Grace had been quite busy these past few days. If not for the impromptu meeting this morning, he would have definitely waited for Lu Xia to wake up, personally greeted her, and only then left.
Now, arriving at the conference room, General Snop hadn’t arrived yet. A few people inside were chatting in low voices: “Yesterday, my female master and I went to the Reproduction Research Institute to submit a youngling application.”
“Really? Your female master is willing to raise a youngling so early? That’s wonderful news. Doesn’t that mean you’re about to become a male father soon?”
“Haha, not so soon, it’s still early. My female master wants two female cubs, but you know, even with artificial breeding, the probability of cultivating female cubs isn’t high. It’s a bit of a headache.”
“That’s true. Otherwise, the birth rate of female cubs wouldn’t be so low. But having even one youngling is already great for us.”
“Definitely.” At this point, their voices lowered. The two couldn’t help but glance at Grace, who was sitting silently beside them. Remembering his identity, they exchanged a look and didn’t continue the topic.
After all, Grace, as a ‘defective product’ male and due to his status as a Husband-Attendant, would never have the chance to be called a male father in this lifetime.
They shouldn’t poke at his heart here.
However, after hearing their conversation, Grace couldn’t help but wonder: Would Lu Xia prefer female cubs or male cubs? If this were about an ordinary Female, Grace probably wouldn’t have such doubts. In the Empire, Females were revered, and no Female didn’t want a female cub.
But when it came to Lu Xia, he wasn’t so sure. Lu Xia could even accept a ‘defective product’ like him, so why would she care about the gender of a youngling?
He felt that thinking of Lu Xia in that way would be underestimating the little female’s character.
“By the way, Kofi has been gone for days. I wonder where he went!”
“Yeah, honestly, I didn’t expect that guy to actually resign just like that. He’s quite brave.”
“You didn’t see it. That day when he submitted his resignation to General Snop, the way the General looked at him… I thought His Excellency would say something to persuade him to stay, but in the end, he just let him go without a word.”
“Probably didn’t expect him to be so self-destructive, practically looking for trouble. Grace, are you still in touch with Kofi?”
This last question was asked entirely with a sense of schadenfreude.
Grace lifted his eyes and gave the other a cold look: “If you’re interested, you can contact him yourself.”
“Heh, I was just asking. I thought he’d at least say something to you before leaving. Honestly, I was quite surprised you managed to beat him.”
Grace didn’t respond further, just stared at him coldly. After a while, the other couldn’t take it anymore and shut up on his own.
It was strange, really. Grace was merely a ‘defective product’ male, so where did this oppressive aura of his come from? As a Gene Fusionist, he actually felt immense pressure, though he wasn’t keen on admitting it.
The inexplicably tense atmosphere in the conference room was broken when General Snop arrived.
That day at Yihao Yuan, everyone at the research institute saw Lu Xia being carried away by Grace. So now, when they saw Lu Xia arrive, they all came forward to ask about her health.
“I’m fine now, everyone. No need to worry.”
“It’s good that you’re fine, and please don’t overwork yourself. Take care of your health.” In their view, Duke Lu Xia was truly dedicated to her work. Females like her, who were so passionate about their careers, were exceedingly rare in the Empire. At least so far, she was the only one they had ever encountered.
Lu Xia smiled slightly. “I know, thank you all for your concern. Alright, everyone, please get back to your work. I have an appointment today, so I won’t keep you any longer. If anything comes up, you can find me later.”
With that, Lu Xia led the old butler to the conference room.
Inside, a meticulously made-up female was already seated—Miss Manna.
As a rising star in the entertainment industry, Miss Manna currently enjoyed considerable popularity and buzz.
At 23 years old, Miss Manna, despite her humble origins, carried herself with grace. Sitting there, she appeared dignified and elegant.
When she saw Lu Xia, her gaze was direct and unflinching. She did not rise but slightly lifted her chin. “I never expected that the owner of Yihao Yuan would actually be a female.”
Her agency had mentioned this when they asked her to come, otherwise she wouldn’t have known.
“My apologies, Miss Manna, for keeping you waiting,” Lu Xia said as she took a seat in the chair pulled out by the old butler.
“I haven’t been waiting too long,” Manna replied, picking up her coffee cup and taking a sip. “I have other matters to attend to later, so please get straight to the point.”
In truth, she felt that this kind of contract could have been discussed directly with her agency. Insisting on her presence seemed entirely unnecessary.
If the other party hadn’t also been a female, she would never have agreed.
“How much do you know about our product, Miss Manna?” Lu Xia paid no mind to the disdain in the other’s eyes. After all, females in this world tended to be arrogant and condescending, with few exceptions of intelligence.
“Isn’t your product just ordinary skincare? What else is there to know?” She had endorsed several beauty products before, and they were all more or less the same. What could possibly be so novel about this one that it required special understanding? It wasn’t even a major brand.
“So, you don’t know much about it. Our beauty cream primarily focuses on scar removal and skin whitening. It has shown remarkable efficacy and targets a broad demographic. We invited you, Miss Manna, to be our spokesperson because we value the traffic and youthful energy you bring, which can help us attract a younger clientele…” Lu Xia paused here, noticing that Manna seemed distracted, lost in her own thoughts. She lightly tapped the table and called out, “Miss Manna, are you listening?”
“Huh? What?” Startled by her name, Manna snapped back to attention, looking at Lu Xia with confusion. Clearly, she hadn’t heard a word Lu Xia had just said.
The old butler standing beside Lu Xia unconsciously furrowed his brow.
It seemed this rapidly rising starlet had yet to cultivate a grounded mindset.
Seeing this, Lu Xia leaned back in her chair. “It appears you aren’t particularly invested in endorsing Yihao Yuan, Miss Manna. In that case, we won’t impose on you. Thank you for making the trip today. Butler, please see her out.”
Upon hearing this, a flicker of panic finally crossed Manna’s face. “What do you mean? You dragged me all the way here, and now you’re just dismissing me like this?”
“Miss Manna, we will contact your agency regarding the subsequent matters. For now, allow me to escort you out.” The old butler bowed respectfully and gestured toward the door with a ‘please’ motion, his meaning clear. By then, Lu Xia had already turned and returned to the adjacent office, with no intention of offering Manna any explanation.
There were plenty of artists in the entertainment industry—she truly didn’t lack this one.