After the Soul Swap Between Love Rival AO - Chapter 5

The next day, both parties met at a business hotel.

To demonstrate their full commitment to the collaboration, Cheng Luanxin’s agent Yu Peiyin and assistant Xia Wenwen both attended. Cheng Luanxin felt like rushing over to them as if they were family, but alas, she now belonged to the opposing camp.

Song Qiuchi immediately noticed Cheng Luanxin’s manicure and took a deep breath.

She hadn’t even had time to remove hers, and here the other side had already refreshed theirs.

The situation was somewhat awkward for Cheng Luanxin too, but she still raised her manicured hand in greeting: “Hi, Luanxin, good morning.”

Song Qiuchi: “…Good morning.”

Xia Wenwen was the only one present who knew the two didn’t actually get along. She couldn’t fathom why these two, who were like oil and water, had suddenly decided to promote a CP. Feeling it was her duty as an assistant to ease the tension, she chimed in, “Wow, your manicure styles are so similar! What a coincidence!”

Cheng Luanxin: “…”

Song Qiuchi: “…”

With the same person’s aesthetic, how could it not be a coincidence?

Facing Xin Ying, Yu Peiyin remained highly cautious. To secure the best possible terms for Cheng Luanxin, she had gathered extensive materials and worked overnight to draft a script with well-rounded, three-dimensional character arcs.

Xin Ying had initially been skeptical about the collaboration, but seeing Yu Peiyin’s sincerity put her mind at ease. The two quickly reached an agreement and finalized the partnership.

Yu Peiyin smiled and said, “This is our Luanxin’s first time participating in a variety show, so she lacks experience. Please take good care of her, Qiuchi.”

Xin Ying replied, “Of course. Qiuchi and Luanxin have been good friends for so many years—they’ve always supported and helped each other. I’m sure this collaboration will go smoothly. Right, Qiuchi?”

Cheng Luanxin: “Oh, oh, absolutely.”

Song Qiuchi: “Mhm.”

Xia Wenwen: …You two really don’t look like you get along at all!!

Both Xin Ying and Yu Peiyin were busy with work and left in a hurry after finalizing the partnership.

Left behind in the hotel were Cheng Luanxin and Song Qiuchi, who were supposed to study the script, along with the ever-worried Xia Wenwen.

The script Yu Peiyin prepared for them was unlike the clichéd, saccharine romances typical of dating shows. Instead, it portrayed a slow-burning, mutual redemption arc—deeper and more conducive to their long-term development.

After reading through it, Cheng Luanxin thought the script itself was quite engaging, but substituting herself and Song Qiuchi into the roles made it feel utterly cringe-worthy.

She simply couldn’t imagine herself and Song Qiuchi bonding over shared struggles.

Song Qiuchi was similarly unimpressed, her expression one of clear distaste.

The atmosphere grew palpably awkward.

Xia Wenwen, nearly frozen by the tension, tried to lighten the mood: “I think this script is amazing! It’s based on your real dynamics, making it super authentic and relatable. The audience is going to eat it up!”

Cheng Luanxin muttered offhandedly, “That’s exactly why it’s so…”

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly remembered that she was no longer Cheng Luanxin but Song Qiuchi now.

She looked up to find both Song Qiuchi and Xia Wenwen staring straight at her.

“Just… what?” Xia Wenwen asked cautiously.

“Just… it’s hard to control the boundaries, afraid of accidentally blurring the lines between acting and reality…?” Cheng Luanxin stumbled over her words, fumbling through a nonsensical explanation.

Xia Wenwen’s mouth fell open in shock as she glanced between Song Qiuchi and Cheng Luanxin. “Afraid of blurring the lines?!”

Song Qiuchi was beyond speechless at this point. “Wenwen, why don’t you go take care of your tasks first? I’d like to talk to her alone.”

Xia Wenwen looked between the two again and felt she might be intruding. She took a few hesitant steps back, mouthing to Song Qiuchi, “Please don’t start a fight!”

Once she confirmed Xia Wenwen was out of earshot, Song Qiuchi closed the door, sat back in her chair, and regarded Cheng Luanxin with composed amusement.

“Why are you looking at me? Stop it,” Cheng Luanxin muttered, too embarrassed to meet Song Qiuchi’s gaze, knowing she was in the wrong.

“Cheng Luanxin, I remember you used to be quite sharp-tongued. What happened to you now?”

Cheng Luanxin grumbled under her breath, “Of course I’m sharp-tongued when I’m being myself. But when I’m pretending to be you, I turn into a bumbling mess…”

Song Qiuchi sighed in exasperation. “I owe you an apology for yesterday. I acted impulsively, and I hope you can forgive me. After thinking it over, I believe cooperation would be mutually beneficial.”

Cheng Luanxin: “…Oh. Well, I also owe you an apology—I didn’t go running last night.”

Song Qiuchi placed the script on the table. “Setting everything else aside, the script itself is of high quality. If you have no objections, let’s proceed with it.”

Cheng Luanxin felt something was missing. “Song Qiuchi, I heard Romance for You Season 2 is undergoing major format changes. Do you know what they are?”

The production team had kept tight-lipped. With filming set to begin the next day, aside from the confirmed cast—Song Qiuchi, Du Zhiruo, He Ran, Duan Mengshu, Zhuang Mingchu, and Bian Ning—Cheng Luanxin had no idea who else was participating or what the show’s content would entail. A sense of unease lingered in her mind.

Song Qiuchi: “I don’t know either. We’ll figure it out once we’re on set—take it one step at a time.”

The next day, filming officially began.

Only after boarding the production van did Cheng Luanxin learn that today’s shoot would take place at an amusement park.

