Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Red String.

Asina and Regal talked for about twenty minutes. Afterward, Lu Xiao returned to the consultation room and found Regal’s eyes were red, a clear sign he had just vented his emotions. However, his condition was visibly much improved.

“Lu Xiao, are you busy after work? I’d like to treat you to a cup of coffee,” Asina asked before leaving. It was obvious she had something she wanted to discuss.

“Of course,” Lu Xiao agreed with a smile.

After Asina left, Lu Xiao began Regal’s treatment.

The procedure went smoothly. Once Regal was asleep, Lu Xiao came out of the consultation room. Asina was sitting in the office, chatting with Teacher Ai Li and the others.

Of course, Lu Xiao was the center of their conversation.

Seeing Lu Xiao return, Teacher Ai Li said with a smile, “Since Asina invited you for coffee, you should leave work early. Don’t keep her waiting.”

“In that case, I won’t refuse,” Lu Xiao said with a laugh. She went to the changing room to get dressed, then grabbed her bag and left the Fifth Research Institute with Asina.

Lu Xiao actually rarely drank coffee, so after confirming the shop had milk tea, she ordered a cup.

After returning the menu to the server, Asina said to Lu Xiao, “Thank you, Lu Xiao. Seeing Regal today was truly a surprise. To be honest, I had prepared myself to never see him again in this lifetime. I never thought I’d get this chance. It’s really incredible.”

’She could understand why Asina felt this way.’

In the past, a condition like Regal’s would have inevitably led to destruction.

“Regal will continue to get better. He’ll be discharged and start a new life.”

“I know. After seeing him today, I understand. He already seems like a normal person,” Asina said, genuinely happy. “By the way, Fred is leaving next week to be stationed at an Edge Star.”

Lu Xiao was slightly taken aback. It was the first she had heard of it. Although the news surprised her, she quickly composed herself, her expression showing no sign of inner conflict or reluctance. “Is that so? With Vice Admiral Fred’s capabilities, I’m sure there won’t be any problems.”

Asina suddenly laughed. “It seems you really have no feelings for him at all. But you’re right. Fred might be lacking in other areas, but he’s certainly competent. When he returns from his post, he’ll take over your father’s position and command of the First Army.”

Lu Xiao wasn’t surprised. “In that case, please pass on a message for me. Wish him all the best during his deployment.”

“I will.”

Her chat with Asina didn’t last long. She had initially thought Asina asked her out because she needed something, but it turned out Asina simply wanted someone to talk to.

Leaving the coffee shop, Asina said with a smile, “It was lovely talking with you. Let’s do this again when we have time.”

“Of course, Asina.”

Asina gave her a hug with a smile. “Goodbye, Xiao Xiao.”

After parting ways with Asina, Lu Xiao went straight home. Since she had left work early, Ares wasn’t back yet.

Lu Xiao took a shower first, then went downstairs to prepare dinner.

They didn’t really have a rule about who had to cook. Usually, Ares took on more of the responsibility, but on days like today when Lu Xiao came home early, she would take the initiative to cook.

It wouldn’t feel right to make Ares prepare dinner after he got back from work.

’Lu Xiao couldn’t bring herself to do something like that.’

So that evening, when Ares arrived home from work, Lu Xiao had already prepared dinner. “Did you get home early today?” he asked.

“Yeah, Asina invited me for coffee this afternoon, so I came back early. By the way, I heard from Asina that Fred is leaving?”

“Mhm. The First Army is a garrison force. Admiral Clan is getting old, so it’s not suitable for him to be deployed off-world. Vice Admiral Fred has to go.”

“I heard he’ll take over my father’s position when he gets back. What about you? Will Admiral Kula Peng arrange something like that for you too?”

Realizing this was the real reason she was asking, Ares smiled. “There will be an assignment, but my mission will be later. I was just promoted to Vice Admiral, so there needs to be a transition period. I probably won’t be stationed off-world, though.”

The Seventh Army wasn’t a garrison force.

Hearing this, Lu Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Go wash your hands and let’s eat. By the way, when are we leaving? I’ve already requested the time off.”

“Tomorrow.”

Lu Xiao nodded. “Did you tell your Father?”

“Mhm, I told him.”

「 … 」

Ares’s Father lived in a Star Domain quite far from the Emperor Star. It would take them a full day and night to get there by starliner.

So, the two of them set out early in the morning. They would spend one night on the starliner and arrive the following morning.

Having spent a night on a starliner before, Lu Xiao adapted very well.

But this trip was different from their return from the Canghe Tribe to the Emperor Star. This time, it was just her and Ares traveling alone.

It felt completely different.

“Ares, when we get back, let’s have our wedding, okay? And then we can go on our honeymoon.” Standing by the window, she couldn’t help but start planning her future with him.

Ares walked over and wrapped his arms around her. “Okay!”

He would never refuse any of Lu Xiao’s plans, especially when he was a part of them.

The starliner they were on was a commercial liner, so it not only had restaurants but also a shopping promenade.

It was a completely different experience from a military vessel, making Lu Xiao feel as if she and Ares had truly left all their responsibilities behind to go on a trip.

After dinner, Lu Xiao and Ares strolled through the starliner’s shopping promenade. When she saw some hand-woven bracelets, Lu Xiao pulled Ares over. They each bought one, and the matching pair looked very nice tied on their wrists.

The elderly Male Beastman selling the bracelets looked at the pair before him with surprise in his eyes.

This was the first time a female had brought a male over to buy something. Most of the customers at his stall were males buying gifts for the females they admired. But most females found these red cord bracelets to be cheap and tacky.

They didn’t realize it was the sentiment that mattered, not the price.

But this young female in front of him genuinely liked it. After putting it on, she even cozied up to her male, her smile impossibly sweet.

“Please, take these two as well. I hope you don’t mind the humble gift,” the vendor couldn’t help but say, picking up another style and offering it to Lu Xiao. “It’s just that very few female customers ever buy things from me, and I’ve never had one who liked them as much as you do. Thank you for appreciating them.”

Lu Xiao hadn’t expected the owner to be so generous. While the bracelets weren’t expensive, their hand-woven nature made them unique, and she had bought one simply because she genuinely liked it.

Seeing the owner’s slight awkwardness, Lu Xiao reached out and accepted the gift. “Then I’ll graciously accept! I wish you good business!”

“Yes, yes! Thank you for your kind words. I’ll wrap them up for you. I wish you and your partner a long and happy life together!”

“Then I’ll gladly accept your good wishes!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep