Ever since Graces had left, Lu Xia would often show Little Pu Tao pictures of him. She didn’t want the boy to feel he was missing a Male Father due to Graces’s absence.

So when Lu Xia mentioned the words "Male Father," Little Pu Tao’s dark eyes instantly lit up. He asked in pleasant surprise, "Really, Mother? Is my Male Father coming home? Will I really get to see him the day after tomorrow?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Lu Xia smiled and patted her son’s head. "That’s right. We’ll be able to see your Male Father the night after tomorrow."

"That’s great!" Little Pu Tao hopped on the spot without realizing it. Then, he pursed his lips and looked at Lu Xia with a hint of worry. "Mother, when my Male Father meets me, will he like me?"

In truth, if Lu Xia hadn’t frequently shown him pictures of Graces, he probably wouldn’t remember who his Male Father was.

After all, he had been too young when Graces left and had very few memories of him.

So, hearing Lu Xia say that Graces, his Male Father—the male who had only ever existed in photographs—was about to appear in person, it was inevitable that he would worry.

He was worried that his Male Father wouldn’t like him. If that happened, he wouldn’t know what to do.

Seeing Little Pu Tao’s uneasy expression, Lu Xia pulled her son into a hug. "He won’t. Your Male Father could never dislike you. He misses you a lot, I can guarantee it. And if he did anything of the sort, Mother would punish him, so you don’t need to worry, Little Pu Tao. Besides, who could possibly dislike someone as cute as our Little Pu Tao?"

Comforted by Lu Xia’s gentle words, Little Pu Tao gave a slightly sheepish smile. His anxiety had vanished, and he was happy again. "Mother, I’m really looking forward to my Male Father coming home."

"I know." Though Little Pu Tao was young, he had likely inherited Graces’s composed nature. He had been mature from a young age and rarely gave her cause for concern.

’But sensible children often need even more love and care from their parents.’

Just as Lu Xia was speaking with Little Pu Tao, a Breeding Master carried Little Xiangxiang downstairs. Having just been fed, Little Xiangxiang was nestled in the Breeding Master’s arms. Now nearly five months old, she had grown quite a bit, but she was still a small, soft little bundle.

When she saw Little Pu Tao in Lu Xia’s embrace, Little Xiangxiang immediately lifted her head, reaching her tiny hands toward him, her golden eyes full of delight.

She clearly recognized Little Pu Tao.

This was likely because Little Pu Tao often went to see her and play with her.

Seeing this, Lu Xia smiled and asked Little Pu Tao, "Do you want to play with your sister?"

As he nodded, Little Pu Tao’s hand was already gently holding Little Xiangxiang’s wrist. "Yes!"

Lu Xia gestured for the Breeding Master to put Little Xiangxiang down on the floor.

She also let go of Little Pu Tao, allowing the siblings to interact and play more easily.

Little Pu Tao sat on the floor and talked to Little Xiangxiang. She couldn’t speak yet, only babble, but the older and younger child still managed to play together just fine.

Lu Xia watched the two little ones, her eyes filled with affection.

Smelian came in from outside after finishing work and noticed the scene. A gentle warmth filled his eyes. ’Everything before me is my entire world.’

He didn’t make a sound, simply standing off to the side and watching for a long while. It wasn’t until Lu Xia looked up and noticed him that she smiled and asked, "When did you get back?"

Smelian smiled, walked over, and sat down beside Lu Xia, naturally wrapping an arm around her. "Just now."

Hearing his voice, Little Pu Tao looked up and called out obediently, "Male Father Smelian, welcome home."

Smelian returned the greeting with a smile for Little Pu Tao.

Lu Xia then told him the news that Graces would be home the night after tomorrow. Smelian nodded. "I know. I’ll come home early that day."

That evening, Simon was busy and didn’t join them for dinner.

The next morning, however, when Lu Xia came downstairs, she saw Simon already at the dining table eating breakfast.

Seeing her approach, Simon rose and pulled out a chair for her. "Good morning, Duke."

"Good morning, Simon." After sitting down, Lu Xia noticed a black box on the table. Before she could ask, Simon pushed it toward her. "It’s the Wood Spirit Gene."

Surprise flickered in Lu Xia’s eyes. She hadn’t expected Simon to find the Wood Spirit Gene so quickly. "Is this why you didn’t come home last night?"

"Yes. I got a very reliable lead, but I had to go in person." He didn’t elaborate on how he had obtained the Wood Spirit Gene, and Lu Xia didn’t ask for details. She smiled, picked up the box, and opened it. After confirming that it did, in fact, contain a vial of the Wood Spirit Gene, she said, "Come with me to the No.2 Institute later. Now that we have the Wood Spirit Gene, we can begin the next phase of our research."

Simon smiled and nodded. "Alright. What’s the current status of the Golden Spirit Gene?"

"The Golden Spirit Gene Extraction Liquid has been successfully developed, and we’ve now entered the experimental phase. This stage will be a bit long, but we’re very experienced. Don’t worry."

"I know." Simon was well aware. Duke Lu Xia already had two extraordinary successes with Alien Gene Extraction Liquid, after all. Graces and Smelian were both Alien Gene Fusion Experts now.

’It’s only a matter of time for Cecil and me.’

’Even knowing this is no longer a difficult task for Duke Lu Xia, it still feels somewhat surreal and incredible.’

’After all, extracting an Alien Gene is far more difficult than creating a gene fusion agent, yet Lu Xia has managed to overcome all these hurdles.’

"I heard Graces is coming back tomorrow night. Do we need to prepare anything?"

’The head butler had clearly informed Simon ahead of time.’

"No, there’s no need. I’ve already had the butler make the arrangements. Just come home as usual tomorrow." Lu Xia had always preferred to keep things simple.

Simon nodded to show he understood.

After breakfast, Lu Xia returned to her room to get ready, then left for the No.2 Institute with Simon.

As soon as they arrived, they ran into Lan Ya, who was there to have someone injected with a gene fusion agent.

When she saw Lu Xia and Simon, Lan Ya’s eyes lit up. She gave Simon a head-to-toe inspection, then clicked her tongue. "Another one of your husbands?"

Lu Xia was used to Lan Ya’s catty remarks whenever she met one of her partners. "This is Simon. What brings you here?"

At the question, Lan Ya’s lips curved into a smirk. "I’ve just taken on a new ’defective’ male. I’m bringing him for an injection of the gene fusion agent."

Lu Xia glanced at the young male inside the examination room, a little surprised. ’So Lan Ya is choosing ’defective’ males as partners now, too.’

"Congratulations, then?" Lu Xia said, unsure of the appropriate response.

"Thanks." To her surprise, Lan Ya seemed to genuinely appreciate it.