The Definition of Intimate Distance

“Vitruvius of Ancient Rome was the first to propose the three elements of architecture: Utility, Firmness, and Delight. [1]”

The bell for the inter-class break interrupted Chu Ran’s lecture. She put down the infrared electronic pen and signaled for everyone to take a ten-minute break.

Seeing this, Ye Nanzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly lowered her hat brim and slipped out through the back door of the classroom. As soon as she exited, she ran straight into Li Huan, who had been lurking outside surreptitiously for who knows how long.

Apologetically, Li Huan handed Ye Nanzhi a cup of milk tea.

–Sis, thanks for the hard work. Please, whatever you do, don’t tell my mom!–

Ye Nanzhi glanced at the milk tea in Li Huan’s hand—full sugar, no ice—and didn’t take it. She instinctively turned to look back at the classroom. Seeing that the podium was already empty, Ye Nanzhi hurriedly ducked into the stairwell.

After leaving the teaching building, Ye Nanzhi did not rush back to the dormitory. Instead, she wandered through the campus supermarket and bought a new keychain.

This time, it wasn’t a bunny, but a grey-and-white dog with its teeth bared, looking quite fierce.

Ye Nanzhi took out her old set of keys, twisted them off one by one, and hung them onto the new keychain.

Speaking of which, that bunny keychain had been with her for five years. Although there were slight scratches on it, she had always kept it close to her.

Looking at the bunny keychain in her hand and recalling the morning’s events, Ye Nanzhi felt dazed.

Chu Ran was back, and she was actually teaching at Shen University.

Four years ago, they could share the same ice cream, watch fireworks from the same window on New Year’s Eve, and huddle together in the lonely dark of night, planning a trip to the snowy mountains. But now, Chu Ran stood right in front of her, and she didn’t even dare to make a sound, needing a mask just to maintain a facade of calm.

In the washroom, the water splashed loudly. The cool water hitting her cheeks pulled Ye Nanzhi violently out of the whirlpool of memories.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She was very different from four years ago. Her once-obedient ear-length short hair had grown into a ponytail tied behind her head. She was no longer the ignorant young girl from four years ago, and Chu Ran was no longer the senior who taught her how to draw.

Time was like the water flowing from the pipes, slipping through her palms without restraint. Aside from leaving a few stray droplets, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t grasp it.

If she couldn’t keep it, then she should let it go, Ye Nanzhi thought.

It had been four years. She decided to take all the memories related to Chu Ran, along with the bunny keychain she had just removed, and put them away in a corner where she couldn’t see them, hiding them back in the deepest part of her mind.

Just like she did four years ago.

By the time Ye Nanzhi packed her bag and reached the library, most of the seats were already taken.

She was indeed late.

Tsk, getting up early was for nothing.

Fortunately, her luck was decent today. After searching for a long time, she finally found an empty seat in a corner and sat down quickly. She opened her tablet to continue reading the literature she hadn’t finished yesterday.

Her supervisor was holding a group meeting for reports in the afternoon, but her ideas were still scattered, making it difficult to propose a satisfactory line of thought. She had to seize this final bit of time—it was a race against the clock. She had to draft at least a few titles no matter what.

Once a person becomes focused on something, time flies.

Before she knew it, the bell for the noon break rang. Ye Nanzhi looked out the window. A massive army of students was swarming into the cafeteria. This was one of the busiest times of the day for the dining hall.

Having not had the chance to eat since morning, her stomach appropriately began to sound its horn.

Just as she closed her tablet, Ye Nanzhi suddenly realized something—if she remembered correctly, the faculty canteen was on the third floor of the First Cafeteria.

After thinking it over, she decided to abandon the nearby First Cafeteria and instead walked a great distance to the Second Cafeteria near the male dormitories to eat.

As she walked, she comforted herself: the Malatang at this cafeteria is especially delicious, and taking a walk before and after meals helps with digestion and is good for the health.

But as it turned out, that Malatang was nowhere near as good as the one in the First Cafeteria; it was incredibly salty.

After finishing her simple lunch, Ye Nanzhi circled half the campus back to the teaching area and arrived at her research group’s laboratory.

She was the first to arrive. She habitually opened the windows for ventilation and used a wet wipe to clean the table.

While she was doing this, Guo Peng and Zheng Xiaorou, who were also second-year graduate students, walked in together.

As soon as he entered, Guo Peng started asking about everyone’s progress, afraid of being left behind.

“How are you two doing? How many titles have you drafted?”

“Two for me.”

“Two for me too!”

“Sigh.” As the only male, Guo Peng let out a breath. “I only managed one, and even with this one, I feel like the supervisor will reject it.”

Zheng Xiaorou comforted him.

–Don’t be sad, it’s the same for everyone!–

The three of them had always gotten along well, especially with Guo Peng around to keep things light. There were few men in the education major, and Guo Peng happened to be one of the most popular.

He was tall, had a sunny and clean appearance, and was humorous.

“Xiao Ye, how about you?” Guo Peng looked over. “I feel like you’ve always been serious and meticulous. You’ll definitely be fine this time.”

Ye Nanzhi threw the wipe into the trash and smiled faintly.

