Your Distance

Bai Changyi only saw Frost’s message after returning to his office: What’s the current distance between us shown on your side? Here it’s 3 metres, but there isn’t a single Chinese within a 3 metre radius of here.

Bai Changyi had already noticed Ting Shuang’s strange behaviour in the classroom. He tipped up the corner of his lip, imagining the look on Ting Shuang’s face when he received the message that he sent: I’m free today afternoon.

The screen showed that ‘Frost is typing…’

Bai Changyi put the phone aside and looked at it again after a while. It still showed that Frost was typing, but there was no new message.

After half an hour—

Frost is typing…

Bai Changyi suddenly laughed out loud. He laughed and laughed, then glanced at his secretary outside the door before he put on his usual expression again. He sat at his desk and started working.

After an hour, Frost finally replied with a message: I think, um, let’s just forget about the meal.

Bai Changyi replied: Why.

Frost is typing…

A few minutes passed. Frost: I’m pretty poor. Recently I’ve been a bit tight on money, so I can’t treat you to dinner.

Frost: Really.

Frost: It’s not that I don’t want to eat with you.

Frost: It’s mainly because I’m a poor student with no money.

Bai Changyi replied: I’ll treat you.

Frost is typing.

Twenty minutes later, Frost was still typing.

Bai Changyi didn’t want to wait any longer, and voice-called him directly.

After a long time, the other party finally picked up. His voice was dry, “Um… Hello…”

“It’s twelve o’clock. Let’s go eat.”

Ting Shuang stuttered: “I… um… I have something on so I went home…”

Bai Changyi took a look at the current distance between them and said, “710 metres, aren’t you still in school?”

Ting Shuang froze for a moment, and quickly amended himself, “I said the wrong thing… I still have lessons…”

Bai Changyi said, “What lesson?”

Ting Shuang tentatively said, “Regelungstechnik…”

Bai Changyi said, “Prof. Gutenberg’s class? Isn’t that on Tuesday?”

Ting Shuang, “…”

Bai Changyi said, “Come over. I’ll take you out for lunch.”

Ting Shuang said, “Come… Come over to where…”

Bai Changyi said, “Didn’t you say that you wanted to camp outside, don’t you know where to do it?”

Ting Shuang said, “… I do know.”

Bai Changyi chuckled, “Run over here.”