My life finally seemed to be back on track. During this time, apart from work, I threw myself into researching wedding preparations with more dedication than ever. I wanted to create a beautiful wedding within our limited budget. Almost all my free time was spent reading articles online and searching for the best value-for-money options. After a week or two of research, I felt like my knowledge of weddings rivaled that of a professional consultant. However, with Hao Yi being so busy at work recently, we hadn’t found the right time to bring up our marriage plans with our parents.
Today was the anniversary of my relationship with Hao Yi. In previous years, we would celebrate with a fine meal and a good bottle of wine. This year, we had agreed to forgo the tradition and put the dinner budget into our wedding fund. Yet, at the last minute, Hao Yi made a reservation at a restaurant, insisting on keeping the tradition alive.
While browsing the menu, I noticed that the average cost at this restaurant was significantly higher—by a couple of thousand dollars—than the places we had gone to in previous years. Concerned, I couldn’t help but voice my thoughts. “Hao Yi, last year’s restaurant was already great. Even if this is our last anniversary as a dating couple, there’s no need to splurge like this…”
“Actually, I had originally planned to propose to you here. But I got so nervous while we were house-hunting that I jumped the gun. Just think of this as a belated proposal dinner,” he said with a grin.
“Then thank you!” I smiled back, silently appreciating his thoughtfulness. After ordering, I couldn’t resist sharing some of my wedding research struggles with him. “By the way, our colleagues and classmates are all in Taipei. Does that mean we’ll need to host a third banquet? I looked up prices for tables in Taipei, and they start at over 20,000 dollars per table. And good dates have to be booked a year in advance…”
“Wei Wei, let’s discuss this later.” Hao Yi’s expression suddenly turned serious. “There’s something I need to tell you first.”
“Hm?” I froze, a vague sense of unease creeping in.
“Jessica asked me today to go to Shanghai at the end of the month.”
“Oh.” In an instant, the romantic atmosphere between us evaporated completely.
“Wei Wei, I know you’ve been working hard on the wedding preparations and doing a lot of research. But this time, I really can’t refuse…”
“How long will you be gone?” I interrupted him instinctively, wanting to cut to the heart of the matter.
“It depends on the situation. Three months is the minimum.” He paused, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “But Jessica thinks the situation there doesn’t look promising. It might take… six months.”
Six months. The words echoed through me repeatedly, as if trying to make their way into my understanding. I pretended I didn’t grasp just how long six months really was because I didn’t know how to face Hao Yi without seeming like an unreasonable fiancée.
In Hao Yi’s industry, business trips to mainland China were as common as military drafts. There was always someone chosen for the assignment, usually men over women and singles over married employees. For couples like us—“more than dating, but not yet married”—it was the unluckiest, most awkward phase to be caught in.
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