This worry persisted until Du Xixi was discharged from the hospital, until she stepped into that quaint courtyard, until she sat in a chair facing the smiling faces of several grandfathers.

However...

"Girl, I have a question I want to ask you." The eldest grandfather spoke softly. Although his tone was gentle, it still made Du Xixi’s heart skip a beat. Her hands, which had been lifting the teacup in the posture she learned from her memory, suddenly froze under everyone’s gaze.

Du Xixi pursed her lips, somewhat guessing the question the eldest grandfather wanted to ask. After all, in her memory, none of the grandfathers addressed Du Xixi with "girl." This title, Du Xixi had never heard in her memory.

"Please go ahead." Despite feeling panicky inside, Du Xixi maintained a calm and composed expression. Before she came, she had promised Chen Yin that unless absolutely necessary, she must not reveal the fact that her soul had already swapped with the original person’s soul.

Of course, the definition of "absolutely necessary" was up to Du Xixi herself to decide.

Du Xixi’s fingers tapped lightly on the bottom of the cup, and her unease grew as the grandfathers’ expressions gradually turned serious. However, she knew that she had to continue playing her part.

"Xixi... Are you okay?" The eldest grandfather had actually already confirmed that the "granddaughter" before them was no longer the original Du Xixi, and the other grandfathers felt the same way.

Du Xixi was a child they had raised from a young age, intimately familiar with every action, every expression, and every small habit of hers. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The person in front of them... While there seemed to be no flaws in her memory, and she could recite by heart the cooking secrets passed down through generations of the Du Family, ultimately she was not the same.

The grandfathers kept their eyes fixed on Du Xixi, which put a lot of pressure on her. Yet under this pressure, her unease was actually suppressed, and she even managed to show a smile in their eyes.

This smile was both familiar and strange. Familiar because they saw Du Xixi’s face every day, strange because the curve of this smile was something the original Du Xixi would never show.

Their speculations were confirmed, and without requiring Du Xixi to say much, the grandfathers already understood. They didn’t feel very happy; there was just a sense of melancholy. How did their good granddaughter suddenly become another soul?

Inconceivable, highly unscientific.

From everyone’s expressions, Du Xixi discerned something. But at this moment, she did not feel panicked about the soul exchange being known. Instead, it was as if a weight had been lifted from her heart.

She had no mood to drink the tea, and there was no reason to hold the teacup any longer. Du Xixi stood up directly and, no longer facing the elder as Du Family’s Du Xixi, but as herself, the Du Xixi from the Star Era. She bowed: "I’m sorry for keeping it from you until now, but forgive me for not being able to tell the truth."

Du Xixi only gave a shallow bow, and as she stood up, her eyes became slightly distant, lacking the intimacy and fondness she usually feigned, yet making the grandfathers feel more natural.

She said softly: "I promised someone not to say much, but I can assure you, Miss Xi Xi will be very happy in that world. After all... she has an extremely powerful person backing her, so no one would dare to bully her."

The "backing" Du Xixi referred to was Chen Yin. As the Emperor of the Blue Star Empire, there was no reason he couldn’t protect one person. Moreover, the Du Family also had numerous relatives and friends. After her parents passed away, many still visited to comfort her, such as Uncle Ke Xing from the Ke Family, who was a very loving elder. Remembering back then...

"Oh no!" Du Xixi’s expression suddenly changed. She just remembered that when she was younger, she had an arranged marriage. Her fiancé, whom she only saw a glimpse of in the news on the Star Network, seemed to be from Uncle Ke Xing’s family.

What... What should she do about this? Du Xixi helplessly held her forehead, unexpectedly leaving such a big mess for that Miss Du Xixi. However...

The Ke Family is in the military, wealthy, and Marshal Ke Lian is a talented figure with countless admirers. Although his temperament was a bit cold, he was reportedly a man of high moral character and would presumably not treat Miss Du Xixi poorly, right?