This was her life now, this table, these people, this carefully constructed family that she'd walked into without fully understanding what she was agreeing to.
Breakfast was served in near silence, broken only by the soft clink of silverware and Yuyan's occasional quiet comments.
And all the while, Shuyin could feel Lu Yuze's gaze on her, assessing, calculating, waiting.
Always waiting.
For what, she didn't yet know.
But she had a feeling she was going to find out very soon.
BREAKFAST
The silence that settled over the table was not uncomfortable, but it was weighted with unspoken tensions and careful politeness.
Lu Yuze ate with the precise movements of someone who'd been trained in etiquette from birth, each gesture measured, controlled, efficient.
He didn't look up from his plate, but Shuyin could feel his awareness of her, that constant surveillance that never quite turned off.
