After the Soul Swap Between Love Rival AO - Chapter 31

Meanwhile, Duan Mengshu didn’t have much luggage and quickly finished packing before leaving. Cheng Luanxin was left sitting nervously at the desk, waiting for Du Zhiruo.

She was actually going to share a room with Du Zhiruo.

This was something she had most looked forward to before joining the show, and tonight, it was about to become reality.

To say she wasn’t excited would be a lie. Cheng Luanxin kept shifting her legs restlessly, like someone who couldn’t sit still.

Now that Du Zhiruo knew she was Cheng Luanxin, did that mean she could let her guard down and just be herself?

Thinking about it, Song Qiuchi seemed a bit pitiable in comparison. She had some history with Su Ling, but Song Qiuchi was completely unaware of it. That meant Song Qiuchi would have to put in extra effort to act naturally around Su Ling without revealing anything.

But even if she didn’t act naturally, it wouldn’t matter much. Su Ling wasn’t as sharp as Du Zhiruo—she wouldn’t see through their secret at a glance.

Cheng Luanxin’s thoughts wandered aimlessly until a knock sounded at the door.

She hurried to open it.

Standing outside was Du Zhiruo, dressed in an elegant light blue cheongsam-style dress, offering a shy smile.

Cheng Luanxin quickly took her luggage. “Come in! Why didn’t you ask me to help you with your things?”

“I could manage this much on my own,” Du Zhiruo said with a smile, glancing around the room. “Your room’s layout is different from ours—more spacious, brighter, and so clean.”

It was clearly a polite remark, but Cheng Luanxin was still delighted. “Really? Let me help you make the bed!”

Du Zhiruo found it inconvenient to move around in her qipao dress, which gave Cheng Luanxin the perfect opportunity to shine. She busied herself climbing up and down to tidy things for Du Zhiruo. Once everything was settled, Du Zhiruo smiled at her and said, “Thank you, Qiuchi. You’re still so kind to me.”

Cheng Luanxin scratched her head sheepishly. “Oh, it’s nothing! We’re good friends, after all!”

The two sat and chatted for a while. Noticing Du Zhiruo visibly growing tired, Cheng Luanxin thoughtfully suggested, “Should we call it an early night today?”

Du Zhiruo glanced up at the camera in the room. “What time do you usually keep yours on?”

The filming cameras in the rooms could be turned on or off freely—the production team didn’t enforce any rules, leaving it entirely up to the guests whether they wanted more screen time.

Cheng Luanxin paused. “We usually keep them on all day. But if you’re uncomfortable, we can turn it off.”

Du Zhiruo smiled. “Let’s turn it off before bed every night. I’d rather not let people know I talk in my sleep.”

Cheng Luanxin immediately understood—this was Du Zhiruo’s way of signaling she wanted a deeper conversation. She quickly agreed, “Sure, no problem!”

She stepped onto a chair to switch off the camera, then turned off the lights before hopping back onto the bed. “All done! Sleep easy now!”

In the dim light, Du Zhiruo’s silhouette seemed even gentler. She gave a soft smile. “Finally, I can talk to you without any worries, Luanxin.”

Warmth bloomed in Cheng Luanxin’s chest. “I’m happy too.”

Du Zhiruo continued, “On the first day of filming, when I ran into you, I was so happy. I really wanted to share a room with you. But somehow, I ended up with Qiuchi by mistake.”

Cheng Luanxin was taken aback. She remembered the room selection clearly—Duan Mengshu had invited her first, and Du Zhiruo had no choice but to pick Song Qiuchi. It wasn’t an active decision like Du Zhiruo made it sound.

Carefully, Cheng Luanxin replied, “Well, Qiuchi is fine too. We’re all old classmates—it’s more comfortable that way.”

Du Zhiruo sighed as if troubled. “But… I think I might have upset Qiuchi.”

Cheng Luanxin blinked. “Huh?”

Du Zhiruo lowered her voice. “Before I knew it was her, I tried asking her out a few times, and she seemed annoyed. Earlier today, before coming here, I said goodbye and told her I’d try inviting you on a date next, hoping she wouldn’t mind.”

“What did she say?”

“She seemed really bothered. She even asked why I thought I could get you to agree.” Du Zhiruo gave a bitter smile. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Not at all! You didn’t do anything wrong—don’t overthink it,” Cheng Luanxin hurriedly reassured her. “Ignore Song Qiuchi. She just has a sharp tongue. She’s probably jealous because you only asked me out and not her. Just brush it off!”

“Only asked me… and not her?” Du Zhiruo blinked.

Realizing she’d misspoken again, Cheng Luanxin floundered. “No, no! I mean—it’s just friend possessiveness! Since you and I get along, of course she’d be jealous! Anyway, just ignore her!”

Du Zhiruo seemed thoughtful. “Then… would you accept my invitation?”

