“Drink more hot water. Mom loves you.”
The morning light crept through the curtain gap, tracing a golden line. It felt as if Gan Yang had just closed his eyes when his phone alarm rang. Though he’d stayed up late and hadn’t slept enough, he quickly reached out to silence it.
Ding Zhitong opened her eyes, attempting to check the time on her phone. Gan Yang stopped her, gathering her arms to her chest and pulling her into his embrace. He covered her eyes with one hand and whispered in her ear, “I have a 9 AM interview. I’ll head out first. You should sleep a bit longer.”
Ding Zhitong yawned and shook her head. “I need to get up too. I’ll leave with you.”
“Why? It’s Saturday,” Gan Yang replied, thinking she was still half-asleep.
“I have a deadline to meet. I need to go to the office,” Ding Zhitong explained matter-of-factly. She rubbed her eyes, slipped out of his arms, and shuffled to the bathroom in her slippers.
Gan Yang found this behavior bizarre. When she had gone to bed, he’d checked the time—it was just over two hours ago.
“Is this how you always are after overtime?” he asked, watching her.
“Not always,” Ding Zhitong clarified. “Normally, if I work late, I can go in later the next day—before 11 AM is fine. This is a special case.” After yesterday’s incident, she was wary of lying again. Gan Yang hadn’t blamed her, which only made her feel worse about her dishonesty. Still, she couldn’t help but downplay the situation.
“So you only get four or five hours of sleep at most,” Gan Yang calculated.
Ding Zhitong mumbled an agreement through her toothbrush, thinking to herself that four or five hours wasn’t bad at all. Many students survived on that little sleep, and now it was for earning money.
Gan Yang didn’t press the issue. After washing up, he went to the kitchen to prepare scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and fresh orange juice. Since it was a weekend, Ding Zhitong could dress casually for work. She quickly got ready, holding her laptop bag in one hand with her shoes beside her feet, leaning against the kitchen island to eat before leaving. Gan Yang had hoped to chat, but seeing her rush, he tried to keep up.
As Ding Zhitong took large bites of toast, she checked her BlackBerry. In just a few hours, her inbox had filled with new messages. The most recent emails were from Mr. Mac and Ms. Dai, who habitually checked and responded to emails between 6 and 7 AM, collecting assignments, providing feedback, and assigning new tasks.
Below those were messages from colleagues who had stayed even later than her, working through the night. JV, in particular, maintained his usual style of sending emails in the early hours. From 4 AM to 6 AM, the emails continued without interruption until regular office hours. Ding Zhitong was amazed, wondering if this Indian colleague had transcended human needs, never going home or sleeping.
As they finished eating and headed to the underground parking garage, Gan Yang finally spoke up. “I asked you before, have you considered changing jobs?”
Ding Zhitong was unsure how to respond and instinctively shook her head. Despite the demanding work and her frequent complaints, she had never seriously considered leaving.
Seeing her reaction, Gan Yang thought she might be upset and explained further. “I know you’re capable and ambitious. But analysts often do basic, repetitive work. With your skills, you could easily find an in-house position. Even if you’re only interested in banking, commercial banks aren’t as demanding. Why insist on this job?”
These were hard truths, and Ding Zhitong was at a loss for words. Her thoughts coalesced into a single reason—for the money, of course.
If she switched to a nine-to-five job, her income would be halved, with bonuses amounting to only one or two months’ salary. Given the high cost of living in New York, how could she achieve her goal of saving $80,000 a year?
However, if she revealed the true reason, given the current intensity of their relationship, Gan Yang would likely write her a check and happily solve her problem. Simple, quick, and satisfying for both—but not what she wanted.
So, she finally replied, “I’ll think about it… It’s not easy to change jobs right now.”
Gan Yang seemed satisfied with this answer. He ruffled her hair affectionately before starting the car and driving out of the parking garage.
The mention of changing jobs reminded Ding Zhitong of something. She looked at him in the driver’s seat and asked, “Is that what you’re wearing to your interview?”
He wore a hoodie, sweatpants, and sneakers, and had a jacket draped over the back of his seat.
Gan Yang smiled as he focused on the road. “YeAh everyone there dresses like this.”
Ding Zhitong realized she hadn’t even asked where he was interviewing. Gan Yang then told her it was a sports equipment company that dealt with running, cycling, tennis, and outdoor hiking gear. They had a store in Manhattan at the corner of 18th Street and Broadway.
Unfamiliar with the company, Ding Zhitong asked concernedly, “What’s the specific position? Are you sure they can sponsor your H1B?”
“They can. It’s a full-time employee contract, not an internship. I clarified everything during the phone interview,” Gan Yang assured her. He explained that the owner was a former middle-distance runner who got along well with him. The owner was willing to go the extra mile for Gan Yang’s talent, offering him a position as a management analyst—a role eligible for a work visa. The only catch was that Gan Yang would have to pay the lawyer fees himself.
“You… know that’s not legal, right?” Ding Zhitong was taken aback. As a recent graduate in her first job, she was well-versed in the relevant regulations and deadlines. The H1B lawyer had to be hired by the employer.
“But it seems like many people do it this way…” Gan Yang genuinely didn’t know and didn’t seem too concerned.
