Your Distance

His return flight was supposed to be on Saturday night, but Bai Changyi changed it to Saturday morning.

The plane landed on time. Bai Changyi put down his magazine and glanced at his watch. He should be able to get home before 8am. If so, he could have breakfast with Ting Shuang, who probably hadn’t gotten up yet. The two of them could then have a good talk over breakfast. After eating breakfast and sending Ting Shuang off for work in the cafe, he would sit alone in his usual spot in the cafe, reading books and people-watching.

Thinking about it, there was a hint of a smile in Bai Changyi’s eyes as he opened the door.

But after opening the door, the sight that greeted him made that hint of a smile disappear.

The home was empty and tidy beyond words.

There weren’t any comic books left open and sprawled out on the sofa. There weren’t any bottles of beer left half-drunk on the coffee table, turned warm in the summer air. There weren’t any pillows thrown and left on the carpet. There weren’t any jeans or T-shirts waiting to be washed after being taken off and hung on the backs of the chairs.

Bai Changyi walked further in.

There was no decanter with flowers in it on the table. There was no watermelon that had had pieces of its flesh dug away with a spoon on the kitchen counter. The refrigerator was full of various ingredients, as if it had just been replenished. Not a single one of the ice cream in the freezer had been touched. Even the trash can was clean.

In the study, there weren’t any comics or various course notes on the shelves. There weren’t any messy foolscap papers on the desk, nor the laptop with various anime characters’ stickers pasted all over it.

Upstairs.

In the bedroom, the bed had been neatly made, as if no one had ever slept in it.

On the balcony, the cigarette ashes in the flowerpot had been cleaned up, and the cactus was thriving under the sun.

In the bathroom, there was only one toothbrush and cup on the sink, and only one set of white towels on the towel rack. There was nothing placed on the sides of the bathtub and the toilet cistern.

The toilet seat had been put down.

“Putting the toilet seat down is a bad habit. It’s a terrible habit, so quickly change it.” At dawn not long ago, Ting Shuang had turned his head away from him and whined.

Bai Changyi went to look at other bathrooms. It wasn’t an irregularity. Now the toilet seats in all the bathrooms had been put down.

Everything had returned to what it was like three months ago.

The whole house looked like a hotel.

The only thing that was slightly different from three months ago, was the glass cylinder, in which was money, on the bedside as well as the three-dimensional world map, on which was a small flag.

There were now ten more fifty euro notes in the glass cylinder.

Bai Changyi walked up to the map, picked up the small flag, and looked at it for a while.

“We’re here.” Not long ago, Ting Shuang had poked this small flag onto the map where Hanover was located. “Next time, just by looking at the map we’d be able to think of… where we’ve gone together.”

Bai Changyi poked the small flag back into its place.

The night before his business trip, whatever it was, Bai Changyi had thought that it wasn’t even worth quarrelling over. The kid was throwing a tantrum and was unwilling to communicate, and he couldn’t force it, so he planned to talk about it nicely when he came back from his business trip.

But now……

What was up with this horrible feeling that he had just been dumped (and left with a breakup fee)?

4.8 kilometers away, Ting Shuang had already woken up.

Even though he had no idea where the new apartment would be, at least the old apartment still belonged to him this month.

He finished shaving and looked at himself in the mirror. Sunlight flooded in from the window behind him, shining brightly on the reflection of his face and collarbone in the mirror.

He currently felt complicated.

In other words, his inner thoughts were filled with ample drama.

One Ting wore an evil expression.

Hmph, old beast, who told you to stay in a hotel. Who told you to go on a business trip. When you get home tonight, you’ll understand what it’s like to lose a lover.

One Ting curled up sadly in the corner.

But…

Even if Bai Laoban realised that he had moved out, he wouldn’t feel anything, right…

Bai Laoban hadn’t planned to live with him from the start, wasn’t it normal for him to move out…

The evil Ting laughed triumphantly.

Hmph, it was normal for him to move out, but putting down all the toilet seats before leaving to anger someone was a genius-level act that was not something just anyone could think of.

The sad Ting became even sadder.

Hey, what’s the use of making Bai Laoban angry…

If you succeed in making him angry, then Bai Laoban would be unhappy…

If you fail in making him angry, then you yourself would be unhappy…

You’re a fucking adult, can’t you be a little more mature?

As Ting Shuang cycled to the cafe, he spent the entire time thinking about how Bai Changyi would react after returning home that night.

But when he was almost at the cafe, he didn’t expect to see Bai Changyi standing under the Freesia signboard from a distance away.

Taken aback, Ting Shuang immediately braked.

Why was Bai Laoban here?!

Did he already go home… Or did he come directly from the airport…

He didn’t have any of his luggage with him, so he probably went home already…

Now from the look of things… Bai Laoban couldn’t have been so angry that he raced over here to domestically abuse him?

His heart was beating like a humongous drum when Bai Changyi saw him too.

The two of their gazes met, and the mess of emotions that had been running through Ting Shuang’s mind – tension, worry, sadness, anger… They all turned into longing.

He wanted to forget about all his previous unhappiness.

He wanted to run over.

Wanted an embrace.

Wanted a kiss.

Pushing along his bike, Ting Shuang walked towards the door of the cafe.

Just as he walked in front of the other party, he felt a mix of unease and anticipation, as if he was returning to his hometown after a long period of time.(1)

He didn’t know what to say.

“… Morning,” Ting Shuang said stiffly.

“Morning.” Bai Changyi said.

Ting Shuang felt suffocated.

This bad atmosphere.

This embarrassing greeting.

This coffee shop that was just around the corner.

Why did he feel like they were meeting again after a breakup…

“Um…” Ting Shuang said while locking the bicycle, “Why are you back already… I’m going to start work soon… Mm… I can’t chat with you for too long…”

“I’m not here to chat with you.” Bai Changyi said.