Chapter 372: Getting Married? Her and Yi Nuo?
After a moment of dizziness, Jiang Qingli opened her eyes.
The brilliant, blinding sunlight took her several seconds to get used to.
The corridor was pure white and silent, much like the hospital in the Twelve Cities Military District, but the layout was slightly different.
Jiang Qingli looked at her reflection in the glass window.
It was her, no doubt about it.
But she wasn’t in her combat uniform. Instead, she wore a well-tailored military dress uniform.
The area was deserted; there wasn’t a single person in sight.
’This counts as a beautiful dream? It’s a little too strange...’
"The Weaving Nightmare Beast is too weak right now to manage many details," 030’s voice sounded. "It probably only created a few key characters. You’ve likely been rationalized into the dream as an NPC... Try to keep a low profile."
The moment 030 finished speaking, Jiang Qingli heard a hearty voice call out, "Yi Nuo, you were amazing! We have you to thank for this!"
The voice came from a nearby hospital room, and it sounded rather familiar.
Jiang Qingli approached the room and carefully opened the door just a crack.
Through the crack, she got a clear view of the scene inside—
A young female was sitting on the hospital bed. She had delicate features and a slender frame. Dressed in a patient’s gown, her face was a little pale, but she had no visible injuries.
She held the hand of the young boy sitting beside her and curved her lips into a smile. "Alright, don’t worry. Mommy’s fine. Didn’t the doctor say so? I was just frightened. I’ll be able to leave the hospital in a few days."
Following her gaze, Jiang Qingli saw a fifteen-year-old Yi Nuo.
The boy wore a crisp military uniform. His youthful face had a few scrapes, and his eyes were slightly red as he looked at his mother, his lips curved with the relief of surviving a great danger.
A hand clapped him on the shoulder. Yuan Liang laughed heartily. "Honestly, I’ve long said this kid, Yi Nuo, has potential! You didn’t see it, but when that Mutant Beast lunged, his speed was incredible! He saved you and Old Song in an instant!"
’Old Song...’
Jiang Qingli widened the crack in the door and saw a young male lying in the other hospital bed. The floating display by the bed showed his name: Song Zhe.
’This must be Yi Nuo’s father.’
The young man had sharp, resilient features. His gray eyes watched his friend, wife, and son, a gratified smile gracing his face. "Son, you did well."
"It’s not every day we hear a compliment from someone like you," Yuan Liang said, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. He clapped Yi Nuo’s shoulder again. "Right, Yi Nuo? Compared to your dad, this uncle is way friendlier, isn’t he? How about..."
"Yuan Liang," Yin Shen said, frowning. "My son isn’t up for adoption. I’ve told you a thousand times."
"Don’t make me sound like a human trafficker." Yuan Liang rubbed the back of his head. "I wasn’t going to ask this time. I was going to say, how about letting Yi Nuo train under me."
"I can see that Yi Nuo’s talent is no less than that kid from the Xie Family. Entrust him to me, and in ten years, I’ll return a Marshal to you. How about it? It’s a good deal, right?"
"It’s too early to think about that," Song Zhe said. "It’s up to him."
Yi Nuo sat there, seemingly embarrassed by Yuan Liang’s enthusiastic invitation, and looked to his mother for help.
Yin Shen smiled and patted the boy’s head. "As long as you’re happy, Yi Nuo, Mom and Dad will support you no matter what you choose to do."
"Okay. Thank you, Mom."
Yi Nuo replied obediently, his gaze shifting between his mother’s and father’s faces, a shy smile on his lips.
Warm sunlight enveloped the family of three in a gentle halo.
Outside the door.
Jiang Qingli watched as Yi Nuo was embraced by his parents, his face radiant with a happiness she had never seen on him before.
The feet that had been about to step forward froze in place.
Jiang Qingli suddenly understood why the Weaving Nightmare Beast had almost never failed.
A dream this beautiful was more captivating than cruel reality.
Yi Nuo must have yearned for this scene for a very long time for the Weaving Nightmare Beast to have created it so readily.
