CoP 22

After pressing his lips to Ji Ling’s, Sui Cannong realized that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation underwater was probably only feasible in some third-rate TV dramas.

Although he had taken a deep breath before diving in, by the time he managed to pry Ji Ling’s teeth apart, there was hardly any air left to transfer.

Sui Cannong had been quite frightened at the time. Seeing Ji Ling with his eyes closed, he thought he was gone and just wanted to give him as much air as possible. His actions were inevitably hasty.

Their lips touched, and Ji Ling’s were slightly cool and soft.

Then Sui Cannong pulled him out of the water, ready to drag him ashore and take some emergency measures, but he saw that Ji Ling had already opened his eyes.

Ji Ling grabbed the railing beside him, turned his face away, and began to cough violently. Sui Cannong held his shoulder, panting, and asked, “Are you okay?”

Sui Cannong’s face was taut with worry. Ji Ling paused, then slowly shook his head.

Sui Cannong let out a long breath and sat down on the edge of the pool, too winded to speak.

His gaze fell on Ji Ling’s face. Ji Ling was still coughing, and his lips were slightly red, perhaps from the urgency of Sui Cannong’s actions underwater.

After a while, Ji Ling spoke softly, “Teacher Sui, how did you get back so quickly?”

Sui Cannong’s voice was hoarse. “I forgot to take the locker key.”

Ji Ling said, “…I see.”

In Ji Ling’s eyes, Sui Cannong saw no relief at being saved, nor any lingering fear.

All he saw was a blank expression, and a fleeting trace of regret in his eyes.

What was he regretting? Sui Cannong found it absurd. Was he regretting not dying this time, or regretting being saved again?

Sui Cannong asked, “Why did you go into the water?”

Sui Cannong rarely spoke so abruptly to anyone, so Ji Ling was taken aback. He blinked, looking at Sui Cannong with a puzzled expression.

“Why did you come to the deep end? Why did you have to go in when I wasn’t there?” Sui Cannong took a deep breath. “If I had been any later, you—”

Sui Cannong paused, struggling to continue. “I was very worried about you.”

Ji Ling finally understood. Sui Cannong had kissed him underwater because he thought Ji Ling was drowning.

Ji Ling said, “I’m sorry.”

“It was a bit cold on the shore, so I went into the water.” Ji Ling paused. “And I… wanted to try holding my breath on my own, so I—”

The unnatural pauses and the slightly averted gaze made Sui Cannong realize that Ji Ling was lying to him.

Sui Cannong suddenly felt a sense of helplessness.

He realized that he was not the person Ji Ling would open up to. Whether Ji Ling was really trying to “hold his breath” or attempting to harm himself in the deep end, Sui Cannong had no right to say anything.

They sat in silence for a while. Then Sui Cannong saw Ji Ling lower his head, raise his hand, and touch his lips.

The atmosphere became subtly awkward, and neither of them seemed to have the mood to continue swimming.

When Sui Cannong came out of the shower, he saw Ji Ling already dressed, sitting on the bench in front of the locker, staring at the doughnut-shaped float.

Ji Ling turned his head and met Sui Cannong’s gaze. The air in the changing room was heavy with moisture, and the silence was oppressive.

After a while, Ji Ling asked, “Teacher Sui, can you give me this float?”

Sui Cannong was taken aback. “Sure.”

Ji Ling looked into Sui Cannong’s eyes and said a soft thank you.

The two of them walked in silence. When they got out of the car, Ji Ling sneezed, then slowly lifted his head and said goodbye to Sui Cannong.

Sui Cannong nodded.

Just as Ji Ling turned to leave, Sui Cannong called out, “Ji Ling.”

Sui Cannong saw Ji Ling, holding the large float, turn back with a blank expression. But the moment their eyes met, Sui Cannong found himself at a loss for words.

Sui Cannong’s shoulders rose and fell, and he sighed silently.

“Remember to take some cold medicine when you get home,” he said.

Sui Cannong always considered himself the type of person who didn’t dwell on things.

He rarely agonized over anything, believing that life was about living in the moment, enjoying each day as it came. So he tried to be happy every day.

Sui Cannong didn’t have many sleepless nights. The first one was when he was waiting for his university acceptance letter. The others, in the past two months, were all because of Ji Ling.

That night, Sui Cannong had dark circles under his eyes as he met an old classmate for dinner.

Liang Juan was Sui Cannong’s college classmate, a straightforward and frank girl. Many of their friends had tried to set them up, but after spending some time together, they realized they weren’t a match.

