CoP 44

Sui Cannong had originally intended to create a more romantic atmosphere.

After all, this was a genuine confession, and it just so happened to coincide with the Spring Festival. Sui Cannong had planned a grand fireworks display in the backyard.

Then he suddenly remembered that fireworks were banned in cities these days.

Sui Cannong considered ordering some flowers, but he thought it might be too much. He believed Ji Ling would feel uncomfortable.

The atmosphere didn’t necessarily need to be built with material things, so in the end, Sui Cannong only ordered these small sparklers. He decided to rely on his words.

He brought Ji Ling to meet his parents because Sui Cannong wanted Ji Ling to know that he already considered him family.

Sui Cannong wanted to untangle Ji Ling’s heart, and he realized he had to make Ji Ling understand the depth of his feelings.

Fortunately, Sui Cannong felt that his years as a teacher had honed his verbal skills. At least, speaking wasn’t his weakness.

He poured his heart out, but looking at Ji Ling’s face, Sui Cannong still felt a bit anxious.

Ji Ling lowered his eyes and then took the small sparkler.

The sparks gradually dimmed, and Ji Ling stared intently at the tiny flame until it was about to go out. Just before it did, Sui Cannong heard Ji Ling softly say, “I do.”

Ji Ling lifted his face.

“So, Sui Cannong, I’ve caught you,” he said with a smile.

Sui Cannong rarely saw Ji Ling smile like that. The light in his eyes was bright, but the contours of his face looked soft, as if he might melt into the thick night around him.

Sui Cannong’s Adam’s apple moved.

“You caught me, but at the same time, I caught you too,” Sui Cannong said. “Our feelings for each other are equally strong; no one has more than the other.”

Ji Ling looked at Sui Cannong, nodded, and didn’t say anything more, but there was still a smile in his eyes.

Sui Cannong felt his heart melting. He said, “So, are we together now?”

Ji Ling said, “Yes.”

Sui Cannong pondered for a moment and then asked cautiously, “So, can we… not sleep in separate rooms tonight?”

Ji Ling looked at him and nodded.

Sui Cannong thought for a bit more and said, “And if I really want to kiss you, do I need to ask for your permission anymore?”

Ji Ling was silent for a moment, then blinked and lowered his head. Sui Cannong noticed his ears turning slightly red.

But Ji Ling still nodded and replied seriously, “No, you don’t.”

Sui Cannong said, “Okay.”

“Alright,” Sui Cannong said. “I’ll get used to this new identity.”

It was a bit cold outside, so Sui Cannong took Ji Ling’s hand, kissed his nose, and then his lips.

Although Sui Cannong’s hometown was a city with a mild climate, it was still February, and they had been standing outside for a while, so they couldn’t stay much longer.

They returned to Sui Cannong’s bedroom.

As soon as they entered, they heard their phones beep. When they checked, they found their screens lit up simultaneously.

Sui Cannong looked closely and saw that it was a game notification reminding them to log in. Because it was the Spring Festival, logging in would grant them a New Year’s gift pack.

The pack contained 100 minerals and a limited-edition New Year’s hero, which was a pretty good reward.

Sui Cannong smiled and said, “We haven’t played in a while, but let’s still claim the rewards. After all, this game was the start of our story.”

Ji Ling nodded.

So, Sui Cannong and Ji Ling logged in together. As soon as they did, they saw fireworks filling the screen.

Then, a message appeared in the center of the screen: “Your close friend BeautifulCity has logged in” and “Your close friend antelope has logged in.”

Both of them felt a bit nostalgic.

Sui Cannong stared at the game interface for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and asked, “You mentioned those minerals before…”

Ji Ling paused and then lowered his head.

Sui Cannong saw Ji Ling log out and switch to another account. This account had a very high level.

Ji Ling opened the inventory, and Sui Cannong’s eyes widened. This was the first time he saw someone with 999+ minerals in their inventory.

“Compared to pursuing you, the game was relatively easy,” Ji Ling said. “The mineral refresh times are fairly fixed, so with proper resource management, it’s quite relaxed.”

