He’s So Sweet After Class

“You go sleep a little further over there.” Mo Lingqiu pushed Jiang Chenming, who was holding him extra tight, asking him to shift back into the dark. 

Jiang Chenming didn’t listen, still hugging him tightly. Instead, he draped his legs over.

Mo Lingqiu’s body stiffened and he lay there without moving.

“The two of us just got together. Let me hug you,” Jiang Chenming said, tone full of happiness. 

Mo Lingqiu saw his bright eyes and chose to compromise. Let him hug me, then; I won’t lose a piece of flesh anyway.

“Teacher Mo, the matter of our team manager today… I haven’t explained it to you yet.” Jiang Chenming thought that the reason Mo Lingqiu had suddenly lost his temper before was because he might’ve been jealous of the basketball team’s Omega manager. The Omega had even specifically talked to him about it. Jiang Chenming felt the need to clarify. 

“…What?” Mo Lingqiu didn’t really want to listen. Every time the Omega was mentioned, he would subconsciously compare himself to him. From looks to age, from personality to popularity, it was obvious that he was older and less popular. 

“He came to me some time ago and asked me to say sorry to you.” Jiang Chenming thought that Mo Lingqiu was getting upset with himself again, so he raised his hand to smooth the hair on the back of his head. “He said that his attitude wasn’t very good when he met you last time, and that he doesn’t like me anymore.” 

Mo Lingqiu didn’t say anything, but he certainly wouldn’t be bothered by a much younger student. However, how could he simply say that he didn’t like Jiang Chenming like that? He’d probably just swallowed down the bitterness. 

“Teacher Mo, our team manager was chosen every year. When it comes to ability, he’s quite good. However, I’ll definitely pay attention in the future and try to keep my distance from him, so…” 

“No need,” Mo Lingqiu interrupted. “I… trust you.”

Jiang Chenming’s heart filled with sweetness at his words. “My Teacher Mo is the best.”

Mo Lingqiu glared at him. “Sleep.”

Jiang Chenming moved closer to Mo Lingqiu, dropped a kiss on his forehead, and then peacefully closed his eyes. 

Later, the internal school basketball competition proceeded in an orderly fashion. After more than half a month of ‘battle’, the semi-finalists were soon decided. Jiang Chenming’s PE Department team was on the list of course, while the three remaining teams were from the Computer Science, Chemistry, and Architecture Departments. 

When Jiang Chenming saw the list of teams, he calculated the chances of winning in his head. The obstacle wasn’t big, but it would be a little difficult to play against the Architecture Department. 

University A’s Architecture Department was relatively famous. Almost all the students in the major were top students, and they didn’t lag behind in various activities, especially the basketball team, which was the symbol of the entire department. 

When Jiang Chenming was an undergraduate, he was old rivals with the members of the Architecture Department’s basketball team. Later on, those players quit the team one after the other, graduated, and left the school. Jiang Chenming would then play against their slightly different roster every year, managing a narrow win each year. 

Jiang Chenming didn’t care too much about whichever team was drawn as his opponent, because if they didn’t run into the Architecture Department’s team, they would have a high possibility of entering the final. If they met before the final, then they would just have to start playing. 

As it turned out, God wanted to save the best for last. Jiang Chenming, as the representative for the PE Department, drew lots and ended up picking the Chemistry Department to play against. 

The semi-finals were scheduled for December 20th at 2pm, with both courts playing at the same time. A whistleblower, a referee, and a supervisor were assigned for each court; it was a pretty strong lineup.

Mo Lingqiu had originally promised Jiang Chenming that he would watch the match, but, unfortunately, on December 18th, his mentor suddenly rushed to the emergency room. 

Mo Lingqiu’s mentor, Old Professor Cao, had been helping him and occasionally giving him some pointers. Professor Cao was still single and had no children. After he’d met Mo Lingqiu, he’d been raising him as his own son. 

Professor Cao had always had high blood pressure. Although it had significantly improved in recent years, his blood pressure had suddenly spiked while he had been using too much effort to clean his house, and he was consequently sent to the emergency room. 

When Mo Lingqiu arrived at the hospital, his head was covered in sweat.

The doctor came over and told him a bit about the situation, dictating that Professor Cao was to be hospitalized for a few days; any further details would depend on his recovery. 

Mo Lingqiu agreed and paid the bill. Everything took more than an hour to finish. He then hurried into the ward to look after Professor Cao. 

Professor Cao’s face was pale, but he didn’t act like a patient at all. An IV needle had been inserted into his right hand, and his left hand was still flipping through a heavy book. 

“Stop reading.” Mo Lingqiu frowned and reached for the book.

Professor Cao pulled the book towards himself and avoided his hand. “I have nothing to do, sitting here.” 

“You are sick. You need to rest.” Mo Lingqiu looked at his white hair. He was already old, and yet he still didn’t take care of his body. 

“Hai, sick, sick. Sickness will always come.” Professor Cao sighed. “I’m already old, it should’ve come.” 

“Absolutely not. I’ve asked you to not drink tea, but you drink a few pots in one sitting.” Mo Lingqiu felt really helpless; he didn’t know if people became stubborn when they got older. He had reminded Professor Cao to not always drink rich tea, but he hadn’t wanted to listen. Drinking three pots of tea a day was nothing to him. 

“Stop. I want to read the book.” Professor Cao interrupted him and continued to bury his head in the book.

Mo Lingqiu was really helpless. In the past six months, Professor Cao’s body had obviously become worse. Even he, as an outsider, was anxious about his body, but the person to whom it belonged was indifferent. 

Professor Cao read two lines before catching Mo Lingqiu off guard, suddenly asking, “How are you doing with that… Jiang child?” 

“…How did you know?” Mo Lingqiu was surprised. Why did everyone know about him and Jiang Chenming?

“Fan Nian came to talk to me earlier and said that you’re in a relationship.” Professor Cao finally put down the book. “What? You don’t want to tell me about it? You think I’m too old to remember?”

“Why would I think that?” Mo Lingqiu anxiously asked. “It’s just that our relationship wasn’t stable enough a while ago…”

“What about recently?”

“It’s much better lately,” Mo Lingqiu replied, not noticing the joyful look on his own face. 

After entering into a relationship with Jiang Chenming, Mo Lingqiu had completely changed his mind about some things. 

He used to feel that he could live a good life alone, with a great career and without the influence of one more person. However, with Jiang Chenming’s involvement, there were many things that two people could do together. Whenever he encountered something unhappy, he didn’t need to worry about being able to speak up or not; he could tell Jiang Chenming everything. 

Although Jiang Chenming was younger, he had a mature perspective on a lot of matters, and would often make suggestions that would make Mo Lingqiu enlightened. 

Even though Mo Lingqiu usually held back, he could feel that he’d recently become more open-minded. 

Professor Cao gave him a meaningful look. “Good. That’s good for you.”

Mo Lingqiu’s mood became pretty good with his positive words. However, being in a good mood was one thing and reminding Professor Cao to take care of his health was another. 

On the night of the 18th, Mo Lingqiu cooked Professor Cao’s dinner himself at home and brought it to the hospital. Since the semi-finals were approaching, Jiang Chenming still hadn’t returned when Mo Lingqiu was cooking dinner. After Mo Lingqiu finished cooking, he left an extra portion on the living room table for him. 

At 9:00 pm, Mo Lingqiu helped Professor Cao finish washing up. He helped the old man back to bed and prepared to spend the night on the sofa next to him.

Jiang Chenming happened to call at that exact moment, and, just by listening to the tone of his voice, Mo Lingqiu could tell that he was in a good mood. 

“Teacher Mo, sorry, I came back late.”

“I’m not at home.”

“En, I know, but it’s still important to inform you.” Jiang Chenming smiled. His right hand was stirring the already cold porridge.

“Warm up the porridge yourself.”

“Okay.” Jiang Chenming said that, but, in fact, he had already scooped up a spoonful of the cold porridge and put it into his mouth.

The porridge had been sitting outside for a while. Not only was it cold, but it had also become very thick, and it was completely incomparable to when it was freshly cooked.

Mo Lingqiu heard the sound through the phone and solemnly asked, “Are you eating again without warming it up?” 

He’d been caught over the phone. Jiang Chenming wiped his mouth. “No. Ding. Did you hear it? It’s the sound of the microwave oven.” 

“…If it’s like that, I can also do it.” Who didn’t know how to say ‘ding’? 

“Then, try saying it.” Jiang Chenming laughed. He would seize the opportunity to tease Mo Lingqiu whenever he got the chance.

This time, Mo Lingqiu fell silent; he knew that he was being set up.

“Teacher Mo, are you staying at the hospital today?”

“En, I’m worried.” Mo Lingqiu was really worried. Professor Cao was an ‘old child’, at least in some ways. He wouldn’t be willing to listen to the doctor’s words. 

“Then remember to take a good rest, even though it’s unlikely for you.” Jiang Chenming sighed. “Don’t worry. I guess Professor Cao’s health will be restored before I even play in the semi-finals.”

“En.” Mo Lingqiu liked hearing that.

Jiang Chenming talked with him for a while before finally ending the call with a ‘good night’.

On the 19th, the attending doctor came to take Professor Cao’s blood pressure twice more. Although it was decreasing, it was still very high. 

“Stay a few more days. As you know, the old man is reluctant to listen to our words.”

“Yes.” The doctors in the hospital were old acquaintances with Professor Cao, and they all knew how his temperament was. Mo Lingqiu knew it even better. 

Since Professor Cao wanted to stay at the hospital for a few more days, Mo Lingqiu just set up a simple cot in the ward and stayed with him. 

On the afternoon of the 20th, Jiang Chenming finished the semi-final game, winning by a margin of twenty-three points and advancing to the final. Their opponent would be the Architecture Department. The result had been expected. The team shouted and wanted to go celebrate, but Jiang Chenming slipped away with an excuse. 

At the hospital, Mo Lingqiu asked countless times for Professor Cao to put down his book and rest. 

While Professor Cao was being shameless and disobedient, someone knocked on the hospital room door. 

Mo Lingqiu glanced at him. “I told you that the doctor would come in a moment, but you still don’t believe me. Now you can wait for him to nag you later.” 

Professor Cao shook his head. “Definitely not a doctor.”

Mo Lingqiu didn’t believe him. He really needed someone to reprimand Professor Cao, so he went to open the door with great enthusiasm. Outside the ward, Jiang Chenming grinned, carrying a lot of food and a bouquet of flowers in his hands. 

“Teacher Mo, it’s been a few days.”

Mo Lingqiu froze. He heard Professor Cao on the bed, softly say, “I told you it wasn’t a doctor, right? How can you not even recognize your own boyfriend.” 

Hearing the latter half of the sentence, Mo Lingqiu’s face turned red. He then angrily pulled Jiang Chenming into the ward.