CoP 16

When Ji Ling arrived home, it was already around eight o’clock in the evening.

The first thing he did after getting home was to take the movie ticket out of his pocket.

The ticket had some scuffs and marks on it. Ji Ling carefully flattened it and looked around the room before tucking it into a thick book on the table.

Then Ji Ling stared at the book for a while before walking to the kitchen, opening the fridge, and discovering that all the cold cola had been drunk.

So Ji Ling drank some ice water, and only then did his heart rate seem to slow down a bit.

Ji Ling recalled the embrace in the restroom.

He didn’t really understand why, even though he had explained why he was crying, Sui Cannong still held him tightly, his face filled with concern.

Ji Ling realized that he might have scared Sui Cannong.

He lowered his head and took another couple of sips of ice water, feeling the tip of his tongue start to ache from the cold, before slowly putting the cup down.

Sui Cannong was a very warm person, and being with him always made Ji Ling feel happy and at a loss.

Ji Ling was used to shrinking into a small space. He was very cautious, always worrying if he wasn’t good enough and often afraid of being a burden to others.

So at first, Ji Ling only liked to secretly observe Sui Cannong.

He thought Sui Cannong seemed particularly enthusiastic, always smiling, tall, with fluffy hair that made him look like a very soft, big dog.

Every November, there were many science competitions, which was the month when Ji Ling and Sui Cannong interacted the most.

After school every day, several science teachers would gather in two classrooms to provide extra training for the participating students.

Ji Ling noticed that Sui Cannong had a really good personality. He was always considerate and热情, treating everyone, whether teachers or students, like close friends.

When printing things, he would always proactively ask Ji Ling and the other teachers if they needed any help.

The practice test questions were always small and blurry, so Sui Cannong would always enlarge the font before printing them out and distributing them to the students.

Being with Sui Cannong was a very comfortable experience.

When Ji Ling realized he might have some special feelings for Sui Cannong, he was a bit at a loss.

But in fact, outside of November, it was quite difficult for Ji Ling and Sui Cannong to interact. They were on different floors, and their social circles had very little overlap.

So at first, Ji Ling’s attempts to create coincidental encounters were quite clumsy.

Every Wednesday and Friday during the big break, he would choose to buy a latte from the school coffee shop.

Although the prices at the school coffee shop seemed to come from another country, the paper cups were so small that they could be finished in three sips, and the milk in the latte wasn’t very good, Ji Ling still chose to spend twenty-five yuan on a cup.

Then, on his way back, Ji Ling would deliberately take a different staircase, giving him a fifty percent chance of running into Sui Cannong, who was just coming down the stairs.

Sui Cannong would smile and greet him, and Ji Ling would calmly respond.

At the time, Ji Ling thought this was already good enough.

Actually, if he hadn’t overheard a conversation in the classroom that day, he might have continued in this state.

It was three tenth-grade Chinese boys who, due to their poor homework completion, Ji Ling had kept after class to redo their assignments.

Later, as Ji Ling sat at the computer typing, the boys, who couldn’t sit still, started chatting while doing their work.

Ji Ling didn’t mind, since it was after class, and he didn’t think it was necessary to be too strict with the students as long as they completed their tasks on time.

The boys first talked about the basketball game the day after tomorrow, and then the conversation drifted to video games. Ji Ling heard them mention dungeons and weapons.

“Hey, you know what? During lunch break the other day, Reta and I went to see the turtles Teacher Sui keeps, and guess what?” one boy said. “I found out that Teacher Sui is also playing this game. His level is already over fifty, and he was collecting the free thirty stamina points given at noon…”

Ji Ling’s typing paused for a moment.

The other two boys exclaimed in surprise, and the boy who broke the news, feeling satisfied, added with a proud smile, “And guess what his game ID is?”

“倾城佳人隋美丽.”

That night, Ji Ling opened the game he had just downloaded, spent fifteen minutes going through the beginner’s guide and story, and hesitantly typed those seven characters into the friend search interface.

Level 55, male player, located in C City, with the signature “Home mode, you might as well just kill me,” Ji Ling knew this must be Sui Cannong’s game account.

Ji Ling tentatively added him as a friend, but was rejected.

It was quite common for strangers to be rejected when adding friends, so Ji Ling thought it was normal. He spent about an hour thoroughly understanding the game’s mechanics.

The game had a medium difficulty level but was well-made, with a thoughtful storyline and interesting dungeon mechanics, making it quite addictive. There were also many points where it could be monetized.

However, Ji Ling felt that if he managed his resources well and paid attention to the ore refresh times and locations, it was actually quite easy to get into.

Fortunately, because they were in the same city, the location system placed them in the same “nearby” channel.

Sui Cannong didn’t seem like the type to play single-player games. After observing the “nearby” channel for a few days, Ji Ling indeed found Sui Cannong interacting with others.

He noticed that Sui Cannong seemed to be looking for a long-term teammate.

So Ji Ling once again opened Sui Cannong’s game profile and analyzed the limited information available.

Ji Ling found that Sui Cannong’s level was quite high in the server, with good weapons and equipment, indicating he was a skilled player who spent a moderate amount on the game.

However, compared to his level and equipment, Sui Cannong’s world prosperity was relatively low. Ji Ling realized that the home mode was probably a headache for Sui Cannong.

After two weeks of careful planning, Ji Ling transformed his account into a 47-level player with a nearly maxed-out prosperity level and a villa-filled home, named “antelope.”

