Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Love

Upon leaving the S-Class Shelter, Lu Xiao took the pickled greens and the fish with pickled greens that Robin had prepared for her.

Admiral Hans personally saw them to the door. “Your Excellency Lu Xiao, every time you come here, you bring us hope. With you here, I truly feel that mental instability will no longer be the nightmare that plagues our males. Please accept my salute.”

The moment he finished speaking, before Lu Xiao could even react, she received an extremely solemn salute from Admiral Hans. For a moment, Lu Xiao was unsure how to respond, and by the time she snapped out of it, she had already accepted the gesture. “Admiral Hans, what are you doing? This is just my job. Healing every S-Class male here is my responsibility. There’s no need for this. I’m really not as great as you think.”

Teacher Ai Li patted Lu Xiao’s shoulder. “Just let him express it this way. Otherwise, he’ll probably feel terrible!”

Hearing this, Lu Xiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She nodded. “Alright then, Admiral Hans. Since I’ve accepted your salute, I will continue to work hard and do my best not to disappoint your expectations.”

“Of course I have faith in you, but please take care of yourself as well. It’s alright even if you can’t succeed every time, because the results we have now are already wonderful.” The results were better than anything they had seen before; the achievements of this past year were something they hadn’t dared to hope for in the past several hundred years.

“Don’t worry, Admiral Hans. I won’t put too much pressure on myself.” ’She knew what Admiral Hans was worried about, but that sort of thing would never happen to her. Since Lu Xiao had never thought of herself as a savior, she wouldn’t let the weight of all these lives rest on her shoulders.’

’It might look like she was feeding every patient motivational speeches, but that was just one of her therapeutic techniques.’

’After all, the common ailment among the males here—a lack of self-confidence, security, and a sense of belonging—was a product of their society.’

After bidding farewell to Admiral Hans, Lu Xiao didn’t return to the Fifth Research Institute with Teacher Ai Li. Instead, Teacher Ai Li gave her a ride to the Seventh Military District, with all her things in tow.

“Since this is for Major General Ares to try, you shouldn’t let it get cold. I’m giving you the afternoon off. Go and bring Major General Ares some warmth.”

’I can’t believe Teacher Ai Li is even using phrases like ’bring some warmth’ now,’ Lu Xiao thought. She nodded. “In that case, I won’t let your kindness go to waste, Teacher Ai Li! I’ll say hi to you for Major General Ares!”

Teacher Ai Li laughed at her playful remark, her eyes filled with motherly affection.

When she arrived at the gate of the Seventh Military District, the soldier on duty turned out to be the same one as last time. Seeing Lu Xiao again, and with her hands full, the young soldier hurried out of the guard booth and offered to take her things. “Are you here to see Major General Ares?”

“That’s right. Are you on duty today, too?” Lu Xiao smiled at the young soldier she had now run into on both of her visits. ’What a coincidence.’

The young soldier hadn’t expected Lu Xiao to remember him, and his face reddened in spite of himself. “Y-You remember me?”

Lu Xiao laughed. “Do I seem like a forgetful person?”

“No, that’s not what I meant! I’ll escort you in.”

Noticing the young soldier’s nervousness, Lu Xiao changed the subject. “Don’t you need to announce my arrival this time?”

“Our superior officer gave special instructions during a meeting. Whenever you visit from now on, you don’t need to be announced and can enter directly.”

This came as a surprise to Lu Xiao. “Admiral Kula Peng’s orders?”

The young soldier gave a crisp reply. “Yes!”

Lu Xiao blinked. ’She hadn’t expected Admiral Kula Peng to be so thoughtful about these social niceties.’

The young soldier carried Lu Xiao’s things, escorting her all the way to Major General Ares’s office. The moment Kevin saw her, he immediately rose to his feet to greet her. “Your Excellency Lu Xiao, you’re here.”

Lu Xiao had the young soldier hand the things to Kevin. “Please heat this up for me and take it to Ares’s office. Also, order a meal for everyone—my treat.” She gestured toward the young soldier who had accompanied her and carried her things. “Make sure to include him and Admiral Kula Peng.”

The young soldier’s eyes widened. He quickly waved his hands. “I-I don’t need anything, thank you, Your Excellency! I… I should get back to my post.”

With that, he turned and practically ran off.

Lu Xiao let out a small laugh. “I’ll leave it in your hands, then.”

Kevin smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. We’re the ones who should be thanking you. You treat us to a meal every time you visit.”

“It’s the least I can do. You all work so hard, you deserve to eat well.”

Lu Xiao had just finished speaking when the door to Ares’s office at the far end of the room suddenly opened. Ares, dressed in a white shirt and green military trousers, stepped out. He was about to say something when his gaze fell on Lu Xiao, who was standing opposite Kevin.

For a second, he thought he was imagining things. Then Lu Xiao smiled, waved, and called out, “Ares, I came to see you!”

A radiant smile instantly bloomed on Ares’s previously expressionless face. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have picked you up.”

“I wanted to surprise you. You know how I went to the S-Class Shelter today? Well, one of the patients I used to treat recovered and opened a restaurant there. His fish with pickled greens is incredibly delicious, so I had him pack some for you. I’m having Kevin heat it up. You have to try it!”

’Ares’s heart felt incredibly warm. Even when she found something delicious to eat, she didn’t forget about him, and even made a special trip to bring him some. Nothing could have moved him more.’

The onlookers were practically swooning just from hearing Lu Xiao’s words. ’Oh my god, how could there be a female so good at warming a person’s heart? If they were Major General Ares, they would’ve passed out from sheer happiness by now.’

Everyone’s eyes were filled with envy!

If the Empire ever held a contest for the happiest male, Major General Ares would absolutely be a top contender.

Even without such a ranking, Ares was already the envy of every soldier and officer in the military district.

Nowadays, mentioning Major General Ares would elicit the same response from everyone: “Oh, him? I know him. He has such a good female!”

’But Ares knew full well that all the things others found so miraculous about Lu Xiao were things she herself never paid any mind to. For her, these were just the most simple and natural things to do.’

’And yet, it was precisely these simple acts that put her in stark contrast with the other females of the Empire.’

Kevin was efficient. Not long after Ares had led Lu Xiao back into his office, he arrived with the heated fish with pickled greens.

Lu Xiao gestured for Ares to open the container.

He did as she bid. The moment he lifted the lid, the unique aroma of the fish with pickled greens filled the air. “The broth is absolutely amazing with rice!” Lu Xiao added.

“I haven’t even tasted it, but I can already smell how wonderful it is,” Ares said. “Is it hard to make?” He had noticed that the bag Lu Xiao placed on the table contained pickled greens that looked just like what was in the container. He instantly understood her unspoken intention. ’I should learn how to make this, too,’ he thought. ’Then I can make it for Lu Xiao in the future.’

’This was a skill he had learned from Lu Xiao: love is mutual. When his female gave him respect, freedom, and a love that made him feel secure, he needed to reciprocate in kind.’

’Even if his past self hadn’t known how to love someone, the person he was now had been taught by Lu Xiao!’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep