After the Soul Swap Between Love Rival AO - Chapter 8

The group arrived at the shared dormitory.

Located by the riverside on the city’s outskirts, the dormitory was a modern Chinese-style villa. From a distance, the white walls and dark tiles stood elegantly amidst lush greenery, exuding tranquility.

Stepping into the courtyard, they were greeted by a carefully arranged landscape—withered mountains, verdant bamboo, floating duckweed, and leisurely koi fish—all harmoniously blending into a scene of timeless charm.

The guests couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of the surroundings, pulling out their phones to take pictures.

Anne smiled. “No need to rush with the photos. Let’s go inside and get to know each other first.”

They entered the living room and gathered around a long table, taking turns introducing themselves.

The first to speak was Zhuang Mingchu. “Hello everyone, I’m Zhuang Mingchu, a Beta. I’m currently the chairman of Weishuo Network Technology Co., Ltd. Pleased to meet you all.”

Su Ling chimed in, “Wow, a chairman! Does your company develop games or something?”

Zhuang Mingchu replied, “Our company mainly focuses on e-commerce, including online marketing, customer service, and market research. We don’t handle game development.”

Su Ling nodded, though she didn’t seem entirely convinced. “Oh…”

Next up was Liang Shengxia, who spoke with effortless confidence. “Hi everyone, I’m Liang Shengxia, an Alpha and a figure skater. I’m guessing you all know me already. My dating criteria are simple—I’m looking for a soulmate who shares common interests and can enjoy life with me. Gender doesn’t matter.”

The other guests immediately teased her:

“Jumping straight to dating standards? That’s bold!”

“And they don’t even care about gender? Does that mean I can too?”

Next, it was Cheng Luanxin’s turn. Normally, as someone who loved to talk, she could go on for minutes without pause when introducing herself. Unfortunately, she was now representing Song Qiuchi and had to maintain an aloof demeanor.

“My name is Song Qiuchi, gender Alpha, profession actor. Pleased to meet you all.”

The guests applauded enthusiastically:

“The award-winning actress! We’ve all seen ‘Fool’s Game’!”

“What are your criteria for a partner, award-winning actress?”

Cheng Luanxin pretended to be profound: “None. It’s all about fate.”

Song Qiuchi: “…”

Even so, why did it feel a bit sour?

Soon, all the guests had finished introducing themselves, and it was time to pair up for rooms.

Du Zhiruo, Duan Mengshu, Bian Ning, Lin Zhiyun, and He Ran each had around 10 votes. If they didn’t pair up with others, they would struggle in the upcoming activities.

Bian Ning hesitated: “How exactly are we supposed to pair up? The number of Alphas and Omegas is odd, so someone will always be left out…”

Su Ling said: “Sis, that’s exactly the point! The show wants you to room with unfamiliar members of the opposite s3x to build chemistry!”

Bian Ning, being more introverted, blushed instantly: “T-that doesn’t seem appropriate…”

Su Ling softened at her reaction: “Then how about the two of us room together?”

Bian Ning’s eyes lit up: “Really?”

Su Ling smiled: “Why not? It’s just sleeping arrangements.”

Song Qiuchi nudged Cheng Luanxin’s shoulder lightly: “Who are you rooming with?”

Ideally, they would room together, but since both had relatively high vote counts, they had to comply with the show’s intentions and pair up separately.

Cheng Luanxin stole a glance at Du Zhiruo and muttered under her breath: “You know who I want to room with…”

Song Qiuchi: “…Don’t forget what we talked about earlier.”

Just then, Duan Mengshu walked up to Cheng Luanxin: “Hello, Teacher Song. May I room with you?”

Both Cheng Luanxin and Song Qiuchi were taken aback. Before joining the show, Duan Mengshu’s agency had contacted Xin Ying, proposing a CP pairing with Song Qiuchi, only to be rejected. Logically, Duan Mengshu should have kept her distance after joining, yet here she was, still willing to room together.

Duan Mengshu continued: “I don’t have any bad habits, but because of work, I type late into the night, which can be noisy. I hope you don’t mind.”

Cheng Luanxin wasn’t particularly fussy and didn’t want to reject her outright: “Then… the two of us can room together?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Du Zhiruo walked over with a smile: “Oh, has someone beaten me to Qiuchi? Then I wonder if Luanxin would be willing to take me in?”

Song Qiuchi looked at Du Zhiruo quietly for two seconds: “Sure.”

Cheng Luanxin: “?!?!”

What kind of double standard was this? Do you remember what we talked about earlier?

Cheng Luanxin shot Song Qiuchi a sharp glare, but Song Qiuchi pretended not to see it.

After some discussion, the room assignments were finally settled: Cheng Luanxin would share with Duan Mengshu, Song Qiuchi with Du Zhiruo, Su Ling with Bian Ning, Liang Shengxia with Lin Zhiyun, and Zhuang Mingchu with He Ran.

After paying with rose tokens, the guests picked up their luggage and headed to their respective rooms.

Each room had a double bed, an ensuite bathroom, and a small kitchen. The cameras in the rooms could be turned on or off freely, which was quite convenient.

Cheng Luanxin opened her suitcase and neatly organized her clothes.

