Winter days turn dark early.
By now, night had completely fallen, pitch black without a hint of light, like a canvas splattered with ink descending overhead.
Outside, the cold wind howled, the "creak" of the windows being battered echoed incessantly, adding a touch of desolation to the already silent atmosphere.
Inside, the charcoal burned brightly, but Mingshu felt not a trace of warmth. Her gaze was vacant, like a soulless puppet's, her stiff eyeballs occasionally turning to look inside.
She had lost a significant amount of weight recently, with barely any flesh on her cheeks, her chin sharpened, making her almond-shaped eyes appear even larger.
Wen Zhiyi and Wang Yuan exchanged a glance and barely perceptibly sighed.
However, no one had the grounds to advise her not to worry, not even Ji Jing, who sat with his head bowed nearby.
The waiting stretched on, and for a moment, all that could be heard was the intermittent murmurs of conversation from within.