Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Approval

Ares looked at Lu Xiao’s teasing gaze and knew perfectly well that she was saying it on purpose.

She just wanted to see his reaction.

So Ares tossed what he was holding onto the ground. “Then I quit.”

Seeing this, Lu Xiao laughed. “That’s more like it. Ares has some backbone!”

She actually wanted to tell Ares that if anyone tried to take something from him, he shouldn’t hesitate to defend it to the death—unless he truly didn’t care about what was being taken.

Otherwise, he had to hold onto it tightly. She never wanted to hear him say he wasn’t good enough for her again.

On Saturday morning, Lu Xiao confirmed the time with Admiral Kelan again.

Admiral Kelan wasn’t free even on the weekend. He actually had a meeting in the morning and would only be free in the afternoon, which happened to give them time to prepare.

Lu Xiao and Ares prepared all the ingredients together. Only when Admiral Kelan arrived as scheduled did Lu Xiao go to the kitchen to start cooking.

When Admiral Kelan saw Lu Xiao enter the kitchen, he looked a little surprised. “Lu Xiao can cook?”

Ares, who was pouring him tea, replied, “Yes. Xiao Xiao enjoys it.”

Admiral Kelan said nothing more, merely gazing silently toward the kitchen. He couldn’t help but wonder, ’How much more is there about this young daughter of mine that I don’t know?’

Aside from the dishes that needed to be cooked fresh, others like the soup and stews had been prepared in advance.

After all the food was brought to the table, the spread included meat, fish, vegetables, and soup—a lavish meal, yet not overly extravagant.

It was warm and welcoming, yet carried an air of formality that perfectly suited Admiral Kelan’s own standards.

Admiral Kelan was won over by the flavor of the food from the very first bite. He couldn’t help but look at Lu Xiao. “When did you learn how to cook?”

Lu Xiao wasn’t caught off guard by the question. After all, the original owner of this body had a very mediocre relationship with Admiral Kelan.

He hadn’t discovered anything. He was simply curious.

“I’ve always enjoyed it, but I had a change of heart later on. I decided there’s nothing wrong with a female cooking. Besides, eating delicious food that you’ve made with your own hands is its own kind of pleasure. What do you think of the flavor, Father?”

The way she asked made it seem like she genuinely cared about Admiral Kelan’s preferences, yet it also felt like a simple, everyday conversation between a father and daughter. The feeling was wonderfully strange to Admiral Kelan—an experience he had never had before.

He nodded lightly, his entire body relaxing unconsciously. “This is even better than what I’ve had in restaurants.”

“Then you should eat more, Father. I didn’t make this braised pork; Ares did.”

Admiral Kelan, who was in the middle of eating the braised pork, couldn’t help but glance at Ares. “Your cooking is this good, too?”

This genuinely surprised Admiral Kelan. After all, among the military males, none of them could mock another’s cooking—they were all, to a man, terrible cooks.

To find culinary skills of such a high level in someone like Ares was truly rare.

“I learned from Xiao Xiao, too,” Ares said, his tone completely natural.

It made Admiral Kelan realize that the two of them had a very good relationship.

This touched him deeply. After all, it was rare in the Empire to see a couple so harmonious.

Throughout the meal, although there wasn’t much conversation, the atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable.

It was, one might say, the most comfortable meal Admiral Kelan had eaten since his return to the Emperor Star.

There were no hidden agendas, no need to be on guard—just a simple meal, and a delicious one at that.

It truly made one feel relaxed and at ease, from head to toe.

After the meal, Lu Xiao prepared a glass of lemonade for Admiral Kelan. The perfectly balanced sweet-and-sour drink was wonderfully refreshing.

“Father, you haven’t rested at all since you returned, have you?”

“There’s been a lot to do.” Admiral Kelan was not a man of many words. He had a taciturn personality; if he didn’t need to speak, he could go an entire day without saying a word.

It was also because of this that Lu Ge Wei had found him terribly dull.

Lu Xiao, however, didn’t see anything wrong with it. Admiral Kelan simply disliked wasting words, which was hardly a character flaw.

“There’s a spare room upstairs. Father, would you like to go up and rest? I can perform a Spiritual Soothing for you.” Noticing the exhaustion in Admiral Kelan’s expression, Lu Xiao wondered when he’d last received a Spiritual Soothing and wanted to help him relax.

Admiral Kelan was tempted but didn’t want to trouble Lu Xiao.

It was simply because his relationship with Lu Xiao…

Before he could think of how to refuse, he heard Lu Xiao ask, “Are you trying to think of how to turn me down, Father?”

Having his thoughts exposed so suddenly, Admiral Kelan’s expression stiffened. He looked a bit unnatural, clearly not expecting Lu Xiao to see through him and call him out so bluntly.

’Is this place so relaxing that I’ve let my guard down completely?’

“It’s just resting here for a bit and getting a Spiritual Soothing. Why are you overthinking it, Father? You’re my father. Isn’t it only right that I look after you? You and Ares have a similar build, so his clothes should fit you. You can take a shower, I’ll give you a Spiritual Soothing, and you can get a good night’s rest here. It shouldn’t delay you too much, right?”

Meeting the young female’s expectant and sincere dark eyes, Admiral Kelan’s heart softened. The words of refusal died on his lips. He no longer wanted to say no.

Lu Xiao’s simple description alone painted a wonderfully appealing picture for Admiral Kelan.

“Okay.” The single, concise word made Lu Xiao smile as she stood up and said to Ares, “Find a set of pajamas for Father.”

Ares nodded and said to Admiral Kelan, “This way, please.”

Admiral Kelan followed Ares to the guest room. Seeing that even this room was kept in perfect order, Admiral Kelan was deeply moved by his visit to Lu Xiao’s home.

The place might not have been large, but it was incredibly warm and cozy.

It showed him what a home was truly supposed to feel like.

Who wouldn’t want a home like this, if they could have one?

Admiral Kelan watched Ares emerge from the bathroom, where he had just run a bath for him.

The young male’s gaze was calm, and there wasn’t the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power coming from him, which meant his Spirit Sea was very stable.

This was to be expected. How could a male who was treated so well by his female possibly lose control?

“The last time I introduced Vice Admiral Fred to Lu Xiao, I felt his status was more suitable for her at the time. She’s different from ordinary females, and I believe you can sense that as well. Her achievements in the future will only be greater, and more people will come to know of her. That also means you bear a heavy responsibility. Ares, you are excellent—that is undeniable—but you are also too young. You still have a long road ahead of you. I’m not saying this to pressure you, nor will I continue to introduce potential main husbands to Lu Xiao. She made her wishes very clear to me some time ago, and I don’t intend to go against them. Therefore, I can only ask you to work hard and mature quickly. Of course, I will also use my own resources to help you.”

Ares knew perfectly well that by saying this, Admiral Kelan was acknowledging his position.

And this acknowledgment wasn’t because of his own excellence, but simply because Lu Xiao had chosen him.

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