Exchange of Movie Queens - Chapter 9

After her bath, Ruan Yesheng emerged gracefully. Xi Mo remained seated rigidly at the table, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the bathroom door.

“You took so long.” Xi Mo swept a cold glance over her.

The longer Ruan Yesheng stayed inside, the more she had to interact with her own naked body—after all, bathing inevitably meant undressing, touching every inch of skin, even the most intimate parts she couldn’t bring herself to mention.

Every passing minute made Xi Mo want to strangle her in frustration.

But if Ruan Yesheng rushed through it carelessly, Xi Mo, a severe germaphobe, would find it unbearable—she was usually meticulous about hygiene.

Caught between these two extremes, Xi Mo felt so agitated she could almost kill herself.

“I told you it’s inconvenient to bathe with my eyes closed,” Ruan Yesheng said, now in her pajamas. As she walked over, a refreshing fragrance from her bath trailed behind her. She cast a sidelong glance. “It took me ten minutes just to bend down and pick up the shower gel.”

Xi Mo: “…”

Ruan Yesheng tapped her left palm with her right index finger, speaking leisurely. “If I take too long, you scold me for dawdling. If I rush, you scold me for being unclean. With Your Highness being so picky, this lowly servant doesn’t know what to do.”

Xi Mo sneered. “Don’t know what to do? A dose of the ‘zhanghong’ punishment would enlighten you.”

Ruan Yesheng looked at her, her fair cheeks faintly flushed—perhaps from the steam in the bathroom.

Her words carried a trace of lingering resentment from earlier when Xi Mo had barged in on her. “Anyway, my tasks for today are done. I can sleep now. What about you? Aren’t you going to bathe? Or are you considering my earlier suggestion to let me help you? After all, it’s my body—I’m quite skilled and professional at handling it.”

Xi Mo ignored her and turned to leave. “I’ve already explained everything. Make sure you remember it. I’m going back. Don’t worry—when I bathe, I’ll keep my eyes shut tighter than you did.”

Ruan Yesheng laughed behind her. “Oh, you know, it’s fine if you want to admire it. I think my figure’s pretty good—95 out of 100.”

Xi Mo’s steps faltered: “…”

Then she strode forward, her footsteps brimming with impatience.

Suddenly, Ruan Yesheng called out again, “Wait.”

“What?” Xi Mo turned back coldly.

“Nothing.” Ruan Yesheng smiled. “Your Highness, be careful on your way back to the palace. Don’t trip.”

Xi Mo decisively ignored her and left, shutting the door behind her.

The ward fell silent again. Ruan Yesheng’s smile faded as she lay back on the hospital bed, staring at the stark white ceiling.

“Be careful,” she murmured, closing her eyes.

Xi Mo returned and endured the most agonizing bath of her life. The face wasn’t hers, the hands weren’t hers, the feet weren’t hers, and even… her chest wasn’t hers—let alone the rest.

Eyes shut, she repeated the same self-hypnosis over and over until she finally finished the torturous routine. By the time she collapsed into bed, she felt utterly deranged.

Amidst the restless anxiety of losing control over her own body and the volatile mix of shock and frustration, she gradually drifted into sleep—only to be met with a dream.

In her dream, she saw her own body standing before her, with familiar features—it was unmistakably Xi Mo’s appearance. Yet she could only watch helplessly as her body gradually drifted away, nearly vanishing from sight.

Anxious and desperate to reclaim her body, she chased after it relentlessly until she reached the edge of a beach.

The sun was setting, casting a crimson glow over the sea, dyeing the sand in romantic shades of red and gold.

As she pursued, her own body pranced ahead on the sunset-lit shore, fingers curled delicately like orchid petals, turning back every few steps with a radiant, teasing smile.

Ruan Yesheng, wearing Xi Mo’s skin, ran barefoot across the fine sand, laughing with shameless glee: “Hahahaha, come chase me, Xi Mo! If you want your body back, hurry up! Hahahaha! Come get me!”

Two figures raced across the beach under the sunset, their silver-bell laughter echoing between the sea and sky.

Xi Mo abruptly threw off the covers, shuddered violently, and bolted upright in bed: “…”

She was drenched in sweat, her face pale, trembling as if struck by a severe illness.

Thankfully, it was just a dream.

The imagery was so surreal it nearly blinded her.

Morning light seeped through the gaps in the curtains, and the sound of patients and nurses moving about echoed in the hallway outside.

Xi Mo sat on the bed for a long while before finally getting up. Tight-lipped, she slowly made her way to the sink to wash up. When she caught sight of Ruan Yesheng’s face in the mirror, she nearly snapped her toothbrush in half.

That damn ghost just wouldn’t leave her alone!

Feng Tangtang had left the day before, and no other relatives or friends had come to visit Ruan Yesheng. There wasn’t even a caretaker. Now trapped in this lonely, desolate pit as Ruan Yesheng, Xi Mo felt utterly miserable. She went downstairs to buy breakfast, ate, and waited for the nurse to administer her IV. During this time, she received a text from Ruan Yesheng:

“May Her Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace. This humble servant has safely transferred to another hospital with Eunuch Lu. All is well, so please do not worry. There is also no need to visit this servant’s ward, as I am no longer there.”

