The story of Lily and Keith began the same way as those of countless others—with a swipe, a click of a virtual rose, and a swipe back. That is, of course, if you consider their initial encounter as the beginning.

Actually, 1979 is when it all started. On the campus of Zhejiang University, a student named Hunt met a student named Tom. The two became the closest of friends, a bond that connected their respective families over the next four decades. Little did they know that 45 years later, they would each hear the news that Hunt’s niece, Lily, and Tom’s nephew, Keith, would go on a date on the other side of the world. One could see those first 45 years as a prequel, but to Lily and Keith, the friendship of their two families over the years is so fundamental to their relationship that they consider it as a part of their own story.

Like any lawyer doing due diligence, Keith never went on a first date without doing his research. Is she pretty? Absolutely—after a quick glance at her Facebook profile. Does she have a good job and go to a good school? Confirmed easily after looking her up on LinkedIn. Keith doesn’t consider himself a “checklist” kind of guy, but after a year on the dating apps, it became obvious that an initial screening was a necessary part of the process. However, in all his time doing diligence, he’s never encountered a girl like Lily. Lily had it all—not just looks and background, but she was also mutual “friends” with Keith’s longtime childhood family friends. Oh, and did we mention? She also shares their last name. His interest peaked immediately.

Despite all the pre-date online chatter, Keith was anxious to meet Lily and to unravel the mystique surrounding her. Lily, on the other hand, was completely oblivious. She walked into the date already semi-buzzed from an earlier birthday party and was more excited about the food than the date. When they were finally face-to-face, Keith popped the question. No, not that question, but rather, “Hey, do you know so and so”? Naturally, she was shocked by the question and said, “Yes! They are my cousins!” For the next three hours, they bonded over their upbringing, their family history, and their common interests.

Notwithstanding Lily being an M&A management consultant and Keith an M&A lawyer, the two didn’t immediately find much to talk about regarding their careers. After all, Lily did multi-billion-dollar deals, whereas Keith’s deals were usually in the millions. The gap was simply too large. Luckily for Keith, Lily is a diehard Golden State Warriors fan, and he found the opportunity he needed to impress Lily with his abundance of arguably useless sports knowledge accumulated over the years. Lily, for whatever reason, found Keith to be interesting enough to award him a second date.

A second date was followed by a rocky third, where Lily almost inadvertently friend-zoned Keith. However, by the fourth date, it became obvious to both that they were serious about one another. After they returned from a successful trip to Hawaii to celebrate New Year’s 2024, things accelerated at light speed. By Summer 2024, they traveled together across China—first to Beijing to meet Keith’s father, next to Henan to visit his grandmother, and ultimately to Shanghai to meet Lily’s parents and grandparents. By Fall 2024, they began looking for a home together, visiting over 50 open houses over the course of two months. By Winter 2024, the two had moved into their dream home, and invited their respective parents over from China to spend the holidays together.

It's safe to say Lily’s life was smooth sailing before she met Keith, but Keith’s personal life finally found fair winds only after he found Lily. The timing of their meeting was auspicious to say the least. As luck would have it, they avoided meeting each other for nearly 30 years until the timing was just right. Had their families introduced them sooner, they most likely would have resisted the set up and would not have ended up together. But because they serendipitously stumbled upon one another over a dating app some 30 years later, not only was their encounter blessed by luck but also by the love and support of their families.