After Swapping Souls with My Rival Alpha - Chapter 3

It was the second time.

Chi Mu thought to herself—this was the second time she had kissed herself.

What did it feel like? She didn’t know. It had been so brief—Nie Yijun had only brushed her lips against hers before letting go.

So brief, in fact, that Chi Mu hardly felt the touch of their lips at all.

They looked at each other. Ten seconds, half a minute, a full minute passed. And yet the face each of them saw was still their own—unchanged.

Nie Yijun felt a little awkward. She turned and went into the bathroom, washed her hands, not wanting to come out too quickly. She decided to use the toilet, washed her hands again, and when she opened the door, Chi Mu was standing outside, staring straight at her.

“Why can’t you?” Chi Mu asked.

Nie Yijun exhaled in relief. “I’m not sure.”

“Then think,” Chi Mu said, meeting her gaze. “Last time, it was you who figured it out. What did Daoist Ling Kong mean with her words?”

“Literally what she said.”

Chi Mu glared at her and pushed her aside. “Move.”

She went into the bathroom to freshen up, making deliberately loud noises while brushing her teeth. She looked at Nie Yijun in the mirror, toothbrush in mouth. “Do you think I don’t know what ‘literally’ means? I can let it go. I can put aside the hatred between us. I won’t dig into the past anymore. Even what you messed up with Zhou Anxue, I could let that slide. Ugh.”

She spat out the foam, rinsed her mouth clean, and turned to face Nie Yijun. “I could let all that go. But still, it doesn’t work. That day, how did you even think to kiss me?”

“Daoist Ling Kong said our birth charts complement each other, that our souls are in each other’s bodies. So,” Nie Yijun said, “the only literal thing I could think of was intimate contact.”

Intimate contact.

Chi Mu seemed to understand. She stepped forward and hugged Nie Yijun. A few seconds later, she let go. “Still doesn’t work, huh, then.”

Chi Mu leaned in and kissed her own lips. This time, she lingered longer before wrapping her arms around Nie Yijun, their lips finally meeting.

Nie Yijun felt uneasy. She had never been this close to anyone before. Even the previous two kisses with Chi Mu had been nothing more than brief touches, less than a second. This—embracing with lips pressed together—was entirely new.

They stayed like that for about half a minute before Nie Yijun couldn’t take it no longer and gently pushed Chi Mu away.

She turned her head, breathing lightly.

“Really?” Chi Mu said. “It’s just lips pressed together. No tongue. Not a real kiss. And you’re making a fuss?”

Nie Yijun said nothing.

Chi Mu leaned against the wall, smiling. “You have never been kissed, have you?”

Nie Yijun didn’t want to discuss it. “Since that move doesn’t work, get yourself ready. We’re going to see Director Fang. I’ll wait for you outside.”

She turned—and suddenly found herself leaning against the wall, facing Chi Mu.

Their eyes met, and Chi Mu laughed heartily. “You’re back.”

Nie Yijun felt a weight lift from her chest and left the room without looking back. Chi Mu, uninterested, flopped onto the bed to sleep again.

Nie Yijun must have taken an early flight. As soon as Chi Mu’s head hit the pillow, she was out cold, barely having time to marvel at how little Nie Yijun seemed to care about her body.

She slept soundly—perhaps because everything had returned to normal—and the images from last night’s surgery could finally be pushed aside.

“Ding, ding, ding.”

“Ding, ding, ding.”

The sharp sound pierced Chi Mu’s ears. Irritated, she pulled the blanket over her head.

“Ding, ding, ding.”

Still ringing. She threw off the blanket and sat up, seeing the phone on the nightstand.

“What is it?” she asked as she answered.

“Hello, guest,” a gentle female voice came through. “Your room has exceeded the stay limit. Would you like to extend it?”

“Exceeded?” Chi Mu glanced at her phone. It was 5:10 PM. She’d slept quite a while.

“No, I won’t extend. I’ll pay for the extra time,” Chi Mu said, hanging up and getting out of bed.

Her legs went weak, nearly buckling under her.

“Ugh,” she muttered, collapsing back onto the bed. Her stomach felt empty, drained of energy. Not having eaten breakfast or lunch shouldn’t be this bad—but it felt like she hadn’t eaten in days.

She dialed Nie Yijun’s number.

“Hello.” Nie Yijun’s cold voice came through, and Chi Mu clicked her tongue—what an attitude! Just this morning, their lips had been pressed together.

“Are you still at the hospital? When are you leaving?”

“Leaving where?”

“Back to Fenglan City.”

“You,” Nie Yijun hesitated. “Still in Tianhu City?”

“What do you mean?” Chi Mu was confused.

“I got back yesterday afternoon,” Nie Yijun said.

“Yesterday afternoon?” Chi Mu blinked, checking her phone. It was the 29th, not the 28th. She hadn’t slept half a day—she’d slept a day and a half.

“Well, hi there. Leaving without telling me?” Chi Mu felt deeply betrayed.

“I figured you’re an adult. You don’t need me to announce it,” Nie Yijun said coldly.

“Screw you!” Chi Mu hung up.

Unbelievable. What was going on in Nie Yijun’s head? Even a normal person would at least tell someone before leaving.

Chi Mu had finally let go of their grudges, yet Nie Yijun always found a way to make her dislike her.

