Your Distance

“Auntie, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Ting Shuang took out his phone, “This is the last message my dad sent me. He was still waiting to have a video call with me. I’m studying overseas alone and entrusted my dad to you, thinking you’d take good care of him. Who’d expect… Forget it, we’re family, and grudges shouldn’t be kept within a familyYou didn’t mean it, and no one knows who caused this… I won’t go back home, so I won’t have dinner. It’s impressive that you can still stomach any food, knowing my dad’s state…”

Before Weng Yunyi could speak, he looked towards his father’s friend, Yan Liqian, “Uncle Yan, thank you for coming to visit my dad. I still remember my dad telling me about how my elders, you, him, and my mother, started the business together when I was young… The kids of our generation really envy yours, there were opportunities everywhere, and people were also diligent. The most important things were pure intentions and the trust that people had in each other, that’s something that our generation can only hope to achieve… You definitely can’t forget that time, and the glorious years… I suddenly remembered, you even hugged me when I was a kid, do you remember?”

Yan Liqian nodded, eyes wrinkling as he smiled, “It’s been so many years. Has Lil’ Shuang graduated? There are many young children like you in the R&D department, who joined the company after graduating.”

“I’m graduating soon. It happens to be the school holidays now. Plus, with my dad like this now, I can’t put my mind at rest and go study.” Ting Shuang thought for a while, “I was thinking, how about I apply for a term-long vacation and intern at the company for six months? While I’m at it I can also visit my dad often, and when he gets better, I can accompany him… Oh yes.”

He introduced Bai Changyi to Yan Liqian, “Look at me, I was so happy to see you that I forgot to introduce an important person. Professor Bai, he’s cooperated with Roborun for several projects, and works with almost half of Roborun‘s European partners. You aren’t responsible for any projects there, but I’m sure you know him too. He came today, first to see my dad, second to propose a new project.”

The look in Yan Liqian’s eyes immediately changed, and he reached out to shake hands with Bai Changyi.

For a while, both parties exchanged greetings and their contact information before Ting Shuang and Bai Changyi left the hospital. Ting Shuang called a taxi by himself, not letting the driver send them off. Zhu Wenjia followed them out, wanting to say something, but stopping, “Ge, I…”

“You know I have a bad personality, so whatever I say may sound unpleasant.” Ting Shuang smiled, “Go back and accompany my aunt, I want to be alone with your sister-in-law.”

“… Ge, are you really not eating at home anymore?” Zhu Wenjia was really uncomfortable being caught in the middle.

“What are you thinking?” Ting Shuang patted Zhu Wenjia on the back, “When Dad’s recovered, let’s have dinner together.”

Zhu Wenjia felt better after hearing that, “Then that’ll be soon. Who knows, maybe Dad will make a full recovery in a week.”

“I think so too.” Ting Shuang said with a smile.

After getting into the taxi, the smile on Ting Shuang’s face completely faded.

The ten hours on the plane and the exhaustion of not eating or sleeping suddenly hit him, and he was exhausted both physically and mentally.

He also couldn’t care less about whether the taxi driver would look at them judgingly, and leaned on Bai Changyi’s shoulder as he usually did at home.

Maybe it was because he had been too tense in the hospital, but his head now felt dull and painful, and he just couldn’t sleep.

“… Bai Changyi, was I too much?” He asked in a low voice, “Am I too scheming? Even I feel like I’m being insidious.”

Too much… That he wasn’t. He was a bit too cute.

“You’re fine.” Bai Changyi’s voice was also very low, “Master of inciting rage.”

“… Yes.” Ting Shuang admitted, “I’m an expert in this field.”

In retrospect, he should have exercised a little restraint. Inciting others’ rage was just akin to expressing his irritation. Aside from the momentary thrill, it had no practical effect.

“I have one more question.” Bai Changyi said with a faint smile, “What is the new project I brought over?”

“Hurry up and think of one.” Ting Shuang felt like laughing, but didn’t. “Think of one quickly, or my bluff will be called out.”

“You just like using free labor.” Bai Changyi said.

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“I don’t like free labor.” Ting Shuang glanced at the driver through the rearview mirror, and said in Bai Changyi’s ear, “I like you.”

“I know.” Bai Changyi’s lip curled up.

“But…” Ting Shuang paused, his tone turning serious, “I’ll take care of the rest myself, okay. You… you can just watch me. I want to do it myself, and I don’t want you to get mixed up in this messy business. Maybe I seem pretty stupid because I never have to think about anything when I’m with you, but when you’re not around… I still think I’m pretty capable.”

“I think so.” Bai Changyi said.

If Ting Shuang had really grown up carefree and without the need to think about anything, then he wouldn’t have been so scared and insecure.

The two of them talked for a while, and Bai Changyi’s voice became softer and softer. Before he knew it, Ting Shuang had fallen asleep against his shoulder.

Bai Changyi looked down at Ting Shuang’s sleeping face, feeling as if the child had grown up in just a day.

Originally, Bai Changyi had only taken a week-long vacation. Because he wanted to accompany Ting Shuang back to China, he had postponed all the work that could not be done overseas by two weeks, and moved the work that could be done overseas forward by two weeks, so that his trip to China would not get in the way of his work.

After arriving at the hotel, Ting Shuang slept until ten o’clock in the evening. He woke up to take a shower, then said that he wanted to go out for supper. He didn’t have much time to be sad or go off into wild flights of fancy. He needed to cheer up, he needed food, and he needed to figure out what exactly the situation was now.

“Have you ever eaten at a roadside stall?” Ting Shuang asked Bai Changyi as they took the elevator down.

Bai Changyi thought for a while, “Do those kinds of markets, like the Christmas market, count?”

“Well… they do count, but they’re far from the ones in China.” Ting Shuang walked ahead in flip flops, looking around for things they could eat. Bai Changyi remained half a step behind him, watching him, worried for his feet.

“There’s a small neighbourhood ahead, and there should be a lot of food near it.” Ting Shuang said, “Further ahead is the innovation park, where the company headquarters is.” He pointed to the distance, “Do you see the plaque on that tall building there?”

“Yeah.” Bai Changyi saw the blue words on the sign: RoboRun.

“Hey, they’re selling grilled squid there.” Ting Shuang went over, bought ten skewers, and asked Bai Changyi to hold nine of them. He was in charge of eating. After eating one skewer, he took another one from Bai Changyi.

“There are mutton skewers over there.” Before finishing the squid, he went to buy another twenty mutton skewers.

“Hey, shou zhua bing(1).”

“Help me buy a bowl of Mala soup(2).”

Just like that, he walked along the street eating.

When he reached the end of the street, he suddenly stopped, and handed his half-eaten fish ball to Bai Changyi.

“Not eating anymore?” Bai Changyi finished the remaining half of the fish ball.

“… RoboRun employees.” Ting Shuang said.

Bai Changyi followed Ting Shuang’s gaze. Two young men in overalls with name tags pinned onto their chests were buying milk tea at the entrance of the milk tea shop.

“Let’s buy two cups of milk tea.” Ting Shuang said.

There was no queue at this milk tea shop. He and Bai Changyi stood behind the two RoboRun employees. Ting Shuang saw the two words “R&D Department” on their badges, and saw that they’d ordered more than 20 cups of milk tea, and said casually, “Yo, working overtime? Why didn’t you order delivery if you were buying so many cups?”

“This stall doesn’t do deliveries, and we happened to come down for a short rest.” One of the employees turned to Ting Shuang and said, “Sorry, twenty-six cups, you two have to wait a while. How about we let them take your order first?”

Ting Shuang quickly said, “No need, no need, we’re not in a hurry.”

He wanted to eavesdrop on them chatting, so he could not leave first.

The man smiled at Ting Shuang, then turned his head to continue talking to his colleague, “The FND chip’s been scrapped many times, can we finish it in such a short time?”

“How would I know? We just have to finish it before next Monday… Hey, have you heard? It seems that the rush is because of their impromptu shareholders meeting next Monday.”

“Impromptu meeting? I feel like that’s not the style of our big boss…”

“I don’t know about that. Speaking of which, FND…”

Ting Shuang was eating as he listened, so that he wouldn’t look too much like he was eavesdropping. When the two employees walked away carrying bags of milk tea, he finally let out a burp.

“Do you know what FND is?” He took a sip of milk tea and asked Bai Changyi.

Bai Changyi said, “I don’t know, it may be the code for a certain product.”

Ting Shuang walked a few steps and leaned against a street lamp post, “Impromptu shareholders meeting…”

He took out his cell phone and searched up Yan Liqian’s cell phone number. After looking at it for a while, he decided not to send a message asking about the situation.

At this point, no one could be trusted, except for…

“If you were me, what would you do now?” Ting Shuang looked to Bai Changyi.

Bai Changyi thought for two seconds, then said, “If I were you, I’d check the composition of RoboRun‘s high-level executives tonight, and then look at China’s ‘Company Law’. Over the weekend, I’d force my boyfriend to write a project plan, and use an appropriate method to console him. Then on Monday, I’ll proudly bring him to the company to talk about the new project.”

Ting Shuang couldn’t believe it, “You really are…”

Bai Changyi: “Scheming?”

Ting Shuang drank the last sip of milk tea he had left, squeezed the paper cup flat, and tossed it far far away.

Right into the trash can.

“No, sexy,” He said.