After Swapping Souls with My Rival Alpha - Chapter 3

To the left of Green Rhyme was a dead-end alley. It was narrow, with a single streetlamp at the entrance. Beyond that point, it was pitch-black.

The two of them stood in the middle of the alley. In the faint light leaking in from outside, Chi Mu could make out something different about Nie Yijun’s demeanor—more refined, sharper, unfamiliar.

So a trip abroad really did gild a person, huh? Too bad the stench underneath couldn’t be hidden by all that shine.

Chi Mu clasped her hands together, flexing her wrists. For a moment, it felt like she was back in her school days. Back then, she and Nie Yijun fought often—or rather, Chi Mu beat her up. Despite being an Alpha, Nie Yijun was hopeless compared to Chi Mu, who’d practiced sanda (Chinese kickboxing) since childhood. She was always the one getting her ass handed to her.

Chi Mu had never taken this goody-two-shoes seriously.

“Nie Yijun,” Chi Mu stared into her eyes and said, “this beating is for that time you edited my thesis. You deserve every punch.”

A flicker of confusion passed through Nie Yijun’s eyes.

Chi Mu smirked, clenched her fist, and aimed it right at her nose.

She was fast and precise—like a gust of wind.

But the punch didn’t land where she expected. Nie Yijun casually tilted her head, dodging the blow.

Chi Mu’s eyes widened. Well, damn. Quick reflexes now, huh?

Without giving her another second, Chi Mu raised her knee and rammed it into Nie Yijun’s stomach. Nie stumbled back, slamming into the wall.

Chi Mu went in for the kill. She lifted her leg and aimed her boot heel at Nie Yijun’s abdomen. This time, Nie Yijun caught her foot with one hand and slammed her elbow into Chi Mu’s knee.

Chi Mu hit the ground hard.

“F*ck—that hurts!”

“Nie Yijun!” Chi Mu roared, eyes burning. “You’ve been training? What the hell?!”

She sprang back up. That last blow caught her off guard. She never expected this former weakling to dodge her moves—let alone fight back.

“I never touched your thesis,” Nie Yijun said coolly, stepping away from the wall. She shifted into a wide, ready stance, her right leg back. It was textbook-perfect. She could strike at any second.

That stance pissed Chi Mu off even more. She wasn’t listening anymore.

Two steps forward—spin kick.

Nie Yijun crossed her arms and blocked it flawlessly.

“I said—WHEN did I ever touch your thesis?!” she repeated.

Chi Mu’s patience snapped. “You don’t dare admit it?” she yelled. “I almost didn’t graduate because of you! You went abroad and left me behind rewriting everything like an idiot!”

She dropped her leg. Since her kicks weren’t landing, she lunged forward and tackled Nie Yijun. Pressing her forearm against her neck, she aimed a punch at her face.

Nie dodged, but the fist still clipped her cheek—hard.

As Chi Mu raised her arm for another hit, Nie Yijun punched her in the face.

Then chaos erupted.

They rolled across the ground, clawing, swinging fists wildly at each other like drunken amateurs.

“Chi Mu!” Nie Yijun suddenly flipped them, pinning Chi Mu under her. She grabbed both wrists and held them tight. “You’ve had your fight. I’ve got somewhere to be. Can you stop now?!”

Chi Mu lay on the ground, panting. Everything hurt—really hurt. She yanked her hands away. “Get off me!”

Nie Yijun stood, picked up her phone from the ground, and walked out of the alley without looking back.

Chi Mu slowly sat up, wincing. If it didn’t hurt so much, she would’ve sucker-punched her from behind.

If she’d known Nie Yijun could fight like that, she would’ve ambushed her from the start.

F*ck. It really hurt.

She looked down. Dirt everywhere. Her shorts exposed both legs, which were scraped and bleeding from the rough pavement. Her limited-edition boots were now stained with blood and footprints.

She couldn’t see her face, but judging by how red and swollen Nie Yijun’s face had looked, hers couldn’t be much better.

This fight—she would make her pay for it. She had to.

Chi Mu grimaced as she stood and picked up her phone. She tapped the screen—and froze.

The wallpaper was some generic landscape.

Where was her selfie lockscreen?

Face ID failed. Too swollen?

Wait… this wasn’t even her phone.

That damn Nie Yijun took the wrong phone!

Chi Mu raised her arm, ready to smash it in frustration, but stopped. Her phone was still with Nie Yijun—and it had tons of important stuff. She needed it back intact.

Her head spun. She leaned against the wall. She couldn’t go home like this—her parents would kill her.

But why was her head spinning so badly? She didn’t even drink that much. And Nie Yijun hadn’t hit her in the head.

What the hell?

“Chi Mu.” A voice called from the alley entrance. Nie Yijun.

“Give me my phone!” Chi Mu shouted, extending her hand.

She heard footsteps approaching.

She turned her head—her vision blurry—and saw a dark figure walking toward her, silhouetted in the light.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The footsteps echoed louder than they should have.

Just get her phone back. Then smash Nie Yijun’s phone.

“Here,” said Nie Yijun, handing over the phone.

