CoP 45

Ji Ling quietly ate the dumplings in his bowl.

The frozen dumplings were smaller, and Ji Ling could eat one in a single bite. As he chewed, he lifted his eyes to look at Sui Cannong, who was pacing on the balcony.

Sui Cannong was probably still talking to Thomas, who was on the verge of a breakdown.

So Ji Ling lowered his head and slowly ate another dumpling.

The physical exertion from last night had been quite intense, and Ji Ling’s back still felt a bit sore.

Ji Ling slowly curled up in the soft sofa, holding the bowl and eating two more dumplings in one go, feeling his stomach gradually settle.

Ji Ling had just glanced at the bag of frozen dumplings, which contained thirty in total. He had already eaten twelve, so he put down his chopsticks.

He wanted to leave some dumplings for Sui Cannong to eat.

When he looked up again, Ji Ling saw Sui Cannong walking back into the living room with his phone.

The two of them looked at each other in silence, and Ji Ling pursed his lips.

“I’m sorry,” Ji Ling paused, “I shouldn’t have taken your phone, but I heard it ringing…”

Sui Cannong waved his hand.

“It’s fine. We’re already together, and there’s nothing to hide,” Sui Cannong smiled, “Thomas knows, and he said he’ll keep it a secret.”

Ji Ling looked at Sui Cannong’s expression and hesitated, “Will he really keep it a secret?”

Although Ji Ling wasn’t very familiar with Thomas, he had heard from Lin that Thomas was notorious for being a big mouth. He would never keep a secret.

Lin had told Ji Ling that if you wanted something to be known but didn’t want to say it yourself, you just needed to find Thomas, tell him the secret, and say, “I’m only telling you, don’t tell anyone else.”

The next day, everyone in the world would know.

In fact, the atmosphere at the international school was very open, so relationships among faculty members were completely free. It was common for two teachers who were just occasionally dating before the summer to be married by the time school resumed. Currently, there were even two female teachers who were openly in a relationship.

Ji Ling didn’t really care what others thought, but he didn’t know what Sui Cannong thought.

Maybe Sui Cannong wanted to keep it a secret to avoid unnecessary trouble, and Ji Ling felt he should respect his choice.

For them, it was just a brief interlude. After officially getting together, they did everything couples do during the Spring Festival.

The frozen dumplings were quite ordinary, so they later bought flour and made their own. They also went to the flower market together, watched TV shows on the sofa, and spent the entire holiday in a warm and peaceful manner.

Of course, at night, things weren’t always so peaceful.

After school resumed, Thomas was in a daze.

For Thomas, accepting the fact that Sui Cannong and Ji Ling were together wasn’t difficult; the hard part was keeping such a big, explosive secret.

Thomas was in agony, but as Sui Cannong’s good friend, he managed to keep the secret, albeit with great difficulty.

Lunchtime was when Thomas delivered the latest gossip.

“Did you see the Instagram posts from Lin and Louis? They seem to have been on a ten-day trip together,” Thomas said, “but I heard it’s still Louis doing the pursuing, and Lin’s attitude is a bit ambiguous…”

Sui Cannong sipped his soup and hummed.

“Oh, right, Sui, there’s a bit of bad news for you,” Thomas said, “I overheard a few of the language department teachers chatting. It seems that Tracy from the main campus has a bit of a crush on you and plans to ask you to dance at the ball next week.”

Sui Cannong was taken aback, and Thomas coughed, glancing back at Ji Ling, who was sitting at another table with others, and said, “You know, right…?”

After school, Sui Cannong went to Ji Ling’s classroom as usual.

Ji Ling was carefully erasing the whiteboard, and Sui Cannong leaned lazily against the wall, asking, “Do you want to go to the ball this year?”

Ji Ling looked at Sui Cannong, “Do you want to go?”

When Ji Ling asked this, it usually meant he wasn’t really interested. To him, the ball was always a form of ineffective socializing.

Sui Cannong said, “I’m fine either way, but I heard the hotel this year is pretty good, and the drinks will be great. Plus, a few students are graduating, and we can take some photos together.”

Ji Ling looked hesitant.

So Sui Cannong smiled, “Come on, keep me company. It should be fun.”

Ji Ling nodded, “Okay.”

The ball had a spring theme. The first half was for the students to relax, so the teachers were divided into different groups with specific tasks: ticket checking, security for alcohol and cigarettes, monitoring inappropriate student behavior, and the “let’s dance with the students” group.

There were also dress code requirements for the teachers. Ji Ling looked at himself in the mirror in his formal attire, feeling a bit uncomfortable and strange.

Sui Cannong raised his hand and straightened Ji Ling’s collar.

Sui Cannong was generous with his praise, “You look great. I wonder who’s lucky enough to have you as a boyfriend. I’m so jealous.”

Before Ji Ling could respond, Sui Cannong elongated his “oh” sound, “Ah, it’s me, isn’t it? No worries then.”

Ji Ling: “…”

The first half of the ball was rather monotonous and dull. During this time, Ji Ling caught two high school students sneaking electronic cigarettes and handed them over to the vice-principal waiting at the door.

Shirley and Cindy, the twin sisters, were both wearing beautiful dresses and pulled Ji Ling and Sui Cannong to take photos at the photo wall. Thomas sneaked in and gave a thumbs-up.

After the students dispersed at ten o’clock, it was time for the teachers to let loose.

Non-alcoholic drinks turned into alcoholic ones, and the music’s tempo changed. After a busy night, the teachers finally had a moment to breathe.

Thomas and Adam, the “atmosphere group,” were the first to start dancing, and other teachers joined in, laughing and chatting. Couples and partners held hands and danced together, and the atmosphere quickly heated up.

Ji Ling had no interest in dancing.

After escorting a few younger female students out, he went to the restroom. When he returned, he started looking for Sui Cannong.

Then Ji Ling was stopped by someone.

It was Lin, who asked, “Aren’t you going to dance?”

Ji Ling said, “I’m not very good at it.”

Lin looked disapproving, “Ji, you should try stepping out of your comfort zone. You didn’t come to the ball for the past few years. Why not give it a try this year?”

Ji Ling understood Lin’s concern. He paused but still shook his head.

“Louis was looking for you,” Ji Ling said, “And I saw the photos from your trip during the Spring Festival. The scenery was beautiful.”

Ji Ling felt he had been quite tactful.

Lin stepped back and smiled, “Okay, okay, I get it.”

After the conversation, Ji Ling finally saw Sui Cannong standing in a corner. Although he was in a corner, there were quite a few people around him.

In front of Sui Cannong stood a teacher from the main campus. Ji Ling remembered she taught French and was a poised French girl. She asked Sui Cannong, “Can we dance together?”

Sui Cannong was taken aback, and Thomas looked uncomfortable.

Ji Ling blinked.

In reality, they hadn’t publicly disclosed their relationship, and the girl was being quite gracious. Besides, it was just a dance, and for the more open-minded foreigners, such an invitation only indicated some affection and didn’t mean much.

However, Ji Ling saw Sui Cannong shake his head and smile, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Tracy smiled, “Can I ask why? Is it because you have a partner?”

Sui Cannong was clearly taken aback and turned to look at Thomas, who nervously rubbed his hands.

Sui Cannong sighed, knowing that Thomas had tried to keep it a secret but hadn’t completely succeeded.

But Sui Cannong also knew that Thomas hadn’t intentionally let it slip; someone must have asked him.

Thomas looked around, sweating, and tried to defuse the situation, “No, no, it’s because I’m a terrible dancer. I already reserved Sui’s entire night for myself, so no one can take him from me…”

Thomas’s words eased the tense atmosphere, and several teachers, including Tracy, started laughing.

However, Sui Cannong’s gaze fell on someone in the crowd—Ji Ling.

Ji Ling gave Sui Cannong a slight nod, indicating it was fine.

But Sui Cannong didn’t follow Thomas’s lead. He smiled, “Yes, I do have a partner, and he’s right here.”

Thomas’s mouth dropped open in surprise, as they had been speaking in English, and Sui Cannong had used the word “he.”

Sui Cannong turned to look at Ji Ling.

Ji Ling’s eyes widened in confusion as he saw Sui Cannong walking straight toward him, saying, “I’ve been waiting for you. Why are you so slow?”

Amid Thomas’s bewildered gaze, Adam’s hearty laughter, and the gasps of other teachers, Sui Cannong extended his hand to Ji Ling.

“Would you like to dance with me?” Sui Cannong thought for a moment and smiled, “If you don’t want to, I’ll really have no one to dance with.”