Your Distance

When Ting Shuang arrived at the hospital, Liang Zhengxuan was on a drip, lying on the bed.

It was a double ward, but the other bed was empty, so there was no one else in the ward at that moment.

“Why are you here?” Liang Zhengxuan raised his head with much difficulty.

Ting Shuang said, “Auntie called me. She said that you weren’t answering your phone, and doesn’t know about how you’re doing now. You should give her a call.”

Liang Zhengxuan said, “My phone ran out of battery and I didn’t bring a charger when I left the house.”

Ting Shuang asked, “Can you move your hands now?”

Liang Zhengxuan said, “Yes, it just hurts a little.”

Ting Shuang was a little impatient, “Forget it, don’t move.”

He took out his own phone, dialed his mother’s number, put it on speaker mode and placed it next to Liang Zhengxuan’s pillow, “I’ll wait outside. Be back in 20 minutes.”

He didn’t want to listen in on Liang Zhengxuan’s call.

As he walked out of the ward, Ting Shuang was a little irritated.

Liang Zhengxuan was pretty much fine. When the car hit him, it had already decelerated to a speed of 30 kilometers per hour, so not a single one of his bones were broken, and only his soft tissues suffered any damage. He just had to lie down and rest. The situation was far less urgent than what his mother had described on the phone.

She made it seem so dire and surprising, that he thought Zhengxuan wasn’t able to take care of himself…

If this had happened to Ting Shuang, he wouldn’t have called home at all. His family members were far away in China. Even if they knew of it, they would be worried for nothing and unable to help.

How should he spend the twenty minutes he had…

Ting Shuang glanced at his watch and decided to walk around downstairs.

Only after walking for a while did he remember; after getting off the train, he’d rushed to the hospital by car, and forgot to tell Bai Changyi that he had arrived. And now his phone was in the ward…

Forget it, Liang Zhengxuan was probably still on the phone. He’d just send a message to Bai Laoban in 20 minutes.

Maybe he could have a video call with Bai Laoban at night too…

On the other side, Bai Changyi glanced at his phone, to see that he had no missed calls or unread messages.

The kid had promised to report his safety when he arrived. At this time, he should have gotten off the train long ago.

Although he knew that there probably hadn’t been an accident, Bai Changyi still called over.

The phone rang thrice before the call connected. Bai Changyi said, “Have you reached?”

The other party hesitated for a while before saying, “Ting Shuang is out… May I ask whom you are?”

It was a young male voice that he had heard before.

It probably belonged to Ting Shuang’s ex-boyfriend.

Bai Changyi said, “Isn’t it displayed on the screen.”

Ting Shuang had saved Bai Changyi’s mobile phone number and changed his contact name.

Bai Changyi still remembered that when he saved the number, Ting Shuang had entered “Dear”.

It wasn’t a bad contact name. Mm.

Liang Zhengxuan read out the contact name displayed on the screen, “Old, beast.”

Bai Changyi: “…”

“When Ting Shuang comes back, please tell him to call me back, thank you.”

Within two minutes of him hanging up, Ting Shuang returned to the ward.

“Have you finished your call?” Ting Shuang took back his phone, “If there’s nothing much, then I’ll get ready to leave.”

“… Lil’ Shuang.” Liang Zhengxuan hesitated for a while, “Can you do me a favour?”

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Ting Shuang paused and turned around, “Say it.”

He actually didn’t want to do him any favours, but the other party was injured. If he refused, it would seem like he was bullying the weak.

“…Can you help me get something from my house?” Liang Zhengxuan didn’t feel embarrassed at all to ask Ting Shuang for help, “I have to stay in the hospital for a few days and I don’t have clothes to change into… And a charger… The keys are in my bag.”

Ting Shuang pondered for a while, “I can’t help you with that. If I took your house keys, and you end up losing something at home, I wouldn’t be able to clear myself of suspicion. The hospital should be able to provide clothes and a charger. You can just ask a nurse in charge of this ward.”

After saying so, he got ready to leave. At that moment, his phone vibrated, and a message from Liang Zhengxuan’s mother lit up the screen: Ting Shuang, thank you for visiting Zhengxuan.

Ting Shuang was about to reply “No problem”, when he saw the next message: Zhengxuan needs some toiletries and a change of clothes while he’s in the hospital, so I’m troubling you to help him get them. Thank you. Also, Zhengxuan might be unaccustomed to eating the hospital’s meals. You can take a look at these recipes.

Following that, there was a link to recipes for suitable food for injured people.

Ting Shuang was so angry he almost laughed, recipes?

Did she want him to cook for the injured Liang Zhengxuan?

“Hey, Liang Zhengxuan–” Ting Shuang turned around, “Did you or did you not tell your parents about our breakup? Previously, didn’t you tell me not to tell them about it because you wanted to do so yourself? When Auntie called me today, I thought she was too worried and only contacted me because she didn’t know anyone else she could call. Now that she knows nothing much happened to you, why is she asking me to cook for you?”

“I…” Liang Zhengxuan didn’t know how to start.

He hadn’t told his parents about the breakup, because if he brought it up, then he had to talk about the reason for the breakup.

