The phone's vibration seemed to shatter the beautiful moment—
The next instant.
"Boom!!"
A deafening explosion echoed through the heavens and earth, causing the ground to tremble three times, and dust billowed everywhere!
Qin He's eyes reflected the golden flames of the explosion.
After the first sound, the explosion wasn't over. Wave after wave of violent explosions left Qin He's ears ringing, her entire mind feeling somewhat dazed.
Debris from the collapsed structure surged towards them. Yu Jing immediately turned, shielding Qin He with his body.
A piece of rubble still grazed Qin He's face. She stared with wide eyes as the building turned into ruins in the explosion.
Qin He's voice trembled, "Gu Qichen!"
She wanted to rush over, but she had no strength whatsoever!
Yu Jing's eyes were also red with shock. After shielding Qin He from the blast wave, he turned and tried to charge towards the ruins.
"Mr. Gu!"
Yu Jing placed Qin He on a chair nearby. "Miss Qin, wait for me!"
Everyone surged forward, beginning to search for Gu Qichen's figure!
Due to the injection she had received, Qin He couldn't muster the strength to search. She used all her might, finally falling from the chair, collapsing weakly onto the ground.
She had to find her son!
Qin He clenched her hands, trying to crawl towards the collapsed building.
Gu Qichen and her son were both buried beneath that pile of rubble!
Qin He crawled a couple of steps, and her phone fell out of her pocket.
Qin He picked it up and glanced at it.
"Did you like this beautiful fireworks display?"
Qin He gritted her teeth and looked up at the surrounding abandoned buildings against the night sky. Many of them had lost their windows, looking like dark, empty eyes staring at her.
She screamed, "I will definitely find you and kill you!"
Yu Jing, who had shielded Qin He from the flying debris earlier, had his shirt torn by the fragments and explosion, leaving a bloody mess on his back. Yet, his expression remained unchanged. He continued to dig desperately at the ruins where Gu Qichen had last been.
Gradually, despair settled upon everyone.
"With that level of explosion, it's impossible to survive, right?" someone whispered.
Qin He lay on the ground. Two people who had returned for water saw her and stepped forward to help her up.
"Miss Qin, you should wait in the car."
Qin He's eyes widened, and a hoarse growl escaped her throat.
"Gu Qichen—"
Tears streamed down her face, and regret flooded her chest.
Gu Qichen's final smile as he held Lele and looked at her flashed before Qin He's eyes.
All the grudges of the past two years seemed to shatter like a frozen layer breaking apart.
In the face of life and death, she no longer cared about her dignity or pride—
Qin He sobbed uncontrollably.
Lele had been missing for so long, and she had suppressed it all. Now, she could hold back no longer.
"I'm sorry, Gu Qichen;
"I'm sorry, Lele, Mom didn't protect you well—"
More than a dozen cars arrived at Qingyue Wharf. Qin Yun rushed out of one of them!
He hurried forward and was startled to see the ruins, but someone quickly guided him to Qin He.
"He'er!" Qin Yun breathed a sigh of relief seeing Qin He safe and sound!
But in the next moment, his heart sank.
Qin He was crying and shouting.
"Lele, Gu Qichen—"
What happened to Gu Qichen?
Qin Yun's gaze drifted to the bombed-out ruins not far away, then to Yu Jing, whose hands were bloody and torn as he dug through the rubble.
His heart trembled, and without hesitation, he immediately ordered the people who had come with him to help.
Shortly after Qin Yun's arrival, Lu Mingxi also arrived.
Yan Chen and Xiao Liyan, along with police personnel, arrived within half an hour!
The police cordoned off the area. As half of the rubble was cleared, everyone fell into complete despair.
A terrible thought began to form in some people's minds.
Perhaps the person had been blown to pieces—
Qin He's spirit finally couldn't bear it, her vision darkened, and she fainted.
Chaos erupted at the scene. Yan Chen and Xiao Liyan, their faces ashen, stepped forward to move stones.
Yu Jing was dragged away forcefully, seemingly in a frenzy.
The police directed others to continue clearing the debris.
...
A dense white mist enveloped everything.
Qin He's eyes widened as she found herself in an unknown place.
She tried to push aside the white mist before her, but it seemed to thicken.
Qin He felt a sense of weightlessness. Within the mist, she thought she saw two figures – Gu Qichen and Lele!
Little Lele, who had somehow grown to three or four years old, held Gu Qichen's hand and smiled at her. "Mom, Dad and I are leaving."
Where was Lele going?!
Qin He's heart skipped a beat. The explosion flashed in her mind. She opened her mouth, staring in astonishment at the two figures.
"Don't go!" Qin He wanted to shout but couldn't. She clenched her hands, watching Gu Qichen smile gently at her.
Qin He's face was covered in tears: "Gu Qichen, I'm sorry, I was too concerned about too many things before. I've always loved you, and we even have a son. But I've been stuck in the past!"
She couldn't make a sound.
Gu Qichen had made mistakes, but he had already paid for them, saving her life on multiple occasions, and now going to save Lele.
Qin He desperately wanted to forgive him and tell him to come back, but Gu Qichen's figure grew farther and fainter.
The dense white mist thickened, and soon even Gu Qichen and Lele's figures were no longer visible—
A shiver ran down Qin He's spine—
"Gu Qichen!" Qin He sat up abruptly!
She stared with wide eyes at the pale wall in front of her, beads of sweat on her forehead.
Qin He's mind was a little fuzzy. She looked around.
Her mother's anxious voice seemed to come from afar. "He'er, what's wrong?"
Qin He took a few deep breaths and turned to look at Ming Yuzhu.
That was just a dream!
She didn't know the outcome of the rescue yet. "Mom, where are Gu Qichen and Lele?!"
Ming Yuzhu quickly reassured her, "Don't worry, both of them are—"
Ming Yuzhu paused before saying, "They are out of danger."
The slight pause made Qin He's heart sink to the bottom.
She quickly pressed, "What exactly happened to them? Mom, are you lying to me? Have they already—"
Ming Yuzhu shook her head frantically. "No, really, no; they're just injured and receiving treatment."
Qin He didn't believe her. She pulled out the needle from her arm and stumbled, trying to get out of bed to see.
Ming Yuzhu stopped her. "Dean Shen just came to see you. Your body is very weak now, and you must rest in bed."
"I can't rest if I can't see Lele." Qin He stood up and tried to get out of bed again.
The hospital room door was pushed open, and Qin Yun walked in. Seeing Qin He about to get out of bed, his expression was calm. "Where are you going?"
Qin He looked for her slippers. "I'm going to see Lele."
Qin Yun stepped forward and firmly held her down. "Qin He, do you not consider me your brother?!"
Qin Yun usually called her "He'er." This was the first time he had used her full name.
Qin He trembled slightly and looked up at Qin Yun.
Qin Yun took a deep breath, anger surging in his eyes. "Since you found out Lele's whereabouts, why didn't you ask me to go with you? Are we family? Why did you put yourself in danger alone? If something happened to you, how would Mom and I live?!"
Qin He fell silent, her voice faint. "I'm sorry, brother."