This might be the last time in his life that Yi Nuo would ever see his parents. A pang of sorrow struck Jiang Qingli’s heart, and for a moment, she couldn’t bring herself to interrupt.
After a moment’s hesitation, a nurse’s voice suddenly came from behind her. "Hm? Miss, are you here to visit a patient? Why are you standing at the door?"
As she spoke, she pushed the door open and said with a smile, "Teacher Yin, a pretty young lady is here to see you—"
Jiang Qingli instinctively tried to hide, but she was ushered inside.
The door was pushed open, leaving her completely exposed to everyone’s gaze.
The moment he saw her, Yi Nuo’s pupils dilated, and he froze on the spot.
At the same time, everyone else froze as if someone had hit a pause button, becoming as rigid as statues.
CRACK.
A shattering sound seemed to explode in her ears.
CRACK CRACK CRACK...
The cracking grew louder and more urgent, like a frantic drumbeat that threatened to shatter a person’s very being.
Everything in her vision began to fade at a visible rate.
Only Yi Nuo and she remained in color.
The boy’s brows furrowed, his face contorting in pain.
Yet, as if by instinct, he reached a hand out toward Jiang Qingli.
His thin lips parted slightly, seeming to say something, but it was too faint to hear.
Jiang Qingli quickly stepped forward and reached out to him.
The instant their fingertips were about to touch, the cracking sound stopped abruptly, and her vision plunged into total darkness.
Her body felt weightless, plummeting uncontrollably—
Jiang Qingli’s eyes flew open.
Through her blurry vision, she could faintly make out the swaying shadows of trees.
Jiang Qingli blinked, feeling dazed.
’Am I... back?’
’Was it really that simple?’
As she was pondering this, a face suddenly appeared in her line of sight.
"Why are you lying on the ground?" The person reached out a hand, pulled her up, and whispered a warning, "Don’t slack off. Housekeeper Qin will chew you out."
Jiang Qingli said thanks, then caught the key words in what he had said.
’Wait, "Housekeeper Qin"?’
Jiang Qingli looked around and suddenly realized the scenery was incredibly familiar.
So familiar she could picture it with her eyes closed.
Because this was the place she had lived in since childhood, the back garden of the Jiang Family estate, filled with countless memories.
The young man who had pulled her up was dressed in a servant’s uniform. It was Xiao Lin, the gardener responsible for tending the grounds.
"Xiao Lin, you..."
As Jiang Qingli started to speak, she suddenly noticed her voice was deep and hoarse, as if she had aged considerably.
Startled, she got up and walked to the edge of the lake.
Bending over to look at her reflection, she saw the face of a middle-aged female. Her skin was dark and her face looked somewhat puffy.
’Is this the Weaving Nightmare Beast’s doing?’
’If I’ve become like this, then what about Yi Nuo?’
’What kind of dream is this?!’
Jiang Qingli felt this was all very strange. Worried about Yi Nuo’s safety, she got up and ran toward the main building.
Just as she was about to step onto the veranda, Housekeeper Qin’s voice came from behind her. "Miss, why are you still here?"
Jiang Qingli instinctively started to respond, but then she heard a sweet, clear female voice say, "I wanted to come and see! How are the preparations going?"
Jiang Qingli froze.
’Why does... that voice sound a little familiar?’
As she wondered, a slender figure passed in front of her. With a fluttering white dress, black hair, and red lips, her bright, beautiful eyes were captivating.
Jiang Qingli certainly couldn’t look away.
Because that girl had "Jiang Qingli’s" face.
Unable to make sense of the situation, Jiang Qingli took a step back and hid behind a cluster of flowers.
The girl walked toward Housekeeper Qin and said with a smile, "What’s wrong?"
"Don’t play dumb with me, Miss," Housekeeper Qin said with a helpless yet fond smile. "Tomorrow is your wedding day with Young Master Yi Nuo. You have your final gown fitting soon. You can’t just be running around."
The eavesdropping Jiang Qingli was floored.
’Wait, what? A wedding?’
’Who is getting married to whom?!’