CoP 19

Ji Ling slowly leaned back into his seat and smiled.

He looked at Sui Cannong as if joking, yet also as if asking a serious question, “Are you satisfied with the quality of this worry, Teacher Sui?”

When Ji Ling smiled, there were specks of light in his eyes. When he looked at Sui Cannong, Sui Cannong suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.

Sui Cannong remained silent for a moment, then hurriedly laughed.

“Actually… you are very talented, so you don’t need to worry about such things right now.” Sui Cannong felt his throat go dry as he spoke, “You will definitely meet someone who is meant for you.”

Ji Ling blinked.

After a while, Sui Cannong heard him softly say, “I hope so.”

They said goodbye at the restaurant’s entrance. After returning home, Sui Cannong still remembered to pick out two positive videos and forward them to Ji Ling.

However, after putting down his phone, he began to feel a bit restless.

Ji Ling had always given Sui Cannong the impression of being reserved and calm. But tonight, Sui Cannong could sense a rare openness in Ji Ling’s words, as well as his longing for a relationship.

Sui Cannong realized that if Ji Ling could develop a comfortable romantic relationship, it would be very beneficial for him.

Sui Cannong should be looking forward to Ji Ling meeting someone he likes soon.

That person could save him, give him warmth, and help him open up, living a positive and optimistic life. Then, Sui Cannong wouldn’t have to worry every day about how to save him, wouldn’t have to rack his brain to find those videos, and wouldn’t have to think about what he could do to prevent Ji Ling from having suicidal thoughts.

But Sui Cannong suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

He didn’t know why, but deep down, he seemed to be subconsciously resisting the idea of that person appearing in the future.

What would Ji Ling be like in a relationship?

He would probably go eat hotpot with that person, Sui Cannong couldn’t help but think. Maybe he would say something like, “Mushrooms are cute, like little umbrellas,” while sitting at the table. Would he buy a large bucket of colorful popcorn when watching a movie, or—

Sui Cannong suddenly snapped back to reality.

What am I thinking?

Sui Cannong felt absurd. This is Ji Ling’s future partner, his own romantic issue. Why am I thinking about these things? Shouldn’t I just focus on saving him?

Sui Cannong looked at the ceiling, trying to clear his mind, but his thoughts were in turmoil. He spent a very restless night.

The next afternoon, while watering the flowers, Sui Cannong noticed that his mushroom planters were growing at an alarming rate.

—In less than two days, most of the mycelium bags had sprouted small, dense white spots. In about a week, they would grow into a beautiful patch of mushrooms.

Sui Cannong stood by the planters with the watering can, lost in thought for a long time.

Sui Cannong could have simply watered the mushrooms, but he didn’t. Instead, he hoped they would grow a bit slower.

Half an hour had passed since the school bell rang, but Ji Ling hadn’t appeared at Sui Cannong’s classroom door. Sui Cannong hesitated for a moment, then decided to check Ji Ling’s classroom.

He hadn’t taken a few steps out of the classroom when he stopped. He saw Ji Ling standing not far away in the corridor.

Ji Ling was talking to Lin.

Lin was the head of the art club, and Sui Cannong wasn’t very familiar with her. He remembered that during the last environmental fair, she and Ji Ling had manned a booth selling hair clips together.

Lin was a tall, blonde girl with a slender figure. She was wearing a brown long skirt and was looking at Ji Ling with a sweet and radiant smile.

Sui Cannong recalled what Ji Ling had said to him yesterday and looked at Lin’s smiling face for a while. He frowned, feeling that something was off.

“Why can’t we do it this year? Last year, we sold those pumpkin cookies made by students, and they sold really well.” Lin asked Ji Ling, “Pumpkin lanterns should be the same, right?”

Sui Cannong saw Ji Ling hesitate and say very tactfully, “Lin, you could ask Lewis. He should be free that day…”

“But I’m inviting you now.” Lin smiled, “And you are free that day, aren’t you?”

Even from a distance, Sui Cannong could feel the suffocating tension in the conversation.

The pain of social interactions often lies in the fact that you might always be hesitant to say things too bluntly, but if you don’t, others might never understand your true intentions.

Sui Cannong hesitated for a moment, then started walking towards them.

Ji Ling regretted it.

He realized he shouldn’t have taken this shortcut to Sui Cannong’s classroom, so he wouldn’t have encountered Lin and found himself in this difficult situation.

Ji Ling was anxious because he and Sui Cannong had agreed to water the mushrooms after school. He didn’t want to break his word or give Sui Cannong the impression that he was always late.

Although he didn’t want to lie, Ji Ling had no other choice. He opened his mouth with some difficulty, “I’m not free that day… I’ve already promised to help someone else.”

Lin continued to press, “Who?”

Ji Ling hesitated, thinking about how to fabricate a story that would minimize the chances of being caught in a lie. Just then, he heard a familiar voice from behind, “Me.”

Ji Ling’s eyes widened.

“Since I decided to challenge myself a bit this year, I talked to Ji Ling about it a few days ago.” Sui Cannong stood beside Ji Ling, first smiling and greeting Lin, then naturally continuing, “We plan to dress up as ghosts in the haunted house this year.”

Sui Cannong was also trying to defuse the situation, so he had blurted out this lie. The haunted house at Halloween was something every teacher tried to avoid.

Every year, the school set up several tents on the playground for various games and stalls. The gymnasium was temporarily transformed into a haunted house, which was open to students on Halloween night.

All the props were handmade by art students or repurposed from previous drama productions, and the set design improved each year.

For safety reasons, the school selected two teachers to play the ghosts, but no one ever volunteered because most didn’t want to be seen by students with disheveled hair and bloodied faces, growling in the dark.

So, every year, two unlucky teachers were chosen by lottery.

Sui Cannong hadn’t played a ghost yet, but last year he had been the one checking tickets at the entrance, while Thomas had been the one chosen to play the ghost.

He remembered clearly that Thomas had gone in laughing and come out crying, saying he had almost been beaten to death by a few frightened students.

Lin stood there in silence for a long time, clearly not realizing that Sui Cannong and Ji Ling had such a close relationship.

After a while, she said thoughtfully, “Ah,” looking at Ji Ling, then at Sui Cannong, her expression becoming somewhat subtle.

Lin said, “You two… are really brave.”

Sui Cannong breathed a sigh of relief, “Yes, so we—”

“But that’s really great,” Lin said with a smile.

Sui Cannong and Ji Ling were both taken aback.

Lin continued, “It seems you already know, but this year’s theme is ‘Wedding in the White Night.’ The students and I were worried about finding two teachers to play the ghosts.”

Her gaze swept over them again, and she asked with interest, “So, have you decided who will be the groom and who will be the bride?”