Although they had indeed broken up because of what he had done, in the eyes of his parents, he had always been a good son with integrity and kindness. He couldn’t tell them the truth and let them down, but he also didn’t want to push the blame onto Ting Shuang. After all, his parents knew that it was always him taking care of Ting Shuang, and had been dissatisfied with him since the start.

And so, Liang Zhengxuan kept dragging it out, never telling his parents about their breakup.

“You haven’t told them about it yet?” After just a glance at Liang Zhengxuan’s expression, Ting Shuang understood his thoughts. Momentarily, he was speechless, “How long has it been? If you don’t say it, then I will. This is something you can explain clearly with just two sentences.”

“Don’t! Don’t tell them, let me…” Liang Zhengxuan said awkwardly, “I… Can I tell them that we broke up peacefully?”

Broke up peacefully?

Itt was straight-up hilarious.

“Just say it however you like,” Ting Shuang didn’t expect Liang Zhengxuan to be so cowardly, not even daring to admit his mistake. “They’re not my parents anyway, it has nothing to do with me.”

“… Thank you,” After Liang Zhengxuan finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something, “By the way, someone called just now, before you returned. I answered it for you, and he wanted me to tell you to call him back.”

Ting Shuang opened the call log for a look–

Bai Laoban called?

And Liang Zhengxuan answered?

The call lasted 19 seconds.

“Fuck. Who the hell told you that you could just answer my calls?” This entire time, Ting Shuang had been holding in his anger at Liang Zhengxuan, but he finally snapped, “What did you tell him?”

Liang Zhengxuan frowned and said, “I just asked him who he was, do you have to be like this?”

“You don’t even know who the fuck he is, how dare you answer the phone?” Ting Shuang said, not too kindly, “You talked for 19 seconds, and only asked him who he was?”

“I was just afraid of missing your call, okay?” Liang Zhengxuan explained, “You can’t even talk much in 19 seconds. I answered the phone and asked him who he was, then he wanted me to read the contact name you gave him. I read it, then told him that you saved him as Old Beast– That’s all. It’s just those few sentences, what else could I say?”

Fuck.

And they just had to exchange those few sentences?

Did you or did you not know that as soon as those few words reached the old beast’s ears, he was going to be domestically abused?

“Fuck… I was really fucking crazy to have left my phone with you.” After cursing, Ting Shuang didn’t want to talk to Liang Zhengxuan anymore, and decisively left the ward.

Sure enough, he shouldn’t have strived to be a humanitarian, he should have let his ex-boyfriend fend for himself.

Also, he had to call back quickly. It would be terrible if Bai Laoban misunderstood…

Ting Shuang walked out of the hospital building and called Bai Changyi. After waiting for a while, the phone call connected, but the other party did not speak.

“Bai Laoban…” Ting Shuang subconsciously took on a cautious tone, “I… arrived. Um… it’s been a while since I’ve arrived.”

Bai Changyi said, “Mm, I know.”

He knew…

Ting Shuang couldn’t make out Bai Changyi’s emotions from his voice, and felt a little guilty, “Have you eaten dinner?”

Bai Changyi said, “Not yet.”

Not yet…

Couldn’t he say a few more words…

Ting Shuang continued searching for a conversation topic, “Are you eating with my dad and the others later?”

Bai Changyi said, “Mm.”

He was done for, Bai Laoban had to be unhappy…

“Bai Laoban…” Ting Shuang’s tone softened, “I miss you so much… I’ll pick you up from the train station tomorrow, okay? Let’s have dinner together.”

Bai Changyi said, “I’ll only reach at nine o’clock tomorrow night.”

Ting Shuang said, “Then I want to wait for you to have dinner together…”

After a while of saying loving words and expressing his loving thoughts, Ting Shuang mustered up the courage, “Bai Laoban, I want to explain something to you…”

Bai Changyi said, “Mm.”

Ting Shuang said, “Um… Don’t be angry… When you called earlier, the person who answered the phone… Was actually my ex-boyfriend.”

Bai Changyi said, “I know.”

He knew?

That’s right…

Bai Laoban was amazing and wise, it wouldn’t be surprising if he found out early.

“In the morning, when I told you that I was going to the hospital to see a classmate… I was actually going to see him.” Ting Shuang quickly explained, “I didn’t want to lie to you… I was afraid that you would get upset, so I said it was a classmate. I do think of him as just an ordinary classmate, no, he isn’t even on the level of an ordinary classmate…”

Bai Changyi said, “Why would I be upset?”

Ting Shuang said, “Because he’s my ex-boyfriend…”

Bai Changyi said, “So?”

“So…” Ting Shuang said, “I was afraid you’d mind.”

Bai Changyi said, “Ting, if I’m afraid that you’d mind me doing something, then I have two solutions for it: One, don’t do that thing; Two, ask if you mind, and then judge whether I should do it.”

Ting Shuang was startled. After thinking about it for a while, he also felt like his previous reasons were actually unreasonable.

If he was afraid that Bai Changyi would be upset, then instead of keeping it from Bai Changyi, he shouldn’t have gone to see Liang Zhengxuan…

This matter had nothing to do with his thoughts on it, but what Bai Changyi thought of it.

“Then… Do you mind?” Ting Shuang asked a little nervously.

Bai Changyi said, “We will discuss this issue in person tomorrow night, together with the problem regarding the contact name you gave me.”