After the Soul Swap Between Love Rival AO - Chapter 6

Cheng Luanxin hadn’t expected to run into Du Zhiruo so soon.

This was the girl she had secretly admired since their school days.

Back then, Du Zhiruo had been the class discipline monitor—bright-eyed, with a neat bob cut, always dressed in a high-collared white shirt with a black armband, meticulous and serious, the very picture of restraint.

Though Cheng Luanxin was also an exemplary student, she couldn’t help her incessant chatter, constantly talking or snacking during evening self-study sessions, earning herself repeated warnings. Over time, the two had grown familiar.

Even in high school, Du Zhiruo had been deeply passionate about music, already skilled at the piano. She often shared her favorite songs with Cheng Luanxin, the two of them huddled together on the playground, sharing a single pair of earbuds.

Back then, Cheng Luanxin had only a superficial understanding of music, but certain melodies still moved her enough to pen some melodramatic, heartfelt poetry, which she’d gift back to Du Zhiruo.

She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it started, but Cheng Luanxin had begun habitually searching for Du Zhiruo in crowds, caring about how she appeared in Du Zhiruo’s eyes. She knew—she must have fallen for Du Zhiruo. But fearing it might complicate their friendship, she had kept those feelings buried, a sliver of moonlight tucked away in her heart.

Their friendship remained steady all the way through university, until Du Zhiruo enrolled in a music conservatory in another province. Gradually, their contact dwindled, and they hadn’t seen each other in years.

Who would have thought their reunion would happen while Cheng Luanxin was trapped in Song Qiuchi’s body?

Slowly, she turned around and smiled. “Zhiruo?”

The Du Zhiruo of today had grown out her hair, appearing gentler and more refined than in their school days. She stepped forward with a smile. “It really is you. I thought I recognized you from behind. It’s been so many years—I never expected to run into you here.”

Cheng Luanxin felt a momentary relief—so Song Qiuchi hadn’t seen Du Zhiruo in years either. She knew the two had a deep connection, their families being old friends who had maintained ties since childhood. Moreover, Song Qiuchi had always harbored a quiet affection for Du Zhiruo.

After all, with Song Qiuchi’s cold and prickly personality, she was only ever gentle and patient with Du Zhiruo.

Suppressing her inner excitement, Cheng Luanxin forced herself to remain composed. “I saw online that you’d be participating, but I didn’t expect to run into you so soon.”

Live Comments:

“Wait, what?! Do Song Qiuchi and Du Zhiruo know each other?!”

“I think I’ve heard about this—weren’t they classmates or something?”

“And what about Cheng Luanxin?! Oh man, is this turning into a love triangle?!”

Du Zhiruo tilted her head. “So, have you gotten your mission card yet?”

“I have. What about you?”

“Me too. Mine’s called ‘Social Butterfly’—I have to meet all the guests within two hours. You’re the first one I’ve run into, and what a coincidence, an old friend at that.”

Seeing Du Zhiruo being so open, Cheng Luanxin decided not to hide anything either. She pulled out her own mission card and showed it to Du Zhiruo. “Mine’s the ‘Heartbeat Challenge’—both participants’ heart rates have to exceed 120 beats per minute.”

Du Zhiruo nodded thoughtfully. “Do you need my help to complete it?”

Cheng Luanxin froze. “You’d help me?”

Du Zhiruo smiled. “I’ve got plenty of time.”

Truthfully, Cheng Luanxin hadn’t planned on asking Du Zhiruo for help. Right now, she was playing the role of Song Qiuchi, and if possible, she didn’t want Du Zhiruo and Song Qiuchi to have any interaction.

But now that Du Zhiruo had offered, she couldn’t exactly refuse. “Then… should we give it a try?”

“Sure! The heart rate thing can be boosted by activities, right? What should we do?”

Cheng Luanxin thought for a moment. “Let’s pick something reliable, something that’ll spike our heart rates in one go. How about a roller coaster?”

Du Zhiruo glanced at the nearby roller coaster tracks—twisting, looping, steep drops, and high-speed spirals—and gave a hesitant smile. “I guess I can manage.”

Cheng Luanxin quickly added, “If you’re scared, we can try something else.”

Du Zhiruo shook her head. “No, this’ll work. Should we put on the heart rate monitors now?”

Afraid the device would reveal her already-racing pulse, Cheng Luanxin said, “Let’s wait until we’re on the ride. It’d be annoying to wear while walking.”

Live Comments:

“Hmm… I’m not really feeling this pairing?”

“Hard pass. They’re way too polite—zero chemistry, just going through the motions for the mission.”

“Agreed. No spark here. I’m switching to another stream.”

Meanwhile, Song Qiuchi was still searching for her “heartbeat partner”—or more accurately, searching for Cheng Luanxin.

Cheng Luanxin was far too unreliable. Without keeping an eye on her, Song Qiuchi couldn’t relax for even a minute.

