Opening the door and taking the dumplings handed to him by Ji Minglun, Su Yan stepped aside to let him in. He said he couldn't go in because he had some information to check in the evening.
Su Yan didn't know that Jiang Lin had returned. The smell of dumplings made her hungry. She thanked him and went in to eat. Ji Minglun returned to his side and saw that Jiang Lin hadn't touched the shrimp dumplings on the table. Even the eggs were half peeled. He was looking at him as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
As soon as that look came over, Ji Minglun understood what Jiang Lin wanted to ask.
Before the two of them fell out, such tacit understanding was a pleasure, but unfortunately today, such tacit understanding only brings embarrassment.
Back in the kitchen, the screen of the electric pressure cooker showed that the millet porridge was ready. Ji Minglun opened the lid, scooped out the fragrant and soft porridge from the pot, put it next to Jiang Lin and said, "I'll use the computer for a while. I'll call a taxi when you're done."
He still spoke in that indifferent tone, completely different from the one he had just talked on the phone with. Thinking of the scene he saw from afar through the cat's eye, Jiang Lin couldn't help but ask, "Are you on good terms with your neighbors?"
"He's quite good," Ji Minglun said without any hesitation, "He's very cute and straightforward. He never hides anything."
Jiang Lin never thought that Ji Minglun would so frankly admit that he had a good relationship with someone else and even praised the other person for being cute. He tried hard to control his emotions and asked the questions he wanted to ask.
"So he's the one you like now?"
The position where Ji Minglun was standing just happened to block the geometric crystal chandelier in the middle of the living room. Perhaps because the light was against him, when he lowered his eyes to look over, the emotion in his eyes was exceptionally cold.
Jiang Lin's heart tightened when he looked at her, and then he heard him say, "It's none of your business who I like now."
The sound of the master bedroom door closing came from not far away. Jiang Lin stared at the reflective marble floor under his feet. Even though he was the only one left in the living room, he couldn't come back to his senses for a long time.
Before returning home, he had considered whether he should give up if Ji Minglun fell in love with someone else.
This idea lingered in my mind for a long time and tormented me for a long time. I hadn't made a decision until I bought the ticket back home.
In fact, thinking back, he didn't quite understand why his feelings towards Ji Minglun changed so quickly. Just a few months had made him want to go back uncontrollably, to confirm whether that person's feelings for him had changed, and to confirm whether they could really be in that kind of relationship.
As for when he started to have that kind of feeling towards Ji Minglun, it would have to go back to half a year ago.
At that time, he had just moved into a new dormitory and met his current roommate Lu Zhe.
Lu Zhe is from Hong Kong, China. He has a cheerful personality and can easily get along with anyone. Even people like him who are not good at socializing have no problem communicating with them.
At first, he just treated Lu Zhe as an ordinary roommate, but later he gradually found something wrong. For example, Lu Zhe was surrounded by men with ambiguous behaviors, he would wear makeup when going to nightclubs, and his online shopping clothes included black lace skirts and stockings. He really discovered Lu Zhe's sexual orientation when he borrowed study materials and Lu Zhe gave him a USB flash drive. When he went back and looked at it, he found that in addition to the materials, there was also a folder with more than ten GB of small movies.
He thought these were porn and was still marveling at how Lu Zhe could have so many of them. However, when he randomly clicked on one and saw that it was actually an intense action scene between two men, he immediately clicked the close button.
He was the only one at home at that time. He went to the kitchen to get some cold water to drink, but he couldn't calm down. Instead, he kept replaying the scene he had just seen in his mind, and then he thought of someone.
A good friend whom I haven't seen for half a year, but he blocked me and we no longer have contact because I liked him.
He was very uncomfortable in the first three months after arriving in Los Angeles. Firstly, the teaching mode and living habits here are completely different from those in China. Even if he had no language barrier, it would be difficult for him to get used to it immediately. Secondly, he had just fallen out with Ji Minglun at that time. He had few friends and had to solve all the difficulties he encountered here by himself. The dilemma of having no one to talk to deepened his loneliness and helplessness in a foreign land.
