Chapter 27: Has Feng Moheng Changed His Heart?

Shen Yuling plummeted off the cliff alongside Feng Moheng.

In that fleeting moment of descent, the wind howled past her ears, like the chilling call of death itself.

Just as they were about to hit the ground, Feng Moheng secretly let out a breath of relief—thankfully, the drop wasn’t too high.

As he twisted his body midair, Shen Yuling ended up landing on top of him.

The two tumbled down the slope, rolling along with the momentum. Fortunately, the dense trees along the way either blocked or cushioned their fall, preventing them from rolling too far before finally coming to a stop.

Shen Yuling had been shielded in Feng Moheng’s embrace, and she had also taken some protective measures before setting out.

As a result, aside from a few minor scrapes, she was mostly unharmed.

Hurriedly, she got up from Feng Moheng, her eyes filled with worry.

She anxiously examined Feng Moheng’s body in detail, her voice filled with urgency as she asked, “Husband, are you alright?”

Feng Moheng had sustained multiple scrapes. Though the fall had been much lower than expected, the sudden impact was still considerable—enough to likely jar his vital energy.

At this moment, a metallic taste of blood surged up his throat.

Yet, he forced himself to endure it and responded to Shen Yuling’s concern.

“I’m fine.”

Only then did Shen Yuling breathe a slight sigh of relief. She quickly helped him up, letting him lean against her.

In a gentle voice, she reassured him, “It’s alright. The guards from the Residence of Prince Lingyang will surely find us soon.”

Feng Moheng was well aware of his own condition.

Though injured, his life wasn’t in danger—at the very least, he could make it back to the residence alive.

However…

Feng Moheng shifted slightly, stealing a glance at Shen Yuling from the corner of his eye.

His gaze was filled with confusion and doubt, countless questions swirling in his mind.

In the end, he couldn’t hold back.

“Why… did you take that strike for me?”

Shen Yuling looked at him in puzzlement, but Feng Moheng’s expression was complex and unreadable, filled with emotions she couldn’t decipher.

She seemed unable to understand why he would suddenly ask such a question.

“Because you are my husband.”

Shen Yuling’s lips curved into a bright smile, her tone as if she were stating the most natural thing in the world.

After a brief pause, she lifted her chin slightly, a hint of pride in her demeanor.

“No matter who I marry, no matter who becomes my husband, I will love him.”

“Just like how Mother loved Father.”

“It’s not because you are Feng Moheng.”

She spoke with such straightforwardness.

Yet Feng Moheng couldn’t understand—how could Shen Yuling have such courage? Was love really such a simple matter?

How could she so easily give her heart to someone?

Even though she clearly knew he did not like her and would never love her, she still loved him—so deeply that she was willing to give her life for him.

Feng Moheng understood this well.

Liu Jingyi loved him because he loved her in return.

It was precisely because of this that Feng Moheng had always deliberately kept his distance from Shen Yuling in front of Liu Jingyi. Yet, from time to time, he would still show Shen Yuling a bit of concern—just enough to make Liu Jingyi jealous, using it as proof of her love for him.

But now, hearing Shen Yuling’s words…

Feng Moheng fell into deep thought.

Could it be that someone could truly love another without expecting anything in return?

As this thought lingered, Feng Moheng slightly lifted his head from Shen Yuling’s shoulder, just as she happened to lower her gaze toward him.

At that moment, their eyes met, and time seemed to come to a standstill.

Feng Moheng stared at the unguarded sincerity in Shen Yuling’s eyes, momentarily dazed.

As if compelled by an unseen force, he found himself slowly leaning in, his lips inching closer to hers.

Shen Yuling’s eyes widened in an instant.

The shock in her gaze—partially a performance dictated by the moment—was also undeniably real.

Her first kiss in this body… just like that, she had given it to Feng Moheng!

Quan Minghe never kissed women—something she had only discovered after entering the palace and spending time with him.

And now, between her and Quan Minghe…

He was enthralled by her beauty.

She coveted his power, treating him as a blade in her hand.

Whether they kissed or not hardly mattered.

Yet, she hadn’t expected that today, it would be Feng Moheng who stole a kiss from her.

Oh well, oh well—she was an actress, after all. Who she kissed made no difference.

The moment Feng Moheng’s lips touched Shen Yuling’s, a soft, delicate sensation spread through him.

Seeing the dazed, foolish expression on the woman before him, Feng Moheng suddenly realized—this wife he had long neglected didn’t even know how to kiss.

Instinctively, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against him.

The fleeting taste from before was no longer enough to satisfy him.

An uncontrollable impulse surged within him—he wanted more, wanted to deepen the kiss and take full control.

However, at that very moment, tears suddenly welled up in Shen Yuling’s eyes.

Droplets of sorrow slowly trailed down her cheeks.

Feng Moheng’s gaze darkened slightly. He hadn’t expected her to say such words at this moment.

For a long while, he remained silent, his arms still wrapped around her slender waist, reluctant to let go.

