The girls' dormitory at Shulan Middle School.
Xia Kening sat at the head of her upper bunk, clutching her phone. Her thumbs tapped away at the screen like phantoms, and the way she was gnashing her teeth, one might have thought she was trading insults with someone on Tieba.
"Ningning, I'm done brushing my teeth. Go wash up," Yang Wan said to Xia Kening as she came out of the bathroom. "Stop playing on your phone, or the dorm supervisor might catch you when she walks past."
"Mm, I'm coming." Xia Kening replied, told Song Yunshen she had to go, then put her phone away and climbed down to wash up.
As she brushed her teeth, Xia Kening looked at herself in the mirror. Recalling yesterday's miraculous experience, she still felt as though she had been dreaming.
Something that only happened in anime and novels had actually happened to her. Even now, she still found it incredible.
But since it had happened, she could only accept it.
She just didn't know when they would swap again.
Or had it really been an accident, one that would never happen again?
The thought that it might be possible left Xia Kening feeling vaguely disappointed for some reason.
Then she realized there was something wrong with her attitude. She hurriedly shook her head, throwing the terrifying thought out of her mind.
Who wants to swap with him again?!
If it happens again, wouldn't my body have to be... be...
At that thought, Xia Kening involuntarily looked down at her chest. Her cheeks turned red, and she couldn't help imagining Song Yunshen kneading it.
Damn it!
Pervert! Hooligan!
She didn't even know whether that guy had peeked at her body, or groped her all over, or...
The more Xia Kening imagined it, the redder her cheeks grew. When she remembered how that guy had shamelessly suggested she let him feel her up on the spot the next time they met, she was practically steaming with anger.
She had thought he was a good person, but he had turned out to be just like most boys-a pure and simple lecher!
Xia Kening denounced Song Yunshen in her heart.
But when she had finished washing up and looked at herself in the mirror again, Xia Kening hesitated and lightly bit her lip. Deep down, she still found herself wishing for it, just a little.
If we could swap one more time, maybe it wouldn't be so unacceptable after all...
It wasn't that she was interested in Song Yunshen himself. She simply felt that she hadn't made the most of yesterday's swap.
After all, Song Yunshen was a filthy rich bastard. Not only was his family wealthy, but he had also loaded over a thousand yuan onto his meal card. That four-digit number had practically blinded her when she swiped the card.
If they swapped again, she would be sure to enjoy his family's big house, use his meal card more, and try the snacks she hadn't been willing to spend money on for so long.
Oh, right, I have to send some to my sisters too!
It wasn't that Xia Yunuo and Xia Jinshu didn't like snacks. They just had to scrimp and save, and only dared order vegetable dishes at meals, let alone buy snacks.
Xia Kening knew all too well what snacks her two older sisters liked.
Usually, only their mother would occasionally buy some of their favorite snacks and bring them home. Otherwise, the three of them would never use their living expenses to buy snacks.
Huh?
Come to think of it, what if I use Song Yunshen's pocket money to buy snacks for my sisters and accidentally win one of them over?
If my clever plan really backfires, wouldn't Song Yunshen actually become my brother-in-law?
At that possibility, Xia Kening tried to use reason to stop her terrifying thoughts, yet at the same time felt that it didn't sound so bad.
After all, she knew in her heart that Song Yunshen wasn't actually a bad person. If her second sister really did get together with him, she could live a life free of worries about food and clothing in the future.
Forget it, forget it. Why am I thinking so much?
There might not even be a next time.
With that thought, Xia Kening changed into her school uniform and headed out with her three roommates to have breakfast at the cafeteria.
But at the cafeteria entrance, someone stopped them again.
"Xu Lingcheng?" After recognizing him, Xia Kening couldn't help recalling what Song Yunshen had told her the night before, and smiled without thinking.
Seeing the smile spread across Xia Kening's face, Xu Lingcheng felt ripples of love rise in his heart. He couldn't help grinning goofily along with her. "Xia Kening, I came to have breakfast with you."
Sure enough, as long as I keep at it, I'll win her over eventually!
Xu Lingcheng was moved. He hadn't expected that after only one day, Xia Kening would already smile when she saw him.
But the next second, Xia Kening wiped the smile from her face. She looked at Xu Lingcheng speechlessly and said without thinking, "Are you a dumbass? I'm not interested in you. Can you stay away from me?"
At those words, not only Xu Lingcheng froze; her three roommates beside her were stunned too.
It was the first time they had ever heard Xia Kening curse at someone.
Meanwhile, after putting his phone away, Song Yunshen washed up, changed into his school uniform, slung on his backpack, and set off for school.
It was still early today, so he didn't need to hurry. He took his time going downstairs and getting on his bicycle.
When he reached the breakfast shop at the entrance to his residential complex, he happened to run into his uncle Zhao Zeheng, who had been up all night, and his aunt Ruan Zheng, who was getting ready to go to work.
Come to think of it, Song Yunshen had seen Ruan Zheng yesterday too, though he had met her as Xia Kening.
"Hey, Yunshen." Seeing his nephew, Zhao Zeheng smiled and waved him over. "Come join us."
Song Yunshen ordered soup dumplings, pan-fried dumplings, and soy milk, then sat down across from his uncle and aunt.
"What kind of man drinks sweet soy milk?" Zhao Zeheng glanced at the sweet soy milk in front of Song Yunshen and clicked his tongue. "No taste at all."
"Auntie drinks sweet soy milk too," Song Yunshen said, adding three spoonfuls of sugar to his soy milk. "Does that mean she has no taste either?"
"Your aunt's different. Sweet soy milk is good for a woman's complexion," Zhao Zeheng made up without so much as a blush or a change in his heartbeat.
Ruan Zheng withdrew her sideways glance and lowered her head to eat her breakfast at a leisurely pace. Then she said to Song Yunshen, "Don't forget to come to our place for dinner tomorrow evening."
"Oh." Song Yunshen nodded. "I haven't forgotten, I haven't forgotten. I'm still looking forward to the braised pork ribs you make, Auntie."
"Mm, I know you like them. I'll make them for you." Ruan Zheng smiled faintly. "And Cantonese chicken leg casserole. Didn't you really like it last time?"
"Yes, yes, I want that too." Song Yunshen nodded at once. Without standing on ceremony in the least, he said with a grin, "Let's have some shredded pork stir-fried with edamame too. It goes well with rice."
"Sure, whatever you say." Ruan Zheng smiled and agreed with a nod. "Yingying misses you a lot too. Come a little earlier tomorrow afternoon and spend some more time playing with her."
"OK." Song Yunshen agreed. After breakfast, he said goodbye to his uncle and aunt and rode his bicycle to school.
In the classroom of Class 5, first year.
Xia Yunuo arrived early and sat down at her desk to review English for that morning's exam.
She had been studying diligently for over twenty minutes when-
Suddenly, without warning, a familiar voice appeared in her mind.
[Should I try again today? Offering to treat her probably won't work, but what if I use asking her about an English test paper as an excuse?]
Xia Yunuo froze, then hurriedly raised her head and looked toward the classroom's front door.
The next second, a familiar figure came into the classroom from the corridor and met her gaze.
I-I heard him again...?
Xia Yunuo hadn't expected that she would be able to hear Song Yunshen's inner thoughts again.
For some reason, the feeling of regaining something she had lost brought her a trace of inexplicable joy.
But she quickly suppressed the emotion, hurriedly looked away, and lowered her head to continue studying.
[Did she just look at me? Could she really have a secret crush on me?]
Song Yunshen's voice rang out in her mind again.
This time, Xia Yunuo's face went stiff. She thought she would be better off not hearing him.
That narcissist!