No! Impossible!
Gu Yanze was certain Lingyuan was only pretending, putting on a show for him. Surely, Pei Qingyan must have used his own blood to save Lingyuan, binding her with the same dependency. How could Lingyuan possibly marry another man?
It felt as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out. In agony, he howled, desperate to snatch Lingyuan back.
On the day of the wedding, Pei Qingyan reserved an entire cathedral. Thousands of drones performed in the sky, and tens of thousands of French roses adorned every corner of the church.
Lingyuan finally donned her wedding dress and walked down the aisle, her parents and grandfather blessing her with genuine joy. It was the scene she’d always dreamed of—only the groom had changed to Pei Qingyan. And that, she realized, was even better.
Pei Qingyan stood tall and handsome at the altar, waiting for her.
Suddenly, chaos erupted. Several helicopters swooped over the church, scattering the drone display. Loudspeakers blared Gu Yanze’s voice:
“Lingyuan, don’t marry him!”
The repeated echoes thundered through the church, making Lingyuan’s head ring.
Why? Why couldn’t he just let her go?
How much more pain did he need to cause before he’d be satisfied?
Gu Yanze burst in, holding a bouquet, dressed in his best—only for Pei Qingyan to charge forward and kick him hard to the ground.
Still recovering from his injuries, Gu Yanze collapsed in pain.
For the first time, the always-gentle Pei Qingyan lost his composure.
“Gu Yanze! You beast! How many times must you ruin her happiness?”
“Disgusting! He’s worse than trash!”
“I’ve never seen a man so shameless!”
Even the guests were outraged.
Pei Qingyan’s mother stopped him from continuing the beating.
Gu Yanze stared at her, dazed. “Sister…?”
Smack!
His sister slapped him so hard his vision blurred.
“Useless brother! Our family gave you everything, and you repay us by nearly destroying my daughter and now ruining her wedding! Get out! If you dare show up again, I’ll beat you every time!”
Gu Yanze staggered to his feet, his sister’s scolding ringing in his ears.
He looked to Lingyuan, hoping for a shred of pity—but she only clung tighter to Pei Qingyan, as if he were nothing but garbage.
He stumbled out, broken and weeping, ordering his men to withdraw.
The pain was indescribable—he laughed and cried, a madman everyone avoided.
He really had lost her forever.
He regretted it all. If only he’d never gotten involved with Su Wantang. If only he’d used the Swallowflower to save Lingyuan, not Su Wantang. Would everything have been different?
Suddenly, the screech of tires—before he could react, he was struck by a car.
Blood covered his hands; his vision dimmed, and he felt himself falling into another world.
In that world, he was a bystander, forced to watch as Lingyuan cut her wrists again and again to water the Swallowflower, saving him at the cost of her own life.
But everyone blamed Su Wantang for Lingyuan’s suffering.
He married Lingyuan, only to torment her repeatedly.
He tried to stop himself, to punch “his” own image, but his fists passed through like mist.
He could only watch as “Gu Yanze” forced Lingyuan to bleed out, all to save Su Wantang.
No matter what choices he made, he was always the one who hurt Lingyuan the most.
He didn’t deserve her. He never had.
Pain wracked his body; tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
He heard the doctors’ frantic voices, but he only smiled bitterly, finally letting go.
He owed Lingyuan a life—let him repay it in another world.
“Goodbye, Lingyuan. From now on, we’re just strangers.”
His consciousness faded into nothingness.
Lingyuan and Pei Qingyan’s wedding proceeded smoothly. Amidst smoke and applause, they shared their first kiss as husband and wife.
They traveled the world together before settling down. When Lingyuan heard that Gu Yanze had died in a hit-and-run orchestrated by Su Wantang, her heart barely rippled. Their story was finally over.
She and Pei Qingyan visited his grave, leaving a single white rose as a final farewell.
Su Wantang was sentenced to life in prison, her carefully constructed world collapsing into ruin and scorn.
Gu’s father, driven mad by grief, developed Alzheimer’s, remembering only his beloved daughter—Lingyuan’s mother—who took him to a nursing home and managed the family business.
Years passed. The Swallowflower extract, “Yuan Su,” saved countless lives.
On the day she received her medical award, Lingyuan stood on stage, smiling with Pei Qingyan and their two children in her arms.
This time, she was truly happy.
From then on, the Swallowflower bloomed, and there were no more regrets.
Chapter 16
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