After Swapping Bodies with the Movie Queen, She Ended Up with Me (GL) - Chapter 53

Rong Qing’s creamy pumpkin porridge was exceptionally delicious—smooth, thick, with a rich milky flavor that wasn’t overly sweet, perfectly suiting Mu Lingwan’s current taste.

After sleeping all day, Mu Lingwan felt exhausted. She sat on the bed, sipping the porridge while listening to Rong Qing talk about her day. When Rong Qing mentioned accompanying Ye Junjun on a blind date, her eyes sparkled like little light bulbs, bright and animated.

Mu Lingwan watched her and realized she had never truly seen Rong Qing wear such an expression before. When they first met, they had swapped bodies, and now that they were back to normal, she found Rong Qing’s expressions even more vivid.

Like the sun, or like blooming winter jasmine.

The longer Mu Lingwan looked, the faster her heart raced. She quickly lowered her head to finish the last of her porridge, even scraping the bowl clean.

Rong Qing looked at her in surprise. “I didn’t know you liked it so much. Should I make it again tomorrow?”

Mu Lingwan wiped her lips and replied noncommittally, “Hmm, add more pumpkin.”

They chatted casually like this, mostly with Rong Qing talking and Mu Lingwan listening, occasionally responding. Rong Qing rambled on as they ate fruit and watched TV, but neither brought up that question—

Now that they were back to normal, was their fake relationship game over?

Mu Lingwan didn’t think about it, and for some reason, Rong Qing didn’t mention it either. In truth, she had wanted to talk about their relationship with Ye Junjun earlier, but considering Mu Lingwan’s status, she held back in case Ye Junjun accidentally spilled the secret.

But just because they avoided the topic didn’t mean it didn’t exist. Their fake relationship had only been necessary because they couldn’t separate before. Now that things were back to normal, parting ways was inevitable.

If not today, then tomorrow.

Rong Qing hugged a blanket on the sofa, silently deciding that if Mu Lingwan didn’t bring it up, she would do so tomorrow.

Mu Lingwan was kind—she hadn’t abandoned her immediately. But Rong Qing wasn’t foolish. What was her status, after all? She couldn’t offer Mu Lingwan any real benefits. Breaking up was only a matter of time.

Yet the thought of separating made Rong Qing’s chest tighten inexplicably.

When Mu Lingwan stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Rong Qing staring blankly at the blanket on the sofa. After a pause, she walked over and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Rong Qing turned to look at her.

After months of living in each other’s bodies, Mu Lingwan had nearly grown accustomed to seeing Rong Qing’s face as her own. Now, seeing it again so suddenly made her heart skip a beat.

“You took a shower?” Rong Qing gasped at her damp hair. “You still have a fever! How could you shower?”

“I was sweating all day in bed, and you were too when you were sick. If I didn’t wash up, I’d start to smell,” Mu Lingwan said calmly.

“You should’ve held off! What if your fever gets worse?”

“It’s fine. I feel better after washing up.” Mu Lingwan sat on the sofa and handed her a towel. “Help me dry my hair?”

Rong Qing blinked. “Does the hospital even have a hairdryer?”

“Zhou Ying packed it for me this morning when she was organizing my things. It should be in that suitcase.”

“Let me look for it.”

Rong Qing opened the suitcase and saw a jumble of miscellaneous items inside. Besides the hairdryer and change of clothes, there were small cushions, phone stands, canned food, gloves, headbands, hair ties, and other little trinkets. Rong Qing pulled out the hairdryer and immediately went behind Mu Lingwan to dry her hair.

The buzzing noise filled the space between them as Rong Qing stood beside Mu Lingwan, her fingers running through the other woman’s long black hair. The warm air scattered the strands before they obediently settled back into place.

Mu Lingwan’s hair was fine yet thick, clearly well-maintained though much of its quality was natural.

Would someone else dry Mu Lingwan’s hair in the future? What kind of person would they be? Would they be beautiful? Male or female? Would Mu Lingwan publicly announce them on Weibo too?

