Gu Zhan arrived very early.

Just as A-Liu was confessing his feelings to Xu Nian.

He was too far away to hear Xu Nian's reply, but he could vaguely see her smiling purely, as if she were very happy.

For some reason, Gu Zhan's mood instantly soured.

He had originally come to find Xu Nian, but now he had lost interest and turned back with his sword in hand.

A-Liu was so intimidated by Gu Zhan's imposing presence that he didn't dare to utter a sound. By the time he came to his senses, Xu Nian had already left, leaving him only to feel frustrated and heartbroken.

[Haha, does this young man not understand the streamer's subtext?]

[Indeed, if it were me, I would have awkwardly left already. The refusal was too obvious.]

That's what makes that young man so admirable—his simplicity and kindness.

Xu Nian glanced at the comments and nodded in agreement, "Indeed, he's a very simple and honest person. I should have explained it more clearly."

As she was talking, she happened to pass by a puddle and looked down at it.

On the water's surface was an extremely pure and lovely face, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, a delicate nose, and moist red lips, making it impossible to look away.

"While there's still time, I might switch careers and become a beauty livestreamer."

Xu Nian touched her face and clicked her tongue in admiration, "Why would I need to flee? I can just do sexy dances for you guys in the live stream every day and get free silver and mana. Why not?"

Come on, we're all used to seeing you running away from home, why are you dancing?!

[Exactly, the streamer's dancing just doesn't have the right feel. We love watching your passionate escape from famine, and your impoverished daily life.]

"cut."

Xu Nian snorted coldly, too lazy to argue with the audience.

She went back into the house, but overheard the soldiers whispering, "What did the general go up the mountain with his sword for? His face was ashen, it was terrifying."

"I don't know, it's been like that ever since I got back."

Gu Zhan?

Xu Nian paused and started walking up the mountain.

Although her relationship with Gu Zhan wasn't quite at the point where they could talk about anything, they were still close confidants.

Hearing that her confidante was in a bad mood, Xu Nian naturally wanted to offer her some words of comfort.

She looked around the space for several weeks, and finally exchanged it for a bag of sweet strawberry hard candy, put it in her pocket, and strode up the mountain.

At this moment, Gu Zhan was coldly wielding his sword, his arm aching but he refused to stop.

He couldn't understand why he was so agitated.

Gu Zhan's way of dealing with bad moods has always been to practice swordsmanship. Only at this time can he get rid of all distracting thoughts.

But right now, the methods that had always worked were no longer effective; his mind was filled with the image of Xu Nian smiling at that man.

"Bang!"

The longsword slipped from his hand and slammed to the ground, startling Xu Nian, who had just arrived. She quickly asked, "What are you doing here by yourself?"

Gu Zhan suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head to meet Xu Nian's concerned expression, pursed his lips, but ultimately did not speak.

Xu Nian keenly sensed that he was in a bad mood, so she didn't press him for details. Instead, she went over and pulled him to sit down.

[The general looks upset; the anchor should comfort him.]

[Waaah, my lord general, don't look so sad.]

"Don't try to tough it out when you're in a bad mood. You still have me as your confidant, right?"

As she spoke, Xu Nian patted her chest and said, "If you have any difficulties, just let me know."

Upon hearing this, Gu Zhan's chaotic emotions eased somewhat. After a pause, he calmly said, "Nothing special."

He couldn't very well say that he felt upset just because he saw her standing with that person.

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Xu Nian couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.

Could it be that the long march had left him physically and mentally exhausted, and with the military affairs being so complicated, he had nowhere to vent his frustrations but to practice swordsmanship in the mountains?

Upon closer reflection, Gu Zhan indeed doesn't have many peers around him.

Thinking of this, Xu Nian's face turned solemn. "Actually, sometimes you don't need to work so hard. You can just leave many things to your subordinates. You don't have to do everything yourself."

Gu Zhan listened in silence, completely bewildered as to why the topic had suddenly shifted to this.

But he didn't want to say anything else, so he simply nodded gently in agreement with Xu Nian's words.

Seeing Gu Zhan agree, Xu Nian felt that her idea was correct, and patiently advised, "Although the famine will not be over soon, don't be too anxious. There will always be a way to solve it."

She kept talking, completely unaware of the increasingly intense gaze Gu Zhan was giving her.

Gu Zhan couldn't understand, but subconsciously he wanted to hear Xu Nian say more to him, so he hesitated to interrupt and just watched.

Watching her smile as she said she was too tired and needed to relax, that she didn't have to bear it all alone, and that she had already done a great job.

Xu Nian was not far from him, smiling gently and speaking softly, patiently trying to persuade herself.

He was mesmerized, but then it dawned on him that she had smiled at that person in the same way just now.

Suddenly, that inexplicable feeling welled up in Gu Zhan's heart again, and a hint of irritation appeared between his brows.

Xu Nian had been paying close attention to his expression and naturally noticed his apparent impatience. She immediately stopped talking, patted her pocket, and unwrapped a strawberry candy.

Gu Zhan remained silent, but then felt uneasy and looked up, intending to speak.

As soon as he opened his mouth, Xu Nian's slender, fair hand reached out and lightly touched his lips.

A piece of strawberry candy rolled into his mouth.

Along with that comes a fleeting, soft touch on the lips.

Gu Zhan froze on the spot, licking his lips with his tongue, a sweet and sour taste exploding in his mouth.

"Alright, I won't say any more. You can rest for a while now."

Xu Nian knew that it was too hasty to offer comfort, so she patted her behind and prepared to leave.

Gu Zhan was still immersed in the gentle touch from before, and silently watched Xu Nian gradually disappear into the distance.

He sat there for a while before getting up and walking steadily back to the barracks.

"General, why are you only just returning!"

The soldiers who usually worked for him greeted him warmly when they saw him.

Gu Zhan nodded in agreement, but did not leave immediately.

When the soldier saw Gu Zhan staring at him intently, he panicked and hurriedly reflected on whether he had violated military regulations recently, his face covered in sweat.

What's wrong with the general today?

"You know, is it normal to constantly think about someone and feel irritated when you see them talking to others?"

Just as the soldier was about to kneel down and beg for mercy, Gu Zhan parted his thin lips slightly, his voice indifferent.

He asked the question casually, but the soldier was on high alert. Seeing his serious expression, the soldier thought for a while and then gritted his teeth and said, "General, I think this is probably a feeling of longing."

After saying this, the soldier fled, fearing he would be scolded by the general.

Gu Zhan was left standing there, stunned, the sweet aroma of strawberry candy still lingering in his mouth.

Is this longing or yearning?

After thinking for a while, Gu Zhan shook his head again.

He did indeed think Xu Nian was a pure and excellent person, but this was only as a confidant and friend, and should not be any kind of romantic feelings.

Gu Zhan swallowed the candy in his mouth.

It shouldn't be...