The reddish glow on the eastern horizon faded into a softer morning light.
Birds began calling from the trees beyond the courtyard, their voices mixing faintly with the distant sound of vehicles on the road.
Qingyu sat propped against the pillows, the blanket covering her waist.
Her pale face was was no longer the pallor of someone almost losing her life.
Her breathing was deeper and steadier.
Her eyes were also much clearer than they had been a few days ago.
The empty look she used to have was gone.
On the small table beside the bed, a cup of warm water had been placed neatly.
Thin steam still rose from its surface.
Xiao Lan was asleep in the chair near the window.
She was half-sitting with her head tilted at an awkward angle.
Her hair was a little messy, and the small blanket that had once covered her shoulders had already slipped to the floor.
Qingyu watched her for a few seconds.
She did not wake her.
Not long after, the bedroom door opened softly.
Auntie Yue entered carrying a breakfast tray.
The moment she saw Qingyu sitting upright, she walked over quickly and touched her forehead.
“Thank goodness…” she murmured.
“The fever really has gone down.”
On the tray were warm porridge, a boiled egg, and several pieces of fruit cut into small slices.
“Miss should eat a little,” she said.
“An empty stomach after a fever isn’t good.”
Qingyu nodded slightly.
“Thank you, Auntie.”
Their voices startled Xiao Lan awake.
She stood up too quickly and nearly lost her balance.
“Miss!”
Her eyes widened when she saw Qingyu sitting without any problems.
“You can sit up already?”
“I’ve been sitting for a while,” Qingyu replied.
She almost smiled.
Xiao Lan’s sleepy face looked unusually adorable.
There was a drool mark on her right cheek, and her hair was messed up.
Xiao Lan immediately became flustered.
“Oh… I thought Miss was still…”
She stopped herself.
“Still dying?” Qingyu continued casually.
“That’s not what I meant!” Xiao Lan panicked at once.
Her face turned red all the way to her ears.
Auntie Yue, standing near the table, had to hold back a smile.
“If you’re awake, help Miss eat,” she said to Xiao Lan.
“Don’t just stand there staring.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Lan hurried into the small bathroom inside the room to wash her face and tidy her hair as best she could before returning to sit beside the bed with the bowl of porridge.
Qingyu accepted the first spoonful without difficulty.
The warm porridge settled comfortably in her stomach.
She did not feel nauseous at all, a sign that this body was beginning to accept food normally again.
Qingyu looked at Xiao Lan for a moment.
This girl panicked easily, she spoke quickly and was sometimes overly dramatic.
But she was sincere.
And in a house like this, sincerity was rarer than high-grade herbs.
“Thank you for staying with me last night,” Qingyu suddenly said.
The spoon in Xiao Lan’s hand froze.
“I… I only…”
“You didn’t leave.”
Qingyu’s words were simple.
But Xiao Lan immediately lowered her head to hide the heat gathering in her eyes.
No one had ever thanked her simply for staying.
Downstairs, the Lin residence daily life continued as usual.
Servants cleaned the living room.
The television murmured softly from the family room.
The aroma of tea and coffee mingled in the morning air.
But “usual” in this house always felt strange.
Lady Su sat on the sofa while checking her schedule on her tablet.
Occasionally, she lifted her teacup with elegant movements that looked far too practiced.
Her phone vibrated twice.
She answered immediately.
“Doctor Li?”
Her voice was gentle and polite as always.
She listened for several seconds without changing expression.
“Good,” she finally said.
Her gaze lowered to the surface of the tea in her hand.
“So the sensitive results won’t come out too quickly.”
She smiled faintly.
“There’s no need to rush.
That child has always been sickly.
Last night’s fever will only look like another relapse caused by her weak body.”
A moment later, she ended the call, her face still calm.
In her mind, everything remained under control.
Qingyu was still Qingyu.
She was fragile, always sick, easily tired, and…
easily ignored.
Lin Feng would become busy with work as usual.
In a few days, everything would return to normal.
Lady Su slowly lifted her teacup.
This was a different tea from Snow Flower Tea.
A tea that left no trace.
Near noon, the sound of a car came from the front of the house.
Lin Feng had returned earlier than usual.
The moment he entered, he handed his work bag to a servant without much explanation.
“How is Qingyu?” he asked Auntie Yue.
“Her fever went down around dawn,” the woman answered quickly.
“She can eat now.”
Lin Feng drew in a slow breath.
Only then did some of the tension in his shoulders ease.
He immediately went upstairs.
His steps stopped in front of Qingyu’s room.
A soft knock sounded.
“Qingyu.”
