by Zoey Gong
“Yeah,” Lian said. “She got into Tsinghua University. The best in the country.”
“I was looking her up and found out she got married last New Year,” Winnie said.
“No way!” Lian said. “She was going to grad school in the US, I thought.”
“She was!” Winnie said. “According to Songyi’s sister, their mother arranged a match for her during New Year. They accepted a huge hongbao from the guy’s parents and everything.”
“Dang,” Lian said.
“Yeah,” Winnie said. Everyone knew that once you accepted a hongbao--a red envelope full of cash--from a prospective groom’s family, a couple was considered engaged. “She couldn’t back out without completely embarrassing her family. She’s back in Harbin now.”
“Wow,” Lian said.
“I sent her some messages on WeChat,” Winnie said, referring to the IM program and social media platform almost everyone in China used. “Maybe she can give me some tips on how to not end up engaged to Chang.”
Winnie thought she heard Kai snort, and she realized she had been talking rather loudly, so she lowered her voice.
“Seriously, Lian,” Winnie said. “I can’t end up married on this trip.”
“You won’t,” Lian said. “Your mom will push you, but she won’t force you. She will want you to think it was your idea in the end.”
“I don’t know…” She looked out the window as the car slowed down. She didn’t recognize where they were. “Hey,” she said to Kai. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Just a bit of construction.”
“Lian, I have to go,” she said and hung up. She then pulled out her taxi app and checked to see where they were. They will still miles from the airport! And on a narrow side road. She checked her watch. 6:30. “Where are we?” she demanded.
“I...You wanted me to get you there fast,” he stammered. “Normally this would have saved a lot of time--”
“You took the shortcut, didn’t you?” she asked. “I told you not to!”
“Hey, I was driving as fast as I could!” he said as he started to turn the car around.
Winnie looked back at the app. They would have to go back for miles before finding a way around the construction. They were going to lose so much time.
“Well, go back!” she said. “Hurry! Hurry!”
“I’m going! I’m going!” he said as he slammed on the gas and tossed her back into her seat.
Winnie went to the airport’s website to find out how late she could arrive and still be admitted to the plane. She didn’t have any luggage, so that would save time. But she still had to get her boarding pass, go through security, and then get to her gate. She looked at her watch. 6:45. She could still make it.
When they pulled up at the taxi drop-off, Winnie flew out of the taxi without even waiting for the car to stop rocking. It was 7:05.
“Sorry!” Kai called after her, but she couldn’t wait. She flew into the airport and ran to the ticket counter. She was able to use a machine to issue her ticket and go straight to security.
She stopped when she saw that there were thousands of people ahead of her!
She nearly groaned and collapsed into a heap on the floor. She should have known there would be no chance of “rushing” to her flight during New Year. She tried pushing her way to the front.
“I’m late for my flight!” she tried saying over and over again, but the closer to the front she got, the more packed the line got, so she wasn’t actually making any headway. She could see the security agents working as quickly as possible, but as the minutes ticked by and she moved only inches, any chance of catching her flight quickly passed by. As 8:00 came and went, she reluctantly dragged herself over to the help desk to reschedule her flight. The next available flight was in two days. As Winnie dragged herself back out to the taxi lane, she grumbled that she would now have to pay for two nights in a hotel room. Two days of eating out. All more money. As a student, she wasn’t supposed to work. She was expected to concentrate on her studies. But Winnie couldn’t afford that. Her parents thought she was working as a nurse. They expected her to have an income. She was expected, as a filial daughter, to send money home every month, which was why she also worked in the cancer clinic. It wasn’t what she wanted to do. She wanted to focus on obstetrics. But it was something. It paid a wage--even if it was low--and she earned experience and made connections. But she didn’t have a lot of extra money. And taking the flight from Sydney to Shanghai during New Year was more expensive than usual since the flights were in such high demand. Getting to stay at her parents’ house and eating their food for free for a week was one benefit of going home.
As she stood in line for the taxi, she felt her stomach drop again. There must have been hundreds of people in line. She checked her Didi app, but it was surge prices. She put her bag down and rubbed her neck, getting ready for another long wait in line. But as she looked across the road, she saw a familiar face. Kai. He waved her over. She looked back at the line, then back at Kai. He was the reason she had missed her flight in the first place. Was she really going to get back into the car with him? As the line inched forward and she saw a few people cut in line a few people up ahead, she decided yes, she was going to let him drive her to a hotel. She’d been flying all night and was exhausted.
“What are you doing here?” she asked him as he reached for her bag, and this time she let him take it.
“I had a feeling you would miss your flight,” he said as he opened the back door. “I wanted to refund you for the ride, and take you to your hotel.”
“Thanks. Just take me to the nearest 7 Days Inn,” she said, which was a local budget hotel chain that at least had hot water and free Wifi.
“Sure,” he said as he drove off. He then handed her his phone. “If you add me on WeChat, I’ll refund you the taxi fare.”
She scanned his profile with her phone and added him as a friend. A moment later, she saw the money transfer to her account.
“We don’t have anything like this in Australia,” she said. “We just use Facebook.” She used WeChat in Australia, but mostly just to chat with her family and a few friends. That it was also used to transfer money or pay for Didi rides was totally new to her--and super convenient.
Kai laughed. “WeChat will be bigger than Facebook someday.”
“Maybe,” Winnie said, as she laid her head back and looked out the window. She was not looking forward to having to tell her mom she missed her flight.
They pulled up in front of a 7 Days Inn and Kai opened the door for her and handed her the carry-on bag.
“I’m really sorry again,” he said. “If you need another ride, just message me.”
“I’m sure I’ll just hang out in my room for the next two days,” she said. She looked up as she saw what was probably her flight roar past them overhead. “I could probably walk to the airport from here.”
“Sure,” he said.
She turned and walked into the hotel, ready for a nap and a hot shower.
4
Kai was kicking himself. He never should have tried to impress that girl...What was her name? He checked his WeChat and pulled up her profile. She called herself Winnie. Must be an English version of her Chinese name. He flipped through her pictures but thought it was strange she didn’t have any pictures of her life in Australia. She had a few pictures of herself in her apartment, pics of food, and random inspirational memes, but for the most part, her profile was pretty generic. Oh well. Maybe she was just a private person. But he had been dumb. She was so pretty. She had big dark eyes and long hair with red highlights. She didn’t have much luggage and didn’t seem to wear a lot of makeup. She seemed to be a no-nonsense kind of girl who knew exactly what she wanted. And what she wanted was to get to the airport. For some stupid reason, Kai wanted her to notice him. Well, he supposed he succeeded at that. She noticed him alright. But not because he drove fast, but because he made her miss her flight. He’d never have a cha
nce with her now.
Who was he kidding? He’d never have a chance with her anyway. She lived in Australia and was on her way to Harbin. He’d probably never see her again even if he had gotten her to the airport on time. He was dreaming.
And now he was late for work.
He should have headed straight for the office after dropping Winnie off at the airport, but he felt guilty. He knew she was going to miss that flight. So he logged out of Didi, not taking any more riders, and drove in circles through the airport waiting for her to come back out so he could give her a refund and take her to a hotel.
He really needed that money, though.
He had to be so careful how he spent his money. Every extra yuan had to go toward his mother’s treatments. As he snuck to his desk after clocking in late, he didn’t even bother grabbing something to eat. He didn’t deserve it. None of his supervisors mentioned the fact that he came in late--he was just another cog in the wheel--but he knew that HR would take note at the end of the month when they figured up the salaries and bonuses--and any deductions.
As he sat down to work, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it and his stomach dropped. It was the billing department at the hospital. He couldn’t answer it. He didn’t need more bad news. He turned his phone over and got to work.
