In the final two months leading up to their wedding, Han Yanyan had turned into a clingy creature. Whenever she had the chance, she would stick to Qiao Chengyu. Everyone knew that the usually aloof second son of the Qiao family would become a spoiling husband when he encountered his fiancée. The two of them constantly showered each other with affection, often making those around them feel full.
Fortunately, the grand wedding of the golden couple finally arrived as scheduled.
The wedding was held in a historic castle overseas, with the Qiao family renting out the entire place for the ceremony, banquet, and accommodations for the guests.
On the night before the wedding, tradition dictated that the two be separated. However, Han Yanyan quietly made her way to Qiao Chengyu’s room.
As soon as Qiao Chengyu heard the knock on the door, he guessed it was her. He opened the door, pulled her in, and kissed her hard against the door. They were about to become a legitimate couple, yet they acted like a pair of secret lovers, lost in their own world.
In their bliss, Qiao Chengyu pressed his hand against the door with such force that a wave of goosebumps ran down his back. Han Yanyan held tightly onto his neck, her fingers feeling the tiny ridges on his back, sending sparks through her body.
Like a vine, Han Yanyan wrapped herself around him completely, their lips and tongues intertwining, even their sweat mixing together, indistinguishable from one another.
“Qiao Chengyu, Qiao Chengyu,” Han Yanyan murmured his name.
Still trembling from the intensity of their joy, Qiao Chengyu could only mumble a soft “mm” in response.
“I like you…” Han Yanyan whispered, “I like all of you…”
After breaking through the shivers, Qiao Chengyu looked up at her. Their noses brushed together, their lips almost touching. Her voice was so soft, it could only be heard this close.
“You’re like… custom-made for me…”
But her words were swallowed by their heated kisses. Han Yanyan was deep in sweet indulgence, unwilling to pull away. As the next day approached, she felt utterly drained and unable to walk. The soon-to-be groom carried her back to her room, quiet as a mouse.
On the day of the wedding, he worried about her, bribing the bridesmaids to gain access to the preparation room to see her.
In the grand, ancient castle, the walls made of huge stones and stained glass redirecting sunlight painted a sacred atmosphere. In this soft glow, Han Yanyan sat, adorned in her exquisite wedding dress, her train cascading like pure white snow, reflecting a holy light.
She was the bride of his dreams, and for a moment, Qiao Chengyu held his breath, afraid to disturb her.
Han Yanyan noticed him through the mirror and smiled, “What are you doing here? Didn’t they say we shouldn’t see each other before the ceremony?” She said this without any embarrassment, as if it weren’t she who had sneaked to his room for a secret meeting the night before.
Only then did Qiao Chengyu let out a sigh, standing far away, quietly gazing at his bride.
Han Yanyan turned to him, “What’s wrong?”
With a warm smile on her face, Qiao Chengyu recalled how, when he first opened the door and saw her, there had been no smile on her face, only reflection. This made him hesitant. In that moment before the wedding, feelings of uncertainty crept into his heart.
But Han Yanyan smiled and extended her hand, “Come here.”
He walked closer, taking her hand. Han Yanyan’s hand was soft and warm, and for some reason, Qiao Chengyu felt calm.
He gazed at his bride and suddenly bent down, kissing her knuckles lightly before kneeling before her.
Han Yanyan looked surprised and amused, “Are you proposing to me again?”
But Qiao Chengyu’s expression remained serious, his gaze sincere. Kneeling before her, holding one of her hands, he looked like a knight swearing loyalty to a princess.
“Yanyan,” he said, “To marry you is my fortune. I thank the heavens for this blessing. I, Qiao Chengyu, swear to you—”
“I will do my utmost to be the husband you wish for, to give you the marriage you desire.”
“I will be loyal for life, to you, to our union and family.”
“I will be a good husband, a good father.”
“In the future, when we have children, whether they are a boy or girl, I will love him/her and you with all my heart.”
“From parent-teacher meetings, sports events, performances, to reading competitions, provincial competitions... I promise I will not miss any significant moments in their lives…”
“Yanyan, Yanyan…” Qiao Chengyu gazed at his bride, gently asking, “... Why are you crying?”
A tear marked Han Yanyan’s smiling face. She tightened her grip on his hand and replied, “Because I’m happy.”
Her throat trembled slightly, three words stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken.
Unable to be spoken.
Qiao Chengyu stared at her for a moment, choosing to believe. He stood and kissed her cheek and eyes, drying her tears, telling her, “You won’t be happier than I am.”
“Because,” he smiled, “I am about to become the happiest person in the world.”
He released her hand and exited the room.
The bridesmaids, makeup artists, stylists, and staff, who had just given the newlyweds some space, rushed in. Qiao Chengyu’s figure disappeared amidst the crowd. Han Yanyan stared at the door, unable to see him anymore.
“Ah, stop looking! We’ll see each other in just fifteen minutes!” one bridesmaid teased.
A group of wealthy girls laughed, “Can’t even wait fifteen minutes, oh my, such a big bowl of dog food!”
Han Yanyan quickly tucked away the emotions she had let surface, raised her chin slightly, and put on the smile of “Miss Han.”
Fifteen minutes later, she stood outside the grand wooden doors on time. As the music played, the massive doors slowly opened. All the guests turned in their seats to face the bride of today. Han Yanyan, like a warrior, revealed her proud yet reserved smile, linking arms with her father as she stepped onto the red carpet.
At the end of the carpet, Qiao Chengyu stood tall, his eyes full of hopeful happiness. He waited at the end of the red carpet to take her hand, to place the wedding ring on her finger, to hear her say, “I do.” From this moment on, she would be his wife.
His anticipation was so strong, so intense, that even from a distance, Han Yanyan could sense it.
Han Yanyan’s father felt his daughter’s grip tighten, and with a smile, he patted her hand, signaling her not to be nervous. What was there to fear about marriage? No matter what, she would always be his daughter and the heir to Han Corporation.
Han Yanyan understood her father’s meaning. With a smile, she turned and gently kissed him on the cheek.
She had been happy here for the past two years, all thanks to this business magnate who stood behind her.
Thank you.
As the music shifted, father and daughter exchanged a glance and stepped forward.
The red carpet stretched on for quite a distance. The flower girls led the way, and Han Yanyan, with her father by her side, elegantly pulled her long train behind her, slowly walking toward her groom. The closer she got to him, the more she could see the delight hidden beneath his calm expression.
But suddenly, Han Yanyan’s gaze drifted away from her fiancé and toward the guests.
Due to prior circumstances, Qiao Wenxing hadn’t stood in as Qiao Chengyu’s best man, but he was still seated in a prominent spot.
As he sat there, watching his half-brother wait for his bride in a well-tailored suit, Qiao Wenxing felt something strange. It was as if… he was dreaming.
When the heavy doors began to open slowly, revealing the noble, proud, and beautiful bride stepping onto the red carpet, it felt as if each of her steps pounded in rhythm with his heart.
Just then, the bride who had been looking at the groom suddenly cast him a glance.
An earthquake struck without warning. Many were caught off guard, tumbling to the ground. The previously solemn and grand wedding chaos erupted.
Qiao Wenxing shook himself back to reality.
What was he thinking? This was someone else’s wedding, the wedding of Han Yanyan and Qiao Chengyu. One would soon be his sister-in-law, while the other had already become the heir of the family. He thought to himself that he shouldn’t be overthinking it now.
But it felt so strange.
All of this was meant to be his. Why had it all changed?
The trembling on the ground quickly stopped, but chaos ensued. Some guests rushed for the exit; after all, when faced with disaster, life was the utmost priority.
“Yanyan!”
Han Yanyan heard two people calling her. One was her father, and the other was her groom. They both shouted her name, urging her to leave the building quickly.
But Han Yanyan had turned a deaf ear. After the tremors, her father had fallen, and their arms had been separated. Without any restraint, she lifted her gown and took a few steps forward—not toward her groom but toward her past fiancé, Qiao Wenxing.
The target of her mission.
Qiao Chengyu called her name, but he watched in shock as his bride walked straight toward Qiao Wenxing without acknowledging him.
Han Yanyan was now face to face with Qiao Wenxing, their eyes meeting.
In his eyes, Han Yanyan detected confusion. She smiled and asked, “Do you regret it?”
Qiao Wenxing, feeling as if he were lost in a dream, answered, “I regret it.”
As they exchanged this question and answer, the world, which had calmed for just a few seconds, began to shake violently again. Windows shattered, beams collapsed, and a massive pillar fell with a thunderous crash.
The pillar fell in Qiao Chengyu’s direction. He hastily retreated just in time, but he watched in horror as the debris crushed a group of people, including Han Yanyan’s father, who had just risen to rescue his daughter.
He observed the well-dressed guests scream and flee in chaos, stampeding toward the exit.
What horrified him even more was how his bride was oblivious to it all, while his brother seemed to be blind to the chaos around them. It felt as though they were in completely different worlds.
Han Yanyan knew everything happening around her, aware that her “father” may have already perished. Yet she didn’t turn back.
“They don’t matter; the target matters. Don’t pay attention to anyone besides the target.”
The jarring electronic voice echoed in her ears. Ignoring the surrounding chaos, Han Yanyan continued to focus on Qiao Wenxing.
In her gaze, Qiao Wenxing became more bewildered.
Why was this happening? Why was he losing everything? It felt as if it were because of a woman. But he couldn’t recall her face or name, nor could he remember why he had given up everything for her.
In this confusion, a voice floated to him.
Han Yanyan said, “If you regret it, let’s end it quickly.”
Like the roar of thunder in his ears, Qiao Wenxing murmured, “Yes, let’s end this… this isn’t what I wanted…”
The world shook and rattled. The cries and screams of the people faded into a blurred cacophony. Walls crumbled, floors cracked, and bright light surged through the gaps.
People fled toward the doors with an extraordinary speed, but a blinding white light poured in from outside, flooding in through the shattered windows.
The white light engulfed the world, melting everything within it, including every single person.
“They don’t matter; the target matters. Don’t pay attention to anyone besides the target.”
Not to care? In the final moment, Han Yanyan couldn’t help but look back.
Qiao Chengyu had not run away. He remained there, standing behind the enormous fallen pillar, his lips tightly pressed as he looked at her. He instinctively felt that everything occurring was related to her, and he thought she would give him an explanation.
But Han Yanyan gave him one last glance, her lips moved but ultimately couldn’t provide an answer.
I’m sorry, I came to this world, but my target is not you.