Chapter 3: I Honor You as My Lady Wife

But this thought merely flickered for a moment before Nian Tu quickly cast it aside.

"Lady Nian Tu, your personal information has been entered into the system. As of today, you are a citizen of the Empire. In the future, whenever you need to verify your identity, you can simply scan your iris."

Nian Tu accepted the bracelet—which she was told was a light-brain—from the staff member. With a tap, she could see her personal profile.

Name, gender, age, height, weight, physical health score...

As Nian Tu scrolled down, she was surprised to find a "Partner" section, which currently displayed "None." Right next to it was a "Partner Applications" tab, and the number displayed there was climbing frantically.

Nian Tu: "..."

Had it malfunctioned? Where did all these people wanting to be her partner come from?

"Why does this number keep changing?" she asked.

"Because you currently do not have a partner, the partner application status is set to 'open' by default, and it will be pushed to all unmarried males," the staff member replied, seemingly unsurprised by the volume of courtship applications she had received.

"You may choose one primary husband and an unlimited number of secondary husbands. They will revere you as their wife, remain loyal to you, protect you with their lives, and provide for all your needs in terms of food, clothing, housing, and transportation."

Nian Tu’s expression soured instantly. "Is this a mandatory requirement?"

Seeing her displeasure, the staff member panicked and bowed to explain, "It is not mandatory. The Empire does not force females to marry, please rest assured."

"However, for the sake of protecting females, an unmarried female must have guardians."

And there must be at least three guardians.

In fact, most females eventually chose their guardians to become their partners.

Nian Tu reluctantly accepted the concept of "guardians," as long as she wasn't being forced to marry. She had psychological trauma regarding marriage and did not want to consider it for the time being.

Nian Tu looked up at Major Xion and Dr. Lu Zhan, who had been accompanying her all along, struggling with how to broach the subject. They were the only two people she knew in this world. Due to a kind of imprinting effect, she couldn't help but feel dependent on them.

Lu Zhan understood her intent and considerately spoke first: "I am willing to be your guardian. Would you be willing to give me this opportunity?"

Xion followed suit immediately, expressing his own desire to become Nian Tu’s guardian.

Nian Tu nodded like a bird pecking at grain.

Lu Zhan smiled gently. He possessed a refined and handsome appearance, though he was usually reserved and icy like a cold glacier. Now, with this rare smile, he seemed like melting snow. He took Nian Tu’s hand and bowed to lightly kiss her fingertips.

Xion also reverently kissed her other hand.

"So, we are family now?" Nian Tu felt a bit shy, but gathered her courage to add, "Please don't use honorifics with me anymore. You can be more relaxed."

Every day, hearing them address her with such formal language was exhausting.

The people around them heard this and looked at Xion and Lu Zhan with a touch of jealousy. Where did such a sweet little female come from? These two males were truly lucky.

The staff member finalized their registration and informed Nian Tu, "Please find a third guardian and register them within one month, otherwise the system will automatically match a new guardian for you after that time."

Since there was a one-month grace period, Nian Tu wasn't too worried.

The three of them headed to the Emerald Pavilion, a famous high-end restaurant on the Central Star, for lunch. Gourmet food was rare in the interstellar era, as everyone was accustomed to drinking nutrient solutions. Nian Tu had eaten one dinner on the spaceship, which was, to put it mildly, terrible. She had barely managed to swallow it, and for breakfast today, she had opted for a nutrient pack.

Most nutrient packs were fruit-flavored; she had chosen a peach one, which tasted fresh and sweet. Although it had a strange aftertaste compared to fruit juice, it was still much better than that dinner.

She had thought the army cafeteria was just bad, but upon arriving at the Emerald Pavilion, Nian Tu finally realized the harsh reality—this was a culinary desert.

Nian Tu tearfully swallowed a bite of dry, tough steak, feeling that the only difference between this restaurant's food and the army cafeteria's was that it was more expensive. When ordering, she had been stunned by the prices, only to find the food both expensive and inedible once it reached her mouth.