Just before six, Kai made his way to the HR department to talk to the woman who handled scheduling.
“Hey, Kitty,” he said. Lots of people adopted English names in school and kept them even after entering the workforce.
“Hi, Kai,” she said with a smile as she moved some papers around on her desk, getting ready to leave for the day herself.
“Is there any way I can pick up some extra shifts during the holiday?” he asked her.
“Oh, I wish I could help you,” Kitty said. “But they are already taken. Not that there were many in the first place. None of the supervisors will be here and they don’t want people getting paid to sit around and play games for a week.”
“Yeah, I know,” Kai said with a dejected sigh. “I was just hoping…”
Kitty nodded. “How’s your mom?” she asked. Kai had talked to her before about his mother’s health issues in the hopes that the company could offer some financial support. The company did have an insurance program, but the fees and deductibles were more than the costs for the actual treatments.
“She’s...okay,” he said. “Tired. But she’s hanging in there.”
“I’m glad,” she said. “If anything comes up, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“Hey, did you see that article about renting yourself out as a New Year boyfriend?” she asked with a laugh as she walked with him out of her office. “Maybe you should try that.”
“If only I knew a girl who was hiring,” he said. “Do you need a New Year boyfriend?”
She held up her hand, showing off a shiny new ring he hadn’t noticed before. “Thankfully I got engaged on my own before my parents could have the chance to set me up.”
“Congrats,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said as she got on the elevator. “Hey, keep your chin up. Everything will work out.”
He gave her a half-hearted smile. “Sure,” he said. “See you.”
As he walked back to his desk, he felt his phone buzz. Apparently, the hospital had gotten tired of him not answering his calls, so they sent a text. They needed payment for his mom’s next round of chemotherapy. Five thousand yuan. Almost a thousand American dollars.
Kai rolled his eyes and wanted to throw his phone into a wall, but he stopped himself. The last thing he could afford was a new phone.
As he sat in front of his computer to turn it off for the night, he decided to check his email. He was surprised to see that there was a reply from Whirlwind.
“Please come to the Whirlwind main office at seven p.m.,” the email said. “Ask for Mr. Yang. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Kai looked at the clock. It was already getting close to 6:30, but he could make it. The Whirlwind office was in the same industrial complex, but they had a whole building of their own.
“I’ll be there,” Kai quickly replied before he shut down his computer and headed downstairs.
Kai entered the Whirlwind office cautiously, glancing around to make sure no one from his company. Rad Phoenix, saw him. He was sure that even entering the Whirlwind building could cost him his job if he were caught, but he needed money and was more than a little curious what Whirlwind could want from him. He entered the building and walked toward the elevator, but he realized he didn’t know where exactly he was supposed to meet Mr. Yang.
An elevator attendant motioned toward an open elevator, so Kai took that as a sign.
“I’m supposed to meet Mr. Yang,” Kai said.
“I know,” the attendant said as he leaned inside the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.
Kai fidgeted nervously as he rode the elevator up. But there was no backing out now. Not that he wanted to. The curiosity alone was enough to keep him here.
As he stepped out of the elevator, a middle-aged man in an exquisite suit was waiting to meet him.
“Mr. Zhong,” Mr. Yang said, holding out his hand. “A pleasure.”
Kai smiled and shook Mr. Yang’s hand. “Nice to finally meet you.”
Mr. Yang led Kai to his office and motioned for Kai to take a seat. A very pretty girl in a very short skirt served tea and then left the room, shutting the door behind her.
“So, what do you think?” Mr. Yang asked.
Kai nodded as he looked around. The office was nicer than anything they had at Rad Phoenix. “Sweet place,” he said. “Makes me wonder why you need me.”
Mr. Yang chuckled as he steepled his hands in front of him. “You get to the point,” he said. “I like that.”
Kai gave a small smile, but didn’t respond.
