No personal info of course because HIPAA or whatever code you all have

There are underlying similarities but it’s still pretty diverse

Some clients aren’t ready to come out to their parents, some don’t want to get married at all, some have significant others the parents wouldn’t approve of

Yeah

All that makes sense

And some people do it to try to get rid of a disgusting suitor who isn’t actually into them

I’m disappointed in the damselness of that

You are no damsel

I’m not but Jing-Jing sometimes is

Brief pause.

She’s really not

But I think the underlying thing you’re circling is that you don’t feel like yourself with them

And you always deserve to be yourself

Another pause.

I thought this was just going to be a couple jokes or some good ol’ Hongbo-bashing

I’m not ready for real talk

This can be whatever you want

I know I just rebooked you but you’re not on the clock right now

You don’t have to say things like that

I know

This can still be whatever you want

If you were me, would you have hired you?

After a minute:

Still there?

Yeah sorry

Was thinking

In my life I’ve always been myself with my family and someone else with everyone else

But being myself with my parents was what made me lose them, so even though it wasn’t what I did, I at least understand why you hired me

Maybe that’s the better strategy, who knows

Another pause.

I go back and forth all the time because some jobs are harder than others (I had a tough one recently), and I can’t tell if I’m helping or hurting

So there’s just no right answer?

If you pretend, you feel awful

If you’re honest, you feel awful

I’m sorry

Do you get texts like these from all your clients?

You’re my first

Ha

That’s embarrassing

And nice perfectly timed banter there

From your training?

We’re trained to impress the parents, not the client

I don’t think your mom or dad would be particularly charmed by bad innuendos

A second later:

Do you ever lie awake at night, worrying about everything in a downward spiral that goes so deep you think about embarrassing things from your past because even that’s better?

And you just keep going and going until you whimper out loud, only to realize no one is there to hear or care?

Because I don’t

It was hypothetical

Hypothetically, I don’t do the embarrassing past thing, but yeah when I can’t sleep I stress about stuff

Doesn’t everyone?

I have a hard time sleeping on jobs especially

What do you do when you can’t fall asleep on a job?

Midnight mooncakes help

Well more the company than the mooncakes