Ding Zhitong wanted to say, “It’s not like that. I don’t want to be so clear-cut with you.”
As they were finishing their meal, Feng Sheng remembered something and asked Ding Zhitong if he could give her contact information to a friend who had just graduated and was job hunting.
Ding Zhitong agreed, finding it peculiar that she had suddenly become a target for networking by juniors. However, Song Mingmei overheard and asked, “Is it the one you recommended to me a few days ago? What was her name… Guan Wenyuan?”
Feng Sheng nodded. “Yes, has she contacted you already?”
Song Mingmei smiled, her expression somewhat complicated. After a pause, she said, “She sent me her resume, but in the cover letter, she even got my company and department names wrong. It still said ‘L Bank Sales and Trading Department.’ She probably just copied the letter she sent you without changing the keywords.”
Feng Sheng shook his head helplessly and laughed. Then, looking at Ding Zhitong, he asked, “Remember when we had dinner on graduation day? My mom mentioned she was from C Bank. She’s the daughter of a senior executive there. Anyway, it’s up to you how to handle it. I’m just passing along the message.”
“No wonder…” Song Mingmei immediately understood. “I saw on her resume that her summer internship was at C Bank’s New York branch investment banking department.”
“What’s wrong with C Bank?” Ding Zhitong noticed their shared smile but didn’t understand. In her mind, C Bank was a large state-owned bank, a Fortune 500 company with impressive overseas branches.
Song Mingmei explained, “I’ve heard their internship pay is barely above New York’s minimum wage. It’s technically on Wall Street, but anyone with ambition wouldn’t go there. It’s just a place for those with connections to get H1B visas.”
Ding Zhitong finally understood and asked, “So, are you going to meet her?”
Song Mingmei replied immediately, “Of course! This is a valuable connection!”
Once again, Ding Zhitong felt she was quite slow in these matters.
As they chatted engagingly, Gan Yang remained quiet and excused himself to use the restroom. When it was time to pay, they discovered he had already settled the bill.
The waiters in Chinatown restaurants, especially the older ones, were often quite arrogant with fellow Chinese customers. However, the one serving their table suddenly became exceptionally attentive. Ding Zhitong guessed someone must have left a generous tip.
Among the group, Gan Yang was the youngest and still a student. Feng Sheng insisted on reimbursing him, saying, “This isn’t right. We agreed on splitting the bill. How can we let you treat us?”
Gan Yang politely declined, and Ding Zhitong added, “We’ll settle it next time we meet.”
Feng Sheng joked, “Well, I’m getting a good deal then. You start work next week, so our next meal will probably be grabbing hot dogs outside the office…”
Ding Zhitong hadn’t expected her secret to be revealed so casually and felt embarrassed.
Fortunately, Gan Yang didn’t seem to notice. He smiled and said, “I came today specifically to treat you all. I won’t be in New York for the next few months, so thank you in advance for taking care of Tong Tong.”
Fighting over the bill was common in China, but they tried to be more restrained in a foreign country. Guests at nearby tables had already started looking their way.
Finally, Song Mingmei smoothed things over: “All right, we won’t be polite then. But let me make one thing clear…”
“What’s that?” Gan Yang asked.
Song Mingmei put her arm around Ding Zhitong’s shoulder and answered, “No need to thank us for taking care of her. She’s my Tong Tong too.”
Ding Zhitong felt utterly embarrassed. The group happily left the restaurant and stepped outside.
Night had fallen, and the air was damp and cold. Late January in New York meant temperatures hovered around freezing. They walked along Mott Street until they reached the subway station, where they said their goodbyes.
Feng Sheng and Song Mingmei descended into the subway, leaving Ding Zhitong and Gan Yang alone. Suddenly, silence fell between them, and they walked without speaking for a while.
“Hey,” Ding Zhitong sensed something was off. She slipped her hand into Gan Yang’s coat pocket and initiated conversation. “Can you tell me now? Why did you suddenly come today?”