She regretted not setting a meeting point with Cheng Luanxin beforehand. Now, she had no leads and could only wander around aimlessly.

Just then, a girl in a JK uniform with twin tails appeared in the distance, trailed by a cameraman wearing the Romance for You staff uniform.

Her eyes lit up the moment she spotted Song Qiuchi. She sprang to her feet and called out dramatically to the camera crew, “Hey, look over there! Isn’t that Cheng Luanxin?!”

Song Qiuchi furrowed her brows. She didn’t recognize this person, but clearly, the other party knew her.

The girl ran up to Song Qiuchi and grabbed Cheng Luanxin’s hand. “Luanxin, long time no see! I never expected you’d be joining this show too!”

Song Qiuchi stiffened slightly and hesitated before replying, “Long time no see…”

The girl looked Song Qiuchi up and down. “You haven’t forgotten who I am, have you? We met at the comic convention earlier this year and even took a photo together. Remember now? Su Ling—Su Ling Xiaowanzi!”

Song Qiuchi had some vague impression of the name “Su Ling Xiaowanzi.” The girl was a well-known cosplayer, and she occasionally came across her makeup tutorials online—she was practically a master of transformation. Feigning sudden realization, she said, “Sorry, you look so casual today that I didn’t recognize you.”

Su Ling burst into laughter. “I knew it! Do I look good without makeup too?”

Song Qiuchi could handle this level of small talk. “You look good no matter how you dress.”

Su Ling loved hearing that. Smiling, she looped her arm through Song Qiuchi’s. “You too—still as adorable as ever!”

Song Qiuchi tensed up immediately. As an Alpha, she rarely had physical contact with Omegas. Even though she was currently controlling Cheng Luanxin’s body, she still felt uncomfortable on a psychological level.

Su Ling noticed her reaction. “What’s wrong?”

Might as well treat this like acting. Song Qiuchi replied calmly, “Nothing. By the way, have you gotten your mission card yet?”

Su Ling looked utterly confused. “What mission card? No idea. The crew told me to check in at the roller coaster, but I waited there forever and no one showed up, so I came to the entrance—and then I ran into you.”

Song Qiuchi: “…”

So there actually existed someone even more unreliable than Cheng Luanxin.

Song Qiuchi explained, “There should’ve been an NPC at your check-in spot to give you the mission card. But since you didn’t look for them, you didn’t get the task.”

Su Ling gasped. “What? That’s how it works? Oh my god, thank goodness I met you, or I would’ve missed it. You’re so smart, Luanxin! Can you come back with me to find them?”

Since Song Qiuchi had nothing else to do, having another person along wasn’t a bad idea. “Let’s go.”

Su Ling beamed. “Great! Honestly, I forgot the way back. Luanxin, you’re the best!”

Just then, Song Qiuchi’s phone pinged with a notification. She opened the message:

Congratulations, you’ve successfully completed the mission.

Song Qiuchi: “???”

Su Ling leaned in. “What’s up?”

Song Qiuchi frowned. “It says I successfully completed the mission…”

Come to think of it, Su Ling had complimented her quite a bit… But did that count as a display of charm?

Live Comments:

I’m dying of laughter. Thank goodness Cheng Luanxin ran into Su Ling, the ultimate hype machine, and accidentally completed the mission!

This is hilarious—she looks just as confused as we are.

Even though they’re both Omegas, their dynamic is kinda cute ngl.

I’ll never get tired of seeing cute girls being cute together.

Rose ×1

Song Qiuchi let Su Ling cling to her as the two made their way to the roller coaster ticket booth. Sure enough, there were lollipops there too. Su Ling closed her eyes and picked one—her mission was to collect smiles from 50 park visitors.

This task was no challenge at all for Su Ling. After all, she was somewhat of an internet celebrity, quite popular among young people. All she had to do was take photos with her fans.

Su Ling always carried a compact mirrorless camera with her. Without hesitation, she shoved it into Song Qiuchi’s hands and said, “Luanxin, take some pictures for me!”

Song Qiuchi: “…”

She truly hadn’t expected things to take this turn.

So, by the time Cheng Luanxin and Du Zhiruo arrived at the roller coaster ticket booth, what they saw was Song Qiuchi kneeling on one knee, looking utterly serious as she took photos of Su Ling.

Cheng Luanxin’s jaw dropped in shock.

She never imagined she’d reunite with Song Qiuchi in such a posture.

No—she never imagined Song Qiuchi would reunite with her in such a posture.

Admittedly, it was a little absurd.

Du Zhiruo was also quite surprised. She nudged Cheng Luanxin’s arm and said, “Look, isn’t that Cheng Luanxin?! I didn’t expect the show to invite her too! Luanxin!”

Song Qiuchi reflexively turned her head. The moment she saw Du Zhiruo, her gaze softened slightly—but when she noticed Cheng Luanxin standing beside her, her eyes immediately sharpened again.

Cheng Luanxin: “…You really don’t have to make it that obvious.”