In the days that followed, Lin Lie realized Ding Yuxuan had changed.
She no longer clung to him with endless questions the way she used to. Instead, she listened obediently and did whatever he assigned. She looked well-behaved on the surface—yet at times she would suddenly drift off, her gaze unfocused, as if her thoughts were somewhere else. And the moment he took even one step closer, she would hurriedly find an excuse to leave.
The behavior tightened something in Lin Lie's chest; irritation bled into his brows.
—Avoiding him… wasn't that taking "proper distance" a little too far?
What he didn't understand was that Ding Yuxuan wasn't trying to push him away at all. Quite the opposite—whenever he came near, she panicked. Her heart raced out of rhythm, her whole body flustered, even her breathing turning unsteady. The only way she could hide it was to escape—never realizing that the more she retreated, the more it stirred his frustration.
Ding Yuxuan, meanwhile, scolded herself in silence. She didn't understand how simple admiration had turned into something she couldn't suppress. That first budding crush didn't bring her joy—it filled her with confusion and unease. She was terrified that if she revealed even a trace of her feelings, Lin Lie would only meet her with cold rejection.
—If he came to dislike her, she wouldn't just lose the person she'd admired for so long… she might even lose the chance to stay by his side and learn the machines she loved most.
That worry became an invisible chain, binding her heart tight—afraid to get close, yet unable to truly let go.
[Workshop Gate · At Sunset]
Ding Yuxuan's four older brothers had all inherited the craftsman's hands of their family. Since childhood they could sand wood and stone, sketch canal layouts, and read terrain like maps. Now they traveled with Cang Yuan's team, working on waterway projects—channeling water into towns and fields, earning the people's respect.
Of the four, three were already married with children. Only the youngest—her fourth brother—still hadn't taken a wife, and was often the target of their father's teasing… and quiet concern.
That day, after finishing a waterway project in a town, they finally set down the weight of their work and returned home to reunite with family. Her fourth brother had missed his little sister for far too long, so he deliberately detoured to the workshop to wait for her after her shift—so they could go home together for a reunion meal.
Outside the workshop stood Ding Yuhao, straight as a post. Years on construction sites had tanned his skin dark; his shoulders were broad, his build solid. Just standing there drew attention. A few girls passing by after work couldn't help whispering.
"Look—whose young master is that? He's built well."
Some even lifted their eyes openly, their looks playful.
Ding Yuhao didn't notice at all. He kept his focus fixed on the workshop gates.
Only when the crowd thinned and the noise faded did Ding Yuxuan finally stroll out—fine metal dust clinging to her bangs, her face softened by the lamplight.
"Little sis!"
Ding Yuhao's eyes lit up. He strode forward, joy bursting through his voice.
Ding Yuxuan spotted him and ran over like a little bird. "You're back!"
Without hiding her happiness, she grabbed his hand, eyes bright. "Where's Father? Where are the others?"
"Everyone's home. Your sisters-in-law are cooking—just waiting for me to bring you back for the reunion meal."
Ding Yuhao smiled indulgently and ruffled the top of her head.
"Then let's hurry home!"
Ding Yuxuan beamed, tugging her brother's hand the way she had as a child, skipping off toward home.
—And Lin Lie stood in the distance.
He couldn't hear what they were saying. He only saw Ding Yuxuan smiling so brilliantly, saw her take that burly man's hand, saw a closeness that looked far too intimate.
Anger shot up his chest like a flame; his fingers trembled as he fought to hold it down.
Tang Jun had barely left the picture, and now there was another brute—was she really that quick to draw attention?
But beneath the anger, another jolt rose—sharper, more terrifying.
This wasn't just anger.
It was because… he cared about her.
Lin Lie's mind tightened; his breath caught.
He had actually fallen for this kind of girl.
His brow twitched hard, as if he couldn't bear to admit it.
Like her? …Absurd.
His gaze lingered a moment longer on her smiling face—then he turned sharply, his back rigid and cold.
His steps were heavy but fast, as if sheer decisiveness could cover the chaos in his chest.
"She's just a woman who likes to invite attention…"
He snarled it inwardly, yet his voice shook—so much so that even he could hear the guilt beneath it.
The wind swept down the long street, carrying away her laughter.
Lin Lie's expression was colder than the night, while his heart felt pinned under a burning stone—no matter how fiercely he denied it, he couldn't extinguish it.
Lin Lie didn't sleep that night.
In the past, sleepless nights were nothing to him—he would bend over designs, draft blueprints, refine mechanisms, focused as iron, unaware of time passing.
But this night was different.
His head felt ready to explode. All he could see was Ding Yuxuan and that man's closeness—her starlit eyes, her unguarded laughter, the way she had reached out first to take his hand. The image was like a barb that tore at him again and again.
