Your Distance

37 - It's Over, the Old Beast Wants Me to Live With Him

Many things in this world aren’t as their names suggest.

For example, the “discuss” that had come out of the great Professor Bai’s mouth——

That word had the component for ‘speech’, but it had the strong smell of ‘action’.(1)

It was around 6 o’clock in the afternoon on Monday. According to the plan, student Ting Shuang would pick Bai Laoban up from the train station at 9pm the next day.

Countdown to his death: less than 27 hours.

It was indeed his fault, so he deserved it. If he died by the hands of Bai Laoban, he wouldn’t feel wronged.

Ting Shuang, who was waiting to be slaughtered, dragged his tired body – that had gone through several hours on the train and held back a stomach full of anger in the hospital – along, walked to the bus stop outside the hospital to wait for the bus.

Under the setting sun, the traffic on the road never slowed. A fully packed bus stopped in front of him, and a crowd of people surged up the bus. A man in a suit was standing in front of the bus door, a trace of fatigue on his face. Smiling, he waved to the driver, saying that he’d just wait for the next one.

He didn’t know why. It was just someone who had nothing to do with him, yet that attitude made something in Ting Shuang’s heart shift a little.

He thought of Bai Changyi.

Even though Bai Laoban did not say it directly, nor did he actually express any dissatisfaction, he might have actually gotten upset over his behavior.

It seemed like he hadn’t done anything for Bai Laoban after they got together…

He was always adding on to his troubles…

Thinking about it, Ting Shuang felt that the great Professor Bai, who had always been solemn and respected, actually needed some spoiling by his man Ting Shuang.

Thus, before returning home, Ting Shuang dropped by Song Xin’s house to borrow his guitar.

Ting Shuang started learning the guitar when he was in high school. At that time, he just wanted to act cool. After entering college, he often played in school. After a while, he started working and didn’t have the time, so he stopped playing completely.

Song Xin also didn’t have much time to practice, and there was a layer of dust on the guitar bag. He passed the guitar to Ting Shuang, “Why did you think of playing the guitar all of a sudden?”

Ting Shuang thought: To pick up men.

You’d never understand, bro.

With the guitar slung over his back, Ting Shuang left Song Xin’s house and took the bus home.

The bus rocked and swayed as Ting Shuang looked out of the window. In just a moment, all the street lights in the city turned on.

It was a city full of longing.

Upon reaching home.

Ting Shuang took out his keys and opened the door. The whole house was dark.

He pressed the switch by the door twice, but the lights didn’t turn on.