After Swapping Souls with My Rival Alpha - Chapter 9

“You are seriously arrogant. You actually gave someone that kind of guarantee? His entire right arm is gone—where exactly do you plan to ‘save’ it?”

Chi Mu twisted the faucet open, vigorously rubbing her hands as she spoke into her headset. “Do you even remember what Professor Tang once said? Medicine is never a hundred percent certain. And here you are, making this kind of promise!”

Nie Yijun remained quiet on the other end, not bothering to explain her professional stance to Chi Mu.

“No comeback, huh? What if the worst happens? What then!” Chi Mu let out a self-satisfied laugh. “Nie Yijun, don’t get too cocky. Be careful not to get burned.”

Chi Mu stepped out of the bathroom. “I’ve been checking rooms all morning. Can I at least go grab some breakfast—no, lunch?”

“Mm,” Nie Yijun replied. “You have only half an hour. There’s an online diagnostic meeting at one.”

“You want me to join your online meeting too?” Chi Mu muttered as she entered the elevator. “You go ahead, just don’t turn on your camera.”

“Dr. Nie.” A man inside the elevator smiled at Chi Mu.

She froze. Even without looking at his nameplate, she knew exactly who he was.

Nie Yijun’s rival—Dai Yin.

“Dr. Dai,” Chi Mu greeted him.

“Heading to the cafeteria?” Dr. Dai asked.

“Mm.” Chi Mu nodded, staring straight ahead. Then, almost instinctively, she turned to look at him.

“What’s wrong?” Dai Yin asked.

“Nothing.” Chi Mu tilted her head. She didn’t detect any pheromones from him, and, strangely, it was the first time she recognized someone she’d just met purely by face.

No, she’d actually recognized him a second time yesterday.

The feeling was uncanny. In this new body, she wasn’t face-blind anymore.

Chi Mu and Dai Yin exited the inpatient department together. She veered right, but Dai Yin called after her, “Dr. Nie, aren’t you going to the cafeteria?”

Chi Mu stopped and looked at him. He pointed to the left. “The cafeteria is this way.”

“I,” Chi Mu’s pride flared. “I’m not hungry. I’ll go back to the office first.”

She turned toward her office and immediately muttered under her breath, scolding Nie Yijun. “And you didn’t even tell me where the cafeteria is!”

“It’s on the east side of the inpatient department,” Nie Yijun said calmly.

“Now it’s too late to tell me!” Chi Mu snapped. “And don’t drag me into your online meetings either!”

She hung up, then ordered a lunch delivery for herself. On her first day back at work, her irritation toward Nie Yijun felt even heavier.

Back in the office, two cold breakfasts sat on her desk. They’d been ordered for the nurses, probably extras that got returned to her.

Starving, Chi Mu ate the cold food, then leaned back in her chair. Within ten seconds, she was asleep.

Half-asleep, she was jolted awake by the loud ringing of her phone. Without even looking, she mumbled, “Are you crazy? Can’t you let me sleep? I’ll.”

“Who is this?”

The voice made Chi Mu snap her eyes open. She glanced at the incoming call display.

Zhou Anxue.

“Who are you? Where’s sister Chi Mu?” Zhou Anxue asked again, her voice small and sweet.

“I’m a friend of Chi Mu,” Chi Mu quickly changed her tone, smiling. “Are you trying to reach Chi Mu? I can pass your message along.”

“Why is her phone with you?”

“I was hanging out at her place. But don’t get me wrong—I’m an Alpha,” Chi Mu explained.

Hearing that Chi Mu was an Alpha, Zhou Anxue relaxed. “Tell Chi Mu not to forget tomorrow—it’s important.”

“I won’t forget. It’s your birthday, right? I, I mean, she remembers. She was just talking about it.”

“Really?” Zhou Anxue giggled sweetly. “She even told you?”

“Of course. How else would I know? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely pass it on.”

After hanging up, Chi Mu immediately tried calling Nie Yijun, but no one answered any of her calls.

By 1:30 p.m., Nie Yijun was probably still in the online meeting.

Chi Mu sent her a message:

Call me when you see this.

“Buzz.”

The phone on her desk vibrated, but Nie Yijun ignored it, fully absorbed in the meeting on her screen. She had taken Chi Mu’s advice: no camera, and she feigned a hoarse voice, claiming she had a cold.

The meeting lasted three to four hours, and no plan was finalized. Nie Yijun sat at her desk, pondering—cases like this were rare, and she wanted to see it firsthand in Tianhu City.

But given the current circumstances, going there was difficult.

Soul swapping.

How could they restore things to normal?

She picked up her phone and saw Chi Mu’s missed calls and messages. She had something to tell Chi Mu as well.

“Nie Yijun, do me a favor,” Chi Mu said bluntly.

“What is it?”

“Tomorrow’s a friend’s birthday. Just grab an unopened piece of jewelry from my collection as a gift. Also, let’s set up call forwarding between our phones.”

“You can spare half a morning tomorrow?” Nie Yijun looked at her schedule. “Let’s meet.”

“Fine. I’ll also tell you—this friend’s an Omega. Cute, and,”

Nie Yijun cut her off. “Let’s go to Huai’en Temple. Maybe we can find a way to reverse the swap.”

Chi Mu, chattering away, stopped immediately and snapped her fingers. “OK! Done.”

“I can’t go out,” Nie Yijun said. “Three days of reflection.”

Chi Mu offered advice. “Pester my mom. Be persistent. She’ll let you go if she’s annoyed enough.”

“I can’t.”

“You can’t.” Chi Mu burst into laughter, louder and louder. “Hahaha.”

“Find a more reliable method.”

“Pleasing her is the most reliable,” Chi Mu said, coughing from laughing too hard. “My mom responds to softness, not force. The softer you are, the less angry she’ll get. Don’t be shy—treat her like your own mother. Can’t you act spoiled with your real mom?”

