【Before Battles】
The revolution plotted by Sun Ce, Sun Jian and the other three warlords had failed due to the betrayal of the western warlord and the eastern warlord, which led to the perish of Sun Ce.
After signing a treaty unwillingly, Sun Jian soon passed away with anguish.
Later on with Sun Quan’s leadership, the Kingdom Wu gradually recovered its strength. In order to bring down Cao’s regime, Sun Quan sent Zhou Yu to meet Liu Bei in Kingdom Shu with Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao tagging along.
Waking up in the morning, Xiao Qiao realized that Da Qiao had gone missing, so she went out to search for her sister.
- Xiao Qiao: “Where’s sister...What’s happening ahead…?”
Xiao Qiao spotted Da Qiao in the garden, who was practicing martial arts with a gem-inlaid dagger.
After completing a set of moves, Da Qiao stood still and stared at the dagger in trance, as if her mind had drifted away to the long-forgotten past.
- Xiao Qiao: “That’s the dagger gifted by brother Sun Ce...And I can’t share her sorrow when she’s heartbroken for him…”
Xiao Qiao walked away silently. When she passed by the conference room, her heart sank as she saw Zhou Yu, who was briefing with the soldiers.
- Xiao Qiao: “Even a wise man like Zhou Yu was grieving for brother Sun Ce’s death...He never complained about everything with all the pain concealed in his heart. I must do something…”
Xiao Qiao clenched her fists as if she had made some sort of promise.
【After Battles】
At night, Xiao Qiao sneaked into Zhou Yu’s room. Just as she had expected, he was mumbling painfully in his sleep.
- Zhou Yu: Sun Ce...I...I’m sorry...It’s all my fault...
- Xiao Qiao: “After all the exhausting work he has been through, he can’t even sleep well because of what happened to brother Sun Ce. It must be a hard time for him…”
Even Xiao Qiao’s tiniest movement could wake Zhou Yu up. At this moment, he was vulnerable to her.
- Zhou Yu: You’re here again…
Going over, Xiao Qiao held Zhou Yu’s hand and laid next to him.
- Xiao Qiao: Yes, I’m not going anywhere. Sleep tight.
Zhou Yu smiled at Xiao Qiao as his stress was relieved. His frown also eased when he finally fell asleep.
- Xiao Qiao: “If my presence can make him feel safe, then I’ll stay with him as long as I can…”
Xiao Qiao didn’t get to look around Zhou Yu’s room until now, where a lot of tactical books were put next to his bed. She figured that he must have been studying until late.
- Xiao Qiao: “Are these Zhou Yu’s books? They contain different kinds of military tactics…”
While their hands were locked together, Xiao Qiao opened a book with her spare hand. And that was how Xiao Qiao spent her night...