*Chapter 45: The Friends Gather*
A dinner was arranged, a rare gathering. Zhao Liang, Li Xue, Mei Yan, Shen Wei, and Han Qiang shared a table. The men teased each other relentlessly; Mei Yan countered their antics with sharp wit.
Li Xue sat quietly, observing. Zhao Liang's presence was heavy, oppressive, yet his attention occasionally flickered toward her. She forced a smile, hiding the fear rising in her chest.
Mei Yan whispered, "You're not eating. Are you… okay?"
"I'm fine," Li Xue murmured. But her voice lacked conviction.
Shen Wei's laughter faltered briefly. He noticed the tension between the couple — the invisible chains, the unspoken fear. For the first time, he understood the weight Li Xue carried, and it made him unusually protective, unusually quiet.
Even as the night carried on, jokes, teasing, and laughter surrounding them, Li Xue's heart remained anchored in fear and restraint. Her freedom, though briefly glimpsed through Mei Yan and the friends' antics, remained painfully distant