Chapter 24: Love and Hate

Yan Yan walked over slowly, yet Li Ping felt his heart begin to race with confusion once more. At this very moment, she shouldn't have been here—she should have been waiting for the hour to arrive, ready to celebrate her wedding night with her future husband. The silence between them stretched on for a long time. Li Ping saw her gaze fixed on him; he wanted to speak, but the words caught in his throat and he didn't know what to say. Finally, she broke the silence. "Can we talk about what's in our hearts?"

He hesitated, but in the end could not bring himself to refuse and nodded, gazing into her eyes filled with sorrow and loss. His heart ached with tenderness for her.

"I'm marrying someone else. Don't you care at all?" They entered the room, and her first words made Li Ping want to turn around and hold her, but reason told him that was no longer possible.

"As long as he treats you well, I can be at peace."

"Why? Even now, you still can't face yourself. Is that truth really so important to you?"

Li Ping remained silent; he didn't know what to say. Up to this point, he couldn't make sense of anything.

"It seems you still haven't found the truth you seek."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize. I've heard those words too many times." A trace of bitterness flickered in Yan Yan's eyes, but she couldn't truly hate him. He was, after all, the love of her life, and now they stood before each other like strangers.

"I know you can't understand anything I've done, but at the time, it was the only path I could take. I had no choice—there simply was no other way."

Tears streamed down Yan Yan's face. Seeing her like this, his heart twisted with pain, but he couldn't bear to watch her cry. Whenever she wept, Li Ping would always try everything to coax her into a smile. He took out a tissue and handed it to her, but she had no intention of wiping away her tears. Gently, he unfolded the tissue himself and wiped them from her cheeks.

That feeling—the tenderness he had long lost—returned in that moment. She savored the familiar yet distant gentleness, even if only briefly. She hated him, but she loved him more.

For that instant, at least in that moment, she did not hate him. Love surged from the depths of her heart, washing away all resentment. Tears unstoppable, Yan Yan threw herself into Li Ping's arms, sobbing to release two years of pent-up bitterness.

He was startled by her sudden embrace. Feeling her soft body in his arms, he wished this moment could last forever. But time was no longer on their side. They held each other tightly, neither willing to let go, knowing that once they did, they would lose each other forever. Without a word, they remained entwined for a long, long time...

On the deck, Qin Ling was cheerfully chatting, when suddenly she seemed frozen in place. Her pupils shifted color abruptly, and those around her watched in fear, thinking she had been possessed by some spirit. Zeng Yilong was pouring wine when a worried woman hurried over. "Your girlfriend looks terrifying!"

He set down his glass and rushed to her side. It seemed her prophetic ability had manifested again. Qin Ling's consciousness plunged into a void. When she opened her eyes, a new scene unfolded: "Where is everyone? Yilong, where are you?!"

She looked around the empty cruise ship, flames engulfing the vessel, and not a soul in sight. Fear gripped her, tears falling uncontrollably. Thud, thud... heavy footsteps echoed. Looking up, she saw a monstrous creature approaching—its many tentacles bound everyone to its body, gnawing on them as food. They were all drained of color, faces twisted in agony: Li Ping and his sister, Yan Yan, Du Bin, Hu Guozheng, even Zeng Yilong and all the passengers had become part of the beast.

"Ah!!" Qin Ling screamed, clutching her head. In reality, she screamed as well. Zeng Yilong tried to wake her, but seeing so many strange looks, hastily offered an excuse. "Sorry to frighten everyone—she suffers from headaches, probably forgot her medicine at lunch."

He barely managed to placate the murmuring crowd. Qin Ling fainted from the pain, and Zeng Yilong scooped her up, running for the cabins with YOYO close behind. Du Bin considered following but saw he wasn't needed and stayed back.

"Ooh... my head, my head hurts so much..."

Qin Ling slowly regained consciousness, her head throbbing. Sitting up and catching sight of Zeng Yilong, she threw herself into his arms. "I was terrified! I just saw everyone killed by that monster—even you! Ugh..."

"Was it another vision?"

She nodded. YOYO wanted to know more. "What did it look like?"

"It had so many tentacles, just a disgusting monster."

YOYO folded her arms, leaning against the wall, puzzled. Was there really some monster here? Why couldn't she sense anything?

Suddenly, the clock struck nine, its chimes echoing throughout the cruise ship. The simple sound was, for two people, a harbinger of parting. The wedding ceremony had begun. Fireworks soared and cannons roared over the sea, music signaled the ceremony's start, but there was one thing missing: the bride. Chen Zhuohao, noticing Yan Yan's absence, began searching for her everywhere.

"It's time. You..."

"Yes, it's time." Yan Yan's heart sank with the passing minutes. The flame that had once ignited was now smothered by the limits of time. He wanted to hold her back, but all he could do was choke out, "I wish you happiness."

Li Ping struggled to say the words he least wanted to speak; to her, they were the words she least wanted to hear.

"Do you truly not care at all that I'm marrying someone else, Li Ping?" Yan Yan's tears, once dried, began to fall anew.

Li Ping knew she wanted him to stop her, but she had already registered to marry Chen Zhuohao. If he stole the bride away now, wouldn't Chen Zhuohao become nothing more than a sacrificial victim? Seeing Li Ping still unmoved, Yan Yan, heartbroken, said, "Since you don't care, and I can't open your heart again, then fine—I will choose him."

She turned and ran from the room. Li Ping, stunned, wrestled with himself, but at last he chased after her with all his might. He realized he could not let her go again, not after losing her once already. Quickly, he caught up to Yan Yan, grasping her hand tightly to stop her from leaving. Beyond this passageway lay the deck outside the cabins.

"Yan Yan, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have failed you. I won't let you go again. I've made up my mind, so..." Before she could reply, he pulled her into his arms. No matter how Yan Yan struggled, he didn't let go.

"I will never let you go again."

Hearing his words, Yan Yan was overjoyed, for she could feel Li Ping's heart slowly thawing from its icy shell.

"You two..."

At that moment, a voice rang out. Startled, they turned to see who it was, and felt as if they'd been caught in the act. It was none other than Chen Zhuohao, who had been searching for his missing bride. Seeing Yan Yan, the woman about to become his wife, locked in a passionate embrace with Li Ping, he was overcome with disbelief and fury, unable to process what he saw. He stood there, utterly stunned.