Xi Mo smirked and typed back: “Rise. If you dare disobey Lu Qingming in the future, I’ll break your legs.”

“If this servant’s legs are broken, so too are Your Majesty’s. This servant trembles in fear.”

Xi Mo couldn’t be bothered to indulge her nonsense: “Stop sending me pointless messages. I rarely text back-to-back—you’ll risk exposing us to Lu Qingming. What’s his plan? When does he intend to announce the news?”

“Your company will make the announcement in a week. Let the online rumors stir for now. There’ll also be a press conference.”

Revealing the news too soon wouldn’t allow the rumors to spread deeply, while delaying it too long would only breed frustration—especially with fans’ mounting anger potentially backfiring on the company. Lu Qingming understood this well and had timed everything perfectly.

Xi Mo had no objections. Satisfied with the update, she didn’t reply further.

As she lay in bed receiving her IV, another message arrived half an hour later: “How did it feel, sleeping in my body for the first time?”

Xi Mo was tempted to reply that it felt so good she’d rather die. Instead, she tossed her phone aside and closed her eyes to rest.

This sudden disaster had brought about a radical change in Xi Mo’s body, but Ruan Yesheng’s original physique was perfectly fine. After three days of rest, she was discharged from the hospital.

Feng Tangtang brought Xi Mo the gift box that Ruan Yesheng had recently sent.

Accompanying Xi Mo back to Ruan Yesheng’s home, Feng Tangtang couldn’t hide her excitement: “Ruan Ruan, I never expected Sister Xi to send you a gift! Could it be that after this incident, the two of you have become comrades-in-arms?”

Naively, she thought Ruan Ruan had finally managed to cozy up to Sister Xi. There was still an important supporting role left undecided for the new drama they were preparing to take on—would Sister Xi recommend Ruan Ruan to the producers and directors?

No one knew why, but Ruan Yesheng hadn’t had the chance to land any significant roles in recent years. Back then, she had skyrocketed to fame with the drama Song of the Road, shining like a dazzling new star with boundless prospects. Yet now, she had been reduced to only shooting print advertisements.

Long ago, rumors had circulated that Ruan Yesheng had been blacklisted—no production team was willing to cast her. But no one could pinpoint exactly who she had offended back then.

By now, the gossip had long faded, and only a few stale, moldy threads occasionally surfaced on forums. Most people had already forgotten Ruan Yesheng even existed.

Xi Mo opened the gift box and glimpsed two bank cards tucked at the very bottom. She remarked coolly, “You’re overthinking it. She’s just bored and looking for something to do.”

After a pause, she lifted her head and smiled faintly. “Tangtang, you wouldn’t go telling your new boss, Sister Xi, about this, would you?”

Feng Tangtang laughed while driving. “Of course not! Ever since I started working as Sister Xi’s assistant, how many times have you badmouthed her right in front of me? And when have I ever snitched?”

Xi Mo: “…”

Heh. Ruan Yesheng, you’re something else.

“What exactly did I say about her before?” Xi Mo sat primly in the passenger seat, lightly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You don’t even remember what you said yourself?”

Xi Mo gazed ahead and sighed, feigning nonchalance. “After the fire, everything else is fine, but it feels like some things in my mind come and go. I know I’ve done or said them before, but I just can’t recall. What you just mentioned—I really have no memory of it. The doctor said this is normal and that reminders from people around me would help with my recovery.”

Feng Tangtang nodded earnestly. “I know, I know. It’s a concussion.”

Xi Mo: “…”

Feng Tangtang thought for a moment. “You’ve said plenty about Sister Xi. The most frequent ones were probably ‘arrogant and high-and-mighty,’ ‘perma-stone-faced like Mount Changbai,’ ‘ruthless and heartless Empress Xi.’ Oh, and also—‘aloof, elegant, and purely pretentious!’”

Xi Mo: “…”

Xi Mo curled her lips, lightly clapped her hands, and put on an enlightened expression, beaming radiantly. “Yes, yes, those are the ones! See, with a little reminder, it all comes back to me. The doctor was right—you’ll have to keep reminding me, Tangtang. And honestly, she really is like that—ruthless, stone-faced, and pretentious.”

Feng Tangtang, ever the sweetheart, nodded eagerly like a bobblehead. “Mhm, mhm.”

Xi Mo: “…”

Do you want to get fired?!

While Feng Tangtang drove, Xi Mo quickly pulled out her phone and sent a text message.

Meanwhile, Ruan Yesheng was in Xi Mo’s private office on the 24th floor of the company, browsing on a tablet. The screen displayed the banking details she had looked up for the two cards.

Xi Mo had given her two spare bank cards containing pocket money—one with over three million and the other with over four million. Combined with the two she had placed in the gift box for Xi Mo, the four cards totaled more than ten million.

Ruan Yesheng: “…”

So this is what pocket money means nowadays—millions.

A text notification arrived. Ruan Yesheng picked up her phone and saw Xi Mo’s message:

“Arrogant and aloof, face frozen like Changbai Mountain all year round, cold-blooded and heartless Empress Xi, noble and icy just for show?”

Ruan Yesheng: “…”

…Tang Tang, you’re really going to be the death of me.

Ruan Yesheng quickly typed back with flying fingers: “This humble servant is terrified.”