Gan Yang always felt that Mr. Liu’s business mindset was stuck in the 90s, while his family values belonged to the Qing Dynasty.
The bathroom was warm, with steam rising from the hot water, reminiscent of spring’s return.
Ding Zhitong deliberately refrained from moving as Gan Yang undressed her and lowered her into the bathtub. Only when she realized he was genuinely just bathing her, even asking if the water temperature was suitable to warm her up and prevent a cold, did she begin to feel ashamed of her impure thoughts? She quickly grabbed the loofah from his hand and hurriedly finished washing before climbing out of the tub.
Gan Yang wrapped her in a towel, dried her hair, and gave her one of his T-shirts to wear. She had worn it before; it was a bit large and long, perfect as a nightgown. Ding Zhitong initially wanted to say she had pajamas in her suitcase, but once she put on the shirt, it felt especially nice. The slightly worn cotton softened from many washes, carried his faint scent.
After everything was done, Gan Yang urged her to sleep. He entered the bedroom without turning on the lights, pulled back the covers, and tucked her in before lying down beside her like a protective wall. The blanket was light, soft, and warm, with every breath filled with a familiar fragrance. She felt incredibly comfortable, though, after the night’s excitement, she was a bit restless. She closed her eyes only to open them again, gazing at him in the darkness. He lay beside her with his eyes closed, appearing to sleep seriously. She snuggled closer, pressing against him, aware that he too was aroused – not just a little, but intensely. In the darkness, she sought his lips, touching and caressing them, then gently biting twice.
Gan Yang held the back of her head, warning, “If you keep this up, we won’t be sleeping.”
Ding Zhitong thought to herself, “How can he be so clueless?” She could only whisper in his ear, “I… can’t seem to fall asleep…”
Her breath lightly brushed his ear, arousing him even more. His arm tightened around her back, yet he still feigned ignorance, asking, “What would help you sleep?”
“What do you think?” Ding Zhitong countered, the answer obvious.
He insisted on continuing the charade, saying, “If you don’t tell me, how would I know what to do?”
Frustrated by his lack of cooperation, she turned her back to him, saying, “Never mind then, let’s sleep.”
Finally dropping the act, he slipped under the covers and pushed up her large T-shirt. Ding Zhitong let out a soft gasp – she wore nothing underneath.
Outside the curtains, dawn was breaking. He bent her legs and entered her body, his lips pressed against hers. Their physical movements were intense, yet their kisses remained gentle. She felt as if all her senses were consumed, teetering on the edge of control, yet without fear or urgency. She didn’t think about the time, didn’t calculate how long they could sleep before having to get up, whether anyone would call looking for her, or how many unread emails with red titles were piling up in her inbox. She simply kissed him and was kissed in return, each taking and giving.
When she next awoke, the digital clock by the bed showed 11:30 AM. Ding Zhitong felt a bit dazed, initially thinking she had overslept before remembering where she was. Gan Yang’s arm was around her waist, his body curled behind her, also just waking up.
She turned to face him, resting on his arm, and asked, “Why are you sleeping in so late today?”
He buried his face in her hair, feigning a pitiful tone, “It’s all because of you. You said we wouldn’t see each other this week, and I couldn’t sleep for two nights straight. What’s wrong with me sleeping in a bit today?”
“Really?” she laughed, running her fingers through his hair, feeling a sense of triumphant satisfaction.
“Of course it’s true. Look at these dark circles under my eyes…” He leaned in, pulling down his lower eyelid for her to see.
Ding Zhitong studied his face for a while but couldn’t see anything, doubting if he even knew what dark circles looked like.
“If you wanted me to spend your birthday with you, why didn’t you just say so?” she teased, purposely shifting the responsibility to him.
Gan Yang countered, “How could I say something like that?”
Ding Zhitong laughed, “Just say it directly – ‘You heartless woman, not even spending my birthday with me.'”
“I already said I’d support your money-making efforts. I can’t go back on my word,” Gan Yang explained. “Besides, these things are only meaningful when the other person thinks of it themselves. It’s no fun if I have to say it.”
“So, how about now?” Ding Zhitong waited for his praise.
He paused to think, then said, “Hmm, it’s alright…”
“Just alright?” She knew he was pretending. She would never forget the expression on his face when he saw her at the door in the early morning, and even now, he could barely hide his smile.
To her surprise, Gan Yang found something to criticize, “I’m very happy you came to see me, but you know, you tend to leave things unfinished.”
“How did I leave things unfinished?” Ding Zhitong didn’t understand.
“I told you to go to sleep, but you insisted otherwise. Then you fell asleep halfway through…” Gan Yang accused.
