After returning from No. 3 Courtyard, Lu Xia didn’t hide the news of her pregnancy from the others.

At the dinner table that evening, Lu Xia announced her pregnancy.

Now, it wasn’t just Cecil; Simon also stared at Lu Xia, dumbfounded.

Smelian was the only one at the table who remained composed.

Cecil snapped out of his shock and looked at Lu Xia with delight. He stammered, "Lu Xia..."

Lu Xia knew what he wanted to ask and gave a gentle nod. "Cecil, this means you’ll be moving in with me for a while."

Cecil hadn’t expected an even greater surprise. He nodded without hesitation and then looked at Smelian.

Smelian didn’t say much, only, "Just pack your things and move over."

Cecil opened his mouth to say something to Smelian but found he had nothing to say, so he just gave a slight nod. The joy in his eyes, however, was impossible to hide. He was going to be a Male Father. He’d never thought this dream would actually have a chance of coming true.

As Smelian finished packing and was leaving the master bedroom, he explained to the still-rejoicing Cecil what to be mindful of during Lu Xia’s pregnancy and what his duties would be upon moving in.

He wouldn’t have had the patience to explain so much to anyone else, but Cecil was still young. He didn’t want the young man’s recklessness to make Lu Xia’s pregnancy uncomfortable.

After listening to Smelian and learning this was how he had been caring for Lu Xia, Cecil nodded. "Rest assured, I’ll take good care of her."

Seeing the eagerness in Cecil’s eyes, Smelian paused, then felt compelled to add, "Don’t let her get tired."

When Smelian returned to his own room after the handover with Cecil, it felt a little strange, but not unbearably so.

Simon appeared at his doorway. "Want a drink?"

Simon figured that no matter how normally Smelian acted, he had to be feeling a little down inside.

Smelian nodded, accepting the invitation, but added, "I don’t need you to console me."

Seeing him say that, Simon just smiled and nodded. "All right. Then just say you’re keeping me company."

Graces learned of Lu Xia’s pregnancy from Smelian the very next day. He was silent for a moment and didn’t say much, only instructing, "Make sure Cecil takes good care of Xiaxia."

He was speeding things up on his end, too. He believed it wouldn’t be long before their family could be reunited.

With two prior experiences, Lu Xia was able to face her third pregnancy with a sense of calm.

After all, her pregnancies were no different from a normal person’s; in fact, she even felt that her physical condition was getting better and better.

The only thing was, Cecil had become even clingier than before.

Seeing Cecil appear at her research institute before closing time, Lu Xia felt a little exasperated. "Haven’t you been busy lately?"

"I am, but I can delegate. You’re the most important thing to me."

Lu Xia reached out and tapped him between the eyebrows. "You don’t have to be like this, Cecil. I’m not that fragile. You don’t need to watch over me so carefully. The most important thing is for you to handle your own work."

"I understand, but I want to be with you. Unless... you’re getting tired of me?"

Cecil put on a pitiful expression and nuzzled his head of golden hair into Lu Xia’s arms. He knew exactly how to make her go soft on him.

Lu Xia sighed in resignation, a smile creeping into her eyes as she stroked his golden hair. "All right. Wait for me here. I just have a little more work, and then we can go home."

"Okay! I promise I won’t disturb your work."

Lu Xia had just returned to her office when Lan Ya came clicking in on her high heels. A flicker of surprise crossed her face when she saw Cecil, but it quickly morphed into jealousy as she put two and two together.

She pushed open the door to Lu Xia’s office. "Is that your new flame out there?"

Lu Xia glanced at her. "Cecil is one of my partners."

Lan Ya said sourly, "How come the men around you are always such high quality? You should share your secrets."

Lu Xia looked at Lan Ya and said seriously, "When you treat them with respect, they shine."

Lan Ya raised an eyebrow. She didn’t quite get it, so she decided not to pursue the topic. After all, that wasn’t why she was here today; she had another purpose.

She sat down right next to Lu Xia and asked, "I wanted to ask you, where did you go for your breeding procedure?"

Lu Xia was surprised by the sudden question. She looked at Lan Ya. "I thought you didn’t like children. Why the sudden desire to have one?"

"I just changed my mind. Is that so strange?"

"Not strange, just a little surprising. I can recommend a doctor to you."

"Is he the one who helped you with your pregnancies?"

Lu Xia wasn’t sure how to answer, but she nodded. "Yes. Doctor Eugene. Here’s his contact information. You can reach out to him yourself."

As Lan Ya took the business card, a thought suddenly struck Lu Xia. She gave Lan Ya a long, searching look but didn’t say anything. ’Lan Ya could be a good test subject,’ she thought. ’If Lan Ya can achieve natural conception, does that mean my Spiritual Spring Water can actually change a person’s constitution?’

’After all, the Spiritual Spring Water has only ever affected me. It’s impossible to know for sure if my ability to conceive naturally is because the water changed my constitution. But with one more test subject... maybe it’s possible to find out?’

The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was worth a try.

Lan Ya sensed the change in her gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

"No. I was just thinking that it’s been a while, and you look like you’ve gotten a bit of a tan."

At this, Lan Ya immediately grew flustered. She hastily pulled a mirror from her bag and began examining her face. "Have I really gotten darker? No way! Are you messing with me?"

Seeing her so flustered, Lu Xia felt her objective had been achieved. In a good mood, she said dismissively, "Oh, really? Maybe I was mistaken."

Lan Ya rolled her eyes, speechless. "I have to say it again—next time you meet a great man, remember to share. Don’t hoard them all for yourself."

Lu Xia just laughed lightly, not bothering to explain.

Lan Ya took her laughter as agreement. "I’m going to see Doctor Eugene tomorrow. Want to come with me?"

Lu Xia thought for a moment, then nodded without refusing. "Sure. As it happens, I have some business at No. 3 Courtyard anyway. We can meet there tomorrow."

Seeing Lu Xia agree, Lan Ya felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

It wasn’t that she was afraid to see Doctor Eugene alone. It was just that Lu Xia had already had two children, so she was comparatively experienced. For some reason, having Lu Xia there made Lan Ya feel more confident.

She didn’t know what good that confidence would do her, but she simply felt more at ease with Lu Xia around.

Lu Xia, for her part, was preoccupied with her own plan and paid little attention to what Lan Ya was thinking.