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墨書 Inktalez
The private box in the luxurious banquet hall is decorated with unparalleled luxury, filled with a modern design from top to bottom. Golden chandeliers hang from the high ceiling, illuminating the entire space.
A long wooden dining table is adorned with various high-end porcelain and crystal wine glasses, surrounded by dark leather-clad chairs, creating a noble and tranquil atmosphere.
At this moment, her university classmate Catherine and her husband Kevin are standing in the center of the box, receiving congratulations and toasts from everyone, despite having just had a big argument not long ago.
"Catherine, Kevin, you are truly an enviable couple of immortals!" A male classmate walked over with a glass of wine, his tone full of sincerity.
"I've known him since high school, we even got into the same university, and we've been stably dating since entering society until getting married. The probability of this happening is really low!"
Michelle smiled slightly in her heart, knowing that the story behind this is far more complicated than what people see on the surface.
But at this moment, Catherine and Kevin seemed to be the epitome of a perfect marriage in everyone's eyes.
A female classmate couldn't help but walk over, showing an envious expression: "And you are each other's first love, this is a plot only found in fairy tales!"
Catherine smiled even brighter and responded, "Yes, we are very lucky to have found each other and experienced so much together."
Kevin took over from Catherine, gently embracing her waist with both hands, and the atmosphere in the entire compartment instantly became even more passionate. "We are truly grateful for everyone's presence. It means a lot to us."
At that moment, Michelle noticed a fleeting shadow in Catherine's eyes, a subtle sign of fatigue and pressure that was hard to conceal. She seemed to be striving to maintain surface harmony, just like everyone else under the luxurious chandelier, each presenting their most perfect self.
Michelle picked up her glass and walked over to Catherine, smiling as she said, "Congratulations, it's truly wonderful."
"Thank you, Michelle. It's been a long time, and you're still as beautiful," Catherine responded, her eyes filled with confidence and happiness.
Michelle wondered if she hadn't just witnessed them arguing, she probably would have been deceived into thinking their marriage was truly happy and fulfilling.
"Thank you for your praise. But to be honest, whether it's love or marriage, it's not always smooth sailing, right?" she tentatively said.
Seeing Catherine still smiling but starting to look a bit stiff, she made an effort to speak with confidence, saying, "Indeed, marriage is not without its challenges. There are ups and downs, and we've faced our share of obstacles. But the most important thing is that we love each other."
"Oh? But it looks like now..." Michelle deliberately dragged out her words.
Evan quickly nudged Michelle with his hand, signaling her to stop talking.
Evan held two glasses of champagne in his hand. He handed one of the glasses to Michelle and said with a smile, "Beautiful, this is for you."
"Wow, thank you, Evan," Michelle took the champagne and felt a sense of relief. "Catherine, this is my colleague Evan," Michelle turned to introduce to Catherine.
"I'm very pleased to meet you, Catherine," Evan said politely.
"Pleased to meet you too, Evan," Catherine responded, seeming a bit distracted.
"We'll take our leave then, so as not to disturb you." Michelle sensed Catherine's distraction and wanted to take the opportunity to leave.
"Okay, thank you for coming," Catherine replied, clearly wanting to end the conversation sooner.
After Michelle and Evan left, they walked to a corner of the banquet hall, where Evan lowered his voice and said to her, "Everything now is just superficial, Michelle. People always see what you want them to see. And it's not just about maintaining family harmony, it's also about her last bit of self-respect and dignity. You should let her choose for herself, instead of exposing her."
Michelle nodded, with a sudden clarity in her heart: "Yes, this is the hypocrisy that most people have in marriage. Is it due to societal pressure, or is it for the sake of saving face? Or perhaps it's to protect the love that once existed, fearing that it might become even more fragile and vulnerable."
Evan looked at Michelle, as if he could see through her inner doubts, and continued, "Actually, this is one of the reasons why I have always insisted on not getting married. I don't want love to become so entangled and painful."
Michelle sighed softly, thinking of her mother. Her mother had also sacrificed everything, only to end up with a lifetime of regret and pain.
"I understand what you mean, Evan. In fact, I often ask myself if it's really necessary to maintain a relationship through marriage. If in the end, the relationship is so fragile that it needs marriage to sustain it, it's quite a sad thing."
Evan and Michelle's eyes met, and they could both feel the hidden unease and struggle in each other's eyes.
"Evan, I feel like we should consider ourselves lucky, because at least we still have the freedom to choose, and we won't end up in a marriage that doesn't suit us because of societal pressure," Michelle said, taking a deep breath as if trying to inhale the unease in her heart.
Evan smiled slightly, but said nothing. He looked up at the Taipei street scene outside the floor-to-ceiling window, with electronic billboards and constant traffic, everyone searching for their place and value in the city.
"Do you know, I've been thinking, will we become like that couple too? Ten years, twenty years from now, will we be like this?" Michelle's voice carried a hint of doubt as she used a napkin to dab at the water droplets on the edge of her coffee cup.
"This all depends on us, Michelle," Evan finally spoke, his voice calm but filled with determination. "We have the power to control our own destiny, to decide what kind of life we want."
Michelle smiled, but her mind was elsewhere. She thought of her friend Lily and her crumbling marriage, and also of Evan's nephew Xiao An. These cases only strengthened her stance on not getting married, but there was still some unsettled emotion in her heart.
"Yeah, I know. But there will always be a moment when you start to question your choices," Michelle's eyes flashed with a subtle, almost imperceptible sadness.
Evan suddenly stood up, walked over to Michelle, and looked into her eyes. "If that day comes, we will face it together and make the choice together. Love is not a prison, nor should it be a shackle. It should be a kind of freedom, a choice, a force that makes us better."
Michelle was moved by Evan's words, and the unease and confusion in her heart seemed to be swept away by some powerful force. She looked up and locked eyes with Evan. In that moment, she felt that no matter what the future held, the two of them would face it together, without running away or compromising.
"I love you, Evan," Michelle finally said, her voice soft but firm.
"I love you too, Michelle," Evan gently kissed her forehead.
The two embraced each other in this upscale banquet hall, while outside the city of Taipei continued its never-ending rhythm, but in their hearts, the world seemed to have stopped in this moment.
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