The two males, who were constantly watching her, keenly noticed she wasn't enjoying her meal.

Xion asked in a low voice, "If you don't like something, you can give it to me. Would you like to try something else? Or perhaps we should go to a different place?"

Lu Zhan poured her a glass of grape juice, placed it in front of her, and waited for her instructions.

Nian Tu took the drink from Lu Zhan and gave him a sweet, pursed-lip smile.

After thinking for a moment, she leaned in close to Xion’s ear and whispered, "I don't want to eat meat anymore. I want some vegetables."

She didn't realize how adorable she looked whispering like that in the eyes of the males. Many gazes were spying on her from the shadows. Since she had walked in, countless males had been tensing up like peacocks displaying their feathers, captivated by her fresh, lotus-like face.

Xion had sharp senses and could feel the warmth of her breath against his ear. The valiant and battle-hardened young major felt his ears turn red as blood, a flush that quickly spread across his entire face.

He stood up stiffly, ordered several vegetable dishes for her, and returned to his seat, receiving a soft, light "thank you" from the little female.

Nian Tu quietly pushed the steak she couldn't finish toward the two males and, as a trade, promised them: "I'll cook for you next time."

The surrounding males turned red with envy.

A food-vlogger in the restaurant was live-streaming and happened to capture this interaction. The viewer count, previously only a trickle, surged instantly. However, no one cared what the vlogger was eating; they were all focused on the adorable female.

[Does the host even know how to film? Get closer!]

[Oh my god, where did this little sweetheart come from? She actually said thank you to a male!]

[She even said she would cook for her males! Damn it, how could there be such lucky males! I don't believe it!]

[The little female is so cute. The kitchen is a dangerous place not meant for you; leave the cooking to us thick-skinned males. We've all studied culinary arts; it's a mandatory course for us!]

[She's so good to her partners and even smiles at them... Sigh, my wife barely pays any attention to me, and it's been a long time since she gave me any mental soothing.]

[To the guy above, at least your wife just ignores you. Mine whips me whenever she's in a bad mood.]

[To the two guys above, at least you have wives. No female wants me at all.]

[I've been single since birth. I've never spoken to a female other than my mother.]

[Sigh...]

The audience quickly started a competition of who had it worse.

[Don't just look at the female, look at who her partners are! That's Xion Leon! He's already a Major at such a young age! And look at the other one, Lu Zhan, the medical genius top student from the Imperial Military Academy! He was a big deal back in school!]

[Although Major Xion is low-key, I heard the Marshal is his uncle. Their beast forms are both lions.]

[The God of War, Marshal Feli Leon? He's my idol! Is Major Xion really the Marshal's nephew?]

[That is quite a powerful background...]

[Senior Lu Zhan is no worse than Xion. He held several patents while at the Imperial Military Academy, and the most widely used medical pod model today was designed with his participation.]

Perhaps their origins differed, but talented people always had countless admirers.

[Lu Zhan is very famous! He was a self-taught master pharmacist before he went to the military academy to study medicine! Wasn't there a female who lowered herself to pursue him before? Could it be this one?]

[It's not her, it's Lin Xinwei.]

Many females who enjoyed the attention of others would often update their StarNet status, attracting male followers and becoming influencers. Lin Xinwei was one of them and was somewhat famous, so when viewers mentioned her name, others expressed recognition.

[Oh my god! Lin Xinwei? Isn't that Lin Xinwei right there! She's also dining at the Emerald Pavilion!]

Speak of the devil.

Nian Tu was slowly sipping her grape juice when she suddenly saw a woman dressed in overly flashy clothing walking toward their table in a rage.

"Lu Zhan! You really have some nerve! You hid from me in such a remote place to be a military doctor, and now you've become someone else's partner? Are you trying to humiliate me?"

As she spoke, she raised her hand to slap Lu Zhan.

Without thinking, Nian Tu immediately shielded Lu Zhan, intercepted the woman's hand, and twisted it behind her back.

The live stream completely exploded!