SATURATION Chapter 4

 Chapter 4: Is something bothering you?

Translator:Abo Dammen

What should I do?

Throughout the weekend, Sui Cannong pondered over what he should do. He replayed the scene by the bridge in his mind repeatedly, but he couldn't figure out the thoughts or motivation behind Ji Ling's actions at that time.

He went over every detail in his mind—the cigarette in Ji Ling's hand, the lost expression on his face, the way he leaned halfway over the bridge, even the way his hair was blown by the wind. Every detail remained vivid in Sui Cannong's memory.

In the end, he felt a creeping fear and a sense of dread. Because no matter how he looked at it, Ji Ling's actions at that moment really seemed like... he was about to jump off the bridge.

Sui Cannong also tried to consider other possibilities. But why would someone stand by the bridge, suddenly lean most of their body over the edge, with such a subtle expression on their face? If he didn't intend to jump, what else could he have been trying to do?

And why would he do that?

Work pressure? Family issues? Or was it because of the unfortunate meeting with me that day, which became the final straw that pushed him over the edge?

Sui Cannong knew his thoughts were somewhat absurd. Joking about someone's life was no small matter, and thinking this way almost felt like he was cursing Ji Ling, wishing him ill.

But what if? Even if there was only a one in a thousand chance, what if it really was as he thought?

Then Sui Cannong would be the only one who knew and witnessed it. Although Ji Ling didn't take that irrational step at the last moment, if Sui Cannong just stood by and did nothing, what if one day something life-threatening really happened?

Sui Cannong felt that he might never be able to forgive himself for the rest of his life.

He realized that, no matter what, he needed to find an opportunity to talk to Ji Ling again.

However, Sui Cannong's Monday morning schedule was packed.

Their classrooms were on different floors, so if one of them didn't actively create a chance to "bump into" the other, the probability of meeting on campus was almost zero.

After the last class in the morning, Thomas and two other teachers appeared at the classroom door, asking Sui Cannong if he wanted to join them for lunch.

There weren't particularly fixed cliques among the teachers; those whose classrooms were closer tended to be more familiar and would often go to lunch together.

The cafeteria at the international school had a mediocre Chinese food section, a frequently disastrous Western food section, and a salad section that made you wonder if you'd get diarrhea after eating.

Sui Cannong was a bit distracted today and didn't pay attention to what was being served. He just followed Thomas into the Western food line.

Then he ended up with a plate of corn mush and asparagus.

The yellow, sticky lump on the plate made pigs sigh and dogs shake their heads. Sui Cannong couldn't tell if the cafeteria chef had made it or spat it out.

He placed the plate on the table and glanced at the tables behind him as he sat down, but he didn't see Ji Ling among the crowd.

Thomas had been learning to use chopsticks for over a year. Sui Cannong had corrected his technique many times, but he still held them like a hominid trying to eat.

Sui Cannong couldn't help but ask Thomas, "Have you... seen Ji Ling today?"

Thomas looked puzzled, as if he didn't understand why Sui Cannong would suddenly bring up this person. "I don't know. Doesn't he usually eat with Lynn and Louis? Why?"

Sui Cannong poked at the corn mush on his plate and mumbled after a while, "Never mind."

On his way upstairs, Sui Cannong deliberately slowed his pace and took the stairs closer to Ji Ling's classroom, which he didn't usually use.

But the person he wanted to see wasn't there. As Sui Cannong came downstairs and turned a corner in the hallway, he saw two familiar faces standing at the door of his classroom.

The two Japanese sisters, one with twin tails and the other with a single ponytail, were holding the seeds Sui Cannong had given them on Friday. They waved at him from a distance, clearly out of breath from running over.

The twin-tailed girl spoke up, a bit embarrassed, "Sorry, Teacher Sui, we're a bit late."

"It's fine. I went down to eat when I didn't see you two earlier," Sui Cannong said as he opened the classroom door with a smile. "I've already set aside the pots and soil for you. Come on in."

"The science fair is in two weeks," the single-ponytailed girl explained. "We're in Teacher Ji's group, and our project is a bit challenging, so we have an extra half-hour meeting every noon. We didn't mean to be late."

Sui Cannong paused for a moment as he opened the door.

"It's fine," he said, pulling the door open. "Come on in and start planting."

Sui Cannong brought out the pots and soil for them. The two girls squatted on the floor, excitedly chatting in Japanese, then clumsily started scooping up the soil with their hands.

Sui Cannong hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is Teacher Ji... still in the classroom?"

The sisters exchanged confused glances, and then the twin-tailed girl looked up at Sui Cannong and shook her head. "When we left, we saw him heading downstairs."

"He went to the first floor," the single-ponytailed girl added. "Probably to eat."

There were about twenty minutes left before the first afternoon class, so when Sui Cannong returned to the cafeteria, there were almost no people left.

From a distance, he saw Ji Ling sitting alone.

Today, Ji Ling was wearing a light-colored shirt, his head lowered, his profile serene. He was mechanically eating the corn mush on his plate, his cheeks slightly puffed.

From Ji Ling's expression, Sui Cannong couldn't detect anything unusual. It was hard to connect the person by the bridge that day with the person sitting here now.

In fact, before their meeting at the cafe that day, the two had almost no interaction and had never shared a meal together.

To make his approach seem less deliberate, Sui Cannong carefully thought it over, went to the Western food section to get another plate of food, and decided to stage a chance encounter.

He looked down at the plate in his hands, took a deep breath, and walked over to Ji Ling.

---

Ji Ling decided to stop eating the corn mush in front of him.

He didn't want to call this act "eating" because, in Ji Ling's mind, "eating" was a beautiful verb.

What was in front of him could only be called carbohydrates. Ji Ling didn't think it qualified as food.

Normally, Ji Ling had some tolerance for bad food, but today his chest felt heavy, and he just didn't feel like eating anymore.

Looking at the empty spot on his plate, Ji Ling realized that the amount he had eaten so far might not be enough to sustain him through the afternoon teaching session.

So he hesitated for a moment and decided to eat three more asparagus.

The asparagus was stir-fried with black pepper, and there was a bit too much oil. As he was about to put the third one into his mouth, he heard a voice beside him.

"Did you just finish class, Teacher Ji?" The voice was light and cheerful. "Can I sit here?"

Ji Ling's pupils contracted.

He didn't know what expression was on his face, but he knew that the third asparagus was really bitter, so bitter that his tongue felt numb.

He also knew that, in Sui Cannong's eyes, his expression must have looked very stiff.

Ji Ling's Adam's apple bobbed. He looked up and tried to meet Sui Cannong's gaze as naturally as possible.

"Sure," he heard himself say calmly. "Please sit, Teacher Sui."

So Sui Cannong sat down across from him with his plate.

Ji Ling shifted his gaze downward. He knew Sui Cannong was looking at him, so he tried his best to appear relaxed and nonchalant.

But it was really hard because his heart was beating so fast.

He hadn't expected Sui Cannong to choose to sit with him.

But then he quickly realized that he was the only teacher still eating in the cafeteria. Sui Cannong wasn't choosing to sit with him, he was simply the only option available.

This time, he absolutely couldn't let the conversation die.

Ji Ling told himself this in his heart. If Sui Cannong asked him something, he shouldn't just nod or say "yes." He needed to say more.

But he also shouldn't explain too much, as that would seem strange and overly eager. In short, he absolutely, absolutely couldn't let the atmosphere become as awkward as it had been that day.

Ji Ling saw Sui Cannong take a couple of bites of the corn mush, then put down his spoon and say, "Ah, this corn mush is really..."

Sui Cannong didn't finish the sentence. Ji Ling looked up, alert, realizing that the other man might be waiting for his opinion.

So Ji Ling paused for a moment and said, "I think this corn mush is quite good. It's smooth, and the corn flavor is strong."

Ji Ling carefully described it in detail, and to keep the conversation from becoming awkward, he paused and then awkwardly threw the question back: "Right?"

Sui Cannong seemed to be taken aback.

After a moment, he nodded and said, "Yes, it's really quite good."

Ji Ling felt that his response this time was of decent quality, so he relaxed a little.

The two of them lowered their heads and ate quietly for a while. A minute later, Ji Ling heard Sui Cannong call his name again.

He asked, "Teacher Ji, have you... been bothered by anything recently?"

It was a very abrupt question, with no lead-up or context. Ji Ling didn't understand why he was asking or how he should answer.

So Ji Ling hesitated for a moment and chose to be honest. "No."

Immediately, Ji Ling felt a bit of regret because he realized he had once again steered the conversation into a dead end.

But Sui Cannong's expression was hesitant, as if he had expected this answer.

He said, "But I have."

Before Ji Ling could react, Sui Cannong lowered his head, scooped up a spoonful of corn mush, and continued on his own, "You know, the new dungeon is launching tonight, right?"

Ji Ling's expression went blank. He looked at Sui Cannong's face and slowly blinked.

Because he had thought Sui Cannong wouldn't bring up the game again.

Ji Ling knew he was bad with words, and he also knew that he had really messed things up that day.

He had understood the meaning behind Sui Cannong's words that day. He knew he had made Sui Cannong feel awkward and uncomfortable, and he didn't want to put him in that position again.

So Ji Ling hadn't logged into the game all weekend, even though he knew the mushrooms in his garden had probably all died.

When Sui Cannong sat down across from him, Ji Ling thought he would treat their meeting at the cafe on Friday as if it had never happened.

But Sui Cannong put down his spoon and continued nonchalantly, "I saw some spoilers on the official blog. It's a really difficult dungeon. It would be pretty tough to do it alone."

Sui Cannong's words seemed to be hinting at something, but Ji Ling wasn't sure what he meant, so he just stared at his face in confusion.

"So, do you have time tonight, Teacher Ji?"

He heard Sui Cannong ask, "Should we add each other on WeChat?"

---

Author’s Feed:

Sui Cannong (anxious): This is a matter of life and death. I need to add him on WeChat and give him some psychological counseling.

Little Ji doesn't understand what's going on, but he's very happy.

Two updates, one break. Rest day tomorrow!

Translator’s Feed:

This is gonna be another hilarious misunderstanding trope. All/majority of the author’s books are centered around comedic misunderstandings.