Too Late to Regret, The Bride He Abandoned Has Risen

Ryan Thompson was still nowhere to be found at the wedding. I called him dozens of times before he finally answered impatiently.

"Emily! Are you annoying? The enemy is pressing in, the city is about to fall, I have to fight!"

"Fight for what?" I paused.

In the background, I heard the crisp command of his childhood sweetheart, Megan:

"Ryan, mid lane! Mid lane!"

I suddenly realized. "Oh, you're busy."

He paused, then calmed down a bit. "Emily, ranked matches can't be paused, please understand."

"After this game, wait for me for an hour at most and I'll definitely pick you up."

Then he hung up.

I smiled, logged into the game and found the top player in the server.

[Alex Reed, you're coming to the wedding?]

Then he replied instantly: [Send me the address!]

——

Just as I shared my location with Alexander Reed, Megan Parker’s video call came.

In the wedding car, Ryan stared intently at his phone screen. Megan leaned on his shoulder and yelled, "Ryan! Kill the one with the remaining health! Quick!"

Ryan's moves were as ferocious as a tiger and Megan excitedly bumped his shoulder. "666, double kill!"

The two of them exchanged a tacit smile. Megan then looked at me apologetically.

"Emily, I just got killed instantly. I'm taking this opportunity to explain things to you while resurrecting."

"Understand Ryan. He's actually very anxious and wants to get you. He keeps urging us to finish quickly."

"But this Peak Showdown match is crucial. If we win, Ryan and my team will advance into the top ten in the city."

"The opponent is just too good. We can't take it. Oh, there's nothing we can do."

She sighed and suddenly turned to look at the screen.

"Ryan! Push the crystal! Push the crystal!"

"Ahhhhh! We missed it! The opponent's marksman reacted!"

Ryan looked up irritably and tutted when he saw me.

"Megan! You still have time to video chat with Emily? You're such a leisurely support! Why don't you come and protect me?"

"Emily, bye!"

Megan was about to hang up when Ryan grabbed her wrist. "Thirsty, give me some water."

Megan rolled her eyes. "Ryan, you're the only one who's so nosy. Am I your babysitter? Someone who brings you tea and water?"

"If Emily wasn't here, you wouldn't have gotten this good thing?" Ryan sneered, suddenly glancing at the camera. "Right, Emily?"

My fingers trembled as I gripped the phone and my throat tightened.

Megan casually sipped her milk tea and then smirked as she offered it to Ryan.

"I just spit in it. Do you dare drink it?"

Ryan scoffed, snatched it from her and drank.

"How many times did you spit in my drink when we were in school? I'm immune to it."

I looked away, a pang of bitterness welling up in my heart.

In my five years with Ryan, he and Megan had always been inseparable, acting as childhood sweethearts.

When they were together, they played games together; when they weren't, they played online games together every night. They've been playing the same game for five years and never seem to tire of it.

I used to be jealous, too, hoping they'd keep their distance.

But Ryan always called me overly sensitive.

"Emily, is all you think about? Who doesn't have a close friend?"

"Megan and I just have a rapport during the game. Outside of the game, I don't even glance at her."

"Besides, I love playing games. Can you play with me? Girls need talent for gaming, too, okay?"

I chose to believe him.

Even when he proposed to me on one knee and Megan called to play ranked games, I said nothing.

But today is our wedding, the most important day of our lives. Can't he put games and his childhood sweetheart aside?

Years of pentup emotion burst out and my eyes welled up.

"Ryan, are games so important? You have to play them even on your wedding day? Will you die if you don't?"

Ryan didn't even raise his eyelids, his tone impatient:

"Why are you being so sarcastic? Who doesn't have a hobby?"

"What's wrong with playing games on your wedding day? Why do you have to make everyone unhappy?"

Megan pretended to smooth things over.

"Emily, games aren't important. What's important is who you play with. If I were to team up with you, Ryan wouldn't want to play a single match." After saying that, she covered her mouth again, pretending to be serious.

