The life swap begins with Consort Hua becoming Lady Qin.

When Yanzhi's consciousness returned to that initial mysterious space, Nian Shilan was already there, looking like she had been waiting for a long time.

Noticing that someone had arrived, Nian Shilan looked up.

The instant their eyes met, everything they had experienced since they switched places rushed through each other's minds like a tidal wave.

For a moment, no one spoke.

They simply digested those complex yet vivid memories in silence.

After an unknown amount of time, the two looked up at each other almost simultaneously, and when they looked at each other again, they couldn't help but laugh.

The reunion felt like a lifetime ago; the guarded indifference and hostility between them were gone, as were those from their first meeting.

"Well done."

Yan Zhi spoke first, offering a sincere compliment.

She truly never imagined that she could also spur Qin Zhengyang to make progress.

Or rather, she simply didn't want to think about it, because she simply didn't want to do it.

From a young age, she saw through the true nature of her family members. Her eldest sister was the best at using her frail health to gain their parents' attention. Qin Zhengyang was neither good at literature nor martial arts; he was a good-for-nothing, yet a good-for-nothing destined to inherit the title.

None of them are as good as her.

Yet they occupy all the best things in the house.

She looked down on those two and never bothered to compete with them.

In her opinion, her older sister and older brother were both stupid and pretentious, and they would eventually suffer the consequences of their actions.

She often watched them fight with a detached, almost mocking, attitude, waiting to see them push themselves into a dead end.

Looking back now, she realizes that she was incredibly arrogant in her youth, believing that God had given her the best body and the smartest mind, while her parents seemed blind and deaf, unable to see or understand her.

Sooner or later, she will fly to a height that no one else can reach, all by herself.

They'll regret it.

But she later realized—

They share the same father and mother, the same surname, and the same origin.

One glory and one glory.

To outsiders, how Qin Zhengyang and the older sister are perceived also reflects how she is perceived.

She couldn't stay far away forever and just treat their actions as a joke.

But by the time she realized it, it was too late.

She thought she was an eagle.

But before they could even soar through the sky, before their wings had fully grown, they were brutally torn off by unseen hands.

It can only live like a vulture trapped in the mud.

If she were truly allowed to return to the Qin family and live her life again...

No.

That's it.

She didn't want to go back.

She has now found a better family, one that is more suitable for her.

As for the Gu family...

Gu Yankai, Gu Tingye, Bai Shi, Sheng Minglan...

They were all insignificant people to begin with, and nowadays, they're even less worth mentioning.

"That's natural."

Nian Shilan raised her chin, still with that arrogant demeanor, but the sharp edge in her tone was gone. "I'm not stupid. If it weren't for that bastard Yinzhen's deliberate scheming and deception, I wouldn't have ended up like that."

Yan Zhi nodded and followed her words, saying, "It's not easy to guard against someone who is prepared to attack someone who is not."

Nian Shilan is the type of person who responds best to gentle persuasion but not to force.

Upon hearing this, Nian Shilan could no longer maintain her arrogance; her chin slowly lowered, and her tone softened considerably.

"Please take care of my parents and brothers."

When she said this, there was a rare hint of respect in her eyes.

Having witnessed Yanzhi's life in her place, she felt incredibly relieved. That bastard Yinzhen lost the throne he valued most and was partly responsible for harming her child. The hypocritical and pretentious Empress Dowager Wuya Chengbi was also branded as an adulterous slut and sent to hell.

Qi Yuebin can never dream of being the only one in Yinzhen's heart, let alone regain his high position.

Even Zhen Huan, who considered herself a female Zhuge Liang, remained obedient and docile under her rule for a lifetime.

Although Cao Qinmo, Feng Ruozhao, and others still had children, and daughters at that, because of the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty, they never embarked on the path of marriage alliances again. Instead, they all married good husbands and were taken out of the mansion to live.

This made her somewhat unhappy.

But then I thought, well, Wenyi is a well-behaved and sensible child after all. When Feng Ruozhao was in her courtyard, he also suffered from the fragrance of Huanyi. So he has shared hardships with her.

In this life, let's be even and without debt.

What pleased her most was that her parents no longer had to bury their child.

Both of his elder brothers lived to a ripe old age and died peacefully, achieving a real future and dignity.

The sisters-in-law did not remain widows and endure hardship; they grew up peacefully and prosperously, married, had children, and lived happily in their families.

The most moving part for her was how Yanzhi personally and devotedly cared for her parents at their bedside before their passing.

She couldn't help but think.

When doing these things, Yan Zhi was using her body as a cover.

This can be considered as making up for her regret that she could no longer serve her parents for a long time after she got married, and it also fulfilled her belated filial piety.

Upon hearing this, Yan Zhi simply replied, "Of course. She's my mother too."

She said it so matter-of-factly.

When Nian Shilan thought of the two ever-burning lamps in the temple, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

But the next moment, she forced herself to turn her face away and stubbornly said, "Unfortunately, in this respect, I am not as good as you. I didn't get anything back for you."

Yan Zhi understood what she meant.

After a brief moment of silence, she suddenly smiled faintly.

It was completely different from the flawless, perfectly timed smile of the past.

The smile was faint, but it came from the heart.

"Parental love cannot be obtained through struggle."

What can be obtained through means can be family property, attention, or dependence.

It can't be love.

"It's alright, I gave up on it a long time ago."

"It was fate that made me their daughter, not something I wanted to do."

"Since they are unwilling, then I will not do it."

They can choose the daughter they love, and she can then choose other parents who love her without feeling guilty.

He spoke calmly, without a trace of resentment.

Shilan stared at her for a long time, then suddenly raised her head again, regaining some of her former charm.

"You're right. I don't care anymore! My parents have already accepted you, haven't they? They even changed your name. From now on, you'll be my sister."

Yan Zhi raised an eyebrow: "I should be older than you."

"But you came later."

When it comes to this, Shilan wouldn't budge an inch.

The two locked eyes, neither willing to give in first.

The stalemate lasted for a moment.

"Fine, fine, average size, average size is alright, isn't it?"

Shilan took a step back.

Yan Zhi nodded in satisfaction.

The two looked at each other and smiled again.

Yanzhi looked at her and suddenly sighed softly, "If it could really be like that, Mother would be happy."

In fact, after Hongwei truly took over the responsibilities, she and Yinwu did go on a trip for a while.

However, when news of her father's illness arrived, she still rushed back to the capital with Yinwu, and even went directly back to the Nian family to live together, just to take care of the two elders personally until they passed away one after another.

She had always known that the Nian family had truly accepted her, not Nian Shilan, but Yanzhi.

But she also knew what emotions occasionally flashed across the eyes of her father, mother, and two brothers when the family gathered together.

It is longing.

Even though none of them ever mentioned Nian Shilan to her, and none of them ever asked where she had gone.

I was afraid of upsetting her.

But the more they acted this way, the more uncomfortable Yan Zhi felt.

Just then, a beam of light suddenly fell into the space.

That familiar mechanical voice sounded again:

"Settlement complete. The satisfaction level of both clients regarding their life swap has far exceeded expectations."

"Bonus rewards are now available!"

The light suddenly intensified, enveloping both of them.

Shilan and Yanzhi looked up almost simultaneously, both with a moment of surprise in their eyes. Before they could say anything, their consciousness both went blank.

-

Mrs. Nian was standing in the kitchen, watching the maid add ingredients to the casserole.

"Put less of this." She pointed to the ginger slices on the table: "Shilan doesn't like the taste of ginger too strong."

"Don't add too much sugar, Yanzhi doesn't like things too sweet."