As Li Na descended the grand staircase, each step sent a sharp jolt of pain through her feet, the shards in her slippers a cruel reminder of the tumult she had just been apart of. She clenched her teeth, gripping the crumpled script tighter, there was a sharp contrast between her two feet. Her left foot had more severely impacted by the glass shards embedded, causing significant pain with each step. Though there were no needling sensation of pieces in her right foot, affording her a slight, though inadequate, reprieve.
Carefully balancing her weight, Li Na minimised the pressure on her injured left foot as she limped slightly, favouring her right leg, and she navigated her way down, her pace uneven and painful. But the embarrassment burned hotter than the pain in the soles of the flimsy slippers she had been hastily given.