To be honest, she didn’t want to wear any of the outfits Song Qiuchi had packed for her. Of course, they were stylish—given the price tags—but they were either too ladylike or too formal. None of them suited her personality, and wearing them just felt awkward.

Duan Mengshu had also finished arranging her personal belongings and setting up her desk.

With nothing else to do, Cheng Luanxin struck up a conversation. “Does writing mystery novels take a lot of brainpower?”

Duan Mengshu paused. “Outlining is the hardest part, but once the outline is done, the writing flows more smoothly.”

Cheng Luanxin nodded. “Oh, I see. Why didn’t you room with Lin Zhiyun? I feel like you two would have a lot in common!”

Lin Zhiyun worked as a screenwriter and specialized in suspense and mystery genres.

Duan Mengshu replied, “I wanted to meet people with different styles. Besides, both Lin Zhiyun and I have very few votes right now.”

Cheng Luanxin nodded again. “Mmm, the audience just isn’t familiar with you yet. The votes will pick up soon!”

Duan Mengshu smiled faintly. “Thank you. Honestly, I was worried I might disturb you. Actors usually need quiet to study scripts, right?”

Song Qiuchi had indeed packed two scripts, filled with notes and highlights.

But Cheng Luanxin had no intention of reading them. Playing Song Qiuchi all day was exhausting enough—who had the energy to study scripts? Wouldn’t scrolling through her phone be much more relaxing?

Not to mention, she and Song Qiuchi had their own little “script” to follow. The last thing she needed was to mix up the roles.

“Don’t worry about me. Just focus on your own work.”

Duan Mengshu nodded. “Thanks for understanding.”

Cheng Luanxin thought to herself, Duan Mengshu is so polite—nothing like the arrogant genius Xin Ying described. Truly, seeing is believing.

Meanwhile, Song Qiuchi and Du Zhiruo had also moved into their shared room.

After unpacking, the two sat down to chat.

Du Zhiruo did some mental math. “It’s been five years since we last saw each other after graduation, hasn’t it? The last time was at the graduation ceremony—you hugged me and cried your heart out.”

Song Qiuchi had no memory of this. In her mind, Cheng Luanxin wasn’t the type to cry in front of others.

“Really? I don’t remember that.”

Du Zhiruo laughed. “It was so long ago—of course you wouldn’t. Later, I heard you got into a music conservatory and started composing. I was really surprised—that wasn’t your dream in high school at all.”

Song Qiuchi froze. “What was my dream back then?”

“Fashion design, wasn’t it? You used to tell me all the time that once I became a pianist, you’d design performance outfits for me.”

Song Qiuchi thought about Cheng Luanxin’s fashion sense and frowned. Thank goodness she didn’t become a fashion designer—the world would be full of bizarre outfits otherwise.

Du Zhiruo hesitated before speaking again. “Luanxin, I know this might sound a little… but did you apply to the music conservatory… because of me?”

Hearing this, Song Qiuchi looked at Du Zhiruo with some surprise. After all, the cameras were still rolling, and the questions Du Zhiruo was asking seemed a bit too personal.

Though Song Qiuchi wasn’t Cheng Luanxin, she knew the answer to this question was undoubtedly yes—Cheng Luanxin couldn’t hide her feelings. Back in high school, practically the entire class knew about Cheng Luanxin’s crush on Du Zhiruo.

Song Qiuchi answered vaguely, “Part of the reason, I suppose. You had some influence on me.”

Du Zhiruo continued, “I haven’t reached out to you all these years, not because I never thought of you. But every time I wanted to contact you, I felt a kind of fear—like being hesitant to return home after a long absence. I was afraid things wouldn’t be the same between us as before. You don’t blame me, do you?”

Song Qiuchi shook her head. “No, you’re overthinking it.”

Du Zhiruo smiled. “It’s really nice to run into you here.”

Meeting Du Zhiruo’s seemingly sincere gaze, Song Qiuchi couldn’t help but feel something was off.

The way Du Zhiruo acted around Cheng Luanxin was completely different from how she behaved around her.

She and Du Zhiruo had known each other since childhood. When they were kids, their families often teased them, joking about some sort of marriage arrangement between them, saying they’d become in-laws when they grew up. Because of that, during her teenage years, Song Qiuchi had once believed she would end up with Du Zhiruo. She had taken great care of Du Zhiruo, even at the cost of being seen as a thorn in Cheng Luanxin’s side.

But later, Du’s mother moved abroad for medical treatment, and Du Zhiruo went to university in another city. As the contact between their families dwindled, Song Qiuchi’s life didn’t seem to change much.

Over the years apart, she had occasionally thought of Du Zhiruo, wondering what exactly Du Zhiruo meant to her.

Deep down, she knew she had always been indifferent and emotionally detached in relationships. That was precisely why she had chosen to join this show—to test what kind of feelings she truly held for Du Zhiruo.

From the looks of it now, her heart didn’t seem particularly stirred.

But Cheng Luanxin was different. Even now, Cheng Luanxin still seemed to hold onto some hope for Du Zhiruo.

Was it just her imagination, or was Du Zhiruo stringing Cheng Luanxin along?