“So I set up two accounts. The main account is used to farm large amounts of resources, and when the secondary account needs resources, I can transfer them directly from the main account,” Ji Ling explained. “The secondary account is the one you see as antelope. Its level is lower because I thought if my level was too high and my resources too good, I wouldn’t have an excuse to play dungeons with you.”

Sui Cannong finally understood. When Ji Ling said, “We won’t need it anymore,” it was indeed a straightforward statement.

Because the number of minerals in Ji Ling’s main account… was enough to last him for the rest of his life.

Ji Ling put down his phone and said, “Before I make any plan, I think about it for a long time, including how to implement it, its feasibility, and the probability of success.”

“If I’m not confident, I usually don’t make the plan,” he said.

“But for all the plans involving you, regardless of the success rate, I tried every single one,” Ji Ling said. “And now, it all seems worth it.”

Ji Ling always spoke in the calmest, most understated tone, but his words always hit Sui Cannong right in the heart. Sui Cannong felt his chest warming up.

Then he heard Ji Ling call his name.

Sui Cannong snapped back to reality and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ji Ling was silent for a moment and said, “Nothing.”

Sui Cannong knew Ji Ling’s way of speaking. When he said “nothing,” it usually meant “I have something to say, but I need to think about it for a bit.”

So, Sui Cannong didn’t press further. He lowered his head and continued calmly claiming the game rewards.

Sure enough, after a while, Ji Ling couldn’t hold back anymore.

“The fireworks were beautiful,” Ji Ling said. “Too bad I didn’t take a photo.”

Sui Cannong looked up. The room was dimly lit, and Ji Ling’s eyelashes looked soft, casting a small, fan-shaped shadow under his eyes.

Ji Ling wasn’t looking at Sui Cannong, so Sui Cannong knew this wasn’t what he really wanted to say.

So, Sui Cannong said, “We can watch them together many more times, so it doesn’t really matter if we didn’t take a photo.”

Ji Ling was silent for a moment and then asked a somewhat awkward question, “When you said… you really, really, really like me, was that true?”

Sui Cannong put down his phone.

Ji Ling felt a bit frustrated. He knew it was a stupid question.

But Ji Ling couldn’t describe his feelings. He was so happy, so incredibly happy that it felt like his body density had suddenly become very light, and his veins were filled with a sweet, warm gas.

He felt like he was about to float away.

Sui Cannong didn’t say anything. He just asked, “Have you claimed your mail yet?”

Ji Ling was taken aback and said, “Not yet.”

Sui Cannong said, “Then don’t claim it now. The pack won’t expire for three days, so you can do it tomorrow.”

Ji Ling looked at Sui Cannong’s face in confusion.

Sui Cannong didn’t say anything more. He placed his hand on the lamp on the bedside table and turned off the only light in the room.

In the darkness, Ji Ling couldn’t see Sui Cannong’s expression clearly.

But he could feel Sui Cannong slowly moving closer. Sui Cannong’s breath was warm, and then their noses touched.

Ji Ling lifted his face and kissed Sui Cannong. He felt Sui Cannong’s breathing become heavier.

Then Ji Ling suddenly shivered as Sui Cannong’s hand covered his abdomen and slowly slid down.

“…You asked a question earlier, and I’ve already given you the answer,” Sui Cannong said.

“But it’s fine. If you want to review, we have the whole night,” Sui Cannong said. “I can slowly give you the answer again.”

Thomas had always loved the Spring Festival.

Thomas was passionate about Chinese culture and cuisine and enjoyed making friends with Chinese people. He was even more excited about the Spring Festival than the locals.

So, on New Year’s Eve, Thomas prepared to make a video call to Sui Cannong to wish him a happy new year.

Thomas and Sui Cannong had known each other for many years. Sui Cannong was Thomas’s best Chinese friend. When Thomas first came to China to teach, Sui Cannong helped him a lot, teaching him how to use chopsticks and how to curse in Chinese.

Thomas called at eleven in the morning, but Sui Cannong didn’t answer.

Thomas had noticed that Sui Cannong had been acting strange recently.

Sui Cannong always stayed late after school, and when Thomas asked why, Sui Cannong said he was waiting for someone. When Thomas asked who, Sui Cannong would change the subject.

