The Young Marquis Regrets Too Late - Chapter 61 [R19]

A faint sound seemed to drift into Jiang Jingchun’s ears, and it was only after a long while that she managed to discern what the voice—the person, was saying.

Who was he?

Who was he…

Jiang Jingchun’s head throbbed. Her body burned with a fever, and an unbearable discomfort coursed through her. She didn’t care who he was anymore. She groaned softly and instinctively blurted out, “Aren’t you Song Xuan’an…?”

Her mind was a haze. All she remembered—all that was etched firmly into her fractured thoughts, was that the person holding her earlier had claimed to be Song Xuan’an.

He said he was Song Xuan’an. That was all she could recall.

But who was Song Xuan’an?

Even that question felt irrelevant. Her reason had long been obliterated, completely wrecked by the drug coursing through her veins.

She had fallen into another world entirely…

She was no longer herself.

But please… someone save her… 

She felt as though she was being consumed by fire.

She had answered his question—would that be enough to make him cool her down?

Yet no sooner had the words left her lips than a sharp pain blossomed at her neck.

He was biting her.

Jiang Jingchun drew in a sharp breath. The pain jolted her consciousness back slightly, just enough to bring a sliver of clarity.

The mix of pain and the cool sensation brought a strange relief. She pressed against his head, and her breath came in soft gasps. In truth, she wanted him to bite harder.

Too gentle. Harder—he could bite harder.

Then, a low, deep voice reached her ears. He asked, “Cousin, who am I?”

That question practically gave her the answer outright. Upon hearing his words, Jiang Jingchun’s sluggish brain finally sparked to life.

She murmured, “C-cousin…?”

Gu Huaisheng lifted his head from her neck and looked at her. Her expression was dazed. Her beauty was intoxicating, like a blooming oleander, as their gazes met. Her face flushed so deeply red that it seemed like it was going to drip bl00d, but her eyes were hollow and vacant.

She had finally said who he was. However, Gu Huaisheng didn’t relent. He withdrew from her and raised his head, then removed her hands from him. He pushed her back onto the bed and denied her the relief she desperately sought.

Jiang Jingchun, who was flung aside, scrambled forward again and desperately clung to him.

“It’s so hot… Cousin…”

She had sunk too far and was now completely beyond saving. She no longer comprehended the meaning behind her actions nor remembered the boundaries that existed between her and Gu Huaisheng.

She didn’t even know who she was anymore.

She begged and pleaded with him for some respite from the unbearable heat.

The drug had destroyed her reason and tormented her nerves to the breaking point.

Nothing else mattered.

What meaning did the heavens hold? What value lay in propriety, in shame?

After all, who, on the brink of death, would bother with such things?

Simple touch and embrace could no longer soothe the burning inside her. She began tugging at her clothes in an attempt to undress herself for some relief…

But with the way she fumbled, it was doubtful she’d finish even by morning.

Gu Huaisheng grabbed her wrists, only for Jiang Jingchun to fling his hands off in agitation.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

Finally, Jiang Jingchun stilled. She tilted her head as she allowed Gu Huaisheng to unfasten her clothing.

The night wind howled outside the tent. However, the atmosphere inside the tent burned until it felt as hot as a furnace.

Under the flickering candlelight, Jiang Jingchun’s snow-white skin gleamed like mutton fat jade. It was stark against her vividly flushed face.

Once Gu Huaisheng finished unfastening her clothes, his hands moved to his own jade belt, which he wore around his waist.

Jiang Jingchun, for her part, sat obediently at the edge of the bed. She was unusually docile as she watched him undress.

But the moment she saw a swath of his cool, pale skin appear before her, she could no longer hold back. She threw herself forward.

Like someone on the verge of dying from thirst finally finding water, she pounced on him without hesitation—without a single second of doubt.

Her throat felt dry and parched from the heat within her, and she couldn’t stop herself. She extended her tongue to lick the cold, pale skin before her.

Like a parched wanderer tasting a single drop of spring water, Jiang Jingchun found herself unable to stop. She wanted to drink more—suck more…

And so, she did.

The sound of water echoed in the tent like rolling thunder.

Gu Huaisheng’s body trembled uncontrollably under her touch.

He tilted his head back. Low breaths escaped his throat.

She was suffering, and he wasn’t faring any better.

His large palm moved to her back. Unlike the heat radiating from her, his touch carried a soothing coolness wherever it went.

“Ah…”

So cool…

Jiang Jingchun let out a trembling moan without even realising it. She raised her gaze to him. Her reddened, teary eyes glinted with gratitude.

At this moment, he was her salvation, the one who could rescue her from the torment she was in. If she was a devout believer, then he was her god.

Her gaze spoke to him, pleading with him to give her more.

Just a little more…

She was in agony, like a soul plunged into the eighteenth level of hell, tortured beyond recognition. Countless voices clamoured in her ears, whispering, ‘As long as it feels good. As long as it cools you down…’

Song Xuan’an and Gu Huaisheng were completely different people.

If it were Song Xuan’an, and if circumstances allowed, he would have eagerly brought her comfort. But if it wasn’t possible, no matter how much he wanted to, he would restrain himself and hold firm to his moral line.

In contrast, Gu Huaisheng’s actions, past and present, seemed devoid of any such boundaries.

When she said she was hot, he pulled her into his arms but refused to give her what she truly craved. Only when her pleading eyes locked onto his—when she clearly knew that only he could save her, when her lips clung to his skin—did he do something.

It was only when she wanted only him that he did act.

“Cousin, do you want this?” he said. 

“Do you want it to feel cooler?”

His darkened eyes lowered to meet hers. His question carried a hint of teasing persuasion.

Gu Huaisheng knew Jiang Jingchun had already lost all rationality. If she had even a shred of clarity left, she would never have acted like this. This thought offered him a trace of ironic relief. The fact that she had mistaken him for Song Xuan’an earlier somehow didn’t feel as unacceptable anymore.

The poor girl had been driven mad by the drug.

She probably didn’t even remember who she was at this point.

That was why he asked her the most straightforward of questions, the ones she could instinctively answer without hesitation.

So…

Cousin, do you want this?

He was utterly wicked.

Jiang Jingchun was so close to tears from his teasing.

When she realised his meaning, she nodded without any hesitation.

“I want it… Please, give it to me…”

She begged him with a soft, trembling voice that was laced with sobs.

“Who am I?”

He shifted her position and had her press her knees to either side of him so that they clung tightly to his frame.

He still couldn’t let go of the question. Even at this moment, he wanted her to tell him who he was.

“Cousin… You’re my cousin…”

She remembered. Her pleading tone wrapped around those words etched deep in her mind. She was desperate for him to grant her the relief she craved.

“Whose cousin?” he asked again.

Whose cousin?

Who was she? And who was he?

Jiang Jingchun’s mind was a muddled mess, but somewhere in the chaos, she found the answer. “I’m your younger cousin. You’re my older cousin…”

“Please, I really…”

She really couldn’t take it anymore…

Her words of pleading tumbled from her lips like a fine thread. They wound tightly around Gu Huaisheng’s resolve until he couldn’t bear it either.

Finally, before she could finish her sentence, his large hand pushed her down.

Jiang Jingchun swallowed her words in an instant. Her wide eyes flew open, and an involuntary cry slipped from her throat.

Her voice had never sounded so sweet.

It was, after all, their first time. That soft cry nearly made Gu Huaisheng lose control.

His eyebrows furrowed tightly as he braced himself through the first wave, only to begin moving again.

He pulled her into his arms as though trying to fuse her with his very bones. Jiang Jingchun’s dazed expression softened. Her limp arms hung at her sides and swayed.

Her voice was intoxicatingly sweet.

He felt that if this continued, he truly wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

Gu Huaisheng seized her chin and kissed her. He swallowed her cries whole into his throat.

Both of them were lost in the heat of the moment. Although Gu Huaisheng hadn’t been drugged, he seemed as if he had. He lost all of his usual composure.

