Yet as soon as it involved innocent civilians, his deeply ingrained modern mindset bound him tightly, making it impossible for him to turn a blind eye.
Back in Qingzhou, he could have chosen to protect only himself, but instead, he saved over twenty thousand civilians. Even though he knew that few would likely rember or appreciate his efforts in the future.
Still, he saved them in the end.
Perhaps, in his past life, he was just an ordinary civilian, and that lingering sense of compassion remained.
At this mont, hearing Xiao Lingqiu suggest sending innocent civilians to their deaths left him undeniably uneasy.
This is the distance between him and Xiao Lingqiu.
A distance not born of status, but rather of their fundantally different values and outlooks on life.
In their earlier days, when the two faced hardships, they relied on each other for survival—carrying one another through challenges, with few barriers between them.
But when actual problems arose, the two seed to belong to entirely different worlds, creating an imnse sense of separation.
This was the root of their conflict.
"I’m done playing; I’m going to sleep!"
Xiao Lingqiu felt an inexplicable mix of irritation and grievance in response to the man’s questioning.
In a fit of pique, she brushed all the chess pieces off the board with her sleeve, pulled out a jade hairpin from her bun, shed her outer garnt, and lay down with her back to him—assuming a posture that clearly conveyed her refusal to engage.
Jiang Shouzhong silently picked up the scattered chess pieces and placed them back into the chess basket.
After bathing, as he prepared to climb into bed, he heard Xiao Lingqiu mutter in a muffled voice: "Don’t sleep on the bed! If you dare sleep here, I’ll go sleep on the floor!"
Jiang Shouzhong chuckled softly. Unlike at the beginning, when he stubbornly insisted on taking the bed, he instead grabbed a thin blanket and pillow, spread them out on the floor, and prepared to sleep.
The silence behind him made Xiao Lingqiu’s heart flutter with an inexplicable pause.
She turned slightly, her gaze inadvertently sweeping across the floor. When she saw that Jiang Shouzhong had genuinely laid out the thin blanket and was quietly lying down, she froze.
For reasons unknown, her chest suddenly ached faintly at that mont.
It felt as though an invisible hand had cruelly pulled the distance between them even further apart.
This unexpected coldness stirred a complex mix of emotions within her—regret for her impulsiveness, alongside grievance and anger.
Xiao Lingqiu took a deep breath and spoke coldly: "Sleep on the bed; don’t catch a chill."
"It’s fine; you sleep," Jiang Shouzhong replied as he extinguished the candle.
The room sank into darkness.
This darkness felt like an endless void, separating them into different spaces.
An inexplicable wave of panic surged within Xiao Lingqiu.
Her lips parted as though to speak, but her pride kept her silent for far too long.
Idiot!
Her slender jade-like fingers clutched the quilt tightly, her lips pressed hard between her teeth, drawing the faintest trace of blood. Ultimately, she turned over in a fit of anger: "Then sleep, but if you get sick, don’t bla ."
Jiang Shouzhong remained silent.
Xiao Lingqiu waited endlessly for him to climb onto the bed, but the man never ca, leaving her consud by overwhelming grievance.
She instinctively touched the cold, empty side of the bed, missing the warmth and familiar presence of the man’s scent. Having grown accustod to his embrace, this felt entirely foreign to her.
After what seed like a long ti, Xiao Lingqiu suddenly got up.
With bare feet, she approached Jiang Shouzhong, lifted his blanket, and nestled herself in his arms without uttering a single word.
Jiang Shouzhong froze for a mont, then helplessly climbed into the bed to sleep.
Xiao Lingqiu followed him onto the bed, burrowed into his embrace, still remaining silent.
Jiang Shouzhong then lay back on the floor.
The woman followed him again.
When Jiang Shouzhong prepared to get up once more, he felt his collar being tugged even tighter. A cool droplet landed on his arm... a tear had fallen from the woman’s face.
Jiang Shouzhong’s heart softened, releasing a quiet sigh.
He extended his arms and gently embraced her.
"Don’t touch !"
The woman demanded, her voice dripping with arrogance yet tinged with an almost imperceptible sob.
This faint sob seed buried deep between her clenched teeth.
Her pride left no room for vulnerability.
This ti, Jiang Shouzhong did not yield to her demand but instead held her tightly, his hand softly stroking her smooth back as he murmured gently: "You’re right."
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