Lu Xiao had no idea what complex thoughts were running through Ares's mind. In fact, even if she had, she wouldn't have said anything. After all, time reveals a person's heart.
Her actions would show what kind of person she was.
In the morning, when Lu Xiao came downstairs, Ares had made a sandwich and was looking at her with an expectant gaze.
He was like a little puppy waiting for praise.
Lu Xiao chuckled at her own thought. "Did you make this, Ares? It looks delicious."
"As long as you like it." Ares looked dead serious; if it weren't for the tips of his ears quietly turning red, she would have been completely fooled.
Lu Xiao had him figured out. The guy was just pretending to be aloof.
A sandwich was the kind of thing that, no matter how you made it, pretty much tasted the same. It was never amazing, but it was never terrible either—perfectly mediocre. However, if this were the apocalypse, Lu Xiao would be thrilled to see it. But here and now, what she really wanted for breakfast was congee and some small steamed buns.
'If I get back early today, I should buy some flour and make dumplings. I'll make a big batch and freeze them. That way, whenever I want some, I can just grab them from the freezer. Convenient and delicious!'
While Lu Xiao ate her breakfast, Ares had already gotten the levitation car ready.
Lu Xiao really appreciated this thoughtful and considerate side of him.
The Fifth Research Institute was a bit far from where they currently lived. The drive was thirty minutes, and that was flying through the sky, where things like traffic jams didn't exist.
Lu Xiao could understand that, though. After all, a place like this couldn't possibly be built in the middle of a bustling city center.
When the levitation car slowly landed on the parking apron, a security guard immediately approached. Upon seeing Lu Xiao step out of the car, he took a very polite half-step back, creating some distance before bowing his head. "Excuse me, are you the esteemed Lu Xiao, here for the job application today?"
Slightly surprised that he knew who she was, she asked, "How did you know it was me?"
"We received your application yesterday. Teacher Ai Li informed us and told us to be on the lookout for you today and to ensure you weren't slighted in any way. Please, this way. Teacher Ai Li and the others are already waiting for you." As he finished speaking, he looked at Ares. "I'm sorry, but non-staff males are prohibited from entering."
Ares wasn't too surprised to hear this. He stopped and looked at Lu Xiao. "I'll wait for you here."
"Not even if he's my partner?" Lu Xiao deliberately mentioned their relationship. She was mainly thinking that it felt a bit wrong for Ares to come all this way with her only to be left outside.
But her words were equally shocking to both men. Ares was shocked because he never expected Lu Xiao to so naturally tell an outsider that he was her partner.
Typically, when females were out and about, even if they had a main husband, a side husband, or even another husband at home, they wouldn't mention them. They preferred to maintain the image of being single, to Hunt for the hearts of more males.
Therefore, he had never dared to hope that Lu Xiao would introduce him to others.
But Lu Xiao had stated their relationship so naturally. She didn't even specify his status as a side husband, simply calling him her partner. Generally speaking, only a main husband was considered a partner.
The security guard was also surprised that a female would speak up for a male. After a moment's pause, he couldn't help but glance at Ares again. "I apologize, but he still cannot enter. However, if you wish, ma'am, he can wait in the tea room."
"Alright then. You can go wait for me in the tea room." Although Ares still couldn't go in with her, her words had at least saved him from waiting in the car, which was something.
On the way, the security guard couldn't help but say, "You're very good to your partner."
He was speaking completely from the heart.
"Like you said, he's my partner. He's someone close to me, so of course I should treat him well. Besides, it's mutual."
Lu Xiao said this very naturally and smoothly, her expression remaining placid.
There wasn't the slightest hint that she was trying to build an image or show off how different she was.
It was as if she were simply stating a fact.
The security guard had seen plenty of females. It wasn't that none of them were good to their own men, but it was always tinged with a sense of showing off to outsiders.
He didn't get that feeling from Lu Xiao.
This young female before him felt different.
"This is as far as I can take you. Teacher Ai Li's office is 100 meters straight ahead."
"Okay, thank you. I appreciate your help." Lu Xiao nodded and headed inside.
But the security guard stood at the entrance, watching until Lu Xiao disappeared inside, his eyes filled with astonishment. 'Did a female just thank me?'
'A female who would say "thank you" and "I appreciate your help" to him?'
'Ha... Who would even believe it if I told them?'
Although the Fifth Research Institute was filled with females willing to sacrifice themselves to treat the Spirit Seas of males, that didn't mean they saw those males as equals.
What shocked the guard wasn't that Lu Xiao had said "thank you" and "I appreciate your help." It was the sense of peace about her, as if people like him were on the same level as her, not some inferior creatures. It made him feel respected.
After entering the office, Lu Xiao saw a spacious room with four desks. Seated behind each desk was a middle-aged female who looked to be in her forties or fifties.
Hearing the sound at the door, the four of them turned their heads. The moment they saw her, one of them exclaimed, "Oh, my heavens, you're so young! Come in, quick!"
"Finally, a young female is willing to join us!"
"Hello, Lu Xiao. I'm Ai Li. I'm the one who's been in contact with you. I'm so happy you're joining us."
Lu Xiao noticed her choice of words: "joining," not "interviewing."
It seemed Ares was right. They really looked like they were desperate for people.
'But letting me join just like that... isn't that a bit hasty?'
"Don't we need to do an interview? I can join just like that?" Lu Xiao voiced her doubts. Ai Li gave her an exceptionally doting smile. "Oh, honey, how can you be so cute? The fact that you were willing to apply is enough to make us happy. How could we possibly reject you?"
In the Empire, the number of females willing to work was incredibly small, and the number of those willing to come to the Fifth Research Institute was even smaller.
Otherwise, their recruitment ad wouldn't have been up for two years with Lu Xiao being the only one to respond.
Putting Lu Xiao's abilities aside, as long as she was willing to come, she could even just be a mascot here.
If her abilities turned out to be decent, then they would have truly struck gold!
"Dear, let's have you fill out a form to enter your information first. After that, we'll just need to do a small test. Don't worry, it won't hurt."
Lu Xiao was led to a desk, and before she could do anything, someone immediately pushed a chair over for her. "Honey, have a seat. What would you like to drink? The juice here is pretty good. Want to try some?"
Surrounded by the four enthusiastic women, for a moment Lu Xiao felt a flicker of suspicion. 'Is this really a legitimate organization?'
'Have I walked into some kind of pyramid scheme? Are they going to lure me in and then harvest my kidneys?'