After the Soul Swap Between Love Rival AO - Chapter 16

The moment the words left her mouth, Song Qiuchi herself was stunned—she hadn’t expected to ask such a question.

Cheng Luanxin was also stunned: “Are you asking me? Of course, I like—”

Song Qiuchi interrupted her: “Don’t say Du Zhiruo.”

Cheng Luanxin muttered under her breath, “I can’t even mention Zhiruo? Zhiruo is literally my ideal type… Well, first of all, looks matter. I like the cold, elegant type—not too chubby, preferably a bit taller than me, so I feel safer.”

“Personality-wise, I prefer someone gentle—but only gentle to me. No ‘central air conditioning’ types, please.”

“A sense of humor is important too. No dull blocks of wood. They have to be romantic and full of charm, able to bring little surprises into my life.”

“And they need patience, willing to do the things I enjoy with me, never showing impatience toward me.”

Song Qiuchi mentally compared these traits and realized they were essentially just Du Zhiruo’s qualities spelled out.

And she had to admit, Du Zhiruo did excel at the latter points. Only the “central air conditioning” part was debatable—Song Qiuchi reserved her judgment on that.

“What about you? What kind of girl do you like?” Cheng Luanxin leaned in, her face alight with gossipy curiosity.

Song Qiuchi paused, unsure how to answer. She had genuinely never considered the question before.

Cheng Luanxin: “I don’t know what kind of girl you like, but I know exactly what kind you don’t like! You don’t like chatterboxes, you don’t like messy, rule-free lifestyles, and you don’t like flashy dressers, right?”

“Basically, whatever I am, you dislike. I know you too well, don’t I?”

Seeing Cheng Luanxin’s smug expression, Song Qiuchi was speechless: “And you’re proud of that?”

Cheng Luanxin shrugged. “Of course! Whoever ends up with you is in for a world of trouble. You’re the type from those old jokes who’d wake someone up just to tell them they’re sleeping wrong and make them start over…” She trailed off, barely stopping herself from saying “psycho” and hastily substituting “particular person” out of politeness.

But Song Qiuchi replied earnestly, “Improper sleeping posture does need correction. Maintaining bad posture long-term is terrible for your spine. I don’t want to develop spinal problems when we switch back. What’s your current sleeping position?”

Cheng Luanxin: “…”

Why did people like this even exist?

Cheng Luanxin: “My sleeping posture is just fine, thanks. No need to worry.”

Seeing Song Qiuchi about to press further, Cheng Luanxin hastily put on her headphones. “Ugh, I’m exhausted today. I’m gonna take a quick nap—don’t disturb me!”

Song Qiuchi: “…”

With a resigned sigh, she let Cheng Luanxin pretend to rest beside her.

By then, all the guests of Romance For You Season 2 had completed their first round of dates. That night, the romance observers cast their votes for their favorite CPs, and the results were posted on the show’s official Weibo.

This was also the first time Romance For You had publicly revealed all its guests.

Netizens immediately went wild:

“Wait, what? Romance For You has already started filming?! And I’m only just finding out about the cast?!”

“Song Qiuchi and Cheng Luanxin are on it? So they’re basically getting paid to date?!”

“A total of 100 heart-flutter points, and ‘Pool’s Heart Secretly Pledged’ alone takes 46!!! Truly, ‘Pool’s Heart Secretly Pledged’ is the strongest!!!”

“Wuwu, can I be chosen as the romance observer for the next episode? I want to ship them too.”

“I’m so excited for the official broadcast of the show!”

Of course, there were also discordant voices:

“No wonder Song Qiuchi mentioned Cheng Luanxin during her livestream earlier—it was all for this publicity stunt.”

“I knew it! They didn’t even exchange a glance at the awards ceremony—how could they possibly be good friends? Strangers have better chemistry than them.”

“Taking my Qiuchi away, don’t want her to be used by Cheng Luanxin for clout again.”

“Here’s a hot take for everyone: since this publicity stunt started, Cheng Luanxin’s follower count has quadrupled. What a bloody windfall.”

Cheng Luanxin really wanted to snap back. What windfall? She’d gained nothing but a mountain of criticism—more like a bloody loss.

She held it in, barely maintaining the self-restraint expected of a public figure.

Nearby, Duan Mengshu was also checking the heart-flutter rankings. Her date with Cheng Luanxin had only earned 4 points, putting them at the bottom.

She looked a little dejected and asked earnestly, “Qiuchi, was the date I planned really that boring?”

Cheng Luanxin denied it: “Not at all. I really liked the book you recommended to me—I even suggested it to other friends. I thought it was a very relaxing day.”

“But you didn’t feel any heart-flutter, right?” Duan Mengshu pressed.

Not wanting to discourage her, Cheng Luanxin replied, “It’s not like there was none… The book had me on edge… That counts as heart-flutter, doesn’t it?”

Duan Mengshu burst out laughing. “Thanks for trying to comfort me. It’s fine—I still have chances to adjust.”

Cheng Luanxin scratched her head. “I know this might sound a little… but are you doing this for the show’s sake, or…?”

Duan Mengshu thought for a moment. “Half and half. I really am curious about you.”

Cheng Luanxin was terrified of handling Song Qiuchi’s personal relationships. If something went wrong, she couldn’t bear the responsibility. She sidestepped the question. “But have you ever considered that I might be completely different from what you imagine?”

Duan Mengshu tilted her head. “We’ve been living together for a few days now. I think it’s been pretty nice.”

Cheng Luanxin probed further, “What if I’m actually way pickier than I seem, and this is just an act for the cameras?”

Duan Mengshu smiled. “Who says things like that about themselves? You really are different from what I imagined—much more easygoing. Living with you is really comfortable.”

Cheng Luanxin: “…”

Then you’d probably find the real Song Qiuchi unbearable.

Early the next morning, host Annai gathered all the guests in the lounge. She asked with a smile, “Did everyone see last night’s heart-flutter rankings for the CPs?”

The guests responded one after another:

“Of course! ‘Pool’s Heart Secretly Pledged’ is number one.”

“My results were pretty dismal, but still passable.”

“Are we reviewing the dates today?”

Annai said, “It’s similar to a date review. As everyone knows, this week’s model couple is Song Qiuchi and Cheng Luanxin. So today’s activity will involve a full day of filming the model couple, while the other guests will serve as romance observers to learn from their example.”

Cheng Luanxin had been sitting on the sofa, happily joining the lively chatter and gossip with everyone. But at these words, she was utterly stunned: “How can there be such an event? Isn’t this just public execution?”

Song Qiuchi gave Cheng Luanxin a helpless glance: “Does it have to be the two of us?”

Su Ling leaned in with a smile: “Of course! The two of you are way ahead in votes!”

The other guests also chimed in excitedly:

“This is great! We get to be romance observers now—I’ve been wanting to leave comments for ages!”

“Let me see just how sweet ‘Chi-Xin Secret Affection’ really is!”

“Start already, start already! I can’t wait any longer!”

Cheng Luanxin was at a loss for words: “No, no, the only reason we got so many votes is because the audience is familiar with us. Our dates were completely ordinary—nothing worth referencing at all.”

Annai reassured her: “That’s just how the show works. After each round of group dates, the ‘model couple’ gets a follow-up shoot. No backing out now.”

Song Qiuchi frowned: “What if we get the most votes again next round…”

Annai: “Then we’ll still be observing you two.”

Song Qiuchi and Cheng Luanxin: “…”

This is a living nightmare.

Annai led the applause: “Then let’s have Song Qiuchi and Cheng Luanxin start planning today’s date. We’ll begin the livestream in half an hour.”