Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Drinking

Ares hadn’t expected that just by coming out for dinner once, he’d end up getting strong-armed.

“You guys don’t have to pay for this.”

Hearing this, Chrisman wouldn’t have it. “No, no. We’re the ones who asked you out, so how could we let you foot the bill? Hades and I can scrape together enough for the drinks.”

After they got married, all their assets were handed over. The money in their pockets was scrounged together from various sources, and it wasn’t much—just enough for a few drinks here and there.

Hearing Chrisman, Ares paused for a moment. “I have money. I’ll get this.”

Hades looked at him. “What do you mean, you have money? Don’t tell me you’ve been hiding a secret stash?”

Married males did indeed keep secret savings for emergencies, but it couldn’t be helped. After all, once money went into a female partner’s pocket, it was nearly impossible to pry back out. You couldn’t always be asking for cash, either, or you’d just annoy your partner and seem incompetent.

So they all found other ways to get some cash. Even if it wasn’t much, it was enough to handle an emergency.

But Ares’s tone didn’t make it sound like he was talking about a small amount of money.

’I thought Ares had such a good relationship with his partner that he wouldn’t need to keep secret savings like us. Turns out we’re all in the same boat.’

Just as a sense of relief washed over Hades, he heard Ares say, “It’s not secret savings. My partner gives me 2,000 a month as an allowance. She was worried I’d be out with friends and not have any money. If it’s not enough, she gives me more. And you guys know I don’t usually like parties, so I’ve never spent it. It’s all saved up, so I’m not short on cash.”

Beside them, Chrisman’s jaw dropped. He looked so stunned he was at a loss for words.

Hades, by contrast, was a bit calmer. “Your partner gives that to you voluntarily?”

’An allowance of 2,000. It might not seem like a lot, but it’s more than enough for a few drinks and a get-together.’

’Right now, he and Chrisman couldn’t even scrape together 2,000 between the two of them.’

’Ares gets that all to himself, and it’s a fixed amount every month that he can spend however he pleases.’

’On top of that, he can ask for more if he runs out, and if he doesn’t use it all, it isn’t taken back—he can just save it.’

’My god, what kind of angel of a partner does that!’

’If he was just a little envious of Ares before, now he was extremely envious!’

’How can we both be males, yet you’re living so much better?’

“Yes,” Ares answered simply. But that simple reply represented something Hades and Chrisman could never hope to attain.

Chrisman steadied himself and clapped Ares on the shoulder. He suddenly felt that inviting Ares out today wasn’t to seek wisdom—it was to ask for a beating.

’Ares hadn’t even told them that much about his partner, and they were already this blown away. If he actually described his life with her in detail, their eyes would probably turn green with envy.’

With that thought, Chrisman grabbed his glass and took a huge gulp.

’Got to calm my nerves first.’

After putting down his glass, Chrisman looked at Ares. “Whatever, you can’t just live the good life and leave your brothers for dead. The matter of our cooking skills is all on you now. No refusals!”

“…” Ares was speechless. He hadn’t expected the conversation to circle right back to the beginning. “You’re just trying to pin this on me.”

Chrisman turned his head away and said shamelessly, “I don’t care. If you’re our brother, you’ll agree. If we start living well, do you think we’d forget you? Right, Hades?”

“He’s got a point,” Hades said, clinking his glass against Ares’s as if sealing a pact.

Ares gave them a helpless look. “Fine. I’ll record the cooking process. As for whether you two can learn it, that’ll depend on your own talent.”

He’d be spoon-feeding them. Whether or not they could swallow was up to Hades and Chrisman.

When the party ended, Ares scanned the code to pay. Seeing his account balance, Hades and Chrisman were green with envy.

’Ares… he really wasn’t lying. The man is loaded!’

Leaving the tavern, Ares parted ways with the two of them. Hades and Klinsmann watched him go.

Their feelings were complicated.

They were envious of Ares, but not truly jealous, because there was no point in being jealous of something like this.

’Rather than being jealous of Ares, it was better to just admit they had bad luck. Who else was to blame for not meeting such a wonderful partner?’

But in the entire Empire, with so many females, finding a partner like Lu Xiao was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck, not something one could actively seek out.

’Before Lu Xiao came along, how could they have ever known that there were females who actually liked to cook, who were willing to give their partners an allowance, or who wanted to create surprises for them?’

These were all things they wouldn’t have dared to dream of.

After all, when it came to females, males were always expected to be the ones giving, never expecting anything in return.

Males who did want something in return never ended up well.

’But who wouldn’t want a partner who reciprocated their feelings and was so wonderfully considerate?’

After parting ways with Hades and Chrisman, Ares was eager to get home.

Since getting together with Lu Xiao, he had never returned home this late.

’To think that by this time every day, he’d usually be in bed holding his little female… he felt like he had wasted so much time.’

When he got home, Ares didn’t go inside right away. He stood outside for a while to air out the smell of liquor from his clothes. Even though he hadn’t been drinking, it was impossible to avoid picking up unpleasant odors in a place like a tavern.

It was one thing when he was alone, but he didn’t want the smell to bother Lu Xiao.

After the smell had dissipated a bit, Ares tiptoed upstairs. He went to the changing room first to take off his clothes, then showered in the adjacent bathroom.

By the time he tiptoed into the room and reached the bedside, he heard Lu Xiao’s soft, slightly hoarse, and sleepy voice. “You’re back?”

“Yeah. Did I wake you?”

“No, I wasn’t quite asleep yet.”

’The main reason was that with Ares gone, the bed felt too empty. She wasn’t used to it.’ But she wouldn’t say that out loud.

Now that Ares was back, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace. Still, she asked, “Did you drink?”

“No, I just had a glass of lemonade. Do I smell of anything?” Fearing he still smelled, Ares deliberately lifted his arm and sniffed.

Realizing what he was doing, Lu Xiao smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself against him. “You don’t smell like anything. I was just worried you’d feel unwell if you drank. I was wondering if I should make you some hangover soup, but if you didn’t drink, then never mind. Still, you went out to a party. How come you didn’t drink? Did they not drink either?”

“They drank, I didn’t. You smell after drinking, and I don’t like it.” ’Mostly, he was worried Lu Xiao wouldn’t like it.’

As if understanding his unspoken meaning, Lu Xiao felt a little flutter of happiness. “It’s okay to have a little now and then.”

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