After the Soul Swap Between Love Rival AO - Chapter 24

Monday, the day of the mountain-climbing recording.

It was early September, the sky vast and bright, the breeze crisp and pleasant—a perfect day for the outing. The guests were all looking forward to the activity and had been bustling about since early morning, packing and preparing.

Cheng Luanxin had also woken up early, but it was because she was too restless to sleep.

Ever since the unpleasant incident at the mall, she and Song Qiuchi hadn’t had a proper conversation. If they happened to cross paths, they merely brushed past each other. Even for someone as carefree as her, the awkwardness was hard to ignore.

They still had to keep up appearances today—how could they just ignore each other?

Before bed last night, she couldn’t hold back anymore and tentatively sent a message: “Don’t forget to call my grandma every day to let her know you’re safe!”

Song Qiuchi did reply, but it was just two words: “Noted.”

A completely businesslike response, devoid of any emotion.

Just imagining Song Qiuchi’s deadpan expression as she said “Noted” made Cheng Luanxin feel like she was suffocating.

Her luggage had long been packed. She hastily applied some makeup, geared up with sun protection, and headed downstairs with Duan Mengshu.

Cheng Luanxin was afraid of running into Song Qiuchi at the stairwell again, just like last time, so she peeked around like a thief—only to find no one there, though the cameras caught every bit of it.

Comments:

“Ahhh Qiuchi is here!!!”

“LMAO what’s Qiuchi doing? She looks so sneaky.”

“Is she looking for Luanbao?”

“My wife is so beautiful prpr”

“Rose ×1”

…

To get to Mengshan Scenic Area, they first had to take a two-hour bus ride to the neighboring province. By the time the two of them stepped out, the bus was already waiting at the entrance.

After stowing her luggage, Cheng Luanxin boarded the bus and saw Song Qiuchi sitting in the first row.

For convenience during the hike, Song Qiuchi had tied her hair into two low braids, wore a baseball cap, and sported a cream-yellow knitted vest with a cute bear print—one of Cheng Luanxin’s favorites. She looked youthful and energetic, though her expressionless face carried a hint of gloom.

Cheng Luanxin awkwardly tried to slip into the back rows, but then Song Qiuchi spoke up: “I saved you a seat. You get carsick easily—sit next to me.”

Cheng Luanxin froze for a moment before obediently taking the window seat beside Song Qiuchi. She fastened her seatbelt and leaned in close to whisper in Song Qiuchi’s ear, “You’re not mad anymore?”

Perhaps because Cheng Luanxin was too close, the warmth of her breath made Song Qiuchi feel slightly uneasy. She turned her face away. “I wasn’t mad.”

Cheng Luanxin pouted. “You were mad—you wouldn’t even look at me properly.”

Song Qiuchi sighed and turned back. “You were too close.”

Cheng Luanxin tilted her head. “I don’t have bad breath—what’s wrong with getting a little closer?”

Song Qiuchi: “…Fine. Do whatever you want.”

Comments:

“Luanbao really did save the seat for Qiuchi!!”

“Luanbao knows Qiuchi so well, deliberately saving her a seat because she gets carsick. So thoughtful~”

“But what are they talking about? Can I listen too?”

Cheng Luanxin pushed her luck, reaching out to touch Song Qiuchi’s braid: “Didn’t expect you to be so good at braiding hair. It looks really nice. We’ll have to take lots of photos when we reach the summit and send them to my grandma.”

Song Qiuchi lowered her voice: “What do you mean, your grandma? Can you watch what you say? There are so many people on the bus, and we’re already recording.”

Cheng Luanxin was shocked: “We’re recording already?! And you picked seats this far up front?!”

Her eyes darted around until she spotted the camera mounted at the front of the bus. Timidly, she waved at the lens: “Hi~”

Live Chat:

“HAHAHAHAHA Qiuchi didn’t realize the livestream had already started, did she?!”

“No wonder she was teasing Luanbao so shamelessly, playing with her hair like that lol”

“Who wouldn’t ship them after seeing this? KSWL!”

“Rose ×1”

Now aware she was sitting right under the camera, Cheng Luanxin suddenly felt awkward in every way. She wanted to close her eyes and rest but couldn’t find a comfortable position, so she kept talking to Song Qiuchi: “Hey, do you think I’ll throw up?”

Song Qiuchi sighed, pulling a pack of motion sickness patches from her pocket and handing them over: “Put it on yourself.”

Cheng Luanxin carefully read the instructions but still didn’t understand: “Where’s the Shenque acupoint?”

Song Qiuchi: “Your belly button.”

Cheng Luanxin stared at the small, round patch in confusion: “But… my belly button is a hole. Am I supposed to cover it or fill it?”

