This is an increasingly lonely era where no one needs anyone else.
“It’s like the safety instructions on a plane – put on your oxygen mask first, then help your child,” Ding Zhitong compared.
But Song Mingmei refuted, “That’s completely different. People die without oxygen, but you can live without breasts. A full mastectomy even lowers the chance of recurrence.”
Ding Zhitong was at a loss for words. After a pause, she said, “But quality of life matters too. You’re only 34 – is this really how you want things to be?”
They both understood the doctor’s implications earlier. The doctor preferred breast conservation, but couldn’t outright recommend the option with a relatively higher recurrence risk.
“What else can I do?” Song Mingmei looked at Ding Zhitong.
Ding Zhitong didn’t know what to suggest. She had experience with divorce but without children or property involved. Even so, it had dragged on for over a year just because her ex was uncooperative. Song Mingmei’s situation was far more complex.
She could only offer common sense advice: “Even if one child goes to Deng Baiting, they can still live with both parents and play together. It’s not like you’ll never see them again. Look at my boss – after his divorce, his ex-wife got custody, but he still has a great relationship with the kids.”
Song Mingmei shook her head, “I know that, but it won’t work with Deng Baiting. He can’t stand being alone and can’t handle criticism. He’ll remarry quickly and have more children. If Yulin goes to him, he’ll be dumped by Deng’s parents. Deng has no patience with Yulin, and they’re too alike – they just yell and hit each other. If I have custody, I can let him see the kids weekly and keep things civil. But if it’s up to him, I really can’t predict what might happen, what he or his parents might do.”
“Then fight him to the end!” Ding Zhitong slammed the table. “But you don’t have to sacrifice yourself like this! You’re doing it for the kids, but how heartbroken will Yuqi and Yulin be when they grow up and learn what you did? In your twenties, you weren’t afraid of Bian Jiemin. Now you’re in your thirties and financially secure – are you scared of an immature mama’s boy?!”
Song Mingmei looked at Ding Zhitong, suddenly falling silent. It felt like that night on Man Island when Ding Zhitong had told her, “You must not be afraid of him!”
Thinking she’d gone too far, Ding Zhitong paused before speaking again, “Ultimately, you have to decide for yourself. I’ll ask around about other options, but I’m sure you’ve already thought of everything – you’re so smart.”
Song Mingmei smiled at her, “Of course I am.”
Ding Zhitong felt deflated. She turned to look out the window, sighed, and then smiled too.
After leaving the restaurant, Ding Zhitong dropped Song Mingmei off at home before returning to her place in Dongman.
As usual, she had arranged for cleaning in advance. Opening the door with her fingerprint, she smelled the fragrance of cleaning products – the scent of loneliness was gone.
In the evening, Gan Yang came over, inviting her to dinner.
After the day she’d had, she wasn’t in a good mood and didn’t want to go out. But when she opened the door and saw him, something changed. She suddenly felt vulnerable and hugged him tightly.
Gan Yang stroked her back, asking softly, “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, just holding him, suddenly understanding Song Mingmei’s words: “What else can I do?”
That choice wasn’t just self-sacrifice; it was also a lack of hope for the future.
This is an increasingly lonely era where no one needs anyone else.
Before dinner, they visited each other’s homes.
Ding Zhitong showed Gan Yang her small medicine cabinet, filled with essentials for living alone: cold medicine, fever reducers, and painkillers. Most eye-catching was a first-aid kit containing not just home basics like iodine and band-aids, but also medical bandages, hemostatic dressings, disposable ice packs, and Yunnan Baiyao.
Gan Yang looked puzzled. Ding Zhitong explained, “Don’t you know? Statistics show that people living alone fear injuries the most. For other illnesses, you can wait for an ambulance, but with uncontrolled bleeding, you’re doomed.”
Gan Yang asked, “Have you experienced this?”
“Not yet,” she shook her head.
Then they went to his place.
Ding Zhitong had thought her home was the epitome of solitary living, but Gan Yang’s was even more extreme. His apartment was twice the size of hers, with a spacious living room, yet he only had a small rug in the center with a single-seat sofa.
To most, it would seem odd, like a real-life version of “My Home Is Empty.”
But Gan Yang found it normal, once again humble-bragging about the house Chairman Liu bought in Sheshan. The designer had created a home theater in the basement with two rows totaling twelve seats. He found the blueprint absurd when he first saw it – inviting over a dozen people to watch movies at home? What would possess him to do such a thing?
Ding Zhitong laughed. Home theaters were indeed standard in luxury homes; she’d seen them on social media. There were also indoor-outdoor pools and yachts docked by lakeside houses, even if unlicensed and unusable. Newly rich people who’d been bought out or had successful IPOs loved these things.
She had thought poverty limited her imagination, but now, putting herself in that position, she realized it was true – who would invite a dozen people to watch movies at home? And who would want to watch movies in someone else’s basement?
This is an increasingly lonely era where no one needs anyone else.
But then, Gan Yang showed her another room. One wall was a shoe cabinet, filled with sneakers.
Without him saying anything, Ding Zhitong knew what it was. She thought to herself that some things about him hadn’t changed, and asked, “What new shoes have you collected?”
Gan Yang showed her chronologically, introducing each pair just like before:
2013 Adidas, officially called Springblade cushioning technology, was an early mechanical cushioning attempt. The sole had 16 high-tech polymer blades, nicknamed “Blade Warrior.” It had an even more vivid nickname: “Mantis Shrimp.”
Then there was the 2010 Reebok, officially named Zigtech cushioning technology, combining mechanical and material cushioning. Unlike pure material cushioning, it wasn’t as soft, using a serrated structure for elasticity. Its colloquial name was “Pig Intestine.”
Next was the 2009 Skechers Shape-ups, which sued for false advertising and settled a class action for $40 million.
The 2008 Adidas Megabounce, with a θ-shaped TPU mechanical structure in the midsole, was created to compete with Nike Shox but quickly faded.
At this point, Gan Yang asked, “Do you remember?”
Ding Zhitong nodded; of course, she remembered. It was his 22nd birthday gift, which she had brought overnight from Denver to Ithaca. Black with neon green accents. Even then, she had predicted its failure.
As night fell, they cooked dinner together.
Gan Yang told her about his night running route, from the exhibition center via Ruining Road, Dong’an Road, Longteng Boulevard, all the way to Longyao Road Riverfront Plaza. Repeating this twice made for nearly 10 kilometers.
Coincidentally, Ding Zhitong had run the same route. Perhaps because they rarely came back, despite owning their homes for several years, they had never encountered each other.
As they finished cooking, Gan Yang went to the corner of the hallway to cut some scallions.
Ding Zhitong noticed a flowerpot there, literally “lush” with scallions, and found this quirky hobby of his amusing.
She followed him, crouching beside him to ask, “Why are you growing scallions here?”
Gan Yang answered matter-of-factly, “This is my home’s wealth position. It needs something vibrant. I don’t have time to grow anything else, and scallions are the easiest.”
“Did the real estate agent who sold you the house tell you that?” Ding Zhitong laughed. A nearby agency specialized in this development, catering to many Taiwanese original owners who cared about feng shui.
“Did they tell you the same?” Gan Yang asked in return.
Ding Zhitong nodded, “They told me if I had pets, I should put their bed there. I thought then, if I ever stopped traveling so much, I’d get a dog to run around and liven up the place.”
Gan Yang looked at the scallions, then at her, and said, “I could run around your place too.”