Fated Hearts [一笑随歌]

Chapter 60

Yielding to his prolonged, lingering kiss, Yixiao felt her body go numb, and her vision lost focus.

Can she really forget everything and fully commit herself?

"Look at me," Feng Suige said, his breathing slightly heavy as he pulled away from her lips. 

Whenever her gaze wasn't on him, an inexplicable anger would flare up within him. Those captivating eyes—filled with a stubborn beauty that made men willing to risk everything to possess and crush it.

His lips were soft—should she really let her emotions prove just how much she liked him, to see if this feeling had become unbreakable? With this thought, Yixiao bit down hard, her sharp teeth breaking his lip.

She delighted in the taste of blood in her mouth and his slight tremor. The metallic taste drove her to a frenzy, making her want to destroy everything.

Feng Suige, however, responded to her roughness with tenderness and indulgence. His lips, still pressed against hers, continued to draw out her breath, weaving an intense and affectionate heat around them.

And so she became intoxicated, closing her eyes to savor this wonderful feeling. But his next move made her entire body tense—Feng Suige's heated hand slowly trailed down from her shoulder, his fingers and palm gliding over her arm. She could almost hear every pore on her body screaming.

Feng Suige gently took her injured hand, his thumb softly stroking the wounds on her palm, silently conveying his pain and regret.

The slight sting brought clarity back to Yixiao's eyes.

She hated herself for being so easily moved by a piece of armor. She had intended to sever all ties with him, to drive him completely out of her life, but instead, she found herself swallowed by him.

But now it was too late for regret. From today, from the moment she accepted Feng Suige's kiss, everything had changed and could never go back to the way it was before.

Yixiao angrily pulled away from his lips and bit down hard on his neck. For a moment, she almost wondered if she wanted to tear out his throat and drain his blood.

Feng Suige couldn't help but groan, a sound of partial surrender, his breath chaotic. Yet he neither dodged nor pushed Yixiao away. He knew that at this moment, Yixiao was like a long-imprisoned beast finally freed from its cage. If she wasn't allowed to unleash her fury, she would never retract her sharp claws.

He hadn't expected her to be so ruthless—or rather, to bite so hard, he sighed inwardly.

After a long time, Yixiao slowly released her grip. "Why didn't you push me away? Are you really willing to endure such pain?"

Feng Suige chuckled hoarsely, "I still haven't figured out how to make up for the mistake I made that day. So, if you feel like you need to vent more, go ahead and bite a few more times. Just don't hold my past mistakes against me, okay?"

Yes, at this point, what's the use of clinging to the past? Let all the mutual suspicion and hurt, the dodging and evasion, the coldness and despair be swept away by the wind. From now on, believe in and rely on each other—a soft voice in her heart gently spoke.

The mutual distrust, the physical and emotional torment, yet both possessed an excessive and stubborn pride. So, they kept entangling and hurting each other with their unyielding ways. Have you considered it? Can you truly coexist peacefully?—another voice still lingered.

"Alright," Yixiao finally said with some difficulty, "but I won't promise you anything..."

"I don't want you to promise anything," Feng Suige said, staring at her face. "I just want you to let go of those so-called rules, to drop your guard against me, to try to understand me, to accept me."

Yixiao couldn't help but punch him. "And you call that not asking for anything?"

Feng Suige seized the opportunity to hold her hand and pulled her into his arms, his face beaming with joy. "It's wonderful— I thought that showing you my determination would help you let go of all your doubts. But I didn't expect that the closer you got to me, the more you dug yourself into a hole. You have no idea how anxious I was watching you. Sometimes I wanted to give you a good scolding, but I couldn't bear to..."

Actually, he should have said this earlier. They should have let go of the past sooner and held on tightly to each other, never letting go.

Lowering his head to kiss the person in his arms, Feng Suige felt an overwhelming joy. His heart was as warm as the sun appearing after the clouds had dispersed.

***

Several days of continuous heavy rain had disrupted their journey. When they finally welcomed a clear day and had only managed to travel for half a day, the sun had barely vanished when a torrential downpour, like a massive army, approached swiftly from afar.

Xia Jingshi had no choice but to order the camp to be set up again.

The trees on the mountains on either side swayed wildly in the rain. The raindrops fell aslant as much as possible, aided by the wind, striking painfully against people's faces.

Amidst the downpour, Ning Fei, shirtless, wiped the rain from his face and continued to hammer the stakes into the ground to secure the horses and carriages.

Ling Xueying, holding an oil-paper umbrella, squatted nearby. Suddenly, she spun the umbrella, sending the rainwater collected on its surface shooting toward Ning Fei like arrows.

"What are you doing?" Ning Fei shouted, rubbing his eyes in exasperation. "You're just causing trouble! I told you not to come out— you'll get soaked and catch a cold, and then you'll be complaining about headaches."

"You told me not to be alone with her," Xueying retorted, pouting. "Besides, even that stubborn rock is out working. I can't bear to just sit in the carriage watching everyone else busy."

"Then step back a little," Ning Fei said, wiping his face again. "Don't make trouble, wait until I..." 

Before he could finish, Xueying spun the umbrella again, sending more water flying at him. Ning Fei, gritting his teeth, suddenly threw down the hammer, pressed his hand into the mud, and smeared the muddy mess on her face.

Caught off guard, Xueying instinctively leaned back and, with a scream, fell into the muddy water. She hit Ning Fei squarely with the mud, feeling both angry and amused. She threw her umbrella aside, grabbed a handful of the rain-soaked mud, and lunged at Ning Fei's face.

Ning Fei laughed as he dodged, evading her muddy hands while attempting to counterattack. Before long, half of Xueying's face was smeared with mud. She ignored it, chasing and hitting Ning Fei, their laughter and playful shouts filling the entire camp.

Nearby, the Imperial Guards, working in the rain, gathered in small groups, watching and chatting.

Suddenly, Ning Fei stopped and solemnly said, "Wait, listen—"

Xueying, still lunging forward, smeared mud on his face and laughed with her hands on her hips, "Trying to outsmart me..." But halfway through her laugh, her expression changed. "What's that?"

A thunderous rumble echoed from the distant valley, and the ground trembled slightly. Several horses pulling the carriages were already frightened and had knelt on the ground. Even the well-trained warhorses had broken their reins, running wildly.

Xia Jingshi rushed out from the crowd, shouting, "Take the supplies and horses, retreat to the mountain as quickly as possible, hurry!!!"