After the Soul Swap Between Love Rival AO - Chapter 13

The next day, as expected, the message from the production team assigned the Beta to plan a date, following the same rules as the day before.

Cheng Luanxin’s mood was rather complicated—she didn’t know whether to hope that Du Zhiruo would knock on her door.

She wanted to spend time with Du Zhiruo, but she also didn’t want Du Zhiruo to choose Song Qiuchi.

Sitting in front of the vanity, she absentmindedly dabbed and smeared products on her face. When she snapped out of it, she realized she had instinctively covered Song Qiuchi’s cold, world-weary face with large glitter flakes—she looked ready to hit the club any second.

Suddenly remembering Song Qiuchi’s sensitive skin comment, she was about to remove all the glitter when Duan Mengshu appeared behind her.

Duan Mengshu had, for once, taken off her thick black-framed glasses and put in colored contacts. Dressed in a white off-shoulder blouse and a creamy coffee-colored mermaid skirt, she looked gentle and refined. Clearly, she was already fully prepared: “Are you waiting for someone?”

Cheng Luanxin scratched her head. “Sort of. I don’t know if anyone will come for me. Who are you planning to ask out?”

Duan Mengshu thought for a moment and answered honestly, “I wanted to ask you, but I wanted to respect your wishes first. If you’re waiting for someone, I can wait with you. If no one else comes for you later, would you go on a date with me?”

Cheng Luanxin was taken aback, feeling a little embarrassed. “Why are you being so polite? You could’ve just asked me directly. It’s not like I’m deliberately waiting for anyone.”

Duan Mengshu lowered her eyes. “The night before last, you said you liked people who respect you.”

Cheng Luanxin froze for a second before realizing that Duan Mengshu might actually have feelings for Song Qiuchi. She couldn’t possibly make Duan Mengshu wait with her in earnest. “Let’s just go out now. No need to wait any longer.”

The two went downstairs and ran into Song Qiuchi and Du Zhiruo, who were also heading out, in the first-floor lounge.

The four of them froze upon seeing each other, the atmosphere turning slightly awkward.

Live Comments:

“Hahahaha they’ve met, they’ve met! Fight, fight, fight!”

“Wuwuwu why don’t you all just go on a group date? Don’t break up my CPs!!!”

“Look at the way Luanbao and Qiuchi are staring at each other—they’re definitely seething with jealousy!!!”

The look Song Qiuchi gave Cheng Luanxin did carry a trace of resentment—but not because of jealousy. It was because she couldn’t accept the state of her face after Cheng Luanxin had “ruined” it.

Cheng Luanxin, however, was indeed jealous—but of herself. She could only blame her own overwhelming charm for benefiting Song Qiuchi.

Du Zhiruo was the first to react, smiling as she said, “So you’re also pairing up within your dorm? Where are you planning to go for your date?”

Duan Mengshu said, “I plan to go to the library with Qiuchi. What about you guys?”

Du Zhiruo replied, “I’m taking Luanxin to the graffiti art exhibition. She’s always loved this kind of stuff since her student days.”

Cheng Luanxin felt a warmth in her chest—Du Zhiruo really did care about her. Even after all these years, she still remembered her preferences.

Song Qiuchi, however, wasn’t convinced. She thought Du Zhiruo was just tailoring her actions to suit the person, and Cheng Luanxin was simply naive and easy to impress with a little effort.

The four of them split into two groups, heading to their respective destinations.

Cheng Luanxin and Duan Mengshu arrived at the city library.

Located in the heart of the city, the library was a quiet sanctuary amidst the bustling traffic, filled with young people studying for exams.

Duan Mengshu said softly, “I often come here to write, so I wanted to show you around. Have you been here before?”

Cheng Luanxin actually hadn’t. She wasn’t one for study rituals and usually just lounged in bed at home.

“Nope, but it’s way more crowded than I imagined.”

Duan Mengshu nodded. “It’s always pretty busy here—sometimes you can’t even find a seat. What kind of books do you like? I’ll help you pick something out.”

It had been ages since Cheng Luanxin last read anything, so she had no idea where to start. “Maybe you could recommend something? Or I could read what you’ve written—I’m kind of curious about your books.”

Duan Mengshu looked a little embarrassed. “Oh no, don’t read mine—they’re too immature. How about I recommend some books by authors I like?”

When it came to mystery novels, Duan Mengshu became much more talkative. “Here, take this one—it’s a classic of the henkaku abnormal school genre, with a really bold and innovative premise, though it’s a bit scary. If you don’t like horror, try this one instead. It’s a classic example of narrative trickery, with multiple twists—I guarantee you won’t see the ending coming…”

Watching Duan Mengshu speak so passionately, Cheng Luanxin found her sincerity endearing. She thought it might actually be nice if Song Qiuchi ended up with Duan Mengshu and began scheming how to introduce them properly.

Bullet Comments:

“Honestly, these two could work—they seem like the slow-burn type.”

“NO!!! I’ll always support Qiuchi x Luanxin!!!”

“They’re too reserved—it feels like they can’t open up.”

“They barely know each other—how are they supposed to open up?”

“Still rooting for Qiuchi x Luanxin. This pace is way too slow.”

Meanwhile, Song Qiuchi and Du Zhiruo arrived at the graffiti art exhibition.

