Your Distance

The LRM department.

Bai Changyi finished a group meeting with the graduate students before returning to his office from the conference room.

There were two messages from Frost on his phone. The first was a voice message and the second was a text: Where are you now?

When Bai Changyi saw the messages, his current distance from Frost was 219 metres. The number was still decreasing, and after two minutes, 219 metres had become 103 metres.

82 metres.

57 metres.

22 metres.

23 metres.

22 metres.

Then the number didn’t move anymore.

It was probably because Ting Shuang did not have access to the LRM department building, so he could not advance further.

He had guts. Bai Changyi sent a text to Frost: Are you looking for me?

Frost replied quickly: I’m at the door of the LRM department.

Frost: Are you working in there?

Bai Changyi replied: Mm.

Frost: You scared me.

Frost: When I first saw that we were a little more than 500 metres apart, I thought you were following me.

Frost: Are you a graduate student? A professor? Or…?

There were two Chinese researchers in the department. Bai Changyi replied with: Researcher.

Frost: What a coincidence.

Frost: The professor I told you about before is the person in charge of your department.

Frost: Today I went to plead to him like how I told you I would yesterday. I couldn’t say a single word in response to his questions.

Frost: Does he treat you the same way?

Frost: Does working under him give you a lot of stress?

Frost: Ah yes, I shouldn’t be saying bad things about your boss to you, right?

Bai Changyi’s mouth tilted up slightly, and he answered: Shouldn’t you worry about yourself first?

Frost: Worrying is useless.

Frost: I don’t know what else to do.

Frost: I did everything I could.

Frost: I have no choice but to retake the course.

Frost: I’ll just face it head on and haul my ass to graduation.

Frost: I’ll get a loan first if I don’t have enough money, then repay it after graduation.

Bai Changyi looked at the word “loan” for a few seconds, recalling the scene the day before class started. The first thing he saw when he turned around was Ting Shuang.

Nervous. Young(1). Bright and polite.

Bai Changyi felt his heart softening a bit. He replied: Are you studying overseas by yourself?(2)

Frost: Yeah.

Frost: Hey let’s not talk about that anymore.

Frost: Um… Are you going to the cafeteria for lunch?

Bai Changyi replied: Are you asking me out?

Frost: I’m this miserable, and you still won’t have a meal with me?

Bai Changyi replied: I have work today afternoon.

After sending that sentence, Bai Changyi thought for a while, and decided to concern himself with Ting Shuang’s situation, so he continued typing: Actually, even if the professor doesn’t give you the rights to take the exam this semester, you can continue to attend his classes. That way you can accumulate knowledge in advance, and prepare for your exam while writing your graduation thesis next year. You’ll be less stressed, and it will not affect your graduation.

That long paragraph of text in the chat box hadn’t been sent yet, when Bai Changyi saw Frost’s new reply.

Frost: Is your boss cutting the researchers’ lunch breaks short too?

Frost: He lacks morals.

Lacks… Morals…

Bai Changyi’s finger left the enter key.

Frost: Thinking about it again, what kind of professor asks people about their understanding of the course after just two lessons? Normal people would have to revise a bit before answering it, right?

Frost: The more I think about it the more angry I get.

Frost: Why didn’t he ask the others?

Frost: It’s not me who’s useless, it’s him who put me in a spot on purpose.

Frost: Just because I didn’t go for his first lesson.

Frost: He seems like a gentleman on the surface, but in reality he’s super narrow-minded.

Bai Changyi was so angry he laughed.

He deleted the long paragraph in the chat box, and replied: When you encounter a problem, you push all responsibility to others?

Frost replied after a while: Why are you suddenly so serious…

Bai Changyi did not reply.

A few minutes later Frost sent several more messages in succession.

Frost: I actually know the problem lies with me.

Frost: I just… thought that you’d take my side, so I complained to you.

Frost: A lot of bad things have happened recently.

Frost: I don’t know who else to talk to.

Frost: I won’t go on further.

Frost: I’ll let you work.

Bai Changyi set his phone aside.

After reading a thesis paper, Bai Changyi glanced at the chat interface. Frost was still 22 metres away from him. He then read the last few messages from Frost again.

I just… thought that you’d take my side.

I don’t know who else to talk to.

I’ll let you work.

I’ll let you work…

Why did he feel like he was bullying a child?

He didn’t bully him…

For some reason he felt like he was being irresponsible.

Bai Changyi took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Where exactly did that responsibility come from…

He put on his glasses again, picked up his phone, and sent Frost a voice message: “Continue going to class next week.”

Frost: What?

Bai Changyi said: “Study hard this semester, then prepare for your exam and graduation thesis at the same time next year. It’s not like there weren’t any students who graduated like that.”

Frost: Really?!

Bai Changyi replied: Mm.

There was no response from the other side.

Bai Changyi was about to put down his phone when it suddenly started vibrating. A request for a voice call appeared on the screen.

Bai Changyi’s finger tapped on the table a few times before pressing the accept button.

A young-sounding voice barged into Bai Changyi’s ear: “You… Can I invite you out for dinner? At night, or during the weekend… Choose whatever time you’re free.”