Finally, the patriarch opened his eyes.
And spoke.
"Well… we won't know until we try."
Crack!
It felt as if something inside the young handsome man shattered.
"Present yourself before Young Master Lin Feng tomorrow," the patriarch continued calmly, as if discussing something entirely reasonable. "Make sure you give it your very best."
The young man's face turned pale.
"We are but a small clan," the patriarch went on, sighing. "We have no great beauties to offer. No outstanding prodigies to impress him. We lack resources, influence… everything."
His gaze sharpened.
"But we do have you."
The words landed like a death sentence.
"You are our clan's only hope," the patriarch declared solemnly. "Do not fail us."
The room fell silent.
The young man stood there, unmoving.
Unbreathing.
Unblinking.
It was as if his soul had already left his body and was now floating somewhere far, far away, unwilling to accept this cruel reality.
I'm finished…
