Your Distance

Bai Zhongyan and Su Ping left.

“Get in the car,” Bai Changyi said.

Ting Shuang suddenly realized that at this moment, he had lost his protective umbrella.

He would soon be subjected to that “discussion”.

“Um, where are we going?” He stood still, refusing to move.

Bai Changyi said, “Home.”

The situation was beyond salvation.

Ting’s life was nearing its end.

His newly bought pants might not fit him tomorrow.

“No, we can’t go home yet.” Ting Shuang put on a serious expression, “I still have important things to do.”

“Oh? What things?”

Ting Shuang thought for a while, and said, “Look, Auntie bought me so many things. I should buy some gifts for Auntie and Uncle too, right? Let’s pick some gifts now, while the shopping malls still aren’t closed. Tomorrow is Sunday, and they won’t be open then. And after tomorrow, you’ll have work and won’t be able to come.”

“That isn’t important. We can do it after you finish your exams.”

“Then, I also want to…”

“Want to, what.”

“I also want to…”

“Go on.”

“I also want to…” Ting Shuang hesitated for a while, and suddenly said very sincerely, “I also want to retake the course next year! I really want to retake it, really. I think this topic’s been discussed many times. It’s boring, so let’s not discuss it again. And—”

His defensive stance changed into an offensive one, standing on the high ground of a victim, “It’s all your fault. I was so scared this morning that I almost lost my ability to get it up again for the rest of my life. You have to compensate for the harm done to my mental health.”

“How should I compensate?” Bai Changyi licked his lips, leaned close to Ting Shuang’s ear, and whispered, “By helping you get it up?”

Ting Shuang was shocked by his low voice and jumped back like he had just been delivered an electric shock, cursing, “Old hooligan.”

The great Professor Bai did not identify as a hooligan, and the word ‘old’ only made matters worse. He said very gracefully, “Then tell me how I can compensate.”

How he could compensate…

Ting Shuang asked, “You’ll agree to everything I say?”

Bai Changyi chuckled, “Mm.”

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and had to be seized.

Ting Shuang thought hard for fear of wasting the valuable opportunity.

Seeing how Ting Shuang was acting, Bai Changyi joked, “Get in the car first and think about it in the car. I can’t walk anymore.”

In the car, Ting Shuang usually talked non-stop. Today, he didn’t say a word, and was like a sculpture of someone who was thinking hard, just thinking about how he could take advantage of Bai Changyi. It would be best if he could make the dragon Bai cede his lands, pay heavy indemnities and humiliate him so he would forfeit his sovereignty.(1)

When they were about to reach home, he came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea, “Then tonight… You’ll have to do everything I say.”

Bai Changyi laughed, “After thinking for such a long time, you decided to ask for just that?”

“Just that?” Ting Shuang thought triumphantly. Tonight is the night you beg for mercy from this Young Master.

Things went beautifully inside Young Master Ting’s head.

Bai Changyi had always been the dominant one, but he’d turn the tables and be the master of the house tonight, capable of controlling everything.

At home.

Ting Shuang immediately began to exercise the power he had just obtained, “First, I want you to change the password for the door to the date we officially started cohabitating.”

He had planned on changing the password anyways, so Bai Changyi kept his promise and changed it.

Ting Shuang said again, “I want to eat the pan-seared steak you cooked for me the very first time.”

Bai Changyi put on his apron and started searing the steak.

When it was time to eat, Ting Shuang put the knife and fork down, “I want you to cut it for me.”

Bai Changyi somewhat understood that he had to serve this young master tonight.

It was nothing much anyway, he was used to serving him.

After eating and taking Vico out for a walk, Ting Shuang said, “I’m going to take a bath.”

Bai Changyi, who was putting away the leash, glanced at Ting Shuang and said in a slightly teasing tone, “Do you want me to bathe you?”

“That’s not necessary…” Ting Shuang slipped away to the bathroom to take a shower.

After showering, he quietly went to the closet and put on the rabbit ears, and imagined a scene where a rabbit was king.(2)

(…)

In the middle of the night, Ting Shuang sat in the bathtub, held in Bai Changyi’s arms.

“… I’m the only one,” He looked down at himself, and said in a hoarse voice, “Bai Changyi, I’m telling you, I’m the only one in the whole world who’s this heroic. If you try this on someone else, they would have called the fucking police a long time ago.”

Fortunately, a birthday gift was only given once a year. If he had to give it a few more times, he would really be dead.

Bai Changyi laughed and said, “Supper? I’ll listen to whatever you say tonight.”

He was fine before Bai Changyi mentioned it, but now that he did, Ting Shuang got angry, “You said you’d listen to me, but you’re not doing that at all.”

Bai Changyi kissed Ting Shuang’s earlobe, “Didn’t I listen afterwards. Slower or faster, weren’t you the one calling the shots.”

“Hmph.” Ting Shuang turned his head away angrily, “You just like to hear me beg— Mmph.”

Bai Changyi kissed his lips.

He calmed down in the midst of that gentle kiss.

He breathed in Bai Changyi’s breath in that gentle kiss, rubbing his nose gently against Bai Changyi’s, feeling Bai Changyi’s unprecedentedly gentle lips, and slowly peering into the deepest parts of Bai Changyi’s downcast eyes.

This kiss was different from their previous kisses.

Ting Shuang suddenly wanted this kiss to last forever.

When Bai Changyi’s lips left his, he asked, “Are you listening to everything I say tonight?”

Bai Changyi said, “Of course.”

Ting Shuang turned around to face Bai Changyi, “Then I want you to kiss me again.”

Bai Changyi’s kiss fell upon him again.

Ting Shuang thought back to their first kiss. At that time, his insides had all flown up into the sky, but now, his insides were still in his body.

