Deng Yi's birthday party was held by the hotel pool. Deng Feng hired a birthday planning studio to arrange the party, and the venue was decorated according to Deng Yi's preferences. A three-layer archway with vines and white roses was set up at the entrance. White roses, tulips and purple irises were everywhere in the venue. Each girl who attended the party was given a lace umbrella for sun protection.
The people who came today were all friends of Deng Yi and Deng Feng. They were more or less familiar with each other and gathered in groups of two or three. Only one person sat alone on a lounge chair by the pool, resting with his eyes closed and headphones on. During this time, several people came over to greet him, but he just responded lightly until someone took off one of his headphones.
Opening his eyes impatiently, Ji Minglun saw Deng Yi wearing a peach and white polka dot tube top and a double-layered white lace skirt, smiling at him against the sunlight.
Taking the earphones back from Deng Yi, Ji Minglun continued to listen to the music with his eyes closed.
Deng Yi was not angry at his cold attitude. After all, he had said that he was not interested in Jiang Lin that night, but Deng Yi could see that he was covering up. Besides, he had gone to Gulangyu Island to avoid her for the past few days, but today he was willing to give Deng Feng face and come back to attend his birthday party. Even if Deng Yi was unhappy, she felt it was worth it when she thought that he was starting to distance himself from Jiang Lin.
Without bothering him to listen to music, Deng Yi continued to greet other friends. Finally, she walked over to Shi Xiaomin, who was eating a small cake in the snack area, and asked her why Wang Shi didn't come.
Shi Xiaomin said that Wang Shi had something going on at home and could not come, but he asked himself to deliver the gift.
Deng Yi smiled and said it was okay, then asked, "Have you seen my brother?"
"No," Shi Xiaomin turned to look at the entrance, "Is he not here yet?"
Deng Feng did not come home last night. When she got up in the morning, she found Deng Feng sleeping on the sofa in the living room, drunk, with half of his body almost falling off.
She didn't know what made Deng Feng unhappy and drink so much. She couldn't wake him up even when she called him. When she left at noon, Deng Feng was still sleeping soundly.
"Forget it," Deng Yi said, "Come with me to the kitchen to check out the buffet."
After parking the car at the B3 parking lot, Jiang Lin locked the car door and went to take the elevator. He met two girls who were talking about how the large observation deck on the third floor of the hotel had a great view. Everything nearby could be seen clearly, and it was also a great background for taking photos. He stared at the 3rd floor button that the two girls had just pressed and decided to go up to see the swimming pool first.
The observation deck is located at the outermost position on the third floor, separated from the art space on the other side. Jiang Lin followed the instructions and came to the outside of the observation deck. The view was indeed great. He could see the blue swimming pool not far away at a glance. He also found Ji Minglun, who was leaning on a lounge chair and fiddling with a SLR camera in the crowd.
He turned around and went downstairs, running all the way to the swimming pool entrance, but was stopped by the receptionist. The other party asked him to show the electronic invitation card, and he remembered that Deng Yi had never sent him one, so he explained that he would go in and find someone and come out.
The waiter reminded him that he could not enter without an invitation, so he had to wait aside for a while. Soon, several new guests gathered in front of the waiter. While the waiter was looking down, he lowered the brim of his baseball cap and walked in quickly.
After entering smoothly, he went straight to the swimming pool. Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned left, someone called out from behind.
"Jiang Lin?"
The voice sounded familiar. He turned around and saw that it was indeed Shi Xiaomin. Deng Yi beside her also looked over.
Although Jiang Lin knew it was inappropriate to barge in like this, he didn't want to waste time. But before he took a few steps, Deng Yi caught up with him, grabbed his arm and said, "Why are you here? I didn't invite you!"
He didn't know what had happened in the past few days. He thought Deng Yi's sudden change of attitude was because she was unhappy that he came uninvited, so he wanted to explain. As soon as he opened his mouth, he was pulled out by Deng Yi.
"Deng Yi, I really have something urgent to tell Minglun. I'll leave right after I finish speaking." Jiang Lin pulled back her hand, and when he turned around, he saw that Ji Minglun had already noticed them, and he stood up with a frown.
Jiang Lin walked up to him quickly and said, "I have something very important to tell you. Can you give me a few minutes?"
"What's the important thing?" Deng Yi squeezed in between him and Ji Minglun and said angrily, "Jiang Lin, don't be so shameless just because we are so familiar with each other. This is my birthday party. What does it mean that I didn't invite you to come in?"
They had an argument, and dozens of pairs of eyes looked over, and then there was the sound of glass falling to the ground. Everyone turned around and saw that a boy accidentally knocked over his girlfriend's cup.
While Deng Yi was looking over there, Jiang Lin walked around her and tried to pull Ji Minglun. Deng Yi reacted and immediately became furious, reaching out and pushing him.
Originally, Jiang Lin was standing a few steps away from the swimming pool, but he had already retreated to the edge of the pool when he bypassed Deng Yi. He didn't pay attention when Deng Yi pushed him, until Jiang Lin suddenly fell backwards and fell into the pool.
Deng Yi was stunned. Before she could say anything, she heard the sound of something heavy falling behind her. She looked down and saw that it was Ji Minglun's 5D4 SLR camera that fell on the brick surface beside the pool. Ji Minglun pushed her aside. Just as the man was about to jump into the water, a splash of water appeared on the surface of the water and Jiang Lin floated up.
The water in the swimming pool was only one and a half meters deep, so Jiang Lin could stand steadily even if he couldn't swim. He choked on the water just now and coughed a few times when he stood firm. He looked at Ji Minglun on the shore with an expression as if he had something to say.
Ji Minglun nearly fell into the water. Seeing him floating up, he wanted to reach out to pull him up, but then he came to his senses after seeing him look like that. His face became even uglier, and he turned around and walked outside.
"Jiang Lin, you didn't stand firmly just now, it's none of my business!"
Deng Yi hurriedly left these words and went after Ji Minglun. When she got to his side, she deliberately took Ji Minglun's arm. Seeing that Ji Minglun did not push her away, she felt a little relieved. When she reached the door, Ji Minglun stopped and looked at the other person who was coming towards her.
Deng Yi looked in the direction he was looking and found that this good-looking boy had a familiar feeling. Then she realized that this feeling was a bit like Jiang Lin. Thinking that Jiang Lin might bring someone else to her birthday party to cause trouble, she said dissatisfiedly: "Who is this? Could it be Jiang Lin's relative?"
Ji Minglun was already angry, and he became even more annoyed after hearing this. After glaring at Deng Yi, he pulled his arm back and said to Su Yan and Ji Gan who were a few steps away, "Why are you here?"
Su Yan said: "I also want to ask you, who is that?"
Su Yan pointed his chin at Jiang Lin who was climbing out of the swimming pool. Ji Minglun didn't explain, just said "I'm leaving first" and strode towards the hotel.
Su Yan had never seen him so cold before, and couldn't help but continue looking at the swimming pool out of curiosity.
Jiang Lin had already stood up. Ignoring the glances from others, he walked to the door and saw the young man standing there.
This person had a long, smooth ponytail and was holding hands with another mature man next to him. When he looked over, the man was also looking at him with an expression of sudden enlightenment.
Jiang Lin also recognized this young man as the one he had seen last time when watching the sunrise at Baiyun Temple. He was also Ji Minglun's neighbor wearing a mask. It turned out that Ji Minglun did not have that kind of unclear relationship with this man.
He breathed a sigh of relief, and without thinking about anything else, he chased in the direction of the hotel. Unfortunately, Ji Minglun walked very fast, and he was soaked and dripping with water. When he arrived at the hotel entrance, he was stopped by the doorman, who called the waiter to bring him a towel and a blanket, and wiped off the water on his body before letting him in.
After such a delay, Ji Minglun had long disappeared.
He tried to go to the front desk to ask for the room number of the boy who had just entered, but the other party refused on the grounds that the guest's privacy could not be disclosed. He took out his soaked cell phone from his trouser pocket and tried several times but the screen would not light up.
Several guests waiting to check in were looking at him. He realized belatedly that he was embarrassed and was considering getting a room to clean up first when the elevator door not far away opened and a young man in a sports vest and shorts ran out.
The other person ran towards the door after getting out of the elevator, but stopped suddenly after a few steps. I turned around and saw him running towards me again.
"Jiang Lin, are you okay? How did you become like this?"