"Oh, I didn't mean to say you're bad. Damn! I just speak my mind, don't mind it!"

She shook her head and sighed, then poked Ryan's face with a finger.

"Childhood sweetheart, hurry up and comfort your fiancée. She seems really angry this time, almost crying."

Ryan lowered his head.

"Don't mind her. She's just imagining things. It'll be fine in a moment."

I blinked hard, suppressing the tightness in my chest. "Go on, I wish you'll play games forever!"

Anyway, I'm not getting married.

Ryan paused, looking up. "Emily, what's wrong with you?"

Megan replied innocently, "Yeah, we plan to play games forever. It'll be romantic when we're all old and gray, drinking milk tea while playing online games."

"Forget it."

I ended the video call.

It didn't make sense and I didn't bother to say anything more. I logged into the game again, hoping to see if Alex had replied.

The chat box was still empty.

I couldn't help but laugh. How could I have expected a game friend to come pick me up? Although he'd said he liked me a few years ago, I was already with Ryan then.

Looking back now, it was really impulsive.

Even if he was in San Fransisco, how could he have gotten here in such a short time?

This was a good thing; at least I wouldn't have gotten married rashly. Alex's message suddenly popped up:

[Sorry, I'm preparing the wedding car and notifying my family. I'll pick you up in ten minutes. Are you really going to marry me?]

I replied honestly, [Actually, I'm not sure.]

He gave me a confused emoji. [It's okay! We can get married first and then go on a date. We can cultivate feelings slowly, don't you think?]

I was shocked. [That's too hasty!]

Alex put a big question mark. [Emily, weren't you the one who was hasty first?! And, you really don't remember me?]

I was stunned when he sent another message:

[You'll know when we meet. Marry me, it's worth the investment!]

And then there was no more news.

The next second, the system automatically pushed Megan's game live stream.

Title: [The Wedding Pickup! Passionate Duo Queue with Childhood Sweetheart in the Peak Match. Who else!]

I instinctively clicked on it and heard Megan's excited shout.

"This wave is worth it—it's a huge win! Thanks for the rocket, Ryan. Everyone, stand up!"

"Sagittarius, offering sacrifices to the heavens, boundless mana!"

The barrage was even more lively:

"Show! Newlyweds playing games in the wedding car!"

"Pentakill achieved! Kiss!"

"I suggest we just push the crystal and head straight to the bridal chamber!"

Megan suddenly leaned over, quickly kissed Ryan and spread her hands.

"My family asked me to; there's nothing I can do!"

Ryan shook his head helplessly.

"Megan! Can you please stop distracting me right now? After the fight, I'll let you kiss me to your heart's content!"

The comments instantly exploded.

[I'm mad at this! I'll do it even if it bleeds!]

[Lock it! Lock it!]

Suddenly, someone swipes a Coins. A feature giving gifts to the host.

Megan, instantly excited, leans over and gently nibbles Ryan's earlobe.

"Think of the family gifts as our share of money!"

I shook my head and smiled bitterly.

I was left alone, with no one to pick me up. Both of them had already collected their share.

Okay, I'll pay.

I swiped a hundred Coins in a row using Ryan's gold card.

A series of golden special effects instantly exploded on the screen.

The White Dream Dance God is giving away 100 Coins!

Ryan, concentrating on the game, suddenly looked up.

"DreamDancer? The second person in the entire server to join our livestream?"

Megan excitedly danced. "Oh my god, it's done! It's done! Ryan, come on, show us some!"

But when Ryan saw the constant popup spending reminders on his phone, he uttered suspiciously. "DreamDancer, who the hell are you?"

I didn't reply and decisively exited the livestream.

To cater to Ryan's hobby, I downloaded the game a few years ago.

But every time I tried to join them, Ryan looked impatient. "Emily, can you give me some privacy? You even have to intrude on my game?"

"You're clinging to me like this, I'm really suffocating, okay?"

Then Megan would play peacemaker. "Hey, why are you so serious? Emily, don't listen to Ryan. He sounds righteous but thinks you're bad and doesn't want you to hold us back."

