“What if,” I took a deep breath, “what if breaking up with Hao Yi is the real reality?”
“You’re insane! That guy will marry his girlfriend, have kids, post their happy life on Facebook, and continue having affairs behind the scenes. But you’re different. Li Hao Yi is your true love. It’s not too late to change your mind. Tell Chu Ke Huan you can’t cross the moral line. Marry Hao Yi. Chu Ke Huan will find someone else. There’s no other possibility. I’ve seen too many guys like him...”
“Ke Fei, Chu Ke Huan isn’t like that,” I interrupted. After a pause, I added, “I used to think he was, but now I know he’s not. We’re just two people stuck in a framework, living confused and lost. That’s all.”
“You... you can’t do this...” Ke Fei became even more flustered. The sharp-tongued woman I knew was now tongue-tied. “Listen to me. It was my mistake to take you to that mixer. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this. I’m sorry—I really am. I’ve never felt I owed anyone an apology for something like this, but if this is the result, I have to stop you. This isn’t how the game is played...”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Really,” I said with sincerity and calmness.
But my words didn’t soothe her. Instead, they made her realize that every piece of advice she gave and every grip of her hands on my arms wasn’t getting through to me. Tears streamed down her face as she broke down in panic. “Oh my God, you can’t do this... I should be attending your wedding, openly wishing you happiness, envying the wonderful life you have—not this...”
Ke Fei looked at me, her voice hoarse from shouting, until she finally slumped against my shoulder, exhausted. I gently hugged her back without saying a word.
It was only then that I realized Ke Fei was also someone who believed in the idea of a “standard answer” to life. She had just never been given the opportunity to take the test. Collecting stock codes from her boss’s lovers and playing at rebellion through chaotic relationships had never truly been her choices—they were her protest against loneliness.
How ironic. Life never had a standard answer. The world just pretends there is one. Only after I had filled the exam sheet of my life did I understand this absurd truth. When the shape of your life is already before you, is it worth risking everything to change direction?
At that moment, the phone in my pocket rang. Hearing the ringtone, Ke Fei immediately pulled away from me, hurriedly wiping her tear-streaked face.
“It’s Hao Yi,” I said, staring at the flashing caller ID on my screen. For the first time, I felt a strong urge to tear up my answer sheet and walk away from the test halfway through.
“Listen to me,” Ke Fei said urgently. “Forget everything you just said. Answer the call and pretend none of this ever happened. It’s not too late to go back to the way things were. Don’t act on impulse…”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I swiped the screen and answered the call. “Hello?”
“Weiwei, is now a good time to talk?” Hao Yi’s voice on the other end sounded hesitant, almost lost.
“It’s fine. I actually had something I wanted to discuss with you tonight…” I started to say, but he cut me off with a bombshell.
“My dad was in a car accident this morning. He’s gone. I’ll be flying back to Taiwan tonight. Whatever you wanted to say, let’s talk when we meet.”
Shocked, I gripped my phone tightly, unable to utter a single word. Images and faces swirled in my mind, urging me to imagine the futures that might unfold soon.
This strange, inexplicable test… even the moment of submitting the answer sheet feels absurd.
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