In the most difficult times, he still forced himself not to look for that person like he used to rely on Ji Minglun. He couldn't even think about it, let alone recall the night that led to their breakup. But the less he thought about it, the more his body would go against him. He often dreamed of kissing Ji Minglun again, and each time the posture was different, but the feeling was getting stronger and stronger.
He couldn't control this dream, nor could he explain this impulsive behavior. He could only comfort himself that everything was the sequelae of a big change, and it would get better slowly. Until he discovered Lu Zhe's sexual orientation this time, there were so many movies about what men do with each other.
After spending more than 20 minutes in the kitchen, he returned to his room and copied the movie folder to his computer hard drive. At midnight, he put on his headphones, locked the door, and quietly watched the first two movies.
He couldn't sleep until dawn that night, not only because of the strong visual impact, but also because he actually finished watching it and did not feel the disgust and nausea as expected.
Before Ji Minglun confessed his love to him, he had never doubted his sexual orientation, but like Ji Minglun, he had never been attracted to any girl. From the first time he ejaculated in Ji Minglun's bed during adolescence, which was discovered by Ji Minglun, to their discussion of finger movements, to the arrival of voice change.
Ji Minglun participated in his entire sexual enlightenment process, but their friendship was too much like family affection, so he never thought about the impossible. Until Ji Minglun suddenly confessed his love, he was unprepared and frightened and ran away in embarrassment. It seemed that there was no other way except to avoid this road.
The shrimp dumplings had cooled down before he knew it. Jiang Lin collected his thoughts, picked up one with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. After swallowing it, he scooped up some millet porridge with a spoon. The temperature was just right when he brought it to his mouth, but his eyes suddenly felt hot as if they were scalded.
Many scenes flashed before his eyes, each of which was what had happened in this family, and Ji Minglun was in every frame. And he finally discovered in these memories that Ji Minglun used to like to smile at him, and his tenderness and consideration at that time were only for him.
After finishing the tasteless millet porridge, Jiang Lin scraped the bottom of the bowl until not a single grain of rice was left. He also ate up the shrimp dumplings and boiled eggs, and even drank the cold milk.
After putting the dishes away in the kitchen, he had just washed a spoon when he heard the bedroom door open.
Without looking back, he focused on the action of washing until footsteps came to his side. A hand turned off the valve of the faucet. Ji Minglun said, "Just leave it there. Take the medicine. I'll call a taxi."
Jiang Lin nodded. This time he didn't say anything extra. He picked up the freshly washed glass and poured water into it. Then he went to the coffee table, took out the medicine from the bag, and swallowed it with warm water.
Ji Minglun entered the address on his mobile phone and clicked on the taxi service. He then heard a voice prompt that a driver had accepted the order and was on the way.
Jiang Lin put down his backpack and said, "Can you find two bags for me? I'll put my dirty clothes in them."
There were drawstring bags specially for clothes in the bathroom. Ji Minglun walked in and took two from the cabinet on the wall. He watched Jiang Lin walk to the laundry basket, first picked up the white plaid cotton shirt and folded it, then the dark green boxer in the middle, and finally picked up the beige shorts.
Jiang Lin folded his pants in half and was about to put them in his bag when he heard Ji Minglun ask him, "You're not wearing anything?"
The drooping eyelashes trembled slightly, and Jiang Lin said, "I don't want to wear it if it's dirty."
His eyes fell on Jiang Lin's loose black sweatpants. Ji Minglun had never expected Jiang Lin to be so bold now. Just as he was considering whether to give Jiang Lin a new pair of pants, his phone vibrated. The APP showed that the driver was 0.6 kilometers away from him and sent an online message asking if he could arrive at the pick-up point in time.
Jiang Lin had already packed all the dirty clothes, and without even looking at Ji Minglun, he turned around and walked out.
His eyes swept over Jiang Lin's long legs again. Ji Minglun pressed the order cancellation button, and when he came out and saw Jiang Lin changing shoes with his bag on his back, he followed him, picked up the car keys on the shoe cabinet and said, "I'll take you home."
He didn't look at Jiang Lin's face. He lowered his head to put on his shoes while talking. After putting on his shoes, he walked around Jiang Lin to open the door.
