Deng Feng didn't drive today, so he and Jiang Lin sat in the back seat of Ji Minglun's car.
After closing the car door, Deng Feng patted Jiang Lin on the shoulder and said, "Ming Lun, meet Jiang Lin, the new guy in the store."
Ji Minglun looked in the rearview mirror and saw Jiang Lin staring at him. After realizing that he would not speak, Jiang Lin squeezed out a dry sentence: "Hello."
Releasing the handbrake, Ji Minglun turned the car around and drove towards the izakaya that Deng Feng and his friends had booked.
Deng Yi hadn't seen him for a few days. Seeing him pursing his lips and looking unhappy, she thought he was troubled by the group assignment and comforted him, "Don't be so stern. Come out to relax and don't think about your homework. I'll order two more plates of pork belly for you later."
Ji Minglun didn't answer. Deng Yi rarely saw him like this, so she turned around and looked at Deng Feng.
Just now on the phone, Deng Feng could tell that he was really tired, so he changed the subject and asked, "Zhu Zhu, have you decided on a direction to go abroad?"
Zhu Zhu just turned 20 this year and is currently spending the summer vacation of his sophomore year. After hearing this, he smiled and said, "I'm still discussing it with my teacher. Maybe it's the UK and the US."
Deng Feng said: "Jiang Lin is back from Los Angeles. You can ask him and ask him to give you some advice for reference."
Zhu Zhu is the kind of girl who doesn't have a strong opinion and is more quiet. After hearing this, she looked at Jiang Lin expectantly: "Jiang Jiang, can you tell me about the situation there? I also want to go to UCLA."
Jiang Lin's attention was all on Ji Minglun, and he reacted a little slowly, so he had to answer the question first.
Except for him, the others in the car had no experience studying abroad. In the past two days, Zhu Zhu didn't dare to talk to him because they were not familiar with each other and he was quiet and cold. Now, under Deng Feng's lead, Zhu Zhu asked more and more questions, and the car was filled with her and Jiang Lin's voices. Deng Yi sat in the front seat and listened, her eyes drifting to Ji Minglun from time to time. Ji Minglun was concentrating on driving and didn't respond to her at all.
Halfway through the journey, Deng Yi reached out to Ji Minglun and said, "Let's play a song."
Ji Minglun didn't touch the phone next to him. He just looked at the road ahead and said, "Don't listen. It's too noisy."
In the past, he had no objection to Deng Yi playing music, but thinking of his bad mood, Deng Yi leaned against the car door with his elbow, tilted his head and asked: "Who has offended you? It's not just the group assignment, you are so angry that you look like a puffer fish."
"Puffer" paid attention to the road ahead and continued to listen to the conversation in the back seat.
Since Jiang Lin came back, this was the first time Ji Minglun heard him talk so much. The man who usually ignored people he was not familiar with actually explained to Zhu Zhu in detail the things to pay attention to when studying abroad. However, Ji Minglun's focus was still on his part-time job interview.
If Jiang Lin said that he didn't do it on purpose, he would definitely not believe it.
After turning the intersection ahead, the car stopped in front of an izakaya decorated in Japanese style. A group of people got out of the car. Jiang Lin continued to follow Deng Feng. Deng Yi held Zhu Zhu's arm with an umbrella, while he parked the car alone and walked in carrying the cake.
The owner of the izakaya is an old friend of Deng Feng. When he saw Ji Minglun come in, he enthusiastically took the cake, asked the waiter beside him to put it in the refrigerator, and then took him upstairs.
The private room reserved for them was still the original one. As soon as Ji Minglun walked to the door, he heard cheerful laughter coming from inside. He opened the door and saw that in addition to Xiaoxu, another clerk Tang Yang had also arrived. It was unknown what they were talking about. Tang Yang was holding Deng Yi and laughing so hard that they were bent over.