The thoughts made Rong Qing’s heart ache unbearably, as if she was holding her breath but couldn’t exhale. As a mere stranger, she had no right to comment on Mu Lingwan’s affairs. Perhaps tonight would be their last moment of tenderness.

After what felt like forever, Mu Lingwan finally stopped her when her scalp felt completely dry. “It’s getting late, we should rest,” Mu Lingwan said, watching Rong Qing put things away. “We’ll probably be discharged tomorrow, and then…”

And then what?

Rong Qing turned her head curiously.

After a pause, Mu Lingwan continued, “Then come back with me. There are still some matters between us to settle.”

Rong Qing’s grip on the hairdryer tightened slightly as she nodded quietly.

This was about breaking up with her—having that final discussion before parting ways. Rong Qing understood perfectly. Their relationship announcement had been grand, so the breakup needed to be handled discreetly to avoid damaging Mu Lingwan’s reputation.

Once she accepted this reality, Rong Qing’s anxious heart completely gave out. Her mind relaxed as she gave Mu Lingwan her medicine, turned off the lights, and lay down on the sofa with her back turned.

Mu Lingwan glanced at Rong Qing, opening her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent. She closed her eyes and lay flat on the bed.

Tomorrow, she’d find a chance to ask Rong Qing… if she’d be willing to turn their fake relationship into a real one.

Having slept all day, Mu Lingwan expected to struggle with insomnia, but she fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow. Similarly, Rong Qing thought she’d lie awake unsettled for hours, yet the next time she opened her eyes, it was already morning.

Rubbing her head, Rong Qing stared at the hospital ceiling and felt utterly miserable. The sofa’s quality was terrible—how could one night leave her feeling this awful?

“Ugh…”

Lying in bed, the world spun around her. Weak and listless, she lifted a hand to her forehead and realized her entire body was burning up.

Damn it, had she caught Mu Lingwan’s fever?

Struggling to sit up, she wanted to check on Mu Lingwan’s condition, only to realize she wasn’t on the sofa—she was in the hospital bed. Turning her head, she saw someone else lying on the sofa.

Rong Qing: “…”

No way.

She figured her sleeping must have been so terrible last night that Mu Lingwan had fled in frustration.

But was it even possible to shift from the sofa to the bed just from tossing and turning?

Rong Qing felt like she must be dreaming, so she immediately lay back down and closed her eyes, deciding to catch some more sleep first.

But her discomfort made it impossible to fall asleep, and by six or seven in the morning, people outside her door started moving about. Though the sounds weren’t loud, they weren’t quiet either, making it even harder for Rong Qing to sleep.

The person on the sofa seemed to have woken up. She sat up and looked down at her hands and clothes, appearing stunned as she remained silent on the sofa for a long while, her gaze fixed on Rong Qing lying flat on the bed.

Rong Qing helplessly opened her eyes and turned to look at her own freshly awakened face, feeling dizzy and overwhelmed.

Why?!

Hadn’t they already switched back?!

Why were they back to square one again?!

Mu Lingwan stared blankly for a long time. She watched as Rong Qing opened her eyes on the bed, glaring at her with a mix of grievance and anger before her eyes reddened. Then, flipping the covers aside, Rong Qing started sobbing uncontrollably, crying so hard that even Mu Lingwan felt lightheaded.

After about half an hour, Rong Qing finally calmed down a little. Mu Lingwan stood up and walked over, patting the blanket-covered figure curled up on the bed and saying helplessly, “The nurses will be doing rounds soon. Get up.”

Rong Qing threw off the covers and sat up abruptly, pulling Mu Lingwan onto the bed and asking, “Didn’t we switch back yesterday? Why are we like this again today? I haven’t even called my dad yet, I haven’t done anything…”

Seeing Rong Qing on the verge of tears again, Mu Lingwan sighed and sat on the hospital bed, pulling her into a hug and patting her back soothingly. “Calm down first. We’ll figure something out.”

Rong Qing was utterly miserable, clinging to Mu Lingwan as she cried. So when Zhou Ying pushed the door open, she was startled to see the two embracing on the bed, wondering if she had interrupted some intimate moment between Mu Lingwan and Rong Qing.

