CoP 14

Although Sui Cannong’s invitation surprised Ji Ling, he still couldn’t figure out why Sui Cannong would choose him to watch a movie when he had closer friends.

However, Ji Ling took the invitation very seriously and prepared thoroughly.

Sui Cannong hadn’t specified which movie he wanted to see, so Ji Ling checked the schedule for the next day’s showings. He found that the two most popular movies were a well-received sci-fi film and a highly anticipated romance. Ji Ling guessed that Sui Cannong would probably prefer the sci-fi film.

Ji Ling researched the director’s other works and briefly familiarized himself with the cast to ensure he wouldn’t run out of things to talk about with Sui Cannong.

Ji Ling arrived at the cinema ten minutes before their agreed time, only to find that Sui Cannong had already arrived.

From a distance, Ji Ling saw him standing in front of a movie poster, staring at the list of lead actors.

Ji Ling called out Sui Cannong’s name.

Sui Cannong turned around, acknowledged him, and asked, “Do you have any movie preferences?”

Ji Ling replied, “I’m fine with anything.”

Sui Cannong seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

“Alright, there’s a movie I really want to see,” Sui Cannong said with a smile. “I’ll go buy the tickets. You can wait here.”

Ji Ling was taken aback for a moment but nodded in agreement.

While waiting for Sui Cannong to buy the tickets, Ji Ling’s gaze wandered to the snack area.

Ji Ling wasn’t a big fan of puffed snacks, but the cinema’s air was filled with the inviting aroma of buttery popcorn.

Through the slightly fogged glass, Ji Ling saw golden, round popcorn kernels under warm lighting, which indeed made his appetite grow.

Ji Ling noticed that the cinema offered a couple’s double package, and the popcorn in this package was colorful—green, blue, pink, and brown.

Ji Ling observed for a while and felt that the blue popcorn kernels looked somewhat toxic, but the brown ones seemed delicious, like caramel-flavored, or possibly coffee-flavored.

By the time Ji Ling snapped back to reality, Sui Cannong had already returned with the tickets.

Ji Ling took the ticket Sui Cannong handed him and glanced at it. It wasn’t the sci-fi film or the romance; it was a movie called “Tomorrow Will Be Better.”

Ji Ling vaguely remembered seeing this movie’s poster the day before. He recalled it was a re-release of an old film with a very low screening rate.

Ji Ling was a bit confused but thought that if Sui Cannong liked it, there was no harm in watching it.

With about half an hour before the movie started, the two found seats in the cinema’s lobby.

Ji Ling hesitated for a moment but couldn’t resist speaking up. “Teacher Sui, I drank quite a bit the other night and don’t remember much of what happened afterward.”

“Did I cause you any trouble?” he asked.

Sui Cannong looked up, stared at Ji Ling’s face for a while, but remained silent for a long time.

Ji Ling’s heart sank.

He began to feel uneasy, wondering if he had said something inappropriate in his drunken state, like if Sui Cannong had found out that he…

“I was really exhausted that night,” Sui Cannong finally spoke. “You don’t know how heavy and noisy Thomas can be. I was almost at my wits’ end dragging him around.”

“You were much quieter,” Sui Cannong paused and added, “You were sleeping in the back the whole time. Don’t worry.”

Ji Ling visibly relaxed and said, “That’s a relief.”

Sui Cannong also let out a silent breath. He realized that Ji Ling might not remember their conversation that night at all.

He thought Ji Ling didn’t know that he was aware of his future plans, which was why he looked so relieved after hearing Sui Cannong’s words.

That night, Sui Cannong had been genuinely alarmed. It was the first time he had heard someone so clearly and seriously plan their own death.

This usually quiet and reserved colleague had smiled shyly and wistfully, saying he wasn’t brave enough and didn’t want to live anymore.

Even though Sui Cannong had some mental preparation, when Ji Ling said he “didn’t want to wait any longer,” Sui Cannong’s heart had turned cold.

Sui Cannong knew he had no right to judge Ji Ling’s life experiences and choices, but he couldn’t help but wonder if there was really no other way for Ji Ling.

Sui Cannong tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Although Ji Ling seemed cold and reserved, and spoke awkwardly, Sui Cannong had developed a strong liking for him over the past few weeks.

Ji Ling was someone who built beautiful houses in games, loved hotpot and mushrooms, pondered the physics of noodle stretching during ramen performances, and mumbled about hairpins and physics formulas when drunk. He was a gentle, sensitive, and kind person.

Sui Cannong felt a pang of bitterness, thinking that such a young and excellent person shouldn’t have come to this point.

