*Chapter 34: Penalties*
The following week, Li Xue broke a rule. She didn't mean to — she simply stepped outside without informing Zhao Liang's staff. Mei Yan had needed her, and for once, she had chosen friendship over fear.
When she returned, Zhao Liang was waiting.
"You breached Clause 4," he said flatly. "Leaving the residence without prior notice. Do you know the cost?"
Her heart pounded. "It was just—"
"Five hundred thousand yuan," he interrupted. "That's the penalty."
Li Xue froze. The number was impossible. She couldn't earn it in a lifetime.
"You can't be serious…"
Zhao Liang leaned closer, his eyes narrowing. "Contracts don't bend for excuses. Do you think you're above the law of ink?"
Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She had no money, no family, no bargaining chips. She only had dignity, and even that was being stripped clause by clause.
At dinner that night, Shen Wei noticed her silence. "Why does she look like she's seen a ghost?" he asked, laughing lightly.
Han Qiang smirked. "Maybe living with Zhao Liang is like living with one."
They all chuckled, but Li Xue sat quietly, her fork untouched. For them, the joke was lighthearted. For her, it was truth.