After Swapping Souls with the Aloof Fake Young Master, I Sent the Whole Family Flying - Chapter 4

When Pei Jinghang returned to school that afternoon, he deliberately avoided most of the Jiang family’s surveillance cameras. Upon his arrival, he found Jiang Yi wearing his MP3 player, looking up at him with an innocent expression as he braced himself for the worst.

“Where’s Uncle Liu?” Jiang Yi asked, straightening up from behind a pillar by the back gate, his eyes blinking in confusion.

Pei Jinghang still wasn’t used to seeing Jiang Yi speak with his own face. He deliberately avoided eye contact and said with a hint of complaint, “Your house has absolutely no privacy. I had to sneak out.”

Whether it was just his imagination or not, Pei Jinghang noticed Jiang Yi’s body flinch slightly before the words had even fully left his mouth. But Jiang Yi immediately regained his composure, stuffing the MP3 player into his pocket and pointing toward the playground.

“You’ll read the public criticism on behalf of the Discipline Committee,” Jiang Yi said, “and I’ll read the self-criticism right after you. I’ve already written both, so you just need to read them clearly. The long break is about to start, so let’s head straight to the playground.”

Pei Jinghang rarely heard Jiang Yi speak so much at once. He looked down at the self-criticism and public criticism Jiang Yi handed him and noticed that Jiang Yi had meticulously used two different fonts for the two scripts.

Ever since their souls had been swapped, Jiang Yi had been the one proactively guiding Pei Jinghang through the daily routines of life. Looking back, he realized Jiang Yi wasn’t as cold and aloof as he’d always thought.

For some reason, Pei Jinghang found himself no longer dreading walking this path side by side with Jiang Yi.

Sunlight filtered through the dappled leaves, scattering across the small path inside the campus. Students bustled toward the playground, preparing for the routine commendation assembly.

Director Song De Sheng stood below the stage, making final adjustments to the microphone. He cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping across the crowd before finally settling on Jiang Yi and Pei Jinghang, who were standing together.

Jiang Yi stood tall and handsome, clutching the speech for the commendation assembly. He wasn’t his usual calm and composed self. Instead, he was fidgeting restlessly, occasionally striking up casual conversation with Pei Jinghang. This bizarre sight nearly knocked Director Song’s glasses off. A sudden, ominous feeling washed over him.

After the Director of Studies finished his speech, Pei Jinghang, nudged forward by Jiang Yi, walked onto the stage with a deliberately steady gait.

Although Pei Jinghang was fairly popular among his peers, this was his first time forced to publicly criticize students in front of the entire school. He had no idea why he’d been roped into such an unpopular task. Glancing at the sea of faces below, he swallowed hard, his voice taking on a solemn, earnest tone as he began.

“Since the beginning of 2023, the following incidents have been recorded for public reprimand: Han Shuo from Class 15, Grade 1, is hereby publicly criticized for smoking in the restroom. Wang Yaqin from Class 17, Grade 1, is given a warning for using her phone and looking in a mirror during class. Yu Jing from Class 1, Grade 3, is suspended for openly plagiarizing song lyrics to confess her feelings during the talent show…”

As he spoke, he saw some students sneering while others hung their heads in shame. With each name, Pei Jinghang felt like he was making more enemies. He half-expected to be jumped by a mob of angry classmates the moment he stepped off the stage. To ease his guilty conscience, he tossed the script to the floor as he reached the final announcement and spoke loudly into the microphone:

“Next, I have a matter of deep regret to announce… As you all know, the school has been cracking down on underage dating. This is because some Omega and Beta students have engaged in premature romantic affairs, leading to underage pregnancies and subsequent dropouts. Since Omegas make up a significant portion of our student body, I will not be naming names in order to protect their privacy. The school is currently strictly enforcing this ban, but! At this point, I would like to share my own perspective.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Jiang Yi’s eyes widened in the audience. His mind raced, unable to fathom why Pei Jinghang would make such an absurd move. If he weren’t the one who would have to face the consequences if he intervened, he would have dragged Pei Jinghang off the stage and beaten him senseless. But his feet were frozen, and he could only watch as Pei Jinghang continued to spout nonsense while wearing his face.