Over time, I figured it out. They just didn't want me to fit in with their little circle.

But he didn't know I'd fallen in love with the game, even climbing to second place in the server alone.

Not long after, Ryan's friend request popped up.

He sent me a ranked match invite when I accepted. "Hey, are you free to spar at 8 p.m.?"

I sneered and replied, "I'm getting married today, so I'm busy."

"What a coincidence! I'm getting married today, too!" He replied instantly, "I can always find time if I can squeeze it in, right?"

"Oh, you're quite calm. I'll be there tonight, then."

"Okay, DreamDancer, please show some mercy!"

I pulled Alex onto the team.

Show some mercy? What a joke!

I'm going to kill him hundreds of times tonight, so he won't be able to log in again!

As soon as I put my phone down, the makeup artist approached cautiously. "Bride, please be a little more gentle and urge the groom? There are so many relatives watching."

"If the groom really turns around and leaves, you'll be stabbed in the back!"

"Go home first. You don't need to help with makeup today."

I couldn't push him any further and I didn't want to.

Everyone could see that Ryan's wedding car was parked unobtrusively downstairs at the hotel, but it hadn't arrived yet.

The bridesmaids and photographers kept urging me to call.

But dozens of calls were either hung up immediately or met with a request to wait another hour.

It's already eleven o'clock. Who would delay the wedding until noon?

The makeup artist sighed and quietly stepped aside.

One of the bridesmaids, Ryan's sister, Chloe Thompson, suddenly retorted. "Hey sis, my brother asked you to wait. What do you mean by asking him to leave now? You don't want to get married anymore?"

"You're a dancer from a humble family. My brother fell in love with you. Marrying into our family is a blessing you've earned for eight lifetimes!"

"He just made you wait a few hours, who are you giving that cold shoulder?"

Chloe has always been sullen to me.

I didn't give in to her and went to open the door. "You're right, I'm not getting married."

But she quickly ordered the bridesmaids to block the door. "You can't open the door now! We have to wait for the groom to open it!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Ryan’s mother, Linda Thompson called. "Emily, what's wrong with you! It's already so late and you haven't come to the wedding yet?"

"I told you not to play those frivolous wedding games, but you had to torture my son to death?"

Did she really think I was the one holding Ryan back from the wedding? I almost laughed out loud. "Why don't you ask your son what he's doing first?"

Linda was silent for a second, her tone growing even more hostile. "You don't care about your fiancé, but you're ordering me, your motherinlaw, around? If you miss the auspicious time, you'll never marry into the Thompson Family again!"

"You're always so sarcastic. Megan is more generous and decent than you are. She's worthy of being my daughterinlaw!"

Before I could say anything, she hung up the phone.

Chloe immediately sarcastically said. "It seems my brother has finally come to his senses. Some people, after seducing men through sex, can't keep them."

This family is simply unbearable. "Chloe! Shut up!"

It was Ryan who had been pursuing me relentlessly after seeing me dance at the school anniversary party.

I wouldn't have paid attention to a wealthy young man like him.

For two years, he used all sorts of tricks to coax me into being with him.

Not to mention the luxury goods he brought me. On my birthday, he used drones to create a mosaic of my profile and set off fireworks worth millions.

He even climbed Mount Everest and, holding the national flag at the summit, knelt down and confessed his love for me.

But I remained unmoved.

It wasn't until I twisted my ankle during dance practice and he carried me to the hospital, tears streaming down his face, that I finally agreed to be with him.

How did others describe me as seducing him?

What's more, today was the day the bride was picked up and I, the bride, had been left hanging for hours. What right did they have to blame me?

I suppressed my anger and glared coldly at Chloe. "Get out of the way!"

Several bridesmaids, frightened by my presence, tried to make way, but Chloe blocked the doorway.

"If you have the guts, tell my brother in person! If I let you get away now, how will we explain it to him when he asks?"

I had already made it clear to Ryan in the video.