According to the instructions from the crew, her check-in location was the second ice cream stall to the right of the park’s entrance.

Cheng Luanxin tried to strike up a conversation with the driver. “Hey, do you know where we’ll be staying tonight?”

The driver shrugged. “No idea. I think it depends on how you perform during the day?”

Cheng Luanxin: “???”

Their accommodations depended on their daytime performance? What if they did poorly—would they end up sleeping on the streets?

After some thought, Cheng Luanxin decided to exchange information with Song Qiuchi and sent her a message:

“Is your check-in location also the amusement park?”

A reply came quickly: “Yes.”

Cheng Luanxin responded: “What’s your exact spot? Mine’s the second ice cream stall to the right of the entrance.”

Song Qiuchi: “Under the Ferris wheel.”

Now Cheng Luanxin had a rough idea—each member’s check-in location was different. They’d probably have to complete tasks to meet up with the others.

The van pulled up at the entrance of the amusement park. Cheng Luanxin nimbly hopped out, greeted the designated camera crew, and quickly made her way to the second ice cream stall on the right side of the entrance.

The stall owner was a clown, dressed in a thick clown costume that even Cheng Luanxin found stifling in the scorching heat. She approached and said, “Hello, I’m Song Qiuchi, a guest on this season’s Romance for You program. Am I supposed to check in here?”

The clown nodded clumsily, then displayed a row of lollipops, gesturing for Cheng Luanxin to pick one.

Cheng Luanxin noticed that each lollipop had a note attached to the back. Presumably, that was the task.

She chose a creamy yellow lollipop and flipped it over. The back read:

Heartbeat Challenge Find a heartthrob guest and experience a racing heartbeat together.

Completion Condition 1: Find a heartthrob guest.

Completion Condition 2: Both heart rates must exceed 120 beats per minute.

Cheng Luanxin paused, finding the task a bit odd. Normally, such tasks would come with a reward, but this card only listed the requirements without any mention of a prize.

Regardless, she needed to find Song Qiuchi first. The task didn’t seem too difficult—something like riding a roller coaster together would probably do the trick.

Accepting the heart rate monitor bracelet, which resembled handcuffs, from the clown, Cheng Luanxin turned to the camera and said, “First, we need to find a heartthrob guest, right? Let’s head to the Ferris wheel then—higher ground means a better view.”

What Cheng Luanxin didn’t know was that the footage was being broadcast live.

Unlike the first season of Romance for You, which followed the standard dating show format—recorded first, then edited and aired online after analysis by romance commentators—the second season was different.

Each outdoor segment opened ten live-streaming rooms, broadcasting real-time footage of the ten guests. Simultaneously, a hundred romance commentators were selected online to join their favorite streams, send live comments, and send virtual roses to the guests.

Each commentator could send a maximum of three roses, and the guests’ subsequent food, clothing, and accommodations would depend on the number of roses they received.

“Qiuchi is so smart to think of going to the Ferris wheel!”

“Srds (seriously though), looking down from the Ferris wheel, you can’t see anything clearly.”

“Not necessarily, since each guest has a cameraman following them—they’re pretty noticeable.”

“Guys!!! The person at the Ferris wheel is Cheng Luanxin!!! AHHHHH Qiuchi and Luanxin—I ship it!!!”

“Rose ×1”

“Rose ×1”

…

Meanwhile, as Cheng Luanxin made her way to the Ferris wheel, Song Qiuchi was also heading toward the entrance.

The NPC at the Ferris wheel was the ticket seller, who also had Song Qiuchi draw a task.

Song Qiuchi’s task read:

Charm Display Find a heartthrob guest and showcase your charm.

Completion Condition 1: Find a heartthrob guest.

Completion Condition 2: Without revealing the task, earn three compliments from them through your charm.

Finding a heartthrob guest was easy—Cheng Luanxin was right at the entrance. But how could she possibly get three compliments from her?

Getting Cheng Luanxin to praise her would probably be harder than climbing to the sky.

“Cheng Luanxin’s task is so hard. Wild guess—she’ll sing?”

“No idea. Where’s she going? She’s so aloof—why isn’t she saying anything…”

“Cheng Luanxin is usually pretty cheerful. Why does she seem like she’s in a silent film today…”

Unaware of the live stream, Song Qiuchi consulted the park map and headed straight for the entrance.

The two were on different paths, missing each other completely.

Cheng Luanxin arrived at the base of the Ferris wheel, looking left and right but failing to spot Song Qiuchi anywhere. Puzzled, yet unable to pull out her phone to ask Song Qiuchi directly, she could only force a smile at the camera and say, “The amusement park is so big. I haven’t run into anyone along the way.”

Since she was already here, she might as well take a ride on the Ferris wheel.

Cheng Luanxin boarded the Ferris wheel with the cameraman and casually struck up a conversation, “Hey, when we reach the top, could you take a photo of me with the scenery below?”

The cameraman: “???”

Seeing the cameraman’s bewildered expression, Cheng Luanxin suddenly remembered she was supposed to be the aloof Song Qiuchi and quickly backtracked, “Never mind, forget it. It’s a bit childish. Make sure to edit this part out, okay? You have to cut it!”

Help www, how can Qiuchi be this adorable?

Hahahaha, no way it’s getting cut—we’ve already seen it!

Roses ×2

Roses ×1

As the netizens predicted, looking down from the top of the Ferris wheel, she could barely make anything out clearly, and it even made her a little dizzy. The ride turned out to be completely unproductive.

With a sigh, Cheng Luanxin decided to explore other areas of the park.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard a tentative voice from behind, “Song Qiuchi…?”

Cheng Luanxin froze—she knew that voice all too well.

It was Du Zhiruo.