Waiting for You for a Long Time, But You Haven't Arrived - Chapter 4

I Want You

Perhaps because she had been overly exhausted during the day, Jiang Qionghua rested on the beauty couch and was able to fall into a very deep sleep.

She had a dream.

In the dream, the fog was as thick as incense smoke, and the surrounding air became stagnant and difficult to breathe. She realized she was still in Ming Yishu’s bedchamber, right on the beauty couch, and with a slight lowering of her head, she could see Ming Yishu’s gentle and beautiful figure.

That person was kneeling by her knee, soft, misty gauze wrapped around her, her eyes glistening with tears.

Jiang Qionghua had never seen Ming Yishu display such a captivating expression; the impression she had of the other woman was always one of cold composure, but the Ming Yishu before her was like a white fox. As she braced herself on Jiang Qionghua’s knees, her waist dipped slightly, revealing a seductive curve. Her eyes shimmered brilliantly, seemingly holding a thousand words.

“Aunt…”

Jiang Qionghua heard the other woman call her softly, the voice itself extremely alluring.

“Mm.”

Jiang Qionghua pressed her temples, feeling a little flustered.

Having lived for thirty-four years, how could she not recognize the nature of this dream?

But she was not a person who indulged in romance. The blood and turmoil of her youth had made her despise all intimate relationships, and she didn’t want anyone else close to her; she only felt revulsion.

Not to mention, the subject of this dream was the girl she had personally raised.

Jiang Qionghua unhappily shifted her gaze, desperately wanting to escape the current dream.

“You’re afraid.” The Ming Yishu in the dream smiled lightly, resting her chin on Jiang Qionghua’s knee, looking at her with captivating seductiveness, “Aunt, this is just a dream. What are you afraid of?”

Right, it was just an inappropriate dream. Jiang Qionghua sighed, gently stroking Ming Yishu’s cheek with the back of her hand, chiding, “Why are you so shameless in this dream?”

“Yishu will always remember Aunt’s kindness, and serving Aunt is not shameful,” Ming Yishu said, gazing at Jiang Qionghua with eyes that could drown a person. She took the hand, rubbed her cheek against it obediently, and repeated, “Not shameful.”

The Ming Yishu of the day would certainly not be this shameless. Jiang Qionghua knew that anything that appeared in a dream was plausible, but she was still mentally disturbed by the other woman’s few short sentences.

Jiang Qionghua narrowed her eyes and gave a soft “Hmm?”

She allowed the dream to continue, wanting to see what this little fox spirit truly intended to do.

The person in the dream seemed to always know her thoughts. She glanced at Jiang Qionghua timidly, took her finger, bowed her head, and gently pecked a kiss on it.

Instantly, Jiang Qionghua felt her scalp tingle and withdrew her hand.

At this moment, the scene in the dream highly overlapped with the reality of the previous night, and the suspicion she had suppressed the night before resurfaced.

At that time, the candlelight was dim, and Ming Yishu had indeed secretly kissed her finger while she was asleep.

At the time, she had thought it was an act of filial piety, a kiss of gratitude born of deep affection, but upon closer consideration now, that explanation seemed unlikely.

After all, she had never seen a child secretly kiss an elder’s fingertip while they slept.

The meaning of that kiss was likely far deeper than she had initially thought.

Jiang Qionghua’s mood was extremely complicated. Her head began to ache again—an old ailment that was irritating even in a dream.

Yet, at this moment, Ming Yishu clung to her relentlessly. Jiang Qionghua had little patience for amusement in a dream. She pressed her fingertip against the other woman’s forehead, pushing her away slightly: “Stop messing around. Let me wake up.”

“No.” The person in the dream rebelliously took hold of Jiang Qionghua’s hand again. This time, she parted her rosy lips, picked a slender finger, and slowly took it into her mouth, as if to provoke her.

Jiang Qionghua had never experienced such a thing. The current situation was truly beyond her imagination, making it hard to believe such an extraordinary scene could occur between her and Ming Yishu.

Jiang Qionghua frowned, “You…”

“Hm?” Ming Yishu hummed with a slight nasal sound, then raised her captivating eyes, watching her while naughtily nipping at Jiang Qionghua’s fingertip.

The words of prohibition were on the tip of Jiang Qionghua’s tongue, but she paused for a moment and only said, “Don’t bite people. You’re not a puppy.”

Her fingertip felt the soft warmth of the girl’s lips and tongue, as if being engulfed by soft jade. As her finger pressed down, she could observe Ming Yishu’s lost, hazy expression. The dreamer’s chin was slightly raised, her gaze still so focused and affectionate, and every breath carried the unique clean fragrance of a young woman, making the base of Jiang Qionghua’s finger feel hot.

It was at this moment that Jiang Qionghua knew she would not be able to easily exit this dream.

Out of a selfish impulse, she swallowed all the words of prohibition and did not rebuke the other woman further.

This subtle, half-hearted acquiescence and indulgence amplified the dreamer’s ambition. Ming Yishu latched onto Jiang Qionghua’s arm with both hands and pushed her chin forward again.

Jiang Qionghua’s fingers unconsciously began to tremble. She changed her tone: “Enough. Get up.”

