“Mingzhao,” Liu Wenjun couldn’t help but step forward, a gentle and earnest smile spreading across her face.

“This thing looks pretty heavy. Will you be able to manage it all by yourself? Do you want me to stay and lend a hand? I'm not good at heavy lifting, but I can at least hand you tools or do some extra work. Howard isn't home, so you'll be all alone…”

"No need." Mingzhao interrupted Liu Wenjun without even looking up, after checking that the seal was intact.

Her voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable detachment: "I can manage on my own."

Liu Wenjun's smile froze for a moment, and a hint of disappointment and urgency flashed in her eyes.

On one hand, she genuinely felt sorry for Mingzhao, a young girl, who was working so hard all by herself. More importantly, she desperately wanted to see and experience Mingzhao's forward-thinking ideas and technology firsthand!

If she could get involved, even just as an observer, it could be a revolutionary inspiration for Jiang Feng's leg and for her own future research!

“Mingzhao, look…” Liu Wenjun still wanted to persuade him, her tone almost pleading.

"I'll just take a look, I definitely won't bother you! Jiang Feng, he..."

"Excuse me, I need some quiet. I can manage on my own from now on!"

Mingzhao finally looked up at Liu Wenjun, her clear pupils revealing no room for negotiation, only a pure need to execute orders. "Interference. Reduce efficiency. Please leave."

"Interference," "reduced efficiency"... these cold words struck Liu Wenjun's heart like a hammer.

She knew Mingzhao's personality and that she was a woman of her word.

If this continues, even the hard-won connection will be severed.

Now, it's always me begging the other party.

Liu Wenjun harbored some resentment. Mingzhao had been brought to her home by Huo Hua, and she had so warmly given her books; why was Mingzhao's attitude so cold now?

If I hadn't known that Mingzhao was just this kind of person...

“…Okay, okay.” Liu Wenjun barely suppressed the longing and resentment in her heart, her smile somewhat bitter.

"Then you go ahead and be careful! If you need anything, just have Howard... oh no, just have someone go next door and call me!"

She looked back every few steps, lingering over the closed door and the mysterious black box, before finally leaving the courtyard with a heavy heart.

The setting sun cast a long shadow over her, filled with the regret of not being able to fulfill her wish.

Liu Wenjun gently closed the courtyard gate. Mingzhao immediately turned around and bolted the inner door. With a click, the outside world was shut out.

She walked to the wooden box, took out a specially made, oddly shaped, thin-bladed tool from her bosom, and precisely and quickly cut along the gaps in the wax seal.

Pry open the box lid, and inside are neatly arranged metal parts carefully wrapped in oil paper and shock-absorbing foam.

The cold metallic sheen flowed in the afterglow of the setting sun, exuding the unique scent of machine oil and fresh cutting.

Intricate gears, alloy joints gleaming with a matte blue sheen, a sensor core wrapped with special wires...

Each and every one of them is imbued with an industrial aesthetic that transcends this era.

Mingzhao's eyes were like those of the thirstiest traveler who had seen an oasis.

She carefully took out the treasures one by one, carried them into the main room, and then closed the door without hesitation, locking it from the inside again.

The courtyard fell completely silent. Only the rustling of the leaves in the wind could be heard.

Time passed silently behind the closed door.

Three days later, Howard was finally out of danger and transferred back to a regular ward, but he was still weak, his wounds were healing slowly, and he needed to rest.

The first thing he did after regaining consciousness was insist on going home.

The smell of the hospital irritated him, but more importantly, he was worried about his little darling at home who was locked up doing research.

Unable to dissuade him from his insistence, the doctor prescribed medication and gave him countless instructions before finally allowing him to leave.

When Howard, supported by his orderly, returned to the courtyard, pale-faced and unsteady on his feet, he was still greeted by the same tightly closed door to the main room.

He said nothing, only gesturing for the orderly to leave, before laboriously moving to sit on the steps leading to the main room. The wound on his left shoulder still throbbed, each breath pulling at the badly injured area. But he simply sat quietly, like a silent, guardian statue.

Three meals a day became the only time Howard could "disturb" Mingzhao.

He would set out the food he brought back from the canteen on the small stone table in the courtyard in advance, and then walk to the closed door and knock gently three times.

"Mingzhao, eat." His voice was somewhat hoarse due to weakness and deliberate lowering.

There was usually no response from inside. But after a while, the bolt would be pulled open a crack from the inside. Mingzhao would appear behind the door, her hair perhaps more disheveled, with faint dark circles under her eyes, but her eyes were strikingly bright, carrying a sharp, lingering quality of intense concentration. She silently accepted the food Howard handed her, then quickly closed the door and bolted it. The whole process took no more than ten seconds, and the two exchanged almost no words beyond eye contact.

Howard sat on the steps, listening to the occasional, extremely faint yet strangely rhythmic metallic clanging, gear meshing, or some kind of low hum coming from inside the door. He didn't understand what those sounds meant, but he could feel the focused, almost overwhelming force within the door. He would silently finish his somewhat cold meal, then continue sitting until nightfall, only returning to his room to rest at the urging of the orderly.

Nearly half a month passed like this. The farce about Wang Caifeng in the family compound gradually subsided. Under Mingzhao's death warning, Zhao Xiaoxiao practically begged the security department and the production team in her hometown to force Wang Caifeng, who was still wearing bandages and cursing all the way, onto a long-distance bus back to her hometown on the third day. Huo Hua's wounds finally began to scab over, and his complexion improved considerably. But the door to the main room remained tightly closed.

That evening, Howard set out the meal as usual, walked to the door, and knocked.

"Mingzhao, time to eat."

There was no immediate sound of the door bolt being pulled from inside.

Howard frowned slightly and listened intently. There was complete silence inside; even the faint mechanical sounds from before had vanished.

A strange unease gripped him instantly. Had something happened? He instinctively raised his voice: "Mingzhao?"

Just as his hand was about to irresistibly push the door open—

"Click".

The bolt was pulled open.

This time, Mingzhao didn't just open the door a crack. She stood inside, still wearing the oil-stained work clothes, her hair casually tied up, her face showing obvious fatigue, but her eyes shone like stars piercing the night sky, carrying a pure and powerful confidence that came after the dust had settled.

Her gaze passed over Howard and landed directly on Liu Wenjun, who was peeking out from the neighboring courtyard gate after hearing the noise—Liu Wenjun would "coincidentally" be looking out at her own door at this time almost every day.

“It’s done.” Mingzhao’s voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly pierced through the tranquility of the twilight, carrying an undeniable power of declaration.