Chapter 6: Matching

“Well, actually…” Jiang Miao couldn’t help but say, “I applied too.”

“Oh, really?” the black woman exclaimed happily, “You look so young. Are you thirty?”

“No, I’m twenty-six,” Jiang Miao replied.

On Earth, being twenty-six might be considered “too late” by some critical individuals, but here, people could visibly see her youthfulness, and Jiang Miao felt quite happy about it.

So, they expressed their admiration, saying things like, “Wow, you’re so young and already applied,” and soon the car arrived at Jiang Miao’s company.

“See you next time.” Jiang Miao bid farewell to her fellow passengers with a cheerful mood and got off the bus.

“Allison Military Industries,” the passengers on the bus looked at the rapidly receding buildings outside the window and said, “Working in such a large enterprise, she must be excellent.”

“No wonder she could afford a house in the Ness Garden at such a young age.”

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Rq kv olald’v qsa vbl xsadkdt cwp nbyv, Kkydt Ykys oswze byhl yzxspv qsatsvvld ycswv vbkp xyvvla.

But people here often said that the morning was the start of the day, and having a pleasant morning could set the tone for the entire day. Therefore, the social culture in the capital star encouraged everyone to share their good news and good moods with others during the morning bus socializing, bringing good luck to each other.

This kind of small superstition still prevailed in the interstellar era.

And surprisingly, it seemed to work.

Whether in the ancient Earth era or the interstellar era, Mondays were always busy. Jiang Miao attended a morning meeting, then delved into the lab, continuing her habit from her previous life—forgetting everything else when immersed in work.

It wasn’t until the office brain, using the charming voice of a famous singer named Weston Lee, reminded her, “Dr. Jiang, it’s lunchtime,” that she realized how quickly time had passed.

Her colleagues had ordered coffee, and after finishing lunch during the break, they continued chatting. The aroma of coffee lingered in the air.

Jiang Miao had just picked up her cup when her wrist-mounted brain vibrated slightly. She raised her wrist, and a virtual screen unfolded above it—

【Congratulations! You’ve won the lottery! We have matched you with the most genetically compatible parenting partner!】

Everyone was chatting and laughing, and the young Dr. Jiang Miao suddenly choked on her coffee, “Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!”

“…” Her colleagues suppressed their laughter. “Are you okay?”

Her assistant handed her tissues, and in a glance, she saw the content on the virtual screen and exclaimed with joy, “Doctor, did you win the lottery?”

In the most bustling metropolis of the Gita Republic, on this planet, the only thing that could make people so eagerly anticipate and delighted about winning the lottery was only one thing.

Everyone fell silent for a moment, and heads leaned in.

“What? Doctor, you applied for the Gene-Optimized Parenting Program?”

“Wow, quickly, let’s see what the other person looks like!”

“The appearance of the parenting partner is really important. If they don’t look good, you’ll have to undergo plastic surgery later, and during security checks, they’ll pull out comparison images. How awkward.”

“…Are you looking down on those of us who have had plastic surgery?”

“Cough, no, I mean…”

“Jiang, do you plan to carry the fetus yourself? If you do, you must tell me how you feel. I’m really curious about having a child in my belly. I’ve been hesitating whether to apply too.”

“Oh, you must consider it carefully. Children are indeed cute at the beginning, but after a few years, they become super annoying. It took me a lot of effort to raise the previous one until he was eighteen and sent him away. Thank goodness, I don’t have to take responsibility for anything he does anymore.”

“But I remember you saying you wanted to have another one?”

“Oh yes, that guy, although he’s annoying, is really a smart kid. Because of him, my pension coefficient increased quite a bit. If I can raise another outstanding one like him, my old age will be very comfortable. However, this time, I won’t be the caregiver anymore. Endure the first three years and then hand it over to the other party. Jiang Miao, I advise you to do the same. Being a caregiver is really too troublesome.”

Jiang Miao took a deep breath and, after calming down, heard the experienced advice from her colleague who had already gone through childbirth. She touched her chest and said, “Ah, no… I plan to be the caregiver.”

Her colleague, slightly surprised, said, “Really? You have such an idea? Isn’t it too challenging? Usually, for the first childbirth, people start as assistants.”

Assistants and caregivers jointly care for the child for three years, after which the assistant can leave, leaving the caregiver to raise the child alone. The rewards obtained by the assistant through the child are much less than those of the caregiver, but it is much easier for the assistant.

The effort put in is directly proportional to the rewards.

Zhang Ya is Jiang Miao’s caregiver, and Mr. Coso is the assistant.

