The group held their breath, every eye locked on Xu Jingli as they awaited his answer. The question hung in the air like a heavy weight, and even the slightest movement or sound felt magnified in the silence.
Among them, Chen Mumu's heart was pounding so loudly she feared someone might hear it. She couldn't look away from Xu Jingli. This time, she refused to let her gaze falter. Hope and fear wrestled within her, but there was a tiny, unyielding part of her—a flicker of hope—that refused to be extinguished.
If what he said earlier was just a joke, she didn't know how she would recover from it.
Across the room, Mo Zilin sat rigidly, his hands clenched into fists on his lap. The question felt like a slap to his face, and the prospect of Xu Jingli confessing his interest in Chen Mumu gnawed at him. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew that if Xu Jingli's words at the door had been sincere, he was at a disadvantage.
