[Construction Site · Afternoon Break]
The afternoon heat clung to the skin. Workers sat scattered beside stacks of timber, resting in the shade, their chatter mingling with the distant sound of water and hammering.
Ding Yuhao reached into his clothes and produced a small spinning top. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it skimming onto the ground.
A flash of silver—
The top hummed as it spun, fast and steady, as though wind were hidden inside its core.
"That's a clever little thing," Xie Wenyun said when she noticed it. A hint of curiosity lit her eyes as she stepped closer, the hem of her skirt brushing dust without her noticing.
Ding Yuhao smiled. "My younger sister made it. She's loved tinkering with little mechanical gadgets since she was young. This is just something she threw together."
When he mentioned his sister, the pride in his voice was unmistakable, and once he started talking, he couldn't seem to stop.
Wenyun listened, her expression softening. She sat down beside him and took the spinning top into her palm, studying it carefully.
Her fingers traced the fine grooves etched into it. She couldn't help smiling, bright and genuine.
"It's exquisite. So delicate, yet ingenious."
Encouraged by her praise, Ding Yuhao grew even more animated, eagerly explaining the internal balance mechanism hidden within. One spoke, one listened; one laughed, one smiled. The atmosphere turned unexpectedly light, brighter even than the afternoon sun.
—
Not far away, Cangyuan was discussing canal foundations with the foreman.
When he turned back, his peripheral vision caught the scene.
Xie Wenyun sat neatly, her eyes alight with focused interest, a soft smile resting on her lips. Ding Yuhao spoke earnestly beside her, patient and open. Their distance was proper—yet precisely close enough to feel harmonious.
Cangyuan's gaze darkened. His brow knit without him realizing it.
Unbidden, a memory surfaced—her drunken voice against his shoulder that night:
"Would you travel the world with me?"
Her breath had carried the faint scent of wine, light as air, yet it had struck straight into his chest.
And now she smiled so freely—but not with him.
A low scoff slipped from his throat.
"She said she didn't come here for Ding Fourth… and now look at them, sitting side by side, laughing so happily."
He clenched his sleeve, forcing a faint, meaningless smile that did nothing to suppress the bitterness churning beneath.
The feeling lingered like a tide that refused to recede.
[Xie Residence · Night]
Night fell heavy and still. Only insects stirred in the courtyard.
After delivering documents for her father, Xie Wenyun turned back toward her chambers—only to find Cangyuan standing beneath the moonlight, hands clasped behind his back.
It was as though he had been waiting.
Moonlight softened his features, making it hard to tell whether his warmth was genuine or sharpened by something hidden.
"Miss Xie," he said lightly, as if making casual conversation.
"You worked hard at the site today, yet still found time to laugh and chat with Young Master Ding."
Wenyun froze. Heat crept to her ears.
"It was only about his sister's mechanical trinkets. Nothing more."
Cangyuan's eyes flickered, though his tone remained mild.
"Mm. I heard."
He paused, then added—carelessly precise:
"You smiled very freely. More genuinely than when you're drunk."
Her heart tightened as if poked by an unseen finger. She quickly looked away, fingers twisting in her sleeve.
Watching her reaction, Cangyuan curved his lips—half satisfied, half helpless.
"A single cup of wine, a few drunken words…" he said softly.
"Yet they're more stirring than sober ones."
The lanterns swayed faintly in the night breeze.
The air between them grew close, close enough that Wenyun nearly lost her footing.
Clenching her teeth, she asked in a low voice,
"Why are you saying this, Lord Cangyuan?"
He didn't answer—only looked at her. The teasing in his gaze had shifted, revealing something unmistakable beneath it.
Uneasy, Wenyun turned and left in haste, abandoning him to the moonlight and wind.
Cangyuan remained where he was, fingers brushing his sleeve unconsciously, his expression slow to settle.
He had thought he could dismiss it all—the kiss, the drunken confession—as passing clouds.
Yet the moment she laughed with someone else, the sour ache in his chest forced him to speak.
What should have been light banter had become instinctive concern.
He let out a quiet laugh, half mocking himself.