I pushed her aside and reached for the door.

Chloe panicked and frantically called Ryan. Unlike me, Ryan picked up the phone within two seconds of ringing.

Chloe's voice immediately broke into tears:

"Ryan! Emily is running away from the marriage and is mad at me. She almost hit me! Please, do something about it!"

I was almost laughing with anger.

Chloe's expression changes so quickly, it's a shame she doesn't act.

Ryan consoled her briefly, then glared at me coldly. "Emily, you can even make a cheerful girl like Chloe cry? Can you please stop?"

"All the Thompson Family friends and family are here today and you're embarrassing me. I never thought you were so unpresentable before, really."

Sure enough, without thinking, he accused me of being a troublemaker. I pursed my lips. "I said I wasn't getting married and asked her to open the door and let me go. Is that considered a tantrum?"

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly snapped.

"Alright! I lost this game and my rank has dropped. Are you satisfied now?"

"So annoying! Stand still! I'll be right up!"

As he finished speaking, a wave of jeers erupted from outside.

Seeing the groom taking so long to get out of the car, the relatives and friends who had come to pick up the bride gathered at my door.

"Could the groom be forced into marriage? He's playing games in the wedding car and won't even come to pick up the bride."

"It's already 11:30 and they’re still getting married? The auspicious hour has already passed!"

"If you don't want to get married, just say so. You're making us wait here. The bride didn't even bother to prepare a cup of tea. What a jerk! No wonder the groom changed his mind at the last minute!"

At this point, someone started banging on the door.

"Get out, bride! Give us an explanation!"

"Right! Is she dead in there? Who wants to suffer here in this heat?"

Seeing the commotion outside intensify, Chloe glanced at me meaningfully.

"What's the point of hiding? Go out and appease the guests."

"No."

I stood there with my arms folded.

She was the one who stopped me from leaving and accused me of hiding.

So, I just threw in the towel. There was a sudden, urgent knock on the door at the moment.

Ryan's voice, tinged with obvious impatience, said, "Emily, hurry up! We need to get to the wedding as soon as possible. We're running out of time!"

Chloe immediately opened the door with joy and pushed me out.

"Sisterinlaw, you've been waiting so long for my brother to come. Why are you still dawdling?"

Ryan, sweating profusely, leaned against the wall, panting. Megan slumped on the ground, complaining, "Ryan, why are you running so fast? You almost killed me!"

Ryan grabbed my wrist; his eyes fixed on Megan.

"I have a ranked matchmaking appointment with a great player tonight. We need to get the wedding done quickly. We'll practice a few more games this afternoon. We can't lose too badly tonight."

I abruptly shook his hand off.

"You two can get married. I'm not going."

Ryan's face suddenly changed.

"What's wrong? You've called me dozens of times, urging me to come." I came to pick you up and now I'm in a hurry and you're not going anymore?”

Megan slapped her forehead exaggeratedly. "Oh my God! Emily, did you actually want me to marry Ryan? How on earth did you misunderstand us? You have such a filthy mind!"

In disdain, Chloe rolled her eyes. "Emily, you've gone too far!"

The friends and family who were already preparing to go downstairs pointed at me and started cursing.

"I've never seen such a rude bride before!"

"The groom came to pick her up and she's still so sullen and refuses to give me a way out. If I were the groom, I'd walk away!"

"That's right, it's her choice! There are so many women out there, she's nothing to her."

Ryan didn't say a word to defend himself but simply looked at me gloomily. "I'll ask you one last time. Are you going or not?"

I gripped the doorknob tightly, silent. Ryan scoffed and turned away.

"I'll wait for you in the car for one minute. If you don't show up, our wedding is off!"

Downstairs, Ryan sat in the wedding car, glued to his stopwatch, his eyes flicking towards the hotel entrance.

When he saw me running out, skirt in hand, he gave me a knowing look and was about to get out to pick me up.

But I walked straight to the freshly parked RollsRoyce Phantom, opened the door and got in.