Jack was quite satisfied with his new job. After getting familiar with the work environment, he and Bell found a quiet corner to chat.
"Where are you living now?" Jack asked.
"At home," Bell replied. Being a native of Long Island, New York, he'd never considered renting a place. Hearing Jack's question, however, he began to think about it. "Why don't you move in with me?"
Jack shook his head. "That's impossible. Staying for a day or two is fine, but I've got to work here now. I can't just stay at your place long-term. Can you help me find a good place to rent nearby?"
Bell didn't ask further questions. Instead, he opened his laptop and began searching. "What kind of place are you looking for?"
Modern technology made things easy, Jack thought, as he stared at a seemingly endless list of rental ads, feeling overwhelmed. "Close to the office and decent quality," he replied.
Liz, who wasn't too busy at the moment, looked up and asked, "How much are you planning to spend on rent?"
"Doesn't matter, as long as it's comfortable," Jack replied casually. "Preferably furnished—I don't want to deal with buying things like air conditioning or furniture."
Liz raised an eyebrow. "So, money is no object?"
Jack immediately became cautious and waved his hands defensively. "Not exactly. If it's too expensive, I might as well stay at a hotel." He could afford a hotel, but that would be too flashy. "Ideally, under $1,500."
Liz gave him a long look but said nothing.
Bell, who was well aware of Jack's financial capabilities, selected a listing on the screen and suggested, "Here's a two-bedroom, one-bath, 750 square feet, $2,800 a month. How about we share it?"
Jack immediately saw through Bell's plan. "Sharing" likely meant Jack would shoulder the rent while Bell might occasionally pitch in for groceries—cooking was out of the question.
The matter wasn't complicated. Jack went home, discussed it with his parents, and then returned to Long Island to meet the landlord of that apartment, taking a taxi to avoid drawing attention. "If I show up with the Lamborghini, the landlord will definitely try to hike the price," he thought.
The negotiation ended with an agreement on $2,300 a month. The landlord provided a TV, air conditioning, and a water heater, but utilities and services like cable and internet were Jack's responsibility. Jack paid three months' rent upfront, signed the lease, and submitted a copy to the local government and tax office. Finally, he moved into his new home. His parents even drove over to help him clean and organize the place for an entire day before leaving reluctantly.
His mother, who didn't have a job, wanted to stay and take care of him. Jack firmly objected. "Mom, if you stay here, where will my girlfriend stay?"
And so, his mother left for Boston with hopes of becoming a grandmother by next year.
Emily, however, saw through the situation. "In the end, it's just you and Bell—two clumsy guys—living together."
Jack chuckled, wrapping an arm around Emily and leaning on her playfully while they were on the bed.
Emily gently pushed his hand away, pretending to be annoyed. "Are you planning to bring a little vixen here to live with you? Is that why you were so eager to move out and send your mom back?"
Jack solemnly raised his hand as if taking an oath. "Heaven and earth as my witnesses! With you in my life, how could I ever love anyone else?"
"Really?" Emily arched her eyebrow, her long hair brushing against his chest. "What if you meet someone else? Will you say the same thing to her?"
"Never." Jack's expression was full of sincerity. "These words are for you alone. Once spoken, they're sealed forever. I'll never say them to anyone else."
Blushing slightly, Emily nestled into his arms, her cheeks warm as she closed her eyes. Jack leaned in to kiss her, but then a faint sound came from the wall.
Jack froze and turned toward the noise, his eyes narrowing in suspicion at the painting hanging on the wall.
Then he heard Bell cough from the adjacent room. "Sorry about that. These walls are pretty thin... carry on."
Carry on? Jack and Emily exchanged exasperated looks. Whatever mood they had was completely ruined. They sighed, got dressed, and went to knock on Bell's door.
"Bell, get up. Let's go eat," Jack called.
After sending Emily off later that evening, Jack and Bell returned to their rented apartment. Pulling out his key and opening the door, they both stood in the center of the living room, looked around their new space, and shouted in unison, "Freedom!"
For people like Jack and Bell, millennials, the greatest desire was freedom. They were often criticized as a generation of contradictions. On the one hand, they relied heavily on financial support from their parents; on the other hand, they longed for independence and self-reliance. They could be lazy and unmotivated but would go all out to achieve a goal they believed in. They were idealistic about the future but could quickly adapt to reality when faced with its harsh truths.
This generation questioned everything. They distrusted the lessons learned by their elders and instead sought to validate their doubts and beliefs. Millennials carried a paradoxical trait: they believed they could move mountains yet constantly craved trust and connection, yearning for someone to confide in.
Their contradictions were evident in their actions. They might passionately chant slogans at protests against exploitation but fail to offer their seat to a pregnant woman on public transport. They sought freedom but often questioned its meaning when faced with the consequences of their choices.
And yet, these contradictions were entirely normal. As Bob Dylan sang, "How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?"
Looking back, generational conflicts seemed cyclical. A hundred years ago, elders lamented when younger generations cut off their braids. Fifty years ago, holding hands in public would lead to accusations of immorality. Just a decade ago, when millennials began showing signs of rebellion, society labeled them "a generation raised on wolf's milk" and fretted over their future.