“Uh…” Cheng Luanxin hesitated. “Honestly, it depends. The truth is, Qiuchi and I have a contract. We agreed to collaborate for the show, so…”

Du Zhiruo nodded in understanding. “I see. Tomorrow’s date is planned by the Alpha, meaning you’ll definitely invite Qiuchi, right?”

Cheng Luanxin nodded: “Right, that makes sense.”

“Then I can ask you out when Beta plans the date for the day after tomorrow, right? That way, it won’t interfere with your official promotions.”

Cheng Luanxin felt something was a bit off, as if they were exploiting a loophole in the rules: “Hmm…”

Du Zhiruo smiled: “Then wait for the day after tomorrow—I’ll give you a surprise.”

Early the next morning, Cheng Luanxin received a text from the production team. As expected, it was the same rule as the first week: the Alpha would plan a date.

According to the script provided by Yu Peiyin, today’s activity was supposed to be a joint visit to a pet store.

Cheng Luanxin spent a long time researching on her phone and finally settled on a large pet café. The shop had a wide variety of animals—cats, rabbits, Call ducks, sugar gliders, cockatiels, lizards… enough to keep them entertained for hours.

Facing the camera, Cheng Luanxin said, “This is the place I’m planning to take Cheng Luanxin today. What do you all think? I wonder which little animal she’ll like best.”

Bullet comments flooded in:

!!! I’ve been to that shop—it’s absolutely heavenly!

The cats there are super affectionate, especially when you have treats!!

Sugar gliders crawl into your clothes—bet Luanbao will be scared lol

Lizards are terrifying… do people actually keep those as pets…

By now, the two were well-practiced in their dating routine. They met directly at the van, and after confirming the destination with the driver, Cheng Luanxin got in.

Soon, Song Qiuchi also boarded and sat beside her.

Cheng Luanxin, who adored animals, was brimming with excitement for the date. “Guess where I’m taking you today?”

Song Qiuchi played along. “No idea.”

Cheng Luanxin beamed. “I knew you wouldn’t know! Let me tell you—the place we’re going today is super fun, with tons of adorable little creatures. You can look forward to it!”

Song Qiuchi glanced at her and let out a soft laugh.

Cheng Luanxin found it odd. “What’s with that laugh?”

Song Qiuchi replied, “You can look forward to it too.”

Cheng Luanxin: “?”

Absorbed in several card games, Cheng Luanxin busied herself with daily tasks during the ride. After a long while, her head began to spin, and she realized they still hadn’t arrived at the pet café. She pulled back the curtain and noticed the scenery outside didn’t look like the city at all.

Alarmed, she called out to the driver, knocking on the partition. “Hey, driver, are we going to the right place?”

The driver responded, “No mistake here. Aren’t you headed to Chishan Hot Springs?”

Cheng Luanxin: “???”

Cheng Luanxin: “No, I’m going to Pet Love Café—those two are completely different?!”

The driver: “Didn’t Xiao Cheng say we were going to Chishan Hot Springs?”

Cheng Luanxin turned around, staring at Song Qiuchi in shock.

Song Qiuchi remained perfectly calm. “That was me.”

Cheng Luanxin was dumbfounded. “But today’s date was supposed to be planned by me…”

Song Qiuchi pulled out two free passes. “I just remembered I had these complimentary hot spring vouchers. Today’s the last day to use them. I didn’t tell you in advance—wanted it to be a surprise.”

Skeptical, Cheng Luanxin took the passes. They indeed stated the validity period as September 1st to September 7th, stamped with the hotel’s seal.

She had heard of Chishan Hot Springs—a famous private hot spring resort in the area—but had never known they offered free experiences.

Having never been to a hot spring before, Cheng Luanxin’s interest was piqued. “That actually sounds nice. Let’s go to the hot springs first. I was originally planning to take you to the pet café today, haha, but hot springs are fun too! Is there a time limit? Can we stay as long as we want?”

Song Qiuchi pointed to the passes. “It says the experience duration right here.”

Cheng Luanxin took a closer look at the free pass, which indeed listed the experience times for various items like geothermal hot springs, carbonated hot springs, and red wine hot springs—all scheduled for the evening.

Cheng Luanxin hesitated, “Isn’t it too late? It might be inconvenient for us to travel back and forth.”

Song Qiuchi replied, “It’s a two-day, one-night free pass. We’ll stay there tonight.”

Cheng Luanxin’s eyes lit up, “Then I want to experience them all—”

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly felt something was off.

A two-day, one-night free pass… That meant they would still be there tomorrow during the day?!

Which meant the date Du Zhiruo had planned…

Would inevitably be missed.

At this thought, Cheng Luanxin abruptly looked up at Song Qiuchi with a surprised expression.

Song Qiuchi met her gaze and smiled, “Is there a problem?”