[The Tug-of-War]
"Ling Dang is coming back to the Li Mansion with me!"
"Ling Dang is going back to the Yao Mansion with me!"
Li Furong and Luo Ye spoke at the exact same time, their eyes clashing with electric intensity. Furong wouldn't let Ling Dang suffer another insult; Luo Ye wouldn't let his person be taken by anyone else.
Sang Qi watched from the sidelines, his mind racing. Let Furong take the kid? No way! What if she falls for his pitiful, charming face? He couldn't allow it.
With a sly grin, Sang Qi shoved Ling Dang toward Luo Ye. "Kid, go with your Luo-Dage. He hasn't slept all night; you need to look after him."
Before Furong could protest, Sang Qi grabbed her wrist. "And you, Lady Li, I need help sorting herbs. Come on!" He dragged a fuming Furong away, leaving the other two alone.
[The Confession in the Crowd]
The midday sun beat down on the busy streets of the Yao Capital. Luo Ye marched forward, his face like a mask of ice, but his hand was gripped tightly around Ling Dang's.
"Luo-Dage... are you still angry?" Ling Dang whispered, struggling to keep up.
Luo Ye stopped. He looked at her, his gaze sharp but softening as he saw her flushed face. "I am not angry at you," he rasped.
Suddenly, a heavy merchant cart veered around the corner, nearly clipping them. Luo Ye yanked Ling Dang into his arms, his heart hammering against his ribs. He held her so tightly she could smell the scent of sunlight and herbs on his cloak.
"If you disappear for a night like that again... I will lose my mind," he whispered into her hair, his voice cracking with a rare vulnerability. "I searched every corner of this city. I never want to feel that fear again."
[I Won't Let Go]
People on the street began to whisper, watching the stern military official hugging his young clerk. Ling Dang's face burned like a ripe apple. "Luo-Dage, let go... people are staring..."
"No," Luo Ye replied, his jaw set. "Let them look. As long as you are safe and by my side, I don't care."
Ling Dang's heart skipped a beat. Is he... confessing to me? She didn't struggle anymore; she simply held onto his sleeve, her heart brimming with a bittersweet heat.
[The Silent Promise]
Back at the Yao Mansion, the afternoon sun filtered through the bamboo trees. Ling Dang quietly began organizing the scrolls on the desk.
"You should rest, Luo-Dage," she said firmly. "I can handle the accounts and the grain records. Let me help you, please."
Luo Ye stood there, stunned.
"I know I make you angry, and you always yell at me," Ling Dang whispered, her eyes fixed on the desk. "But I won't run away again. Even if you're mean to me, I'll stay. I won't let you be unable to find me ever again."
[The Heart's Warmth]
At sunset, a servant arrived at the study with two large food boxes.
"Lord Luo ordered these for you, Clerk Ling," the servant said with a smile. "He said you've worked hard all day and must eat while it's hot."
Inside were her favorite crispy cakes, a bowl of hot soup, meat porridge, and buns—far more than one person could eat.
Ling Dang's eyes grew misty. He was exhausted, yet he had remembered her favorite foods and her massive appetite. She took a sip of the warm soup, the heat spreading through her chest.
Looking toward the door where Luo Ye had vanished earlier, she smiled softly. "Luo-Dage... you're not actually that mean after all."