David and Helen met while working at the US consulate in Guangzhou. David was in the foreign service as a diplomat and met his Chinese teacher Helen. They became friends and decided to have a serious relationship after David moved back to the US. Helen visited David for his birthday in April 2016, their first date. They decided to build a future together. David went to China and met Helen's family. Helen left everything behind in China and moved to Reno, Nevada and studied at UNR. After Helen finished school, David took her to see his grandparents and proposed to Helen in Florida in May 2017.