[The Midnight Secret]
The moon was cold and the night still. Luo Ye woke from a fitful sleep, his heart still heavy with the fear of losing Ling Dang. He sat up, finally admitting the truth to himself: I love him. I don't care what the world thinks, or that he's a boy. My heart belongs to him.
Determined to see the person he cherished most, he walked toward Ling Dang's room. Just as he was about to knock, a soft murmur came from within:
"You've grown again... please stop. If I can't hide you anymore, and Luo-Dage finds out I'm a girl, he'll kick me out."
Luo Ye froze. His breath hitched, and his mind went blank. A girl? Ling Dang is... a girl? The realization hit him like a lightning bolt. He wasn't crazy; his heart had known the truth all along. A wave of overwhelming relief and pure, unadulterated joy washed over him. I'm not "broken." She's a woman.
[The Odd Behavior]
The next morning, Luo Ye watched Ling Dang with entirely new eyes. He couldn't help but steal glances at her chest—recalled her "grown again" comment—and immediately turned beet-red, coughing to hide his embarrassment.
Ling Dang noticed his strange behavior. One moment he was smiling like an idiot, the next he was scowling in deep thought.
"Luo-Dage, are you sick?" she asked, reaching out to touch his forehead.
Luo Ye flinched, his pulse skyrocketing at her touch. "I'm fine!" he barked, though his voice lacked its usual bite.
Ling Dang bit her lip, worried. He's definitely sick. I need to see Physician Sang.
[The "Flower-Daze" Diagnosis]
"Sang-Dage, it's urgent!" Ling Dang rushed into the medical tent. "Luo-Dage has a fever... in his brain! He keeps smiling and then scowling, and he acts so weird when I get close!"
Sang Qi burst into laughter. "That's not a fever, kid. That's called 'Flower-Daze'—better known as being hopelessly in love."
"In love?" Ling Dang blinked, confused.
"Exactly," Sang Qi smirked. "The cause of this sickness isn't in his body... it's you. Medicine can't cure this; only you can."
Ling Dang's heart did a little somersault. Me? But he's always so mean to me...
[A Sister's Advice]
Later, at the Li Mansion, Li Furong was brushing Ling Dang's hair. "Honestly, Dang-Dang, it's obvious you and Luo Ye are head-over-heels for each other. Why haven't you told him you're a girl?"
Ling Dang looked down, her voice small. "I'm afraid. What if he sends me away? Besides..." she blushed furiously, "I eat so much. What man wants a girl who eats more than a soldier? He'll find me unrefined and greedy."
Furong laughed so hard she cried. She pinched Ling Dang's cheeks affectionately. "You silly girl! If he truly loves you, he won't care if you eat an entire mountain of cakes. But if you don't tell him soon, and some other woman catches his eye, don't come crying to me!"
Ling Dang buried her face in her hands. She knew Furong was right, but the thought of revealing the truth was still the scariest thing in the world. Little did she know, the man she was so afraid of already knew her secret—and he was currently struggling with how to tell her that he loved every single thing about her.