Graces had been quite busy these past few days. If it weren’t for a last-minute meeting this morning, he would have definitely waited for Lu Xia to wake up and said goodbye to her in person before leaving.

When he arrived at the conference room, Admiral Snop hadn’t gotten there yet. A few people inside were making small talk. "Yesterday, my Female Master and I went to the Fertility Research Institute to submit a cub application."

"Really? Your Female Master is willing to raise a cub so soon? That’s great news! Doesn’t that mean you’re about to become a Male Father?"

"Haha, not so soon. It’s still a ways off. My Female Master wants two female cubs, but you know how it is. Even with artificial reproduction, the probability of producing a female cub isn’t high. It’s a bit of a headache."

"That’s true. Otherwise, the birth rate for female cubs wouldn’t be so low. Still, just having one cub is wonderful for us."

"Definitely." At this, the conversation died down. The two men couldn’t help but glance at Graces, who was sitting silently beside them. Remembering his status, they exchanged a look and dropped the topic.

After all, as a ’defective’ male and because of his status as a husband, Graces would never have a connection to the term ’Male Father’ in this lifetime.

They didn’t want to rub salt in his wound.

Graces, however, overheard their conversation and couldn’t help but wonder, ’Would Lu Xia prefer a female cub or a male cub?’ If it were any other female, Graces probably wouldn’t have this doubt. In the Empire, females were revered; there wasn’t a single one who didn’t want a female cub.

But when it came to Lu Xia, he wasn’t so sure. Lu Xia had accepted even a ’defective’ like him, so why would she care about the cub’s gender?

He felt that thinking that way about Lu Xia would be underestimating the young female.

"By the way, Ko Fei has been gone for days. I wonder where he went!"

"Yeah, I honestly didn’t expect that kid to just up and quit like that. It took some guts."

"You should have seen the look Admiral Snop gave him when he submitted his resignation. I thought the Admiral would say something to convince him to stay, but he just let him go without a word."

"I guess he also didn’t expect someone to be so good at courting death, just looking for trouble. Graces, are you still in contact with Ko Fei?"

That last question was asked entirely in the hopes of seeing some drama.

Graces lifted his gaze and gave the man a cold look. "If you want to talk to him, you can contact him yourself."

"Heh, I was just asking. I thought he would at least say something to you before he left. To be honest, I’m pretty surprised you managed to win against him."

Graces didn’t respond, just stared at him coldly. After a moment, the man couldn’t take it anymore and shut his mouth.

It was strange. Graces was clearly just a ’defective’ male, so where did this oppressive aura of his come from? He, a Gene Fusion Expert, actually felt immense pressure, even if he was reluctant to admit it.

The inexplicably tense atmosphere in the conference room was broken by the arrival of Admiral Snop.

*

Everyone at the research institute had seen Graces carrying Lu Xia away from the No. 1 Institute that day, so when they saw her arrive now, they all hurried over to ask about her health.

"I’m fine now, there’s no need to worry."

"That’s good to hear. You shouldn’t work too hard. Please take care of yourself." In their eyes, Duke Lu Xia was incredibly dedicated. Females like her, so passionate about their careers, were a rarity in the Empire. At least, she was the only one they had ever met.

Lu Xia smiled. "I know. Thank you all for your concern. Alright, everyone get back to work. I have a meeting with someone today, so I can’t chat. If you need anything, you can find me later."

With that, Lu Xia led the old butler to the conference room.

A female with exquisite makeup was already seated inside: Miss Mana.

As a rising star in the entertainment industry, Miss Mana currently had a great deal of buzz and popularity.

Although the 23-year-old Miss Mana came from a humble background, she carried herself well. Sitting there, she appeared poised and elegant.

When she saw Lu Xia, she looked over with a direct gaze but didn’t stand up, tilting her chin up slightly. "I never expected the owner of the No. 1 Institute to actually be a female."

Her agency had mentioned it when they told her to come, otherwise she wouldn’t have known.

"My apologies for keeping you waiting, Miss Mana," Lu Xia said, sitting down in the chair the old butler pulled out for her.

"I haven’t been waiting that long." Mana picked up the coffee cup in front of her and took a sip. "I have somewhere to be later, so if you have something to say, get on with it."

’In her opinion, this kind of contract could have easily been discussed with her agency. Insisting she come in person was completely unnecessary.’

If the other party hadn’t also been a female, she never would have agreed.

"How much do you know about our product, Miss Mana?" Lu Xia paid no mind to the disdain in the other’s eyes. ’After all, most females in this world were the arrogant type who looked down on everyone. There were very few clever ones.’

"Your product... isn’t it just a regular skincare product? What is there to know?" ’She had endorsed several of these beauty products before, and they were all more or less the same. What could possibly be new about it that required special understanding? It wasn’t like it was some major brand.’

"So you don’t know anything about it. Our beauty cream’s main functions are scar removal and skin whitening. It has shown significant results and targets a wide demographic. We invited you, Miss Mana, to be our spokesperson primarily because of the popularity you command. You’re young and vibrant, which can help us attract a younger customer base..." Lu Xia paused here. She noticed Mana was spacing out, lost in thought. She tapped the table lightly. "Miss Mana, are you listening?"

"Ah, what?" Startled by her name, Mana snapped back to reality and looked at Lu Xia in confusion, clearly not having heard a word Lu Xia had just said.

Standing beside Lu Xia, the old butler’s brow furrowed involuntarily.

’It seems this quickly-risen starlet hasn’t had time for her attitude to mature.’

Seeing this, Lu Xia leaned back in her chair. "It seems, Miss Mana, that you’re not very interested in this endorsement for the No. 1 Institute. In that case, we won’t impose on you. Thank you for making the trip today. Butler, please see her out."

Hearing this, a hint of panic finally appeared on Mana’s face. "What do you mean? You dragged me all the way over here, and now you’re just saying you don’t need me anymore?"

"Miss Mana, we will contact your agency regarding any further matters. For now, I will escort you out." The old butler bowed respectfully and gestured toward the door with an outstretched hand, the meaning of which was self-evident. By this point, Lu Xia had already turned and headed back to the adjacent office, having no intention of explaining anything to Mana.

’There are plenty of celebrities in the entertainment industry. I’m really not short on options.’