Thomas suspected that Sui Cannong might have some secret with one of the female teachers at school.

Thomas had a good grasp of the school’s dynamics and had probed several times, but Sui Cannong remained tight-lipped.

Not being able to get any gossip was frustrating for Thomas.

But upon reflection, Thomas couldn’t figure it out. Sui Cannong usually only interacted more with him and the female teachers only in passing. Recently, he had been closer to Ji Ling.

Thomas was actually quite surprised. After dressing up as a bride and groom together on Halloween, Sui Cannong and Ji Ling’s relationship had suddenly improved. He remembered that the last time Sui Cannong got drunk on his birthday, it was Ji Ling who took him home.

Ji Ling occasionally visited Sui Cannong’s classroom, and when he met Thomas, they would greet each other politely.

Thomas had a better impression of Ji Ling. He felt that although Ji Ling was a bit reserved, he was actually a very nice person.

Thomas thought that maybe after the holiday, he could secretly ask Ji Ling about Sui Cannong’s situation. Ji Ling might know something he didn’t.

For the Spring Festival, Thomas had memorized the ancient poem “Firecrackers signal the passing of the old year” and wanted to show it to someone.

So, at two in the afternoon, Thomas made another video call to Sui Cannong.

This time, Sui Cannong answered. The moment the call connected, Thomas noticed his hair was a bit messy, as if he had just woken up.

“Rui!” Thomas said happily, “Happy New Year’s Eve!”

Sui Cannong also smiled and said, “Happy New Year’s Eve.”

Thomas had intended to ask Sui Cannong about his plans for New Year’s Eve, but before he could, his eyes were drawn to Sui Cannong’s neck.

Thomas’s eyes widened.

“Rui, do you have a lover?” Thomas asked sharply. “Are you living together now?”

Sui Cannong was clearly taken aback but didn’t try to hide it. “Yes, you guessed right.”

Thomas sucked in a breath. He knew his intuition was never wrong.

Thomas eagerly asked, “And it’s someone from our school, right?!”

Sui Cannong was surprised. “How did you know that?”

Thomas: “Who is it?”

Sui Cannong just smiled and shook his head. Just as Thomas was about to ask more, he noticed Sui Cannong’s expression suddenly become serious.

The screen started shaking violently and then suddenly stopped. Thomas saw the chandelier in Sui Cannong’s living room ceiling.

Thomas realized that Sui Cannong must have encountered something urgent, so he had put the phone down on the table.

Ji Ling looked at the boiling water in the pot, which was about to spill over.

Ji Ling was a bit confused and tried to turn off the stove. Fortunately, just as the water started to spill, Sui Cannong, who had been on the phone, quickly rushed over to help.

Sui Cannong pulled Ji Ling back and said, “Stand back, I’ll handle it.”

They had stayed up very late the previous night and slept deeply, only waking up in the afternoon due to hunger.

The villa was in the suburbs, and food delivery wasn’t available. So, Sui Cannong rummaged through the fridge and found a bag of frozen dumplings.

Sui Cannong was originally cooking the dumplings, but Thomas’s call interrupted him, and the task of cooking the frozen dumplings temporarily fell to Ji Ling.

Ji Ling usually followed recipes strictly and never ate frozen food, so he had no idea how to cook frozen dumplings properly.

Ji Ling was afraid the dumplings wouldn’t cook thoroughly, so he kept them on the stove longer, which led to the water spilling over.

“It’s okay, I’ll handle it,” Sui Cannong said with a smile. “You go to the living room and rest. I’ll finish cooking the dumplings.”

Ji Ling felt a bit embarrassed but didn’t want to cause more trouble, so he left the kitchen.

In the living room, Ji Ling noticed Sui Cannong’s phone on the coffee table, and the screen was still lit.

He could hear faint voices from the other end, as if someone was on a video call. Ji Ling hesitated for a moment but then picked up Sui Cannong’s phone.

Ji Ling first saw Thomas’s smiling face.

Thomas: “Rui, are you back? What happened just now? Was it your lover—”

Then Ji Ling saw Thomas’s smile freeze.