He had gone from feeling emotional to feeling at ease.

This kiss lasted longer than the previous one.

When it was over, Ting Shuang leaned his head lightly in the crook of Bai Changyi’s neck and said, “I want you to boil soup for me.”

“Torturous.” Bai Changyi cursed with a smile, stood up, and prepared to wipe them dry with a bath towel before going to the kitchen to boil the soup, “Can you get down?”

Ting Shuang’s legs were still wrapped around Bai Changyi’s waist, his arms around Bai Changyi’s neck, “I’m not coming down.”

Bai Changyi had no choice but to support Ting Shuang with one arm and wipe his hair with the other.

“Am I heavy?” Ting Shuang asked.

“Don’t you know whether you’re heavy or not?” Bai Changyi joked, “If I said you’re heavy, will you come down?”

Ting Shuang hugged Bai Changyi’s neck tightly, “I won’t.”

Bai Changyi held Ting Shuang in that position and continued down the stairs, “You won’t have any soup to drink if you don’t come down. Go put on some clothes, it’s chilly at night.”

Ting Shuang let out an “Mm”, went to get two night robes, then stood beside the refrigerator and watched as Bai Changyi picked out the ingredients.

“I want to drink pork rib soup. Pork ribs and wintermelon,” He stretched his head out, trying to find wintermelon in the refrigerator. “Otherwise, pork ribs and lotus root is fine too.”

“I have neither.” Bai Changyi said, “Choose one, pork ribs with carrot or pork ribs with corn.”

“Pork ribs and corn,” Ting Shuang said.

Bai Changyi cut the ribs, as Ting Shuang watched eagerly.

“What else do you want?” Bai Changyi glanced at him with a smile, “Say it quickly.”

Ting Shuang joked, “I want the stars and the moon.”

“That’s easier than finding wintermelon and lotus root,” After preparing the ribs and corn, Bai Changyi put the soup to boil, “Let’s go. I’ll bring you to look for the stars and the moon.”

“Really?” Ting Shuang followed Bai Changyi out.

Bai Changyi said, “Wait in the yard.”

Ting Shuang waited for a while, and got an astronomical telescope.

“Where did you get that?” Ting Shuang was shocked.

“The warehouse, I bought it some time ago. I wanted to tell you after you finished your exams. Didn’t you say that when you were a child, you liked to eat watermelon and watch the stars at night in summer.” Bai Changyi set up the telescope, “There is little light pollution, and you can see a lot with the naked eye, but the telescope lets you see them even more clearly. Anyways, we’re waiting for the soup, and we’re not in a rush, so we can play with it for a while.”

“It was just a casual remark…” Ting Shuang didn’t know what to say, “You remembered all of that…”

“You can first look for the Summer Triangle with the naked eye. Lyra’s Vega, Aquila’s Altair, and Cygnus’ Deneb form a triangle.” Bai Changyi said while adjusting the telescope, “In that direction, Vega is the brightest, so find Vega first.”

“… Found it.” Ting Shuang looked up at the stars in the dark sky.

“Looking down, there’s Ophiuchus and Centaur.” Bai Changyi adjusted the telescope again, “Come and take a look.”

Ting Shuang went over, looking through the telescope. Suddenly, the entire night sky in front of him was different.

The Milky Way was so magnificent, and there were so many constellations that he had not seen before.

“The Milky Way is so bright…” Ting Shuang exclaimed.

“After you find the Summer Triangle, and trace down the Milky Way, it’s Ophiuchus.” Bai Changyi hugged Ting Shuang’s waist, “Do you see it.”

“Mm…” Ting Shuang said, “There are so many stars of different colours… When I think about how the stars I see now are the stars from a long time ago, it feels miraculous.”

“The Altair is only 16 light-years away from the Earth.” Bai Changyi said with a smile, “What you see now is the Altair when you were eight years old.”

“So what I’m seeing are the stars when you were twenty…” The light of the stars spanning across time and space entered Ting Shuang’s eyes. He was fascinated by the sight. Bai Changyi didn’t speak, and only stood aside smiling and watching him.

After some time, the strong aroma of pork ribs and corn spread through the air.

There was everything, stars and fireworks.

“Are you going to listen to everything I say tonight?” Ting Shuang turned his head to look at Bai Changyi, and asked the same question.

“Of course.” Bai Changyi said with a smile, “What else do you want?”

“Then I…” Ting Shuang said what he wanted to say when they kissed in the bathroom, “I want you to love me.”

“I want you to stay young forever, stay happy forever, and love me forever.”

[A small extra written to make up for the words lost when cutting a scene]

[To highlight: This has nothing to do with the main story]

If Ting Shuang were to be asked to answer a Zhihu question about ‘What kind of experience is it, dating your professor?’ (Part 3)

Ting:

Following the last update.

Many people commented asking me how I resolved the situation after having called the professor Papa in front of so many classmates in class…

Just then, before I finished that sentence, I felt like the atmosphere was not right, but an international student calling the professor dad was much easier to resolve than a German student calling the professor Dad.

I can play the language card… Though if I do that, my German classmates will all think I am stupid, but at least it’s better to be thought as stupid rather than a Hentai who likes to call the professor Papa…

So two seconds after calling him Papa, I asked very sincerely, “Professor, is there a problem with my language expression? My German isn’t very good. I have to take into account the content of the class and the language expression at the same time, so sometimes I end up unconsciously saying some irrelevant words…”

Then my partner, who was gracefully standing on the podium as always, gestured for me to sit down, and said very understandingly, “It was just a harmless mistake. I believe no one will mind.”

Brought into my boyfriend’s rhythm, and maybe out of care for international students, surprisingly none of my classmates laughed at me…