He also realized that Ji Ling’s mental state was very dangerous.

Ji Ling was a relatively introverted person and might not have someone to confide in regularly.

Ji Ling needed someone who could make him feel the beauty of life and instill a sense of attachment to his own life.

After calming down, Sui Cannong decided he needed to play this role.

Emotional people are very unstable, so he needed to do more to distract them. Sui Cannong searched online for many positive videos and finally chose one to send to Ji Ling.

But Sui Cannong thought that if someone was in a very negative state, they might not even open the video, let alone watch it.

He decided to take one step at a time and do what he could. His first step was to invite Ji Ling to watch a movie with a cheerful tone.

He quickly settled on the movie “Tomorrow Will Be Better,” which had an optimistic and positive theme. The movie was full of positive energy.

Since it was a re-release, there were many online reviews. Sui Cannong read through them and found one that said, “No one who watches this movie doesn’t want to live a better life.”

Sui Cannong immediately decided on this movie.

His invitation might seem sudden, and the other party might find it strange, so Sui Cannong thought of many excuses, like “a friend gave me an extra ticket” or “I’ve wanted to see it for a long time, but it’s boring to watch alone.” If Ji Ling refused with “no time,” he would try to reschedule.

In any case, Sui Cannong was determined to get Ji Ling to watch this positive movie.

However, Ji Ling agreed quickly, which Sui Cannong hadn’t expected.

“Teacher Sui,” Ji Ling suddenly spoke up, “I’m a bit thirsty. Do you want to get something to drink?”

The cinema was a bit stuffy, and Sui Cannong did feel a bit parched, so he nodded and stood up.

They went to the snack area, and Ji Ling said he was fine with anything. Sui Cannong studied the menu for a while and decided to get a regular cola and popcorn double package.

When he turned around, he saw Ji Ling standing quietly, his gaze slightly averted, lost in thought.

Following his gaze, Sui Cannong saw a server using a scoop to dig out popcorn from a bin. This popcorn had undergone special processing and was brightly colored.

Recalling the ramen performance, Sui Cannong realized that Ji Ling wasn’t the type to openly express his preferences.

Sui Cannong looked at the menu again.

“Why don’t we try the C package?” Sui Cannong asked, turning back. “The cola in this package is cherry-flavored, and I’ve never tried it.”

Sui Cannong saw Ji Ling blink.

After a moment, he nodded and softly said, “Okay.”

This package was very popular, and they had to wait in line for a while to get it. By the time they received their food, it was time to enter the theater.

Ji Ling held two large cups of cherry cola, and Sui Cannong carried the large bucket of colorful popcorn. They hurriedly checked their tickets and entered the theater.

Sui Cannong then realized that the cola cups and popcorn bucket were a sweet pink color, and they had inadvertently ordered a couple’s package.

Sui Cannong felt his cheeks warm up and quickly took a sip of the cherry cola, which made him feel dizzy and taste like fizzy paint.

The theater was sparsely populated, and the lights were still on. Sui Cannong had just put down his cola when he noticed Ji Ling taking out his phone to take a photo of the colorful popcorn.

Sui Cannong’s heart skipped a beat.

The last time at the hotpot restaurant, Ji Ling had taken a photo of the pot, saying he wanted to “keep a memento.”

Now, he was preparing to take a photo of the popcorn in the same pose, which gave Sui Cannong a very ominous feeling, like a “last check-in before the end.”

Ji Ling had found a good angle to capture both the popcorn and cola, as well as a small part of Sui Cannong’s arm.

Ji Ling was about to press the shutter button.

—But in the lens, Sui Cannong suddenly reached out, grabbed a large handful of popcorn, clenched his fist, and extended it to Ji Ling, gesturing for him to catch it.

Sui Cannong had grabbed a large handful of popcorn, and Ji Ling was taken aback, not understanding his intention, but he had to put down his phone and extend his hands to catch it.

Ji Ling looked up and saw Sui Cannong watching him, looking a bit nervous.

Sui Cannong took a deep breath and said, “The movie is about to start.”

Ji Ling hesitated.

The lights were still on, and taking a photo wouldn’t disturb anyone. Ji Ling looked down at the popcorn in his hands, feeling it would be a shame not to take a photo.

He explained to Sui Cannong, “The popcorn looks very pretty and delicious, so I thought—”

But Sui Cannong said, “This package is always available. You can have it again next week when we see another movie.”

Ji Ling was momentarily speechless. He looked up and saw Sui Cannong earnestly looking into his eyes.

“I’ll buy you another bucket next time,” Sui Cannong said, “Okay?”