In her previous life, Jiang Miao’s mother had repeatedly talked about how hard it was to raise her and her brother. These constant reminders added a considerable weight to Jiang Miao’s thoughts on “not having children.”

However, times have changed. With technological advancements, both men and women have been liberated from tedious household chores, and even child-rearing has become more manageable.

Compared to the ancient Earth era Jiang Miao had experienced, parenting in this era was much easier. The “hardship” mentioned by her colleagues didn’t seem more tiring than the household chores she did when living alone in the ancient Earth era. Moreover, Jiang Miao’s fundamental purpose in applying for the parenting program was to have a child and build a family for herself.

A family consisting of her and the child.

At a young age, Jiang Miao had already achieved some success in her career, and being attractive, her colleagues were curious about the person she would be matched with.

This didn’t qualify as a privacy breach, so Jiang Miao opened the interface to take a look.

“Six?” a male colleague chuckled, “Ravot from Project 69172 must be furious; he’s been applying for three years and still hasn’t been selected. Dr. Jiang matched with six in one go, hahaha.”

The six individuals represented various ethnicities and had diverse skin tones. Jiang Miao didn’t scrutinize them closely but gave them a quick glance. All six had attractive appearances, with two standing out—the one with fair skin, brown hair, and green eyes, and the other with Asian features, black hair, and black eyes. These two individuals also had the highest overall citizen scores.

Colleagues were excited, expressing their opinions:

“Of course, choose the ones with the highest overall scores; children born from these two will definitely be good-looking.”

“No, look at this person. Although their overall score isn’t the highest, he’s a math Ph.D., and he seems… familiar?”

“Haven’t you recognized Dr. Gelder? We discussed his latest paper just last month. Jiang, you must consider Dr. Gelder; the child you two would have will undoubtedly be very intelligent, extremely so!” exclaimed a colleague with enthusiasm.

Another colleague raised a concern, “Wait a minute, Dr. Gelder has a low physical fitness score… Having a child with poor physical fitness could have adverse effects on other aspects. It’s said that children with weak physical constitutions are prone to self-esteem and social withdrawal issues.”

“Humph, Dr. Gelder is anything but low self-esteem and socially withdrawn. It’s rumored that a year ago, during an academic exchange with Dr. Murray, they had a disagreement, and neither could convince the other. Dr. Gelder allegedly used a 3D air pen to make Dr. Murray bleed profusely.” The colleague speaking seemed to be a fan of Dr. Gelder.

“Is he really that hot-tempered?” Jiang Miao was surprised.

“Yeah, Dr. Gelder’s notorious for his explosive temper… Ah! No! Don’t—”

The fan of Dr. Gelder reached out in despair, watching helplessly as Jiang Miao’s fair fingers extended and pressed the “Reject” button beneath Dr. Gelder’s information.

“Ahhhh! Jiang Miao! Do you know what you’re missing? Do you know how high Dr. Gelder’s IQ is?” The fan was pulling at their hair in anguish.

“Of course, I know; I’ve read his papers. But, I don’t like his personality,” Jiang Miao shrugged. It was a grandiose excuse. The truth was, perhaps Dr. Gelder had an exceptionally high IQ, but his appearance didn’t align with Jiang Miao’s aesthetic preferences. Moreover, his physical fitness score was significantly lower than the others, giving Jiang Miao a definite sense of “not good.”

If the man wasn’t right physically, it was a no-go.

Jiang Miao glanced over the remaining candidates and promptly rejected the three others who didn’t catch her eye.

Perhaps the indigenous residents here prioritize genetics and intelligence, but for Jiang Miao, compatibility was paramount. After all, how could a woman choose to have a child with a man she found visually unappealing?

The last two candidates had equally outstanding comprehensive scores.

Jiang Miao turned to her more experienced colleague who had already gone through the process, seeking advice: “What should I do next?”

The senior colleague advised her, “You need to get in touch with them, have face-to-face interactions, not just through the network. Many people look different in videos than they do in real life. Carefully discuss all the conditions, both agreeable and disagreeable. After a one to three-month cohabitation trial period, if both parties are satisfied, congratulations, you’ve found a dad for your child.”

“Uh, of course, things might fall apart during the trial cohabitation. If all the candidates fail, then you’ll have to wait for the next round of the draw, and who knows when that will be,” the colleague added. “So, take your time, be cautious.”

Jiang Miao looked at the screen with the images of two handsome men, took a deep breath, and inexplicably felt nervous.

She glanced at the names of the two candidates, Dr. Bradley and… Major Yan He.

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