Cixi remained seated, paralysed not by physical restraints, but by her own trembling body. She desperately didn't want to appear weak in front of her bullies, not after how far she had come over the last six months. But her past memories were rooted deep inside her. Logically, she knew she had no reason to fear these three anymore, yet the memory of college, of the helplessness she had felt back then, came rushing back, threatening to drown her.
While the match distracted the rest of the crowd playing out, Cixi sat quietly, fighting to gather her fractured courage.
She curled her hands into tight fists, her nails biting into her palms to ground herself. She took a steady breath and finally turned to meet Silviya's cunning eyes.