But society continued its momentum forward. The economy didn't regress as these so-called "spoiled brats" grew up. New companies were founded daily, and for millennials, modern production methods held no secrets. Now, it was Jack and Bell's turn to gripe about Generation Z.
"Did you see that girl flaunting her stack of cash online?" Jack grumbled, glaring at a photo on social media. "Does she think she's the only one with money? I could post my month's salary, and they'd all shut up!"
"Sounds familiar," Bell mused, tilting his head. "Ten years ago, didn't Gen X say the exact same things about us?"
"But these Gen Z kids are so arrogant!" Jack fumed, forgetting how he had once been labeled "a self-centered millennial." "Each generation is worse than the last!"
"Maybe that girl didn't mean any harm," Bell said, always advocating for understanding. "In the end, aren't we just like them?"
"At least we know humility and faith!" Jack countered angrily. "These kids have no faith in anything!"
Bell shrugged. "Who knows? Twenty years from now, one of them might be the next Bill Gates." He patted Jack on the shoulder. "Get some rest. We've got work tomorrow."
For Jack, the idea of "work" was still unfamiliar. During college, he had spent his internship lounging at home and procrastinating. It wasn't until the last minute that he secured a convenient internship at a government agency through connections.
That night, Jack hardly slept, preoccupied with thoughts about what the future held.
The next morning, Jack showed up with dark circles under his eyes, startling Bell.
"Did you not sleep?" Bell asked.
"A bit nervous," Jack admitted. "I've never actually worked a day in my life."
"Relax," Bell said, clapping him on the back. "Most of the time, it's just chatting around the office. And if you have to do accounting or paperwork, it's simpler than any of those college exams you've passed."
The first day turned out to be surprisingly uneventful. In the morning, Jack sat through conversations about Arabian folklore, and in the afternoon, he regaled his coworkers with college stories. Neither the manager, Julie, nor the department head, Daniel, made an appearance.
After work, Jack felt a strange sense of emptiness. "So... this is what working life feels like?"
"Pretty much," Bell replied, laughing as he gave Jack another reassuring pat on the shoulder. "When things are slow, it's mind-numbingly dull. But when it gets busy, you might find yourself working all night and catching a nap at your desk before starting again."
On his second day, Jack got his first taste of the so-called "busy" work life. Julie arrived with a towering pile of accounting books and dumped them on the office table. "It's close to the end of the month," she announced. "Time to reconcile the books."
Jack glanced at the calendar in confusion. "But it's only the 12th."
"For our company, the financial month ends on the 15th," Bell explained. "And payroll also happens then, so this week is crunch time."
Knowing he was new, Jack didn't expect to be entrusted with critical tasks. He quietly observed as Julie and a few coworkers started categorizing the books and organizing the accounts. After a few hours, Julie leaned back in her chair, stretched, and turned to Jack.
"Alright, you've been watching long enough. Think you can handle this?" she asked, handing him a book.
Jack nodded, recalling the procedures he'd been studying all morning. He took the book, returned to his desk, and began inputting the data into the company's accounting software.
Julie wasn't entirely convinced. She pulled up a chair behind him to watch his process closely. "Don't take it personally," she said. "I just want to make sure you're doing it correctly. Bell went through the same when he started."
To her surprise, Jack was faster than anyone she'd worked with. He glanced at the numbers, processed them in his head within seconds, and swiftly entered the correct data into the system. At first, Julie assumed he was just lucky with simpler entries, but as he continued with more complex calculations and categorization, she began to realize his accuracy wasn't coincidental.
By the time Jack finished his first account, Julie called over two other coworkers to double-check his work. An hour later, they were astonished.
"No mistakes," Bell declared, flipping through the pages. "Not a single error. And the categorization is spot-on."
Julie stared at Jack in disbelief. "How long have you been doing accounting?"
"This is my second day," Jack answered matter-of-factly.
Julie couldn't contain her laughter. "Well, you've certainly found your calling. Let's go celebrate. Dinner's on me tonight."
That evening, they all went out for dinner, enjoying a lighthearted celebration. When they returned to the office, however, Jack noticed that nearly all the remaining accounting books had been placed on his desk.
Julie smiled sweetly. "Thanks for your hard work. You've made the job so much easier for everyone!"
Even though Jack worked like a machine, finishing the backlog by midnight, he couldn't help but feel exhausted. While driving Julie and Bell home, Julie noticed his car—a sleek Lamborghini parked in the lot.
"Is that your car?" she asked curiously.
"It's my girlfriend's," Jack answered, deflecting the question with a casual laugh.
From that point on, Jack noticed subtle changes in how his coworkers treated him. They remained friendly and professional, but there was a slight distance now, an unspoken acknowledgment that he didn't quite fit into their social or economic circle.
Despite this, Jack's life remained fulfilling. He joined his coworkers for after-work drinks, participated in office sports leagues, and still found time to drive back to see Emily. In his heart, he felt like he had achieved a perfect balance between work and personal life.
But then, Daniel showed up.
And with him came complications Jack hadn't anticipated.
Life, as always, was about to become more complicated.