Song Qiuchi: “…”

Song Qiuchi: “Cover it.”

Cheng Luanxin mumbled, “Huh? Just cover it? This thing’s so tiny—my belly button’s kinda big…”

Song Qiuchi couldn’t take it anymore. In all her years, this was the first time she’d heard someone critique their own belly button, and she was thoroughly unimpressed: “Lift your shirt. I’ll do it.”

Cheng Luanxin gasped, covering her stomach: “Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Song Qiuchi deadpanned: “It’s just a motion sickness patch. Nothing inappropriate about it.”

After fidgeting for a while, Cheng Luanxin reasoned that since they were supposed to be playing up their “CP” image, this counted as normal interaction. Besides, it was Song Qiuchi’s body anyway—what was there to be shy about? She tugged at her seatbelt, lifted her shirt slightly, and turned her head away: “Fine, go ahead.”

Song Qiuchi exhaled, peeled off the backing, and pressed the patch firmly over Cheng Luanxin’s belly button with her palm. One second—done. No lingering touches, no hint of flirtation.

Cheng Luanxin felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint it: “You’re pretty good at this.”

Live Chat:

“AAAAAHHH THEY’RE SO SWEET”

“I’m dying at Qiuchi’s ‘cover it or fill it’ LOL”

“I love how Luanbao just resignedly takes care of Qiuchi!”

The two fell silent after that. Song Qiuchi opened her tablet to work, while Cheng Luanxin put on headphones and closed her eyes.

The two-hour journey passed quickly. As the bus entered the Mengshan scenic area, the road narrowed and grew bumpy. Cheng Luanxin’s discomfort became obvious.

She squirmed in her seat, twisting and turning with a pained expression until Song Qiuchi noticed.

“Not feeling well?”

Cheng Luanxin nodded, pointing at her belly button: “Didn’t work.”

Song Qiuchi thought to herself that the motion sickness patches were actually quite effective. Given her constitution, without them, she probably wouldn’t last half an hour. She didn’t want to scare Cheng Luanxin by saying so, so she simply pointed to her lap and asked, “Want to rest your head here for a bit?”

Cheng Luanxin was taken aback. “Can I?”

Song Qiuchi nodded. “It’ll be more comfortable.”

A faint blush spread across Cheng Luanxin’s cheeks. The dizziness had already made her too disoriented to question whether it was appropriate. She gently laid her head on Song Qiuchi’s thighs and asked, “Can I hold onto your waist?”

Song Qiuchi slightly lifted her waist in response, signaling her consent.

Cheng Luanxin wrapped her arms around Song Qiuchi’s waist, adjusting into a comfortable position, and couldn’t resist complimenting herself: “So slim.”

Song Qiuchi sighed helplessly and smoothed Cheng Luanxin’s bangs. “Rest for a while. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

Cheng Luanxin mumbled, “I’m not that weak. I’ll get up after a short nap.”

But despite her words, Cheng Luanxin fell asleep faster than anyone else. By the time Song Qiuchi gently shook her awake, half an hour had already passed.

Still groggy, Cheng Luanxin stepped off the bus and was immediately awestruck by the sight before her.

The Mengshan mountain range stretched endlessly, its peaks competing in grandeur, half-hidden in the vast sea of clouds like a flowing ink painting.

It was the off-season for tourism, so there weren’t many visitors. The only group at the foot of the mountain was the crew of Romance for You.

An’nai began explaining the activity rules: “Today’s group activity is climbing Mengshan. As you all know, there are many routes up the mountain. The guidebook you just received outlines four recommended routes planned by our team. Today, you’ll form your own teams and freely choose a route. Along the way, you can collect rose tokens. We’ll meet at Chengyang Hotel on Puyun Peak by 7 p.m. Does everyone understand?”

The guests nodded in agreement.

Du Zhiruo naturally gravitated toward Cheng Luanxin. “Qiuchi, which route do you want to take?”

Cheng Luanxin flipped through the guidebook, torn between the options. Each route featured famous landmarks, making it hard for a novice traveler like her to decide.

Song Qiuchi suggested, “Let’s take Route Three. We’ll ride the cable car to Yihua Peak first, then start hiking. This route includes Fuyan Grand Canyon without backtracking, saving time. We’ll also pass by Xushan Temple—we can stop and take a look.”

Cheng Luanxin paused, then realized: Xushan Temple was a renowned monastery. Perhaps they could find a solution to their soul-swapping dilemma there.

She quickly agreed, “Then let’s choose Route Three. Taking the cable car up sounds great—less effort, and I’ve never ridden a sightseeing cable car before.”

Du Zhiruo also nodded. “Then let’s go. We should line up for the cable car.”

Song Qiuchi hesitated, stopping in her tracks. “Are you still coming with us?”