It was a warm afternoon, and the streets of Taipei buzzed with people rushing about their day. I was holding a freshly bought bubble tea when my eyes landed on her—standing quietly next to a bunch of blooming flowers, eyes focused on her phone.
She wore a simple white top, her hair falling naturally over her shoulders, sunlight casting a soft glow around her. It looked like something straight out of a drama. On impulse, I walked up to her and said, “Hey, your phone case is really unique. Where did you get it?”
She looked up and smiled slightly. “Shopee. Why?”
That ordinary line sparked something extraordinary. We added each other on LINE, started chatting, met up, watched movies, grabbed midnight snacks. I never imagined I’d find a real-life romance in the middle of this busy city.
Her name was Peipei, a girl from Neihu with a smile that curved gently at the corners of her eyes. The more I got to know her, the more I realized how stunning she was—not just in looks, but in spirit. She had a stable job, a disciplined life, and an elegant, confident way of speaking.
As for me? I was jobless and drifting, afraid of the future.
When we first started dating, I did everything I could to make her happy. But one thing I kept avoiding: getting a job.
“I mean, life’s fine the way it is. I’ve got enough to get by,” I’d say.
But I could see her expression slowly changing.
One night, she cried and said, “It’s not about the money. I care about whether you’re serious about building a future with me. Words alone don’t carry us forward.”
I couldn’t sleep that night.
I started reflecting—what was holding me back? Fear of failure? Fear of competition? Or was it simply that I had never thought about growing for the sake of love?
The next morning, I submitted my résumé. I began going to interviews.
My first job was in a logistics warehouse—hot, exhausting, repetitive. But I stuck with it. Gradually, I started earning again, and I began to cherish every moment with her even more. Before, I had all the free time in the world to be with her. Now, even if it was just an hour after work, she would wait for me so we could eat together.
We rented a small apartment together, with a simple couch and chipped paint on the walls. But she said, “As long as I’m with you, I can live anywhere.”
She still makes me breakfast in the mornings, and I make sure the laundry’s done before she gets home. We’re not some glamorous TV couple, but we’ve learned how to understand and support each other.
Sometimes I wonder—what if I hadn’t approached her that day? Would we have missed each other entirely? But fate gave me a chance, and she gave me a reason to grow.
Now, whenever we walk hand in hand through the streets of Taipei, I’m thankful that the version of me who once feared responsibility didn’t let her go.
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