His eyes swept across Jiang Lin's expressionless face, and Ji Minglun walked to Deng Feng and sat down as if nothing had happened. Deng Feng put his arm around his shoulders from behind and said, "Everyone who is free tonight is here, so don't be so grumpy. Have a good meal. If you have any unhappiness, you can solve it by getting drunk."
Normally, he would have listened to Deng Feng's words, but tonight was different. Jiang Lin was here, and if he was really drunk, who knows what bad things would happen.
Thinking of that night a year ago, he pushed the arm off his shoulder and said, "I still have to continue looking up information tonight, so I won't drink."
"How can that be?" Deng Feng also realized that something was wrong with him tonight, so he put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Come on, let's go out and have a cigarette."
While they were talking, Jiang Lin kept staring at Ji Minglun. Ji Minglun was annoyed by the unavoidable gaze, so he followed Deng Feng's request and went out again.
When they reached the end of the corridor on the second floor, Deng Feng handed his cigarette to Ji Minglun, but he refused and took out a Baoheng Mojito from his trouser pocket.
Deng Feng and he leaned against the window, one standing on each side and looking at the neon-lit night, and asked, "What's the matter that's bothering you so much?"
"Nothing." Ji Minglun frowned, suppressing his emotions while puffing out cigarettes, "When did you recruit that new guy?"
"Just a few days ago, he interviewed for a part-time job. He's pretty capable, but he doesn't like to talk." Deng Feng shook off a piece of cigarette ash and smiled helplessly, "In the past two days, a customer in the store has asked me for his phone number."
Jiang Lin had a face that easily attracted romantic interest, and Ji Minglun knew this better than anyone else. However, Jiang Lin had never liked socializing since childhood and was very cold to everyone. In addition, Ji Minglun had intentionally or unintentionally blocked her from doing so. As a result, Jiang Lin had only received one confession until he graduated from college.
Ji Minglun himself was also a person who would receive love confession letters, but every time he received one for himself, he would show it in front of Jiang Lin. Although he would not show the contents of the letter to Jiang Lin, he would secretly look at Jiang Lin's expression every time.
It’s a pity that Jiang Lin never took it seriously and seriously reminded him not to keep receiving these letters and not to give others hope if he didn’t like them.
I thought these past events were covered in dust and had long since disappeared in a corner where the sun never shines, but I didn't expect that with just a few words, he picked up all these memories and brushed away the dust.
"Let's talk about yourself," Deng Feng's voice interrupted the memories in his mind, "Is your father interfering again and asking you to change your major?"
Ji Minglun sneered, "He gave up a long time ago. I will graduate in a year, and he has nothing to say."
"That's right." Deng Feng took a puff of his cigarette and raised his leg to lightly kick his calf. "Then what are you worried about? You can't tell me, brother. Why are you pretending to be so deep and depressed?"
Ji Minglun was really in a bad mood, but he was also amused by this remark. He sighed and put his arm around Deng Feng's shoulder: "Nothing, just annoying."
Deng Feng wanted to refute him, but then he heard Deng Yi's voice from behind him.
"Brother, Minglun, come in, the food is served."
After they finished smoking, they returned to the private room and sat down together. This time, when Ji Minglun came in, Jiang Lin's eyes no longer followed him like before, but lowered his head to the phone screen.
Seeing Jiang Lin sandwiched between Zhu Zhu and Xiao Xu, the excitement of the crowd seemed to have nothing to do with him. Ji Minglun picked up the wine glass handed to him by Deng Feng and drank the sake in it in one gulp.
I wonder how Jiang Lin spent this year in Los Angeles. Will he feel uncomfortable without me by his side
It's easy to get drunk when drinking when you're in a bad mood, Ji Minglun has experience with this, but the first person to get drunk tonight was not him, but the person opposite him who didn't seem to drink much but was lying on the table motionless.