They became good friends instead. After graduation, Sui Cannong returned to China to develop his career, while Liang Juan stayed in the U.S. to pursue her Ph.D. They would meet up whenever she returned to China, maintaining a good friendship.

They met at a restaurant, and Liang Juan teased, “How’s life been, Mr. Sui?”

Sui Cannong smiled. “Not bad, Dr. Liang. You order, I’ll pay.”

Liang Juan didn’t hesitate, picking up the menu and starting to order. Just then, Sui Cannong’s phone screen lit up. He glanced at it and saw a WeChat message from Ji Ling.

Before leaving, Sui Cannong had sent Ji Ling a short video. Today, he chose a compilation of dogs playing with balls. Ji Ling replied, “Very cute.”

A while later, Ji Ling sent a screenshot from the video, saying, “I’ve never seen a white Shiba Inu before.”

Sui Cannong’s lips curved upward for a moment. He replied, “White Shiba Inus are indeed rare, as they are generally not encouraged for breeding.”

Just as he put down his phone, he noticed Liang Juan looking at him with interest. “Who’s that? Something going on?”

“It’s not like that,” Sui Cannong said. “A colleague.”

“Sure, sure.” Liang Juan clicked her tongue. “I wasn’t trying to peek at your screen, but I just happened to see you sending a cute pet video. That’s not a colleague.”

Sui Cannong hesitated. “He… has a special situation.”

Liang Juan: “How so?”

Sui Cannong had been feeling increasingly frustrated and troubled over the past few days. He felt he needed someone to confide in.

Sui Cannong hesitated, then described to Liang Juan the self-destructive behaviors and words Ji Ling had exhibited over the past few weeks.

Liang Juan was taken aback.

“From what you’ve said, his condition does sound quite dangerous.” Liang Juan asked hesitantly, “But is there a reason for this? Work pressure or family issues?”

Sui Cannong shook his head. “He’s a very introverted and quiet person. I’ve tried to get him to open up many times, but he never does.”

Liang Juan gasped and pointed at Sui Cannong’s dark circles. “So these dark circles aren’t from staying up late, are they?”

Sui Cannong smiled bitterly, and Liang Juan looked thoughtful.

After the dishes arrived, they changed the topic, discussing Liang Juan’s work and her boyfriend. Liang Juan said they were planning to get married after she finished her Ph.D., and Sui Cannong smiled and offered his congratulations.

As they were leaving, Sui Cannong stood by the door, waiting for Liang Juan’s ride.

Liang Juan said, “We’re both straightforward people, so I’ll be blunt.”

“There are some things you might not see clearly, and I need to point them out to you,” Liang Juan said, looking at Sui Cannong. “About the colleague you mentioned.”

Sui Cannong was taken aback.

“During our dinner, you checked your phone at least five times. You were waiting for his messages, weren’t you?” Liang Juan said.

Sui Cannong: “Because—”

Liang Juan interrupted him. “Yes, I know, his situation is special.”

Sui Cannong: “…”

Liang Juan said, “But honestly, if I found out a colleague had suicidal tendencies, the most I could do would be to offer some verbal comfort or suggest they see a psychologist.”

“That’s what a normal colleague would do,” Liang Juan smiled. “I might worry for a day or two, but I wouldn’t do all the things you mentioned, like watching movies, eating hotpot, and giving flowers. I wouldn’t let a colleague take up so much of my life.”

“That’s not normal,” she said. “Don’t you think?”

When he got home, Sui Cannong took a shower right away.

He sat on the sofa, lost in thought for a while, then took out his phone and opened a game.

Because he had been spending a lot of time with Ji Ling lately, Sui Cannong’s days had been very full, and he hadn’t logged into the game for a long time. He collected his stamina, switched to his favorite hero, and teleported to a valley with the most maple trees.

Sui Cannong started chopping trees furiously.

The sound of wood falling was a rustling noise, but for some reason, Sui Cannong still felt the room was too quiet.

He kept chopping until the wood stopped dropping, and the screen displayed, “Your inventory is full.” Sui Cannong slowly put down his phone.

He laughed suddenly.

Sui Cannong remembered what Liang Juan had said to him before getting into the car.

“There’s a reason that can explain this abnormal behavior,” Liang Juan said. “It’s that you care about him a lot and have a strong liking for him. This liking and concern go beyond what you would feel for a colleague.”

“Sui Cannong,” she said, “I think you might have feelings for him.”