“It’s early in the morning—you should at least be discreet. We’re in a hospital,” Zhou Ying said hurriedly, closing the door behind her as she walked in with breakfast. She turned to Rong Qing and said, “Lingwan, hurry up and eat. We can be discharged this morning, then you can go home first. I’ll bring the contract over later.”

“Contract?” Mu Lingwan frowned at her. “What contract?”

Zhou Ying blinked in surprise and waved her hands. “Oh, not your contract, Xiao Qing—it’s Lingwan’s. The endorsement was signed ages ago, but the photoshoots and videos kept getting delayed. Now that you’ve switched back, we need to get it done quickly, or the client will have a bad impression and won’t renew next year.”

Already upset about switching back, Rong Qing burst into tears again at the thought of having to shoot endorsement photos while still unwell.

A question mark popped up in Zhou Ying’s head as she looked between the sobbing “Mu Lingwan” on the bed and the coldly indifferent “Rong Qing.” Suddenly, yesterday’s buried memories came rushing back.

She sucked in a sharp breath, staring at the two in shock.

No way…

Had they… gone back to the beginning again???

Once Rong Qing had calmed down a little, the three of them gathered around the hospital bed—Rong Qing sitting listlessly, Mu Lingwan on her left, and Zhou Ying on her right.

Mu Lingwan’s expression was grim, while Zhou Ying kept glancing between them in confusion. “Why?” she asked.

Rong Qing sobbed, “I want to know why too. I had plans to accompany Junjun to a blind date tomorrow, wuuu…”

Mu Lingwan lifted her eyelids to glance at her, frowning slightly as she asked, “Why are you going on a blind date?”

“It’s not for me, I’m just accompanying Junjun.” Rong Qing sat up straight to explain, “She got upset when I hadn’t contacted her before. I finally managed to cheer her up yesterday and promised I’d definitely go with her tomorrow. What are we going to do now that this has happened?”

Rong Qing’s pupils trembled, “I even called my dad yesterday! He said he’d find time to come visit me here. What should we do now?!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ying stood up immediately: “We absolutely can’t let your father come! Otherwise everything will be exposed!”

Rong Qing naturally understood. Fortunately, her father hadn’t specified exactly when he’d visit, but since he had this intention, she needed to prepare in advance.

“And… I promised Teacher Xu Qing I’d attend her concert.” Rong Qing felt utterly exhausted.

Mu Lingwan said unhappily, “Concerts are unimportant. It’s fine if you don’t go. The urgent matter now is figuring out why we’ve switched back again.”

“That’s what I want to know too,” Zhou Ying asked curiously, looking between them. “Why did you switch back?”

Rong Qing shook her head with reddened eyes, then turned to Mu Lingwan: “Do you know?”

Mu Lingwan’s heart skipped a beat. She stubbornly turned her head away and said quietly, “I’m not too sure either.”

In truth, Mu Lingwan seemed to have an idea.

Originally, they’d switched when they both fell into water during filming, and Mu Lingwan had given Rong Qing mouth-to-mouth when she saw Rong Qing couldn’t swim. Yesterday, they switched back after Rong Qing had filmed night scenes all night, fell ill with fever, and was hospitalized—when Mu Lingwan secretly kissed her.

The triggering conditions seemed identical to Mu Lingwan’s previous tests, except with the added condition of “official filming.”

Unease grew in Mu Lingwan’s heart. She didn’t know whether she should tell Rong Qing directly. If she did, Rong Qing would surely wonder why Mu Lingwan had kissed her—how could she possibly explain that?

By accident?

How careless would she have to be to accidentally kiss Rong Qing’s lips? The excuse seemed far too flimsy no matter how she thought about it.

While Rong Qing remained immersed in her sorrow, Zhou Ying noticed Mu Lingwan’s discomfort. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she pulled Mu Lingwan aside while Rong Qing was washing up and asked quietly, “Lingwan, tell me—did you do something?”

Mu Lingwan’s face flushed red. She avoided Zhou Ying’s gaze. “No.”

