Distance Formula - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The shop was enormous, and its facilities were far more complete than Bai Biqing had imagined; one could make various handicrafts or even do their own baking.

The Beta took a fancy to a baking room at first glance. As long as you paid and didn’t blow up the kitchen, anything was fine—whatever you made, you ate, so it wasn’t considered a waste.

Bai Biqing didn’t make the final decision herself, instead waiting for Su Yanshi’s suggestion. The Alpha’s brow was furrowed as if she were researching some major incident. After about a minute, she finally uttered a single sentence: “I feel like… I can’t do any of them.”

She then leaned closer to Bai Biqing with a bitter smile and whispered: “I feel like at this moment, I can push the blame onto my second gender.”

“Mhm?”

Su Yanshi: “Alphas are all clumsy—anyway, I’m no good at handicrafts, and you already know about my cooking.”

Even during her hardest times, she had failed to learn how to cook; one could only say she truly had no talent in that area, no matter how hard she tried.

Seeing her go as far as to say that, Bai Biqing let out a stifled laugh but still didn’t intend to leave: “Then I’ll choose. That baking room—how about you watch me do it? We’ll consider it our dinner for tonight.”

Lately, Su Yanshi had been almost entirely obedient to Bai Biqing. She felt an inexplicable sense of reliance on the Beta, so she nodded instinctively. But thinking back, standing to the side doing nothing felt a bit embarrassing.

Bai Biqing had already quickly paid the fee and was walking toward her preferred room in high spirits. All the small rooms here were built with special transparent glass, meaning you could see what was happening in the neighboring rooms. Su Yanshi still had to wear her hat, though she wasn’t as nervous as she had been walking through the crowds.

She let out a long breath and sat on a nearby sofa, tilting her head back to watch Bai Biqing prepare the ingredients.

Bai Biqing caught sight of her from the corner of her eye. The Alpha sat on the sofa looking dazed, staring over for no apparent reason, her hands twisted together, completely unsure of what to do.

“Yanshi, come and help.”

Su Yanshi stood up obediently, looking quite happy about it. Bai Biqing was also glad to see it: “Knead the dough. It’s only fair for an Alpha to do some manual labor.”

“Okay!” Su Yanshi didn’t seem to mind at all. Like a curious toddler, her gaze followed Bai Biqing everywhere; she did whatever she was told and answered everything with a simple “Mhm.”

She worked quite hard, too.

The steps for the small cakes Bai Biqing wanted to make weren’t difficult, and with Su Yanshi’s help, the speed increased significantly. Soon, they were ready to go into the oven.

She gave half of the dough to Su Yanshi: “Just make whatever small shapes you want, and we can eat soon.”

Su Yanshi hummed in agreement and took the dough excitedly, looking as if she had been anticipating this part for a long time. Bai Biqing couldn’t help but be swept up in her enthusiasm and began the final steps with a smile.

She didn’t put too much thought into the aesthetics; her shapes were mostly round. When she finished and looked over at Su Yanshi, the other woman was pursing her lips while molding the shapes, looking as serious as if she were handling top-secret intelligence.

Bai Biqing leaned against the table and watched her for a while. She couldn’t resist taking out her phone and half-squatting to snap a few photos. Her movements were quite open, and Su Yanshi, who was highly sensitive to being photographed, quickly noticed. With a fair amount of flour stuck to the tip of her nose, she turned her head and asked, “Are you taking pictures of me?”

Bai Biqing looked down at her masterpiece and felt quite satisfied. She admitted it and showed her the photos: “How do they look?”

Su Yanshi looked at them for a few moments and was exceptionally pleased; the angle happened to hide her injury. She offered sincere praise: “Teacher Bai, you’re amazing! Send the photos to me later; I’ll post them on Weibo.”

“Sure.” Bai Biqing put away her phone and began to observe the shapes she had made. There were kittens, puppies, and even a rabbit. The craftsmanship wasn’t exactly delicate, but the key features were captured well enough that you could tell what they were at a glance.

She asked: “Is your drawing really that bad?”

Su Yanshi had just finished molding the last one. She patted her hands contentedly and nodded upon hearing the question: “Yes, but Teacher Bai, I think I’ve found the right industry for me.”

Bai Biqing paused. She raised an eyebrow, seemingly guessing where this was going, and fought back a smile: “And what would that be?”

“—Playing with mud.”

Su Yanshi said it with a straight face, but she probably found it funny herself; she couldn’t help but turn toward her with a wide smile, which accidentally tugged at her injury. She quickly covered it and rubbed it gently. Her gaze shifted, and she sharply caught the eyes of two girls outside who were frequently looking their way. Her heart skipped a beat—D*mn, I’ve been recognized.

In her panic, she first pressed her hat brim down, then flusteredly tried to shield Bai Biqing. Neither of them expected that Bai Biqing was just about to put the tray into the oven; caught off guard, Su Yanshi crashed directly into Bai Biqing’s arms. She grabbed the other’s collar and pulled her downward.

The Beta was forced to hold the tray at an awkward angle. She wasn’t annoyed; instead, she pulled the person closer into her embrace and took a few steps forward to hide Su Yanshi as much as possible.