“We must examine this issue through the lens of dialectical materialism, carefully considering both sides of the argument.

At first, it might have been a mere spark of attraction, a single concerned glance. These moments are like the first gentle breeze of spring, soft yet carrying a dangerous allure. Two immature souls, not yet ready to take responsibility for their own lives, how could they possibly bear the weight of a new life? Dreams are cut short, futures are plunged into uncertainty, and families are swept into a whirlpool of grief and anxiety. As a highly sought-after Omega, I am deeply pained by this!

But then again, feelings should be nurtured from a young age! While early romance is inadvisable, the pure and passionate affection between classmates, if properly placed at the right time, could it not also contribute to the Three-Child Policy? Imagine it: students who once strove for academic excellence and excelled in their careers, now successful and filled with love and responsibility, joining hands to nurture new life. Is this not a truly beautiful vision of the future? To this end, I propose—!!!”

“We should advocate for free love! We must fully implement the policies of eugenics, high-quality childbirth, and the Three-Child Policy!”

“This is the perfect middle ground, the ideal compromise! This is the brilliant wisdom passed down by our ancestors!”

The voice detonated like a bomb, echoing across the campus.

The students below froze for a moment before erupting into thunderous applause and raucous laughter.

The teenagers, all in the throes of puberty and brimming with romantic ideals, had found their champion. Whistles and cheers erupted from every corner. The arrogant disdain they had just shown Pei Jinghang vanished instantly. A few of the more boisterous boys even waved their arms, shouting, “Committee Chairman, you nailed it!”

The school leaders’ faces turned ashen. Song Desheng, the politics teacher, reacted with professional instinct. He roared at the top of his lungs, “Jiang Yi, get down here this instant! This isn’t dialectical materialism! This is fucking nonsense!”

His voice seemed to pierce the heavens, rattling the classroom windows. But Pei Jinghang stood there as if nothing had happened, his heart swelling with triumph as if he had just won a presidential election.

Beside him, Jiang Yi’s face was so dark it looked like it might bleed.

He never imagined Pei Jinghang would pull a stunt like this during a commendation ceremony, and in front of the entire school, no less. The pristine reputation he had painstakingly built over three years was shattered.

Shattered into a thousand pieces on the floor.

He shot Pei Jinghang a furious glare as he watched “himself” get hauled off to the principal’s office like a scruffy chick. The farce ended quickly. Jiang Yi hastily handed his self-criticism letter to the teacher and turned to confront Pei Jinghang at the office door. But then he paused. Pei Jinghang humiliated me, so I’ll just humiliate him right back, won’t I?

But still…

Jiang Yi couldn’t bring himself to decide. He stared silently at Pei Jinghang’s retreating back as the principal marched him away, then turned and walked back to Pei Jinghang’s classroom.

The school’s response was swift. The Director of Studies ordered Pei Jinghang to write a profound self-criticism and read it aloud over the school’s radio station. This time, Song Desheng personally supervised the writing, so Pei Jinghang couldn’t ask Jiang Yi to ghostwrite it for him. He had no choice but to suck it up and read the announcement:

“During today’s commendation ceremony, I failed to lead by example in maintaining order, causing the situation to spiral out of control and creating an extremely negative impact. As Head of the Discipline Committee, I should have been a role model for my fellow students. Instead, I allowed a momentary impulse to disrupt the school’s activities and embarrass myself. I deeply recognize my mistakes and vow to change my ways, set a new example, and make amends through my actions. I sincerely ask my teachers and fellow students to give me a chance to redeem myself…”

Logically, this incident should have been recorded in his permanent file. But thanks to Pei Jinghang’s nonsense, which had somehow won over the principal, and Jiang Yi’s long-standing reputation as a model student, the matter was dropped after the public reprimand.

