After the graduation ceremony, winter break was about to begin.
Gan Yang wanted to invite Ding Zhitong on a trip. Knowing she disliked cold weather, he planned to head south, perhaps to Sanibel Island in Florida or the Everglades National Park.
However, Ding Zhitong didn’t agree to his proposal. She was concerned about the cost and found the idea of traveling exhausting.
She knew that during winter break, Kang Village would be nearly deserted. Students either returned home for the New Year or went on trips. Even most restaurants and bars in town closed, with the few that remained open shutting their doors early each day. On the rare occasions when she dined out, restaurant owners would lament, “I hope classes start soon. It’s so quiet and boring without the students.”
Ding Zhitong had endured a challenging year. Now that the semester had ended and her job hadn’t yet begun, she longed for a few days of peaceful idleness, doing nothing from morning till night.
Since she declined to travel, Gan Yang adjusted his plans. He proposed a low-cost hiking trip in Ithaca, vowing to visit all the places and do all the activities they hadn’t experienced during her three semesters.
On the first day, they cycled to a waterfall near the school.
Last year at this time, Ithaca had seemed like a ghost town to Ding Zhitong, giving her the impression of being snowbound. This year, looking at the same vast snowy landscape, it appeared to her like freshly whipped cream, perfect and unmarred, almost too beautiful to step on.
She kept these thoughts to herself, realizing that this change in perspective was largely due to Gan Yang’s presence. Alone, the scene had felt desolate; together, it became an idyllic retreat. Yet, she felt slightly guilty, worried that she might be too dull a companion and hoping he wouldn’t find her boring—at least, not too quickly.
The dormitory was nearly empty, and Song Mingmei had already moved out. Ding Zhitong had planned to stay until the end of December before packing for New York, allowing her to transition smoothly into the company-arranged serviced apartment without wasting any time.
Gan Yang secretly hoped she would stay with him but was too shy to ask directly. Instead, he devised a mischievous plan.
On the uphill path from the West Campus dorms to Central Campus, there was a steep snowy slope where students often sledded down using makeshift “sleds” made from various materials.
Passing by on their way back from the waterfall, he asked Ding Zhitong if she had ever tried it, encouraging her to give it a go.
“What would I use?” Ding Zhitong shook her head, having never engaged in such a foolish activity, finding the mere suggestion absurd.
But Gan Yang had already thought it through: “Your dorm is close by. Why not use your mattress?”
It was their last chance to try new experiences before graduating. “Why not give it a try?” Ding Zhitong found herself agreeing.
At that moment, she went along with his suggestion, allowing him to carry her old single mattress down to the snowy slope. They spent half the afternoon playing like carefree children, sliding up and down, laughing until their faces ached. They ran hand in hand along the empty road, then collapsed together onto the icy surface.
By evening, when they carried the mattress back to her dorm, they discovered a large portion of it was soaked through.
“It’s fine,” Gan Yang reassured her. “You can sleep at my place tonight.”
Ding Zhitong saw through his plan immediately. “Couldn’t you have just asked directly?”
Gan Yang, suppressing a smile, cornered her against the door, waiting for her nod of approval.
Ding Zhitong ultimately yielded to him, though it aligned with her desires. That night, she stayed at his place.
The following days passed similarly. They jogged together each morning, tended to vegetables in the greenhouse before noon, cooked lunch together, read books on the couch in the afternoon, and watched a movie at night. They could go entire days without seeing another person. The most thrilling event was Ding Zhitong developing a slight paranoia from watching too many zombie films, insisting on keeping lights on wherever they went. Gan Yang would occasionally sneak up on her to startle her, just to have an excuse to pull her into his embrace when she jumped.
This routine continued until after Christmas when Ding Zhitong returned to her dorm to pack her belongings and prepare to move.
By then, Song Mingmei had settled in New York, renting a single room in a shared apartment in Greenwich Village with two NYU students. After signing the lease, she called Ding Zhitong with good news: someone in the same building might be moving out soon, offering them a chance to be roommates again if Ding Zhitong was interested.
The location was good, and living with a familiar person was appealing. The timing worked well, but Ding Zhitong hesitated when she heard the price. Even for a shared apartment, Manhattan was expensive compared to her Ithaca dorm.
Her savings from the past year and a half amounted to less than $2,000. She had saved $10,000 from her ten-week summer internship after expenses, and M Bank’s signing bonus and relocation allowance totaled $5,000. Initially, she had felt financially comfortable, but after writing a $10,000 check to Yan Aihua, her bank account balance was just over $6,000. The rent for Song Mingmei’s place was $1,500. If the landlord required a full year’s payment upfront, she couldn’t afford it. Even with the first and last month’s rent plus application fees, it would deplete half her savings. She had originally planned to live in Queens, and now she needed to recalculate her budget.
Song Mingmei was exasperated. “Do you know how many apartments I’ve looked at? This is the going rate here—shared rentals start at $1,500, and studios are at least $2,000 to $3,000. You’re making an $80,000 salary. Why are you being so frugal?”
Ding Zhitong responded noncommittally, saying she needed to think about it. Song Mingmei urged her to decide quickly, as someone else might take the room at any moment.
Gan Yang overheard their conversation but continued helping her pack without comment.
On the last day of December, Ding Zhitong returned her dorm keys and moved her two suitcases to Gan Yang’s place.
That night, they enjoyed a lavish meal and watched TV, waiting for the Times Square ball drop ceremony. However, as the final countdown approached, they had already retreated to bed, celebrating the transition from 2007 to 2008 intimately before falling into a contented sleep.
On New Year’s Day, they exchanged gifts.
Ding Zhitong felt somewhat anxious about this, recalling Gan Yang’s claim that they were officially certified by psychological tests to think alike. She couldn’t guess what he would give her and wasn’t confident in choosing a gift that would perfectly complement his.
She had simply bought him a pair of running shoes online.
It was from a DIY shoe website called Somnio, a novel concept that year, claiming to allow customers to customize their running shoes like building a computer. The shoe base came in three types: supportive, control, and cushioned. There were different wedges, insoles, and inserts to accommodate various weights, foot strikes, paces, distances, and terrains. A simple combination of these elements could produce nearly 500 different running shoe configurations, far exceeding the variety offered by any single brand at the time. Ding Zhitong found it quite impressive and spent considerable time “assembling” a pair for Gan Yang, which arrived two weeks after ordering.
On the first day of 2008, Ding Zhitong presented the shoes. Gan Yang immediately tried them on and expressed his appreciation.
However, his return gift was far from simple.
Following the original plan, he drove to help Ding Zhitong move. But upon reaching New York, he took her directly to view an apartment near Central Park West.
The unit featured a living room, dining room, two bedrooms, one kitchen, and two and a half bathrooms. Located on the 35th floor, it offers excellent views. The building had a lobby, parking garage, indoor swimming pool, and gym.
“What do you think?” he asked, standing before the large floor-to-ceiling windows, awaiting her praise. Behind him, the spotless glass revealed a clear winter sky.
Ding Zhitong was momentarily speechless.
He pointed out the window and continued, “If you live here, you can jog in the park right outside. It’s only a fifteen-minute commute to Midtown for work. Apartments in this building are in high demand—this was the last two-bedroom unit available. I saw it online, called Wang Yi to help inspect it, then transferred the rent and deposit to the agent…”
Ding Zhitong interrupted, “How much is it per month?”
Gan Yang avoided the question, saying, “The money’s already been paid and it’s non-refundable. Weren’t you looking for a place here anyway?”
Ding Zhitong couldn’t help but laugh, “I never imagined living next to Central Park.”
“Where were you planning to live?” Gan Yang asked, embracing her.
Ding Zhitong answered honestly, “Queens. It’s all the same commute by subway, just a few extra stops.”
Unsurprised, Gan Yang replied, “I thought so, which is why I rushed to secure this. Investment banking involves a lot of overtime. If you lived far away, you’d waste two extra hours commuting each day, leaving no time for sleep.”
Ding Zhitong, still processing the information, asked again, “How much is this place per month?”
Gan Yang deflected, “I said it’s a gift, and I’ll be living here too. You’re not expecting to split the cost, are you?”
Ding Zhitong looked at him, not wanting to create tension. After a moment’s thought, she said, “I doubt I could afford even half. The most I can offer is what I had budgeted for rent and other expenses.”
Gan Yang playfully felt her forehead, asking, “Are you feeling all right, Ding Zhitong?”
She stepped back, trying to keep the tone light, “If you don’t let me contribute anything, I’ll feel like I’m selling myself by living here.”
Gan Yang leaned in close, whispering, “That’s kind of exciting, don’t you think?”
Ding Zhitong pushed him away, telling him to stop.
He pleaded, holding her tight, “Fine, you can pay me, and I’ll sell myself to you. How’s that?”
“I don’t have much money. Are you that cheap?” she couldn’t help but laugh.
He pulled her down onto the bare mattress, spreading out like a starfish, and said, “Special discount, interest-free installments. What do you say?”
Ding Zhitong didn’t answer, just turned to look at him, caressing his face. Gan Yang’s smile faded, his gaze intensifying as he held her waist and leaned in to kiss her. Sunlight streamed in unobstructed, making her squint. She realized that with her vampire-like tendencies, she might need to wear sunscreen even indoors.
And just like that, the matter seemed to be settled.