CoP 34

Sui Cannong didn’t have time to think further because he suddenly caught a whiff of something burning.

The beef had been stewing for too long, and the potato chunks were almost mushy. Fortunately, he turned off the stove in time, and the final dish looked somewhat presentable.

Ji Ling kept his word and returned home at 6:50. He was carrying two rather thick books, and Sui Cannong noticed that he seemed to be in a good mood.

They finished the pot of beef and potato stew together.

Sui Cannong felt that he had managed the heat quite well. The beef wasn’t particularly tough, and the taste was decent.

After all, Ji Ling was sitting right across from him, holding his bowl and quietly eating quite a few pieces of beef.

Sui Cannong ate faster and was the first to put down his chopsticks.

“I watered the flowers earlier,” Sui Cannong hesitated for a moment before saying, “and I watered your plant too, so you don’t need to do it tonight.”

Ji Ling looked at Sui Cannong and nodded.

Sui Cannong couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of plant are you growing? Is it a lemon tree?”

Ji Ling paused for a moment and said, “Yes.”

Sui Cannong responded with an “Oh,” his expression becoming thoughtful. Ji Ling’s hand paused, and he also put down his chopsticks.

“You might not remember,” Ji Ling looked up and said, “but this lemon tree was a gift from you.”

Sui Cannong laughed. “So it really is?”

“I wasn’t sure until just now,” Sui Cannong recalled, “I remember the lemon tree was almost dead when you gave it to me. I didn’t expect it to thrive for so many years.”

Ji Ling was silent for a moment before saying, “It almost didn’t make it through that winter.”

“But it survived and even bore fruit once,” he added, “though only one lemon.”

Sui Cannong exclaimed, “That’s great!”

Ji Ling looked into Sui Cannong’s eyes and nodded lightly. After a moment, he lowered his head and continued eating the rice at the bottom of his bowl.

Sui Cannong was a bit taken aback. He felt something was off and sensed that Ji Ling had wanted to say more.

Ji Ling lowered his eyes and slowly took another bite of rice.

That winter in City C was extremely dry and cold, and the lemon tree lost many of its leaves. Ji Ling was very worried and did a lot of research, trying different fertilizers and soil types.

Ji Ling knew it was just a lemon tree, and Sui Cannong probably wouldn’t think much of it. But he still wanted to tell Sui Cannong that he had been taking very good care of it.

They usually took turns doing household chores, and today it was Ji Ling’s turn to wash the dishes.

Sui Cannong noticed that Ji Ling could be completely focused on whatever he was doing. Even when washing dishes, he would wear gloves and carefully clean every corner of the plates.

Though they took turns with chores, Sui Cannong didn’t just stand idle. He helped rinse the dishes and, when turning off the tap, his elbow would occasionally brush against Ji Ling’s waist.

Ji Ling dried each dish and neatly arranged them on the dish rack. Then he turned to look at Sui Cannong’s face.

Sui Cannong coughed awkwardly and heard Ji Ling say calmly, “It’s fine, it’s Saturday today.”

Sui Cannong really liked Ji Ling’s eyes.

At first glance, they seemed cold and beautiful, but with long lashes and well-defined double eyelids, they also gave a serene and clean impression. The thin skin around his eyes would reveal a faint pink when he was moved.

But no matter what, Ji Ling’s eyes always remained clear. He was gentle yet resilient, but Sui Cannong always felt there was something in his eyes that he couldn’t quite grasp.

Afterward, Sui Cannong wrapped his arms around Ji Ling’s waist from behind, and they lay quietly in bed for a while.

As Sui Cannong started to feel drowsy, he heard Ji Ling call his name.

Sui Cannong responded, and Ji Ling asked softly, “How do you plan to celebrate your birthday this year?”

“Oh, my birthday is next Saturday, right?” Sui Cannong thought for a moment and said, “Thomas and the others insist on throwing a small party. I couldn’t stop them, so I’ll probably go out with them on Friday night.”

“He’ll probably tell you tomorrow,” Sui Cannong said with a smile, “but you have to come. I’ve been looking forward to Teacher Ji’s gift for a long time.”

Ji Ling remained silent.

Since Ji Ling was facing away, Sui Cannong couldn’t see his expression, but he felt Ji Ling’s body stiffen slightly.

Sui Cannong sensed something was wrong and quickly added, “No, no, I was just joking. We’re adults, so it doesn’t matter if there’s no gift. You’ve been so busy lately—”

Ji Ling turned over, shook his head, and said seriously, “There will be a gift.”

However, if the party was on Friday night, it would conflict with Ji Ling’s original plan.

But Sui Cannong’s birthday was on Saturday, and Ji Ling’s plan was flexible enough to be postponed to Saturday night. So, Ji Ling felt it shouldn’t be a problem.

Thomas was a warm-hearted person.

He said he wanted to throw a big party for Sui Cannong, but with a large group, they inevitably ended up at a bar or KTV.

However, seeing the balloons and ribbons in the KTV room, Sui Cannong felt Thomas had put in some effort.

The other teachers also customized a banner for Sui Cannong, which read “worldbestbiologyteacher Happy Birthday.” It was the first time Sui Cannong had seen a banner with a mix of Chinese and English.

All the young teachers were quite lively and soon started grabbing the microphone to sing “Happy Birthday” in various languages.

Ji Ling, Louis, and Lin sat on the other side. Sui Cannong brought over a few slices of cake and placed them on their table.

Lin smiled and teased, “Ji, your groom is quite responsible.”

The other teachers laughed along. Since Halloween, they had been fond of teasing Ji Ling about his ghost bride costume.

