The human heart is truly hard to fathom. A person who was once completely loyal can easily develop other thoughts once they receive more.

***

In the following days, Du Xixi did not see Ke Su again, but according to her eldest uncle, Ke Yong seemed determined to "repent," and now keeps Ke Su by his side every day, whether busy or not, ensuring Ke Su stays within his line of sight.

However, Du Xixi felt that such days wouldn’t last long, not because she thought Ke Yong was unreliable, but because children generally need to go to kindergarten at a certain age, and Ke Su was no longer very young. Whether for family reasons or personal reasons, quickly integrating into a normal life is the right thing to do.

By that time, Ke Su would inevitably be at kindergarten, and Ke Yong surely couldn’t possibly go to kindergarten to "personally protect" his brother, right?

But concerning outsiders, Du Xixi felt knowing a bit was fine, knowing too much could cause misunderstandings. After personally delivering the little toys she got for Ke Su, which she forgot to have them take, to the Ke Family’s door, and saying a few words to the Ke Family butler, she entirely focused on the upcoming Culinary God competition.

This was one of the main reasons she had been working hard for the past half year!

Time passed swiftly, and with Du Xixi’s increasingly dedicated practice each day, the Culinary God competition arrived, and she no longer felt the previous nervousness. Because she felt her progress, just in those few days of pouring sweat, whether in knife skills or in the use of culinary techniques, she had made a qualitative leap.

From a low-profile vehicle that couldn’t reveal who was inside, Du Xixi looked out through specially treated glass, there might not have been an ocean of people, but at a glance, there were heads connected to heads, unclear just how many there were.

"Nervous?" Last time the original self participated in the Culinary God competition, her eldest uncle accompanied her personally, and this time, Du Xixi also, without bias, was accompanied personally by her eldest uncle.

Du Xixi nodded, in the Star Era most of her time was spent at home, seeing so many people... she had only seen on some news on the Star Network, there was no way for her not to feel nervous.

Her eldest uncle smiled, holding a long cane on his lap, and lightly tapped it: "There’s nothing to worry about, just a bunch of old folks coming to compete with you for the championship, remember, you’re much younger than them!"

Du Xixi burst into laughter: "I’m young, so if I lose, it’s not embarrassing?"

"It is, and it isn’t." Her eldest uncle squinted mysteriously but didn’t keep her guessing, "You’re young, so mentally and physically you’ll be a bit better than them, but you’re young, so you also have much less experience than them."

"But do you know, why last time it was you who won?" The driver didn’t know about the "Soul Exchange," so her eldest uncle didn’t say it outright, but he slightly emphasized the word "you," and Du Xixi immediately understood.

She shook her head, evidently not knowing how her younger original self won the Culinary God competition, her eldest uncle smiled, leaned over, and whispered in a low voice: "Because of confidence! Back then, nearing her time to go on stage, she was still drinking tea, even I got a bit anxious, yet she merely said calmly, ’The championship is already in the bag, why rush?’.

Du Xixi’s eyes widened and quickly recalled a memory, indeed she found that little snippet in a corner, and the emotion preserved in the memory told her that the original self was indeed confident back then, confident to the point of arrogance!

"Unbelievable..." Du Xixi clicked her tongue in amazement, she thought from the overall memory that the original self had a cool disposition, focused solely on family and food with nothing else in mind. But now it appeared the original self was evidently someone with rich emotions.

With the backing of the original self’s past, Du Xixi suddenly found her confidence, she might not say her culinary skills were much better now than the original self’s, but at least she wasn’t worse than the original self who won the Culinary God title back then!

She wanted to take first place, mainly worried about dishonoring the original self and the Du Family, but since she had the strength, even if she didn’t take first, it wouldn’t be disgraceful, what could she worry about?

Having figured it out, Du Xixi was no longer nervous. She took a deep breath, her eyes brightening and, once the car stopped, she stepped out without any hint of hesitation or fear, making her eldest uncle, who followed, raise an eyebrow in a smile.

That was exactly the effect he wanted.

In the culinary world, Du Xixi was very famous, and when she stepped out, it was like a celebrity surrounded by stars, drawing everyone’s gaze. Waves of cheers reached Du Xixi’s ears, but instead made her feel slightly uneasy.

Because those cheers belonged to the original self, not her.

At the moment Du Xixi’s steps faltered slightly, her eldest uncle stepped forward, using his cane to let Du Xixi hold him, then the two walked closely together inside, yet no one noticed the gloom in Du Xixi’s expression at that moment.

Her eldest uncle knew what Du Xixi was thinking, and after they reached a secluded corner, he gently comforted: "After today, once you’ve proven yourself, those honors will rightfully be yours."

Du Xixi’s eyes reddened slightly, feeling her eldest uncle and everyone truly cared for her from the beginning, but this wasn’t a time for tears, as the battlefield ahead awaited her challenge. She sniffled, solemnly: "This time, I will win!"

She wanted first place, for the original self, for the Du Family, and especially for herself.

*** 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"The 73rd Culinary God competition finals, with the previous champion Miss Xi Xi facing Beautiful Country’s Western cuisine master James in three matches, Miss Xi Xi won two out of three, successfully defending her Culinary God title!"

"Du Family’s Du Xixi, deserving of her reputation!"