When Lu Xia received the invitation to Prince Li Mang’s 40th birthday from Duke Leslie the next day, she wasn’t too surprised. After all, she didn’t know Prince Li Mang, so the Prince wouldn’t have sent her an invitation directly.

’Duke Leslie must have used her connections to get this invitation for me.’ Lu Xia made a mental note of the favor.

Since she had to go to the No. 1 Institute, Lu Xia prepared to leave right after breakfast. Just as she was heading out, Graces took a coat and draped it over her shoulders. "The temperature’s dropping today, and it might rain. Don’t catch a cold."

The man’s sudden closeness brought with it a familiar scent.

They had been intimate every night for the past few days, and her body seemed to have developed an instinctive, hypersensitive reaction to his touch.

After settling the coat on Lu Xia, Graces looked up and noticed the young woman’s blushing cheeks. He couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong? Why is your face so red?"

Lu Xia turned away to hide it. "It’s nothing. I’m leaving now."

With that, she hurried off with the old butler. Graces stood where he was, silent for a moment, then a smile played on his lips.

Upon arriving at the No. 1 Institute, Lu Xia received good news from the hair growth liquid research lab. They had finally succeeded in developing it. Although it was far behind the beauty cream’s schedule, at least it wasn’t a failure.

With the hair growth liquid successfully developed, the old butler already knew what needed to be arranged for the next steps without Lu Xia having to give specific instructions.

Lu Xia also gave all the researchers on the hair growth liquid team a vacation, allowing them to take a paid trip.

While Lu Xia was busy with the hair growth liquid trials and preparations for the beauty cream launch, the day of Prince Li Mang’s birthday arrived.

That evening, Lu Xia attended Prince Li Mang’s birthday banquet with Duke Leslie.

Given Prince Li Mang’s status, many people came to the banquet. Duke Leslie was clearly a regular at such events and navigated them with ease.

She led Lu Xia through the banquet hall, introducing her to many people.

Many had heard of Duke Lu Xia, but this was the first time they had actually seen her.

Those who met her were all surprised by how young and beautiful she was.

For this occasion, neither Lu Xia nor Duke Leslie had brought a male companion.

At events like this, only those with the status of a main husband could accompany a Female Master. However, Lu Xia hadn’t brought Graces not because his status was inappropriate, but simply because she didn’t want to. Her purpose tonight was to network, and if she brought Graces, she might not be able to pay any attention to him.

’It’s better to let him stay comfortable at home than to have him face discrimination here all alone.’

Just then, the guest of honor finally appeared. Prince Li Mang descended the stairs in a magnificent gown, and Lu Xia joined Duke Leslie in applauding.

However, as Prince Li Mang drew closer, Lu Xia noticed something unnatural about her hair—it looked like a wig.

This caught Lu Xia by surprise.

’Then again, it wasn’t that hard to understand. Some people just liked wearing wigs, finding them convenient for achieving a great hairstyle without the hassle of styling their own hair.’

She figured Prince Li Mang was probably one of those people and didn’t give it much more thought.

As soon as Prince Li Mang appeared, a crowd immediately gathered around her to chat and offer greetings. Lu Xia and Duke Leslie didn’t rush forward, instead standing to the side and talking. "Is the beauty cream about to be released?" Duke Leslie asked.

"The official launch is the day after tomorrow. We’ll be counting on your support then, Your Grace."

"Of course. Your beauty cream is just too good. I’m not worried you won’t be able to sell it; I’m worried I won’t be able to buy it later. If I really can’t get my hands on any, I’ll have to come to you for a backdoor deal."

"You’re joking, Your Grace. How could I let you fight for it? I’ll naturally present it to you with both hands."

"You really know what to say." Every time Duke Leslie interacted with Lu Xia, she liked her a little more. She found the way the young woman spoke and handled things to be incredibly pleasant and reassuring.

As they were talking, Prince Li Mang, having finished socializing with others, suddenly walked over. "You must be Duke Lu Xia, I presume?"

Surprised that Prince Li Mang would approach her directly, Lu Xia immediately adopted a respectful tone. "Yes, I am. It is my honor to be invited here today. Your Highness, I wish you a happy birthday."

"I’m very glad you could come. Thanks to Duke Leslie, I’ve had the chance to use the beauty cream from the No. 1 Institute, and I find it excellent. Duke Lu Xia, you are truly young and promising."

Duke Leslie had already told Lu Xia about this before she came, so she wasn’t surprised. She smiled and said, "The fact that you like it, Your Highness, is the greatest support for our No. 1 Institute."

"There’s no need for modesty. A good product will always be loved. I’m sure it will be a huge success after its launch. If you need anything in the future, don’t hesitate to find me." These past few days, after using the beauty cream, the scar on her head hadn’t completely vanished, but it had healed significantly. It was only a matter of time before it was fully gone, which had greatly improved her mood.

Because of this, she was willing to offer some help to Lu Xia, this young woman who had just inherited her title.

This was precisely Lu Xia’s goal in coming. To receive a personal promise from Prince Li Mang meant this trip had not been in vain, and she was naturally delighted.

"By the way, does the No. 1 Institute have any other products besides this beauty cream?" Prince Li Mang asked casually.

Hearing this, Lu Xia didn’t hide anything. She replied with a smile, "We also have a hair growth liquid. It has been successfully developed, but it’s still in the trial phase where we’re recruiting volunteers. It will be a while before it’s ready for the market."

Lu Xia’s words were simple, but they struck Prince Li Mang with incredible force. She maintained her composure, but her heart was pounding. ’Hair growth liquid... it’s actually hair growth liquid.’

’If she wasn’t so sure that few people knew about her hair loss, she would have suspected Lu Xia developed it specifically to cater to her.’

With that thought in mind, she asked, feigning casualness, "Why did you decide to develop a hair growth liquid?"

"With all the stress in society today, I figured that many people probably suffer from some degree of hair loss. So, we developed the hair growth liquid to help those with this problem so they won’t have to worry about it anymore."

This sentence struck a deep chord with Prince Li Mang. She had this exact problem, and she understood the distress all too well!

Right now, she wished she could sign up as a volunteer for Lu Xia’s No. 1 Institute and try the hair growth liquid immediately.

But her reason prevailed. Saying something so direct would be beneath her station. Instead, she said, "Are you still recruiting volunteers? I have a friend who has been dealing with this kind of issue recently. I wonder if it’s still possible to sign up."

Hearing the words "I have a friend," Lu Xia’s heart gave a little jolt. ’This "friend" couldn’t possibly be Prince Li Mang herself, could it?’

After all, everyone knows what "I have a friend" really means: "I mean myself."

Lu Xia glanced discreetly at the wig on Prince Li Mang’s head, becoming even more certain. This "friend" was Prince Li Mang herself.

’She’s obviously too embarrassed to say so directly.’

"Since it’s a friend of yours, Your Highness, how could we possibly let them be a volunteer? I will have someone deliver the hair growth liquid tomorrow."