“Are you going to hide it from me too?” Zhou Ying looked at her sternly. “Do you know how much impact this unresolved issue could have?”

Mu Lingwan fell silent. Of course she knew—this matter had already delayed nearly half a year of her work. Endorsement shoots kept getting postponed, and projects planned over the past two years couldn’t proceed properly.

The entertainment industry moved quickly, with fresh young stars emerging wave after wave. Without consistent output, Mu Lingwan would soon be forgotten, and the artists and staff under her would struggle to make ends meet.

Mu Lingwan was no small-time celebrity now—she had numerous employees depending on her. If she stalled, so many people’s livelihoods would be at stake.

Zhou Ying’s gaze made Mu Lingwan uneasy. After hesitating for a long while, she finally sighed and told her the truth.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ying’s eyes widened in surprise. She pondered for a moment before asking, “Why did you kiss Rong Qing?”

Mu Lingwan, too embarrassed to answer, said with a stern face, “Don’t ask about that.”

Understanding, Zhou Ying looked at Mu Lingwan with interest, her eyes filled with approval, though she didn’t say it outright. Instead, she told Mu Lingwan, “I see. Then I’ll go ask Da Shi today to see what he says. As for you…” She glanced at Mu Lingwan, then at Rong Qing, who had just come out of the bathroom, and said, “You two should hurry and pack up. I’ll take you home first.”

Rong Qing was feeling down and nodded weakly, dragging herself to gather her things. Mu Lingwan shot Zhou Ying a look, signaling her not to say anything unnecessary. Zhou Ying responded with an OK gesture.

Before leaving the hospital, the doctor made a grand gesture by bringing the entire department to see Rong Qing off. They even took photos with flowers, making it seem like some official visit. Little did anyone know Rong Qing felt so sick she could barely stand it.

Being ill was no fun. Even though Zhou Ying drove as slowly as possible—slower than an old lady taking a stroll—Rong Qing still felt dizzy and nauseous. Seeing how uncomfortable she was, Mu Lingwan cracked the window slightly for some air and gently pulled Rong Qing into her arms, letting her lean on her shoulder.

Rong Qing was too miserable to care whether their position looked intimate. Normally, Zhou Ying would have been staring without blinking, but after learning about Mu Lingwan secretly kissing Rong Qing, she didn’t dare look at them anymore.

What used to be harmless teasing had now become real, and Zhou Ying didn’t even dare bring it up. She drove home in complete silence, dropped them off with their luggage, and hurriedly sped away.

Standing at the doorstep, Rong Qing felt dizzy and coughed before asking Mu Lingwan, “Why did Sister Zhou Ying run off so fast?”

Mu Lingwan didn’t dare answer and simply pulled the suitcase inside, saying, “Don’t worry about her. Go rest for a bit. Does your throat hurt? The doctor said if it does, you should drink more hot water.”

“Mhm, it doesn’t hurt. I just feel awful all over,” Rong Qing said as she walked inside, shaking her arms helplessly. “It’s already the third day, and I still feel this bad. I don’t know how you managed on the first day.”

“It wasn’t too bad,” Mu Lingwan said, opening the door. “I slept the whole day. It was rough at first, but after waking up, I felt much better.”

“You’re amazing. I feel too sick to even sleep.”

As soon as she entered, Rong Qing rushed upstairs to the guest room and collapsed onto the bed, groaning as she burrowed under the covers and wrapped herself tightly.

Mu Lingwan leaned against the doorway, watching her. “Rest for a while. I’ll see what I can make for lunch.”

Rong Qing clutched the blanket pitifully and said, “I don’t want boiled bean sprouts anymore. Can we have something with flavor? I want something spicy and sweet.”

Mu Lingwan paused for a moment before nodding in agreement.

So, for lunch, Rong Qing had her first proper meal in days—spicy hot pot—and nearly cried from happiness. She thought to herself how nice it was to be an ordinary person who didn’t have to eat boiled bean sprouts every day.

