Your Distance

Chapter 13

‘I finished marking the homework on your desk.’

Bai Changyi said this sentence all too naturally. So naturally that Ting Shuang almost thought he was saying “I just helped you take out the trash”.

Ting Shuang straight up wanted to call the police.

But what would he say after calling them?

The first sentence, full of severity and justice; A perverted professor harbouring bad intentions stalked me to my front door.

The second sentence was filled with indignation and outrage; Then, he used an invalid excuse to enter my private quarters.

The third sentence, a claim as solid as the mountains and rivers; Finally, when I was completely unprepared, he despicably–

In the fourth sentence, all his strength withered; Marked my homework?

There was no way he could make this report.

“Why did you do it without asking for my permi…” Ting Shuang wanted to question him, but as soon as he looked at Bai Changyi’s face he felt weak. Not only did he feel weak, but he also panicked. And not only did he panic, but his legs also turned jelly. All three of his legs turned jelly.(1) “… I did do my homework, but I haven’t checked through it yet… Isn’t the deadline next Monday… Couldn’t you have waited to mark it until after I’ve submitted it… And doesn’t the teacher’s assistant do the marking of homework…”

Bai Changyi said: “I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I marked it. Homework doesn’t count towards your overall grade. What are you nervous about?”

He couldn’t stand it???

Then how fucking wrong were his answers?

Ting Shuang mumbled, guiltily, “Someone didn’t let me qualify for the final exam, so why would I still care about the overall grade? I can’t get grade points no matter how well I do my homework.”

Bai Changyi said, “What are you nervous about then?”

“I …” Ting Shuang choked a little on his words, then gave Bai Changyi another glance. “I was just scared… scared that after seeing my homework, you’d think that I’m especially dumb, and that I’m not good at studying, and that I’m hopeless…” His voice got softer and softer, “… I wanted to leave a good impression on you.”

Bai Changyi listened to him, then asked in an inquiring tone, “So, before I saw your homework, what good impressions do you think you left me with?”

Ting Shuang sank into a train of thoughts…

Not attending the first lesson.

Calling him ‘stupid-ass’ behind his back.

Giving him a fake medical certificate.

Not being able to answer the questions he asked.

Playing “Wei Feng Tang Tang” in the car.

Looking at people’s birds in the toilet and expressing his dissatisfaction.

Throwing tantrums.

Fine.

F I N E.

Bai Changyi said, “Let’s go in and look at the questions you got wrong.”

“Oh…” Ting Shuang was dejected.

Before walking to the desk, Ting Shuang had already imagined the sight of red crosses all over the A4 paper, but when he saw the assignment, he realized that that was not the case. Bai Changyi did not touch his homework, but just wrote his mistakes and corrected them on a blank piece of A4 paper. The words looked exactly like those on the board in class.

The entire page was filled.

Ting Shuang sat in front of the desk, holding that piece of paper. He didn’t quite dare to look back at Bai Changyi, who was standing behind him. “There’s so many things I have to correct… a full page…”

Bai Changyi reminded him, “There’s the back.”

The back???

There’s more on the back???

Ting Shuang turned over the A4 paper in despair—

Once again, the entire page was filled.

Bai Changyi said, “Take a look at it. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask.”

Ting Shuang raised his hand and said, “Professor, I just have one question right now.”

“What’s your question.” Bai Changyi said.

Ting Shuang turned around, hugged the back of the chair, and looked up at Bai Changyi with dissatisfaction, “I really don’t understand, why did our date become a question and answer session?”

Bai Changyi looked down at Ting Shuang, mouth curving up. “Then, what do you want to do?”

“I want… I want…” Ting Shuang looked around for a long time, then finally met Bai Changyi’s eyes, which were behind his glasses.

“… I want to study. Really, Professor, I want to study.” Ting Shuang said lifelessly.

It wasn’t that hard to study.

Firstly, he had to calm down and forget about the professor standing behind him.

Secondly…

Fuck, how could he forget that Bai Changyi was just standing behind and staring at him!

He had to check for spelling mistakes after writing every single word, and when writing a full sentence he had to re-read it three times for fear of making grammatical mistakes, not to mention occupational dialect…

Ting Shuang couldn’t take it any longer, and turned around, “Could you not stare at me—”

Huh?

Bai Changyi wasn’t behind him?

Bai Changyi was reading on the sofa seven meters away?

Meeting Bai Changyi’s raised eyes, Ting Shuang said embarrassedly, “Oh you’re reading… What are you reading…”

“The manga on the sofa,” Bai Changyi said.

Manga?

Bai Changyi glanced at the cover and said, “Attack on Titan.”

“Oh this, it also has an anime.” Ting Shuang leaped to the side of the sofa and said excitedly, “Why don’t we watch the anime together? I’ll watch the first three seasons with you, then we can catch up on the fourth season together. How about it? “

Bai Changyi looked up, “Done studying?”

Ting Shuang froze and said, “… Not yet.”

Bai Changyi lowered his head and continued to read the manga.

Ting Shuang went back to the desk with low spirits, and discontentedly continued to study.

Damn it, making me study while he reads manga on his own!

A role model?(2)

He wasn’t one bit of a role model!

After studying for an hour, Ting Shuang secretly turned and took a look—

Bai Changyi was still reading manga.

Ting Shuang couldn’t help but ask, “You don’t have to go to work on Monday afternoons?”

Bai Changyi said without looking up, “I don’t.”

Ting Shuang said softly, “You’re not working and yet you make me study…”