Morning sunlight streamed through the dining room's floor-to-ceiling windows and spilled across the long table draped in a pristine white cloth, gilding the exquisite tableware and steaming breakfast with a warm golden glow.
The Lu family took their seats one after another, beginning another morning over breakfast.
The atmosphere was as warm and harmonious as ever. Song Zhilan softly asked the children how they had slept, while Lu Yuan read the newspaper, occasionally looking up to join the conversation. Lu Shiyan ate elegantly, Lu Jiaoyue sipped her milk, Lu Bochen ate quietly, and Lu Yubai was as fidgety as always.
Lu Xiaoxiao sat in her usual place too, happily enjoying her favorite bread, which Song Zhilan had specifically asked the kitchen to bake.
She seemed focused on her breakfast, but out of the corner of her eye, she took in her family's seemingly normal behavior and the barely perceptible curiosity and caution beneath it.
-In fact, this was how they had been interacting lately. Lu Xiaoxiao knew that the inner voice they could no longer hear still hung between them like a thin veil.
It really is about time, she thought.
So, halfway through breakfast, when everyone had eaten most of their meal and the mood was at its most relaxed, Lu Xiaoxiao gently set down her chopsticks, picked up her napkin to dab elegantly at the corners of her mouth, and cleared her throat.
That tiny sound stood out at the relatively quiet table, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Song Zhilan put down her spoon and looked at her gently, concern in her voice. "Xiaoxiao, what's wrong? Is the food not to your liking? Or is there something you want to tell us?"
She paused, as though remembering something, then added, "The butler told me you went out in the