It's so hard being a hero!

Chapter 111 A Belated Reunion

When Xiangyun saw Sophia standing at the door, she immediately recognized her as the familiar yet unfamiliar girl who had rescued her at a critical moment last year.

It's been a year since we last met, and the other person has matured quite a bit, shedding their childlike demeanor.

So she put down what she was doing, walked out of the clinic, and greeted Sophia.

"It's you, young lady. What brings you here? I haven't properly thanked you for what happened last time."

Sophia naturally shook her head and waved her hands immediately.

"No need, no need. Our academy just started the new semester this year and had a three-day break. I was bored and came out for a stroll, which led me to Tianfeng City. I just happened to pass by here."

Xiangyun stared at Sophia for a while, then nodded.

"Oh, is that so? Well, you've come at the right time. You left in such a hurry last time that I didn't have a chance to properly thank you. How about we go to the clinic for a cup of tea?"

Sophia thought about it and did not refuse.

"it is good."

So she followed Xiangyun into the clinic, and Xiangyun immediately handed over all the tasks to her apprentices, while she led Sophia to the backyard alone.

She gestured for Sofia to sit down, while she went to pour hot water and get tea leaves.

Just as she was about to pour tea for Sophia, Xiangyun suddenly asked a question out of the blue.

"Um, young lady, you don't seem surprised at all that I've become younger. And how did you recognize me at a glance as the old woman from a year ago?"

These words immediately startled Sophia, who then felt embarrassed and inwardly cursed herself for being careless.

But we can't entirely blame her. After all, it's easy to overlook some issues when you're not on guard against someone you've met before.

He stammered for a long time, not knowing what to say.

But Xiangyun only glanced at her, saw Sophia hesitate, then sighed inexplicably and sat down.

"Oh! It's alright, don't tell me then. Actually, on the very night after you left, the wife of an old friend of mine suddenly came to my place and gave me a bottle of rejuvenation potion. This potion restored my body and functions to youth, and I am truly grateful to her."

Sophia simply gave a soft "oh," and she knew that Frey was secretly helping her.

She even guessed that Frey was secretly watching her at that moment.

Inside the Duke's mansion in the capital, Frey rolled her eyes repeatedly as she looked at Sophia's reaction in the mirror.

"Look at you, if you want to acknowledge me, just do it. You're acting like you're afraid I'll be jealous, as if I'm petty. Be more open and honest."

This is indeed what Sofia is worried about right now, but it's not absolute.

She stared at Xiangyun for a long time, hesitated, and then asked a question.

"Um, where are your children and husband? Are you and your apprentice the only ones here in this clinic?"

This question startled Xiangyun, and she immediately burst into laughter.

“I have no children or husband. I have never married or had children in my life. I have just stayed in the family to run this medical clinic.”

This statement stunned Sophia for a moment.

At this moment, she had something she really wanted to say. Ever since what happened with the old emperor, she realized that the most important thing in life is someone who cares about you and still remembers you.

The old emperor is gone. If the person in front of her is also gone, what will she have left?

Looking into Xiangyun's gentle eyes, Sophia finally broke the string in her heart that had been taut for so long.

She took a deep breath, then, as if making a decision, irritably scratched her silver hair, finally raised her head, and said in a tone that was both helpless and relieved.

"never mind."

"Sister Xiangyun, it's been a long time, I'm back."

The moment she said those words, the courtyard fell silent.

Xiangyun's hand holding the teacup froze, as if she had been frozen in place.

Her eyes were fixed on Sophia, her lips trembled slightly, but she didn't speak immediately.

The wind blew through the yard, ruffling the stray hairs on her forehead and also stirring Sofia's white skirt.

After a long while, Xiangyun finally looked up at Sophia, her eyes slowly reddening.

She wasn't particularly excited, but her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Sofia with an extremely complex expression.

There was surprise in his eyes, as well as a sense of "I knew it," and a feeling of grievance.

"You, you've finally agreed to acknowledge me."

Xiangyun's voice trembled slightly, but her tone was surprisingly calm.

"I thought you were going to keep pretending to be a stranger."

Sophia felt a pang of sadness at her words.

She didn't ask Xiangyun how she guessed her identity, because there was no need to.

She had prepared many explanations, such as how to explain why she had become like this, and how to explain why she hadn't come to see her all these years.

But at this moment, those words seem to have become unimportant.

"I... I didn't not want to acknowledge you before, I just didn't know how to bring it up."

She looked up at Xiangyun and gave a bitter smile.

"Think about it, I was a man in my past life, and I became a woman in this life, and a little girl at that. How am I supposed to tell people I know, 'Hey, I'm Su Lan, I'm back, but my appearance has changed a bit.'"

Upon hearing this, Xiangyun was taken aback for a moment, and then suddenly laughed.

That smile held tears in it, and a sense of relief that was hard to describe.

"Your mouth is still the same as it was back then. You always make a very serious matter sound ridiculous."

She raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye, then looked at Sophia, her tone becoming more serious.

"Actually, I felt something was wrong when you saved me last time."

Sophia blinked.

"The way you looked at me back then, and the tone of your voice, were so much like that person."

Xiangyun picked up her teacup and took a sip, as if trying to calm herself down.

“At the time, I thought I was getting senile and hallucinating, but after you left, the more I thought about it, the more I felt something was wrong.”

"Later, your wife Frey came and gave me the bottle of the anti-aging potion, which made me even more certain."

Sophia smiled helplessly.

Is there a connection between these two?

Xiangyun smiled.

"Because after you left, Mrs. Frey came. Don't you think that's too much of a coincidence? And the way she looked at me, it was like she was a little jealous but still trying to help."

She tilted her head and looked at Sophia.

"At that moment, I was thinking, in this world, who else but that brat could make a duchess like her willingly send medicine to her rival?"

Sophia blushed and paled in turns after hearing her words.

She really hadn't expected Xiangyun to be so observant.

"But to be honest, I really didn't expect you to grow up to be such a beautiful young lady."

Xiangyun changed the subject, her tone becoming slightly teasing.

Sofia was embarrassed again.

"Sister Xiangyun, could you please stop bringing up things that are hard to talk about?"

Seeing her discomfitured expression, Xiangyun laughed again, and this time with an even more relaxed laugh than before.

The laughter echoed in the quiet courtyard, as if something that had been accumulating for a long time was finally released at this moment.

Sophia looked at her and smiled, and the awkwardness in her heart slowly dissipated.

She was actually worried that appearing in front of Xiangyun in this state would make the other person feel embarrassed and find it hard to accept.

But as it turns out, she was overthinking it.

Some people can recognize you no matter what you look like.

Because what makes them recognize you is never your face, but your soul.

The two of them sat in the courtyard and talked for a very long time.

Xiangyun asked a lot of questions.

Sophia only mentioned what she could, and didn't talk much about Lilith.

After listening, Xiangyun remained silent for a long while, then sighed softly.

"Your life is harder than your last."

Sophia was amused by her words.

"That's right. In my past life, at least I was a man. In this life, I've even changed my gender, and now I have to deal with that old rival who killed me. Do you think I'm being wronged?"

Xiangyun looked at her with a hint of heartache in her eyes, but said something else.

"What injustice? The fact that you came back alive is more important than anything else."

Sophia paused for a moment, then looked down and smiled.

"Too."

She sat for a while, looked at the sky, and then stood up.

"Sister Xiangyun, I have to go back. School starts the day after tomorrow, and I need to go back tomorrow to prepare."

Xiangyun nodded and did not try to stop her.

"Okay, come visit me when you have time, just have a chat, don't avoid me."

Sophia shook her head.

"I won't avoid you anymore."