Ding Zhitong decided not to press the issue. After all, his family was wealthy. Even if he didn’t win the H1B lottery or if his application was rejected, they could easily afford to hire lawyers, set up projects, or apply for an EB5 visa if he wanted to stay. Her worries might indeed be unnecessary.
As they talked, they arrived at her office building. They said goodbye, he kissed her, and she wished him luck with his interview. She got out, and he drove away. It was an ordinary scene, yet somehow it felt like they were parting on less-than-ideal terms.
Ding Zhitong entered the building and took the elevator up. On this Saturday morning, people were already working overtime, dressed more casually than usual. Many hid under baseball caps or hoodies, their faces bare of makeup and hair unwashed. The office was quiet except for the soft tapping of keyboards.
Throughout the morning, Ding Zhitong continued to work hard with JV, redoing XP Energy’s valuation according to Deborah’s instructions. The team in Oklahoma City was having a simultaneous meeting. When they sent over the results, the client finally approved them.
The project moved to the next phase. This time, however, things were different. Deborah called JV and Ding Zhitong separately from Oklahoma City, assigning them individual tasks.
Ding Zhitong recognized this as a signal. Her performance over the past few weeks had earned some recognition from her superiors, and Ms. Dai felt she could try handling analyst work independently. Of course, JV could also see the implications of this.
The task assigned to her wasn’t difficult—she just needed to update XP Energy’s data using existing templates. Deborah mentioned that JV had all the necessary templates.
Ding Zhitong hadn’t anticipated that this simple action would become the biggest obstacle in completing her task.
She asked JV for the materials, but he said he was busy and gave her another assignment instead. It was unfinished work from before, originally meant for both of them, but the deadline had been pushed back due to the urgent valuation. Ding Zhitong had no reason to refuse and spent the entire day on this task. By evening, when she had nearly finished, JV went into a meeting room and replied on his BlackBerry that he’d give her the materials after the meeting.
Feeling frustrated, Ding Zhitong let out a deep sigh. It was only then that she noticed a message from Gan Yang on her phone—an excited “I got it!” with an exclamation mark.
The message had been sent at 11 AM when she was on the phone with DeborAh focused on answering a series of questions. She hadn’t noticed the incoming text.
After that, Gan Yang hadn’t messaged her again, which was unusual for him. He was probably a bit upset. Ding Zhitong even imagined returning to an empty apartment. She quickly replied: “Congratulations! I’ll be back soon. Let’s celebrate tonight!”
He responded promptly with two letters: “OK”
It was clear he was truly unhappy.
However, when she returned to the Upper West Side apartment and opened the door, the lights and sounds of cooking made her realize she had been overthinking. She went to the kitchen, pretending to help, but Gan Yang shooed her away. She then hugged him from behind, pressing herself against his back. He laughed, allowing her to hold him until he finished cooking.
They sat down to eat under the warm light. As Ding Zhitong ate, she realized this was her first proper dinner in a week. It was a bit pitiful when she thought about it.
But Gan Yang didn’t let her dwell on it for long. Laughing, he showed her the photo he had posted on Facebook earlier that day.
The photo showed him standing in front of the sports equipment company where he would soon work. He was pointing at the storefront window on 18th Street with a blank expression. The caption read: “Where I’ll be selling shoes from now on.”
There was a comment from a friend named “Swimming Ring”:
“Don’t worry, life is long, and it’s normal to face setbacks. Mom will always support you. You were born with talents that will surely find their use. You’ll find your place eventually. Don’t overthink it. Go have a good meal and drink more hot water. Mom loves you.”
At first, Ding Zhitong thought it was a prank and asked, “Is this your mom?”
“YeAh it is,” Gan Yang nodded, still amused that even his mother thought he had failed by finding this kind of job after graduating from a prestigious school and felt the need to comfort him.
Ding Zhitong was suddenly moved. She went over and hugged his head.
“What’s wrong?” Gan Yang asked, pulling her onto his lap.
Ding Zhitong didn’t know how to respond. Was it because she had been distracted and inattentive towards him these past few days? Or was it because of “Swimming Ring’s” words, making her envious of his having such a supportive and loving mother? And one with money, too. Money, support, and love weren’t just empty words.
After a long pause, all she could say was, “I’m sorry…”
Gan Yang rested his chin on her cheek and asked, “Why are you apologizing to me?”
Ding Zhitong tightened her arms around him and mumbled, “I didn’t even comment on your photo…”
He chuckled softly, stroking her back. “Then tell me in person now.”
Still maintaining her position, finding his shoulder incredibly comfortable, Ding Zhitong thought for a moment before saying, “If it’s what you want to do, and it’s healthy, positive, and legal, then it’s the right position for you. I support you selling shoes.”
Gan Yang’s smile deepened. “What about you? What do you like to do?”
Ding Zhitong replied, “I don’t have any hobbies. I just want to make money.”
He cupped her face, looking into her eyes. “Then I support you in making money.”
“Really?” Ding Zhitong questioned with a smile. “This morning you were telling me to change jobs.”
Gan Yang shook his head. “I’ve thought about it. I shouldn’t oppose your work. Everyone has things they want to do, and sometimes they can’t explain why to others.”
Ding Zhitong loved this response. She leaned in to give him a quick kiss. But Gan Yang wasn’t satisfied with just that. He held the back of her head, turning the brief touch of lips into a deep kiss.