Gan Yang turned to look at her, then looked away without speaking.
Ding Zhitong was now certain something was wrong.
After a long pause, Gan Yang finally answered, “I don’t want to tell you anymore…”
“What do you mean?” Ding Zhitong stopped walking, trying to withdraw her hand.
Gan Yang gripped it tightly, turning to face her. “You have the nerve to ask me? You don’t tell me anything important.”
Ding Zhitong found his behavior childish and wanted to laugh, but knowing she was at fault, she bit her lip and explained meekly, “I was planning to tell you next week…”
“Just so I wouldn’t come this week?” Gan Yang questioned, shaking her hand.
Ding Zhitong mumbled, “Well, it’s only a few days until Spring Festival anyway…”
Gan Yang turned away again, dropping the subject with a curt, “Fine then. I won’t tell you either.”
“Then don’t!” Ding Zhitong felt frustrated that her attempt at reconciliation had backfired.
Yet he wouldn’t let go of her hand, pulling her along as they walked to the serviced apartment and rode the elevator up in tense silence.
Once inside the room, Gan Yang took off his coat and jacket, set down his bag, and began sorting through his things.
Ding Zhitong thought for a moment and decided to speak first: “Since you’re here anyway, I’ll move in this week.”
Gan Yang grunted in acknowledgment but remained silent.
Ding Zhitong then pulled out a check from a book on the desk. She had carefully calculated the amount and prepared it in advance.
Handing over the check, she joked, “Here, the first quarter’s installment.”
Gan Yang froze, glanced at the check without taking it, then looked at her and asked once again, “Ding Zhitong, are you sick or something?”
He had said the same words to her before, but this time his tone was different, making her heart sink.
“What do you mean?” she asked again, her voice trembling. She really couldn’t handle arguments, especially with people she cared about.
Gan Yang wasn’t faring much better. After a long pause, he finally said, “Do you want to keep things so separate between us?”
The emphasis seemed to be on the word “us.”
Ding Zhitong wanted to say, “No, it’s not like that. I don’t want to keep things so separate from you.” But she also felt this was a different issue. The money he was using wasn’t his, and she needed to keep things clear. Then again, she thought she shouldn’t say that either, as it might sound like she was criticizing him for not working and spending his family’s money lavishly.
She didn’t want to make things unpleasant and felt she had no right to make demands of him. He had been living his life just fine, with his own lifestyle and post-graduation plans. They had only been dating for three months – who was she to interfere?
With so many conflicting thoughts, she found herself unable to say anything. Just then, someone knocked on the door. It was a colleague from next door looking for her. Ding Zhitong composed herself, went out to chat for a while, and informed everyone she would be moving out next week. She thought Gan Yang would cool off if left alone for a bit, but when she returned, the room door was open, the lights were on, and it was empty.
She stood by the doorknob for a moment, feeling numb at first. Seeing the check she had carefully torn from her checkbook on the table, she thought, “Well, at least now I can repay Yan Aihua a few thousand more.” But even as she had this thought, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes.
When Gan Yang returned, he found her standing blankly in the doorway, her eyes brimming with tears. His anger immediately dissipated. He put his arm around her, led her into the room, closed the door, and asked, “Why are you crying?”
Ding Zhitong couldn’t speak. She turned and buried her face in his chest, soaking his shirt.
Gan Yang stroked her hair, thought for a moment, then smiled and said, “You didn’t think I’d left, did you? I just went to buy water from the vending machine…”
Ding Zhitong looked at his hands and saw he was indeed holding two bottles of water. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She knew he was particular and disliked the hard water in America, always drinking bottled water. Feeling embarrassed, she kept her face hidden and protested, “It’s nothing. I wasn’t crying. Don’t talk nonsense…”
Gan Yang didn’t care. He had his interpretation and happily enveloped her in his arms, comforting her like a child: “Right, it’s nothing. You weren’t crying. I’m talking nonsense…” He wouldn’t even let her go to the bathroom to wash her face, instead cupping her cheeks and kissing her.
Ding Zhitong thought this was absurd. Just moments ago, he had been sulking like a child, and now the tables had completely turned. But as they kissed, she stopped resisting. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, and he pressed her against the wall, even turning off the lights.
They had been apart for nearly twenty days, and desire ignited instantly. But it wasn’t just about reuniting after a brief separation. It was a strange feeling, the first time in their lives they knew they were so strongly needed. Even if he was insignificant, even if she was insignificant, these two insignificant people needed each other.
Later, Ding Zhitong often felt that her special fondness for makeup sex began that night. Not angry sex, but makeup sex – it didn’t require particularly forceful or intense actions, but rather extreme intimacy, gentleness, and smoothness. The state of complete physical exhaustion yet emotional calm afterward was perfect for having an open and honest conversation.
That night, in the narrow room of the serviced apartment, on the bed with gray sheets, with the ceaseless sound of traffic and occasional sirens from the city outside, she lay in the darkness with her head on his chest and asked, “Why were you upset?”
Gan Yang was silent for a moment, his body tensing slightly. After a while, he finally said, “…Because of Feng Sheng.”
“What about Feng Sheng?” Ding Zhitong asked.
“You didn’t tell me about things that he knew. He even had dinner with you on graduation day, and he lives in Queens, where you originally wanted to live…” His words came out through gritted teeth, like a series of attacks.
Ding Zhitong couldn’t help but laugh, feeling like she had solved a mystery. She should have realized it earlier. At the restaurant, when she was chatting happily with Feng Sheng, Gan Yang had been holding her hand the whole time. Then he used paying the bill as an opportunity to assert his claim, and afterward, he had given her the cold shoulder.
Gan Yang noticed her laughter and became even more adamant, saying, “You know, most men’s restroom urinals don’t even have dividers between them. Competition between men is that blatant.”
What kind of comparison was that? Ding Zhitong was speechless. She said, “I’ve told you before, Feng Sheng and I are just classmates and friends. There’s no competition between you two.”
Gan Yang argued, “I didn’t say anything. I just felt unhappy inside. Is that not allowed?”
He had a point. His behavior at the restaurant had been good, and having someone feel jealous of her wasn’t such a bad feeling.
But Ding Zhitong still wanted to say something else. She propped herself up a bit to look at him and said, “In the future, if something like this happens again, you can be unhappy, but you need to tell me why. Give me a chance to explain. I dislike it when people just leave without saying anything.”
“I didn’t leave. I just went to buy water…” Gan Yang felt wrongly accused.
Ding Zhitong ignored his protest and continued, “Whatever happens, as long as we can talk it out clearly, even breaking up isn’t a big deal…”
“Why are we talking about breaking up?” Gan Yang interrupted her. He could sense the seriousness in her words, so he stopped explaining and solemnly nodded.
Satisfied, Ding Zhitong lay back down, embracing him and fitting perfectly into his arms. But she didn’t tell him why she disliked it so much.
It was because of Ding Yanming and Yan Aihua in their younger days. When they got along, they were incredibly close, and when they argued, it was spectacularly loud – famous throughout the entire staff dormitory. Others joked that they were a bickering couple, but Yan Aihua disagreed, saying that all couples argue, and those who don’t make a sound are the ones who end up divorcing. Her words turned out to be prophetic – Yan Aihua and Old Ding eventually divorced because they couldn’t argue across the Pacific Ocean, parting ways without a sound.
Besides this, there were many other things she hadn’t told Gan Yang and probably wouldn’t in the foreseeable future.
She didn’t know what to call it, so she changed the subject, asking, “Can you tell me now? Why did you suddenly come to New York?”
In the darkness, Gan Yang smiled quietly for a while before answering, “I came for an interview today.”