"So that's it… I thought myself detached, but I've already let her into my heart."
Moonlight traced his profile, revealing a complexity he could no longer deny—regret, and a faint sense of relief at being exposed.
He lifted his gaze toward the dim glow of her chamber.
"Xie Wenyun…" His throat tightened.
"How did you slip into my heart without a sound—and make resistance impossible?"
[Xie Residence · Boudoir]
The door closed. Candlelight flickered.
Wenyun leaned against the screen, fingers clenched tightly in her sleeve, her cheeks still warm.
His words echoed again and again:
You smiled so freely.
Drunken words are more stirring than sober ones.
She ground her teeth and muttered,
"That man… why does he always say things that leave me flustered?"
Yet no matter how annoyed she felt, her heart raced uncontrollably.
To deny it felt dishonest. To scold him felt unjust—because the focus in his eyes hadn't been mere teasing.
She covered her face, ears burning.
"How did this happen…? It's only been days, and already he pulls my emotions wherever he wishes."
She collapsed onto the bed, half-buried in the covers, as if they could shield her from the turmoil.
But the moment she closed her eyes—
Those smiling eyes returned.
Warm on the surface, irresistible beneath.
Turning restlessly, she twisted the corner of the blanket between her fingers and finally whispered,
"…Lord Cangyuan, you truly leave me unsettled."
[Xie Residence · Rear Garden · One Night]
Lanterns glowed softly. The night lay still as water.
Xie Wenyun and Ding Yuhao were examining newly delivered timber samples, exchanging a few casual remarks. She soon excused herself and walked away with composed grace.
At the garden path, she ran straight into Cangyuan.
She bowed politely and moved to leave.
His expression darkened at once.
She laughs with Ding Fourth—but rushes away from me.
His voice cooled.
"You seemed quite at ease laughing with Young Master Ding."
Wenyun paused, frowning slightly.
"Lord Cangyuan exaggerates. We were only discussing materials."
"Only materials?" He laughed softly, dangerously.
"Yet I dislike seeing you laugh with him."
Her heart jolted. Embarrassment flared as she met his gaze.
"Who I laugh with is none of your concern."
The air tightened.
Suddenly, Cangyuan reached out and seized her wrist.
His eyes burned, his voice low and strained.
"You clung to me and kissed me—twice—while drunk. Shouldn't you take responsibility?"
Wenyun froze, ears blazing.
"I—"
"Don't tell me drunkenness doesn't count," he cut in sharply, stepping closer.
"I took it seriously."
Her lashes trembled. Her lips parted.
"I was going to say—"
"Or will you tell me you don't care at all?" His voice pressed hard, like flame.
At last, Wenyun yanked her hand free, temper snapping. She planted her hands on her hips, all decorum forgotten.
"Will you let me finish a sentence?! You keep interrupting—do you even want me to speak?!"
Cangyuan froze.
Then—he laughed.
She was furious, like a small animal baring its teeth, yet more real than she had ever been.
Flushed with frustration, she snapped,
"I was going to say it—I care too! Very much!"
Silence fell.
Cangyuan's breath caught. The smile stilled on his lips, his gaze softening slowly.
"…Do you know how long I've waited to hear that?"
Her face burned scarlet. She turned away—but he gently caught her shoulders, guiding her back to face him.
Their eyes met. The night wind passed quietly.
At last, the truth stood clear between them.
Cangyuan smiled again, slipping back into his familiar teasing—yet warmth shone through.
"Since you admit you care—then shouldn't we settle that drunken kiss properly?"
She whipped around. "You—!"
His expression refused to be serious, but his eyes were tender beyond restraint.
"Why not give me a clear-headed one, just to be fair?"
Speechless with embarrassment, she snapped,
"Lord Cangyuan, don't push your luck!"
He laughed softly, voice low and sincere.
"I only want a rightful answer."
Flustered beyond endurance, she turned and fled.
Yet her retreating figure betrayed her—
the lift of her skirt carried both panic and sweetness.
Cangyuan remained where he was, watching her go, his smile deepening.
"…Very well," he murmured.
"One day, I'll wait for the kiss you give me—fully awake, and wholly willing."