Your Distance

33- Say, If It Was Your Son

Presbyopic glasses?

Bai Laoban was in the prime of his youth, how could he be presbyopic?

He was just slightly farsighted.

Slightly.

“Ting,” Using the tone he used in class when emphasising key concepts, Bai Changyi corrected Ting Shuang, “This is called — Hyperopia, glasses.”

Ting Shuang looked at Bai Changyi’s face and felt like he was going to get a beating when they returned. He swiftly corrected himself, “Oh oh oh… Hyperopia glasses, hyperopia glasses. Then… Please lower your head, Bai Laoban, I’ll help you put on your pres– oh wait, your hyperopia glasses.”

He couldn’t help but test the limits, repeatedly risking getting beaten.

It was exciting.

“But Bai Laoban, I’m so close to you now, can you see my face clearly?” Ting Shuang’s mouth couldn’t stop itself from creating trouble, “Should I step back a little? For example… Thousands of miles away?”

Eyes closed, he was dancing along the edge of getting beaten.

It was exciting.

Bai Changyi put on his glasses and glanced over Ting Shuang. The expression in his eyes played it down, but the meaning was still very clear; Go ahead and fool around, you’ll know what it means for an adult to be responsible for his words and actions after we return to the hotel.

Ting Shuang, who continued acting recklessly, was still picking out sunglasses happily. He realised that the previous pair of sunglasses also had a pair of clip-on ones of the same series. It also had a golden rim and light blue lenses, and could be clipped onto Bai Changyi’s glasses.

This could be considered as a matching set for couples… Right?

“Try this.” Ting Shuang passed the clip-on sunglasses to Bai Changyi, and put on the previous pair of sunglasses.

The two of them stood side by side in front of the mirror–

A young boy in a hoodie and shorts, and a mature man wearing a dress shirt, trousers and tie, both wearing sunglasses of the same series.

Something wasn’t right.

It didn’t look quite like he had expected…

“Bai Laoban…” Ting Shuang was lost in thought. After a while, he interrogated, “Why does this series of sunglasses look like a matching set for parent and child…”

Hmm… it probably wasn’t the sunglasses’ problem.

Professor Bai didn’t plan to look into what exactly was the problem.

He just bought it.

At 7 o’clock the next morning, Bai Changyi asked Ting Shuang to get up. They needed to have breakfast with all the exhibitors before heading to the exhibition site together.

The night before, the student Ting Shuang paid a heavy price for uttering the phrases ‘presbyopic glasses’ and ‘matching set for parent and child’. He currently had his eyes closed, frowning as he, with much difficulty, let out a weak voice, “Mm… I want to sleep… Can’t get up…”

It was actually fine even if he didn’t go.

If the child wanted to sleep, then he’d let him sleep a little longer.

Bai Changyi kissed Ting Shuang’s forehead and said in a low voice, “Mm, then I’m leaving.”

Go, go, Ting Shuang thought sleepily. The old beast should leave quickly, since he didn’t act like a human the entire day…