun mustered to confess to him at that time.
Not knowing how to respond to Lu Zhe's concern, he simply took the tablet and took advantage of the little time he had to write another paragraph of his paper.
Unfortunately, there was a guy sitting next to him who always disturbed his mind. He stared at the screen for a long time but couldn't type a word. Finally, he was interrupted by a knock on the door and had to get out of bed to get the food.
The first thing delivered was the breakfast from the snack bar. He put it on the coffee table and asked Ji Minglun to come and eat. Ji Minglun was playing at the most critical moment, and before he could respond, he heard the bell ringing.
“Shit,” Ji Minglun cursed, but unfortunately his hand was too quick to answer the call, so he had to put the call to his ear and said, “What’s going on?”
"Get up. I'm playing games. Let's talk later." After hanging up the phone in a hurry, Ji Minglun turned the phone sideways, then threw it away in annoyance and walked over to sit next to him without even putting on slippers.
"Lose?"
As soon as he saw the man's face, he guessed what was going on. Ji Minglun looked at him speechlessly, picked up the Roujiamo and took a big bite. After he finished eating, he said, "We almost turned the tables."
He couldn't help laughing: "Who called?"
"Deng Yi." Ji Minglun took the spicy soup he handed to him, blew on it and drank two sips without using a spoon.
"It's not hot?" he asked. Ji Minglun shook his head and handed him the spicy soup: "It tastes good, try it."
Looking at the semi-solidified hot soup in the bowl, Jiang Lin took a sip in the same way Ji Minglun held the bowl, then wiped his mouth with a tissue: "It's good, you can eat it."
Ji Minglun observed his reaction, but before he could figure out what was going on, he heard someone knocking on the door again.
“It should be KFC’s egg tarts that are coming.”
Jiang Lin went to open the door. The guy outside was looking for the order in the incubator. He bent down to check the food with him, but didn't notice a figure walking out of the elevator door not far away. The figure quickly stopped, and after a moment of hesitation, he returned to the elevator that was almost closed.
"Please check, there are two egg tarts and two iced lattes in total." The young man stood up and said.
Jiang Lin took the food and the receipt, thanked the other party and closed the door. The young man walked to the elevator and found that the door was still open. A girl was pressing the door-opening button with a unhappy expression.
It was unclear what happened to the girl, but she came out after he entered the elevator.
Walking quickly to the door of the room he had just been to, Deng Yi looked at the house number.
7019, it is indeed Ji Minglun’s room. Then why is Jiang Lin standing at the door in home clothes and accepting takeout
Recalling Jiang Lin's messy hair and the way he was wearing slippers, Deng Yi suddenly wondered if Jiang Lin had been living in the same room with Ji Minglun these days
When this thought came to her mind, her face became even uglier, especially when she thought of Ji Minglun's sexual orientation. So she quickly walked to the door of Room 7003 at the other end and knocked for a while but no one answered the door. She called Shen Ran, and Shen Ran answered the phone. There was some noise in the background.
When she learned that Shen Ran was having breakfast outside, she asked Jiang Lin if he was in the room so that she could borrow a charger.
Shen Ran didn't doubt it and said Jiang Lin should be sleeping, so she didn't need to go up and could borrow someone else's.
After hanging up the phone, Deng Yi took several deep breaths before calming down.
Could it be that Jiang Lin was indeed sleeping when Shen Ran went out, and then went to Ji Minglun's room later
Maybe Jiang Lin was just having breakfast with Ji Minglun.
Jiang Lin was obviously getting closer to Deng Feng these days. Last night, when they were playing billiards, she even asked Deng Feng privately if he liked Jiang Lin. Deng Feng neither admitted nor denied it, but just told her not to talk nonsense. Jiang Lin was no longer cold or distant to Deng Feng, so she had no reason to doubt Jiang Lin and Ji Minglun.
After convincing herself, Deng Yi went downstairs and went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. However, she had no intention of playing for most of the next half day, and she was secretly observing how Ji Minglun and Jiang Lin got along.
Today's itinerary was the Ocean Polar Park. Unlike the previous few days when they had been outdoors in the high temperature, most of the time today was spent in an air-conditioned environment, and everyone was in a very relaxed state. Perhaps because they were in front of others, the two people had no obvious contact. She only noticed a few times of eye contact, but they also looked away in the blink of an eye.