Jiang Qionghua closed her eyes in mortification, sensing that the dreamer seemed to obey her words and was reluctantly withdrawing. Just at the very end, she swiftly moved back and then in again before letting go, making a soft sound.

A fine thread of saliva lingered, hanging enchantingly, only to be patiently wiped away by the other woman with a handkerchief.

“What a farce. How am I supposed to face you when I wake up?” Jiang Qionghua muttered to herself, retracting her hand, confused as to why she hadn’t left the dream state yet.

It had to be said, the person in the dream was quite skilled. This dream had stirred her heart to tremble, and her headache, surprisingly, didn’t hurt as much.

“How should you face me? Doesn’t Aunt always want to kill me in her heart?” Ming Yishu clung to her neck, sitting in her lap just like when she was a child. She said, “What difference does it make how a dead person is treated? Why not be bolder? It’s just a dream, after all.”

Her secret thought was suddenly revealed, and Jiang Qionghua’s face darkened as she fiercely gripped the other woman’s neck, a sudden malice rising within her.

Ming Yishu was still smiling, seemingly uncaring, or perhaps already resigned to death.

Jiang Qionghua had overreacted. Only when the person in her arms gradually lost her breath did she belatedly loosen her grip.

“Does Aunt also feel reluctant to let me go?” Ming Yishu coughed lightly, forgiving and forgetting as she clung to her again. “After all these years, will you truly not soften your heart?”

“You cannot be allowed to live. That person ruined my life, and even after I killed her myself, I still didn’t feel satisfied. Yishu, you are her kin, so come and taste the pain I once endured.” Jiang Qionghua grasped Ming Yishu’s shoulders and back, with her other hand pressing down along the line of the spine. She whispered softly, like a malicious spirit crawled out from the Underworld, “Let you also experience the feeling of being betrayed by a trusted person and personally pushed into the abyss.”

Ming Yishu smiled: “Alright.”

Beneath years of lavish favor, an abyss awaited her.

Jiang Qionghua’s mind was made up and could not be changed. Thus, she only saw Ming Yishu as a self-serving pawn, one she could favor or torture and destroy. As long as she desired it, any treatment was not too excessive.

In the dream, Ming Yishu said, “Since Aunt will no longer soften her heart, then in this dream, a person who is destined to die should grant one wish.”

Jiang Qionghua frowned slightly, displeased with the unfamiliar way the other woman referred to herself.

“Aunt, look at me.” Ming Yishu’s voice was gentle, as usual, “Open your mouth.”

Seeking death.

She hadn’t even agreed to her yet.

As a person of high rank, Jiang Qionghua had never been spoken to like this. She looked at the person before her with displeasure, her face cold, and held the standoff for a moment. A thought suddenly occurred to her since she was going to discard her eventually, she could indeed destroy her recklessly.

Any moment of softness was ridiculous, a betrayal of herself, and a disservice to all the suffering she had endured over the years.

And her… Jiang Qionghua slowly raised her eyes and appraised the other woman from bottom to top for a moment.

Ming Yishu was born beautiful and pure; her world-shaking beauty should truly not be wasted.

As the moonlight scattered, Jiang Qionghua fiercely grasped the collar of the other woman’s snow-white garment, pulling her closer, unable to bear it any longer.

Ming Yishu relaxed her strength and gently bumped into her embrace, then, like moonlight that couldn’t be grasped, she completely dispersed.

The dream broke, ending in a startle.

Jiang Qionghua suddenly woke up, her chest heaving. She felt a disbelieving emptiness in her arms; in that final instant, the dream had actually shattered.

She had already decided to take advantage of that person. Who would have thought the awakening would be so ill-timed, leaving her heart hot with frustration, a burning desire she could not suppress.

She lowered her gaze and noticed Ming Yishu lightly dozing on her knee.

The person in the dream was right about one thing: Ming Yishu was her possession. She belonged to her and was supposed to accept everything, whether it was favor or revenge, without complaint.

Why should she care about her opinion?

After all, a pawn does not need to be shown pity.

Jiang Qionghua moved her knee, coldly calling her awake: “Ming Yishu, get up.”

Unsure how long she had slept, Ming Yishu felt a rare sense of peace. Her health was poor, and she usually had many dreams, but for that brief period, she had unusually had none.

Presumably, it was because she felt safe, which spared her from the intrusion of nightmares.

Ming Yishu was woken by Jiang Qionghua, her heart full of gentleness. The moment she opened her eyes, her gaze was softer than the moonlight outside the chamber.

She saw Jiang Qionghua looking down at her, seemingly not in a good mood.

“Aunt,” she called out instinctively, then remembered that it seemed to be her fault; she had forgotten to wake the other woman to rest on the proper couch.

So she added, “I forgot. I will help Aunt to the couch to rest.”

Jiang Qionghua: “No need.”

“Then…” Ming Yishu glanced at the sky outside, feeling there was still some time until dawn. She didn’t want the other woman to leave so early, so she found an excuse to keep her: “It’s still early. Let me massage Aunt’s shoulders.”

Jiang Qionghua closed her eyes heavily, sighed, and recalled the scene from the dream—the Ming Yishu in the dream, flushed with emotion, trying to please and delight her, truly was a feast for the eyes.

She felt it was not enough, but she had woken up against her will.

In that case—let the real person repay the debt.

Jiang Qionghua opened her eyes, heavy with desire, and looked compellingly at Ming Yishu: “Come closer.”

The atmosphere was just right. In the deep night, the moonlight was diffused by thin clouds, and everything was utterly silent. It was as if only the two of them existed in the world. The servants had all withdrawn. It seemed that under these circumstances, no one would know of Jiang Qionghua’s dark intentions.

The luxurious bedchamber displayed the power of the Prime Minister’s residence, and Jiang Qionghua’s desire for victory spread.

Even if she was betrayed and hurt, so what? Wasn’t she the one who laughed last?

Ambition spurred an overwhelmingly good mood. She had killed many people; those mortal enemies were all rotted to bone. Only she, the ultimate evil, had survived. She was entitled to look down on everything; looking across the world, no one could check her.

Relax…

The moment Ming Yishu approached without guard, Jiang Qionghua raised her hand and pulled the other woman into her arms. On the beauty couch, which was only large enough for one, their figures overlapped. She flipped over and pinned her down.

Ming Yishu gasped in astonishment, her eyes filled with disbelief. She felt as if her soul hadn’t fully returned after waking; otherwise, how could she encounter such an astonishing situation?

Having concealed her feelings for years, she had never dared to express her affection. She was afraid the other woman would despise her. As her love secretly grew, she could only find comfort in gazing at the other woman’s back.

In the past, the other woman had been intimate with her, but those were touches of an elder’s care. She dared not yearn for more, nor think too greedily.

Now, the other woman had committed such a transgressive act for some unknown reason. In the brief moments that passed, Ming Yishu couldn’t figure it out.

“I want it now. You will serve me.” Jiang Qionghua covered the other woman’s mouth and nose with a hand, silencing her. “Don’t make a sound. You’ll ruin my mood.”

A cold bucket of water extinguished Ming Yishu’s fleeting hopeful expectations.

Ming Yishu’s clear pupils widened. Her thoughts slowly caught up—the other woman did not love her; she merely desired her.

To so casually tear apart their relationship felt, to Ming Yishu, like childhood friends transforming their bond into that of lovers merely due to a moment of drunken lust. It was a betrayal and a contempt for love itself, unworthy of their years of shared affection.

She met the other woman’s gaze with a heavy heart and spoke bitterly, “Aunt, are you still not fully awake? I will call others to serve you.”

There was a stubborn pride deep within Ming Yishu. She would rather not have the person before her than allow her love and care to be slighted.

She could endure the pain of personally pushing the other woman toward someone else, but she could not allow her years of love to be treated with contempt.

Her emotions were filled with sorrow. Ming Yishu felt the other woman’s intention to tear open her robe, and the bitterness became unbearable. She felt no joy, only a sense of impending collapse.

Clear tears fell from the corners of her eyes. Ming Yishu found courage and boldness from some unknown source and actually raised her hand to stop the other woman. She gritted her teeth, turned her head away, and prevented the kiss from landing: “No—”

“Why are you crying? Does I make you so reluctant?” Jiang Qionghua had not expected the usually gentle and obedient Ming Yishu to dare resist her. Her face instantly turned cold. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear the nonsense you just spoke. Don’t be ungrateful, let go—”

“Aunt’s high regard is something I cannot accept,” Ming Yishu said, stubbornly meeting her gaze. “Please find someone else.”

Jiang Qionghua’s interest completely vanished, and she impatiently flung her hand away.

The Ming Yishu before her was worlds apart from the one in the dream. Jiang Qionghua irritably thought that she wasn’t desperate to have sex with her. This person was truly too tactless, actually rejecting her at a moment like this.

Jiang Qionghua was furious. Standing in the darkness with her back to the moonlight, she even thought darkly, What use is there in keeping such a disobedient person? I might as well grant her a cup of poisoned wine to end it.

People truly lose all reason when they are angry. Just as Jiang Qionghua was plotting how to torment Ming Yishu, she suddenly realized that the person behind her had voluntarily approached.

Ming Yishu attempted to embrace Jiang Qionghua, trying to reconcile: “Aunt, it’s my fault, but…”

As soon as she spoke, she was suddenly choked by bitterness. Before she could finish her sentence, tears began to fall.

Jiang Qionghua was about to impatiently pull the person away, but as she raised her hand, she touched the tear that had just fallen in mid-air.

If an emotion is intense and overwhelming enough, it can affect even the most cold-hearted person. Jiang Qionghua admitted that she had softened a little. She tasted the tear on her fingertip and found it held the same bitterness as Ming Yishu’s.

The girl cried silently, privately biting her teeth in grievance, which made her particularly capable of stirring pity in others.

Jiang Qionghua temporarily did not want to be completely heartless, so she accepted the attempt to placate and apologize.

She said, “Perhaps I didn’t sleep well. I was a little out of control just now. Don’t take it to heart. Forget about what happened today.”

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