Ke Lian only thought Du Xixi was embarrassed, but in reality, Du Xixi felt very guilty. She wasn't the original owner, yet now she was living with the original owner's identity, taking over the original owner's inheritance, marrying the original owner's fiancé, and receiving privileges that should have belonged to the original owner.
Du Xixi felt very guilty.
"You are my wife, these..."
"I'll go back to the room and rest for a bit!" Du Xixi hurriedly interrupted, smiled apologetically at him, then quickly went upstairs, leaving Ke Lian with only the sound of the door closing softly.
"Beep... Madam is very unhappy... beep..." 2569 patted its fluffy paws on its body. Ke Lian, who couldn't understand Du Xixi's mood, frowned and looked upstairs along with 2569.
In the room, Du Xixi sat on the bed. She could see the pink bed sheets and covers when she looked down. Then, looking at the half-open wardrobe, the women's clothes inside were all styles and designs the original owner liked in her memories. Du Xixi closed her eyes uncomfortably, not wanting to look anymore.
What is she now? Lived another life, yet occupying everything of someone else...
Tears flowed from her eyes, over a face that looked much like hers back on Blue Star. She felt terrible. The better Ke Lian treated her, the worse she felt, so much that... she could hardly breathe.
She clutched her heart and slowly lay on the bed, letting her tears soak the pink pillow beneath her head and gradually fell into a nightmare.
...
Du Xixi felt like she had fallen asleep. In her dream, she returned to Blue Star, but as an observer watching "herself"—someone who fell down the stairs, sent to the hospital, and awakened seemingly losing her memory.
She watched "herself" relearn cooking with the company of elders, memorizing recipes daily, yet living happily...
She watched "herself" excel in cooking, participate in a culinary contest, win first place, and gain fame overseas...
She watched "herself" meet a true love, spend a lifetime together, have children, and grow old together...
She watched the other self living happily.
...
Du Xixi woke up. At the end of the dream, she seemed to see that self showing a familiar smile from the original owner's memory, saying to her: "Hello."
Ke Lian was sitting by the bed, carefully wiping the tears off the sleeping Du Xixi with a towel. Just as she awoke, he was about to speak but saw Du Xixi cry again and hurriedly asked: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? I'll call the Military Doctor immediately."
As the Marshal, ordinary doctors couldn't approach him. Usually, any injuries or illnesses are treated by special Military Doctors. Since Du Xixi married Ke Lian, she became the family of important Military Department personnel, so for safety, she also needed to be treated by Military Doctors.
"No need, I'm fine." Du Xixi softly smiled, pulling on Ke Lian who was standing up to leave, and gently said: "Ke Lian..."
"Hmm? I'm here."
"I don't like pink. Can we buy other colors together?" Du Xixi pulled Ke Lian to sit back down again, her eyes still moist with tears, but it only made her amber-colored eyes look even more enchanting and moving.
Of course, Ke Lian agreed. Although he didn't know what Du Xixi had dreamed of, seeing her return to normal reassured him a lot. They chatted a bit more, then he went downstairs.
Du Xixi slowly got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to wash her face. Seeing her reflection in the mirror, she smiled contentedly. This was a smile that belonged to Du Xixi, the Du Xixi from Blue Star.
By the time Du Xixi went downstairs, it was already time to make dinner. She saw Ke Lian seemed to be sitting on the sofa dealing with some military affairs, so she didn't disturb him and headed straight to the kitchen.
2569 slipped in at this time, lying next to the sink watching Du Xixi, its big eyes on the screen blinking: "Madam, not angry."
Du Xixi couldn't help but laugh: "I'm not angry."
"Not happy, is angry..." The housekeeper robot 2569 was of a very old model. When Ke Lian found it, it took quite a time. Because of its age, 2569's system isn't very advanced, so it appears very "childish" when answering some questions.
Du Xixi looked at it gently and said in a soft voice: "I'm already happy now, 2569 is such a good robot, even knows how to care for me."
"The Marshal is also a good person, he cares for Madam too." 2569's screen flashed a few times, and then its whole body spun in circles, speaking in a stop-and-start manner.
Du Xixi was both amused and a bit blushed, so she changed the topic: "2569, can you tell me how many recipes the Star Era currently has?"
Du Xixi didn't mind exposing her cooking skills. She had a lot of assets and was Ke Lian's wife, believing no one would risk it for a few unknown recipes. But knowing oneself and the enemy, Du Xixi wanted to learn how many recipes existed in the Star Era.
"To Madam, currently there are altogether twenty-three recipes mastered in the Star Era, including stir-fried vegetables, boiled vegetables, raw vegetables, boiled potatoes, boiled potato pieces, mashed potatoes..."
As 2569 introduced, images of the two dark dishes she had for lunch flashed in Du Xixi's mind... Hmm, and that bowl of white rice, it no longer belonged to dark cuisine, it could become a weapon with formidable destructive power!
"Um... could you then introduce the known ingredients and seasonings of the Star Era?"
"Known ingredients include vegetables, potatoes, white strips, rice, yellow grains... Known seasonings include green peppers, prickly peppers, thorn powder, fragrant peppers..."
Before Du Xixi started cooking, she decided to stop 2569's introduction. If she continued to listen, she might start questioning whether she even recognized these ingredients and seasonings that have been renamed in the Star Era.
"2569, can you organize some information about ingredients and seasonings for me to review after dinner?" Du Xixi forced an awkward smile, deciding to endure the ordeal after dinner.
2569: "Yes, Madam."
Du Xixi: Don't ask why I don't need information on recipes. If you ask, there's no need!