After the Soul Swap Between Love Rival AO - Chapter 12

The two naturally made their way to the grand auditorium where the choir competition had been held. Unfortunately, the doors were locked, so they couldn’t go inside and had to settle for wandering around the perimeter.

Cheng Luanxin stood on tiptoe, peering into the auditorium. “It’s been so long since we’ve been here, but it still feels familiar. Didn’t we participate in a lot of events here?”

Song Qiuchi nodded. “All kinds of competitions, lectures, and even the pep rally.”

Cheng Luanxin seemed to recall something. “Ah, the pep rally—I was the one leading the pledge. At the time, I thought it was so cringey and embarrassing, but looking back now, that was real youth.”

Song Qiuchi: “…”

Alright, I get it—you think I’m cringey and embarrassing.

Next, they headed to the sports field. The empty grounds felt especially vast, and the two climbed up the bleachers, sitting side by side.

Cheng Luanxin framed the scene with her hands as if taking a photo. “I’d love to participate in another sports day.”

Song Qiuchi thought to herself, You didn’t join a single event in three years of sports days—what’s there to miss? But she simply said, “I wasn’t very good at sports, so I never participated.”

Cheng Luanxin replied, “But we didn’t have to attend classes! We could just sit here, eating and drinking—it was so carefree.”

Song Qiuchi remarked, “You actually participated in quite a few events.”

Cheng Luanxin thought for a moment. “I think so—I did long-distance running and high jump, right?”

The director chimed in, “Since you’re feeling so nostalgic, how about we do a little interactive game—”

Both of them quickly declined. “No need, no need. We’re not that nostalgic.”

Barrage comments:

Hahahahaha ‘no need, no need, absolutely no need’

These two are textbook examples of ‘loving the idea but not the reality’ lol

Watching them makes me want to relive my school days too!!

After wandering around the campus all morning, both were feeling a bit tired. They changed out of their school uniforms and left the school, heading to a nearby dessert shop.

The shop owner recognized Cheng Luanxin immediately. “Oh my, isn’t this Luanxin? It’s been so long! What brings you here today?”

Song Qiuchi was taken aback, surprised by how well-connected Cheng Luanxin seemed. “Hello, Auntie.”

Cheng Luanxin was indeed familiar with the owner and, knowing her warm temperament, grinned and asked, “Auntie, take a look at me—do you recognize me?”

The proprietress took a closer look at Cheng Luanxin and broke into a smile. “Oh! Aren’t you that actress—Song Qiuchi, right? Welcome, welcome! What would you like to drink today? It’s on the house!”

“A bowl of sweet osmanthus glutinous rice balls,” Cheng Luanxin nudged Song Qiuchi’s arm. “What about you?”

Song Qiuchi rarely ate out, and this was her first time at this dessert shop. After a moment’s thought, she said, “I’ll have the same as you.”

The proprietress smiled. “Got it! I’ll make them for you right away.”

While the proprietress went to prepare the ingredients, Cheng Luanxin leaned in and whispered into Song Qiuchi’s ear, “You’re not allergic to fermented rice, are you?”

Song Qiuchi thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I’ve never had it before.”

Cheng Luanxin grinned. “Then you should try it. It’s delicious—I order it every time I come here.”

Live Comments:

??? What are they saying that we can’t hear???

Gotta admit, Qiuchi really takes care of Luanbao

They’re totally a couple, confirmed

The sweet osmanthus glutinous rice balls arrived, fragrant and soft. Cheng Luanxin scooped up a spoonful and savored it, her face lighting up with satisfaction.

Song Qiuchi glanced at her, then took a spoonful herself, tasting it carefully.

Cheng Luanxin asked quietly, “See? Didn’t lie to you—it’s good, right?”

Song Qiuchi nodded. “It is quite good.”

Cheng Luanxin was tempted to lift the bowl and gulp it down, but she restrained herself out of politeness in front of Song Qiuchi. “Their desserts are seriously the best—affordable and packed with ingredients. Every time I achieve something, I treat myself to a bowl here.”

She paused, realizing her humble-bragging might not suit Song Qiuchi’s image, and quickly added, “Because my family never lets me eat out, so I sneak here, haha.”

Song Qiuchi was silent for a moment before pointing at the red rash appearing on Cheng Luanxin’s neck. “After sneaking here so many times, you never realized you were allergic…?”

Cheng Luanxin: “…”

She was actually allergic.

Wait, just one sip and she reacted like this? Song Qiuchi’s body was way too delicate!

Panicking, Cheng Luanxin asked, “What do we do now? Do we need to go to the hospital?”

Song Qiuchi narrowed her eyes, leaned in to examine the rash on Cheng Luanxin’s neck, and gently touched it. “It’s not that bad—it should fade soon. But you can’t drink any more of this.”

Cheng Luanxin’s heart ached. She’d finally come back after so long, only for her nostalgic treat to end in tragedy.

