Your Distance

13- 7 meters

‘I finished marking the homework on your desk.’

Bai Changyi said this sentence all too naturally. So naturally that Ting Shuang almost thought he was saying “I just helped you take out the trash”.

Ting Shuang straight up wanted to call the police.

But what would he say after calling them?

The first sentence, full of severity and justice; A perverted professor harbouring bad intentions stalked me to my front door.

The second sentence was filled with indignation and outrage; Then, he used an invalid excuse to enter my private quarters.

The third sentence, a claim as solid as the mountains and rivers; Finally, when I was completely unprepared, he despicably–

In the fourth sentence, all his strength withered; Marked my homework?

There was no way he could make this report.

“Why did you do it without asking for my permi…” Ting Shuang wanted to question him, but as soon as he looked at Bai Changyi’s face he felt weak. Not only did he feel weak, but he also panicked. And not only did he panic, but his legs also turned jelly. All three of his legs turned jelly.(1) “… I did do my homework, but I haven’t checked through it yet… Isn’t the deadline next Monday… Couldn’t you have waited to mark it until after I’ve submitted it… And doesn’t the teacher’s assistant do the marking of homework…”

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Bai Changyi said: “I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I marked it. Homework doesn’t count towards your overall grade. What are you nervous about?”

He couldn’t stand it???

Then how fucking wrong were his answers?

Ting Shuang mumbled, guiltily, “Someone didn’t let me qualify for the final exam, so why would I still care about the overall grade? I can’t get grade points no matter how well I do my homework.”

Bai Changyi said, “What are you nervous about then?”

“I …” Ting Shuang choked a little on his words, then gave Bai Changyi another glance. “I was just scared… scared that after seeing my homework, you’d think that I’m especially dumb, and that I’m not good at studying, and that I’m hopeless…” His voice got softer and softer, “… I wanted to leave a good impression on you.”

Bai Changyi listened to him, then asked in an inquiring tone, “So, before I saw your homework, what good impressions do you think you left me with?”

Ting Shuang sank into a train of thoughts…

Not attending the first lesson.

Calling him ‘stupid-ass’ behind his back.

Giving him a fake medical certificate.

Not being able to answer the questions he asked.

Playing “Wei Feng Tang Tang” in the car.

Looking at people’s birds in the toilet and expressing his dissatisfaction.

Throwing tantrums.

Fine.

F I N E.

Bai Changyi said, “Let’s go in and look at the questions you got wrong.”

“Oh…” Ting Shuang was dejected.

Before walking to the desk, Ting Shuang had already imagined the sight of red crosses all over the A4 paper, but when he saw the assignment, he realized that that was not the case. Bai Changyi did not touch his homework, but just wrote his mistakes and corrected them on a blank piece of A4 paper. The words looked exactly like those on the board in class.