Chapter 32: Chapter 31 (part 2)

Right on time fifteen minutes later, she stood outside the huge wooden door to the chapel. As the music played, the giant doors opened slowly, and all the guests turned in their seats to watch the bride. Han Yanyan put on her proud and reserved smile like a soldier donning armour, took her father's arm and stepped onto the red carpet.

At the other end of the red carpet, Qiao Chengyu stood tall and straight, his brow full of happy expectations. He waited for her at the other end, waiting to take her hand, put on her wedding ring, and hear her say 'I do'. When she did, she would be his wife.

So fierce and strong were his hopes that even across the distance, Han Yanyan could feel them.

Father Han felt his daughter suddenly tighten her hold on his hand. Smiling, he patted the back of her hand with a smile and motioned for her not to be nervous. So what if she was married? She might be someone's wife, but she would always be his daughter, and the heir to the Han conglomerate.

There was nothing to be afraid of.

Han Yanyan understood what her father meant to say. She turned her head, smiling, leaned over, and kissed her father gently on the cheek.

She had enjoyed happiness these last two years all thanks to this strong businessman standing behind her.

Thank you.

The music changed. Father and daughter glanced at each other, then walked in arm in arm.

The red carpet was quite long. A flower girl led the way as Han Yanyan walked slowly toward her groom, holding onto her father's arm with her long train sweeping behind her. The closer she got to him, the better she could make out the joy and delight hidden behind his calm expression.

All of a sudden, her gaze moved away from her fiancé and turned toward the guests.

For various reasons Qiao Wenxing wasn't Qiao Chengyu's best man, but his position in the party was still quite high.

Sitting there watching his half-brother in formal dress waiting for his bride, Qiao Wenxing had the strangest feeling. It was as if... he was dreaming again.

When the giant, heavy doors slowly opened, and the proud, beautiful bride walked closer and closer, it felt like her footsteps were treading on his heart, step by step, beating like a drum in his ear.

Just then, the bride, who had been smiling at the groom, suddenly cast a glance in his direction.

The earthquake was sudden and unexpected. Unprepared, the wedding guests fell to the ground. The solemn, gorgeous wedding had gone completely haywire.

Qiao Wenxing came back to himself.

What was he thinking? This was someone else's wedding, Han Yanyan and Qiao Chengyu's wedding. One was about to become his sister-in-law, and the other was the heir to his family. No use crying over spilt milk, thought Qiao Wenxing. He shouldn't be fantasizing over what could never be.

But it was so strange.

All these things should have been his. Why had everything changed?

The tremors stopped for a moment, but the scene was already a mess. People were fleeing through the doors. After all, in the face of a natural disaster, life was more important.

"Yanyan!"

Han Yanyan heard two people calling her name. One was her father and the other her groom. They were both calling her name, wanting her to flee the building as quickly as she could.

Han Yanyan turned a deaf ear. Thanks to the shaking of the ground, Father Han had already fallen and lost his grip on her. Set free, she picked up her skirt and stepped forward. Instead of walking to her groom, she went toward her former fiancé, Qiao Wenxing.

The mission goal of this world.

Qiao Chengyu, who had just steadied himself, shouted out her name, but saw that his bride was ignoring him and walking straight to Qiao Wenxing instead. Qiao Chengyu froze.

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Han Yanyan arrived in front of Qiao Wenxing, and their eyes met.

Seeing the vagueness in his gaze, she smiled and asked, "Do you regret it?"

As if dreaming, Qiao Wenxing replied, "I regret it."

When she asked and he answered, the world that had quieted down for a moment shook violently. The windows burst, the vaulted ceiling collapsed, and a massive pillar came tumbling down.

It fell precisely in the direction of Qiao Chengyu, who managed to step back and avoid it. However, he saw the broken pillar pinning down a number of people, among them Father Han, who had just stood up in an attempt to pull his daughter out of danger and run for their lives.

He saw the well-dressed guests screaming and running toward the door.

He saw his bride turning a deaf ear to it all, and his brother turning a blind eye. Between the two of them seemed to exist a completely different world.

Han Yanyan knew what was going on around her and that her 'father' might have perished in the fray, but she didn't even look back.

"They're not important. Only the mission matters. Aside from the mission, you don't need to care about anyone else."

The harsh robotic voice seemed to echo in her ear. Completely disregarding the panic and confusion surrounding her, Han Yanyan looked only at Qiao Wenxing.

Under her gaze, Qiao Wenxing felt as though he was lost in a fog.

Why was this happening? Why had he lost everything? Apparently it was... because of a woman. But Qiao Wenxing found that he could no longer remember the woman's face or name, nor could he remember how or why he had decided to give everything up for her.

In his confusion, a voice floated lightly into his ears.

"Since you regret it," said Han Yanyan, "End it quickly."

Her words burst upon his ears like muffled thunder. "Yes," Qiao Wenxing murmured, "Let's end it... this isn't what... I want..."

The world shook and rumbled. The screams and cries became muffled. The walls collapsed, a huge crack burst open in the floor, and white light poured out through the gap.

People fled to the church doors as fast as they could, but only harsh white light poured in through the doors and the broken windows.

White light flooded the world and the world melted. With it went everyone in the world.

"They're not important. Only the mission matters. Aside from the mission, you don't need to care about anyone else."

But could she not care? At the very last moment, Han Yanyan couldn't help herself. She turned her head.

Qiao Chengyu hadn't tried to escape. He still stood there watching her from the other side of the huge pillar, his mouth compressed tightly. He had a hunch that everything that was happening had something to do with her, and he thought that she would give him an explanation.

However, Han Yanyan only gave him one last, fleeting glance. Though her lips opened and closed, she couldn't explain it to him after all.

I'm so sorry. My mission target from this world... wasn't you.