The two walked into the elevator one after the other, and the reflective wall of the elevator reflected each other's appearance. Ji Minglun took out his mobile phone to look at it, while Jiang Lin stared at him on the wall of the elevator. Neither of them spoke, and there was only the sound of the elevator engine running.
The atmosphere was too quiet, but no one felt awkward, especially Jiang Lin. He stared at Ji Minglun intently, with only one guess in his mind: Ji Minglun had clearly called a taxi, so why did he have to take him back
This area is the city center. Even though it is almost midnight, Ji Minglun should not worry about the safety of a man taking a taxi, unless -
Does Ji Minglun mind that he is not wearing anything
Just as this thought came to mind, the elevator door opened. Ji Minglun stepped out first, and Jiang Lin followed him. When they got into the car, Ji Minglun asked, "Is your car still parked on the plank road?"
"Well," Jiang Lin fastened his seat belt and looked at him and said, "My stomach still feels a little uncomfortable. I don't want to drive anymore."
Without meeting Jiang Lin's gaze, he drove out of the community, turned onto the main road, and headed to the right.
It takes more than 20 minutes to drive from his home to Jiang Lin's home. In the past, this route was the one he had taken the most times and was the most familiar to him. Since the two of them had a falling out, he never drove this route again. Every time he had to pass by Jiang Lin's house, he would choose to take a detour. Therefore, this trip tonight gave him the illusion that there was nothing wrong between them. Jiang Lin still sat in his passenger seat as before, and they would not feel uncomfortable even if they did not talk for a long time.
Orange-yellow street lights were spread out on both sides of the road, dispelling the dim night. This road with a speed limit of 60 mph was wide at both ends, but Ji Minglun only drove at 45 mph. The light flashed quickly on his face, and the flickering light also couldn't illuminate Jiang Lin's face clearly, but Ji Minglun could feel that Jiang Lin was looking at him.
The gaze was so direct that it was not concealed at all. I didn't know whether I thought he wouldn't notice it, or I hoped he would notice it.
A myriad of thoughts filled his brain, and his attention was gradually distracted. If Jiang Lin hadn't suddenly pulled him, he wouldn't have realized that he almost ran a red light.
Jiang Lin didn't ask him why he was distracted, but after the pull, Jiang Lin's palm was placed on the crook of his right arm, and he waited for a long time without taking it back.
The air conditioner in the car was a little low, Jiang Lin's palms were not warm, and his fingertips were not warm either. Ji Minglun endured for a while, and withdrew his arm by turning down the air conditioner.
Jiang Lin didn't move during the second half of the journey until he stopped at a red light. Ji Minglun glanced at him and found that he was leaning against the headrest as if he had fallen asleep.
My sight slid from his slightly curled eyelashes to his delicate nose, and then to his thin lips with light color and beautiful lines. The memory and touch of that night awakened my body's senses again.
That was their first kiss, and each other's first kiss. Before actually kissing Jiang Lin, Ji Minglun had read a lot of theoretical knowledge, and also pretended to share so-called "experiences" with some friends. Unfortunately, no matter how many theories there were, they were nothing when put into practice. Otherwise, he would not have been so stimulated by a kiss that he lost control and even wanted to continue with Jiang Lin.
He was brought back to his senses by the horn of the car behind him, and he didn't think about anything else for the rest of the journey. When he drove into the residential area where Jiang Lin lived and stopped in front of the building that was all too familiar, he turned off the engine and turned around to wake Jiang Lin up.
Jiang Lin didn't sleep soundly, but he was obviously tired when he opened his eyes. Seeing that he had arrived downstairs, he unbuckled his seat belt and said to Ji Minglun, "Thank you for your help today."
Ji Minglun's face was half hidden in the shadows that were not illuminated by the street lights. He replied in a very calm tone, "It's okay."
Jiang Lin's fingers pinched the loosened seat belt, and he lowered his eyes, focusing his gaze on the pattern of his sweatpants between his legs. He had no intention of opening the door and getting out of the car, and Ji Minglun did not urge him. After a brief silence, he asked softly, "Can we meet again?"
The author has something to say:
If you think it looks good, throw in some starfish~ (holding out Jiang Lin's bowl)