After dinner, Rong Qing broke into a sweat and took a hot shower before climbing back into bed. Mu Lingwan closed the door for her, then noticed the message Zhou Ying had sent five minutes earlier: “Do you have time for a call now?”

Mu Lingwan returned to her own room, making sure all the windows and doors were shut before dialing Zhou Ying’s number.

“Lingwan,” Zhou Ying answered quickly, holding her phone close. “I just got back from Master’s place. I told him about your situation, and he said he needs to meet you in person to be certain. Are you free in the next couple of days? I can arrange for him to come to your place.”

“Let’s not have him come here for now,” Mu Lingwan replied. “If someone sees him, there’ll be gossip. I’ll visit him myself when I have time.”

“You’re right,” Zhou Ying sighed, tapping the contracts in her car. “What about the endorsement deal? Yesterday, I thought you’d recovered and mentioned it to them. Delaying it further really isn’t an option now.”

“The endorsement isn’t a problem,” Mu Lingwan said firmly. “Once Rong Qing recovers and we finish the last scene of Spring Moonlight, we can schedule the photoshoot. It’s just still images anyway—nothing will show.”

“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements then. Get some rest at home, and I’ll update you once the schedule’s confirmed.”

“Mm.”

After hanging up, Mu Lingwan gazed at the bare branches outside, resting her hand on the windowsill with a quiet sigh.

Early the next morning, Rong Qing was already up and picking out clothes.

Mu Lingwan frowned as she walked over. “I can handle the blind date. Why are you coming along?”

Last night, Rong Qing had spent hours persuading Mu Lingwan to accompany Ye Junjun to the matchmaking event. It was the first time Rong Qing had asked her for a favor, so Mu Lingwan couldn’t refuse—but she hadn’t expected Rong Qing to insist on joining.

“But I have to go,” Rong Qing coughed, her delicate brows furrowing. “I don’t feel comfortable letting you go alone.”

The words warmed Mu Lingwan’s heart, though she knew Rong Qing likely didn’t mean it that way. Keeping her expression neutral, she reached out to feel Rong Qing’s forehead.

Still feverish.

“You shouldn’t go out while you’re sick,” Mu Lingwan coaxed. “You showed me Ye Junjun’s photo and explained everything last night—I remember it all. Don’t worry so much. Besides, the blind date is between the two of them. I’ll just be there to eat.”

“No, I still don’t feel right about it. Something about you going alone doesn’t sit well with me.” Rong Qing’s face was clouded with worry. “Junjun is a close friend. If she notices anything… if the truth comes out, it’ll be a mess.”

Mu Lingwan reassured her, “I’ve spent months getting to know you. A simple meal won’t give me away.”

Despite this, Rong Qing remained uneasy and insisted on going no matter what Mu Lingwan said. Left with no choice, Mu Lingwan helped her bundle up in a hat, mask, and sunglasses—completely concealed to avoid recognition outside.

Once everything was settled, Mu Lingwan simply put on a hat and a mask, then went out with Rong Qing, carrying the medicine Rong Qing needed to take.

In the car, Rong Qing couldn’t help but cough several times. Mu Lingwan broke off a soothing lozenge for clearing heat and phlegm and slipped it into her mouth. Only after her coughing subsided did she carefully adjust Rong Qing’s mask and thoughtfully fasten her seatbelt.

Rong Qing had a cool lozenge in her mouth, watching as Mu Lingwan leaned closer, making her heartbeat quicken involuntarily. But the other woman soon fastened her seatbelt, straightened up, and started the car. All Rong Qing could smell was that faint, pleasant lemon fragrance.

It was the scent of their laundry detergent—one both Mu Lingwan and she loved. Now, breathing in that subtle yet comforting aroma in the car, Rong Qing felt inexplicably nervous, as if she had only just realized how familiar they had become, even sharing the same scent.

Ye Junjun had reserved a Western restaurant on the top floor of the downtown shopping center for lunch. Before heading up, Mu Lingwan secured a table and said to Rong Qing, “Just sit beside me later. I ordered you a light meal—we’ll go home after eating.”

Rong Qing turned her head weakly, coughing twice before pulling up her mask and nodding at her.