A moment later, the door opened.
Qingyu stood there with her hair simply tidied.
Her face was still pale, but her eyes looked alive.
Lin Feng froze for a fraction of a second.
Something about his daughter was different.
Not only her appearance, but the way she stood and the way she looked at him.
For the first time in a very long while, Qingyu did not look like someone who might collapse at any moment.
“How do you feel?” Lin Feng asked, his voice softer than usual.
“Better.”
Lin Feng nodded slightly.
Then his gaze lowered to Qingyu’s clothes.
A simple cream blouse and trousers that had clearly been washed many times.
The outfit was not bad, but it was obviously not something suitable for the daughter of the Lin family.
For some reason, his chest tightened slightly.
Only now did he realize that Qingyu had probably been wearing whatever was available all this time.
Meanwhile, Lin Xue bought new clothes almost every month.
Lin Feng turned briefly toward the corridor before looking back at Qingyu.
“Qingyu,” he said slowly, “why did you never tell me when you needed something?”
Qingyu fell silent for a moment.
Because the old Qingyu had never felt she had the right to ask.
But she did not say that.
“I didn’t want to trouble anyone,” she replied calmly.
That simple sentence only made it harder for Lin Feng to speak.
In the end, he let out a quiet breath.
“You need to go outside from time to time.”
Lady Su, who had just come up a few steps, immediately stopped.
Lin Feng continued.
“Your body won’t recover if you stay in your room all the time.”
Qingyu nodded slightly.
“And…” Lin Feng’s gaze once again lowered to his daughter’s clothes.
“…you need some new clothes.”
Lady Su immediately smiled.
“Husband, that isn’t necessary.
Qingyu doesn’t really—”
“It is necessary.”
Lin Feng cut her off without raising his voice.
But his tone carried a clear decision.
He looked back at Qingyu.
“When you feel a little better, go out and buy whatever you need.”
He paused briefly before adding in a softer tone,
“It doesn’t need to be expensive.
It only needs to be proper.”
The words sounded simple, yet the atmosphere in the corridor changed because of them.
Lady Su stiffened.
Qingyu lowered her head.
“Alright, Father.”
Lin Feng turned toward Auntie Yue.
“Go with her when the time comes.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Xiao Lan too.”
Xiao Lan, who stood nervously behind Qingyu, quickly nodded.
“Yes, Master!”
Then Lin Feng added one more thing.
“I’ll have the driver take them.”
That sentence made Lady Su fall completely silent.
It meant this was clearly not permission from her.
It was a direct order from the head of the family.
Lady Su still tried to smile.
“You’re worrying too much,” she said lightly.
“Qingyu isn’t used to going out.”
“Then she can start getting used to it now.”
Lin Feng’s answer was calm.
But it was enough to make the air in the house feel different.
He looked at Qingyu once more.
“If there is anything you need, tell me directly.”
“Alright.”
Lin Feng finally turned and headed toward his study.
As he passed Lady Su, his gaze paused for a fraction of a second on his wife’s face.
He was not angry.
But there was something new there, an observation.
Like a man slowly beginning to realize that there were too many things in this house he had never truly seen.
Once the study door closed, the corridor suddenly became quiet.
Auntie Yue went back downstairs to the kitchen as usual.
Xiao Lan hurried into Qingyu’s room and carefully closed the door.
Lady Su remained where she was for several seconds.
Her posture stayed graceful.
But inside her, something had begun to move uneasily.
For the first time in years, Lady Su felt events beginning to move beyond her reach.
She walked quickly back to her own bedroom.
The moment the door closed, her hand reached for her phone.
She dialed an unnamed number.
As soon as the call connected, her voice became cold.
“Send someone.”
She walked toward her vanity and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
“Someone who can work without drawing attention.”
A soft laugh sounded from the other side.
Lady Su closed her eyes briefly.
“I can’t wait any longer,” she said quietly.
“Her father is starting to pay attention.”
She ended the call without waiting for a reply.
There was no emotion on her face, but her eyes were no longer as calm as usual.
She had made her decision.
If Qingyu was starting to leave the house… Then the outside world could become a tool.
Or a trap.
In her room, Qingyu sat near the window, watching afternoon light fall across the backyard.
She had not heard Lady Su’s conversation, but she still sensed that something had changed.
For the first time, the world outside this house no longer felt completely closed to her.
And for the first time since arriving on Earth, she would truly step outside this house.
Qingyu gently touched the wooden bracelet on her wrist.
Her gaze remained calm.
“If they open the door…” she murmured softly, “…then I’ll walk out in my own way.”