He held her in her arms at first, but now, they were both on the bed.

Gu Huaisheng didn’t last long during the first round; it was over in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. With that first bout, Jiang Jingchun’s drug-induced haze had mostly dissipated. Her body still burned with heat, but her gaze was gradually clearing. All she could see was Gu Huaisheng panting and gasping for breath above her.

A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead and landed on her eyebrow.

It was like a droplet falling into an ancient, still well and rippling the water. Jiang Jingchun’s body trembled slightly in response.

Her gaze shifted downward.

Her body tensed instinctively.

“Gu Huaisheng…”

The cries she had let out earlier had left her throat dry. As the drug’s effects waned further, her voice no longer carried the same softness as before and was now instead tinged with hoarseness.

“Hmm?” he replied.

Gu Huaisheng was still pressed against her. He hadn’t withdrawn yet. Her slight movements and whispered calls caused him to ‘stir’ once more.

Jiang Jingchun sensed the change in him. A flicker of fear surfaced in her eyes.

“Get out…”

Though the drug hadn’t fully left her system and her body was still reacting to him, her mind had cleared enough to understand what they were doing.

Shamelessly, he responded, “But you wanted this.”

He ignored her protests and began again.

Jiang Jingchun’s expression grew hazy once more.

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Cousin, you can’t be so selfish. You can’t just enjoy yourself and then leave me hanging once you’ve had your fill.”

She had felt such pleasure earlier, but he hadn’t yet found release.

Jiang Jingchun’s body succumbed to his touch once more. Her protests disappeared.

It had already come to this… Everything had already gone this far…

A person’s limits could be eroded, bit by bit.

Besides, traces of the drug’s effects earlier still lingered, and she still felt a flicker of desire. What she felt was far from discomfort. Instead, it was an inexplicable sensation…

Compared to the first time, Gu Huaisheng was much more patient this round.

He noticed that Jiang Jingchun’s clarity of mind had somewhat returned, so he leaned down to nip at her ear and asked again, “Who am I?”

This time, Jiang Jingchun remained silent. She turned her head away to avoid him.

Just earlier, she had clearly called him Gu Huaisheng. She knew it was him—why did he need to ask again? Couldn’t he just continue without all this talking?

Besides, she didn’t have the strength to respond anymore. As her shame slowly returned, she bit down hard on her lip and refused to make another sound.

Gu Huaisheng noticed her averted gaze and chuckled softly. Just as he thought—once her reason returned, she wouldn’t want to pay him any attention.

He didn’t press further but instead applied deliberate force to a particular spot.

He was caught off guard by his sudden action and let out an uncontrollable cry. When she came back to her senses again, she quickly said, “Gu… Gu Huaisheng… Be gentler…”

Her words were fragmented, disjointed, and carried a trace of vulnerability.

But Gu Huaisheng didn’t relent. He said, “Cousin, call me… call my name.”

He longed to hear her call his name at this moment.

His voice was low and husky. It sent shivers through her body. She was frustrated and overwhelmed, to the point that she wanted to hit him, but he held her hands firmly in place.

When she instinctively moved her head back until it nearly hit the headboard, he caught her and pulled her back. She felt as if she were on the verge of breaking—like she was about to do something utterly embarrassing.

Tears welled in her eyes as her voice cracked, “Cousin… Gu Huaisheng…”

Please stop…

Gu Huaisheng actually paused for a moment, as if heeding her plea.

Jiang Jingchun gasped for air. She thought it was finally over. However, in the next instant, he picked up speed again.

Gu Huaisheng knew, judging by her reactions, that she was nearing her peak once more.

He wouldn’t stop here.

He wanted her to experience pleasure fully while being entirely conscious.

As expected, after this round, Jiang Jingchun completely lost control. Her body trembled violently, and her expression, along with her cries, became uncontrollable. She nearly fainted afterwards. Her body quivered, and tears trickled from the corners of her eyes.

Her lips parted slightly as she greedily drew in air.