Seeing his disheveled appearance with his bangs hanging down at the corners of his eyes, Shen Ran took out his wallet from his trouser pocket and said, "Give me your ID card, and I'll help you get a room and take a shower."
Jiang Lin didn't move, his dark pupils staring at Shen Ran: "Are you here to see me?"
Shen Ran was speechless for a moment, and Jiang Lin asked again: "Did Ming Lun ask you to come down?"
Although Ji Minglun had told Shen Ran not to tell anyone, Shen Ran felt that it was meaningless to keep it a secret, so he admitted, "I was chatting with a friend via video in the lounge, and my senior called me and told me that you fell into the swimming pool, so he asked me to come down and help you get a room and clean up."
"Which room is he in?"
"He's not in room number. Sister Deng Yi has booked a few rooms for people who need to rest. There's more than one person in each room."
Jiang Lin reached out to him: "Lend me your phone so I can make a call."
Shen Ran handed it to Jiang Lin without hesitation. After the call was connected, he just said two words and Ji Minglun hung up. When he called again, the phone was turned off again.
He returned the phone to Shen Ran and asked Shen Ran to take him to the lounge. Shen Ran reminded him that if Ji Minglun was deliberately hiding from him, he would not be able to find him. He insisted on going, so Shen Ran had to take him upstairs. As a result, they checked several lounges one by one. Finally, someone said that Ji Minglun had just changed his clothes and left.
Jiang Lin dragged his feet into the corridor, looked at the dazzling light reflected from the end of the long corridor, and squatted down, holding onto the wall next to him.
They had met today, but he still hadn't been able to tell that person what he wanted to say most.
"Jiang Lin, are you okay?" Shen Ran walked over to him and squatted down, holding his shoulder with his palm and asked, "You should take a shower first."
Shaking his head, Jiang Lin wrapped the blanket tightly around his shoulders and stood up: "I'll go back and wash it. Sorry to bother you today."
"Then I'll take you down."
"No, I can do it myself."
Jiang Lin's voice became much hoarse, and when Shen Ran insisted on sending him off, he reached out to stop him. Seeing him walk into the elevator, Shen Ran sighed helplessly and took out his phone to look for Ji Minglun.
Ji Minglun had just got into the car when he saw the message from Shen Ran.
Deng Yi held the car door to prevent him from leaving. He raised his eyes and glanced at Deng Yi. Deng Yi's eyes turned red and she bit her lip and asked, "Do you feel so sorry for him? I didn't mean it just now. Today is my birthday!"
"You just leave when you say so. Have you ever considered my feelings?"
Originally, Ji Minglun didn't want to say anything absolute today, but at this moment, it was useless for him to consider Deng Feng's face.
Throwing the phone onto the dashboard, he sneered, "When we first met, I said I didn't like women, but you didn't believe me and insisted that I might be the same as your brother. What about now?"
"You're right. I like Jiang Lin. Whether he's with your brother or not, it's impossible for you and I to be together. But if you keep making trouble like this, your brother and I won't be friends anymore."
Holding the door armrest, Ji Minglun slammed the door shut without even looking at Deng Yi. He waited until the car hit the ground before calling Shen Ran.
"Seniors, what are you doing? How did Jiang Lin fall into the swimming pool?" Shen Ran asked.
Thinking of Jiang Lin's appearance after he fell into the water, Ji Minglun gripped the steering wheel tightly and asked in a deep voice: "How is he now?"
"Just left. Said he was going to take a shower."
"I see. Thanks."
Feeling relieved, Ji Minglun threw the phone back onto the dashboard.
The traffic light ahead was about to turn yellow, so he stepped on the accelerator and crossed the street. He drove at a speed close to the speed limit all the way back, but when he arrived in the city he still didn't want to go home, so he simply found a quiet outdoor bar on the top floor of a hotel to drink.
He originally wanted to vent and relax, but he didn't expect that when he was halfway through drinking, the couple next to him started flirting. Those explicit words kept coming into his ears, and he felt more and more upset. He didn't want to drink anymore, so he went to the hotel next door and booked a room to sleep.
In order to avoid thinking about Jiang Lin, he only turned on his phone when paying, and turned it off at other times. But even so, his mind still refused to let him go, especially after lying on the bed, the scene of Jiang Lin falling into the water came back to his mind.
My heart seemed to remember the reaction at that moment and twitched again, and my chest felt stuffy and painful.
