Qi Xia steadied himself and looked up at the staircase.
Under the violent tremors, the old building began to crack extensively.
Qingdao was a coastal city where earthquakes were rare, so the buildings here were never designed to withstand strong seismic activity.
Fearing the structure might collapse at any moment, Qi Xia knew he had to find Yu Nian’an quickly.
“An! Can you hear me?! Come down now!” he shouted again.
The entire building shook, the deafening noise drowning out his voice.
“An…” Qi Xia steadied himself and continued sprinting upstairs.
But earthquakes disrupt balance, and climbing stairs was nearly impossible. His legs were scraped and bruised, yet he crawled upward on all fours.
If Yu Nian’an died in this earthquake, Qi Xia had no reason to keep living.
“Dang it! It’s still shaking…”
He fell again, his knees going numb.
He had read that the most intense tremors usually lasted only a short time, no more than three minutes.
Yet the ground had been shaking for nearly five minutes with no sign of stopping.
Just how massive was this earthquake?
Finally, battered and bruised, Qi Xia reached the third floor.
The building still swayed violently. He wanted to knock, but then remembered Yu Nian’an might be hiding under a table—running around would be even more dangerous. So he fumbled for his keys.
But he couldn’t steady his hands enough to insert the key into the lock.
The world shook—his body, his hands, the entire building.
Everything blurred before his eyes. Distant crashes and the sound of shattering glass echoed.
“Dang it! Dang it!”
Clenching the key with both hands, he finally managed to turn the lock.
*Click.* The door swung open.
“An!! Are you here?!” No response. The room was eerily silent.
A chilling thought struck him.
If no one answered, there was only one explanation.
Yu Nian’an had already left.
He turned to leave but froze—remembering her call.
“No… There’s another possibility…”
She might be unconscious!
Qi Xia was torn. The building swayed violently. If he didn’t escape soon, he’d die here.
But he could never abandon Yu Nian’an.
“An! Are you here?”
He stepped inside. The empty room held only scattered furniture. A glance under the small dining table revealed nothing.
“Not here… The bedroom?”
Leaning on a single armchair, he staggered toward the bedroom door.
If Yu Nian’an was still home, this was the only place left.
“An!”
Relief flickered across his face as he pushed the door open—the room was empty. Just a desk and a chair.
He exhaled. She must have escaped to safety. Even if he died now, it wouldn’t matter.
But as he turned to flee, a sudden realization struck like lightning.
Something was wrong.
A creeping dread seized him, raising the hairs on his neck.
Amid the quaking world, Qi Xia turned slowly, staring at the bizarre “bedroom.”
Why was there only a desk and a chair?
Where was the bed?
Ignoring the falling debris, he stumbled to the desk. He remembered a photo of him and Yu Nian’an here.
But when he picked it up, the image showed only him—standing blankly by the sea, staring at the camera.
“An…?”
His balance faltered. The world spun again. He crashed repeatedly before dragging himself back to the living room.
A single armchair. A small dining table for one.
Not a single seat for a second person.
“What kind of joke is this…?” A desperate smile twisted his lips. “What the hell are you playing at?!”
He scrambled to the entrance, yanking open the shoe cabinet.
Only one pair of men’s dress shoes.
There was no trace of Yu Nian’an—no sign she had ever lived here.
Qi Xia collapsed, strength deserting him.
Memories of her flooded his mind—her scent, the warmth of her hand, the curve of her smile. Every detail was vivid.
So why wasn’t she here?
None of it made sense.
She had called him less than an hour ago. How could she not exist?
Trembling, he pulled out his phone and dialed “A” again.
A cold dread settled in as he waited.
*”The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and try again.”*
The robotic voice, in both Chinese and English, echoed. His phone clattered to the floor.
This was beyond horrifying.
Yu Nian’an… didn’t exist?
“No…” His gaze hardened. He remembered their first meeting, every day they’d spent together.
She couldn’t be a figment of his imagination.
“Qi Xia,” her voice echoed in his mind, “there are many paths in this world, and everyone has their own.”
He stood abruptly, steady despite the quaking room. After a pause, he marched back to the bedroom and flung open the wardrobe.
Amid the men’s clothes hung an old white shirt.
He turned it over—a small cartoon lamb patch stitched over the chest.
Yu Nian’an had sewn it herself.
Qi Xia never mended clothes; he threw them away. If she didn’t exist, neither should this patch.
“Rot in Hell… I see now.” His voice was ice as he glared out the window. “*The Land of the End*… You’re trying to drive me insane? Make me believe I’m crazy?”
He rose slowly, hatred burning in his eyes.
“Even if you’re *gods*, I’ll make you give her back.”
As he spoke, the sky outside split—enormous cracks revealing endless darkness, like the void of space.
Then, with a world-shattering roar, the ceiling collapsed, burying Qi Xia beneath the rubble.
In his final moments, Lin Qin’s voice whispered in his ear.
“I’m truly curious about you.”
“No offense, but you’re a liar. What kind of person is your wife, really?”
“You do have a wife… Even living together, why do you sleep sitting up every night?”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage