After the Soul Swap Between Love Rival AO - Chapter 1

“Buzz—buzz—”

Her phone vibrated incessantly by her ear. Half-asleep, Cheng Luanxin rolled over, grabbed it, and gave the screen a cursory glance—an unsaved but familiar string of numbers.

Without much thought, she answered, “Hello, who’s this?”

The voice on the other end was oddly familiar, laced with impatience: “You don’t even recognize your own number?”

“Huh?” Already irritated from being woken up, Cheng Luanxin’s tone turned sharp at the retort. “Who the hell are you?”

“Song Qiuchi.” The reply was dark and brooding.

Oh, it was Song Qiuchi. No wonder she sounded so damn annoying.

Cheng Luanxin snapped, “So what if I mixed up our trophies? I’ll have my assistant return yours today. Anything else? No? Then I’m hanging up.”

“Cheng Luanxin, if I’m not mistaken, you’re currently lying in my bed.”

“What kind of nonsense—” Cheng Luanxin’s eyes flew open mid-sentence, ready to unleash her fury, but the sight before her made her choke back the rest of her words.

The room she found herself in was decorated in an elegantly poetic neo-Chinese style. The delicate screens and understated floral arrangements perfectly blended traditional aesthetics with modern elements, exuding a distinctive aristocratic charm.

It was a far cry from her own flamboyant and extravagant bedroom.

“How did I end up here…” Cheng Luanxin jolted upright in bed, startled to find a butterfly-shaped birthmark now adorning her right wrist.

She knew this birthmark all too well—ever since she became desk mates with Song Qiuchi in their first year of high school, it had frequently flitted in and out of her sight.

In other words, this was Song Qiuchi’s body.

With a shriek, Cheng Luanxin tossed her phone aside and leapt out of bed, rushing to the full-length mirror in three quick strides. The girl reflected back at her wore silk pajamas, her tall frame slightly disheveled, her beautiful face looking somewhat weary—yet the small mole at the corner of her lips still carried an alluring charm.

There was no doubt about it—this was Song Qiuchi’s face.

It was as if someone had yanked out her tendons and dissolved her bones. Cheng Luanxin collapsed onto the floor in a heap.

The voice on the other end of the phone snapped impatiently, “Cheng Luanxin, are you still there? Say something.”

Dazed, Cheng Luanxin crawled back onto the bed and picked up the phone. “Did we… swap souls?”

“That appears to be the case,” Song Qiuchi paused before adding, “Hurry up and get ready. We need to meet.”

Suppressing her irritation at Song Qiuchi’s imperious tone, Cheng Luanxin took a deep breath. “Wait for me.”

If asked who she disliked the most, Cheng Luanxin’s answer would undoubtedly be Song Qiuchi.

From the moment they became desk mates in high school, the two had clashed. Despite their vastly different upbringings, their desires aligned in eerily similar ways—whether it was something as trivial as cafeteria meals or as significant as competing for student leadership positions. Even their crushes had been on the same person. Without realizing it, they had come to view each other as thorns in their sides.

Even after entering different departments in college, every encounter between them inevitably devolved into a few rounds of verbal sparring.

It wasn’t until they officially stepped into the entertainment industry after graduation and learned the importance of maintaining their public images that they reluctantly called a truce. But deep down, their mutual disdain remained.

Yet now, like it or not, she had no choice but to look. Cheng Luanxin fumbled out of the silk pajamas, momentarily blinded by the paleness of Song Qiuchi’s skin. Her face flushed, and she instinctively averted her gaze, grabbing a casual light-blue shirt from the wardrobe and hastily pulling it on. As she struggled into a pair of jeans, she muttered, “No wonder she’s an Alpha—her legs are so long.”

Once dressed, she instinctively sat down at the vanity and reached for the foundation, only to set it back down upon seeing the face in the mirror. “Putting makeup on Song Qiuchi? Hard pass.”

After tidying up, her gaze landed on the trophy on the desk.

The design was simple—a female figure holding a sheaf of wheat, surrounded by graceful musical notes. The gilded trophy shimmered brilliantly under the light.

Engraved on the base was a line of text: 2022 Best Music Award.

This was Cheng Luanxin’s trophy.

Last night had been the annual Golden Ear Awards ceremony, where Cheng Luanxin had taken home the Best Music Award, while Song Qiuchi had claimed the title of Best Actress. It should have been a double celebration, but fate—or rather, the event organizers—had seated them right next to each other.

Two words summed it up: unlucky.

From beginning to end, the two of them never once made eye contact. Thinking all was well, they unexpectedly ended up mistakenly taking each other’s trophies when leaving.

No one knew if swapping souls had anything to do with those trophies.

Cheng Luanxin paused for a moment, stuffed the trophy into her bag, and walked out.

They had arranged to meet at a niche little café—quiet and elegant. By the time Cheng Luanxin arrived, Song Qiuchi had already been sitting there for a long time, tapping the table impatiently with her fingertips.

Cheng Luanxin had always favored flashy outfits. From a distance, seeing her own body draped in golden hair, wearing a simple white dress, sitting prim and proper, she couldn’t help but feel it was all kinds of awkward.

Song Qiuchi spotted her too, rising from her seat with a frown.

“You’re thirteen minutes late from our agreed time.”

“Only thirteen minutes?” Cheng Luanxin pulled out the chair opposite her nonchalantly. “Your place is so far from here, and taxis are hard to come by. I thought I’d be an hour late.”

“Why didn’t you drive?”

“Poor people don’t have cars. Or driver’s licenses.” Cheng Luanxin pulled the Best Music Award trophy from her bag and placed it solemnly on the table. “So, why did we swap souls? Does this have anything to do with it?”

“No idea.” Song Qiuchi also took out the Best Actress Award trophy. “Want to try swapping them back?”

They exchanged a glance and nodded gravely.

Steeling themselves, they gripped the trophies, exchanged them, and waited in silence.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Nothing happened.

Cheng Luanxin slumped back into her chair. “Useless.”

Song Qiuchi frowned. “Sit up straight. You’re representing my public image now. I don’t carry myself like this in public.”

Cheng Luanxin held her breath but sat up anyway, muttering resentfully, “I don’t want to be you for the rest of my life.”

“You think I do?” Song Qiuchi stretched out her palm, revealing a set of garish, over-the-top party-girl nails. “I’m going to remove these later. Any objections?”

“Whatever you say.” Cheng Luanxin propped her chin on her hand, thoroughly annoyed. “How did this even happen? Do you think going to the hospital would help?”

“We’d probably get locked up as lunatics.” Song Qiuchi paused. “Cheng Luanxin, we’re completely in the dark here. We need to prepare for the long haul. What work do you have coming up? We should coordinate first.”

Cheng Luanxin hesitated, stammering, “My work… you’d be so jealous if you knew.”

Song Qiuchi snapped, “Same here. You’re getting all the perks.”

Cheng Luanxin took a deep breath. “How am I getting all the perks? If it weren’t for swapping bodies with you, I wouldn’t even want to tell you this—but the day after tomorrow, I’m supposed to start filming for Romance for You Season 2. Bet you’re thrilled!”

Song Qiuchi froze. “…What a coincidence. So am I.”

Romance for You, the latest hit dating show for women, invited three Alphas, four Betas, and three Omegas from various fields each season for a month-long program.

A week ago, the Beta lineup had already been announced online: pianist Du Zhiruo, composer He Ran, mystery novelist Duan Mengshu, and rising entrepreneur Zhuang Mingchu.

Du Zhiruo had been the white moonlight that both Cheng Luanxin and Song Qiuchi secretly admired since their student days.

The two stared at each other, dumbfounded.

After a long pause, Cheng Luanxin finally found her voice: “Doesn’t that mean we’ll have to see each other every day now?”

Song Qiuchi smirked faintly. “Unfortunately, yes.”

Cheng Luanxin grew anxious. “Song Qiuchi, you’re not allowed to use my body to flirt with Du Zhiruo!”

Song Qiuchi scoffed. “If Zhiruo had any interest in you, would she have waited until now? Relax, I won’t say a single unnecessary word to her. Otherwise, once we switch back, wouldn’t you just reap the rewards of my efforts?”

Cheng Luanxin narrowed her eyes. “Then you won’t deliberately ruin my image in front of Zhiruo, will you?”

Song Qiuchi countered seriously, “What image do you even have?”

Cheng Luanxin: “…”

This must be what they meant by “disagreeable conversation ends in half a sentence.”

But perhaps it was for the best. Over the next month, they could keep an eye on each other, which was better than being left in the dark.

Who knew? Maybe in a few days, they’d switch back.

Song Qiuchi pulled a small notebook from her bag. “Let’s go over the rules during the body swap. I’ll try my best to respect your wishes.”

Cheng Luanxin thought for a moment. “I message my grandma every night to let her know I’m safe, and sometimes I call her. Can you handle that?”

“Of course.” Song Qiuchi nodded. She knew Cheng Luanxin had grown up with her grandmother—their bond was special. “Then please note that I have severe allergies. No mangoes, pineapples, starfruit, any kind of seafood, and no milk either.”

Cheng Luanxin: “…With all those restrictions, being a rich heiress must be so dull.”

“Don’t randomly switch my skincare brands. I have sensitive skin—it gets red and breaks out easily. And none of those glittery products you like. No cosmetic procedures either.”

Cheng Luanxin: “…Fine, whatever you say.”

“My immune system is weak, so I exercise daily. There’s a treadmill at home—three kilometers every day. Think you can manage that?”

Cheng Luanxin’s eyes widened. “…You expect me to do that too?!”

“Naturally. In return, I’ll take care of your health as well,” Song Qiuchi said. “To increase our chances of switching back sooner, we should check in at least once a day. Any objections?”

Cheng Luanxin really didn’t want to stay in touch with Song Qiuchi, but given the circumstances, she had no choice. “Fine, fine.”

Song Qiuchi narrowed her eyes. “Were you even listening? Repeat it back to me.”

Cheng Luanxin: “……???”

Was this a pop quiz for elementary schoolers?

Grumbling, Cheng Luanxin recited the rules. “Happy now? What’s next?”

Song Qiuchi checked the time. “In two hours, I have a live interview about winning the Golden Ear Award. You’ll need to handle that for me.”

Cheng Luanxin was stunned. “Something that important, and you’re only telling me now?!”