He hated himself for still being affected by Jiang Lin's every move, so even though he knew that this escape was useless, he still stayed in the hotel in a daze until the next day before going home.
After returning home and taking a shower, he finally turned on his phone while heating the milk. Sure enough, he saw that Jiang Lin had called him. Among the other missed calls, two were from the pet store's number.
This pet shop is where Jiang Lin keeps Cheese. When Jiang Lin was in Los Angeles, he would often go to see Cheese, but he asked the boss not to tell Jiang Lin.
I called back and the boss said that Jiang Lin hadn't taken Cheese out for a while. When I asked him yesterday, he said he was a bit busy these days, so the boss wanted to ask him if he had time to take Cheese for a walk.
Pets that are fostered in pet shops for a long time need regular company from familiar people. Ji Minglun did not refuse. He went over to pick up Cheese and took a walk in the nearby park. Then he returned to the downstairs of the community. He had just sat down on a bench to smoke when he heard someone calling him.
Su Yan was wearing her outdoor clothes and looking at the cheese at his feet. He casually asked where he was going, and Su Yan said he was going to the train station. Seeing that he was smoking with a bad complexion, Su Yan sat down next to him and asked about the situation in the swimming pool that day.
He had never told Su Yan that Jiang Lin had returned, and now he didn't want to elaborate. However, Su Yan recognized Jiang Lin by instinct, so he explained a few words.
Seeing that he didn't want to talk much, Su Yan changed the subject and talked about the corgi. After he finished smoking, he asked Su Yan how to get to the train station. When he learned that Su Yan took a taxi, he just wanted to relax and offered to give Su Yan a ride.
Since neither of them had breakfast, Ji Minglun went to the McDonald's drive-thru restaurant first. On the way, Su Yan couldn't help his curiosity and asked about his past with Jiang Lin. He spoke a little bit intermittently, and his mood was relatively calm when he spoke. He even had the illusion that he had really let it go. After sending Su Yan to the train station, he picked up his phone and swiped the screen to unlock it.
While driving ahead, Jiang Lin called him twice. He didn't answer the first time, and he hesitated the second time.
Just because Su Yan mentioned something when we were chatting just now.
Some time ago, Su Yan and Ji Gan went to Wuyi Mountain for fun, and met Jiang Lin on the way to Baiyun Temple to watch the sunrise. Su Yan said that Jiang Lin was always peeking at him and Ji Gan at that time, and he thought Jiang Lin was interested in Ji Gan, so he deliberately kissed Ji Gan for Jiang Lin to see.
He asked Jiang Lin if he showed any disgust at the time, and Su Yan said no. Hearing this, he was sure that Jiang Lin's sexual orientation had indeed changed, but he also felt something was wrong.
Why did Jiang Lin go to Baiyun Temple to watch the sunrise
Jiang Lin had only been to that place once, and he went there with him. And Su Yan said that it was still not well developed, and the road was as difficult to walk on as before. Jiang Lin would not go there again for no reason, unless—
The thought that he could never get rid of floated up again like a rekindled ash. The more he thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. After hesitating for a long time, he finally opened WeChat.
He had set WeChat to not send notifications these days, and he hadn't read any of the messages, just in case he accidentally saw what Jiang Lin had sent.
I scrolled down to the profile picture of "Rin", and the latest unread content displayed on the right was: [If you are no longer angry and are willing to listen to me, can you reply to me?]
His fingertips hovered over the message box, and he bent his thumb joints several times before pressing it.
Jiang Lin didn’t send many messages, including a photo of a bracelet.
[I don’t know if you have misunderstood something, but I really want to explain it to you]
[This bracelet is indeed the birthday gift I wanted to buy for you. You guys saw it that night, and I thought there was no surprise so I planned to change it. I didn’t expect Deng Feng to buy it.]
[Later, I looked at many other gifts but I was not satisfied with any of them. I have already decided that this bracelet is the most suitable for you. I placed an order from Haitao and you will receive it in the next two days.]
[Deng Feng, I don’t know why he had that misunderstanding. I have explained it to him clearly. I said I have someone I like.]
[Minglun, I've been back for more than a month. After spending this time together, can't you really tell who I like? ]
[If you are no longer angry and are willing to listen to me, can you reply to me?]