Nie Yijun paused, her gaze dropping slightly. “I can’t.”

“I swear, you’re impossible,” Chi Mu sighed. “Why don’t you write her a three-thousand-word apology and really mean it this time?”

“Alright.” Nie Yijun hung up and immediately began drafting the apology letter.

She thought for only a few seconds before her pen started flying across the page. Three full pages later, she hadn’t counted the words, but in her mind, it was heartfelt enough.

Carrying the letter downstairs, she arrived just as dinner was being served. Aunt Gao smiled at her. “Of course, Xiao Mu always has a keen nose for timing—never misses a meal.”

The Chi family of three was already seated at the table.

Nie Yijun handed the letter to Shi Ya with both hands. Shi Ya glanced at the paper, then at her. “What’s this?”

“An apology letter,” Nie Yijun said.

“Cough!” Chi Xi nearly choked on her soup.

Shi Ya set down her ladle, wiped her hands with a napkin, and took the letter.

“I understand my mistakes. I won’t get into fights anymore, won’t cause trouble, and I promise not to make you worry again,” Nie Yijun said sincerely.

Shi Ya looked at the letter, patted the chair next to her, and said, “Sit down and eat first.”

Nie Yijun sat beside her, and Chi Xi across the table couldn’t help laughing. “The sun must be rising in the west today.”

Shi Ya read the letter carefully and then handed it to Father Chi for review. He wasn’t as meticulous, just glanced over it casually.

“Let me see.” Chi Xi took the letter from him. “Rectify your mistakes and never repeat them.”

She glanced at Nie Yijun. “Your handwriting, it’s actually pretty neat.”

Nie Yijun, sipping her soup, realized she had been a little impulsive writing it by hand—her handwriting was different from Chi Mu’s—but thankfully, no one seemed to notice.

“Have you really changed?” Shi Ya asked.

“Yes,” Nie Yijun immediately replied. “Just like I wrote in the letter—I won’t make the same mistakes again.”

Shi Ya put the letter away, her mood seeming better. “Alright, I’ll let this slide since you took the trouble to handwrite it.”

“Thank you,” Nie Yijun breathed a sigh of relief.

Shi Ya glanced at her and placed a piece of fish on her plate. “Is that all?”

Nie Yijun looked puzzled. “Hmm?”

“Are there any other issues?”

“Oh,” Shi Ya said, looking at her, “you’re still upset that your father took away your favorite car.”

“I didn’t.” Nie Yijun instinctively started to protest, but thinking of Chi Mu’s reaction yesterday, she shut her mouth.

“Forget about the car,” Father Chi said.

“Okay,” Nie Yijun agreed. At least she could still go out.

And go out she could. Standing in the garage, she picked a low-profile black Cayenne from the colorful row of cars.

Chi Mu had arrived earlier and was waiting in the parking lot. Seeing Nie Yijun step out in a black T-shirt and loose black pants, she wanted to laugh—and scold—at the same time.

“Do you even know how to dress?” Chi Mu tugged at her pant leg. “Those are pajamas! Pajamas!”

“No choice. This is one of the few normal clothes in your wardrobe,” Nie Yijun said, glancing at her watch. “Let’s go. You have things to do this afternoon, don’t waste time.”

“I have so many clothes—all designer!” Chi Mu followed her. “And you still complain? I haven’t even criticized your clothes yet, and you can’t find a fourth color in your wardrobe!”

Nie Yijun strode up the mountain. “Perfect timing. Let’s go ask Daoist Ling Kong. Maybe we’ll head back afterward.”

Huai’en Temple is a nationally renowned temple for blessings. Many tourists come just to visit. At the end of August, the weather was still hot, and visitors from all over were present.

The temple sat atop Huai’en Mountain. Climbing wasn’t difficult for Chi Mu, but the midday heat was another story—she didn’t handle it well.

“Let’s rest a bit,” Chi Mu sat on a rock. “It’s too hot.”

Sweating heavily, her natural scent was strong, and Chi Mu wrinkled her nose. Fanning herself, she said, “Nie Yijun, your scent is awful. Luckily, it’s not something you can smell 24/7.”

Nie Yijun stayed silent, standing beside her, equally hot and sweating, but utterly unaffected.

“You’re like a wooden plank,” Chi Mu muttered.

After two minutes, Nie Yijun continued climbing. “Let’s go—the temple is cooler inside.”

The temple was bustling with worshippers. Nie Yijun seemed familiar with the place, leading Chi Mu through incense-filled rooms. The further they went, the fewer people there were, until the last room had only the two of them.

The main door was closed. Nie Yijun knocked on the circular handle.

Bang, bang, bang.

After three knocks, she stepped back respectfully. Soon, the door opened, revealing a young Daoist in his twenties.

Nie Yijun clasped her hands at her chest and bowed slightly. “I’m here to see Daoist Ling Kong. We have an appointment.”

The young Daoist bowed in return and stepped aside. “Please come in.”

Chi Mu stepped inside. The interior was dim and instantly cooler. The Daoist led them down a corridor, the faint scent of incense lingering.

He pushed open a small side door. “Master, guests have arrived.”

“Good.” A deep female voice responded.

They entered a small room, lit only by candlelight. A large Tianzun statue was enshrined inside.

On a mat knelt a short-haired female Alpha Daoist.

She stood, turned, and bowed to Nie Yijun and Chi Mu, who returned her gesture.

Daoist Ling Kong’s gaze flickered between the two of them. Her kind, gentle face suddenly broke into a smile as she said, “Disciple Nie, what brings you here?”

Though her words addressed Nie Yijun, her eyes were fixed on the body of ‘Chi Mu.’