In the second half, everyone drank too much and the box was very noisy. Tang Yang, Deng Yi and Xiao Xu treated the tatami space in the back as a disco area, playing lively songs and dancing to their heads. Deng Feng looked at them and laughed. Zhu Zhu was still sober, but he was leaning against the table crookedly.
Ji Minglun glanced at the motionless Jiang Lin several times, and each time he withdrew his attention. When the show was over, Deng Feng reached out to touch Jiang Lin, but he didn't expect Jiang Lin to straighten up and look at him with red cheeks.
When he looked over, Ji Minglun's hand holding the teacup was not steady, for fear that Jiang Lin would say something he shouldn't. Fortunately, Jiang Lin just refused Deng Feng's move to help him, and supported himself on the table to stand up.
When going downstairs, Ji Minglun was right behind Jiang Lin, and Deng Feng was walking in front of Jiang Lin. Afraid that Jiang Lin would lose his balance and fall, Deng Feng walked slowly, so that Deng Yi behind him could not stand steadily and fell on his back and hugged him.
Ji Minglun calmly pulled Deng Yi's arm away and handed the drunk Deng Yi to Tang Yang to help. When he turned around, Jiang Lin had already walked to the first floor.
After Deng Feng paid the bill, everyone walked out of the store. Xiao Xu and Tang Yang came by car, and Zhu Zhu was going the same way with them, so the three of them took a taxi and left together. The rest of the people returned to Ji Minglun's car. The designated driver was already in place, Deng Yi sat in the passenger seat, Deng Feng and Ji Minglun sat on each side, and Jiang Lin sat in the middle.
Jiang Lin closed his eyes and fell asleep as soon as he got in the car. Deng Feng called him several times but he didn't respond. Ji Minglun suggested sending Deng Feng and Deng Yi back first, and then sending Jiang Lin back.
Deng Feng also drank quite a bit. After chatting with Ji Minglun for a few words, he leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes to rest. After the car drove for a while, Ji Minglun felt a weight on his shoulder and Jiang Lin actually leaned over.
Raising his left hand, he straightened Jiang Lin's head and leaned it against the headrest in the back seat. But as soon as he put his hand down, weight fell on his shoulder again, and Jiang Lin leaned on his shoulder again.
Ji Minglun put his left hand back on his leg and pinched his fingertips. He looked out the window, but his vision could no longer focus.
The head on his shoulder didn't move after it leaned over. Even when the driver turned two corners in a row, Jiang Lin stayed close to him. He began to doubt that Jiang Lin was not drunk, but if he was really not drunk, wasn't Jiang Lin afraid that he would have bad thoughts by doing this
The car drove to the gate of the community where Deng Feng lived. Ji Minglun turned Jiang Lin's head and woke up Deng Feng over him. Deng Feng had a light sleep and felt better. He got out of the car and helped his drowsy sister down from the front seat.
Ji Minglun reminded them to be careful. He waved his hand, carried Deng Yi for a few steps, and did not forget to look back, reminding Ji Minglun to send Jiang Lin home.
Closing the car window, Ji Minglun told the driver the address of Jiang Lin's home.
Second dog death
The car started steadily, Ji Minglun waited for a while, this time Jiang Lin did not lean on his shoulder again, and kept leaning his head back on the chair. When he arrived downstairs of Jiang Lin's house, he pushed the person next to him, but Jiang Lin seemed to be really asleep and did not respond at all.
Unbuckling his seatbelt reluctantly, Ji Minglun said to the driver, "Wait here for a minute, I'll take him up and then come down."
The driver agreed. Ji Minglun opened the door and got out of the car. He bent over and carried Jiang Lin to the outermost position. Just as he was about to support him under his armpits, Jiang Lin raised his arms and hugged his neck.
The face that came closer let out a hot sigh, and the skin on the back of his neck that was touched by Jiang Lin's fingertips immediately felt numb. Before Ji Minglun could react, Jiang Lin pressed his face against his and rubbed it gently.