After breakfast, Ares personally drove Lu Xiao to the Fifth Research Institute before heading to work.
On the way, Lu Xiao asked Ares, "If you drop me off like this, won't you be late for work?"
Ares shook his head. "No. We don't have fixed start or end times. As long as we complete our missions, it's fine."
Lu Xiao hadn't expected the military's work culture to be like that.
"That's good. What do you do for lunch?"
"We can drink nutrient solution."
"Nutrient solution?" Lu Xiao turned to him in surprise. "Doesn't the military have a cafeteria?"
"The military doesn't need a cafeteria." The military was composed entirely of males. As males, they were expected to overcome all hardships and not indulge in the pleasures of food.
Ares's expression was so matter-of-fact that it almost made Lu Xiao think this was completely normal.
'In reality, isn't this just another form of exploitation of males?'
Lu Xiao felt that not even a workhorse would be treated so poorly.
"Have you ever thought about packing a lunch?"
Ares paused for a moment. "There's no need. Nutrient solution is enough for me."
Lu Xiao sighed and didn't press the issue. She just thought that when she cooked dinner that night, she would make extra to pack for the next day's meal.
She'd had that nutrient solution once, and that was more than enough. She really didn't want to drink it a second time.
She really didn't understand. Did these males not have any sense of taste?
Arriving at the Fifth Research Institute, Lu Xiao got out of the car. Ares spoke up, "I'll come pick you up tonight. If you get off work early, you can let me know ahead of time."
"Okay, drive safe." Lu Xiao waved at him and turned to leave. On her way, she ran into Ansen, who was rushing over to greet her. He seemed to have come from somewhere in a hurry and was extremely enthusiastic upon seeing her.
"Good morning, Lu Xiao. You look even better today."
"Good morning, Ansen. You look very energetic today, too."
Sitting in the hovercar, Ares watched the two figures walk side-by-side into the office building through the window. He raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose, wondering, 'How long until Lu Xiao brings up taking a husband? Or will she not mention it to me at all and just bring Ansen home directly?'
'Just like when she took me, didn't she just submit the application directly to the military headquarters?'
Ares realized he cared about this far more than he had imagined.
If he hadn't experienced just how wonderful Lu Xiao was, he might not have cared so much.
He was reluctant to admit it, but he was jealous.
'If Lu Xiao knew how jealous I am, she would definitely hate me. I'm just a side husband; I don't even have the right to be jealous.'
With a self-deprecating smile, Ares drove away.
Lu Xiao had no idea that just from seeing her walk with Ansen, Ares had already imagined so much.
As for her, she hadn't even figured out what to do with just Ares. Taking on Ansen as well? Sorry, but she just didn't have that kind of energy.
Besides, these were people, not some objects to be treated casually. Even if you were just raising a kitten or a puppy, you had to consider its feelings, let alone a living, breathing person.
As a doctor, the thing she couldn't stand the most was a disregard for life.
When she arrived at the office, Teacher Ai Li was already there. She was very happy to see Lu Xiao arrive so early. "Oh, sweetheart, you're here so early! You could have come in a little later, you know. It's fine to get some more sleep."
"Is that really okay?" She hadn't expected to be told by her supervisor on her very first day that she could be late. How exciting.
"What does it matter?" Teacher Ai Li said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Sweetheart, come write down what you want to eat today. Someone will deliver it at noon."
"We don't have a cafeteria here?" Lu Xiao took the order card from Teacher Ai Li's hand. She was beginning to suspect that cafeterias simply didn't exist in this place.
"A cafeteria? We don't have anything like that here. Our meals are delivered from a dedicated restaurant."
Lu Xiao figured the S-Class Shelter next door was probably the same as Ares's military base—everyone just drank nutrient solution.
She really couldn't imagine what kind of lives these males lived day in and day out. 'Don't they know how to resist?'
With that in mind, Lu Xiao flipped through the menu and chose two dishes for lunch. "I've chosen. Who should I give this to?"
"Just give it to me, sweetheart." Teacher Ai Li took the card. "Today, there are three people from the S-Class Shelter who need a Spirit Sea assessment. You don't have to do anything hands-on; just follow along and observe."
Lu Xiao understood this to be pre-employment training, and she was indeed curious to see how these therapists performed Spiritual Soothing on males.
After all, the Spiritual Soothing she currently performed on Ares was all based on her own trial and error.
She felt it was better to communicate more about this kind of thing and learn from each other's strengths.
Not long after the other three female staff members arrived in the office, a message came from the S-Class Shelter.
The patients would arrive in ten minutes.
Hearing this, Teacher Ai Li stood up. "Alright, let's get ready. From what I understand, the three coming in today are only in the Early Stage, so there's no need to worry. Xiao Xiao, you just stick with Teacher Sherry and learn."
"Okay, Teacher Ai Li." After speaking, Lu Xiao walked over to Teacher Sherry.
When she saw Lu Xiao approach, she smiled and said, "Dear, just watch later. You don't need to do anything with me here."
Lu Xiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What kind of teacher mentoring an intern was worried about tiring the intern out?
"It's okay, Teacher Sherry. If there's anything you need me to do, just let me know. I'm willing to help."
Shirley took her hand. "Dear, I can already feel your enthusiasm for the work. Alright, if I need anything, I'll let you know. For now, you can sit here and watch."
After entering the examination room, the first thing Teacher Sherry did was point out a place for her to sit before she began explaining the functions of the instruments inside.
She also explained the purpose of a chair in the center of the room that was fitted with chains and looked like a torture device.
In truth, Shirley didn't need to say much. The moment Lu Xiao saw the chair, she guessed it must be for restraining S-Class males.
And around this chair, there was also a red warning line.
It was there to warn therapists like them not to cross into the red zone during treatment.
Lu Xiao stood outside the warning line, a little confused. "If we stand out here, how are we supposed to treat them? I mean, how do we perform Spiritual Soothing?"
"Dear, this is to protect ourselves. You have to understand, an S-Class who has lost control is terrifying. They will just need to put on a helmet, and we can perform the Spiritual Soothing through the equipment. There's no need for physical contact during the process."
As Shirley spoke, Lu Xiao had already spotted the so-called helmet. To be honest, it looked more like a gas mask.
A long tube was connected to the mouth area, leading all the way to the ceiling. She knew very well that the purpose of this tube was for more than just breathing. When necessary, it would surely be used to pump in some gas of unknown composition.