Chapter 115
Feeling a bit flustered and unsure of what to say, Ye Zhi decided the safest topic was Huo Ran. “You’ve taught her very well,” he remarked.
“You don’t need to be so formal with me,” Huo Youqiao replied. He had mentioned this before, but Ye Zhi hadn’t changed his way of addressing him.
This time, Ye Zhi did change.
Huo Youqiao continued, “From the time she was born until now, I haven’t had much time to spend with her. The only correct decision I made was to keep her by my side. Although we’ve moved several times in the past six years, she has been very understanding, never complaining or making demands.” He paused, looking at Ye Zhi. “This year, her birthday wish was the first time she asked me for something.”
She wanted a mother.
His gaze was intense, contradicting his typically composed and mature demeanor. Ye Zhi’s heart raced, and he turned his head slightly, asking softly, “What about Ranran’s… real mother?”
“Are you curious?”
Ye Zhi nodded lightly, “Of course, I’m curious. She must be a woman, right?”
Huo Youqiao replied calmly, “Yes, we were schoolmates, though we studied different majors. She was in biological genetics.”
Ye Zhi felt a twinge of envy and curiosity about this unknown woman. “Did you start dating in school?”
But Huo Youqiao shook his head, “No, we were just friends with a decent relationship.”
Ye Zhi was taken aback, unable to understand. “Then how did Ranran… come about?”
He found it hard to believe that someone like Huo Youqiao would engage in casual encounters or one-night stands. From his observations, the Huo family members were deeply affectionate. Mr. Huo and his wife had a strong relationship, and even after Madam Huo’s return, Mr. Huo video-called her daily, urging her to come back. Ye Zhi had even overheard Mr. Huo, typically a stern figure, sweet-talking Madam Huo. Uncle Huo and Aunt Huo also had a deep bond. Aunt Huo had difficulty conceiving and had only one child, Huo Yan. She had also been seriously ill for several years, and Uncle Huo never left her side, even aging significantly during her illness. His career progression had been stalled because he prioritized his family over his career.
Huo Youcheng was an exception, having been hurt and twisted in the process.
Huo Youqiao lowered his voice a bit, speaking frankly, “She was always interested in understanding human differentiation and wanted to correct this genetic trait.”
“Correct it?”
“Yes, she believed this genetic trait was both incorrect and unfair. The strong naturally dominate while the weak are exploited. If forced into estrus, the weak become even more vulnerable. Yet, despite this, the trait is highly praised. She thought true equality meant attributes should be balanced, but instead, this trait became synonymous with mediocrity. Her college research focused on these attributes, so she asked some friends to provide genetic material.”
Ye Zhi was stunned. “Provide genetic material?”
Huo Youqiao’s tone was gentle. “Semen.”
Ye Zhi blushed, feeling an unprecedented sense of admiration and amazement for the woman.
“I thought she was using it for research on components or other aspects, so I provided mine. But I didn’t realize her experiments would take a wrong turn, and she ended up creating a human being.” Huo Youqiao frowned slightly as he said this.
Ye Zhi asked, “So… a test-tube baby?”
“Not quite. Test-tube babies are for couples who have trouble conceiving. After in vitro fertilization, the embryo is implanted back into the mother’s womb. In her experiment, everything was done in a lab. Although Ranran’s genes are a combination of mine and hers, she never developed in a mother’s body.”
Ye Zhi was shocked. He loved reading science fiction and had come across similar scenarios involving artificial humans or even androids. However, to his knowledge, technology hadn’t advanced to that level. Robots on his planet were mainly for household chores and not fully human-like. “Is such an experiment… legal?”
“No, it’s not.” Huo Youqiao smiled wryly. “Her actions were eventually discovered, and she was secretly arrested and sent to another planet. By then, Ranran had already been born. The government used genetic matching to find me and handed her over to me.”
“Do others know how Ranran came to be?”