The theme of the exhibit was “Reincarnation Railway,” with the entire corridor designed to resemble train tracks. Alongside conventional paintings, there were many avant-garde pieces—vivid, exaggerated, and surreal.

Walking side by side, the two admired the works on display.

Du Zhiruo smiled. “Back in high school, I always thought you’d go into something artistic. The poems you wrote for me had such grand, sweeping worlds—they were really captivating.”

Song Qiuchi had no idea Cheng Luanxin had ever written poetry for Du Zhiruo and wasn’t sure how to respond. “Music is artistic too—different paths, same destination.”

Du Zhiruo said, “But the lyrics you write now are so different from your high school style. It’s not quite what I expected.”

Song Qiuchi recalled the lyrics notebook she had seen at Cheng Luanxin’s home. Cheng’s creative style was indeed complex and varied, including quite a few non-mainstream works dominated by fantasy elements—though none had been published under her personal name.

For some reason, Song Qiuchi didn’t want Du Zhiruo to know that Cheng Luanxin was still creating such works, so she simply said, “That was all from when we were younger.”

Bullet Comments:

–

“Does anyone else feel like the atmosphere between them is weird? It’s like Du Zhiruo is trying hard to please Cheng Luanxin, but Cheng is just cold and indifferent.”

–

“That’s because ‘ChiXin Secret Affection’ is REAL!!”

–

“Honestly, Du Zhiruo keeps bringing up the past, and it’s kind of annoying—like she’s trying to act like she and Cheng Luanxin were super close.”

The two entered a plaster workshop, where visitors could choose plaster pieces to paint and take home as souvenirs.

Du Zhiruo naturally took Song Qiuchi’s hand. “Luanxin, let’s do this together, okay?”

Song Qiuchi stiffened slightly, looking at Du Zhiruo with mild surprise.

Du Zhiruo met her gaze. “Hmm?”

Bullet Comments:

–

“Holy sh1t, holy sh1t, why the sudden hand-holding?!”

–

“Am I the only one who finds Du Zhiruo’s straightforwardness really comfortable…?”

–

“Still, I’m sticking with ‘ChiXin Secret Affection.’”

Truthfully, Song Qiuchi had zero interest in this kind of activity—she even found the fluid paints a bit dirty. But since they were on camera, she couldn’t refuse. “You pick the plaster piece, and we’ll do it together.”

Du Zhiruo smiled, tugging at Song Qiuchi’s hand. “Let’s pick one together…”

They chose a plaster doll that was trending online, put on aprons and sleeves, and began mixing paints. Compared to Song Qiuchi, who had never engaged in such activities, Du Zhiruo was clearly more skilled and patiently guided her.

Song Qiuchi lowered her eyes silently, thinking that she should probably report today’s events to Cheng Luanxin later.

That evening, after the romantic chat room event ended, Song Qiuchi exchanged a glance with Cheng Luanxin, and the two tacitly slipped into a camera-blind spot in the courtyard.

Song Qiuchi spoke first. “How was your date today?”

Cheng Luanxin had no impression of the date at all—her mind was still full of the narrative trick mystery novel she had read, and she was eager to share it with Song Qiuchi.

“You have no idea—Duan Mengshu recommended me this amazing novel! You’d never guess the ending! The female lead was actually—”

After a whole day of “dating” Du Zhiruo, Song Qiuchi was mentally and physically exhausted. She quietly watched Cheng Luanxin, and perhaps because the other was wearing her face, she felt an unexpectedly soothing sense of relief.

Cheng Luanxin rambled on excitedly. “And then, guess what happened—hey, don’t just stare at me, guess!”

Song Qiuchi: “Sorry, you were talking too fast. I didn’t follow.”

Cheng Luanxin: “…”

Cheng Luanxin: “I’ve never met anyone as buzzkill as you.”

Song Qiuchi also felt she was being a bit of a downer. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “So… you two just read in the library all day?”

Cheng Luanxin nodded. “Yeah! And let me tell you, Duan Mengshu is seriously the best. You’re really missing out by not doing a CP act with her—she’s so gentle, talented, and respectful. Like, genuinely amazing!”

Song Qiuchi found the words inexplicably grating: “Is she really that great?”

Cheng Luanxin: “Yeah, she’s truly amazing—way better than you, no comparison. It’s just a shame she’s into you and not me. Seriously, after we switch back, why don’t you give her a shot?”

Song Qiuchi: “We’ll see. Who knows when we’ll even switch back.”

Cheng Luanxin’s enthusiasm had already been dampened by Song Qiuchi: “Oh, well, what about you? How was your date with Zhiruo today?”

Song Qiuchi hesitated for a moment, reluctant to share, but she wasn’t one to hide things either, so she answered succinctly: “She held your hand.”

Cheng Luanxin’s eyes widened: “She held my hand?! You mean Zhiruo?! Does that basically count as a confession to me?!”

An inexplicable discomfort settled in Song Qiuchi’s heart. She frowned: “Cheng Luanxin, could you not be so love-obsessed? Duan Mengshu recommending you a novel means she’s ‘incredibly amazing,’ Du Zhiruo holding your hand ‘basically counts as a confession’—is there nothing in your head besides these trivial romantic notions?”