“I’m not doing so well either. I’m not confident this time.”

Just as she finished speaking, their supervisor walked in.

Professor Song was an old professor in his fifties. He wasn’t tall, but his energy seemed more active than these youngsters; he always stood up straight.

He carried three large folders, each stretched into a curve by the papers inside, making a dull thud as they hit the table.

“How is the research coming along, children?” Professor Song went straight to the point.

The three students looked at each other; no one wanted to be the first to speak.

Professor Song could easily see through their humble expressions, so he poked directly at their problem.

“Alright, I can tell by your faces that your thoughts aren’t refined enough yet. You’re all stuck on the innovation points, aren’t you?”

The three of them nodded in unison. Indeed, research topics in the education major had been developed to the point where very few blank areas remained.

Professor Song pushed the folders forward.

“Well, the three of you are in luck. This year, the College of Education decided to propose a new idea: conducting joint research with other majors. Teachers from corresponding departments will lead you, and you will research a topic together from the perspectives of different fields. The one assigned under my name is with a teacher from the Architecture Department.”

At the mention of the “Architecture Department,” Ye Nanzhi’s heart skipped a beat, but she quickly comforted herself… it surely couldn’t be that much of a coincidence!

“The three of you divide these. These are three research directions; see which one each of you will study.”

Labels were stuck on the folders: Primary School Campus · Educational Space, Primary School Campus · Sports Space, and Primary School Campus · Social Space.

“This… what is ‘Social Space’?” Guo Peng asked in a low voice.

“It refers to the architectural space provided for the social behavior of users, allowing people to engage in random gatherings or conversations inside,” Ye Nanzhi explained simply.

“Wow… you even know that? You’re amazing!” Guo Peng and Zheng Xiaorou exclaimed instinctively.

Even Professor Song cast an appreciative glance.

“I told you two to learn more from Xiao Ye. Read more literature and don’t just think about going home all day. See, it’s come in handy! Since Student Ye is familiar with this area, then the topic of Social Space in Primary School Campuses will be researched by you on behalf of the Primary Education Department.”

Looking at the words “Social Space,” a hazy feeling rose in Ye Nanzhi’s heart. Rejection was on the tip of her tongue.

“But I…”

“Then since I’m a guy, I’ll choose Sports Space!” Guo Peng added immediately. Zheng Xiaorou followed by saying she was willing to choose Educational Space.

“What is it?” Professor Song saw that Ye Nanzhi hadn’t finished.

Ye Nanzhi’s hand, hanging in mid-air, finally dropped. Things had already reached this point; speaking up now seemed meaningless. Reassigning her topic to the other two wouldn’t be a reasonable plan and would cause them a lot of trouble. Moreover… Ye Nanzhi still held a shred of hope. There were many teachers in the Architecture Department; it surely wouldn’t be that coincidental.

“Nothing. I’ll just choose this then.”

“Good.” Professor Song took out his phone, tapped away for a moment, and then arranged things one by one. “I’ve sent your names and information to the Architecture Department group. Xiaorou, go to the Building Art Gallery B213 to find Teacher Wu. Xiao Guo, go to Building Art Gallery A302 to find Teacher Zhao. Xiao Ye…”

Professor Song suddenly squinted his eyes.

“Student Ye is quite lucky. Teacher Chu is a young teacher who just returned from a famous school abroad. B309, Teacher Chu Ran.”

The hand Ye Nanzhi used to hold her folder loosened. The papers inside went hualala, flying into the air with the wind blowing through the window.

Guo Peng and Zheng Xiaorou rushed to help her tidy up.

Professor Song had always been approachable. Seeing this, he simply teased lightheartedly.

“What’s wrong? Are you that happy to work with a new teacher?” He then gave a few brief instructions, said he had a class soon, and left.

Once Ye Nanzhi had organized the materials, she met Guo Peng’s curious face.

“Xiao Ye, how did you know what a social space was?”

“What is a social space?” Ye Nanzhi looked at the words on Chu Ran’s computer screen; it was the topic of her graduation thesis.

“Semi-public spaces where people are willing to engage in random social behaviors,” Chu Ran answered calmly, then added a detailed supplement: “Acts like our current conversation are considered a type of social behavior.”

“I see… then what is there to write about this kind of space? You’ve written so many words; you seem so impressive,” Ye Nanzhi said curiously.

“There are many patterns of social behavior. Just talking about interpersonal distance, it is divided into public distance, social distance, personal distance, and intimate distance [2]. You can’t provide the dimensions of intimate distance for users of public distance. Furthermore, as social behaviors and relationships differ, the required architectural style, scale, and color contrast of the space will all vary.”

Chu Ran saw the young girl lost in thought and couldn’t help but find it amusing. A freshman who had just left high school and probably hadn’t even become familiar with university life was actually interested in a master’s thesis from another major.

Chu Ran picked up her coffee, took a sip, and was about to continue writing. Suddenly, the fragrance of the girl beside her intensified. Ye Nanzhi leaned in close, huddling by her side, her soft breath hitting Chu Ran’s ear.

With a slight warmth, she asked softly.

“Teacher Chu, then what kind of social behavior are we engaging in right now?”