Her teeth ground together. "Life is cruel. It gave me everything I wanted, then snatched it away."

Regret rose in her chest.

Memories started to swirl in her mind. Memories of the Gu Family... memories of Long Yifan staying around her... memories of him professing his love... memories of her father and mother doting on her.

Memories of her siblings loving her and doting on her.

She regretted not telling them how much they mean to her.

She regretted not hugging her father and mother properly and thanking them.

She regretted not telling Long Yifan that she liked him, regretted not saying yes to him when she had the chance.

There was also her master's... her friends...

She had so many chances and yet... she utilized none...

The next few days passed like a blur. She was back in her old mafia life. Her subordinate, Ye Fui, was still there.

He reported everything to her, and she handled matters with the same efficiency as before.

Even after being away for so long, her muscle memory had not faded. She could still control everything with sharpness. A week passed in this way.

But then she noticed something strange.

She had returned to the mafia world, yes, but this was not the same time she had left. Five years had passed here. Time had moved on without her.

The realization made her wonder.

"Did I… exchange souls with myself?" she whispered one night. "Was the me in the mage world one half, and the me in this world the other?"

Just as she was beginning to accept this possibility, someone appeared before her.

"Grandpa Mu…" Gu Jin gasped.

The old man she knew so well stood in front of her, wearing the same calm smile. Without hesitation, she ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Grandpa, you are here. I thought I lost you forever," she cried.

Grandpa Mu patted her arm gently. "I know what you are feeling, child. I understand."

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She looked up at him and asked desperately,

"Tell me, what is happening? Why am I back in the mafia world? Did I lose my new life?"

Grandpa Mu chuckled softly. His voice was like a calm stream.

"You have not returned here in the way you think. What you are seeing is the other half of your soul. This is the life your other half is living. You are only experiencing it for a short time."

Gu Jin blinked in confusion. "My… other half?"

"Yes," Grandpa Mu nodded. "Your soul was divided, remember? One half lived in the mafia world, the other half was taken to the mage world. You are only seeing what the other half has gone through. But your true place now is the mage world."

Gu Jin felt relief spread through her chest. "So… I can still go back?"

"Yes," Grandpa Mu said. "And you must. My task was to guide you to the mage world, to make sure you lived. That task is complete. Now it is time for me to leave."

Gu Jin's eyes widened. "Leave? No. Do not leave me again."

Grandpa Mu smiled and shook his head.

"I was truly blessed to have you as my granddaughter. That much will never change. But you must go forward now. Promise me one thing. Do not lock away your heart again. Do not push away your emotions. Let yourself feel. Let yourself live."

For the first time, Gu Jin's eyes filled with tears. They welled up, but before they could fall, they vanished again, swallowed by her numbness.

Grandpa Mu saw it and sighed softly. He patted her arm again.

"There is no rush. You will heal. You will find your place. This time, I know you will reach your true destination. You will be protected, and you will not be alone."

Gu Jin pressed her lips together, her chest aching. She wanted to beg him to stay, but she knew it was useless.

"Grandpa…" she whispered, her voice trembling, "thank you."

Grandpa Mu gave her one last gentle smile. Then his figure slowly faded, like mist under the morning sun.

Gu Jin watched in shock as Grandpa Mu slowly faded away. His figure became lighter and lighter, like smoke rising in the air, until there was nothing left.

The air around her started to blur too. Colors melted, sounds vanished, and soon even the ground under her feet disappeared.

Her eyes snapped open.

She was lying on her soft bed, inside her own room.

For a moment, she just stared around in confusion. The walls, the curtains, the furniture… everything was exactly the same as her room in the Gu residence.

Her fingers curled on the blanket. "Wait… wasn't I in the ancestral hall? Why am I here? Did the exchange fail?"

She frowned hard. Even if the exchange failed, she thought, shouldn't she have ended up somewhere else? Not here, in this exact room of the mage world.

Before she could think further, the door creaked open.

Gu Jichun entered, holding a tray with both hands. On the tray was a cup of water, a bowl of porridge, and a few medicines.

The moment her eyes fell on Gu Jin sitting up, she froze. Her mouth fell open.

Then, with a loud clatter, the tray slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor.

"Sister!" Jichun screamed and rushed forward. She dropped to her knees by the bed and threw her arms around Gu Jin. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed loudly.

"You are awake! You really woke up! I thought… I thought you would never open your eyes again!"

Gu Jin blinked. She awkwardly patted Jichun's trembling back.

"Why are you crying like this? What happened? Why are you reacting this way?"

She paused. Something about Jichun seemed… different. She could not tell what, but her face looked more mature, her aura calmer.

Still hugging her tightly, Jichun sobbed even louder. "You were in a coma, Sister. For one whole year!"

Gu Jin's whole body stiffened. "What? One year?"

Her heart pounded as the words sank in.

She had only spent about five days in the mafia world. But here… one year had passed?

Her lips trembled. "How can that be…"

Before she could ask more, Jichun pulled away, wiping her wet cheeks with her sleeve.

She was smiling and crying at the same time.

"I must record this! And I must call Father and Mother right away!"

She fumbled with her phone, her hands still shaking.

She quickly started recording Gu Jin sitting up, then turned to the door and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Mother! Father! Elder Sister is awake! She is really awake!"

Gu Jin sat frozen on the bed, even more confused. "Why are you all reacting this strongly? It is not like I died."

But before she could say another word, hurried footsteps filled the corridor.

Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu rushed into the room. Both of their faces were pale with fear and hope.

"Jin'er!" Mrs. Gu cried, tears already rolling down her cheeks.

She stumbled forward and clutched Gu Jin's hand tightly.

"You really woke up. Oh heavens, thank you, thank you!"

Mr. Gu stood on the other side, his tall figure trembling. His eyes, always stern, were now filled with moisture.

He placed a hand on Gu Jin's shoulder, his voice thick. "My child… you scared us all."

Before Gu Jin could answer, the washroom door inside her room opened.

Long Yifan stepped out, his face pale, his eyes wide. The moment he saw her sitting upright, he froze like stone.

Then, with a broken cry, he rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"You are awake! You are finally awake!" His voice shook, his whole body trembling against hers.

Gu Jin's fingers twitched. Slowly, she patted his hand, her expression blank.

"Why… why are you all acting as if I was gone forever? Can someone explain clearly?"

Her eyes turned to Jichun, who was still crying.

Jichun sniffled, wiping her tears, then said in a shaky voice,

"For one year, your organs almost stopped working. You barely had a pulse. If it wasn't for our magic keeping your body alive, you would have been gone long ago. The doctors and healers all said you were practically in a vegetative state. They told us to prepare for the worst."

Gu Jin stared at her. The words echoed in her head. "A whole year…? My soul almost left my body?"

Her chest tightened. She remembered Grandpa Mu's words. Had her soul really been wandering between worlds this whole time?

Before she could think further, Long Yifan grabbed her hands even tighter. His voice trembled.

"Jin'er, do you know how scared I was? Every day I thought you would never wake up. Every night I prayed for you. If you had stayed like that forever… I don't know what I would have done."

His eyes were red, his usual calm broken into raw emotion.

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