The grand doors of the hall swung open, and Mrs. Jing and Jing Ning stepped inside. The room fell silent, all eyes turning to them. Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Wow, she is beautiful."
"I heard she is the young lady of the Jing Family."
"Oh, she is the bride."
"Wow, what a beautiful lady."
The murmurs grew louder until Yiming, Xilian's best friend, took the microphone. "Let's welcome our bride-to-be!"
Jing Ning turned to her mother, confusion etched on her face. "Mom, what's going on?"
Before her mother could answer, Xilian approached them. "It's our engagement party," he said.
Panic surged through Jing Ning. She turned to Xilian, her voice trembling. "Are you Mu Chen's elder brother?"
Mrs. Jing interrupted, her tone firm. "Go on the stage, you are wasting our time."
Just then, the door opened again, and Mu Chen entered. The room buzzed with excitement.
"Oh, this is the second young master of the Mu Family."
"Wow, I wish I could marry him."
"I heard he rarely appears in public."
"He is even more handsome than his brother Xilian."
The whispers grew louder, especially among the ladies, as Mu Chen made his way towards the stage. "Bro, I'm sorry, this is the ring. But why did sister-in-law turn her face?"
Xilian, focused on the ceremony, replied, "Forget about her, let's start the engagement."
Mu Chen stood beside Yiming, facing Jing Ning's back, unaware of her identity. Xilian took the ring and slipped it onto Jing Ning's finger. As she turned to collect the ring from Yiming, her eyes met Mu Chen's.
"Jing Ning,"he whispered, his voice filled with shock and emotion.
As Jing Ning faced Mu Chen, a storm of emotions raged within her heart. The initial shock of seeing him at her engagement party was quickly replaced by a profound sense of dread and confusion. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing the turmoil inside her.
"How could this be happening?" she thought, her mind racing. The realization that Mu Chen was Xilian's brother added layers of complexity to her already tangled feelings. She felt trapped between her duty to her family and her love for Mu Chen, a love she had kept hidden because of her terminal illness.
Her eyes locked with Mu Chen's, and she saw the same shock and confusion mirrored in his gaze. The intensity of his stare made her feel exposed, as if he could see right through her, into the depths of her soul. She wanted to run to him, to explain everything, but the weight of her circumstances held her back.
"What do I do now?" The question reverberated in her mind, amplifying her sense of helplessness. She felt a pang of guilt for not being honest with him, for allowing herself to be swept into this engagement without considering the consequences.
The whispers and murmurs of the guests faded into the background as her world narrowed to just the two of them. The room seemed to close in around her, the air thick with tension. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the hall on her, but all she could focus on was Mu Chen.
In that moment, Jing Ning's heart was a battlefield of conflicting emotions—love, fear, guilt, and a desperate longing for a different reality. The tension was almost unbearable, a tight knot in her chest that made it hard to breathe. She knew that whatever happened next would change everything, and the weight of that realization pressed heavily on her.
As she stood there, facing Mu Chen, she felt a tear escape and roll down her cheek. It was a silent testament to the inner struggle she was enduring, a small crack in the facade she had tried so hard to maintain.
Mu Chen's reaction to Jing Ning's tear was immediate and filled with a mix of emotions. As he saw the tear escape and roll down her cheek, his heart clenched with a deep sense of empathy and sorrow. The sight of her vulnerability struck him profoundly, and he felt an overwhelming urge to comfort her.
He took a step closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "Jing Ning," he whispered again, his voice soft and filled with concern. The shock and confusion he had felt moments before were now overshadowed by a fierce protectiveness. He wanted to reach out, to wipe away her tear and hold her close, to shield her from the pain she was clearly enduring.
Mu Chen's mind raced with questions. "Why is she crying? What has she been going through?" He felt a pang of guilt for not knowing the full extent of her struggles, for not being there for her when she needed him most. The realization that she had been carrying such a heavy burden alone tore at his heart.
Ignoring the murmurs and whispers of the guests around them, Mu Chen focused solely on Jing Ning. He gently took her hand, his touch tender and reassuring. **"It's okay,"** he said softly, his eyes conveying a promise of unwavering support. "I'm here for you."
In that moment, the world around them seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them in a bubble of shared emotion. Mu Chen's reaction was a blend of love, concern, and a deep-seated determination to be by her side, no matter what challenges lay ahead. He knew that this was a pivotal moment, one that would define their relationship and their future together.