“But this bowl of fermented rice balls…”

With the filming crew still around, wasting food wasn’t ideal. Song Qiuchi lowered her gaze and took the bowl. “I’ll drink it for you.”

Cheng Luanxin’s eyes widened. “?!”

She watched as Song Qiuchi finished her bowl of fermented rice balls, then calmly continued drinking her own.

In Cheng Luanxin’s experience, only people who were extremely close would do something like this—so far, only her grandmother had ever eaten her leftovers.

And Song Qiuchi—fastidious, particular Song Qiuchi—hadn’t even hesitated…

Cheng Luanxin’s face flushed slightly, and she pretended to be nonchalant as she picked up her phone.

Live Comments:

Girls, did you notice how familiar Luanbao is with allergies? It’s like she’s been taking care of Qiuchi all along

Luanbao really drank Qiuchi’s leftover fermented rice balls!!! Isn’t that basically an indirect kiss?!

Yay, Qiuchi’s blushing!

Secretly in love—I’m living for this

……

Finally, the half-day date recording came to an end, and the two of them returned to the car for the journey back. The production crew thoughtfully vacated their van, leaving only the two of them in the rear cabin, providing them with a quiet and private space.

Cheng Luanxin took out a small mirror from her bag, examining herself from left to right. “Look, has the redness on my neck faded enough?”

Song Qiuchi replied, “Yes, but be careful from now on—no more alcohol.”

Recalling all the things Song Qiuchi had forbidden her from doing, Cheng Luanxin suddenly felt life had lost its flavor. She slumped into her seat with a long sigh. “Ugh…”

Song Qiuchi, annoyed by her limp, slouched posture, snapped, “Sit up straight.”

Cheng Luanxin grumbled, “So you’re this harsh when we’re not filming?”

Song Qiuchi retorted, “Is this harsh? It’s just to help you maintain good habits.”

Reluctantly, Cheng Luanxin straightened up. “Tomorrow should be the date planned by Beta, right? Who do you think Zhi Ruo will choose—you or me?”

Song Qiuchi countered, “How do you know it’ll be one of us?”

Cheng Luanxin looked innocent. “We’re classmates, aren’t we?”

Song Qiuchi felt Du Zhiruo wasn’t as harmless as she seemed but hesitated before keeping silent.

Lost in her own thoughts, Cheng Luanxin muttered softly, “Sigh… if it weren’t for swapping souls with you, maybe I’d already be with Zhi Ruo by now.”

Song Qiuchi: “…”

Unable to stand her lovestruck demeanor, Song Qiuchi deliberately said, “If it weren’t for swapping souls with you, today would’ve been me on a date with Du Zhiruo.”

Cheng Luanxin sulked. “Song Qiuchi, do you think we’ll never switch back? You need to figure something out—we can’t just sit around waiting.”

Song Qiuchi shot back, “What if we never switch back?”

Cheng Luanxin looked exasperated. “That’s just not acceptable. I can’t use your body to pursue Zhi Ruo. If I succeeded, would she be yours or mine? It’s not like she could love your body and my soul at the same time.”

Song Qiuchi: “…Could you stop talking about Du Zhiruo all the time?”

Cheng Luanxin: “If not Zhi Ruo, then who else?”

Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Song Qiuchi cut in bluntly, “I’ve already asked a friend knowledgeable in this area to consult someone. We should find a solution, so there’s no need for you to be so anxious. Even if we never switch back, life must go on. I’ll take care of your grandmother, and you’ll just have to adapt to my life.”

Cheng Luanxin slumped back down. “How can you be so cold-blooded? You make flesh-and-bl00d bonds sound so trivial.”

Song Qiuchi admitted, “I’m admittedly slow when it comes to emotions.”

Cheng Luanxin shook her head. “With empathy like yours, it’s a wonder you became a Best Actress. No justice in this world.”

Song Qiuchi stayed silent.

She knew Cheng Luanxin was right. For most people, familial bonds ran deep, and if something as bizarre as a soul swap happened, their first concern would naturally be for their loved ones.

But not Song Qiuchi. From the moment it happened, all she cared about was her public image.

Since childhood, she had been praised for being mature and sensible. But deep down, she knew she was actually quite childish. The reason she appeared mature and sensible was simply because she was emotionally detached and indifferent—in other words, selfish and cold-blooded.

This was also why she chose to become an actress—she hoped that by portraying different roles, she could broaden her emotional perception and become a more emotionally rich person.

But unfortunately, even though she could flawlessly recreate a character’s emotions under the director’s guidance, she still couldn’t truly empathize.

If she had to say, she was actually a little envious of Cheng Luanxin, who could express her feelings so boldly and unrestrainedly.

Meanwhile, the bold and unrestrained Cheng Luanxin had, at some point, fallen asleep, her fluffy head tilting gently onto Song Qiuchi’s shoulder.

Song Qiuchi paused, then slightly raised her right shoulder to let her rest more comfortably.