Lunar Love (18)

I try not to let irritation show on my face. There are more important topics at hand, like extracting important intel.

“Is the Chinese zodiac your life’s passion or are you just in it for a quick buck?” I blurt out.

Bennett scrunches his nose. “Is that a joke?”

“Let me rephrase: Where did you take, I mean, get your idea from? And don’t give me the canned response that I’m sure you’re giving reporters.” This response I already know from the press release. I started ZodiaCupid to help give people a shot at love based on who they really are. On our app, there’s no need to pretend or perform. All you have to do is be you.

“What I say isn’t canned,” he says with his eyebrows scrunched. “I wanted to make something special and specific in the dating app market. I like our concept. It’s fun.”

“Fun,” I echo. I think back to the days when the Chinese zodiac was so new to me that it did feel fun. Mysterious. Rooted in practicality. The magic’s still there, but it’s mostly become business. I add syrup, lye water, and oil to the flour and fold the ingredients together with a spatula. “Have you always been into the zodiac or is it a recently acquired interest?”

Surprisingly, Bennett looks unfazed by my line of questioning. He focuses in on my eyes and deadpans, “I’ve just been learning about it through Wikipedia. Really good stuff on there.”

Against my better judgment, a laugh slips out. I can’t be laughing at my enemy’s jokes. It’s a sign of weakness.

He laughs and shakes his head, a strand of hair falling across his forehead. “If you’re wondering if I grew up learning about the zodiac, no. I learned it on my own. My mom was into the zodiac, but—no, I didn’t,” he says, cutting himself off. He doesn’t elaborate. “I’ve studied the Chinese zodiac deeply, even though my app takes a looser approach.”

He’s bluffing.

“Go ahead, you can ask me anything,” he says as if reading my mind.

When I shake my head and stay silent, he asks, “Did you grow up learning about the zodiac?”

“Not really,” I lie. I’m glad Pó Po and Auntie aren’t here to witness my betrayal. I push harder into the dough to release some of my anxiety. Once the texture is smooth, I wrap the dough in plastic and place it in the fridge to cool.

“If you’re reimagining how the Chinese zodiac works and charging people for it, don’t you think you’re misleading people?” I add, rejoining Bennett at the stove.

“You think what I’m doing is cultural appropriation?” he asks, quickly glancing up at me.

I think for a moment. “Well, I don’t know. Not necessarily.”

“I have both Chinese and Irish heritage and have been interested in and studied the zodiac for a long time. It’s my culture, my family’s culture,” Bennett says, a hint of defensiveness poking through. “I don’t have to justify myself to anyone who thinks I’m not Chinese enough because they’re uncomfortable with me being mixed race.”

“No, I totally understand that,” I confess.

The thing is, I really do completely get it. I fully relate. With Chinese, Scottish, and Norwegian heritage, it wouldn’t be fair for me to think that. If I did, wouldn’t that mean I was doing the same? I’m working on modernizing Lunar Love, sure, but I’m trying to do it in a way that honors what Pó Po started.

“Our names don’t always represent all of who we are,” Bennett says, speaking toward the range. “I have an Irish last name, and I understand that might be confusing with what I do. But it doesn’t negate the fact that I’m Chinese, too. I know that my existence, what I look like, and my name sometimes mystify people.”

“Names can be complicated,” I say, nodding along. “Assumptions are too easily made.”

Bennett stops mixing the filling for a second to face me, his eyes holding intense contact with mine. “I’ve always thought the Chinese zodiac was a fascinating approach to understanding humans. And a big part of the zodiac is about who pairs well with who. With the rise of dating apps, I saw a business opportunity that I had a personal interest in,” he adds, rotating back toward the task at hand and giving the pan a small shake. “I’m trying to be a smart businessman. I have a decent amount of experience in the tech industry. A big part of running a start-up is learning on the job and knowing when to pivot.”

Way to state the obvious.

“I just don’t buy that ZodiaCupid’s concept hasn’t been done before,” I press.

Bennett looks over at me. “What I’m doing isn’t new. There are dating apps with filters that include astrological signs, and even the Chinese zodiac, as one element of the matching. For us, though, that’s our main element.”

“Really? Just some dating apps, huh?”

A glimmer spreads across Bennett’s hazel eyes, and I’m momentarily sidetracked. “There’s also this place called Lunar Love,” Bennett says. “Have you heard of it?”

My core is shaken hearing him say those words. I didn’t expect him to actually know about us. I open my mouth but nothing comes out. I shake my head no. I can’t verbalize another lie.

“Huh,” he grunts. “From my impression of you so far, it seems like Lunar Love would be something you’d be into instead of ZodiaCupid, but if you haven’t even heard of it, then I guess I don’t need to be worried.”