Shi Xiaomin saw that she was always distracted, so he pulled her aside during the afternoon break and asked her what was going on. She really wanted Shi Xiaomin to help her, but didn't want to be embarrassed by saying it out loud, so she had to hold it in, thinking of observing her for a while longer. As a result, when she returned to the hotel that night, she found that Jiang Lin had entered Ji Minglun's room again.
She waited outside until two o'clock but didn't see Jiang Lin come out. The next morning, she went to the security passage to wait again. At eight o'clock, Jiang Lin was indeed dressed neatly and went out with Ji Minglun one after another.
After leaning against the glass door of the safety passage for a long time, Deng Yi hung up Shi Xiaomin's call with the thumb holding the phone. It felt as if there were several balls of gas in her chest expanding and squeezing each other, making her feel so uncomfortable that she could hardly breathe. But that scene kept lingering in front of her eyes and she couldn't get rid of it.
When he opened the door just now, Jiang Lin turned around and took the baseball cap handed to him by Ji Minglun and put it on. Ji Minglun helped him to fix the small braids on the back of his head, and his expression was gentler than he had ever seen before.
After Shi Xiaomin's call was hung up, Deng Feng also called, but she still didn't answer until Ji Minglun called her.
We are going to the Terracotta Warriors Museum this morning, and we have to go back to Xiamen after lunch. In order to facilitate the transfer, Deng Feng booked a business car in advance, and everyone's luggage was placed in the car. When Ji Minglun called, everyone gathered in the lobby to check out, only Deng Yi was nowhere to be seen.
Deng Yi felt very complicated when seeing this call that she most anticipated but also the hardest to wait for. However, she couldn't bear to hang up. After picking up the phone, she said she would come down right away.
Ten minutes later, Deng Yi walked out of the elevator with her suitcase. The others had already boarded the business car. Only Deng Feng and Ji Minglun were standing at the front desk talking. Seeing her coming, Deng Feng immediately walked towards her, took the suitcase and said, "Where have you been? You know the schedule is tight today."
Deng Yi didn't say anything, just glanced at Ji Minglun and walked out. Deng Feng didn't bother to ask any more questions, and went to the front desk to check out of her room, while Ji Minglun followed her into the car.
This business car was more spacious than the one we came in. Except for Shi Xiaomin and Wang Shi who sat together, everyone else sat alone.
Deng Yi walked to the empty last row. Shi Xiaomin also stopped sitting with Wang Shi and sat down next to her, asking her in a low voice where she had been and why she looked so unhappy.
Seeing Ji Minglun sitting down on a single seat, Deng Yi said "nothing" and leaned against the headrest and closed her eyes. Soon Deng Feng also came up, and Deng Yi opened her eyes again. Deng Feng first said a few words to the driver, then turned around after the car started and chose a seat next to Jiang Lin.
Deng Feng would chat with Jiang Lin from time to time on the way. Jiang Lin was looking forward to today's trip. Before coming to Xi'an, he had read some introductions and videos about the Terracotta Warriors, and Deng Feng happened to bring up this topic, so the two chatted much more enthusiastically than before.
During the visit to the scenic spot, Deng Feng always walked beside Jiang Lin. Jiang Lin occasionally glanced at Ji Minglun, but unlike the previous few days, Ji Minglun did not look at him today. Whenever he looked over, Ji Minglun was either looking at the exhibition or talking to Shen Ran. On the contrary, Shen Ran looked at him more than once.
Jiang Lin felt something was wrong, but he thought that Shen Ran was from the history department, and maybe Ji Minglun was just as focused on the exhibition as he was, so he didn't think much about it. Since the queues were longer than expected, everyone left the scenic area and took a business car to the airport, and had lunch at the airport restaurant.
During the meal, Deng Feng picked up a soup dumpling for Deng Yi and asked in a low voice if she was in a bad mood. Deng Yi looked at him with eyes that seemed to be hesitant to talk. Maybe it was because everyone was at the table, Deng Yi shook her head and just said that she was a little tired.
It is easy to get tired after playing for several days in a row under high temperatures, so Deng Feng did not ask any further questions. After dinner, everyone went to sit at the boarding gate. Deng Feng wanted to smoke, but Ji Minglun and Shen Ran did not want to move. Only Wang Shi went with him to the smoking area next to the bathroom.