“Don’t talk nonsense, I…” Ding Zhitong finally realized what he was referring to, her face flushing red. She covered his mouth with her hand to stop him from continuing. It was too embarrassing and unfair – she distinctly remembered falling asleep contentedly after they finished. After a moment, she considered another possibility: she had reached a climax, but he hadn’t.
“So what happened after?” she asked, looking at him.
Gan Yang removed her hand and looked back at her, saying, “After that… we finished.” Then he started to laugh, pressing his lips together, his whole body shaking with mirth. Ding Zhitong’s face reddened even more.
“Also,” Gan Yang continued matter-of-factly, “did you prepare a birthday gift?”
“It’s on top of my suitcase,” Ding Zhitong replied, prepared for his question.
Unexpectedly, he acted like a child, throwing off the covers and jumping out of bed. He couldn’t wait to retrieve the box from outside the bedroom and then sat back down on the bed.
After unwrapping the outer packaging, inside was a shoe box. Gan Yang asked, “Another pair of sneakers?”
“Mm-hmm,” Ding Zhitong nodded, turning to lie on her stomach next to him, chin propped on her hands as she watched him open the gift. “A new addition to your collection of failed sneakers.”
Inside the box was a pair of black and neon green Adidas Mega Bounce. Gan Yang looked at her with a smile, saying, “This is this year’s new model. You already think it’s going to fail?”
Ding Zhitong replied, “I don’t know if it’s good or not. I just thought it looked a bit like Nike Shox, with such a high sole, and… it’s quite ugly.”
“Did you hear that?” Gan Yang took out one shoe and pointed at it. “The gambling goddess Ding Zhitong predicts you’ll fail.”
Ding Zhitong took out the other shoe and asked, “So, am I right in my prediction?”
Gan Yang patted her head as if praising her cleverness, and began discussing his favorite topic: “This model, like Nike Shox, uses structural cushioning. They both have θ-shaped TPU material in the sole. It was originally developed to compete with Shox technology. They started working on it in 2002, initially calling it A3. By the time it was perfected, Shox had already become notorious for damaging knees. Adidas probably wanted to distance itself, so they quickly upgraded the A3 and renamed it Bounce. This year, they launched this Mega Bounce series.”
Ding Zhitong suddenly felt she had a keen eye. When she saw these shoes in the store, the salesperson demonstrated them, saying the heel cushioning was excellent, like “wearing a rubber track on your feet” and could “store the energy from each step and return it to your next move.” Yet she could see through the advertising facade and predict its destined failure.
But then she had another thought. She suddenly realized something and asked Gan Yang, “Have you… already bought this model?”
Gan Yang pressed his lips together, looking at her silently for a moment before nodding. Then, holding back a laugh, he added, “And you chose the same color scheme as me.”
“Oh no, how could this happen—” Ding Zhitong pretended to be utterly disappointed, shoving the shoe back into the box. Yet her heart began to race. What are the odds? What kind of fate was this?
Gan Yang felt the same way. He hugged her tightly and said, “Truly, this is the happiest birthday I’ve ever had.”
Ding Zhitong felt inexplicably tearful upon hearing this. No one had ever given her the surprise she wanted, nor did she know how to surprise others. For the first time in over twenty years, she liked someone so much, and that person happened to like her just as much. She could hardly believe such a lucky encounter was possible.
A few years later, the gambling goddess Ding Zhitong’s prediction indeed came true. Although no star athletes were injured wearing Mega Bounce, the series, like Shox, disappeared from the market after just a few seasons.
The reasons might have been its strange appearance, the sole’s lack of durability, or perhaps the eternal reason—money. The difference in foot feel didn’t justify the price difference.
At that moment, Ding Zhitong recalled the maxim: everything in the world is because of money.
But at the time, this was just idle chatter as she and Gan Yang lay in bed, having just woken up. Before they could fully appreciate their like-mindedness, they heard a phone vibrate. Both phones were on the bedside table. Gan Yang reached over to check—it was his. The screen showed two unread messages, one received two hours ago. This was the second, both from Mrs. Liu.
“Who is it?” Ding Zhitong asked.
“My mom wants to video call,” Gan Yang replied, getting out of bed to fetch his laptop from the desk by the window.
“No! You… I…” Ding Zhitong panicked, quickly hiding under the covers.
Gan Yang laughed heartily, returning to the bed to dig her out. “Stop hiding. I’ll take the laptop outside, okay? You sleep a bit more. I’ll wake you for food later.”
Ding Zhitong finally peeked out, watching him leave with the laptop and headset, closing the door behind him. She finally relaxed.
Gan Yang went downstairs and set up the laptop on the kitchen island.
As the video connected, with a slight delay, his mother’s voice came through: “Son, happy birthday. You’re twenty-two now…”
With a thirteen-hour time difference, it was already early morning the next day for Mrs. Liu, but judging by the background, she was still in her office.
