Chapter 373: His Ambition: To Be Her One and Only
Jiang Qingli felt a bit confused.
Yi Nuo was getting married, and he was marrying her.
’Granted, this is a dream,’ she thought, ’but it’s a dream the Weaving Nightmare Beast crafted from Yi Nuo’s subconscious. That means Yi Nuo... should... maybe... probably... has feelings for her...’
"Yi Nuo!"
Not far away, a girl’s delighted voice interrupted Jiang Qingli’s thoughts.
She looked up to see the girl waving at a second-floor window. A tall, gray-haired young man in a pure white suit was standing by the bed. As he looked down, his lips curved into a gentle, doting smile.
The girl was about to lift her dress to go upstairs but was stopped by Housekeeper Qin. "Miss, please try on the wedding dress first."
The old man advised, "I know Yi Nuo has been away on business for a few days and you’re eager to see him. But when you accepted his proposal last year, you said you wanted a perfect wedding. You even had him design the gown for you. Now, time is short, so I must oversee every detail to ensure everything is absolutely perfect."
Hearing this, the girl pouted and reluctantly went to try on the wedding dress.
After the two left, Jiang Qingli, who was hiding behind a pillar, wore a complicated expression.
tsked in amazement. ’Well now, how romantic. This little wolf-pup sure dreams big!’
Jiang Qingli: ’...’
’So, what’s the timeline here?’ The little stick figure, 030, rubbed its chin. ’Is this supposed to be the day before your wedding? He’s your sixth... no, wait, your seventh Beast Husband... Good thing your family estate is big enough, otherwise you wouldn’t have room for all of them.’
Jiang Qingli: ’Be serious.’
suppressed a laugh. ’Fine. My guess is that the "you" in this dream is the Weaving Nightmare Beast’s true form. It loves theatrics and usually casts itself in the starring role. Makes it easier to kill people.’
’It probably gave you this form because you disrupted its previous dream. It didn’t have enough energy to kick you out, so it just gave you a completely different appearance to make you watch as it successfully kills Yi Nuo.’
In order to end this absurd dream as quickly as possible, Jiang Qingli entered the main building, planning to find a digital clock.
To look like one of the servants, she grabbed a mop and began mopping here and there.
But it seemed the beast was afraid Yi Nuo might see a clock and discover the dream’s flaw. All the places where the Jiang Family would normally have clocks were now occupied by other ornaments.
As she reached the second floor, she caught a glimpse of the study door, which was ajar. Jiang Qingli was just about to step forward when the door was suddenly pulled open from the inside and a slender figure emerged.
With no time to dodge, Jiang Qingli collided squarely with Yi Nuo.
She scrambled to get out of the way, but her foot landed on the mop, and she almost slipped and fell.
"Careful," Yi Nuo said, instinctively reaching out to steady her.
Once she was steady, he seemed surprised by his own reaction and looked up at her in puzzlement.
It was a completely unfamiliar face.
Yi Nuo released her, his brows knitting together. "You..."
He had barely uttered the word when a girl’s sweet, clear voice called from behind him, "Yi Nuo! Quick, look!"
Yi Nuo turned, and when he saw her, he froze on the spot.
Mop in hand, Jiang Qingli pretended to be cleaning as she passed, glancing toward the Weaving Nightmare Beast.
The girl stood in the warm, gentle sunlight, clad in a pure white, form-fitting gown. She looked like a newly bloomed lily of the valley—serene and elegant.
Yi Nuo glanced at her for only a moment before looking away, seeming somewhat flustered.
The Weaving Nightmare Beast smirked. "You’re this shy just from seeing my reception dress? If I were actually wearing the wedding gown, would you get a nosebleed on the spot?"
His eyelashes fluttered. Yi Nuo gave a low, uncomfortable cough. "Did you... need me for something?"
"I came because I missed you! Why are you avoiding me? Don’t you miss me?" She stepped forward, reaching out to take his arm, but he moved away.
"The High Priest said we’re not supposed to have any physical contact the day before the wedding. It’s tradition," Yi Nuo explained in a low voice.
"You’re so strait-laced..." The Weaving Nightmare Beast sighed, then its eyes crinkled in a smile as it leaned closer. "But if we’re sneaky about it, no one will find out. Right?"