Still, the story of “Jiang Yi setting an example by advocating for free love, only to drive Director Song to a swearing fit” had become an unspoken joke throughout the school.

Later that day, Jiang Yi returned to Pei Jinghang’s Class 6, Grade 2. He pretended to ignore the lesson and tried to sleep, but Cheng Kai dragged him over, laughing and crying as he rewatched the recording of the afternoon’s long break.

With every one of Cheng Kai’s laughs, Jiang Yi’s expression darkened.

Eventually, Cheng Kai was inexplicably called into the restroom by his own buddy, only to be inexplicably locked inside when the door wouldn’t open. Jiang Yi hummed a tune, listening to Cheng Kai’s laughter turn into pleas for help. He then returned to the classroom and slept straight through to evening self-study, his foul mood finally beginning to lift.

By the time Pei Jinghang returned to Class 1, Grade 3, it was already time for evening self-study. As he walked in, he noticed his classmates staring at him with curiosity and disbelief. Pei Jinghang shrugged, realizing he’d taken things a bit too far that afternoon and had lost a little too much face.

Jiang Yi’s original self had always left people with the impression of being quiet and aloof. Coupled with his “three-good student” buffs—privileged family background, excellent grades, and good looks—most people’s interactions with him stopped at admiring him from afar. Even those who liked Jiang Yi didn’t dare to approach him rashly. Pei Jinghang’s passionate speech this time completely flipped the students’ perception of him.

His seatmate, who was usually one of the few who could exchange a word or two with Jiang Yi, couldn’t contain his curiosity. Bearing the weight of the entire class’s gossip, Qiao Annuo leaned in and asked curiously, “Class Monitor, what’s up with you today? Did Old Man Song threaten you and piss you off? If you’re in trouble, just tell me, your bro. We’ll help you if we can.”

Pei Jinghang had an innate fondness for this kind of Omega. He smelled the scent of grassy hamster food on his seatmate, and looking at Qiao Annuo’s cute, delicate face, his guard couldn’t help but soften.

But he couldn’t exactly use Jiang Yi’s face to tell Qiao Annuo that he was afraid his former brother would stop hanging out with him if he found out about the soul swap, right?

Pei Jinghang wasn’t schizophrenic enough to go that far. After thinking it over, he could only reply very seriously, “I have someone I like.”

“Holy shit…”

Hearing Jiang Yi admit to having a crush was almost as shocking as seeing Director Song run naked in front of everyone. After freezing in place for nearly three seconds, Qiao Annuo quickly grabbed Pei Jinghang’s sleeve and demanded, “Who is it? Who is it? Who is it?!”

I’ve dug myself a hole I’ll have to spend my whole life filling, Pei Jinghang thought, his lip twitching. To prevent the mess from escalating, he silently pried Qiao Annuo’s hand off his arm and offered a casual, white lie. “We have an exam coming up. Stop being so nosy and let’s focus on studying… and striving for excellence.”

“Oh, right! Class Monitor, you’re not going to let a crush get in the way of your studies, are you?” Qiao Annuo giggled, covering her mouth. But she quickly dismissed the thought. After all, Jiang Yi is such a genius. Even with a secret crush, he’ll probably still ace tomorrow’s weekly exam.

Her words proved to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. The moment Pei Jinghang heard the word “exam,” he froze completely. “Which subjects are we testing on tomorrow?”

“Class Monitor, are you losing your mind?” Qiao Annuo sneered. “Chinese, Math, English, and the three minor subjects. All of them are forty-five-minute tests.”

If I told Jiang Yi I was using his body to both start a secret romance and fail an exam, would he ever forgive me? Pei Jinghang broke into a cold sweat.

Support After Swapping Souls with the Aloof Fake Young Master, I Sent the Whole Family Flying