Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Gossip

News that Ares had a new car—and that his female had bought it for him—spread quickly throughout the Seventh Military District.

He was already an object of envy, and this made everyone even more jealous.

For a time, crowds of people flocked to see Ares’s new car. Of course, they weren’t just admiring the vehicle. Mostly, they hoped that if some of his good luck rubbed off on them, their own females might give them a gift, too. Even a piece of candy would be something.

When Lu Xiao drove the new car to the Fifth Research Institute, the other teachers smiled. “Dear, you finally learned to drive a hovercar! Is this the latest model? It’s gorgeous! But how could your Ares bear to let you come to work all by yourself?”

“I insisted on it, of course. I didn’t want to always trouble him with driving me to and from work every day.” Besides, driving herself was much more freeing. She could go wherever she wanted.

“You’re always the one who dotes on males the most,” Teacher Ai Li said with a smile, placing a report in front of Lu Xiao. “We got a message from the S-Class Shelter. Another four males have met the criteria for recovery and discharge. They’ve applied to come here for their final evaluation in the next few days.”

Lu Xiao took it and glanced at it. “That’s great news!”

Lately, a steady stream of S-Class males had been deemed fit for discharge from the S-Class Shelter. It proved all their hard work hadn’t been for nothing. She was sure there would be many more such cases in the future.

As they were speaking, Teacher Sherry came in from outside. The moment she entered, she asked Lu Xiao, “Dear, is that golden hovercar yours?”

Lu Xiao smiled in reply. “It is, Teacher Sherry. From now on, I’ll be driving myself to work!”

“Oh my god, so it was you! Dear, did you know? I heard some things about you yesterday.” Teacher Sherry threw an arm around Lu Xiao’s shoulders, her eyes sparkling. “Do you know how famous you are in aristocratic circles right now?”

“What do you mean?” Lu Xiao didn’t quite get it at first. She looked at Teacher Sherry with suspicion. ’What could I have possibly done to become famous in aristocratic circles?’

Seeing Lu Xiao’s clueless expression, Teacher Sherry could tell she never paid attention to this sort of thing, and her desire to gossip flared. “You’ve been famous ever since that clash with Duke Green. You had no idea, did you? The story of how you put Duke Green in his place has spread through all the aristocratic circles. Many families have even warned their young females not to provoke you. I was floored when my friend told me yesterday.”

Lu Xiao had a baffled expression on her face. “Do they really need to go that far?”

’It’s not like I’m some kind of tyrant. Why would they need to give such a warning?’

“It’s mainly because Duke Green has a reputation for being arrogant and domineering in those circles. For him to suddenly suffer a loss at your hands, how could people not be wary of you? By the way, when you were buying the car, did you happen to run into anyone?”

At Teacher Sherry’s question, Lu Xiao naturally thought of the female in the red dress. “Teacher Sherry, you know about that too?”

“It’s not that I wanted to know, but dear, you’re legitimately famous now. That person was one of the females from Viscount Eddie’s family. She was terrified after finding out it was you yesterday. She went right home and vented to her girlfriends that you were incredibly fierce. Not only that, but you even have a financial card in your own name! She said you’re as formidable as a male.”

Lu Xiao finally understood why the female in the red dress had turned and fled after hearing her name. So that was why!

She hadn’t understood before, but now she finally knew the truth.

It was the kind of truth that made her want to laugh and cry at the same time.

“Thank you for telling me, Teacher Sherry. Otherwise, I would still be wondering why she ran off the second she heard my name. So that’s what it was.”

“Of course she had to run! Even someone as powerful as Duke Green lost to you. What could a mere female from a viscount’s family do? Was she supposed to stick around and pay for your car?”

’She probably couldn’t afford it anyway,’ Lu Xiao thought.

After her chat with Teacher Sherry, Lu Xiao felt that things were much clearer. She didn’t really care what those females thought of her. If her reputation stopped them from bothering her, it would actually save her a lot of trouble.

“Have you guys heard about something else?” Today, it was as if Teacher Sherry was possessed by the spirit of gossip, dropping one unexpected bombshell after another.

Seeing her mysterious expression, Teacher Ai Li said, “I’m starting to wonder what you were up to last night. How do you know so much?”

Teacher Sherry laughed. “It wasn’t me, it was my friend! She’s home all day, so naturally, she knows more than I do. We’re at work all the time—when would we have time to learn about all this? Hey, stop interrupting and listen to me!”

“Alright, go on.” Teacher Ai Li immediately played along. “This next piece of gossip had better be good!”

“I promise you’ll never see this one coming. You know how *After the Main Husband Runaway* totally blew up? Well, now tons of males are demanding divorces, many of them from aristocratic families. A lot of females are completely at their wits’ end, and they’re starting to loathe the author who wrote that book.”

Lu Xiao’s eyes widened involuntarily. “For real?”

’She really hadn’t expected that even though her book wasn’t even finished, males were already starting to rebel!’

Teacher Ai Li also looked curious. “So, has anyone actually gotten divorced yet?”

“I hear the public service hall has been much busier than usual lately. Males from several families have already gone to register, so it must be true!” Teacher Sherry sighed after she finished speaking. “If this is really happening, I have a feeling many females won’t be able to act so arrogantly for much longer. For males to demand a divorce even when they aren’t afraid of the punishment… for the females, it’s about more than just losing face.”

After all, many females currently relied on funds from their males to live. After a divorce, they would naturally have to return those assets. Even if they didn’t, they would lose a source of income, and their lives would certainly not be as good as before.

Besides, being divorced by a male was considered a disgrace. Not only would she be mocked by her peers, but any future male she wanted to find would think twice. It was by no means a good thing.

But Teacher Ai Li didn’t think it was a bad thing. “Some females are just too arrogant. It’s time they got a wake-up call. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Perhaps because she had spent so much time with Lu Xiao and been influenced by the young female for so long, Teacher Ai Li had also started chatting more with the males in her own family and showing them more concern when she got home. The atmosphere at her home was now incredibly harmonious, and her life was countless times more comfortable.

It was as if her family life had suddenly come alive, completely different from the stagnant dullness of before.

She had learned from Lu Xiao how to live a rich and colorful life, so naturally, she now looked down on the way those other females behaved.

’Only after truly experiencing what life could be did I realize how foolish my old way of thinking was.’

’In a relationship, partners have to be considerate, respectful, and caring toward each other. If one side only takes while the other only gives, that isn’t a life—it’s exploitation and abuse. A relationship like that can never last!’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep