Chapter 130: A Nocturnal Intrusion, Consumed by Jealousy and Hate

Deep in the night, the He residence’s Tingsong Garden was wrapped in profound silence.

Shen Qianmo had been lying on the bed with her hands and feet bound for a full day. Fortunately, He Liancheng was somewhat reasonable, having assigned two female guards to watch her closely. Otherwise, she would have broken down over the simple necessities of daily life alone.

The two guards were typical Northern Di women—rugged in appearance with thick brows and large eyes. They were remarkably diligent, keeping their eyes cast downward and remaining silent throughout the day. Shen Qianmo leaned against the headboard, closing her eyes to rest, having no desire to pay any mind to these two wooden pillars.

The exhaustion of the day had left her abdomen feeling slightly uncomfortable. She could not help but sigh inwardly; this unborn life seemed destined for hardship from the very beginning. Yet, despite everything, the child stubbornly clung to life within her, refusing to give up. Because of that, she too must do everything in her power to ensure its safety.

How would He Liancheng deal with her and the child? And how should she respond?

She wondered if Ah Heng had discovered the messages she had sent out using the homing birds over these past few days. The He residence was heavily guarded, and He Liancheng was exceptionally shrewd; she had been forced by circumstance to use such a covert method to relay information. She had written the notes in English specifically because, in this world, only Meng Yuanheng would know that language, and only she could write it. This way, she did not need to worry about the notes being discovered by He Liancheng’s men; even if they found them, they would not know who had written them or what the symbols meant, and they would naturally never suspect her.

However, she did not know if Ah Heng could arrive in time, before He Liancheng could harm her and their child.

The room was quiet, save for an oil lamp on the table that flickered occasionally with a faint "crackling" sound. The swaying light cast a dim, somber hue over the room, though it did little to dispel the chill.

Suddenly, this silence was shattered.

With a loud bang, the door was kicked open. A tall figure strode in from the boundless night outside. His footsteps sounded heavy in the quiet room, yet they carried a faint, unsteady, and wavering gait.

Shen Qianmo opened her eyes, and upon seeing who it was, her brows furrowed slightly.

He Liancheng stood there, dressed in a simple moon-white casual robe. He was tall, with handsome features and a wild, arrogant gaze. It was He Liancheng. Why would he come to her at such an hour? Was he so impatient to deal with her and the child?

He Liancheng’s expression was cold and stern, his features taut, making his thoughts unreadable. He stopped a dozen paces from Shen Qianmo, staring steadily at the woman who, despite being bound, leaned against the headboard with calm composure. His eyes were deep and sharp as ever, but they held a complexity that was unfathomable, causing a flicker of unease in Shen Qianmo.

"Everyone, leave," he commanded coldly and decisively, his voice devoid of its usual clarity, carrying instead a deep, hoarse rasp.

"Yes, General," the two female guards replied, retreating from the room without a sound.

The door creaked shut, and silence returned to the chamber. He Liancheng walked slowly toward the petite figure huddled on the bed. The dull thud of his footsteps echoed through the room, striking Shen Qianmo’s heart with every beat.

Reaching the bed, he lowered his frame and sat down on the edge with practiced ease. Seeing Shen Qianmo’s eyes narrow—a clear sign of her wariness and vigilance—he curled his lips into a wicked, charismatic smile, though it was tinged with a hint of self-mockery.

"What? Are you afraid of me?" His voice was low and magnetic. In his memory, this woman had never known fear.

As he spoke, a strong scent of alcohol wafted toward her, causing Shen Qianmo to knit her brows as a wave of nausea rose in her stomach. It seemed he had been drinking heavily.

She met his gaze without flinching. He Liancheng’s wild, arrogant, and inscrutable eyes made Shen Qianmo tremble slightly for reasons she couldn't explain. She felt that He Liancheng was different tonight.

Forcing herself to remain calm, Shen Qianmo pulled at the corner of her mouth and said coldly, "General He, your visit so late at night surely isn't just to ask if I am afraid of you, is it?"

Detecting the mockery in her tone, He Liancheng’s eyes shifted momentarily before returning to normal. He leaned slightly to the side, glanced behind her, and said in a chilly voice, "You are quite skilled at untying your own ropes, are you not? Why not do it this time?"

Shen Qianmo laughed coldly. "General He has protected me so well; no matter what, I cannot escape your grasp. Whether the ropes are tied or not makes no difference—why waste the effort?"

"You are quite sensible," He Liancheng scoffed. He fixed his gaze upon her and said with a grim tone, "Then, take a guess: how does the General intend to deal with you and the seed of Meng Yuanheng in your womb?"

Under the dim candlelight, his eyes were as deep as a frozen pool. Shen Qianmo could see her own reflection in his dark brown pupils.

"I am not General He, so how would I know how you intend to deal with us?" Shen Qianmo looked at him, her tone cold and resolute. "I only know that I will do everything in my power to protect this child. That is enough."

He Liancheng let out a soft, hollow laugh, filled with a faint, almost imperceptible sense of desolation. "I never expected you to be so devoted to Meng Yuanheng. But he is now a treacherous rebel, a traitor to the country who slaughters the innocent. He is condemned by all and cursed by everyone. Following him, you surely will not have an easy life."

At the mention of this, a nameless fire ignited in Shen Qianmo’s heart. That Meng Yuanheng had become this way was all because of her. And the root cause lay with people like He Liancheng, Meng Tianluo, and Mo Hanshan.

During the days she spent recovering in Shuangxi Village, she had already pieced together the sequence of events before and after her fall from the cliff. Combined with what she had seen and heard since leaving the village, her suspicions were confirmed: all of this was a conspiracy by He Liancheng and Mo Hanshan.

In Jinyang Pass, He Liancheng had feigned defeat to retreat from Licheng, while Mo Hanshan used Tie Tou to lure her to the Snow Ridge, tampering with the stones on the cliff face to cause her fall, then shifting the blame onto Meng Tianluo. As they had anticipated, Meng Yuanheng, consumed by grief and rage, slaughtered Meng Tianluo’s forces, thereby becoming a treacherous rebel, an outcast despised by all.

Thinking of this, she felt an unbearable pain in her heart, and her usually indifferent tone sharpened. She was heartbroken for Meng Yuanheng.

"And so what? Even if he is a rebel, he is upright and honorable, unlike some people who only know how to use his woman and child to threaten him... Ungh!"

Shen Qianmo felt a blur of motion, and in the next second, her throat was tightly gripped by He Liancheng.

"Shut up!" He Liancheng gritted his teeth, the rage in his eyes rising as if it could turn her to ash. "You defend him so?"

And yet, in her eyes, he was so despicable. In truth, he knew well that it was no surprise Shen Qianmo felt this way. When she fell from the Snow Ridge, it was his doing; it was natural for her to hate and despise him. Yet, the deep-seated feeling of jealousy that rose within him was like a twisting, overgrown vine, gripping his heart so tightly it caused him to lose his self-control and his reason.

"He is my... husband, and he loves me deeply. Even if the... whole world cannot tolerate him, I will never... betray him." Because her throat was constricted, Shen Qianmo struggled to speak, her words coming out in broken fragments.

Feeling the pressure on her throat increase, her breathing became difficult and her face flushed, yet her eyes remained calm. She looked coldly at the man before her who was on the verge of losing control, watching his handsome features turn ashen, his deep eyes narrowed, the whites filled with red streaks.

At this moment, He Liancheng was like a wounded, trapped beast, his ruthlessness and determination tinged with bewilderment and sorrow. Such a look made Shen Qianmo’s heart tremble. He Liancheng was dangerous tonight.

Even if the whole world could not tolerate Meng Yuanheng, she would never betray him!

He Liancheng’s mind was filled only with those words. His hand was around her neck—so slender and delicate that it seemed he could snap it with the slightest increase in force. Yet, the soft, smooth sensation against his fingertips made him want to linger, to take more.

The pressure of his hand eased. He released her throat and moved his fingers slowly upward, touching her skin, which was as smooth as jade. His movements were gentle, like a lover’s caress.

"Fine. A fine display of deep affection, a fine promise to never betray him," He Liancheng laughed, but the sound was cold, hollow, and bleak. Beneath it all, a fire burned in his heart—the fire of jealousy.

"Your Great Sheng values a woman’s chastity above all else. I want to see if, once you have lost your purity, Meng Yuanheng will still be so deeply devoted to you."