They were in a large KTV room, with Ji Ling at one table and Sui Cannong at another. Their gazes would occasionally meet, and Ji Ling would see Sui Cannong smile at him.

Ji Ling blinked.

Sui Cannong knew the dangers of alcohol, but he usually managed to avoid it during small gatherings. However, as the birthday boy, he had no excuse to refuse today.

As the drinks kept coming, the atmosphere became lively, and the alcohol intake quickly exceeded a safe level. Even the most experienced drinkers started to feel the effects.

Thomas, who had drunk less than Sui Cannong, noticed he wasn’t doing well. He burped and leaned in to whisper, “Sui, I’ll call a car to take you home. Give me your address…”

Sui Cannong’s mind was clearly foggy, and before he could respond, Thomas felt something blocking his view.

Thomas looked up and saw Ji Ling standing in front of him.

“I’ll take him home,” Ji Ling said, “I know where he lives.”

Thomas, feeling a bit dizzy, nodded.

Watching the two leave, Thomas scratched his head.

He felt that Sui Cannong and Ji Ling had become very close friends recently, seeing each other more often. A few months ago, they seemed to be just colleagues with no interaction.

Thomas had felt something was off during Halloween, and when he visited Sui Cannong’s classroom during breaks, the students would say Sui Cannong was in Ji Ling’s classroom.

But had they become so familiar that they knew each other’s home addresses?

Ji Ling found Sui Cannong more drunk than he had expected.

At first, he was just walking unsteadily, but he wasn’t talking much. Then, when he recognized who was supporting him, Sui Cannong suddenly chuckled softly.

Sui Cannong called out Ji Ling’s name in a slurred voice and asked, “Was the cake… good?”

Ji Ling was taken aback and said, “It was okay.”

“Really? But I saw you didn’t eat much…” Sui Cannong asked, “Do you… do you want me to buy another one for you?”

Ji Ling hadn’t touched much of the cake because he was picky about what he ate. After one bite, he realized it was made with plant-based cream, which he found a bit greasy.

But Sui Cannong had been observing him.

Most of Sui Cannong’s weight was on Ji Ling, and his breath was warm, making Ji Ling’s ear feel ticklish when he spoke.

Ji Ling knew Sui Cannong wasn’t thinking clearly, so he went along with it. “But today is your birthday, the cake is for you.”

Sui Cannong seemed to laugh indistinctly.

Ji Ling continued to support Sui Cannong with one hand while using the other to unlock the door.

“It’s my birthday, so why should we split things?” Sui Cannong leaned in closer, “Just tell me if you want to eat, and I’ll go buy another one for you…”

The door opened, and Ji Ling had to guide Sui Cannong inside. “You’re quite drunk now.”

Ji Ling led Sui Cannong to the bedroom, but Sui Cannong didn’t stop talking. “Do you know… do you know that last time you were drunk, we weren’t very close, and you wouldn’t let go of the vase at the bar? I had to…”

Sui Cannong’s words were cut off when Ji Ling suddenly let go of him.

Sui Cannong, already unsteady, lost his balance and fell onto the bed.

Ji Ling stared at Sui Cannong lying flat on the bed, considering whether to make a hangover soup.

He decided to let Sui Cannong sleep first.

Just as Ji Ling was about to cover him with a blanket, Sui Cannong suddenly grabbed his arm, pulling him down onto the mattress.

Sui Cannong flipped over and pinned Ji Ling to the bed.

Ji Ling saw Sui Cannong pause for a moment, then smile and ask slowly, “Since it’s my birthday, where’s my… my birthday gift?”

Ji Ling’s breathing became unsteady. After a moment, he said, “It’s already prepared. Go to sleep, and I’ll give it to you tomorrow.”

Sui Cannong mumbled, sounding disappointed. “Oh, it’s already prepared.”

He added, “But I… I have other wishes.”

Ji Ling was taken aback. “What other gifts do you want? I can buy them for you.”

Sui Cannong was silent for a moment, then Ji Ling heard him say, “Can we stop the punch card plan?”

Ji Ling was stunned. “What…?”

Sui Cannong didn’t speak, just looked at Ji Ling’s face.

Sui Cannong’s current position gave Ji Ling a strange sense of pressure. The bedroom was dimly lit, and Ji Ling noticed that Sui Cannong’s eyes seemed a bit red.

Before Ji Ling could react, Sui Cannong’s arms gave out, and he fell to Ji Ling’s side, burying his face in Ji Ling’s neck.

Ji Ling heard him mumble his name.

The drunk Sui Cannong seemed to have a strange clingy aura. Ji Ling was at a loss and could only raise his hand to slowly stroke Sui Cannong’s hair.

They were very close, and Ji Ling could feel Sui Cannong’s breathing becoming steady.

Just as Ji Ling thought Sui Cannong was about to fall asleep, he heard him mumble again, “Ji Ling, I know… I know that living isn’t easy for you…”

Ji Ling was taken aback. “What—”

“Everyone has different pasts,” Sui Cannong muttered to himself. “I know life… life is hard for you, but I can’t seem to help you much…”

Ji Ling blinked in confusion.

He heard Sui Cannong ask, somewhat resentfully, “But if… if you have any problems, why won’t you tell me? Why won’t you talk to me?”

Ji Ling stared at Sui Cannong’s face.

The sentences were complete and in a language he understood, but when put together, Ji Ling couldn’t make sense of what Sui Cannong was saying.

Sui Cannong’s eyes were unfocused.

He looked far away, and for a long time, he didn’t speak.

“Ji Ling,” after a while, Ji Ling heard Sui Cannong’s voice, slightly hoarse, “why… why do you not want to live anymore?”