In accordance with recent policy guidance published by the National Financial Regulatory Administration concerning domestic data privacy and financial information security, we are taking necessary action?—
My stomach drops. Do I even want to keep reading?
—by adding a mandatory half-year unpaid probationary period for all incoming employees with undergraduate degrees from international and Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan universities. This policy change is implemented in order to effectively assess the actual educational and security backgrounds for certain employees, and we regret the disturbance this may bring to your planning.
So because I chose to go to college in another country, a private company that hired me to work in a department with zero state contracts decided to de-risk by…pulling the rug out from under me? To comply withpolicy guidanceI know for a fact isnon-binding?
Rent in Shenzhen is cheaper than it is here, but six months of unpaid probation, with no firm guarantee of continued employment, is a massive slap in the face. It’s the complete opposite of the stability I’ve been trying to seek, and if I’d known the companywould pull something like this, I wouldn’t have accepted their offer in the first place. Or even applied.
I click my phone off and toss it across the bed, rolling over and smashing my face into a pillow. My thoughts darken, with uncertainty and illogicalshameswirling around my head. I know coming here for college wasn’t a bad idea. I gothiredon the merits of my education, and being targeted before I start isn’t a reflection on me.
But still, it fucking stings, and my first instinct is to think about what I could have done differently.
If I went to college in China, I probably would have had to switch into a local school after ninth grade, and the adjustment itself might have nuked my academic prospects.
I could have applied to more grad schools, but there aren’t a ton of economics master’s programs that would have been worth staying here for and shelling out another chunk of cash on tuition.
And I’ve wanted to go home foryears. It’s just now, there’s a pesky, handsome baseball player who’s upending my plans that don’t even exist anymore. I never thought I’d be the kind of person to make major life changes for a guy I met a few months ago, but here we are.
The groan I let out is visceral and resigned. Even if I’m not entirely helpless, there’s nothing I can do right now. At least wallowing alone isn’t making me feel anyworse, and I keep at it for who knows how long.
That’s only broken by the sound of keys in my lock, and I instinctively bring my head up and walk out of the bedroom, the sudden absence of my pillow stinging on my forehead.
Nick’s here. He’s a sight for sore eyes, and my god, I need to take him in. I sink into the folding chair that’s serving as my substitute couch, letting my gaze roam up his amazingly tight baseball pants, across the hoodie hugging his athletic body in all the right places, and I end up fixating on his backward ball cap, the adorable strands of hair peeking out from under the brim, and the soft, reverent expression he’s wearing when our eyes lock.
Ranking anything is hard for me, but when it comes toAmerica’s contributions to the world, I’m putting fucking baseball hats worn backward at the top of the chart. I can’t rip my eyes away.
“Holy crap, I’m beat,” Nick says, kicking his shoes off and dropping his gear bag to the floor. “I’m gonna shower, and I hope you’re ready for a night of lying in bed and doingnothing.”
“That sounds exactly like what I need.” I stand up slowly and make my way over to him at the entryway, all while keeping my job-related frustration under the surface. It isn’t like I’m trying to bottle everything up and hide it forever, but Nick just got back from a nerve-wracking practice where he had a ton of eyes on his performance—he doesn’t need me to unload even more stress on him.
“How was your day?” he asks, sticking an arm around my back and drawing me in for a kiss. He tastes like citrus-flavored sports drink, and I linger on his soft lips to soak in the first bit of comfort I’ve had all day.
“Fine,” I murmur. “I was looking forward to seeing you, though.”
He tilts his head, and I can almost hear the gears turning behind those gentle gray eyes. “There’s something on your mind.”
Am I that bad of an actor?
I shake my head and try to extract myself from Nick’s questioning stare that has no right to be as warm as it is. “I don’t want to bother you with it.”
He pulls me in even closer, and I give up the fight, resting my chin on his shoulder.
“Hey, I’m your boyfriend,” he says. “And you said we’re adults, so we talk about things. What’s got you all sad?”
All the fight I had left in me dissolves the second he starts tracing gentle lines up and down my back. He’s getting under my skin without even trying hard at all, and as frustrating as my lack of resolve is, I can’t deny that telling Nick about what happened is for the better.
“My job offer’s been upended,” I deadpan. “Goingto college here is apparently a risk to their information security, and they’re putting me on six months of unpaid probation.”
Two firm hands land on my shoulders, grabbing hard. “No.” Nick’s voice is as broken as my career prospects. “That’s bullshit. I’m so fucking sorry.” He wraps both of his arms around me, pulling me close again, and my forehead lands in his neck.
Hold up, that shouldn’t be possible—I’m taller than Nick. I look down at his feet, and?—
“Are you standing on tiptoes?” I ask, snickering.
“Maybe.” He hugs me tighter. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”
It is, even if I don’t say it out loud. I simply let myself relax into Nick’s embrace, his warmth seeping across our clothes and into my body, and I inhale more of his masculine scent. It’s grounding, all of this, and for a second, my heart jumps at the prospect of getting more time with Nick, and maybe evenstaying.
