CoP 41

Ji Ling felt that there was something inexplicably strange about Sui Cannong’s current state.

However, Sui Cannong presented him with a choice, and Ji Ling thought about it seriously before answering, “Egg and mushroom soup.”

He chose egg and mushroom soup over cream of mushroom soup for two reasons: one, it sounded more delicious, and two, he knew they didn’t have any cream at home.

Sui Cannong looked into Ji Ling’s eyes and said gently, “Alright, whatever you say.”

Sui Cannong’s demeanor was calm, showing no obvious issues, except that his voice was inexplicably louder, as if he were speaking for someone else to hear.

Ji Ling had a vague sense that something was off.

Before Adam could say anything, he suddenly received a phone call.

After hanging up, Adam said to Ji Ling with a hint of regret, “Ji, I might have to leave early.”

As if remembering something, Adam glanced back at Sui Cannong, hesitated for a moment, then leaned in to whisper in Ji Ling’s ear, “Oh, right, you asked me about the scarf knitting technique today, didn’t you? I’ll contact you later and teach you how to knit.”

Ji Ling nodded, and Adam waved, giving Sui Cannong one last look before leaving the classroom with a smile.

When Ji Ling turned around, he found Sui Cannong calmly watching him.

Because Sui Cannong had been unsure of how much to cut, he ended up slicing too many mushrooms, so they both ended up carrying large bags of mushrooms home.

Ji Ling was a bit heartbroken.

He felt that these mushroom plants were not just ingredients but also had high ornamental value. More importantly, they were gifts from Sui Cannong, and just looking at them every day made him feel good.

Finally, they had a set of more suitable kitchen knives at home, and Sui Cannong chopped vegetables quickly, slicing the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces with a steady rhythm.

It might have been Ji Ling’s imagination, but he felt that Sui Cannong was chopping the vegetables a bit too forcefully today.

Lately, Ji Ling had been going through a tough time.

The difficulty lay in the fact that sometimes the atmosphere between him and Sui Cannong was very good, and Ji Ling really wanted to be intimate with Sui Cannong, but he couldn’t take the next step.

However, Ji Ling had made up his mind to give Sui Cannong some time to think clearly about his feelings. Therefore, during this period, he had not crossed any boundaries.

But this didn’t mean Ji Ling would do nothing. He was still very serious about his plan to pursue Sui Cannong.

Ji Ling’s current main plan was to win Sui Cannong’s heart through his stomach. Although he didn’t think his cooking was very good, Sui Cannong always praised him enthusiastically.

Ji Ling also realized that sometimes, taking a step back could produce some excellent results in pursuing someone.

While Ji Ling was simmering the soup, Adam sent a voice message.

Ji Ling had learned about a week ago that Adam would be coming to the branch campus for an exchange program. They had chatted briefly at the time. Adam had always known that Ji Ling had someone he liked and had been eager to meet him. The idea of knitting a scarf was actually Adam’s suggestion.

In the voice message, Adam said, “Personally, I prefer scarves with patterns or tassels, but since you’re a beginner, a plain one should be good too.”

Ji Ling heard Sui Cannong turn off the stove.

The kitchen suddenly became quiet, making Adam’s voice clearer from the phone: “If you can’t understand the tutorials, just come find me tomorrow, and I’ll teach you how to knit. I’m very good at it…”

Ji Ling had just typed “Thank you” in the chat box when he heard a loud thud.

It was a heavy sound of something colliding, and Ji Ling was startled. He looked up to see Sui Cannong placing the entire pot of soup on the table.

Meeting Ji Ling’s gaze, Sui Cannong smiled and said, “The soup is ready.”

Sui Cannong took two large sips of soup, then, noticing that Ji Ling hadn’t spoken, asked casually, “What’s wrong?”

Ji Ling hesitated, put down his phone, and said, “Nothing.”

Sui Cannong hummed in response.

They ate in silence for a while. Sui Cannong watched Ji Ling take a sip of the mushroom soup and asked, “Is it good?”

Ji Ling pondered for a moment, considering whether to say something nice or honest.

In the end, he gave a balanced answer, “It’s good. The eggs are very tender, but the taste… might be a bit too salty for me.”

Sui Cannong thought for a moment and said, “Yes, I felt the flavor was a bit heavy too. I’ll use less pepper next time.”

Ji Ling nodded.

The next second, he heard Sui Cannong casually ask, “How long have you known Adam?”

Ji Ling replied, “He’s a friend I met in college. We both study theoretical physics.”

Sui Cannong said, “Oh, I see. He’s… pretty tall, isn’t he?”

Ji Ling said, “Yes, Adam works out a lot. He used to model part-time in college.”

Sui Cannong fell silent.

Ji Ling hesitated, then put down his chopsticks and said to Sui Cannong, “I’m sorry.”

Sui Cannong was taken aback, “Why?”

“I might not be able to make you breakfast tomorrow morning,” Ji Ling said. “I promised to make you blueberry pancakes this Saturday, but I have to go out to meet Adam tomorrow.”

Sui Cannong said, “Oh,” and after a moment, asked, “What do you need to see him for?”

Ji Ling said, “I really want to knit a scarf for you, and Adam is very good at knitting, so I want to learn from him.”

Sui Cannong’s expression was complex.

He looked into Ji Ling’s eyes and said after a while, “It’s fine.”

