Chapter 243 My heart was once like an ancient well, feeling that love and obsession were nothing but fleeting clouds.
Hearing her gasp, Feng Jin immediately released her, but his lips remained pressed against hers.
He raised his head, his chin resting on her shoulder, and from this angle, she could feel his gaze fixed upon her.
The voice, carrying a clear accusatory tone, rang out again:
“You’re ignoring me.” He paused, then added, “You’re giving me the silent treatment.”
As Shen Yuepo felt the lingering dampness and slight itch on the side of her neck, most of her anger dissipated, replaced by a soft and amused emotion.
She readily agreed:
"Um."
This simple "hmm" was calm and even, yet it was like a pebble thrown into a seemingly still lake.
Feng Jin suddenly raised his head, cupped her face in his hands, and forced her to look at him.
His dark golden eyes were now filled with disbelief, his brows furrowed tightly, as if he had heard some unbelievable tale:
"You admit it?"
His voice rose slightly in surprise.
Seeing the rare look of shock on his face, Shen Yuepo finally smiled and nodded frankly, "I admit it. I did it on purpose."
Shen Yuepo gently removed his hands from her cheeks, but did not let go.
Instead, she slid between his fingers and intertwined with his.
She lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze falling on their clasped hands, and said softly, "Feng Jin, I can respect your choice and decision."
She raised her eyes and looked into his eyes, which were unusually deep due to the alcohol. "I understand your responsibility, your identity, and the countless beings in the underworld that you bear on your shoulders."
"You wish to forever suppress the sea of blood; that is your path, your choice, and I can respect it."
She paused, tightened her grip on his fingers slightly, and her tone became heavy:
"But I can't accept it... I can't accept that you didn't even give me a chance to choose before deciding to abandon me."
Feng Jin's thin lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to explain something, but Shen Yuepo gently scratched his palm with her fingertips, stopping him from speaking.
"Let me finish." She took a small breath, as if she were sorting out the emotions that had been building up for days.
“I once thought that even if what I cultivated was not the true path of ruthlessness, it should at least be a path of self-cultivation.”
"I watch over the bright moon and observe the joys and sorrows of human life. I thought my heart was like the moonlight, cool, constant, and not easily moved."
"But then... I met you."
“Our statuses are vastly different. You are the eternally existing Emperor of Fengdu, while I am merely a soul guide with insignificant cultivation.”
"You said you've seen the ocean turn into mulberry fields, and in the long years, only I have entered your heart." She repeated his words, her tone calm, yet with a barely perceptible tremor.
“But Feng Jin…” She refocused her gaze on his face, his silhouette clearly reflected in her eyes.
"I have guided the souls of the dead and witnessed countless loves, hates, angers, and infatuations, joys and sorrows. Those stories flowed past me like water."
"My heart was once as still as an ancient well, and I felt that love and passion were nothing but fleeting clouds."
Her fingertips gently traced the lines on his palm, her voice soft and gentle:
"But only you have entered my heart. Not with a raging storm, but with a gentle, silent rain, and then... you became deeply entangled, impossible to separate from."
She met his gaze, which had suddenly become even more intense, and spoke each word clearly and distinctly:
“Feng Jin, I can live and die with you. Even if it means being forever trapped in a sea of blood, accompanied by boundless darkness and resentment, living as long as heaven and earth, and never having freedom again, I will accept it.”
"But... what I can't accept is that you made the decision for me, leaving me safely outside and walking alone toward the ending you thought I would have."
"That's not protection. Feng Jin, that's another form of abandonment."
Feng Jin listened quietly, tightening his arms around her waist and pulling her closer into his embrace, his chin resting on the top of her head.
After a moment of silence, with a hint of accusation that even he himself didn't realize, he said in a low voice:
"But Shen Yuepo, you abandoned me in the end too."
He was referring to the depths of the sea of blood, the moment she pushed him out and chose to sacrifice herself.
Shen Yuepo shifted slightly in his arms, finding a more comfortable position, her cheek pressed against his chest, where she could hear his steady yet slightly faster heartbeat.
She did not deny it; instead, she answered frankly:
"Um."
She nodded in his arms, her hair brushing against his chin.
"I'm a bit petty," she said calmly. "Although I retaliated in the same way, letting you experience what it's like to be left behind, but..."
She pulled away slightly, looked him straight in the eye, and said, "I'm still angry."
Upon hearing this, Feng Jin seemed to stiffen for a moment.
He cupped her face in his hands, carefully examining her expression, trying to discern her more genuine emotions.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was low and inquiring: "And now?"
His thumb unconsciously rubbed her cheek, his gaze fixed on her eyes, not missing a single subtle change.
"Are you calmed down?"
Shen Yuepo did not answer immediately, but remained sitting on his lap, at a height that made her almost eye to eye with him.
A moment later, she smiled slightly, but instead of speaking, she answered with her actions.
She tilted her head slightly, instantly bringing the already close distance even closer.
"Buzz!"
Just as their lips were about to touch, a soft but clear cell phone vibration suddenly came from Shen Yuepo's skirt pocket, breaking the enchanting atmosphere.
Shen Yuepo paused, instinctively reaching for her phone.
Feng Jin, however, pressed down on her hand first.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his dark golden eyes fixed on her, his voice even lower and hoarseer than before, stubbornly repeating:
Answer me first.
Shen Yuepo was both amused and exasperated by his appearance.
She didn't insist on taking the phone anymore, letting him hold her hand.
With her other hand, she took the initiative, taking his hand that was intertwined with hers, pulling him along, and turning to walk out of the main hall.
The phone was still vibrating stubbornly.
Feng Jin stumbled a step as she led him, then let out a low hum of dissatisfaction, his displeasure at being treated so casually. But his body followed her steps with unusual honesty, letting her lead him out of the main hall.
Once outside the hall, Shen Yuepo finally freed his hand and took out his phone from his pocket.
The caller ID on the screen read: Zhao Yan from the Special Cases Bureau.
She swiped to answer the call, put the phone to her ear, her other hand still tightly held by Feng Jin, his thumb even restlessly rubbing the back of her hand.
"Hey, Captain Zhao." Shen Yuepo's voice regained its usual calmness, as if the romantic moment had never happened.
A hearty laugh, tinged with apology, came from the other end of the phone:
"Master Shen, I'm sorry to bother you again. I have a special situation here. I was wondering if you have any free time lately, and if it would be convenient for you to take on some work?"
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