“A classmate put us in touch with each other, because Ting booked airline tickets to the Netherlands for fellow students”, Yang explains. “When I was burning the midnight oil prior to my graduation, I saw that Ting was the only one still online, plodding away as I was. Before I knew it, we had been chatting for an hour.”

Their first meeting in the flesh still had to take place then. Unfortunately it amounted to no more than a silent pass-by. Yang: “The Chinese are not so open. Chatting was a lot easier.” The second chat session lasted as long as eight hours. During the post-graduation parties, their friendship really caught on. “Relaxing over a drink. In the library, relationships are not created as smoothly as all that!”

Common interests form the best foundations for a good relationship, the couple thinks. “Other girls are mostly into fashion. Ting is interested in politics, history and philosophy, just like me.” Ting nods in affirmation. “My father told me a lot about it when I was a little girl. In China such things are more ‘boy stuff’.” It figures that there are plenty of subjects for discussion. Although words are not always required. “Our minds are close”, says Yang. Ting smiles: “Often I can predict exactly what he is going to say!”

Three months they have now been together, one of which was spent in Eindhoven. Too short a period to go and live together, both of them think. “We each live in a different student house, but we are together a lot. To have fun, but also to study, for we are both following a Master’s program in Electrical Engineering.” Dinner is another regular item every night, but Yang and Ting are not in favor of a traditional division of roles. “I find cooking boring and I’m no good at it at all”, Ting confesses. Which is why Yang holds sway in the kitchen. Not a problem, he thinks. “A man has to take his responsibility in a relationship. That means: be gentle to your girl. And besides, I really enjoy cooking!”