A Pandemic Love Story

Still wearing their caps and gowns, Kuan-Cheng Weng proposed to classmate Angie Wu on the Chapel steps after Duke’s 2020 Commencement ceremony on Sept. 21, 2021.

But the proposal is only part of the story. 

They met in 2019 during International Student Day at the Fuqua School of Business. Kuan-Cheng, from Hsinchu, Taiwan, and Angie, from Wuhan, China, were only next to each other because of the alphabetical seating. On different tracks in the Master of Quantitative Management program, they never shared a class, but became friends that day.  

 When Kuan-Cheng told her, “I like you,” Angie, who is soft-spoken by nature, didn’t say anything, but her expression was reply enough.  

Their first date was on Franklin Street so they wouldn’t see their classmates. There they shared authentic Taiwanese food, boba tea, and their first kiss.  

That fall they studied into the night or met friends at restaurants. During winter break they toured Taiwan, visiting Kuang-Cheng’s family and celebrating New Year’s Eve. Back in the states they went to New York City, seeing shows on Broadway and cheering on former Blue Devil R.J. Barrett and the New York Knicks.

In the spring they camped out in K-Ville and cheered on the Blue Devils in Cameron. They were there for the win over UNC on March 7, 2020. Three days later, on-site classes were suspended due to COVID and they finished their classes online together. And this is where the story of college sweethearts normally ends. They graduate and move on to their new careers in new places. But there was no commencement in 2020, and there were no jobs.

“After graduation…the stress of the job market was overwhelming,” said Kuan-Cheng. “We were so unsure about life.” They spent their days revising resumes and applying for jobs across the country and their nights watching Netflix and playing Nintendo. On YouTube Angie learned how to make Taiwanese beef noodles and braised pork rice, two of Kuan-Cheng’s favorite dishes. They decided to move to wherever one of them was offered a job.

Meanwhile, their friends were moving back to China, abandoning plans to stay in the U.S., as Covid cases and deaths skyrocketed in the U.S. Their parents pleaded with them to come home. But they stayed. “We spent a lot of time together during those months and realized, this is the person I can spend the rest of my life with,” said Angie.

After 4,000 applications, Kuan-Cheng finally landed a job in RTP and then Angie did as well. “I didn’t pick this area, it was destiny,” said Kuan-Cheng.

In the summer 2021, when Duke announced their graduation ceremony would be held in the fall for the Class of 2020, Kuan-Cheng knew it was time.

He secretly planned the engagement for three months, customizing a ring made in Taiwan and only telling a few friends. “Angie thought my parents were here just for the graduation,” said Kuan-Cheng. “On graduation day, when I kneeled down she didn’t expect it at all. When I proposed she was shaking.”

Kuan-Cheng crafted a six-minute-long proposal in Mandarin, ending with this sentiment: “I would like to have a family with you, happily raise two kids… then one day I’m going to take them here (pointing to Duke Chapel) and say here is where I proposed to your mom. And then we can take them to every corner on Duke campus and tell them the memories we shared here…I will do my best to protect you and take care of you, and I will love you until my eyebrows turn white. Angie, will you marry me?”

This time Angie replied, “Yes.”