…What to do?
Jin Xueli's first instinct was to flatly deny it. But a moment's thought was all it took to realize that would be pointless—just noise to fill the silence.
Chaisi hadn't spoken so plainly because he was suspicious and wanted to see what she would say. It was the exact opposite.
He was already certain. He was merely provoking a reaction, looking for a crack in her armor to pry open the hand that so tightly gripped her secret.
'This is driving me crazy. Does the Candle Tears Illusion have some kind of special scent? Did I accidentally get some on myself for Chaisi to smell?'
A good while had already passed. Jin Xueli knew the longer she kept silent, the more she seemed to be confirming Chaisi's suspicion. Yet, she came up with several excuses only to discard them all, and in the end, she couldn't get a single word out.
"You didn't take me for a fool and hit me with a string of 'I don't know's and 'It wasn't me's. I'm quite pleased about that."
