That morning, Qingyu came downstairs wearing something different from usual.
A simple light gray blouse wrapped around her slender frame with clean, neat tailoring.
The black trousers she wore were also new, though they lacked the flashy brands or expensive designs that filled Lin Xue’s wardrobe.
By the standards of the Lin family, the outfit was still modest.
Which was exactly why the difference stood out so clearly.
Qingyu walked calmly toward the dining table with light, steady steps.
Her body moved more naturally now, though she still looked thin and pale.
The aroma of toasted bread and smoked meat filled the air.
Light mushroom soup and freshly cut fruit had also been arranged neatly across the table.
Lin Feng was already seated at the head of the table, reading a business report on his tablet.
His brows were slightly furrowed.
He typed something briefly before finally setting the tablet aside.
Across from him, Lady Su poured tea with graceful, practiced movements.
Meanwhile, Lin Xue entered several seconds later.
Her expensive pajamas were slightly wrinkled, and her hair remained a little messy from sleep.
She yawned softly while lazily walking toward her seat.
But the moment she noticed Qingyu from the side, her steps abruptly stopped.
“Hah?”
The sound escaped before she could stop herself.
Her eyes moved up and down, examining Qingyu’s clothes.
“Your clothes… are new?”
Her tone carried obvious surprise, along with discomfort she failed to hide completely.
Qingyu gave a light nod.
“Yes.”
Lin Xue narrowed her eyes.
“How come I didn’t know?”
Before Qingyu could answer, Lin Xue spoke again more quickly.
“But… just like that?”
She vaguely gestured toward Qingyu’s outfit with a faintly mocking smile.
“Why pick something so plain?”
The small spoon in Lady Su’s hand paused for the briefest second.
Her gaze immediately shifted sharply toward her daughter.
But Lin Xue was too busy staring at Qingyu to notice.
The dining room suddenly felt quieter.
Xiao Lan’s shoulders stiffened where she stood not far behind Qingyu.
She glanced nervously at her young miss, who continued spooning soup calmly as if nothing bothered her at all.
Lin Feng slowly lowered his teacup onto the table.
“What exactly do you mean by ‘plain’?” he asked flatly, though his eyes fixed sharply on Lin Xue.
Under the table, Lady Su tightly gripped the fabric of her dress.
The last thing she needed this morning was for Lin Xue to speak carelessly over something trivial.
Lin Xue flinched slightly.
“That’s not what I meant, Dad.
I just—”
“You’re simply too used to seeing your older sister wear whatever was left over.”
Lin Feng’s voice was not loud.
But it was enough to change the entire atmosphere at the table.
Lin Xue immediately fell silent.
Lin Feng looked at her for several seconds before continuing,
“Or did you never notice?”
This time, Lin Xue truly froze.
She had never really thought about it before.
Qingyu’s clothes had always looked simpler compared to hers.
Sometimes they even looked like old outfits worn for years.
But in a house this large, she had never stopped to wonder why that was the case.
Lady Su quickly smiled gently, trying to soften the atmosphere.
“Xue’er didn’t mean anything bad,” she said smoothly.
“She’s just surprised to see Qingyu starting to care about her appearance.”
“I don’t blame her for being surprised,” Lin Feng answered calmly.
He paused briefly before continuing,
“I blame myself.”
Lin Feng let out a long breath.
The sentence carried a heavy weight.
Qingyu slowly lifted her gaze.
For a moment, Lin Feng studied his daughter’s clothes more carefully.
The blouse was indeed new.
The fabric was good quality, but clearly not expensive.
It did not look like the choice of someone raised with unrestricted access to the Lin family’s wealth.
His daughter looked like someone accustomed to checking prices before buying anything.
A deep discomfort settled heavily in his chest.
“When did you buy them?” Lin Feng asked, his voice softer this time.
“A few days ago,” Qingyu answered honestly.
“With whom?”
“Xiao Lan and Auntie Yue.”
Lin Feng gave a small nod.
Lady Su subtly stiffened.