“Actually, I’m quite interested in knitting too,” Sui Cannong said calmly. “It sounds like a fun little craft.”

“Why don’t you come with me?” he said.

The next day, the three of them met at a café.

Since they weren’t at school, Adam didn’t hold back on his personal style.

He wore his favorite Barbie pink sweater, and his slightly exaggerated height made quite an impact visually.

Ji Ling seemed to have gotten used to his style, but Sui Cannong was momentarily stunned, feeling that something was different from what he had imagined.

Ji Ling brought a large bag of yarn he had bought online.

Sui Cannong had no real interest in knitting but had to follow along. So the three of them sat in a circle in the café, discussing how to knit a scarf.

Adam was very enthusiastic in his explanations, Ji Ling was very focused on learning, and Sui Cannong was half-asleep.

Adam rummaged through the yarn, “Why don’t you try a gray one? I think gray has a nice texture, and since it’s winter, versatility is important…”

Before Ji Ling could respond, Sui Cannong suddenly perked up, “But I think orange looks better.”

Seeing the two of them pause, Sui Cannong looked slightly apologetic and said, “Sorry, I remember Ji Ling said he was knitting this scarf for me, so I instinctively chose the color I like.”

“I just picked the color I prefer,” he said with a smile.

Ji Ling hesitated and said, “Let’s go with orange.”

Sui Cannong finally smiled for the first time that day, stood up, and said, “I’ll go to the bathroom.”

Watching Sui Cannong leave, Adam couldn’t help but chuckle, “Ji, if looks could kill, I’d be a pile of ashes right now.”

Anyone with eyes could see that Sui Cannong was subtly competing with Adam. Even if Ji Ling was a bit slow, he realized something was off.

Ji Ling realized that Sui Cannong was unhappy about his interactions with Adam.

Sui Cannong cared about Ji Ling’s closeness with others. Realizing this made Ji Ling happy, but he also felt that it was bad for Sui Cannong to have such a misunderstanding.

When they got home, Ji Ling hesitated but decided to clear things up with Sui Cannong.

“Adam is my friend, and he has a partner in the UK,” Ji Ling said, then added, “And he only likes muscular men who are taller than him.”

Sui Cannong turned around and fell into a subtle silence.

Ji Ling hesitated and said, “I didn’t mean anything by it. I just don’t want you to misunderstand.”

After a moment, Sui Cannong said, “It’s fine.”

“I didn’t think much of it. I can tell you two are just good friends,” Sui Cannong said casually.

Ji Ling was taken aback because Sui Cannong’s expression looked genuinely unconcerned, as if he really didn’t care.

Ji Ling felt a bit disappointed at that moment, but he thought that if Sui Cannong hadn’t misunderstood, it was actually better.

So Ji Ling nodded.

But the feeling of being overly self-conscious still made Ji Ling feel a bit awkward, so he lowered his head, turned around, and decided to leave the room.

However, before Ji Ling could reach the door, a hand grabbed his waist from behind, and another hand pulled the door shut.

Before Ji Ling could turn around, he felt a force pulling him backward, and his back collided with Sui Cannong’s chest.

Ji Ling was enveloped in Sui Cannong’s embrace.

Sui Cannong’s voice came from behind him, tinged with a smile, “You really believed me?”

“How could I not care?” Sui Cannong said.

They hadn’t been this close for a long time. Sui Cannong’s breath brushed against Ji Ling’s ear, and although Ji Ling couldn’t see his face, he could feel the warmth radiating from Sui Cannong’s body.

“He’s so tall and handsome, and he’s so close to you. The more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I felt,” Sui Cannong whispered in Ji Ling’s ear. “I really wanted to ask when you two met, how you met, and why you’re so close…”

“But I felt that asking would make me seem petty,” Sui Cannong said.

Sui Cannong’s hand rested on Ji Ling’s abdomen, making him feel a bit ticklish.

But Ji Ling still explained carefully, “Adam is just a college classmate. He’s a good person, but we have nothing more.”

“And if you have any questions in the future, just ask me directly,” Ji Ling said.

Sui Cannong hummed.

He lowered his head, resting his face on Ji Ling’s shoulder, and after a moment, said softly, “But I thought about it, and for our current relationship, I don’t even have the right to be upset…”

Ji Ling was taken aback and said, “No, that’s not true—”

Ji Ling didn’t know how to respond. He wanted to say, “You have the right to be upset,” but it sounded strange.

Then he heard Sui Cannong laugh softly.

“I was joking,” he said.

“But I was unhappy all day thinking about you and him. Can you give me some extra compensation?” Sui Cannong said.

Ji Ling hesitated and said, “Okay, but—”

Suddenly, the hands that had been holding him around the waist let go, and he turned to face Sui Cannong.

Ji Ling saw that Sui Cannong’s eyes were pitch black but also bright, as if there was something hot and intense burning in them.

“I’ll take the liberty,” Sui Cannong said.

Seeing Ji Ling’s bewildered expression, Sui Cannong’s eyes curved into a smile, and he said lightly, “We can talk about it later. Right now, I really can’t hold back.”

Before Ji Ling could say anything, Sui Cannong lifted his hand and gently touched his face.

His fingertips brushed against Ji Ling’s nose, then slowly moved down to his lips, where they paused and gently caressed his lips.

The next moment, Sui Cannong let go of his hand, leaned down, and kissed him.