Lu Xia was so eager to get out, partly because she was physically fine now, but also because she didn’t want to be stuck at home with her thoughts.

Just thinking about how her condition had improved made her feel a little awkward.

’It’d be better to get busy with work at the No. 1 Institute and take my mind off things.’

Meanwhile, over at the hospital, Doctor Eugene had just returned to his office when he was met by someone from the Fertility Research Institute: Dr. Vera.

Eugene didn’t need to ask to know the purpose of the man’s visit. It was undoubtedly about the "natural conception."

He’d heard that the Fertility Research Institute had recently upgraded its ancient monitoring system. However, it hadn’t picked up any new signals since. That was only to be expected; Duke Lu Xia wasn’t about to wait around for them to find her and had turned off the indicator light long ago.

That was why the Institute had no choice but to visit the fertility departments of major hospitals. ’At least they’re not completely useless,’ Eugene thought. ’Instead of just sitting around the Institute waiting for a miracle, they actually know to get out and look for leads.’

However, since Doctor Eugene had taken on Duke Lu Xia’s case, he had no intention of handing this rare opportunity over on a silver platter.

Despite being perfectly aware of the man’s intentions, he feigned just the right amount of surprise. "Dr. Vera, what brings you here? Please, have a seat. I was just in a meeting. My apologies for making you wait."

"Not at all. I’m the one who dropped by unannounced, so forgive the intrusion. Have you been busy lately?"

"Not as busy as you folks at the Institute. We mostly just do auxiliary work for you here, so I can’t really say we’re swamped. So, what can I do for you today? I’m sure you didn’t come all this way for nothing." Eugene’s enthusiasm was so impeccable that Dr. Vera couldn’t find a single thing to fault.

After all, the main purpose of fertility departments in hospitals like his was to ease the burden on the Fertility Research Institute, and they handled the treatment of sick cubs more than anything else.

"I do have a reason for being here today." Seeing how perceptive Eugene was, Vera decided not to beat around the bush; after all, that was the entire point of his visit. If he wasn’t direct, how would Eugene know what he wanted? "You’ve been out here in the sticks for so long, you probably don’t know what’s been happening back at the Institute. If you ask me, you never should have left the Fertility Research Institute."

Dr. Vera put on an air of pity, but his tone betrayed a poorly-veiled arrogance.

Eugene pretended not to notice the condescending undertone and nodded. "That’s all in the past. No use crying over spilled milk. So, tell me what’s happened at the Institute. Enlighten me."

Vera gave a cryptic smile. "This will probably come as a shock, but it’s true. You’ve probably heard that the Institute upgraded its monitoring system, right?"

"Wasn’t that just because the system was getting seriously old and had to be replaced? Was there another reason?" Eugene’s well-timed confusion stroked Vera’s ego.

"Getting old? That was just the official story. The truth is, we detected a signal for a natural conception. You understand what that means, don’t you? It’s the first time in several hundred years that the system has ever reacted!"

Eugene put on a shocked expression, his eyes wide and his mouth agape, as if he were speechless.

Seeing his reaction, Vera felt a surge of satisfaction. ’See? This is the price you pay for leaving the Fertility Research Institute. He’s completely in the dark about something this huge, and he has to hear it from me.’

’Back when Doctor Eugene was at the Institute, he was far more brilliant than me. Now that he’s gone, he has to learn about things like this from me.’

’He probably hasn’t made any significant research contributions in all these years.’

Vera said smugly, "Just keep what you’ve heard to yourself. Don’t go spreading it around."

"O-of course." Eugene took a deep breath, acting as if he were just now recovering from the shock. "Natural conception... I can’t believe someone actually managed to conceive naturally. Have you found them?"

Vera scoffed, giving him a look that said, ’Are you serious?’ "If we’d found them, I wouldn’t be sitting here today, would I? You know how old that system was. For various reasons, it never got upgraded, so it failed to capture the individual’s personal information in time. Now, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. All we know is that there’s someone like that in the Empire, but we have no idea who. That’s why the Institute sent people like me out to hospitals like this to try our luck. Who knows, maybe they came here for a check-up?"

After explaining, Vera looked up at Eugene. "So, in your recent consultations, have you encountered anyone suspicious?"

"You know what it’s like here, don’t you? We might be called a fertility department, but most of our patients are cubs. People looking to be paired for reproduction don’t come to a place like this. What suspicious people could there possibly be?"

"That’s true," Vera conceded. "If someone really did conceive naturally, their first stop should be our Fertility Research Institute. Why would they come to a place like this? I think our director is just getting desperate and trying anything at this point."

"You have a point," Eugene said, a hopeful look on his face. "But I really hope it’s true. I’d have hit the jackpot!" His expectant expression made Vera sneer. "If you’d stayed at the Institute, would you even need to hope for a ’jackpot’?"

"Ah, let’s not talk about it. It’s all just regrets now. I can’t compare to you anymore." Eugene glanced at Vera with feigned envy. "So, you came all this way just for that? I’m afraid I have to disappoint you. It was a wasted trip."

"I was prepared for that. And it wasn’t a total waste—I got to see you, didn’t I? I wouldn’t have had the time otherwise."

"Why don’t we grab a bite after work? My treat."

"No, thanks. I have a few other places to be. Some other time, maybe. It was good just to chat." ’There’s nothing Eugene has that I want, and no value in associating with someone like him,’ Vera thought. He wouldn’t waste any more of his time. He stood up. "You must be busy, so I’ll get going. Let’s keep in touch."

"Alright, let me see you out." Eugene escorted him to the door and watched him leave, a pleasant smile fixed on his face the entire time. Only when Vera’s figure vanished into the elevator did Eugene’s expression change. He raised an eyebrow, shoved his hands into the pockets of his white lab coat, and turned around, humming a tune. "What a wonderful day~" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"In a good mood today, Doctor Eugene?" a passing nurse asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I certainly am." ’After all,’ he thought, ’I can’t wait to see the looks on the faces of those arrogant fools when they finally find out the truth.’

With that thought, Eugene sent a message to Lu Xia: "Just a heads-up, the Fertility Research Institute has already come looking for me."

A moment later, a reply came from Lu Xia: "Understood. Thank you, Doctor Eugene."