She lowered her head and asked: “Did someone spot you?”

Su Yanshi buried her head and didn’t speak. Smelling the fragrance on Bai Biqing’s clothes, her heart calmed significantly. Then, she realized this gesture looked even more like a guilty cover-up, all but confirming her identity. She let out a soft “Mhm,” lifted her head, and cautiously looked at the two girls outside.

The girls perhaps realized they had startled her and were also observing carefully. Seeing Su Yanshi look over, they glanced at each other and walked over while typing on their phones.

Bai Biqing released Su Yanshi, took a mask from her pocket, and put it on. She adjusted the timer without looking back, leaving Su Yanshi to handle the situation herself.

One girl held up her phone, with words scrolling across the screen: “Yanshi, sorry for scaring you! We are your fans and got a bit excited seeing you. Good evening!”

The other girl also held hers up: “Good evening, Yanshi! We won’t disturb you and haven’t taken any photos. We hope you’re happy every day.”

Both girls looked at her with a mix of shyness and excitement. Su Yanshi lifted her hat brim, revealing a smile, and waved them in.

She had always been very kind to her fans; Li Zhuonan didn’t strictly limit her direct interactions. Seeing that things had reached this point, Su Yanshi decided to invite them inside.

After waving, she suddenly made a “stop” gesture and turned her head to ask: “Teacher Bai, can I invite them in?”

Bai Biqing turned around with a somewhat doting smile and spread her hands: “Are you going to invite them to try your little animals?”

Su Yanshi nodded immediately. She turned back and curled her fingers toward them, mouthing: “Come in, come in.”

The two girls were ecstatic; their smiles couldn’t be hidden as they pushed the door open and entered. With their sharp discernment, they immediately recognized Bai Biqing. The two girls gripped each other’s hands tightly, eyes brimming with tears, and said excitedly: “I ship it!”

Bai Biqing, unfazed, took off her mask and looked at them gently. She said: “Hello, I am Baishi.”

The two girls replied: “Hello, Teacher Bai. We are ‘Clocks.'”

Su Yanshi’s fandom name…

Bai Biqing nodded and said nothing more, leaving the space to the three of them.

“Do you want to try the little cakes I made?”

One of the girls immediately covered her mouth, looking relieved like a proud mother: “Oh my god, Yanshi, you can finally feed yourself.”

Su Yanshi: “…”

“Actually, maybe I still can’t.” She was famously bad at cooking, something her fans knew well. When she first gained fame, someone had even sent her a wok, but after she broke it, no one ever sent kitchenware again.

The two girls said it was fine and comforted her for a moment before finally noticing the injury on her face. Their expressions soured instantly: “Yanshi, is your face hurt?”

Su Yanshi touched the injury: “Mhm, I accidentally got hurt while filming. Don’t worry.”

“Where’s your assistant? Haven’t you found one yet?”

Su Yanshi hesitated for a few seconds: “I found one.”

“Then why aren’t they taking good care of you!”

Bai Biqing: “…”

—Hiss.

Su Yanshi also felt awkward. She glanced back at Bai Biqing, thinking that since this matter had finally passed, they absolutely shouldn’t bring it up again. She immediately changed the subject: “I did it to myself; it has nothing to do with anyone else. Please don’t go talking about it online.”

The two girls were half-pained and half-angry, but ultimately yielded helplessly: “You’ve worked hard.”

Su Yanshi shook her head: “It’s not hard. It’s what I should do.”

They chatted for a while longer, and gradually the three of them moved closer and closer together, seemingly discussing things that weren’t meant for others to hear.

Bai Biqing cast a few more glances their way, her heart full of questions, but she simply took out the finished cakes and called them over.

“Yanshi, do you know how popular your CP is right now?”

Su Yanshi nodded: “I know.”

The two girls suddenly took a deep breath: “Is it… is it actually real?”

Su Yanshi: “No, we’re just friends.”

The two had a “look” of understanding: “Right, right, right. You’re good friends, good sisters, I understand. Teacher Bai is here for a set visit, I get it all.”

Su Yanshi blinked, feeling as though they weren’t even on the same channel.

“Come and try them.”

Bai Biqing interrupted them at the right time. The three of them walked over to surround the baking tray; the Beta stood on the outer circle watching them, feeling strangely good about the scene.

“Yanshi, which one did you make?”

Su Yanshi, suddenly proud, pointed: “I molded all the animals.”

The two girls’ eyes lit up with surprise: “Wow—you found your forte!”

Bai Biqing listened to the chaotic tone of the three and smiled, pressing her lips together. She took a few steps back and quietly recorded the scene.

Eventually, the two girls left with some cake. Su Yanshi gave them her autograph and said she hoped to see them again.

Su Yanshi turned around happily, still hiding a puppy-shaped cake in her hand, wrapped in a plastic glove. They hadn’t made much, and Bai Biqing hadn’t touched any.

She placed the cake in Bai Biqing’s hand and said softly: “You’ve worked hard, Teacher Bai.”

Bai Biqing’s eyes trembled slightly. She suddenly felt as though Su Yanshi had just given herself away.

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