Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Angry

After venting to Ares, Lu Xiao finally felt much better. She only dared to say such things to him; she wouldn’t have said a word to anyone else.

’Is it because of our marriage that I’m automatically treating him as someone I can be close to?’ she wondered, knowing deep down that Ares would tolerate her. This made her suspect she was subconsciously being assimilated into this world.

’Is that why I naturally dumped all this garbage on him?’

Now that she had calmed down, Lu Xiao looked at Ares’s handsome profile. “Sorry for all that. I shouldn’t have dumped all that on you. Did I ruin your mood?”

Ares was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Lu Xiao to apologize for something like that.

’She always does the most surprising things.’ He was starting to get used to it.

“No, on the contrary, I’m quite happy. I’m happy you were willing to tell me all this.” It made him feel like he wasn’t completely useless to Lu Xiao. At least she was willing to share her feelings with him.

“You’re really something else… But thank you. I feel much better now that I’ve gotten it all out.” She knew a big reason Ares said that was because of this world’s unfairness toward males. As a result, his interpretation of many of her actions was likely different from her intent.

She couldn’t explain everything, nor could she change what was in Ares’s heart. But his reactions, in turn, softened her resolve, making her want to treat him better.

When they got home, Lu Xiao was hungry.

She had been looking forward to eating out that evening, but after her experience at the restaurant, she was utterly despondent. And that was a highly-rated place that Teacher Sherry had specially chosen. The flavors were so strange they were infuriating. However, she also noticed that she was the only one who felt that way. People like Shirley and Teacher Ai Li seemed to be enjoying their food. They had probably gotten used to these flavors, or perhaps they had never tasted “normal” food to begin with.

It was like the regional debate over sweet versus savory foods—some people prefer one, and some the other.

But to her, many of the local dishes tasted downright offensive to the palate.

She decided she would just cook for herself from now on. She never wanted to eat out again.

“I’m hungry. I’m thinking of making some noodles in a clear broth. Ares, do you want a late-night snack? What did you have for dinner?”

“A sandwich.” Ares walked into the kitchen. “I’ll help.”

Lu Xiao glanced at him. “I’m relieved you didn’t secretly drink a nutrient solution.”

Ares smiled and shook his head. “You told me not to, so I won’t drink them behind your back.”

Ares was no longer so tense around Lu Xiao now; he acted much more naturally.

Lu Xiao noticed but didn’t say anything. She suspected even Ares himself hadn’t realized he had changed.

’This is good,’ Lu Xiao thought. She didn’t want to break the current peace between them.

In the end, finding the clear broth noodles too plain, she turned them into noodles with shredded pork.

The shredded pork and ginger soup noodles, served with a dash of aged vinegar, smelled absolutely divine.

After finishing a bowl of noodles, Lu Xiao felt that the gloomy mood from the movie had been completely cured.

Good food really can cure anything!

After they finished eating, Lu Xiao was about to head upstairs when she noticed Ares hesitating, as if he wanted to say something. She suddenly remembered what she had forgotten. “Did you want to ask about Ansen?”

Ares’s expression grew taut. “Is that okay? If you don’t want to—”

“Of course. This morning, right after you left, Ansen suddenly declared he wanted to be my husband. It was so abrupt. I had no idea he felt that way. If I hadn’t been running into him so often, I would have just thought they were coincidences. But I’ve already rejected him. I have no intention of looking for another husband.” She looked Ares right in the eye as she said that last part. “The Female Protection Association contacted me. They wanted to send Ansen to the mines, but I think that’s going too far. I told them to just let him keep his job and stay away from me. There’s no need to be so ruthless. I’m sure Ansen will get over it once he calms down.”

’As far as I’m concerned, my interactions with Ansen were completely normal. Even if he developed some feelings for me, they can’t be that deep. He’ll get over it after a while.’

After saying all this, Lu Xiao recalled some information she had learned from the movie earlier.

A male who was a side husband had no right to stop or advise a female against taking more husbands. Only a main husband had that right.

But if the main husband exercised that right, he would be branded as jealous.

It was just like the historical practice where the main wife would help her husband take concubines to curry favor with him.

Except here, the roles were reversed.

Thinking of this, and worried Ares might not have understood her, she clarified, “I don’t just mean I have no plans to take on other husbands right now. I mean I never will. I have a lot of hobbies, but I have limited emotional energy. I’m not going to bring a bunch of people into this house, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Ares looked at Lu Xiao in astonishment. He wasn’t stupid. The fact that he had climbed to the rank of Major General at such a young age was proof of how exceptional he was.

’Don’t her words mean… that in the future, it’ll only be him?’

’How could that be possible?’

Even a female with a low libido wouldn’t commit to just one man.

Especially one as outstanding as Lu Xiao.

However, before he could bask in his happiness for long, he heard Lu Xiao say, “Ahem. I also learned a bit about the marriage laws today. Divorcing would be really damaging for you, so until the laws change, let’s just maintain the status quo for now. Of course, I don’t mean anything else by that. I just feel bad that my selfishness back then forced you to accept me. If there’s a chance to dissolve this… mistaken relationship, I’m willing to set you free. Don’t feel like you have to—”

“I don’t feel trapped, and I don’t feel like I’m not free,” Ares cut in. “Even if the marriage laws change, I don’t want a divorce. Unless *you* want one.” With that, he turned and went upstairs.

Ares was furious. Absolutely furious.

He had been ecstatic when Lu Xiao implied he would be her only one, but her next words plunged him into despair.

Lu Xiao didn’t just want him. She didn’t want *anyone*!

She was even invalidating her decision to insist on marrying him in the first place.

Even though he had been reluctant at the time, so much time had passed. No matter how much he refused to admit it, his heart had long since begun to lean toward Lu Xiao.

But now, Lu Xiao wanted to divorce him!

How was he supposed to accept that?

To avoid losing his composure in front of her, he had no choice but to disregard all etiquette and leave abruptly.

It was the first time Lu Xiao had ever seen Ares angry. She’d thought the man didn’t have a temper, but it turned out he’d just been suppressing it all this time.

’It’s probably a good thing that he’s finally letting it out.’

Still, his reaction took her by surprise. She had assumed Ares would also want a divorce, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.

If Ares had no desire to divorce her, then what she had just said made her feel like a total heartbreaker.

’He’s trying to build a life with me, and I just turned around and demanded a divorce, all under the guise of it being for his own good!’

If she were in his shoes, she’d probably be angry too.

She glanced upstairs, and for some reason, Lu Xiao felt a pang of guilt.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep