The Tide Turns, and I Won’t Wait

On my wedding day, the lead car carrying me to the ceremony broke down on the expressway.

With the auspicious hour approaching, I opened the wedding memo I shared with my fiancé to find the convoy coordinator’s number.

The memo had been renamed.

What used to be “My Perfect Wedding with Song Yan” now read “Protect Keke’s Perfect Bride-Swap Plan.”

Step one: The lead wedding car must break down on the ring expressway. Delay her by at least two hours.

Step two: The bridesmaids must use traffic as an excuse to cut off her other transportation options.

Step three: If she suspects anything, distract her immediately.

My fingers trembled as I scrolled. Every instruction had replies beneath it.

Dad: “Don’t worry. The driver served with me. I’ll make sure he cooperates.”

My brother: “I’ve locked Zhiyi’s ride-hailing account too. She won’t be able to book a car.”

My closest friend: “I’ll send her a fake screenshot of a pileup on the expressway. That should scare her into staying put.”

Finally, Song Yan summed it up: “Thanks, everyone. Once Keke gets her dream wedding, I’ll buy Zhiyi that necklace she loves to make it up to her.”

Then a livestream of a wedding popped up among the city’s trending stories.

My younger sister, Su Keke, stood in the wedding dress I had chosen myself, accepting our friends’ and relatives’ congratulations.

Holding back tears, I turned to the driver working on the car.

“There’s no hurry to fix it.”

“I’m not getting married.”