She took another step forward, and Yi Nuo flinched back as if startled, not daring to look at her. "Miss, please don’t..."
The Weaving Nightmare Beast cut him off, its voice suddenly sharp. "’Miss’? Since when are we so formal with each other?"
Yi Nuo froze, and his first instinct was to glance at the unfamiliar, middle-aged female holding the mop nearby.
The Weaving Nightmare Beast followed his gaze, its eyes narrowing in displeasure. Its voice became tinged with irritation. "What are you loafing around for? Get back to mopping!"
Jiang Qingli said nothing, just lowered her head and mopped, trying to make herself invisible.
Only then did the Weaving Nightmare Beast turn back to Yi Nuo, gesturing for him to come downstairs with it. "Come on, I just want you to help me choose..."
After the two had walked away, Jiang Qingli rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.
’Do I usually sound that coquettish when I talk?’
’It’s so bizarre, hearing someone use my voice to act all cute and coy...’
was already howling with laughter.
Jiang Qingli dropped the mop and entered the study.
This was the study Xie Youchen often used. On the desk sat a neat stack of paper invitations with a pen beside them, as if someone had just finished writing.
Jiang Qingli drew closer. An invitation, crumpled into a ball, lay on the floor. She bent down, picked it up, and on it, she finally saw the wedding date, handwritten by Yi Nuo.
had guessed correctly. It was the same day that, in reality, Jiang Qingli had returned to this world and, accompanied by Yi Nuo, had gone to annul her marriage contract and re-bond with five of her Beast Husbands.
The difference was that in the space for the groom’s name, only "Yi Nuo" was written.
’Ooh, looks like our little wolf-pup doesn’t just want to be your husband, he wants to be the *only* one,’ 030 commented sharply. ’Even TV dramas aren’t this self-indulgent.’
On the line for the guest’s name, this discarded invitation read "Xie Youchen." But judging by how crumpled it was, he probably hadn’t been invited in the end.
Jiang Qingli: "..."
’Wait a minute... in Yi Nuo’s dream, is my relationship with Xie Youchen so bad that he wouldn’t even come to the wedding?’
’I have a strong suspicion the Weaving Nightmare Beast was just running low on energy and decided to cut down on the cast.’
couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Jiang Qingli was getting annoyed. ’What are you laughing at! Is this funny to you?!’
said, ’Sweetie, the Weaving Nightmare Beast creates its dreams based on the victim’s subconscious. There might be some deviations, but most of the plot points and scenes are reflections of reality.’
In other words, the real Yi Nuo didn’t want Jiang Qingli and Xie Youchen to be close.
And it wasn’t just Xie Youchen.
Jiang Qingli flipped through the other invitations. She didn’t see Baili Jing’s name, and not a single member of the Imperial Family had been invited either.
Thinking back on everything she had seen and heard, Jiang Qingli was struck by a realization: in this estate, in this dream, the dream-version of herself had only one young male by her side... Yi Nuo.
Footsteps sounded from behind. A shadow, stretched long by the light, enveloped her from behind.
The Weaving Nightmare Beast was standing in the doorway, and it slowly began to approach.
In its current state, the Weaving Nightmare Beast lacked the power to kill an outsider like her, so Jiang Qingli wasn’t afraid.
Jiang Qingli met its gaze calmly. "All out of energy?"
Her words clearly enraged the Weaving Nightmare Beast.
It strode forward, grabbed Jiang Qingli by the neck, and slammed her down onto the desk. It sneered down at her, "After I kill him, killing you will be a simple matter—AH!"
Before it could finish speaking, Jiang Qingli had grabbed the pen from the desk and viciously stabbed the Weaving Nightmare Beast with it.
A gash over ten centimeters long instantly appeared on the face that was identical to her own. But no blood flowed from it, only a hollow-looking wound.
The Weaving Nightmare Beast clutched its face with one hand, its body trembling with rage. Yet, it forced a smile and said in a chilling voice, "Since you’re in such a hurry, then please, be our guest. You can have a front-row seat at our wedding."
"Make sure you remember... how I kill him at the moment of his greatest happiness."