The flickering candlelight cast soft shadows on her delicate features, accentuating the glistening teardrops in her eyes.

Shen Yuling did not look away. Her expression was both calm and resolute, as if waiting for his answer.

Was it gratitude? Guilt?

Or… something else entirely?

Feng Moheng had never been one to dwell on emotions like gratitude or guilt—they were foreign, distant concepts to him.

But Shen Yuling’s unwavering declaration of love, her steadfastness in saying she wanted someone who truly liked her, ignited something deep within him.

His blood surged, excitement coursing through his veins, making his heart pound wildly, almost as if it would burst from his chest.

He had never felt this way before.

This wasn’t mere impulse. It wasn’t just desire.

It was something more—something that made him crave her presence, her warmth, her gaze locked solely on him.

Feng Moheng remained silent for a moment after hearing her words.

Gratitude?

Guilt?

These emotions were too foreign to him.

But the way Shen Yuling firmly declared her love—so unwavering, so resolute—made his blood boil uncontrollably.

It exhilarated him, sent a thrill coursing through his veins, made his heartbeat hammer against his chest as if it would leap from his throat.

On their wedding night, he had humiliated her. After that, he repeatedly neglected her for Liu Jingyi. Yet, no matter what he became, she had always loved him unwaveringly.

Was it possible that even if he revealed his darkest side before her, she would still accept him without hesitation?

At that thought, a twisted obsession flickered in Feng Moheng’s eyes.

He had always believed that the darkness within him would force him to hide forever. But suddenly, a woman appeared—one who seemed capable of accepting him entirely, without reservation.

How could that not set Feng Moheng’s blood ablaze?

In an instant, the flicker of obsession in his eyes was swiftly concealed beneath a facade of tenderness and frailty.

Feng Moheng remained silent for a moment before brushing the tip of his nose gently against Shen Yuling’s ear.

In a low voice, he murmured, “What if I said I like you? It’s not gratitude, nor guilt.”

Shen Yuling’s lips parted slightly, her wide eyes fixed on him, unblinking.

Unbelievable.

These were words spoken by Feng Moheng. It seemed he was even more starved for love, more obsessed, and more dangerously possessive than she had imagined.

But…

That was exactly what she wanted.

“But you said you love Liu Jingyi. If you love her, how could you possibly like me?”

There was a faint sadness in Shen Yuling’s voice.

She didn’t believe his words.

Feng Moheng gazed at her, his expression solemn.

“Jingyi once saved my life. I was grateful for her kindness, and before I met you, I truly believed I loved her.”

“But after meeting you, even when I tried to resist, I still found myself drawn to you, unable to control my feelings.”

These words were not a lie.

At this moment, Feng Moheng could clearly feel his own heartbeat, pounding wildly because of the woman before him.

Just now, she had said that she could only share intimacy with someone who loved her.

How coincidental—so could he.

“If I shift my affections to someone else, would you think I’m a terrible person?”

Feng Moheng’s gaze held a trace of searching curiosity.

Until now, he had deliberately crafted an image of loyalty and devotion in front of Shen Yuling.

As long as she held even a sliver of affection for him—enough to make Jingyi jealous—it would have been sufficient.

But what he hadn’t expected was that every word Shen Yuling spoke was sincere, without pretense.

Including the words when she said she loved him.

In fact, her love seemed purer than Jingyi’s.

It was a kind of love Feng Moheng had never dared to hope for—one that asked for nothing in return. A love as selfless as that of a mother for her child, silent yet unwavering.

Shen Yuling and Feng Moheng gazed at each other in stillness.

After a brief moment, she gently shook her head.

“No matter what kind of person you are, I will love you… because you are my husband.”

She reached out her hands, cupping his face with delicate care.

Then, her soft lips met his cold, thin ones.

This kiss, like a warm current, flowed straight into Feng Moheng’s heart.

His chest burned with heat as he reached out, cupping the back of her head, deepening the kiss.

From gentle to intense, he kissed her with reckless abandon, letting his emotions surge freely, unrestrained and unapologetic.

Until Shen Yuling was left breathless.

She pressed lightly against him, her voice soft and pleading. “Husband, that’s enough.”

Only then did Feng Moheng slowly pull away.

He gazed intently at Shen Yuling before him.

Her cheeks were flushed with a rosy hue, her shy expression breathtakingly beautiful.

So lovely…

So lovable…

A wife who wholeheartedly loved him.

Had the heavens sensed the deepest desires hidden within his heart and specially crafted this wife just for him?

Shen Yuling noticed the undisguised possessiveness in Feng Moheng’s eyes.

If an ordinary person heard Shen Yuling’s words, they would likely dismiss them, for everyone knew that unconditional love did not exist.

Unfortunately.

Feng Moheng was anything but ordinary.

The love he craved was inherently twisted.

What he desired was something impossible.

And when the impossible appeared before him, he would embrace it, believe in it—because the only thing he ever truly believed in was himself.