How could he be like this… How could he be so cruel…?

Gu Huaisheng loosened his grip on her wrists and gently brushed aside the stray strands of hair covering her face. With the back of his hand, he wiped away the fine sweat beading on her forehead. He then leaned down to place soft kisses on her eyebrows. He trailed down to her tearful eyes, her nose, and finally, her lips, dry and flushed from earlier.

Jiang Jingchun no longer had the strength to resist; even keeping her eyelids open was a struggle.

But then, his cool, thin lips continued downward.

When Gu Huaisheng suddenly bit her, Jiang Jingchun’s back arched instinctively.

This only made him take more.

Enough… It was really enough…

However, she had no strength left to struggle, so she could only resign herself to his kisses and his caresses.

The noises from inside the tent were anything but quiet. Outside, the maids standing guard blushed furiously. Two of them turned to Huayun and asked, “Sister Huayun, should we go boil some water?”

Huayun, who had served Jiang Jingchun since before she was married and was brought along to her new household after she did, had a slightly more senior and experienced demeanour to her, so the younger maids from Cangzhuo Courtyard liked to call her ‘older sister.’

Huayun, of course, understood what had happened. Tonight, they had finally consummated their marriage.

From the sounds inside, Jiang Jingchun didn’t seem to be in any discomfort; on the contrary, there was a hint of pleasure in her voice. Before Jiang Jingchun’s wedding, an older female servant had explained to them that a woman’s first night was often painful.

But judging by the noises from inside, it didn’t seem unpleasant at all.

The cold wind outside the tent helped to cool the maids’ flushed cheeks. Huayun replied, “Go boil some water. I’m sure they’ll need it soon.”

Judging by the sounds, they might need it more than once.

Eventually, the noise from inside began to quiet down. The intermittent activity lasted for about an hour before the tent finally fell completely silent.

—

The next morning, both of them slept in. They didn’t wake up yet, even as the morning wore on.

In the end, Jiang Jingchun was the first to stir.

As her eyes fluttered open and her fingers twitched slightly, her awareness slowly returned. The soreness in her body hit her all at once—every movement she made, even the smallest, was accompanied by an ache that made her wince.

As her consciousness fully returned, fragmented memories began to surface in her mind. She vaguely recalled Gu Huaisheng holding her and pulling her in, again and again.

Even after sleeping through the night, she still felt utterly drained.

What happened yesterday? How had things spiralled to that point?

She wracked her brain trying to remember, but her head only began to ache. Her memories only went as far as being struck unconscious by Jiang Jinghui. Then… what? Where had she gone afterwards?

Had Jiang Jinghui forced her to ingest something?

Jiang Jingchun instinctively concluded that she must have been drugged with something harmful. Otherwise, how could things have unfolded the way they did…?

Last night, she hadn’t felt much physically, but now, in the morning, she felt pain everywhere. She felt deep and sharp pain in every corner of her body.

She turned her head and saw Gu Huaisheng, who was still asleep beside her.

He slept very quietly and serenely, unlike her, who had a habit of rolling around during the night.

He had his eyes closed as he lay there motionless. Perhaps last night’s exertions had been too much even for him, and that was why he hadn’t woken up yet. His breathing was steady and even, and his posture was relaxed and unguarded. He seemed nothing like the proud and aloof man he always seemed like when he was awake. He looked calm, at ease, and completely defenceless.

When Jiang Jingchun remembered the events of the previous night, indignance rose within her. He was normally so composed and upright, so why had he turned into such a reckless and shameless person in bed?

She had even passed out by the end of it and had no idea how her body had been cleaned up afterwards.

Every move she made hurt, yet he slept so peacefully. The longer she stared at him, the more annoyed she became. She wanted to bite him and make him feel the same pain she did.

She didn’t dwell on it further. In the end, she forced herself to endure her soreness with a frown and got out of bed.  As she moved toward the door, she deliberately kicked Gu Huaisheng hard.

Gu Huaisheng, who had actually woken up the moment she stirred and got up, opened his eyes just in time to receive the kick.