“I didn’t know Qingyu went shopping,” she said while maintaining her faint smile toward Qingyu.
“Because I didn’t mention it,” Qingyu replied flatly.
She returned Lady Su’s gaze without hesitation.
The old Qingyu would never have done that.
And somehow, that made Lady Su’s expression stiffen for the briefest moment.
That day, she truly had attended a social event since noon.
It was perfectly reasonable for her not to know Qingyu had gone out.
Yet for some reason, Qingyu’s answer felt like a reminder that more and more things were happening inside this house without her knowledge.
Lin Feng leaned slightly back in his chair.
“You actually don’t need permission for things like that.”
He looked directly at Qingyu.
“If you want to go out, then go out.
Even more often if you like.
As long as you can take care of yourself.”
Lin Xue immediately turned toward him.
“Dad—”
“I’m talking to your sister.”
Lin Feng’s tone remained calm, yet it was enough to make Lin Xue close her mouth.
He looked back at Qingyu again.
“Fresh air is good for you,” he continued.
“And you’re free to choose whatever you like.
It doesn’t always have to be simple.”
Qingyu tilted her head slightly.
“I don’t mind.”
“I know.”
Lin Feng exhaled quietly.
“But I do.”
Silence immediately settled over the dining table again.
Lady Su stared at the surface of her tea.
Her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the cup handle.
She was not foolish.
She knew her husband was feeling guilty.
And guilt like that… often slowly turned into suspicion.
Lin Feng glanced briefly at Lady Su before lowering his eyes toward the table again.
Deep down, he only hoped it was not already too late to fix many things.
Eventually, he shifted the conversation.
“By the way,” he said while pulling the tablet back toward himself, “there’s a small problem at the company.”
Lady Su lifted her head.
“A problem?”
“Raw material distribution.”
Lin Feng’s tone sounded casual, though his brows furrowed slightly.
“Some routes are too clean.”
Qingyu, who had been slowly lifting another spoonful of soup, stopped her movement.
“Too clean how?” she asked.
Lin Feng looked slightly surprised.
So did Lady Su.
“You’re interested in things like this?”
“A little.”
Qingyu looked at him calmly.
“Because distribution routes that look too clean are usually hiding something.”
Lin Xue immediately let out a small scoff.
“Now Sister understands business too?”
Qingyu turned briefly toward her.
“Not completely.”
Then she continued while lowering her gaze back to her bowl,
“But I understand one thing.”
Lin Feng did not interrupt.
His full attention was now fixed on Qingyu.
“If a material looks legal, cheap, and too consistent…” Qingyu said slowly, “when it should naturally fluctuate, then something upstream is being concealed.”
The room fell silent again.
Lin Xue looked confused.
But Lin Feng’s expression shifted slightly.
Meanwhile, Lady Su’s pupils narrowed faintly.
“That’s only your assumption,” she said with a faint smile.
Qingyu gave a light nod.
“Yes.
An assumption.”
Then she returned to eating as though the conversation had never mattered.
But Lin Feng did not move immediately.
His gaze remained fixed on Qingyu.
For the first time in years, he felt as though he were looking at a completely different person.
Not the weak girl who always stayed quietly in the corner of the house, or the girl who simply accepted everything silently.
There was something unsettling in how calm Qingyu sounded.
And more than that…
The way she thought was far too sharp for someone who had supposedly never involved herself in family matters.
“We’ll talk about this again later,” Lin Feng finally said.
He stood from his chair while carrying the tablet with him.
Under the table, Lin Xue clenched her fists tightly.
She hated the way Lin Feng looked at Qingyu today.
And she hated situations where all the attention slowly began shifting away from her.
Across the table, Lady Su still smiled.
But now the smile looked thin and fragile.
Meanwhile, Qingyu calmly continued eating her breakfast.
Warm steam slowly rose from the soup in front of her.
Her expression remained as indifferent as ever.
But in her mind, she noted one thing very clearly.
Today…
The way the world looked at her had begun to change.