Shi Xiaomin was watching Douyin next to Deng Yi, and her occasional laugh made her feel annoyed. She wanted to take out headphones from her bag, but when she connected the Bluetooth, she found that it was out of battery. She then took the backpack next to her and wanted to find Deng Feng's headphones. As soon as she opened the zipper, she saw a beautifully packaged small handbag.
The logo on the outside of the bag was a luxury brand, which she found strange. She opened the box and immediately turned to look in Jiang Lin's direction.
It was this bracelet that Jiang Lin picked out two nights ago. When they caught him, Jiang Lin felt embarrassed. When she asked why he didn't buy it if he liked it, Jiang Lin avoided the question and said he hadn't made up his mind yet.
Now the bracelet is in Deng Feng's bag. Based on her understanding of Deng Feng, Deng Feng is not someone who wears jewelry. So Jiang Lin wanted to give it to Deng Feng, but bought it afterwards because they saw it
If that was true, and since she could give him such an expensive bracelet, it seemed like they were making progress faster than she thought.
What about Jiang Lin and Ji Minglun
Could it be that he is juggling between Ji Minglun and Deng Feng at the same time
Holding her handbag tightly, Deng Yi couldn't wait for Deng Feng to come back, so she picked up the bag and walked towards the smoking area.
Wang Shi was on the phone. When Deng Yi came over, only Deng Feng was smoking. Seeing her take her bag, Deng Feng was surprised. Then she asked, "Is the bracelet in the bag a gift from Jiang Lin?"
After unzipping the backpack and taking a look, Deng Feng asked, "Why are you looking through my bag?"
"I saw it with the headphones," Deng Yi was already anxious and angry, and asked again without lowering her voice, "Was it a gift from him?"
Deng Feng felt puzzled, but Deng Yi's shout attracted the attention of the two men smoking nearby and Wang Shi who was on the phone. Worried that Wang Shi might hear something and go back and say something, Deng Feng threw the cigarette into the extinguisher and said impatiently, "Didn't I tell you not to get involved in this matter and don't say anything more?"
Without giving Deng Yi a chance to ask again, Deng Feng walked over with the bag. Deng Yi was so angry that her hands were shaking. She realized that Wang Shi was still staring at her without any consideration, so she went into the women's restroom next door to calm down. She did not return to her seat until Shi Xiaomin called to urge her to board the plane.
On the way back, the seats were quite crowded, and it was the best time to sleep in the afternoon, so everyone fell asleep leaning back on their chairs. After landing, Shi Xiaomin and Wang Shi walked alone, while the others took a taxi back to the city.
Shen Ran and Jiang Lin's homes were in opposite directions, so they got into a taxi waiting for passengers on the roadside ahead, one after the other. Deng Feng asked him to drive slowly, and the car started again.
Ji Minglun hadn't spoken a word since he got in the car at the airport. He just wore headphones, listened to music and looked at the scenery. Deng Feng lowered his head and replied to messages on his phone. Deng Yi looked at them from time to time. When they arrived downstairs of Ji Minglun's house, Deng Yi got out of the car and said that she had something to tell Ji Minglun and asked Deng Feng to go back first.
After the car drove away, Ji Minglun looked at her and asked, "What do you want to say?"
Deng Yi had been holding it in for the whole trip and was about to give up. Now that there was no one around, she didn't have the patience to make any more plans, so she asked directly, "You've been staying in the same room with Jiang Lin during this trip. Are you two together?"
I didn’t expect Deng Yi to find out about this, but Ji Minglun didn’t deny it: “I asked him to come here because my room is bigger. What did you think?”
Deng Yi obviously didn't believe it. Seeing Ji Minglun was about to leave with a sullen look on his face, she took two steps forward and stood in front of him: "Even if what you said is true, let me tell you one thing. Jiang Lin has that kind of intention with my brother now. It's best if you have nothing to do with him. If you are interested in him, think about it."
Deng Yi unlocked the phone and handed it to Ji Minglun.
On the screen was a few seconds long video of the bracelet in Deng Feng's bag, with the background sound being the broadcast from Takasaki Airport.
"This is from my brother's bag. I took a photo to show you if you don't believe me. Jiang Lin gave it to him."