Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

Seeing how her mother had suffered because of her, Ruo Manni felt incredibly fortunate to have returned—and with advanced medicinal formulas in hand.

Ruo Manni had learned the methods for preparing the potions left by Teresa Du, and when she was training her subordinates on Topaz Star, she also learned from Doctor Paul how to adjust the proportions of strengthening potions based on each individual’s physical condition.

With the help of the treatment device data, Ruo Manni prepared a strengthening potion suitable for her mother’s physical state. She had her mother drink it and gently persuaded her to rest.

Lin Mother was reluctant to leave. She feared that if she fell asleep, her daughter would disappear again.

Ruo Manni hugged her and said seriously, “Mom, I will stay with you for at least fifty years. The twelve of us will need to wait fifty years before we have the chance to return to the interstellar era. We have plenty of time to decide what to do in the future. Don’t worry, just focus on getting better.”

Fifty years was already more than half a lifetime for people in this world, especially for Lin Father and Lin Mother, who were both over fifty years old. They didn’t think they would live that long. Hearing her daughter say this, they both felt reassured, and Lin Mother finally agreed to rest.

“Dad, I gave Mom a strengthening potion. I’ve adjusted the dosage to be very mild, but just in case, stay by her side. If she develops a fever, let me know immediately. I still have some matters to handle, but I’ll be back to stay with her once it’s settled,” Ruo Manni said to Lin Father.

Lin Father’s body had also aged significantly over the past two years, but he wasn’t as weak as Lin Mother. Ruo Manni decided to first restore her mother’s health before tending to her father.

After sending her parents off to rest, Ruo Manni turned to Lin Kexin.

The two of them found a room, closed the door, and began to have a serious conversation. Naturally, they started by discussing the circumstances of their respective rebirths.

When Lin Kexin heard Ruo Manni mention that she died because she couldn’t withstand the second-generation genetic potion, she widened her eyes in shock: “Wait, that’s not right. I was on my way to Xuan Gu First Military Academy when the entire spaceship was hijacked. We were all taken to a mysterious laboratory, and I was injected with some kind of genetic potion. I couldn’t endure the severe pain and passed out. After that, I completely lost consciousness. When I woke up again, I found myself inside the jade pendant you were wearing…”

Ruo Manni’s expression was complicated: “You were in a soul-state, trapped inside the jade pendant, and you grew up alongside me. Later, when I fell ill and died, for some unknown reason, you entered my body and replaced me to continue living.”

Lin Kexin nodded in surprise: “How did you know? Could you feel my presence back then?”

No, Ruo Manni had absolutely no sense that there was anything inside the jade pendant hanging around her neck. If she hadn’t gone through such an experience herself, she would’ve found it incredibly creepy—how could something this ghostly happen?

“Give me a moment. I need to think,” Ruo Manni said, feeling her mind in chaos, unable to make sense of the situation.

She had assumed that the person who exchanged souls with her was Ruo Manni from the First Prince’s rebirth timeline. Who could have guessed it was actually the soul of Ruo Manni who had disappeared in the First Prince’s previous life?

Poor girl—she had died in two lifetimes because of the side effects of genetic potions. Ruo Manni couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of relief that she had been reborn into the second timeline.

Just thinking about it made her shiver: if she had taken over the body of the first Ruo Manni and woken up on a laboratory table, she probably wouldn’t have lasted long before either dying of fright or taking her own life.

No matter how much Ruo Manni thought about it, she couldn’t make sense of the whole situation. So, she decided to tell Lin Kexin about the key events in her life after rebirth, particularly focusing on her real identity.

Lin Kexin listened with wide eyes, utterly stunned. She never imagined that her background could be so complicated. She was supposed to have been born as a noble daughter from an influential family, yet due to someone else’s schemes, she had been sent to the fringe planets, living as a commoner without a father. The woman who had raised her, Teresa Du, wasn’t her biological mother at all—she was actually a dark guard who had taken her away.

Lin Kexin had grown up feeling deeply insecure. Her classmates, knowing she had no father, often mocked her as an illegitimate child or “wild spawn,” using those insults to humiliate her. For a sensitive child, such ridicule inflicted severe emotional wounds.

Now that she had been told her true identity—that she was supposed to be a noble daughter from an influential family, living a life of wealth and status—Lin Kexin found it hard to accept the tragedy that had unfolded.

If it hadn’t been for someone scheming against her and leaving her stranded on Topaz Star, she would never have boarded the spaceship to Imperial Star. She wouldn’t have suffered such terrible hardships or lost her life in such a horrifying situation.

And Hua Deli—she had heard about him many times in her previous life. He was hailed as the most brilliant young genius of the Gus Empire, a top student at Xuan Gu First Military Academy.

Back then, Hua Deli had seemed like a god-like figure to her, while she was just the dirt beneath his feet. She could never have imagined that he was actually her brother, the one who had taken her identity and status.

Lin Kexin pressed her lips tightly together, her emotions spiraling out of control.

Ruo Manni suddenly sensed that Lin Kexin’s mental energy was surging violently, as if she was on the verge of losing control—showing signs of entering a dangerous state akin to deviation. Shocked, Ruo Manni hadn’t expected her to react so strongly to this revelation.

After a moment of reflection, Ruo Manni realized she had taken things for granted. She wasn’t the original host, so how could she truly understand Lin Kexin’s feelings?

“You don’t know this, but your biological mother, Lixi Amber, has been searching for you all along. Because she feared for your safety, she had no choice but to tolerate Hua Deli’s presence. Later, when she discovered me, she did everything in her power to bring me back, to reveal my identity to the world, and to ensure that I received what I deserved. Your father, on the other hand, was completely kept in the dark. He never knew about your existence. But once he did, he accepted me—thinking I was you—without hesitation. They didn’t abandon you; they truly love you,” Ruo Manni said, trying her best to soothe her.

These words clearly struck a chord with Lin Kexin, and her surging mental energy gradually calmed down. Seeing that her approach was working, Ruo Manni quickly continued, “Your mother has always been extremely cold to Hua Deli. She rarely stayed at home and ignored him completely. She believed I was you, and she treated me with great kindness. She really is a good mother.”

Ruo Manni avoided mentioning Hua Deyu’s attitude, fearing that any possible fatherly affection he showed toward Hua Deli might further upset Lin Kexin.

“I’m not you, so I don’t carry such deep feelings of love or hatred toward them. Initially, I didn’t want to return to the Hua De family. But Second Madam Hua has suffered so much, and I felt that my return would benefit her the most, so…” Ruo Manni continued softly.

As Ruo Manni shared her story, Lin Kexin gradually calmed down. From what Ruo Manni described, Lixi Amber’s feelings for her daughter were pure and unwavering. Even though fate had played a cruel trick on Lin Kexin, knowing she had such a loving biological mother stopped her from feeling completely disillusioned with family or humanity.

For Lin Kexin, while her biological father’s attitude might not have met her expectations, her mother’s deep love for her softened much of her bitterness.

“You did the right thing. Go back and enjoy the life that belongs to the eldest miss of the Hua De family. Don’t let someone else steal the spotlight. Why should the person who took my identity live so comfortably?” Lin Kexin finally said.

Hearing this, Ruo Manni could tell that Lin Kexin harbored deep hostility toward Hua Deli.