Gan Yang began reciting dramatically: “Thank you for giving me life, allowing me to exist in this world! Without you, everything I have would be nothing! It’s because of you that I can shine in life! Mom, you’ve worked so hard! I love you!”
“You silly child…” Mrs. Liu scolded, unable to hide her smile. Noticing his messy hair and pajamas, she asked, “Just woke up?”
“Well…” Gan Yang scratched his head, answering vaguely.
Mrs. Liu looked at him and asked, “So, am I the first to wish you a happy birthday today?”
Gan Yang choked, sensing the implication. He felt his mother’s intuition in this area was almost detective-like.
Mrs. Liu, observant as ever, probed further: “Is it a classmate from Cornell?”
He cleared his throat and nodded.
Mrs. Liu continued, “Where is she from?”
“Don’t worry, she’s not a foreigner,” he said, hoping to end the conversation quickly.
But Mrs. Liu, having uncovered big news, wouldn’t let it go: “So she’s an international student too? From the south or the north? Don’t ignore my questions. Different habits can lead to problems living together in the future.”
Gan Yang deflected: “We’re not thinking that far ahead…”
Mrs. Liu disagreed: “How is that thinking too far? You two have already…”
Slept together, she implied.
Guessing the unspoken words, Gan Yang quickly interrupted, giving a brief rundown: “She’s from Shanghai, studies well, has a good temper, and comes from an ordinary family.” He thought he was being quite factual, only slightly exaggerating about her temper.
But Mrs. Liu had more to say: “Shanghai people? They’re usually quite proud, especially if they have money. If they can send their child to study abroad at a private university, the family must be well-off. What do her parents do? Have you told her about our family situation?”
Gan Yang was getting annoyed and retorted, “No, I couldn’t bring myself to.”
The family situation—Mrs. Liu meant their wealth, but Gan Yang was referring to his father, Gan Kunliang. He had been urging Mrs. Liu to divorce for over a decade.
Mrs. Liu understood his meaning and stammered, “…I’m just trying to give you a complete family.”
Gan Yang thought this line must have come from “Reader’s Digest” or “Story Club.” He glanced upstairs, ensuring the bedroom door was still closed, before reminding his mother: “Mrs. Liu, your son is twenty-two, not three. When he ran away, I had just started elementary school. The family was already broken then, and I turned out fine. It’s even less of an issue now…”
Mrs. Liu paused before responding, “He… is still your father, the former legal representative of the factory. If I don’t take care of him now, people will talk.”
“Who will talk? The Gan family?” Gan Yang countered. “When the factory was on the verge of bankruptcy and you were borrowing money everywhere, why were they silent, only thinking about withdrawing their shares?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! Aren’t you a Gan too?” Mrs. Liu scolded. “Even if we ignore all that when you get married, your in-laws might have concerns if they know we’re a single-parent family.”
Gan Yang found this absurd and blurted out, “Don’t worry, my girlfriend is from a single-parent family too.”
“Oh? Is that so…” Mrs. Liu seemed shocked, and perhaps a bit disapproving.
Gan Yang was surprised and quickly added, “Her parents are just divorced, no one’s in prison.”
“Oh…” Mrs. Liu finally fell silent.
Gan Yang had always felt that Mrs. Liu’s business mindset was stuck in the ’90s, while her family values belonged to the Qing Dynasty. But the unpleasant conversation ended there. This was his happiest birthday, and he wanted to end the video call with his mother on a positive note.
He decisively changed the subject, asking, “I see the US dollar keeps falling. Is the factory doing okay?”
In March, the USD to RMB exchange rate had dropped to 7.0, a 15% decrease from the 8.2 era.
Mrs. Liu, guessing his concern, said, “Current contracts use floating exchange rates, so there’s no impact.”
“What about the future?” Gan Yang knew it wasn’t that simple. While they might not lose on settlements, order quantities would surely be affected. With the RMB appreciating, brands could demand contract revisions. If you disagree, there are always others who will agree. If not in China, they can go to South America or Southeast Asia. Isn’t that how OEM works? Whether it’s exchange rate fluctuations or market downturns, the risk lies with the manufacturing plants.
Mrs. Liu seemed unconcerned, saying, “If there are more orders, we’ll do more. If there are fewer, we’ll do less. What else can we do? You just focus on your studies. I’ll come to see you wear your graduation cap at the May ceremony. Or do you think having your girlfriend there is enough, and you don’t want me to come?”
Gan Yang blushed at her words, pretending to be annoyed. But thinking about the upcoming graduation ceremony, he felt a strange mix of anticipation and unease. For some reason, he sensed that Ding Zhitong might be reluctant to meet Mrs. Liu, just as she hadn’t wanted him to meet her mother before.