This time, Smelian took Lu Xia to an open-air, garden-style restaurant.

There, they not only had a violinist but also a comedy skit. If guests were willing, they could even go on stage and perform themselves.

When Lu Xia and Smelian entered, the small garden area was already partially filled. Most of the patrons were females accompanied by males, making it clear this was a prime dating spot.

Upon seeing the two of them arrive, some people cast curious glances their way but didn’t stare offensively. It was clear that most of the clientele here were of a certain status and understood etiquette.

Lu Xia didn’t mind the scene; in fact, she found it rather novel.

’So there are this many novel places in the Empire I’ve never been to,’ Lu Xia thought. ’Thinking about it, maybe I’m a bit of a workaholic.’

’Should I slow down and enjoy life a little more?’

But she also knew that she didn’t actually enjoy daily social gatherings. She didn’t dislike work, either. An occasional date like this was nice, but she probably wouldn’t enjoy it if it became a regular thing.

Even the waiters here were very polite. One gentlemanly handed the menu to Lu Xia, then stood quietly to the side without saying too much or getting too close.

Lu Xia looked it over and ordered a few dishes she thought both she and Smelian might like before passing the menu to him. "Add anything else you want."

Smelian took it, added two more dishes, and returned the menu to the waiter.

Lu Xia’s gaze fell on the violinist playing in the center. He wore a white formal suit, but his hair was a rare silver, and his pair of violet eyes made him even more distinctive. Lu Xia couldn’t help but take a second look.

As if sensing her gaze, he looked over at her. After a brief moment of surprise, a smile touched his eyes, and the originally tender music suddenly became cheerful.

Lu Xia had no talent for appreciating music; she could only distinguish between what sounded good and what sounded bad. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

But his performance clearly fell into the "sounds good" category for her. When the piece ended, she heard someone shout, "Encore! Play another one!"

Lu Xia knew her impression wasn’t wrong. Everyone clearly loved his playing.

Lu Xia asked Smelian curiously, "Have you been here before?"

Smelian shook his head. "I couldn’t have come on my own. This place only allows females to bring males. I’m only here thanks to you."

Lu Xia was a little surprised to hear that from him. Smelian continued, "I searched for places suitable for a date with a Female Master. This place was in the top ten. I looked at the aerial photos and felt it would be perfect for our date tonight. I thought you would like it, and it wasn’t hard to get a reservation."

After all, relatively few Female Masters were willing to take their male partners out on dates. Most females preferred to leave the males at home and go out searching for ’wildflowers’ on the side.

Lu Xia was a little surprised. She hadn’t expected Smelian to be secretly researching this kind of information. ’That’s actually quite interesting,’ she thought. She nodded in approval. "The environment here is indeed very nice. It’s not very private, but with everyone together, the atmosphere is great."

The food arrived quickly. The plating was exquisite, and though the portions were small, there were many dishes. Because of her special condition right now, Lu Xia’s tastes were on the lighter side.

Lu Xia tried a bite of the steamed fish closest to her. It was just to her liking.

Seeing that she liked it, Smelian let out a slight sigh of relief. "Is it okay?"

"Of course. It’s delicious."

Lu Xia didn’t just say it; she ate with relish. Seeing this, the smile in Smelian’s eyes deepened. Soon, the violin performance ended, and two other actors came on to perform a comedy skit.

Even Lu Xia, who didn’t normally enjoy watching such things, couldn’t help but be amused.

As dinner was drawing to a close, a male suddenly stood up, strode boldly to the stage, and picked up the microphone. He began nervously, "First, I want to apologize to everyone for this. I might be interrupting you for a few minutes. I want to say something to my Female Master. I love you, Alina. So please, can you not abandon me? Don’t break off our partnership, okay?"

By the end, the male was so overwrought he burst into tears. His Female Master, a female named Alina, flushed red, stood up, and looked at him angrily. "Shut up! Haven’t you embarrassed me enough? I must have been crazy to accept your invitation tonight!"

After saying this, Alina turned and walked away. The male, left behind, froze for a moment before dropping the microphone and chasing straight after her.

The pleasant atmosphere was shattered by this farce, and the other guests sighed with a mix of pity and dismay.

Smelian cleared his throat and said to Lu Xia, "Shall we head back?"

Lu Xia nodded lightly and stood up to leave with Smelian.

As luck would have it, just as they stepped outside, they ran into the same male who had been begging his Female Master not to leave him. He was now kneeling on the ground, hugging Alina’s leg and crying uncontrollably.

As a female, her strength was naturally no match for a male’s. Alina struggled for a long time but couldn’t push away the male clinging to her leg. With a helpless expression, she could only relent. "Stop crying first. Get up. We’ll go home."

Hearing this, the male immediately let go and obediently got into the car with Alina.

Smelian cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn’t expect we’d run into something like that."

Lu Xia glanced at him. "Why are you apologizing? It’s not like you could have predicted this. Don’t apologize for things that have nothing to do with you, Smelian. I had a wonderful time tonight, and this little incident won’t spoil it."

Smelian was instantly put at ease. Lu Xia always had this magical ability to reassure him whenever he felt lost.

He smiled and said, "Actually, I prepared another place for us. If we go there, we probably won’t be coming home tonight."

Lu Xia looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to have additional plans. A delighted expression crossed her face. "Really? Then let’s go!"

As she spoke, she linked her arm through Smelian’s, showing no intention of refusing. A smile appeared in Smelian’s eyes, clearly happy with her acceptance.

When they arrived, Lu Xia realized Smelian had booked a hotel.

After going inside, Lu Xia discovered this was no ordinary hotel. It was designed to look like an underwater world.

In the dim light, she could clearly see schools of fish, coral, and seaweed swimming inside massive glass tanks.

The tranquil space was filled with a faint blue glow, creating a mysterious and romantic ambiance.

Lu Xia’s eyes lit up. "Did you also pick this from the list of suitable date spots?"

"Yes. Among the rankings for females’ favorite hotels, this one is number one."

Hearing this, the smile in Lu Xia’s eyes deepened. She stated generously, "Well, I love it here."

As she said this, she walked right up to the massive glass tank and watched the fish swimming inside, feeling she still knew so little about the Empire.

Clearly, the Empire had perfected the art of pleasing females.

Smelian hugged her from behind, gently kissing her cheek. Stirred by his actions, Lu Xia tilted her head up and kissed him.