CoP 24

Perhaps it was because Liang Juan’s words that day had clarified Sui Cannong’s feelings for Ji Ling, or maybe it was because Ji Ling looked so adorable when he bent his head to eat the candy.

The lighting was perfect, the atmosphere was perfect, and Sui Cannong felt an inexplicable flutter in his heart. He sensed that such a moment would be hard to come by again.

So he decided it would be today, right now.

But after he spoke, Sui Cannong saw Ji Ling’s expression suddenly turn blank. He stared at Sui Cannong, his eyes dark, but filled with confusion and shock.

It was a look of disbelief.

Ji Ling’s Adam’s apple moved up and down, and after a moment, he averted his gaze slightly. Then Sui Cannong heard him ask softly, “Try… what do you mean by that?”

Sui Cannong belatedly realized that he hadn’t considered Ji Ling’s thoughts.

From Ji Ling’s perspective, the situation might indeed be a bit shocking. After all, one moment they were playing ghosts in a haunted house with colleagues, and the next, one of those colleagues was confessing. Anyone would need some time to process that.

But Sui Cannong was not afraid to express his feelings, and he didn’t regret what he had said.

“I feel like our personalities are very compatible, and we get along well,” Sui Cannong explained patiently. “So when I say ‘try,’ I mean we could give dating a shot.”

Ji Ling was silent for a moment, then Sui Cannong heard him softly say, “Ah.”

It seemed he had asked too suddenly. Sui Cannong thought.

“Don’t feel any pressure,” Sui Cannong said after a moment. “We could try for three months. If it works out, we can continue.”

He added, “Of course, if you feel uncomfortable or think you have a better option, you can tell me anytime, and I’ll understand.”

Ji Ling looked up at Sui Cannong, blinked.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right now,” Sui Cannong said gently. “I know it might seem sudden, so take your time to think about it.”

Ji Ling looked at Sui Cannong’s face and blinked again.

“Just give me your answer tomorrow,” Sui Cannong smiled. “I’ll mostly be in the classroom, and you’ll come to water the mushroom plant, right?”

Sui Cannong had given Ji Ling seven eyeball candies.

Ji Ling ate four of them at the market. When he got home, he sat in the living room for a while, then ate the remaining three in one go.

Next to the TV in the living room was the doughnut-shaped swimming ring Sui Cannong had given him.

There used to be a large globe there, which Ji Ling had stored in the attic to make space for the swimming ring.

Ji Ling was happy, but he also felt at a loss.

It was like solving a difficult problem at the end of a test. He had worked through it step by step, trying many complex formulas, spending a long time on it.

But when he looked up, the answer was already there on the paper.

Ji Ling even wondered if he had misunderstood, his mind went blank, and his body couldn’t react. His expression must have been very blank.

Ji Ling was afraid he had misinterpreted the situation.

—It seemed to have come too easily, like walking on soft, ethereal clouds. It wasn’t until Sui Cannong mentioned the three-month trial that Ji Ling felt some sense of reality.

His heart was beating fast, and because he had eaten so much candy, his tongue felt a bit sore.

Ji Ling really wanted to send a WeChat message to Sui Cannong right away, but when he checked the time, it was already around midnight, so he decided not to disturb him.

Ji Ling decided to talk to Sui Cannong face-to-face the next day.

At three in the morning, Sui Cannong was writhing in bed, tormented.

The pumpkin lantern was on the windowsill, with a small candle still burning inside. The flame was weak, and Sui Cannong felt his face was burning hot.

He tossed and turned, repeatedly recalling and analyzing every word he had said, wishing he could have done a thousand times better if he could go back in time.

Sui Cannong regretted telling Ji Ling to give him an answer the next day.

This meant he would have to endure the next twenty-four hours in agony.

Sui Cannong’s heart was on edge all day.

When the school bell rang at the end of the day, Sui Cannong’s eyes never left the classroom door.

A few minutes later, Sherry and Cindy entered the classroom, bouncing and laughing. Sui Cannong’s heart started beating faster.

Ten minutes later, Ji Ling appeared at the classroom door.

Sherry and Cindy greeted Ji Ling, and he responded. Then he turned his face slightly and looked at Sui Cannong.

Sui Cannong stood up and walked to Ji Ling’s side. They stood in silence, looking at each other for a few seconds.

“I came to find you at lunchtime,” Ji Ling said softly, “but you weren’t there.”