If antelope’s level was too high or his resources too abundant, he wouldn’t have a reason to ask Sui Cannong to team up for dungeons, so Ji Ling also created a small account specifically for mining and resource gathering.

With his abundant resources, ore was never a scarce item for Ji Ling.

Later, Sui Cannong indeed accepted antelope’s friend request.

At first, Ji Ling didn’t have any other intentions. He just wanted to help Sui Cannong build his home and team up to fight monsters in the game. That was enough for him.

Even the meeting at the coffee shop was initiated by Sui Cannong.

But now, Ji Ling felt that his mindset had subtly changed.

Voice chats, ramen performances, bean sprout hair clips, and today’s embrace—suddenly, the distance between them didn’t seem so great.

His stomach felt like it was filled with colorful popcorn, and Ji Ling felt a warmth in his chest because he wanted to take that step.

Ji Ling thought, he was going to formally start pursuing Sui Cannong—

Sui Cannong, on the other hand, was determined to bring Ji Ling back to his usual self.

When he got home, Sui Cannong was still in a very uneasy state.

He felt like he had a mother’s heart, and as soon as he got home, he took out his phone and asked Ji Ling, “Are you home?”

Then Sui Cannong opened a short video app, scrolled through it for a while, and finally sent Ji Ling a compilation of cute pet videos.

Hopefully, it would help, Sui Cannong thought gloomily.

Ji Ling’s breakdown in the restroom had really scared Sui Cannong. A usually quiet and aloof person breaking down in tears was a visually impactful sight, and just watching it made Sui Cannong feel like his heart was breaking too.

Crying can be a good release when you’re feeling so heavy, Sui Cannong thought.

He considered looking up some activities that might help soothe the mood or maybe suggesting they go out for some exercise next time to boost dopamine levels…

Then Sui Cannong suddenly felt a bit lost. He wondered if he would have gone to such lengths if it were someone else.

The phone on the table vibrated, and Sui Cannong snapped back to reality.

He picked up his phone and saw that Ji Ling had replied, “Teacher Sui, I’m home.”

Sui Cannong paused for a moment and then asked, “Did you watch the video?”

After a while, Ji Ling sent a message back, saying, “I watched it. The sixth black kitten in the video is very cute.”

Sui Cannong was relieved that Ji Ling had really watched the video.

He was hesitating about which emoji to send when Ji Ling sent another message.

Ji Ling asked, “Teacher Sui, can you come to my classroom during the break on Monday morning?”

On Monday morning, when Sui Cannong appeared at the physics classroom door, Ji Ling was watering a potted rose on the windowsill.

The rose was a bright color, and the sunlight outside was beautiful, making Ji Ling’s skin look very fair. His eyelashes were gently lowered, and he looked clean and serene.

He seemed to be in a good state, which made Sui Cannong feel relieved.

Hearing the commotion at the door, Ji Ling turned around, and Sui Cannong noticed his eyes seemed to brighten slightly.

Ji Ling said, “Teacher Sui, this is the only potted rose I have in my classroom. I’ve been taking care of it for two years.”

Sui Cannong, who was also a plant lover, could see that the rose was growing well, so he generously praised it, “You’ve done a great job. It has so many blooms, and it looks beautiful in the classroom.”

Ji Ling softly hummed in agreement.

But the next moment, Sui Cannong saw Ji Ling suddenly turn around and lift the entire potted rose.

Ji Ling, struggling a bit, walked to Sui Cannong. Sui Cannong didn’t understand what he was doing but quickly reached out to help him.

Then he heard Ji Ling say, “I’m giving it to you, Teacher Sui.”

Sui Cannong was taken aback, “What?”

Ji Ling lifted his face and added seriously, “I’ve been taking care of it for two years. It’s very easy to maintain, and there are still many buds that haven’t bloomed yet.”

“Once all the buds bloom, it will look even better. Please take it,” he said.

What Ji Ling didn’t know was that his additional explanation had already changed the tone in Sui Cannong’s ears.

Sui Cannong was initially stunned, but then he started to feel uneasy.

“Wait, you’ve been taking care of it for two years,” Sui Cannong asked cautiously, “and it’s growing so well, and it’s the only one in your classroom. Why are you giving it to me now?”

Ji Ling hadn’t expected Sui Cannong to press him so much and was taken aback.

The idea of giving the rose was a carefully considered choice by Ji Ling.

First, because Sui Cannong loved plants, and second, Ji Ling had a bit of a hidden intention, as roses and roses are both from the rose family.

If Sui Cannong kept the plant in his classroom, Ji Ling thought he could use the excuse of checking on its growth to visit Sui Cannong’s classroom and chat with him.

Ji Ling thought that with Sui Cannong’s personality, he would easily accept the plant, but he never expected Sui Cannong to question him so thoroughly.

Ji Ling couldn’t tell Sui Cannong the real reason for giving him the plant.

He started to panic, and his words became illogical. Finally, he said stiffly, “No reason, just because… I suddenly don’t want to take care of it anymore.”

Sui Cannong, standing opposite him, remained silent, and Ji Ling started to feel uneasy.

Ji Ling lowered his eyes, looking at the branches and leaves of the rose, and the dark, slightly damp soil. He took a deep breath.

“Because I don’t want to take care of it anymore, I… want to find it a responsible owner,” Ji Ling said slowly. “Would you be willing to be its new owner, Teacher Sui?”

Ji Ling had mustered the courage to say those last words.

But when he looked up again, he saw that Sui Cannong’s expression was very heavy.