Chi Mu smirked as she took it—only to suddenly feel a jolt, like electricity surged through her body. She twitched, her dizziness vanishing instantly. Blinking rapidly, she looked clearly at the figure in front of her.

And screamed.

“Aaaaah!”

It was her own face.

She was staring at… herself.

And her body position was all wrong—she had been facing the alley entrance, but now she was back to it.

“You—who the hell are you?!” Chi Mu pointed at… herself.

“Nie Yijun,” the other replied.

Suddenly, the alley flooded with blinding lights.

“Don’t move!” a voice barked. “We got a report of a fight—was it you two?!”

In the chaos and confusion, nothing made sense anymore.

Chi Mu and Nie Yijun—or rather, Chi Mu and herself—ended up at the police station.

“Name?” the officer asked.

“Chi Mu,” she replied.

“Nie Yijun,” came her own voice—from her own body.

Chi Mu looked at herself like she was in a horror movie.

“Why were you fighting?” the officer asked.

“No idea,” Nie Yijun said. “She started it.”

The officer tapped his fingers on the desk and turned to Chi Mu. “Why were you fighting?”

Chi Mu didn’t answer. She reached out to touch ‘herself’s’ arm.

“Still trying to fight in the police station?” The officer chopped her hand away. “Sit on the other side.”

She didn’t move—but ‘herself’ slid over a seat.

She pinched her own cheek. “Ow—painful.”

So this wasn’t a dream. Nie Yijun really was in her body.

Which meant she… was in Nie Yijun’s?

“Is there a mirror?” she asked.

“What—want to see how bad your face looks?” the officer crossed his arms. “Tell us why you were fighting first.”

Oh, right. The fight.

Chi Mu pointed at her own body. “She… I mean… she’s me.”

Then she pulled her hand back, completely flustered.

“She says I tampered with her thesis,” Nie Yijun explained. “I didn’t.”

The officer finally got the gist. He nodded. “Alright, both of you cool off here tonight. That mess in the alley didn’t look good. You seem mostly fine—your families can bail you out tomorrow.”

“No—I can’t stay here. I have patients waiting,” Nie Yijun said urgently.

“Oh? You’re a doctor?”

“Yes.”

“Got proof?”

“Search me online—” she stopped mid-sentence. She looked at the dazed body next to her. She was inside Chi Mu’s body. Any online results would point to… Chi Mu.

“Forget it,” the officer sighed, sipping his tea. “You two are classmates, right? Shake hands and reflect overnight. We won’t press charges.”

Nie Yijun frowned. “Can I make a call?”

He gestured that she could. Holding Chi Mu’s phone—her own phone—Nie Yijun walked over and made a call to the hospital.

Through the glass, she caught sight of herself in the reflection—Chi Mu’s body. Just before she had gone into the alley, she’d felt dizzy—like she was about to faint. She never expected to wake up inside Chi Mu’s body.

She saw her own body stand up and stumble over, eyes wide at the reflection.

“AAAAAH!”

So loud.

Nie Yijun had never seen her own face scream like that before.

“Nie Yijun!” Chi Mu charged forward and grabbed her throat. “What the hell happened?! What is this?!”

“You think I know?” Nie Yijun didn’t bother being polite. This entire night was Chi Mu’s fault.

“HEY!” the officer shouted. Several people rushed in and pulled them apart.

“Enough!” the officer barked. “You still want to fight in here?! Want to spend three days locked up?!”

Chi Mu backed off. They were tossed into a smaller room—just a table and two chairs.

“One more fight, you’re in here three days. Cool off.”

Chi Mu slumped on the wooden bench. Everything ached—her ribs, her butt, her stomach.

“You hit hard,” she muttered through gritted teeth. “Went abroad just to learn to fight, huh?”

Nie Yijun sat across from her, replying to messages on the phone. “Let’s be clear—that was my body. Those were your punches.”

Oh. Right.

Chi Mu clenched her jaw. She’d aimed for pain earlier—and now she was the one suffering.

But Nie Yijun didn’t hold back either. Her body had been hurting even before the switch.

Now she just sat there like nothing happened, texting away.

Unbelievable.

“You’ve got nerves of steel,” Chi Mu scoffed. “We look like hell, and you’re scrolling on your phone?”

Nie Yijun typed without looking up. “What, you think fighting again will fix it? I’d rather not spend three days in jail. No thanks.”

Chi Mu grimaced at the sight of her own lips saying such snarky words.

She shut her eyes.

“Ow…” she winced, unable to hide it. She laid her head on the table, not wanting Nie Yijun to see her in pain.

She would reclaim her pride—once they switched back.

Nie Yijun rubbed her arms. The room was freezing. Her outfit—a crop top and shorts—offered no warmth.

“This outfit’s practically indecent,” she muttered.

“What?” Chi Mu snapped. “You realize every single piece is limited edition?!”

“Totally useless,” Nie Yijun folded her arms and shivered.

Chi Mu stared at her, then looked up at the air conditioner.

“Karma’s a bitch,” she smirked. “Cold, huh? Serves you right.”

Nie Yijun stood up, pacing to keep warm. Chi Mu had to admit—was she not in pain? Or just pretending?

Nie Yijun paused and looked at her.

“What if… we can’t switch back?”