Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

In her mind, Ruo Manni thought that the gift from King Adam must be more valuable than others. She never expected it to be a small interstellar spacecraft.

“This, this… just look at this…” This gift was too overwhelming, far beyond her psychological capacity to handle. Ruo Manni had no choice but to seek help from her new parents.

“Don’t worry about it. This is nothing; it’s what they are supposed to give,” Hua Deyu said, seeing her slight panic and feeling a pang of sadness. He couldn’t help but reach out and gently touch her hair.

The girl’s hair was soft and smooth, a tactile experience completely different from that of boys. Hua Deyu had missed out on this for more than a decade, and his resentment deepened.

His daughter was actually distressed because of a valuable gift. If she had always lived with the Hua De family, although the Hua De family might not have given every young direct descendant an interstellar spacecraft, at least she wouldn’t be so anxious about receiving such a gift.

The suffering his daughter and wife had endured over the past decade was not adequately compensated by this gift, which was merely a small token.

King Adam’s gesture equated to an official acknowledgment of Ruo Manni’s identity.

The guests present were all of top status in the Gus Empire. Although they had been taken aback by the big surprise, they were too excited to share it immediately and instead began to ponder and investigate what had happened during Lady Amber’s delivery to cause such an event, wondering who could be so unscrupulous.

The guests, who had matters on their minds but couldn’t discuss them openly, remained absent-minded. The host family was no different; Queen Amber was very quiet today, maintaining her noble and aloof demeanor. She only spoke to a few familiar noblewomen and did not initiate conversations with others.

King Adam’s actions were equivalent to an official acknowledgment of Ruo Manni’s identity.

The guests present were all of top status in the Gus Empire. Although they were taken aback by the huge revelation and excited, they didn’t immediately share the news. Instead, they began to investigate what had happened during Lady Amber’s delivery that led to this situation, and who could have orchestrated such an unscrupulous act.

The guests, preoccupied with thoughts they couldn’t discuss openly, remained distracted. The host family was no different; Queen Amber was very quiet today, maintaining a completely noble and aloof demeanor. She spoke only to a few familiar noblewomen and did not initiate conversations with others.

As a result, the birthday party ended rather abruptly.

“Manni, we’ve already prepared your room. Would you like to come and stay with us tonight?” Lady Amber said, reluctant to let go of Ruo Manni’s hand.

Ruo Manni finally found an opportunity to refuse, or rather, she finally found a chance to speak.

“We’re starting training early tomorrow morning. Our instructor is very strict, and we can’t afford to lose time,” Ruo Manni instinctively avoided the invitation.

She was truly confused. This reunion was so disordered. Forced to accept so many gifts, she wanted to return them to Hua Deyu and his wife, but they insisted she keep them. Combined with King Adam’s words, it would be absurd to continue denying her identity.

Hua Deyu was calmer than his wife and was more aware that his daughter was still conflicted and entangled in her emotions. He remembered Hua Deqi’s comments about Ruo Manni, particularly about her attitude toward the Hua De family.

Hua Deqi had mentioned that Ruo Manni didn’t seem like an ordinary person who, upon learning she was part of the Hua De family, would eagerly come forward. Instead, she seemed indifferent to wealth and honor, hiding her identity, and was focused on returning to the border star after graduation.

Although she didn’t show any overt resentment, her attitude was somewhat cold, indicating that there was an underlying issue. Her reluctance to return to the Hua De family suggested an internal resistance. Hua Deqi had advised him not to rush things and to gradually address her emotional barriers.

This child had been raised by Queen Amber’s former secret guard. That Teresa Du had taken great care of Ruo Manni, diligently teaching her and even risking her life to enhance Ruo Manni’s potential, which eventually led to her disappearance.

Despite the effort and care that Teresa Du had put in, apart from taking Ruo Manni away, Hua Deyu was very grateful to her. After all, if it had been another secret guard, Ruo Manni might not have been cared for so well, or even had the opportunity to grow up.

However, Teresa Du likely had her own reasons for not revealing Ruo Manni’s true identity or the Hua De family’s connection. From the situation, it seemed that she had conveyed a negative impression; otherwise, Ruo Manni wouldn’t have shown such a lack of hope for the Hua De family and her reluctance to acknowledge her parents, preferring to stay away.

Hua Deyu had thought long and hard and believed that the most likely reason for Ruo Manni’s reluctance was that she knew the true identity of Hua Deli.

Hua Deli had replaced her and lived a superior life in the Hua De family for over ten years. Meanwhile, she, the legitimate eldest daughter, had ended up on a poor star. Although she wasn’t living in absolute poverty, her circumstances were vastly different from those of Hua Deli.

Now, having finally returned, she was still expected to stand on equal footing with the child who had usurped her identity and status. Typically, someone with pride would find this difficult to accept, and since Ruo Manni was a proud child, she naturally did not want to belittle herself.

Even though he publicly stated that Hua Deli was her twin brother, Ruo Manni did not protest. However, her gaze was unusual. This was likely because, as a classmate of Hua Deli’s, she didn’t want to embarrass him, so she said nothing. But this didn’t mean she had accepted the situation.

They had been too careless back then. Lixi had trusted her parents too much, leading to her being deceived into an early delivery. The child had to be placed in a treatment pod immediately after birth, and it wasn’t until days later that they began to suspect a switch had occurred, completely missing the chance to find the child.

Moreover, being misled into believing that the situation was a scheme to swap her daughter for an illegitimate child, Queen Amber’s lady-in-waiting even threatened Lixi. To ensure her daughter’s survival, Lixi had to treat that “son” well.

He had been busy with work and, trusting his father-in-law and mother-in-law, did not expect such an incident to occur and was unable to return immediately. Afterward, he also believed the old couple’s story that the baby had died due to genetic collapse right after the birth. To avoid trouble, they agreed to use a test-tube baby secretly created by a distant relative to deceive everyone.

Over the years, Lixi had resented him and he had resented Lixi. They had become as strangers to each other… In short, the blame was mostly on him, resulting in years of marital estrangement and their daughter being left on a fringe planet. It was fortunate that the dark guard who took their daughter had a good heart; otherwise, she might have disappeared without a trace, and their mutual misunderstandings could have meant they would never know the truth.

Hua Deyu did not want to hurt his son, but he also did not want to continue causing distress to his daughter and wife. They had already suffered enough over the years.

If Ruo Manni truly could not accept Hua Deli, he would have to find another solution. However, these discussions could not happen here and needed to be addressed privately at another time.

After some thought, Hua Deyu made a decision and said to Ruo Manni, “Then when the time comes for the truth to be revealed, I’ll come with your mother to bring you home.”

There are so many traps in these words; how should she respond?

Ruo Manni was in a difficult position, and since Hua Deyu had already found a way to handle her, he did not give her a chance to answer. Instead, he turned to Hua Deli and said, “You need to take good care of your sister.”

“I will, Father,” Hua Deli replied with firm determination.

“I will also take good care of my cousin,” Dean Atchison eagerly added, seeking to assert his presence.

He was the first to get to know Ruo Manni and had helped her when she was confused and unsure.

His performance clearly earned him approving looks from everyone, as they remembered his contributions when thinking back on the situation.