Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Regret
So, when Lu Xia and Cecil brought Little Pu Tao home, only Simon was there.
Seeing them, Simon smiled. "The butler said you went to the No.2 Institute today. Did something happen there?"
As Simon spoke, Little Pu Tao slid down from Cecil’s arms and ran over to hug his leg.
Simon reached down, picked him up, and asked, "So, did you go have fun with your mother?"
Little Pu Tao reached out to touch his silver hair and nodded. "Mother’s work has a big, beautiful garden."
Clearly, Little Pu Tao was very pleased with the day’s outing.
"Have you eaten dinner?" Lu Xia asked Simon after explaining what had happened at the No.2 Institute.
"I have. The butler said you wouldn’t be back for dinner."
Noticing that Little Pu Tao, tired from the trip, was getting drowsy, Simon smiled. "I’ll take him upstairs to get washed up. He seems sleepy."
"Thank you for taking care of it, Simon."
"There’s no need to be so formal, Duke. It’s my duty."
After watching Simon leave, Lu Xia turned to Cecil. "Let’s get some rest, too."
Cecil nodded, having no objection.
*
Over at the No. 3 Courtyard, Duke Lu Xia’s appearance had sent the volunteers into a state of excitement.
They had originally been skeptical about the research, adopting a "let’s just try it and see" attitude.
They didn’t actually believe the research could succeed.
After all, hadn’t the Fertility Research Institute dedicated itself to this research for years, all to no avail?
But today, after seeing Duke Lu Xia’s pregnant belly with their own eyes and hearing her words with their own ears, they had all the proof they needed. This was real.
If they just cooperated with the research, they too had a chance of making it happen.
They thought back to how they had been a step ahead of everyone else when signing up, not hesitating for a moment. ’What a brilliant decision that was!’
Once they successfully conceived, all those people who had doubted the research would probably regret it so much they’d want to cry!
Suddenly, everyone was fired up, determined to succeed in conceiving naturally and stun the world.
The volunteers were filled with a drive, as if they were on steroids.
Doctor Eugene looked at the high-spirited and unusually docile volunteers. He knew exactly why they had changed.
’Duke Lu Xia is just as I expected,’ he thought. ’She doesn’t make a move often, but when she does, the results are always astounding.’
The females had shed their previous arrogance and conceit. Now they were so docile that they became exceptionally respectful upon seeing him, even greeting him first. It was almost overwhelming.
When Eugene told her about the volunteers’ transformation, Lu Xia wasn’t surprised. It was only natural for people to change when driven by such a huge incentive.
「One month later」
In a flash, one of the female volunteers was found to have successfully conceived naturally during a physical examination.
The news sent a wave of excitement through all the volunteers. It proved that they, too, could become females who conceived naturally, just like Duke Lu Xia.
When the female who had successfully conceived heard the news, she didn’t faint repeatedly like Lan Ya had, who had needed to have the pressure point under her nose pinched to stay conscious.
However, she was so overcome with emotion that she cried for three hours before finally calming down.
Afterward, Doctor Eugene reviewed the information on the female and her partner. He confirmed that her partner had also recently transformed from a "defective" male into a Gene Fusion Expert via a gene fusion agent injection.
This discovery made Doctor Eugene wonder: ’Could it be that only this type of male can enable a female to conceive naturally?’
He then flagged the few volunteers in similar situations for further observation, while of course continuing to pay close attention to the others as well.
This volunteer had successfully conceived naturally just two months after arriving at the institute. While everyone was envious, they also hoped they would be the next lucky one.
As this female volunteer left the No. 3 Courtyard, the news that natural conception was now a reality began to quietly circulate online.
It all started when the volunteer, still unable to contain her excitement after returning home, began posting a "Natural Conception Diary" online to document her entire pregnancy.
At first, people who saw the diary thought the volunteer was so desperate to conceive naturally that she had gone mad and was suffering from delusions.
After all, what sane person would go online to document something so impossible?
But no matter how much people in the comments mocked her, the volunteer remained unfazed, continuing to post daily updates about the changes she was experiencing.
Then one day, the diary entry was late, and many assumed she had finally given up.
But that day, the volunteer posted a medical report. It had the No. 3 Courtyard’s logo and an imaging scan.
Those with medical training spotted the anomalies at a glance. That, combined with the No. 3 Courtyard’s logo, immediately made many people recall the project from a few months prior, when the No. 3 Courtyard had publicly recruited volunteers for its natural conception research.
Could it be? Was the original poster one of the volunteers? Did that mean her diary entries weren’t delusions, but that she had actually... naturally... conceived?
At this thought, the crowd in the comments, who had been so derisive before, completely changed their tune and began asking frantically—
"What’s going on? OP, were you one of the volunteers in the No. 3 Courtyard’s study? Did you really conceive naturally?"
"No way, can this be real? Did the No. 3 Courtyard actually develop an agent that enables natural conception?"
"I admit I was a little harsh before, but please, I’m begging you, tell me this is real!"
"HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT! If this is real, it’s a fucking game-changer!"
"Wait, for something this important, how come not a peep has been leaked from the No. 3 Courtyard? Isn’t Duke Lu Xia being a little too low-key?"
"I’ve actually been wanting to say this for a while. My sister is one of the volunteers, and she told me recently that someone in their group had successfully conceived and been discharged. She said they’re all just waiting for good luck to strike them next. That’s when I realized the No. 3 Courtyard’s research wasn’t just empty talk. Duke Lu Xia is incredible!"
"Oh my god, I’m so full of regret. I had the chance to sign up, but I hesitated. Damn it! How could I have questioned Duke Lu Xia’s authority? To think I compared her to those incompetents at the Fertility Research Institute... I’m a fool!"
"@Above, you’re not the only one. Right now, I’m just filled with regret. So much regret. I wonder if they’ll recruit more volunteers later. I’ll definitely be the first to sign up!"
"Give up. Even if they do recruit more volunteers, you’ll never be able to get a spot. *Sigh*..."
