The room was silent except for the scratching of pens as the document was drafted.
Fu Pei signed with a flourish, pressing so hard the tip nearly tore the page, then shoved it back at Zhang Rui.
"Enjoy your false hope..." Fu Pei spat, his voice dripping with venom. "Because when she fails and doesn't get in, I'll be here to watch you crawl out with your tail between your legs."
Zhang Rui signed calmly, his pen strokes neat and unhurried. Then he folded the paper, setting it in the center of the table like a silent challenge. "We'll see."
The tension clung to the office long after, everyone in the room feeling the stakes sharpen.
For some, it was entertainment; for others, unease. But one thing was certain, Gu Mianmian, though she had no idea, had just become the fulcrum on which reputations, pride, and careers now balanced on.
