Lu Xia’s words shook Lan Ya to her core. She’d never imagined things could be like this.

In the past, she was always surrounded by men. Some she sought out herself, others came looking for her.

Regardless of how they met, there was always a purpose involved, and these chosen partners were always carefully compared and selected.

After all, given her status, how could someone too ordinary possibly reflect her nobility? Taking them out in public would just make her a laughingstock.

While she prided herself on her own station, she also placed great importance on her partner’s.

She had always considered herself a strong person, but today, after listening to Lu Xia, she truly realized she wasn’t yet strong enough to disregard everything else. At the very least, she didn’t have Lu Xia’s mindset.

A mindset that allowed one to completely ignore a partner’s status, satisfied with simply doing what one believed was best.

She couldn’t help but care about what other people thought.

In comparison to Lu Xia, she seemed so small-minded.

Now she could completely understand why the men in Lu Xia’s life treated her so exceptionally.

It was because Lu Xia’s treatment of them had been consistent from the very beginning.

Seeing Lan Ya fall silent after she had spoken, Lu Xia said no more and turned to look at the adjacent room.

Perhaps the second dose of the gene fusion agent did the trick, because the man successfully became a Gene Fusion Expert.

After taking the report from a staff member and looking it over, Lu Xia turned to Lan Ya. "Congratulations. He made it."

Lan Ya snapped back to reality and instinctively stood up. "So soon?" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

She stared in disbelief at the report in Lu Xia’s hand. She couldn’t believe the second injection of the gene fusion agent had worked so quickly.

’Could it be? Does Lu Xia really have some kind of magic touch I don’t know about?’

As she thought this, Lan Ya couldn’t help but glance at Lu Xia.

Sensing the strange look in her eyes, Lu Xia arched an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"If I had known, I would have had you administer the first dose of the gene fusion agent."

It might have worked on the very first try.

Understanding the implication behind Lan Ya’s words, Lu Xia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"It worked out all the same, didn’t it? Just remember to take him to the Government Affairs Hall to re-register his status. Once his condition stabilizes, you can bring him back in a while to enhance his gene fusion degree."

Hearing this, Lan Ya looked up at Lu Xia again. "When the time comes, can you administer the injection for him?"

This time, Lu Xia was truly at a loss. "If I’m around, sure. But whether he succeeds or not really has little to do with me. Like I told you, the success rate for the second dose is high to begin with, so you..."

Before Lu Xia could finish her explanation, Lan Ya cut her off. "I trust you more. I’d have more peace of mind with you administering the injection."

"..." Since Lan Ya had put it that way, Lu Xia couldn’t really argue. She nodded. "Alright. Contact me before you come next time. If I’m free, I’ll administer his injection."

Lan Ya was satisfied and smiled. "By the way, what else have you done for your partners? I noticed you and one of them went into the adjacent lab just now. What’s that lab for? I remember you saying it’s your private research lab, so what exactly is it you study?"

Lu Xia was surprised Lan Ya had noticed such a detail. She thought for a moment; there was no reason she couldn’t talk about it. The technology for Alien Gene Extraction Liquid was already quite mature.

’It’s probably time to start accepting clients who have this need.’

"It’s for researching Alien Genes."

At her words, surprise filled Lan Ya’s eyes. "Alien Genes? You mean *the* Alien Genes? The kind that can give a Gene Fusion Expert superpowers?"

Lu Xia smiled. "No need to be so specific, I know what you mean. Yes, the kind of Alien Gene that grants a Gene Fusion Expert a superpower. If you have a need for that, you can bring an Alien Gene to me. The research is already very mature, but we’ll have to discuss the price separately."

Even though Lan Ya held shares in the main research institute, this particular lab belonged solely to Lu Xia. So, if Lan Ya wanted her services, she would have to pay. Lu Xia wasn’t about to work for free.

Lan Ya’s mouth fell open in astonishment. She stared at Lu Xia for a long moment before she seemed to find her voice. "Do you think Alien Genes grow on trees? That you can just find one whenever you want? Besides, even if I found one, I probably couldn’t afford it. It’s no exaggeration to say those things are priceless but impossible to find on the market."

Lu Xia actually found it hard to argue with that, because when it came to Simon, finding Alien Genes seemed rather easy.

Aside from the first Fire Spirit Gene, the other three were almost all thanks to Simon.

’Honestly, sometimes I can’t help but wonder if Simon has some special channel for finding Alien Genes!’

’Otherwise, how does he manage to find one every time, like he’s just restocking inventory?’

’But there’s no need to let Lan Ya know that. She’d think I was just humblebragging.’

But then Lan Ya suddenly thought of something. She looked at Lu Xia and asked, "Those partners of yours... they haven’t all become Alien Gene Fusion Experts already, have they?"

’For anyone else, it would be an impossible fantasy. But for Lu Xia, it might just be the reality.’

Lu Xia hadn’t expected Lan Ya to be so sharp. "How could that be possible? Right now, it’s just Graces and Smelian. We’re still researching the ones for Cecil and Simon."

"Still researching?" Lan Ya’s voice cracked. "Does that mean you’ve already found four different Alien Genes?"

Lu Xia raised a hand and rubbed her nose. "You could say that. But I wasn’t the one who found them."

Lan Ya was speechless. ’Why did I ever think I could compare myself to Lu Xia? There’s just no comparison!’

Lu Xia had expected Lan Ya to say something, but instead, Lan Ya just shot her a look, turned, and walked out. The glance she gave before leaving was particularly complex.

Lu Xia shrugged. ’What can I do? I’m helpless here. I didn’t want to say anything, but she just kept asking!’

When Lan Ya came out of the adjacent room, the young man who had come with her had already showered, changed into clean clothes, and was sitting on a chair by the door, waiting for her.

The moment he saw her, he approached with a brilliant smile.

He was a Gene Fusion Expert now. Even though it was reality, the feeling was still surreal.

He instinctively glanced at Lu Xia, who had come out behind Lan Ya, his heart filled with immense gratitude.

If not for Lu Xia’s encouragement at the very end, his anxiety might have kept him from seeing it through. Thankfully, he persevered and finally became a Gene Fusion Expert, just as he had wished.