Last night i spent about 3++ hours reading a short story by 亦舒 (about ten chapters) - “独身女人”. I don't know since when i started liking her works. Maybe it started with “开到荼靡”. I think i mentioned “开到荼靡” quite some time ago, it's worth a read.

Anyway, “独身女人” is a story about a mature woman - 林展翘 who is generally very sarcastic, looks down on men and seems to project an impression that she enjoys her single-hood. In fact, she is the way she is because she's afraid of being hurt in a relationship, as she puts it:

[“你在逃避什么？”弗罗赛太太问。 ]
"我自己。我不喜欢我自己，故此一当有男人对我示意，我便看他不起。"
Hence, whenever men express interest in her or when she senses that men are interested in her, she will make caustic remarks of men...just to keep them away.

A theme that emerged from the story is 性格造成命运.

林展翘 knows very well what kind of soul-mate she wants. She's very faithful to her criteria and rejects men who she thinks does not fit her mold. She seeks perfection, just like any other women (even men) who still cherish some dreams of a perfect love.

The ending is kind of sad. but expected as 性格造成命运.

What's interesting is that after reading the ending, i feel that it shouldn't just end there. There is still hope if only the writer picks up her pen again to give the female protagonist her rightful happiness. I feel like completing the story myself just to convince myself that, indeed there are still true love and promises in this world.

The story reflects well what modern women feel about life and their attitude towards love. Surprisingly, I find myself able to relate to the characters even though I'm much much younger than them. Haha hope i don't find myself in their predicament years down the road.