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"Moreover," Chu Yuening hesitated, "her destiny chart also indicates quite a few ill-fated romantic entanglements, and they're all connected to her career."

Upon hearing this, the neighbors suddenly understood.

"Oh, so she used her body to advance her position, right?"

"This cousin is really ruthless. She took someone else's education and still relied on sleeping with others to build her career? Disgraceful to our ancestors indeed."

Chen Xi didn't usually put much stock in mysticism. If it had been anyone else making such claims before, she would have doubted their authenticity.

But Chu Yuening had accurately predicted many aspects of her life from the start, even her innermost thoughts.

She couldn't help but believe.

"Master, how did my cousin manage to steal my identity? Was... there no law to stop her?"

Chu Yuening rubbed her forehead.

Opening her third eye, she saw a scene from the past: a middle-aged man hurriedly dragging a girl into a police station.

He approached an officer at the Civil Affairs Bureau and submitted the household registration with a smile. "Hello, my daughter wants to change her name."

In the 90s, information was scarce, and policies weren't stringent in all aspects. It was common for people to alter their information freely around the village.

It wasn't hard to imagine that Chen Xi's cousin had taken advantage of this situation to assume Chen Xi's identity.

After the surveillance system was shut down, Chu Yuening withdrew her magical power and rubbed her temples before lifting her gaze slightly. "After the college entrance examination, didn't your uncle take your cousin to the police station?"

"Yes, they seemed to have brought the household registration book. I was waiting at the village entrance for my admission notice then," Chen Xi nodded.

Chu Yuening continued, "Your uncle first used his connections to halt the release of your exam results, then he took your cousin to change her name."

Back then, changing one's name wasn't considered a big deal.

Chen Xi was lost in thought; she no longer needed to ask what name her cousin had chosen.

After arriving in Hong Kong, there was one time when she went out with her cousin. Someone on the street had shouted Chen Xi's name in Cantonese, and she had assumed they were calling her. However, it was her cousin who responded.

She vividly remembered how peculiar her cousin's expression was back then, as if she was panicked, constantly fidgeting with her hair.

So it turns out...

The truth was actually because of this?

Chen Xi slumped in her chair, unable to accept it for a long time. Her eyes welled up with tears. "My father has few siblings, only one elder uncle. Over the years, I've also taken care of my cousin's family alongside my aunt. Why would they do this? Why treat me like this?"

Didn't it always go that relatives would help each other out?

Especially with an uncle's relationship, why would they snatch her identity?

Going to university was a dream she had worked hard towards for so long.

Wei Yanlin had been squatting in the corner after selling his sweet soup, listening for quite some time. He straightened up and lowered his hands that had been hugging his chest. His face seemed to flush red along with his hair, as if the boiling water of his anger was about to spill over.

He spat out his words.

"What else could it be? They must want their daughter to succeed, resorting to such despicable tactics. How low-class!"

"Tch!" Wei Yanlin's curses didn't seem to quell his frustration as he spat into the trash can. "That damn old man, I hope he's born without a penis in his next life. What a damn lowlife scoundrel!"

The neighbors were even more furious.

"How could she harm her own niece? She's heartless!"

"Master Wei is right. Such scum deserves a terrible death! May they be struck by lightning!"

"Ning Ning, the switch has already been made. What can we do now?"

"Yes, does Miss Chen have another destiny in store? The one that comes with taking on this new identity, perhaps? Is it better than the original?"

Some neighbors disagreed. "Better? Better than being an official? A parent to the people, with great virtue upon them. Those who believe in fate would say that by accumulating enough good deeds in this life, they'll be reborn into a fortunate existence."

"Indeed, being an official would be the best outcome."

"But what's the point of that? Can it bring back what was lost?"

"Sigh, it's truly a shame. The worst part is that her aunt's family ruined their cousin's future for their own advancement. She could've been an official herself, but instead, she resorted to using her beauty to climb the ranks."

Chen Xi also calmed her emotions.

At this point, she felt that there was no turning back. After all, she had been away from learning for six years—could she really restart her university education again?

Recalling her second potential path, she continued to inquire.

"Master, what about the second option?"

"The second path is the ultimate outcome of your current conventional route."

Chu Yuening, combining Chen Xi's birth chart and facial features, continued her divination.

"After failing to get into university, you entered a period of confusion. With your previous plans revolving around university and work, the missing link left you unsure of how to proceed."

"It's like holding a hand of cards where playing any one of them seems like a losing move, yet you desire victory, causing you to hesitate and not dare to play your cards easily."

Chen Xi nodded frequently, finding the master's words very insightful.

Indeed, she had been in such a state of mind these past few years.

"You switched through several jobs, but none were particularly satisfactory. In Hong Kong, you realized the significance of academic qualifications, so you chose to pursue self-study. Later on, with a not-so-prestigious degree, you entered a decent company, gained experience, and eventually returned to Shencheng to start your own company. Your development has been quite successful thus far."

"After more than thirty years, with considerable savings, you thought of giving back to your hometown and contributed greatly to building roads there."

"Your financial needs were still met in the subsequent years."

Upon hearing that she wouldn't lack money, Chen Xi didn't express any delight.

In her view, it seemed that her ambitious aspirations in this life could not be fulfilled.

What good was it to just have personal wealth?

If she hadn't known about the two possible destinies, she might have lived out her days in a daze, oblivious to everything.

But now, knowing this, Chen Xi's heart felt stifled, causing her great discomfort.