That suffocating silence seemed to last forever, yet also seemed to pass in a single instant.
Fang Mo's gaze slowly swept over the three faces before him. Their expressions differed, but all were equally resolute. He didn't speak at once. Instead, he drained the last of the wine in his cup. The sharp liquid slid down his throat, bringing a faint, burning clarity.
Unease, impatience, anxiety, and anticipation mingled in the three women's eyes.
"Good!" he said. His voice was low, but exceptionally clear. He said nothing more.
He felt that saying another word at that moment would profane the intensity of their feelings.
That single word fell like a boulder into a still lake, sending towering waves through all three women's hearts.
Guan Lu's tense shoulders abruptly slumped. Her eyes filled with tears—not from sadness, but from relief and overwhelming joy.
She blinked hard, forcing the moisture back, but the corners of her mouth kept lifting until her smile blossomed, so radiant it seemed capable of lighting up the entire room.
Yue Quan's fingers stopped rubbing her wine cup. She gazed deeply at Fang Mo, gentle smiles rippling through her clear eyes.
She said nothing. She simply picked up the wine bottle and refilled the cups—for Fang Mo, Guan Lu, Luo Jiangyan, and herself.
Luo Jiangyan looked at Fang Mo. The faint blush on her face deepened, but her gaze no longer wavered. She looked straight into his eyes. The stillness of a deep pool seemed to have been touched by warm sunlight, its surface shimmering with ripples.
She drew a soft breath and raised her cup. She said nothing, only lifted it in a toast.
Fang Mo raised his freshly filled cup as well and said quietly:
"For us!"
"For us!"
The three women echoed him in unison.