"…Damn it."
He muttered, and even his voice carried a faint tremor. He should have been working, should have been immune to distractions—yet that smile clung to him, impossible to shake.
He rolled out of bed, splashed cold water on his face, and still couldn't calm the agitation boiling in his chest.
—Since when did every move she made have the power to ruin his composure?
After Ding Yuhao returned, he came almost every day to pick Ding Yuxuan up after work. Each time Lin Lie saw their backs walking side by side, it felt as if something crushed his heart in a merciless grip.
He had always been calm, always practiced at pressing his thoughts into blueprints and gears. But now he couldn't sit still. The moment he imagined her looking up, smiling as she talked to that man—imagined her reaching out again to hold his hand—his mind became a mess, his reason torn apart.
"I… have actually become this out of control."
Lin Lie pressed his lips tight, a confusion and pain in his eyes that he didn't dare acknowledge.
So this was what it felt like—to want someone and not be able to have them.
Every time he watched her disappear down the street, it felt like a blade carving his chest open, a burning pain that refused to fade.
More than once, he almost stormed forward, ready to demand coldly—
"Who is he? What is he to you?"
The words rose to his throat—only to be forced back down.
Because he was afraid.
Afraid that if he asked, the answer would destroy him.
So he could only clench his fingers until they went white, force his face into indifference, and turn away—as if it didn't matter, even as his rigid back betrayed the violent contradiction inside him.
That day, as Ding Yuxuan was packing up to leave, a few younger girls in the workshop crowded around her.
"Ding-ding, since when did you get such a fine gentleman? He waits for you every day!"
"Right! Look at those shoulders—so broad my eyes nearly fell out!"
Their teasing came from every side. Ding Yuxuan blinked, then couldn't help laughing.
"What 'gentleman'? That's my little brother—" she started, then corrected herself quickly with a grin. "My fourth brother!"
She paused on purpose, mischief flashing in her eyes. "But…"
Then she pointed at each girl in turn, grave as if announcing an official decree.
"He might become one of your gentlemen someday, you know. My fourth brother still isn't married—and you've all seen him. Not bad-looking, right? Come, come—who wants to be my future sister-in-law?"
For one beat, everyone went silent—then screams exploded.
"Me, me, me!"
"Ding-ding, put in a good word for me!"
"No, you have to let me go first!"
The workshop erupted into laughter and squeals as the girls scrambled to nominate themselves.
Outside the courtyard gate, Ding Yuhao continued waiting for his sister as usual, completely unaware he was being "sold" cleanly by his own little sister.
When he raised his head to look for her, a group of girls suddenly swarmed him.
"Master Ding, you work on canals all the time, right? Must be exhausting!"
"What do you like to eat? My braised pork is famous!"
"Big Brother Ding, my name's Xiao Cui—from the next alley… if there's a chance…"
A few bold ones even "accidentally" brushed him in the crowd—pinching his arm, bumping his shoulder on purpose.
Ding Yuhao's face turned scarlet. He stiffened like a plank, not knowing where to put his hands.
Not far away, Ding Yuxuan was already laughing so hard she could barely stand, doubled over by the wall as if she might shake the roof down.
The commotion quickly drew a crowd. Apprentices peeked out, snickering; masters shook their heads with helpless smiles; even passersby paused to watch.
Ding Yuhao felt his scalp go numb. Even his ears were red. At last, he grabbed Ding Yuxuan—still giggling—and hissed low,
"Still laughing? Move!"
In the next instant, he yanked her into a run. The two of them bolted through the crowd like fugitives, stumbling all the way to the street corner before stopping.
Ding Yuxuan laughed until she couldn't breathe, slapping her brother's arm.
"Brother—you're famous now!"
Ding Yuhao could only laugh and groan, rubbing her head in defeat, silently vowing: he would never again wait at the workshop gate so casually.
Naturally, the "news" reached Lin Lie as well.
At first, his brow knotted tight. His chest felt stirred like a storm—so much so that he snapped the pen in his hand from sheer force.
But as the chatter grew clearer, he finally understood—
"That man is Ding girl's fourth brother! No wonder he comes every day—siblings with such a strong bond."
"Yeah, real brother and sister. The Ding siblings are close."
Lin Lie froze.
All those sleepless, burning images in his mind—suddenly changed color.
So… it had been a misunderstanding.
The pressure in his chest dispersed in an instant, like wind sweeping away heavy clouds.
A soft laugh escaped him—at himself, for tormenting himself night after night over nothing but a ridiculous mistake.
So they were siblings.
So she wasn't what he had suspected at all.
Something knotted tight inside him finally loosened.