[Yao Residence · Study]
The lamplight flickered, casting shadows over the messy piles of documents on the desk.
Bang—
Luo Ye slammed the bag of pastries onto the table. The scent of baked dough spread through the room, yet he felt no hunger at all.
His chest rose and fell unevenly, brows tightly knit.
The scene from earlier replayed again and again in his mind—
Ling Dang smiling brightly, holding a food box, standing close to Li Furong.
His fists clenched until they creaked.
What… is wrong with me?
Ling Dang was just a boy.
So why did it feel like his heart had been stabbed just because that boy had been laughing with another woman?
Luo Ye pressed a hand to his brow, throat tight.
Could it be… that something is wrong with me?
For a fleeting moment, he even considered going to Sang Qi for a diagnosis.
But his face darkened immediately.
If that sharp-tongued doctor ever found out, he would never hear the end of it.
"Lord Luo suffers from heart sickness because of a little boy"—the very thought made his skin crawl.
"Absurd," he muttered.
He sat back down, but could no longer focus. His brush trembled, ink bleeding across the paper, mirroring the chaos in his heart.
He refused to admit it.
He couldn't admit it.
Because to do so would mean acknowledging feelings he should never have for Ling Dang.
Outside, Ling Dang hugged a small food box tightly. Inside were freshly steamed dumplings from the Li Residence. She had rushed all the way back, eager to share them with Luo Ye.
She knocked softly.
"Brother Luo… may I come in?"
Inside, Luo Ye's fingers tightened around his brush.
He stared at the scattered documents—and the now-cold pastries.
He didn't want Ling Dang to see him like this.
After a moment of silence, he answered coldly,
"I'm busy. Come back tomorrow."
Outside, Ling Dang paused.
"Oh… then I won't disturb you. Don't work too late, Brother Luo. I'll go back to my room."
Her footsteps faded.
Ling Dang walked away clutching the still-warm box, eyes quietly reddening.
Inside the study, Luo Ye let out a low sigh.
Why did I turn him away?
Why was I afraid to see him?
Because if this went on… even he didn't dare imagine what he might become.
[Dining Hall · Afternoon]
The place was bustling with noise and activity. Luo Ye led Ling Dang through inspections, his expression cold and distant.
Ling Dang followed silently, heart heavy.
He wasn't looking at her anymore.
His words were brief, purely businesslike.
She didn't know what she had done wrong.
Nearby, two men whispered and laughed.
"Look at Lord Luo's little clerk—he's filled out quite a bit. Still short, but much fairer and prettier than before."
"Lord Luo sure knows how to raise people well."
That sentence struck Luo Ye like a blade.
A voice from the past echoed—
I'll make sure you're well-fed and happy, never suffering again.
He had once said that to Gu Xingyu.
But that feeling back then had been warm, familial.
This was different.
The men kept talking.
"If he weren't dressed as a boy, I'd think he was a girl. That face is really something."
"If he were a girl, I'd marry him. So small and cute."
Luo Ye turned sharply.
Ling Dang was crouched there counting firewood, lashes lowered, cheeks pale and soft.
And suddenly—
If she took off her boy's clothes…
If she wore a light silk dress, a hairpin swaying gently…
Luo Ye's breath caught.
"Ridiculous," he cursed himself, tearing his eyes away.
But the fire in his chest only grew hotter.
Behind him, Ling Dang felt his gaze and looked up—
Only to see him turn away stiffly.
Her heart thumped wildly.
Why won't he look at me?
And why does hearing them call me a "girl" make me feel this strange?
Two hearts walked side by side, yet each was drifting further into confusion.
Between them, an invisible distance had formed— quiet, fragile, and unbearably tense.