Sui Cannong said, “Yeah, I had a meeting at lunch.”

Ji Ling nodded.

Sui Cannong cleared his throat and rubbed his hands. “Actually… I also checked your classroom during the break, but you weren’t there either.”

Ji Ling said, “I was taking the students to set up their science fair booth.”

Sui Cannong said, “Oh, I see.”

Ji Ling nodded lightly.

Sherry and Cindy were by the window, watering their tomatoes and chatting in Japanese. Sui Cannong realized the timing wasn’t right.

So Sui Cannong said to Ji Ling, “Let’s check your mushrooms.”

The mushroom plants were growing well, especially the oyster mushrooms, which had light brown caps and looked soft and fresh.

Sui Cannong saw Ji Ling raise his hand and gently touch the cap of an oyster mushroom with his fingertips.

Then they silently picked up the spray bottles and stood side by side, watering the mushrooms.

After a while, Sherry and Cindy said goodbye and left with their backpacks.

Sui Cannong responded.

These two girls came to water their tomatoes every day, but they were a bit clumsy. The water was poured, but Sui Cannong’s windowsill looked like it had just been flooded.

Sui Cannong sighed, picked up their tomato plant, and decided to move it to another windowsill and clean up the mess.

As he turned around with the plant, Sui Cannong froze.

Ji Ling was standing behind him, straight and still, staring at Sui Cannong’s face.

Sui Cannong was taken aback. Before he could react, he heard Ji Ling say suddenly, “I’m willing.”

Sui Cannong: “What?”

Ji Ling’s expression became a bit flustered. Sui Cannong saw him lower his eyes and take a deep breath.

Then Ji Ling looked up, met Sui Cannong’s eyes, and repeated, “Sui Cannong, I’m willing to date you.”

Ji Ling felt a bit frustrated.

He realized his words sounded too abrupt and that he should have laid some groundwork first.

But Ji Ling’s mouth was clumsy, and he had agonized all day, waiting for this moment. Even if his words sounded awkward, he couldn’t wait to tell Sui Cannong.

Sui Cannong finally understood what Ji Ling was saying.

He was stunned for a moment, then his expression cleared, and he nodded. “I understand.”

Sui Cannong didn’t say anything more. He smiled at Ji Ling and continued to the back of the classroom with the tomato plant.

Ji Ling’s heart sank.

He watched Sui Cannong’s back, feeling at a loss and flustered. He didn’t understand what Sui Cannong meant or what he should say.

Then he heard Sui Cannong casually ask, “What grade did you teach in your last class?”

Ji Ling said, “Twelfth grade.”

Sui Cannong hummed and asked, “What did you teach?”

Ji Ling didn’t understand why Sui Cannong was suddenly changing the subject and asking about unrelated things. He didn’t know if Sui Cannong’s words from the previous day still counted.

Ji Ling felt a bit sad.

But he paused and slowly answered, “…Alternating current, eddy currents, rectifier circuits, and transformers.”

Sui Cannong asked curiously, “Ah, what’s there to teach about transformers?”

Ji Ling hadn’t expected Sui Cannong to be interested in these topics. He hesitated and explained, “There are quite a few key points, like the operating principles of transformers, how to reduce eddy current losses, and some calculation problems.”

Sui Cannong asked, “So, how exactly do you reduce eddy current losses?”

Ji Ling said, “By using thin silicon steel sheets coated with insulating paint as the magnetic core.”

Sui Cannong asked, “Why thin steel sheets?”

Ji Ling said, “Actually, any thin ferromagnetic sheets would work. Thin sheets limit eddy currents and have higher resistance, but the exam questions won’t go into such detail…”

Sui Cannong asked, “Do you want to go on a date tomorrow?”

Ji Ling was stunned.

“Let’s skip the gym this week. How about we visit an exhibition or try some good restaurants?” Sui Cannong pondered for a moment, then added, “But I’m not sure if the exhibition will be too crowded on the weekend. I’ll check online later.”

Ji Ling stared at him, dumbfounded. “…What?”

Ji Ling saw Sui Cannong put down the plant and turn around.

Sui Cannong had deep, expressive eyes. Normally, such a well-defined face would give off a strong, assertive, and somewhat aggressive impression.

But Sui Cannong’s eyes always held a bright, reassuring smile.

“Teacher Ji,” Sui Cannong asked, “Can I take you on a date tomorrow?”