Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Update

Hearing Lu Xiao’s answer, Ares knew what was coming. Before he could even speak, a guilty Lu Xiao stood up and sat on his lap. “Look, I didn’t get hurt, and nothing’s wrong. I’m just bored at home, so I might as well go to work. Plus, I can chat with Teacher Ai Li and the others, right?”

Ares took Lu Xiao’s hand. “You’re right, but if Teacher Ai Li and the others ask where you went on your trip, what are you going to tell them?”

The question made Lu Xiao’s eyes fly open. ’I almost forgot about that! Teacher Ai Li and the others will definitely ask. And since I supposedly went on a trip, shouldn’t I bring back gifts for them?’

’I haven’t prepared any of that!’

If Ares hadn’t reminded her, she would have just shown up tomorrow without a second thought.

“I’ve already prepared everything for you. It’s over there.” Ares gestured, and Lu Xiao saw the neatly packaged gifts sitting on the sofa.

Lu Xiao was instantly moved. She threw her arms around Ares’s neck. “How can you be so wonderful, Ares!”

“I figured you’d need them, so I got them in advance. I’m not sure if Teacher Ai Li and the others will like them, but they were recommended by the shop assistant. They’re souvenirs of preserved purple roses—a specialty of Fuguang Star—and some essential oils. Since they’re local specialties, it should be a safe bet.”

’Ares even came up with the whole story for her. How could there be such a thoughtful puppy in the world?’

’It felt like with Ares around, she didn’t have to worry about a single thing, because he would take care of it all for her.’

Lu Xiao felt much more energetic after dinner.

Sitting on the sofa and looking over the gifts Ares had bought, she asked, “How about we invite Admiral Fred and the others over for dinner this weekend?”

“Okay, we can do that. What are you planning to make? I’ll need to prepare the ingredients.”

“Let’s do a barbecue. Everyone should like that.” ’It creates a better atmosphere, too.’

Ares nodded. “Okay, I’ll take care of the prep.”

“Thank you, Ares. I’ll be counting on you.”

“It’s no trouble. I’m happy to do it.”

After chatting with Ares for a while, Lu Xiao returned to her room to write an update. ’Come to think of it,’ she realized, ’it’s really been a week since my last post. I wonder how starved my readers are!’

As soon as she opened her author dashboard, a flood of messages popped up, scrolling rapidly across the screen. Lu Xiao didn’t even need to look closely to know what they were—demands for a new Chapter.

The story last left off with—

To escape Belle’s harassment, Morian had closed his shop for three days and was preparing to move to another planet. However, he was unexpectedly found by the butler of Duke Lin Baixing. The Duke was a mysterious female, rumored to be in poor health; many had heard of her, but few had ever seen her. Morian was quite surprised to be approached by her butler.

Upon asking, he learned that Duke Lin Baixing was very fond of his desserts. When she saw his shop was closed, she sent her butler to inquire about the situation. Morian didn’t hide the truth. He knew that with the Duke’s resources, she could easily find out what happened with a simple investigation. Besides, his and Belle’s situation had caused such a public stir that it was practically common knowledge, so he simply explained everything.

After listening, the butler pondered for a moment before asking if Morian would be willing to work at the Duke Mansion as Duke Lin Baixing’s personal pastry chef.

In exchange, the Duke would offer Morian both protection and compensation.

This was as surprising as it was tempting for Morian. He didn’t want to leave his home if he could help it. “But… is this Duke Lin Baixing’s personal wish?”

“Her Grace the Duke is… different from other people. You’ll understand when you meet her. How about this: I will come to pick you up tomorrow morning. The specific details will still need to be settled with Her Grace.”

After hearing what the butler had to say, Morian didn’t refuse.

Early the next day, the butler arrived on time to take him to the Duke Mansion. But instead of leading him to the main hall, he took him to the backyard. There, Morian saw a female in an apron, squatting in a garden and planting vegetables. The legendary Duke Lin Baixing… was planting vegetables. When she noticed him, the young female’s face was smudged with dirt. She grinned at him. “So you’re that Morian, the one who would rather get a divorce than settle?”

Morian hadn’t expected that this would be Duke Lin Baixing’s impression of him. He blushed. “So you’ve heard.”

“I have. You’re very brave, and I think you did the right thing. When it comes to life, you should live it however you feel most comfortable. There’s no sense in settling for someone you don’t like. Life isn’t that long, after all. You don’t have to care what other people say; what’s most important is that you’re at peace with yourself. On another note, your desserts are excellent, so you should stay here and be my pastry chef. As for that ex-wife of yours, I doubt she’d be bold enough to come running to my doorstep. And even if she did, it’s no big deal. We’ll just throw her out.”

Lin Baixing said it so casually and naturally, as if Belle were nothing more than a common sparrow by the roadside—if it becomes a nuisance, you just shoo it away without a second thought.

But those words had a huge impact on Morian. Since his divorce, even people who thought he was brave still condemned his actions. His own family felt that since he had chosen Belle, he should have seen it through to the end. If he couldn’t handle her philandering, then he shouldn’t have gotten together with her in the first place. No one had ever told him that being at peace with yourself is what matters most…

After she finished publishing the Chapter, Lu Xiao got up, went downstairs to pour a glass of water, and ate some of the fruit Ares had sliced for her.

When she came back upstairs and sat down in her chair to check her author dashboard, sure enough, she saw new comments—

“Ahhhh, author, you finally updated! I was starting to think you’d abandoned the story! Heaven knows, this novel is the only thing that heals my soul and helps me sleep at night!”

“I’m in the exact same boat as the commenter above. I swear I refresh the page eight hundred times a day just to see if you’ve updated. Also, I’ve reread this novel dozens of times.”

“I don’t know, Duke Lin Baixing seems a bit… different. I mean, isn’t it a little over the top? A female planting vegetables? Oh my god. I get that the author wants to create a unique character, but this is a little too unbelievable, isn’t it?”

“It is a bit over the top, but I’ve reread what Duke Lin Baixing said dozens of times, and it really hit home. The tears just won’t stop. ’Life isn’t that long, no need to settle for a life you don’t want. Being at peace with yourself is what matters most.’ It’s so well said, sob… Why didn’t I realize this sooner!”

“This was so well said. It saved me. I was hesitating about whether to obey my father and become a side husband to a female I don’t like. He said that as a male, I don’t have the right to choose, and now that a female has taken an interest in me, I should be grateful instead of indecisive. But I don’t want to live a life like his. I was so torn, but after seeing this Chapter, I’ve decided to refuse. Life is short, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my days living in regret and turmoil. Thank you, author. You’ve written this so beautifully. If only there were really females like Duke Lin Baixing in the world!”

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep