Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Husband

On the way home that evening, Lu Xiao was talking to Ares about the packed lunch. Ares said, “They didn’t believe that you made my lunch yourself.”

Hearing this, Lu Xiao smiled and replied, “Well, when we have time, you can invite your friends over for dinner.”

This was an answer Ares hadn’t expected at all. Or rather, Lu Xiao often said things that caught him by surprise.

Things that were completely incredible to him, Lu Xiao treated as a matter of course.

It was as if inviting his friends over was the most normal thing in the world; as if in this home, he too was a master, with the power to decide things.

’I bet even my own adjutant would never imagine being a guest in my home one day,’ he thought.

“Why are you so quiet? You don’t have any friends, do you?” Lu Xiao looked at Ares. She thought he had a good personality and wasn’t the type of officer who couldn’t make friends.

“Of course not. I just didn’t expect that you would be willing to let me bring friends home.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? If I brought friends home one day, would you be unwilling?”

“Of course not, but it’s different. My friends are all male.”

“Ares, this is your home too. Your friends coming over as guests is a very normal thing, I think. I don’t have a problem with it, and I hope you won’t feel burdened by it either. Let’s just treat it as something normal, okay?”

She didn’t want to forcefully change Ares or demand that he act a certain way. She wanted him to understand what normal social relationships were like.

A gradual, subtle change.

This might be a long process, but for now, Lu Xiao felt that Ares was indeed changing. He no longer knelt or apologized at the drop of a hat, nor was he surprised when she did a little work.

He was also gradually coming to accept her differences, which was great.

“I think tonight, I’ll have to video-call my colleagues to teach them how to make braised prawns. It’s what I promised them today. I’m a little curious now how their dishes will turn out.”

Lu Xiao was indeed a little curious about what Teacher Ai Li and Teacher Sherry would be like in the kitchen. She hoped it wouldn’t be a disaster.

Ares, however, felt that anyone who spent time with Lu Xiao would inevitably change without even realizing it.

He thought that the therapists at the Fifth Research Institute, with their noble statuses, had probably never dreamed they’d one day be willing to set foot in a kitchen.

When Lu Xiao got home, she cooked the small wontons they had wrapped earlier. She and Ares each had a bowl, a simple yet satisfying dinner.

Afterward, while Lu Xiao was on a video call teaching Teacher Ai Li and the others, Ares cleaned the entire apartment.

When Lu Xiao finished her video call and came out of the kitchen, she saw flowers arranged on the living room coffee table. A light, fresh fragrance filled the air—the scent of cleanliness.

’A man who proactively takes on chores without being told and does them so well is really quite amazing,’ Lu Xiao thought.

“Did the lesson go smoothly?” Ares asked, pouring her a glass of water and handing it to her.

“Overall, everyone seemed to have a good time. By the end, they all looked very pleased with themselves and thought their food was delicious.” Lu Xiao privately felt this was due to the four teachers’ competitive spirits flaring up.

She would find out how they really did tomorrow at the office; all four said they would be bringing in their own lunches.

’Have I started a packed lunch trend in the office?’

In fact, it wasn’t just the Fifth Research Institute that was affected by the packed lunch phenomenon; even Ares’s Seventh Legion was feeling the impact.

Many people now knew that Ares was bringing his own lunch and that his cooking skills were excellent. They were all looking forward to seeing what he would bring tomorrow.

But for now, the two of them were unaware of this.

The next morning, Lu Xiao packed two lunch boxes and thoughtfully included a cup of fresh-squeezed juice for each of them.

’Getting your daily vitamins is essential.’

When she handed it to Ares, the man clearly felt that today’s lunch box was different from yesterday’s—it was a bit heavier. Before he could ask, Lu Xiao said, “I packed you some juice today. When I get back tonight, we need to have the supermarket deliver some milk.”

“Aren’t you going out for dinner with the teachers from the Institute tonight?”

“Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me, I almost forgot.”

“Contact me when you’re done. I’ll come pick you up.”

“Okay, I’ll let you know beforehand. You’re on your own for dinner, but don’t just settle for anything.”

“Okay.”

After waving goodbye to Ares, Lu Xiao carried her own lunch box toward the office building. On the way, she ran into Ansen again. Ever since she started this job, she seemed to run into Ansen almost every morning.

It had happened so often that even someone as carefree as Lu Xiao couldn’t help but feel that something was off.

When Ansen offered to carry her lunch box, Lu Xiao refused once again. “Ansen, don’t you have rotating shifts? I see you every day.”

Hearing this, Ansen immediately said, “I specifically traded shifts with a colleague so I could see you.”

That was a very direct statement. Lu Xiao couldn’t help but stop and look at Ansen, puzzled. “Is there something you need from me?”

Even now, Lu Xiao only thought Ansen needed a favor from her; it never crossed her mind that he was interested in her.

The large man suddenly grew awkward. “Miss Lu Xiao, I admire you, and I want to be your husband. I’ll definitely take good care of you. I won’t make you angry, and what’s more…”

As he spoke, Ansen knelt down.

His kneeling startled Lu Xiao. “Wh-what are you doing? What is this? Just say what you have to say, why are you kneeling? Get up, quickly!”

Lu Xiao frantically looked around, hoping no one would see them. She didn’t dare touch Ansen, mainly because the guy was huge—not at all like Ares, who was the “slim when dressed, muscular when not” type.

The guy gave her the impression of a bear.

“Miss Lu Xiao, I’m serious! I’ve asked around. You currently only have one side husband and no suitable husband yet. If you accept me, I…”

“Ansen, stop. I don’t know what I did to give you this misunderstanding, and for that, I apologize. But I have no intention of taking a husband. Not now, and not ever. You should get that idea out of your head too. You should find someone who likes you and who you like, not become someone’s husband. That’s all I have to say. You should think about it.”

With that, Lu Xiao couldn’t be bothered with anything else and took off at a run, clutching her lunch box.

AHHHHHH~ This is so stressful!

Teacher Ai Li watched as a panting Lu Xiao ran in, and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? Did something happen? You’re all sweaty.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep