CoP 15

In truth, Ji Ling still didn’t understand why Sui Cannong didn’t want him to take photos.

But Ji Ling’s focus was no longer on that, because Sui Cannong’s words earlier seemed to hint at wanting to watch a movie with him next week as well.

However, before Ji Ling could ask another question, the lights in the theater dimmed, and the screen began to show previews for other movies. He finally had no chance to take photos.

Ji Ling hesitated for a moment, lowered his head, and slowly started eating the handful of popcorn Sui Cannong had given him.

Seeing Ji Ling finally stop obsessing over taking those ominous photos, Sui Cannong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Last night, while reading reviews, Sui Cannong had already gotten a general idea of the movie’s plot. It was an inspiring story about a girl who, after becoming blind in a car accident, gradually regains her strength, grows, and finds herself, making her life shine brightly.

About ten minutes into the movie, Sui Cannong turned his head and secretly observed Ji Ling’s expression.

Ji Ling’s face… had no expression, as his attention seemed to be elsewhere, still focused on the popcorn in his hand.

Unable to resist, Sui Cannong leaned in and whispered, “Is it really that good?”

Ji Ling seemed startled, turning to look at Sui Cannong. Because he had been eating a lot of popcorn, Sui Cannong noticed his cheeks were puffed out.

Ji Ling struggled to swallow the popcorn in his mouth, then leaned close to Sui Cannong’s ear and mumbled, “…It’s very sweet.”

The two were very close at that moment, and Sui Cannong could faintly smell the sweet buttery aroma. He was momentarily lost in thought.

“…Oh, oh.” After a while, Sui Cannong cleared his throat, averted his gaze, and grabbed a handful of popcorn, “Then, I’ll try it too.”

The two fell silent again.

Ji Ling ate a bit more popcorn, feeling his hands start to get sticky, and then stopped to focus on the movie playing in front of him.

The cinematography was good, and the actors’ performances were decent, but the overall plot was somewhat cliché, predictable from the beginning.

However, Ji Ling watched very attentively, so he could discuss the movie’s details with Sui Cannong afterward.

The movie deliberately created some comedic and emotional moments, but Ji Ling found himself getting a bit sleepy. Soon, his attention shifted to something else.

Ji Ling noticed that the guide dog the female lead had was really cute.

The dog’s name was Xiao Zhou, a very smart golden retriever. It would obediently lie under the seat during transportation and would nuzzle up to its owner when she was feeling down.

Ji Ling was not the type to easily get immersed in books or movies, maintaining a relatively calm and analytical mindset.

But whenever there was a scene involving cute animals, his heart would soften.

The plot gradually took a more optimistic turn, but then the protagonist experienced another low point in her life when her boyfriend broke up with her.

The protagonist fell into a low mood again. Watching this, Ji Ling remained relatively calm.

—However, the next scene brought a shocking twist. The female lead, in a daze, went out to buy something, and a car sped by. Xiao Zhou, trying to protect its owner, started barking frantically, and the camera angles and perspectives became chaotic.

A sharp honking sound rang out, and the scene cut to the panicked female lead, then to Xiao Zhou lying in a pool of blood.

Ji Ling couldn’t watch the rest of the movie.

For the remaining half hour, everything in Ji Ling’s view turned black and white, and the world seemed to be muted.

Ji Ling felt his heart become heavy, his eyes began to sting, and he stared blankly at the screen for a long time.

It wasn’t until the movie ended and Sui Cannong called Ji Ling’s name three times that he finally snapped out of his daze.

Sui Cannong had thoroughly enjoyed the movie, feeling energized and positive.

He believed that anyone who watched this movie would be moved by the female lead’s spirit of resilience and refusal to give up in the face of adversity.

Feeling the right moment, Sui Cannong thought it was a good time to have a meaningful conversation with Ji Ling.

“Teacher Ji,” Sui Cannong asked as they walked out of the theater, “What did you think of the movie?”

Ji Ling seemed a bit distracted, still lost in the movie’s plot. After a while, he softly responded, lifting his head slowly.

“The cinematography was excellent,” Ji Ling said, “The director put in a lot of effort.”

Sui Cannong was taken aback, “Ah, what about the plot? Did it touch you in any way?”

Ji Ling hesitated, then added, “Luo Mei is a very brave and optimistic girl. It’s a meaningful movie.”

Though his response was a bit stiff, Sui Cannong was satisfied with Ji Ling’s answer, feeling that his efforts had not been in vain.

They walked around the mall for a while, and Sui Cannong asked Ji Ling, “There’s a new restaurant that’s supposed to be pretty good. Want to try it?”

Ji Ling seemed a bit absent-minded, his head lowered, and he didn’t hear Sui Cannong’s question.

Sui Cannong repeated his question, and Ji Ling finally nodded absentmindedly, saying softly, “Sure.”

Sui Cannong had not only researched the movie last night but also the restaurants in the mall.

He had his eye on a new trendy restaurant with a cute and whimsical decor, and the food was designed to be fun, creating a pleasant dining atmosphere.

After watching an uplifting movie, having a light and warm meal, and enjoying a happy day, Sui Cannong felt his plan was well thought out.

When they entered the restaurant, Sui Cannong noticed that trendy restaurants indeed had a lot of variety.

The menu design was adorable, with fun hand-drawn fonts and many cartoon animal stickers on each page.

While Sui Cannong was engrossed in the menu, Ji Ling suddenly put his menu down and stood up.

Sui Cannong was taken aback, noticing that Ji Ling’s expression was somewhat stiff. He turned his face slightly, lowering his eyes, avoiding Sui Cannong’s gaze.

“Teacher Sui, you can order whatever you like,” Ji Ling’s voice was very soft, “I’ll be right back. I need to use the restroom.”

Before Sui Cannong could react, Ji Ling had already left the restaurant.

Though it was sudden, Sui Cannong understood that sometimes people have urgent needs. He ordered some dishes and, remembering that Ji Ling liked mushrooms, also ordered a bowl of mushroom and meat wonton soup.

However, by the time Sui Cannong finished his bowl of shredded pork and snow cabbage noodles, the mushroom wontons in front of Ji Ling were almost cold, and he still hadn’t returned.

Sui Cannong thought it shouldn’t take this long and sent a WeChat message to Ji Ling to check on him.

But Ji Ling didn’t reply.

Recalling Ji Ling’s uneasy expression earlier, Sui Cannong felt something was off.

He hesitated for a moment, then left his seat and asked a server for the location of the mall’s restroom.

The restroom was in a secluded area. When Sui Cannong entered, he found no one inside. He hesitated for a moment, then walked a few steps to the back, where the sinks were.

There, Sui Cannong saw Ji Ling standing in front of the mirror.

Their eyes met through the mirror, and Sui Cannong froze, seeing clearly that Ji Ling’s eyes and nose were red.

The moment Ji Ling saw Sui Cannong, he widened his eyes in surprise. He quickly lowered his head and raised his hand to wipe his eyes, looking flustered.

Sui Cannong was immediately alarmed.

“Teacher Ji?” Sui Cannong was scared, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Why are you crying…?”

Ji Ling shook his head.

As if trying to avoid Sui Cannong, he took a step back and covered his face with his hand, his voice muffled, “…I’m fine.”

This definitely didn’t look like he was fine.

Sui Cannong watched as Ji Ling turned his face away, tears falling one by one, clearly unable to control his emotions.

Everyone has different emotional triggers, and Ji Ling’s emotional radar was often a bit slow, allowing him to maintain a very stable emotional state.

But animals were always Ji Ling’s weakness.

Especially scenes where animals were hit by cars, which Ji Ling couldn’t bear to watch.

Ji Ling was very aware that the dog’s death was a deliberate plot device by the director and screenwriter to manipulate the audience’s emotions and set the stage for the female lead’s eventual resurgence. It was a necessary part of the story.

But Ji Ling still fell for it.

It was a low emotional trigger, and crying over such a scene might not be worth it, but the thought of such a well-behaved dog dying made Ji Ling feel very sad.

Ji Ling knew that watching a movie with Sui Cannong was a rare opportunity.

And Sui Cannong had enjoyed the movie, so if Ji Ling cried in front of him, it would ruin the day.

After leaving the theater, Ji Ling tried very hard to regulate his emotions, blinking rapidly and trying to clear his mind.

At first, this method worked, but when they sat down at the restaurant and Ji Ling opened the menu, he saw a yellow, smiling dog sticker on the corner.

Ji Ling’s eyes began to sting again, his chest felt heavy, and he couldn’t hold back any longer.

After crying for a bit in the restroom and criticizing the movie’s clichéd plot in his mind, Ji Ling felt better.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Ji Ling was also a bit anxious because he didn’t want to keep Sui Cannong waiting, but his tears wouldn’t stop.

The more he tried to stop, the more he couldn’t control his emotions. The image of the guide dog, Xiao Zhou, and the dog sticker on the menu kept flashing in his mind.

Then, when Ji Ling looked up, he saw Sui Cannong’s reflection in the mirror.

Sui Cannong was visibly shaken, not expecting Ji Ling to be in such a state.

He had a vague idea of what might be going on but didn’t say anything, just took some tissues and awkwardly wiped away Ji Ling’s tears.

“Teacher Ji,” Sui Cannong called Ji Ling’s name again.

He said, “You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to. If you’re tired, I can take you home now.”

Ji Ling noticed the concern on Sui Cannong’s face and realized that his current state must look quite alarming.

Though it was embarrassing, Ji Ling hesitated for a moment and then told Sui Cannong the truth.

“It’s nothing really, it’s just that my emotional triggers are a bit strange, so I can’t handle scenes where animals die.” Ji Ling paused, then added, “And the dog in the movie… I just couldn’t control myself.”

After saying it, Ji Ling felt a bit lighter and looked up, meeting Sui Cannong’s eyes seriously, “Really, that’s all.”

Ji Ling’s eyes still glistened with unshed tears, and Sui Cannong felt a tightness in his chest.

Sui Cannong remained silent for a moment, then said, “I understand.”

Sui Cannong didn’t believe a word Ji Ling said.

He knew the dog was just an excuse, but he also knew that now wasn’t the time to press the issue.

Sui Cannong suspected that the protagonist’s experiences in the movie had triggered some of Ji Ling’s own memories, causing him to empathize and lose control of his emotions.

Sui Cannong didn’t know what Ji Ling had been through, but he had chosen this movie to help lift Ji Ling’s spirits.

He hadn’t expected it to bring up bad memories, and the result was the opposite of what he had hoped, making him feel a bit distressed.

But Sui Cannong thought that if this allowed Ji Ling to release some of his pent-up emotions, it might not be a bad thing.

Ji Ling finally calmed down. He lowered his head, took a deep breath, and adjusted his expression.

“I’m fine now, Teacher Sui,” he said, a bit embarrassed, and smiled at Sui Cannong, “Let’s go—”

Ji Ling didn’t finish his sentence because he noticed the complex expression on Sui Cannong’s face. He was standing there, staring at Ji Ling’s face.

Then, Sui Cannong took two steps forward and pulled Ji Ling into a tight, warm embrace.

—It was a strong, comforting hug. Because it was sudden, Ji Ling stumbled a bit, and his cheek pressed directly against Sui Cannong’s chest.

Ji Ling could feel Sui Cannong’s strong arms around him, his body heat, and the reassuring scent that made him feel safe.

“It’s okay, if you need to cry, go ahead,” Sui Cannong said, “I understand, and I’m here for you.”