CoP 20

Sui Cannong felt his luck had hit a new low.

He had visited the haunted house a couple of times in the past few years, and it was always the same old themes—chainsaw massacres or werewolf nights. He thought this time would be no different.

Sui Cannong hesitated, unsure how to respond. Beside him, Ji Ling calmly said to Lin, “We haven’t decided yet.”

Lin hummed, not suspicious at all. He seemed genuinely happy as he said, “No problem, take your time. I’ll inform the students. Just let me know by the end of school tomorrow.”

Sui Cannong started to speak, “That—”

“And remember to come to my classroom before the end of school tomorrow. We need to take your measurements for the costumes,” Lin waved at them, “Time is tight, don’t be late.”

Lin’s figure disappeared down the corridor, leaving a moment of silence.

“…Sorry about that,” Sui Cannong turned to Ji Ling, giving a bitter smile. “I was trying to help, but it backfired.”

Ji Ling looked at Sui Cannong and shook his head.

“Sometimes challenging yourself can be a good thing,” Ji Ling said. “It’s fine.”

The more Ji Ling said this, the more Sui Cannong felt guilty.

After a moment’s thought, Sui Cannong promised, “It’s my fault, so I’ll take the bride’s role when we measure the costumes tomorrow. You don’t have to say anything.”

But Sui Cannong had underestimated the situation.

The next day, during the costume fitting, Sui Cannong eagerly volunteered to be the bride. However, things didn’t go as planned. When he tried on the dress, just looking at it in the mirror made him realize it would look more like a ballet tutu on him.

The actual fitting was even worse—halfway through, the dress got stuck on his shoulders and wouldn’t budge.

Sui Cannong had never hated his broad shoulders and muscles more.

“Teacher Sui is a bit too tall,” a student said, looking concerned. “From what we can see, if you insist on being the bride, the bride might be a bit too tall.”

Sui Cannong said, “But the haunted house is meant to scare people. A tall bride would create a stark contrast and be more terrifying.”

The student hesitated, “That’s true… but it would require a lot more alterations to the costume.”

Sui Cannong’s head throbbed. Ji Ling, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up, “I’ll be the bride.”

“No, no,” Sui Cannong quickly interrupted, “You don’t have to. I really think it would be fun to be the bride.”

Ji Ling looked at Sui Cannong for a moment, then shook his head, “But I also think it would be fun. I want to be the bride too.”

Sui Cannong was skeptical, “…Really?”

“Really,” Ji Ling said.

The students exchanged glances, never expecting the two male teachers to argue so enthusiastically over being the bride.

Ji Ling looked sincere, and Sui Cannong hesitated. He felt the dress might indeed cause unnecessary trouble, so he conceded, “Alright.”

The so-called wedding dress was a white chiffon gown, a leftover from a school play a few years ago.

After Sui Cannong nearly tore the dress, the students, despite Ji Ling’s slimmer build, decided not to let him try it on.

They measured Ji Ling and planned to make initial alterations, then have him try it on again in a couple of days.

Sui Cannong stood to the side, rubbing his hands, still feeling a bit guilty.

Ji Ling seemed to sense Sui Cannong’s thoughts. He hesitated, then looked at the props on the table, his gaze settling on the bride’s veil.

“Teacher Sui,” Ji Ling said, “Can you help me put on the veil? I want to try it on, it should be fun.”

Sui Cannong was taken aback for a moment.

After a while, he nodded and walked over, helping Ji Ling put on the veil.

Ji Ling’s face was naturally handsome, with soft features. The veil didn’t look out of place on him.

After putting on the veil, Ji Ling stared at his reflection in the mirror for a moment, then looked at Sui Cannong with a puzzled expression.

Ji Ling suddenly laughed.

Sui Cannong paused, then joined in the laughter.

The veil was a bit wrinkled, so Sui Cannong leaned closer, lifting his hand to smooth it out. “It looks good,” he said.

“But I didn’t expect… you to accept such a theme,” Sui Cannong said.

Their proximity was a bit intimate. Sui Cannong’s fingers lingered near Ji Ling’s ear, and Ji Ling looked down submissively.

“Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new isn’t bad,” Sui Cannong heard Ji Ling say softly, “After all, next year… we might not have this opportunity.”

Sui Cannong’s hand paused, and he looked up sharply.

“Why won’t we have the opportunity next year?” he asked.

Ji Ling was taken aback, noticing the smile on Sui Cannong’s face had faded.

The theme of the haunted house as a bride and groom was rare. Ji Ling thought next year’s theme would change, and they might not dress up as ghosts together again. Such coincidences and opportunities were hard to come by.

Ji Ling explained, “I just think it’s fun to dress up as ghosts, but next year we might have other things to do, so we might not—”

“If you want, we can continue dressing up as ghosts next year, no matter how absurd the theme. I’ll be with you,” Sui Cannong said, his words coming faster. “As long as you want, we can even have a three-year wedding. Why wouldn’t we have the opportunity next year?”

Ji Ling looked at Sui Cannong, surprised.

Sui Cannong was genuinely startled by Ji Ling’s words. After a rapid outpouring, he realized what he had said.

His head started to heat up, and his ears buzzed.

“Not… not getting married, I mean…” Sui Cannong stammered, “My mouth… it just—”

“Sure,” Ji Ling said.

Sui Cannong was stunned. He saw Ji Ling lift his face, his eyes crinkling.

Sui Cannong’s breath caught, and he heard Ji Ling say lightly, “Then let’s continue getting married next year and the year after.”

Sui Cannong was in a mixed state of joy and worry.

The joy came from the closer relationship with Ji Ling. Ji Ling’s smiles had become more frequent, and he was more relaxed and playful.

The worry came from the occasional negative thoughts in Ji Ling’s words. They might not be obvious to Ji Ling, but they instantly raised Sui Cannong’s blood pressure.

Sui Cannong tried to “talk therapy” while also inviting Ji Ling out to change his pessimistic mindset.

They had watched movies and planted mushrooms. It was time to release some dopamine. So, in the evening, Sui Cannong messaged Ji Ling on WeChat, “Want to go out and exercise this weekend?”

At first, Sui Cannong treated this as a task, focusing on helping Ji Ling. He wanted to keep Ji Ling alive as long as possible.

But now, Sui Cannong felt a subtle change in his mindset. Helping Ji Ling was no longer his only goal.

He realized he actually… wanted to see Ji Ling more often.

His phone vibrated, and Sui Cannong looked down to see Ji Ling’s reply, “Sure, what about swimming?”

When Ji Ling received the message, he was considering whether to invite Sui Cannong to an art exhibition.

The flower incident still lingered in Ji Ling’s mind. Although it led to the opportunity to plant mushrooms, Ji Ling had become more cautious.

Ji Ling knew his approach to pursuing someone was clumsy. But to his surprise, most of the time, it was Sui Cannong who initiated the outings.

This time, Sui Cannong’s suggestion to exercise seemed like a good opportunity. Ji Ling wanted to make the most of it.

After careful consideration, Ji Ling chose swimming.

Swimming was gentle on the joints, and they could shower afterward, making it a refreshing way to end the exercise and go out for a meal.

Ji Ling had a habit of swimming a couple of years ago. He knew a place with good water quality and few people, making it an ideal choice.

Most importantly, Ji Ling had a very detailed plan.

“Can’t you swim?” Sui Cannong turned around in the changing room, looking incredulous.

Ji Ling met Sui Cannong’s gaze and nodded.

“I’ve always… been a bit afraid of water,” Ji Ling said calmly, repeating the excuse he had prepared. “But I feel that occasionally pushing my limits isn’t bad.”

“So I want to try swimming,” Ji Ling asked, “Would you teach me?”

Ji Ling had read a lot about love psychology online. He realized he had been making a mistake.

He thought he needed to show his best side to the person he liked, so he often felt frustrated by his awkwardness and stiffness.

But the online advice was different. It suggested that occasionally showing your weaknesses could actually help the relationship.

So, Ji Ling’s plan for the day was to pretend he couldn’t swim.

Beginners usually need someone to hold their hand while learning, with verbal interaction and some physical contact.

Ji Ling thought Sui Cannong would be the type to enjoy teaching.

But when he said he couldn’t swim, Sui Cannong’s expression changed.

Sui Cannong took a deep breath, “I’m willing, but… wait a moment…”

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Many people can’t swim, and Sui Cannong didn’t think it was a big deal. But the situation was special. A person who couldn’t swim was so eager to try and only mentioned it right before getting in the water. Sui Cannong felt uneasy.

“Have you never swum before?” Sui Cannong asked hesitantly.

Ji Ling paused, “Rarely.”

“It’s fine,” Ji Ling looked into Sui Cannong’s eyes, “You don’t have to worry about me. Just swim, and I’ll try to get used to the water.”

Sui Cannong’s heart sank.

“No, no, I’ll stay with you. Don’t do anything reckless,” Sui Cannong said quickly, “I can teach you, but don’t wander off.”

Sui Cannong stared into Ji Ling’s eyes, trying to gauge his intentions.

Ji Ling’s expression was unreadable, but Sui Cannong still felt uneasy.

Even in the shallow end, a person with bad intentions could drown in thirty centimeters of water.

Sui Cannong realized he couldn’t take his eyes off Ji Ling for a second.

He frowned, thinking for a moment, then pulled Ji Ling’s hand, placing it on his forearm.

“Whether the water is deep or shallow, once we’re in, hold my hand as tightly as you can,” Sui Cannong said, “Got it?”

Ji Ling was taken aback, staring at Sui Cannong’s hand for a moment before nodding, “Okay.”

Sui Cannong didn’t let go, thinking for a bit more.

“Once in the water, don’t panic. Relaxing your body will prevent you from sinking,” Sui Cannong said, “I’ll protect you.”

Ji Ling nodded seriously.

Sui Cannong stared at Ji Ling’s face, still feeling uneasy.

Suddenly, he turned and opened the locker he had just locked.

“First, warm up,” Sui Cannong said, putting his clothes back on, “I’ll be right back.”

Ji Ling watched Sui Cannong leave the changing room, feeling his plan was going well. Sui Cannong had even offered to hold his hand and protect him.

Ji Ling started thinking about how to act like a complete beginner.

Pretending to be bad at something you’re good at was challenging.

Ji Ling thought about it. He needed to make his movements slightly stiff and show fear of the water, then—

He heard a noise behind him and turned around.

Sui Cannong walked back into the changing room, looking much more relaxed than before.

Ji Ling’s eyes fell on Sui Cannong’s hand, and he froze. Sui Cannong was holding a… huge inflatable ring.

It was a cute strawberry doughnut-shaped ring, with colorful sprinkles on the surface.

Sui Cannong walked over to Ji Ling with a light step.

He placed the ring over Ji Ling’s head, then carefully held Ji Ling’s hand, guiding it to the edge of the ring.

Ji Ling saw Sui Cannong nod in satisfaction.

“Let’s go, time to learn swimming,” Sui Cannong said.