Instead of going home after her flight, Chi Mu went straight to the Juxiang Dance Troupe, easily finding Zhao Tongtong’s practice studio.

It wasn’t early, and only Zhao Tongtong and another Omega were training inside.

Chi Mu didn’t disturb them, standing outside and watching through the glass.

Zhao Tongtong was practicing ballet. Dressed in a white leotard, she executed basic movements in front of the mirror, kicking her leg high using her toes, squatting, half-squatting—repetitive motions requiring endless effort and dedication.

Leaning against the door, watching Zhao Tongtong dance, Chi Mu felt calm and relaxed. Only when practice ended did she knock and enter.

“Sis?” Zhao Tongtong’s eyes lit up. She patted her colleague. “Xiao Lan, you can head home first.”

Colleague Xiao Lan smiled at Chi Mu. “Your sister’s here to pick you up again.”

Chi Mu nodded at her. Zhao Tongtong walked over, just having finished her dance class, sweat glistening on her face, her scent a little stronger than usual.

“How long have you been here?” Zhao Tongtong asked.

“About half an hour. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

“Okay, wait at the door a few minutes—I’ll change my clothes.”

“No rush,” Chi Mu said.

She followed her to the dance studio entrance. It was a large studio, well-known in Fenglan City, and the fact that Zhao Tongtong could get in spoke volumes about her solid dancing skills.

Chi Mu tilted her head to look at the big “Juxiang” logo above, the character glowing bright white against the night sky—dazzling and striking.

Suddenly, someone gently tapped her shoulder.

“What are you looking at?” Zhao Tongtong asked.

“Nothing,” Chi Mu said, averting her gaze and stepping down the stairs. “Let’s go.”

Zhao Tongtong glanced at her. “Haven’t you been home the past couple of days?”

“Huh?”

“I noticed you’re still wearing the same outfit.”

Chi Mu smiled. “Am I not allowed to wear it again today?”

“Of course you can,” Zhao Tongtong replied. “It’s just, I’ve never seen you wear the same outfit twice. It feels a little odd.”

Chi Mu unlocked the car with her keys and changed the subject. “Any performances coming up?”

“Next month,” Zhao Tongtong said as she opened the passenger door.

“The usual—I’ll come cheer you on.”

“Great!”

Chi Mu drove Zhao Tongtong home. As Zhao Tongtong stepped out, she hesitated. “You didn’t see me perform the new dance the other day, want to today?”

Chi Mu thought for a moment. She really did want to watch, but she hadn’t been home for two nights. If she stayed out again, her mother would get upset.

“Another time,” Chi Mu waved. “Hurry inside—lots of mosquitoes.”

“Alright,” Zhao Tongtong said, pursing her lips.

Chi Mu parked in the garage and walked past her red Rolls-Royce, stroking it fondly. She probably wouldn’t get to touch this car again for a long time.

She opened the front door and nearly knelt on the spot.

Her mother was sitting on a chair by the entryway, arms crossed. Chi Mu could almost see the flames above her head.

“Mom,” Chi Mu said cheerfully as she approached. “Were you waiting for me? I’m home.”

Shi Ya said coldly, “You still remember to come back.”

“Of course,” Chi Mu crouched in front of her, smiling ingratiatingly. “If I hadn’t come back, you’d have had to wait all night. That would have been exhausting.”

Shi Ya tapped her forehead. Chi Mu immediately sat on the floor and hugged her mother’s legs. “Mom, don’t be mad! I wasn’t out fooling around. I, I went out of town to meet a classmate. She’s amazing now—a really skilled doctor.”

Shi Ya remained unmoved. “Keep making it up.”

“I’m not making it up! Remember the classmate I fought with last time? We’ve made up, and she took me out to see the world. I even got into an operating room to watch a surgery!” Chi Mu grinned foolishly, showing her teeth.

Shi Ya snorted. “So, you’re planning to become a doctor?”

“No way! I’ve barely done anything since I graduated. Being a doctor isn’t something I can just decide to do. Mom, I’m not lying—I really went out of town.”

“You do know you haven’t learned anything since graduating, right?” Shi Ya pushed her away. “All you do is fool around and cause trouble.”

“Mom.” Chi Mu wasn’t afraid at all. She hugged her mother again. “We’re rich, aren’t we? So why not just enjoy life as a happy rich kid?”

“If your father heard that, he’d make you kneel until tomorrow!” Shi Ya smacked her twice on the back. “Can’t you be a little sensible? How long am I supposed to worry about you?”

Chi Mu scrunched her neck. “Ouch, ouch, ouch! Mom, be gentle.”

Shi Ya stopped and tugged her ears instead. “You wouldn’t learn otherwise.”

“I haven’t caused any trouble,” Chi Mu said, looking up at her mother with a wronged expression. “I really haven’t been fooling around. Look, I can show you my flight records—I just got back from Tianhu City.”

“I’m not looking,” Shi Ya said. “Who knows what you were doing there. I already told Xiao Xi—starting tomorrow, you’re interning at her company. You’ll start as a regular employee.”

Chi Mu’s ears turned red from the tug, but she forgot to complain, just opening her mouth in surprise.

Behind Shi Ya, she heard the sound of wheels rolling. Chi Mu turned to see Chi Xi approaching in her wheelchair. She lunged into Shi Ya’s arms. “Mom, don’t!”