“It is very simple,” Mr. Yang said. “The buzz around Rad Phoenix’s next game can’t be ignored. ‘The next big thing’ even the American tech magazines are calling it.”
“Everyone at Rad Phoenix is excited,” Kai said. “We are very proud of the work we’re doing.”
“Are you?” Mr. Yang said, cocking his eyebrow. “Does your supervisor even know your name, Kai? How much was your New Year bonus?”
Kai shifted uncomfortably, but he didn’t respond. The New Year bonus had been handed out at the company New Year party a week before, but Kai’s bonus had been much lower than he had been hoping for.
“We both know that if you were happy at Rad Phoenix, you wouldn’t be sitting there now,” Mr. Yang said.
“I still have my principles,” Kai said. “But there are...extenuating circumstances--”
“Your mother,” Mr. Yang cut in, and Kai froze. How did he know? “We’ve done our research, Kai. We know how costly her treatments are.”
Kai chuckled to himself. So that’s why Whirlwind had targeted him. They didn’t think he was any more valuable than any other employee at Rad Phoenix, but he was the most likely candidate to take a bribe. It would be hard to find anyone in his situation, someone with a mother with a price tag on her life, who wouldn’t be sitting where Kai was now.
“Well, you’ve certainly got me all figured out,” Kai finally said. “So what happens now? What do you want me to do?”
“It’s very easy,” Mr. Yang said. “You have access to the game’s backend. Download the code to this USB drive--” Mr. Yang slid a titanium USB stick across his desk toward Kai. “--and bring it back to me. Then, I’ll give you this USB drive.” He reached into his jacket pocket and produced an identical USB stick. “Just stick it into any computer with Internet access, and the money will be transferred into your account instantly.”
“How much money are we talking about?” Kai asked.
Mr. Yang rattled off a number that about made Kai fall out of his chair. It would pay for his mother’s treatments for at least a year, maybe longer. All he had to do was accept the job and his troubl
es would be over. But he tried to school his face and be reasonable. There was still a lot of risk. If he were caught, he would lose his job--and worse. He would certainly be fined, even more than Whirlwind was offering. He tried to remember the terms of the nondisclosure agreement in his contract. He couldn’t remember the exact amount of the fine, other than it was huge. He didn’t pay much attention because he never imagined he would be in a situation like this. Could he go to jail? Possibly, though he wasn’t sure.
“I’d rather have a job here,” Kai finally said. “A management position.”
Mr. Yang threw his head back and laughed. “You are not a fool, Kai, that’s for sure. But, no. We aren’t offering you a job. We have top-rate talent from around the world here. I’m not sure you would fit in.”
“Top-rate talent?” Kai asked. “Yet you still need me.”
“Don’t get above yourself,” Mr. Yang said menacingly. “You might have been our first choice, but you weren’t our last. Either you can take the money--and save your mother’s life--or someone else at your company certainly will. The choice is yours.”
Kai could feel the sweat beading on his forehead. He wanted to say no. He wanted to walk out. He wanted to at least bargain a bit, get more guarantees for his protection if he were caught. But he knew he couldn't. He had to take the deal if he wanted even a chance at saving his mother’s life, and Mr. Yang knew it.
Kai finally reached over to the desk and picked up the USB stick. He put it in his pocket and stood up to walk to the door.
“I’ll think about it,” Kai said. He hoped he sounded confident, but he felt defeated.
“Pleasure doing business with you,” Mr. Yang called out.
Kai wished he could say the same.
At midnight, he’d been taking Didi riders for hours and was exhausted. He needed to rest before he had an accident, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. Yang’s offer. He pulled into an empty parking lot and leaned his seat back. He tried to force himself to sleep, but the same questions gnawed at him. Should he take the job? He surely shouldn’t. But could he really walk away from that much money? He needed to pay that hospital bill. Mr. Yang’s offer would more than pay the bill; it could cover a more aggressive treatment.
