*Chapter 58: Threads of Control*
Evening brought no relief. Zhao Liang returned, the air thick with quiet authority. Li Xue was seated at the piano, a hobby she had tried to cultivate for calm. His shadow fell over the keys before he spoke.
"You practice, but for whom?" His voice was soft, intimate, yet layered with scrutiny.
Li Xue swallowed, the keys beneath her hands feeling cold, alien. "For… myself," she whispered.
"You know the rules." Clause 21: All time must be sanctioned; personal pursuits require approval.
Her pulse tightened. Each act, no matter how small, was observed, regulated. Fear intertwined with memory — memories of his warmth before amnesia, before the contract. She wondered if that man still existed behind the chains of ink and control.
Meanwhile, Mei Yan stayed late at the office. A client's tragedy — eviction, illness, betrayal — mirrored Li Xue's struggles. Shen Wei stopped by to escort her home, teasing lightly, but neither could ignore the weight they carried for their friend. Even Han Qiang, far away in a boardroom, felt the tug of unspoken responsibility.