After the Soul Swap Between Love Rival AO - Chapter 39

Song Qiuchi smirked. “You want me to coax you? Have you ever coaxed me? I don’t recall you ever calling me ‘baby.'”

Cheng Luanxin froze for a moment, her cheeks instantly flushing red. “This… this still feels a bit inappropriate. In public like this, isn’t it a little too much?”

Song Qiuchi shot back, “What’s too much about it? Aren’t we recording a show to give the audience something sweet to watch? Or do you just want to keep things fake and plastic between us?”

Live comments:

Hahahahaha Luanxin’s right, hurry up and feed us some sugar!

I feel like Luanbao is jealous

No to plastic CPs! Nope nope!

Cheng Luanxin widened her eyes. They’d hugged, slept together, even had a temporary mark—if that still counted as “plastic,” then what on earth qualified as real?

She vaguely sensed something off about Song Qiuchi’s mood but couldn’t figure out what she’d done to upset her. “You really want me to call you ‘baby’ that badly? Fine, I’ll say it, okay? Baby? Happy now?”

Song Qiuchi glanced at her. “Half-hearted.”

Despite her words, she picked up the ball python again, gently covering its head as she brought it closer to Cheng Luanxin. “It moves in a stretching motion, so don’t touch its head yet. The sudden movement might startle you.”

“Then I’ll move to your side.” Cheng Luanxin shuffled sideways like a crab to the other side of Song Qiuchi, near the python’s tail. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to touch it directly? It won’t turn around and bite me, right?”

“It won’t.” Song Qiuchi lifted the python’s tail slightly. “Go ahead.”

Cheng Luanxin tentatively reached out and brushed her fingers against the python’s plump belly, gasping in surprise. “It’s not as soft as I imagined, but the texture is amazing! Cool to the touch, like a leather bag—no, wait, firmer than that, more like a belt!”

Song Qiuchi: “…Maybe stop talking. At this rate, I can’t guarantee it won’t attack you.”

Cheng Luanxin grinned. “I’m just trying to cheer you up.”

Song Qiuchi gave her a long look but said nothing more.

The two lingered a while longer in the reptile section before heading upstairs to admire parrots, owls, sugar gliders, and other pets. By the time they finished their coffee, the recording of their date was nearing its end.

A staff member brought over two feedback forms for them to fill out. Without hesitation, Cheng Luanxin checked “ball python” as her favorite animal and boldly did the same for Song Qiuchi’s form.

Song Qiuchi sighed. “What happened to your love for kittens and bunnies?”

Cheng Luanxin tossed her hair. “A baddie’s gotta keep it cool!”

After reviewing the forms, the staff member smiled. “Since you both love ball pythons so much, we’d like to give you a little gift.”

Song Qiuchi’s heart sank—her instincts told her it wouldn’t be anything good. Sure enough, another staff member brought over a plump, lifelike ball python plushie and cheerfully explained, “This plushie’s fabric mimics real python skin—cooling and perfect for summer cuddles. Consider it a keepsake!”

The plushie was so realistic that Cheng Luanxin hesitated to take it, blurting out, “It doesn’t bite, right?”

The staff member laughed. “It’s just a toy.”

Testing the waters, Cheng Luanxin poked the plushie and confirmed it was indeed inanimate. Delighted, she draped it around her neck. “Look, Song Qiuchi! I can handle a ball python now too!”

Song Qiuchi looked at her silly expression and couldn’t help but laugh helplessly, “Just hold it and play with it then.”

Cheng Luanxin’s eyes sparkled, “When I take it back to the dorm, I can scare people with it! Have you ever heard the saying that if a snake lies straight beside its owner at night, it’s measuring whether it can swallow them whole in one bite? If I sneak it into Zhi Ruo’s blanket at night, do you think she’d be scared to death?”

Song Qiuchi’s expression turned cold.

Unaware, Cheng Luanxin continued, “How could I be so mean? Zhi Ruo is so sweet—I shouldn’t scare her. I’ll just put it in your blanket instead. Aren’t you brave? Let’s see if you’ll be scared then, hehehe.”

Live comments:

“Please, stop talking—Luanbao’s face has gone dark!”

“Qiuchi keeps digging her own grave, this poor kid.”

“Luanbao doesn’t want to hear Du Zhiruo’s name from you, Song Qiuchi!!!”

Finally noticing Song Qiuchi’s darkened expression, Cheng Luanxin belatedly realized her words might not have been well-received, “Uh… just kidding.”

Song Qiuchi coldly bid farewell to the live audience, “That’s all for today’s date. Thank you all for spending the morning with us. Looking forward to our next meeting.”

Live comments:

“No, not next time—let me see the fallout from this one!”

“Qiuchi and Luanxin… these two are so transparent… do such naive sweethearts really exist in the entertainment industry?”

“Wuwu, don’t go! Next time won’t be us as the romance observers!”

“Sisters, hurry and vote for their CP chemistry score—let them become tomorrow’s model couple!”

Seeing Song Qiuchi had already signed off, Cheng Luanxin quickly waved too, “Bye, darlings! See you next time!”

Once the cameras were confirmed to be off, Song Qiuchi’s face completely darkened as she wordlessly headed to the car.

Cheng Luanxin hurried after her, “What’s wrong with you today? Why are you so moody? I was just joking—I wouldn’t actually put a snake in your bed! Besides, we’re not even sharing a room—how could I even do that?”

Song Qiuchi’s expression grew even stormier.

Still oblivious, Cheng Luanxin added, “Oh, I get it—are you mad because you feel bad for Zhi Ruo? Don’t worry! I wouldn’t scare her! I promise, okay? Sweetheart? Sweetheart?”

The repeated “sweetheart” grated on Song Qiuchi’s nerves, “Du Zhiruo, Du Zhiruo—everything is about Du Zhiruo. Weren’t you the one who claimed to have strong professional integrity? If we’re supposed to be promoting our CP, why are you interacting with Du Zhiruo so much?”

Cheng Luanxin was baffled, “We haven’t interacted much at all…”

Song Qiuchi grabbed Cheng Luanxin’s wrist, revealing the rosewood bracelet, “Then what’s this? Splitting one bracelet into two—how creative of her.”

Her grip was tight, making Cheng Luanxin’s wrist ache. A flicker of fear crossed her face as she instinctively tried to pull free, “What’s your problem? It’s just a bracelet… I gave you one too, didn’t I? And you don’t even wear yours!”

Song Qiuchi’s voice was icy, “You didn’t give it to me sincerely. Wearing it means nothing.”

Cheng Luanxin bristled, “You didn’t say that when you took it! If you don’t like it, give it back!”

“Fine, I’ll return it. I’ll send it back to you tonight.”

“I don’t want it.” Cheng Luanxin pouted. “A gift given is a gift given—there’s no taking it back. You keep it yourself.”

She stopped talking to Song Qiuchi and instead lowered her head to fiddle with the python plushie, flicking its tail with a rhythmic pat pat sound.

Song Qiuchi wanted to say something more, but just as she opened her mouth, she noticed Cheng Luanxin’s eyes were slightly red, as if tears were about to spill over in the next second.

Song Qiuchi froze. The resentment in her chest instantly dissipated, replaced by a surge of guilt and self-reproach.

She had almost made Cheng Luanxin cry.

She had almost made Cheng Luanxin—the usually carefree, radiant Cheng Luanxin—cry.

After knowing each other for so many years, she should have understood Cheng Luanxin best. Given her slow-witted nature, some things had to be spelled out clearly, or she might never grasp them on her own.

And yet, here she was, speaking in riddles, harshly blaming her, even projecting her own anxieties onto her, making her bear the brunt of it all.

Jealousy truly made one ugly. She had been so immature.

Song Qiuchi gently touched Cheng Luanxin’s shoulder and asked softly, “Do you… still really like Du Zhiruo right now?”

Cheng Luanxin’s voice was muffled. “Dealing with our dates has already worn me out. How would I have the energy to like her?”

Song Qiuchi paused, lowering her eyes. “If being with me makes you uncomfortable, you can terminate the contract anytime. I won’t make things difficult for you.”