*Chapter 52: Echoes of Fear*
School offered only temporary escape. Li Xue walked through the corridors, textbooks clutched tightly. Every glance from classmates felt like scrutiny. She imagined Zhao Liang watching her from a distance, judging every movement, controlling every action in her mind.
In the classroom, she solved complex problems mechanically. Equations blurred as fear gnawed at her thoughts. Yet, somewhere in that haze, a small spark remained — the memory of promises made, the life she might reclaim if she endured.
Mei Yan spent the evening reviewing legal briefs. Shen Wei teased her relentlessly, but she barely smiled. Her thoughts kept drifting to Li Xue, to the weight of fear that shadowed her friend's every step.