After Exchanging Shadows Chapter 7

⇔  ⇔ 

First, Xi Mo went to the hospital cafeteria.

She looked around the cafeteria. It was filled with the hustle and bustle of people buying food for their sick family members. She even saw several patients lining up with their arms in a cast; she was worried about accidentally b.u.mping into them.

Xi Mo received a fright, and was distrustful of the taste of the hospital cafeteria food at the same time, so instead she went on the streets outside the hospital.

Over these years, she had never really gone out by herself like this to buy food. Now she was being messed around by Ruan Yesheng. In the past she got whatever she wanted; the company had basically treated her like a queen of wealth. Whenever she was out filming, they gave her even more special treatment to the extent that they almost were feeding her by hand. Though, if Xi Mo really wanted it, those a.s.sistants probably would have fought over the privilege to feed her.

She wasn’t familiar with the nearby streets and didn't know what food was great around, so, compelled by her OCD and picky tastes, she ended up hailing a taxi and going to a restaurant she had been to before that was not too far away from the hospital.

By the time she returned to the hospital the sky was already dark.

Ruan Yesheng sat relaxed on the bed as she stared at Xi Mo with arms full of takeout containers. "Were you busy getting food, or out retrieving the sacred textJourney to the West?"

Xi Mo ignored her and placed the boxes of take out onto a dining table. After was.h.i.+ng her hands, she sat down and ate silently.

Ruan Yesheng also washed her hands before sitting across from Xi Mo.

Even with at a casual glance, the dishes looked exquisite and even came with warm soup, though they were presented with nothing special, just takeout containers

Ruan Yesheng reached out for a box but only got a cold look from Xi Mo as she pulled that box toward herself.

Then she pushed another box toward Ruan Yesheng.

Ruan Yesheng opened the box and looked inside. It was plain congee.

Ruan Yesheng: "……"

"Eat," said Xi Mo in a flat tone.

Ruan Yesheng squinted at the congee. "Just this?"

"Just that."

"Don’t you think you’re being a bit inhumane?" complained Ruan Yesheng.

"I have a film lined up, and it has very strict body shape requirements. Lu Qingming wants me to maintain my figure. Since you're using my body right now, you'd better respect the rules. You're only allowed to have plain congee at night," said Xi Mo coldly.

With a gloomy face, Ruan Yesheng motionlessly clenched the spoon.

Xi Mo ate her meal elegance and indifference. After swallowing the last bit, she slowly p.r.o.nounced, "You previously a.s.sured to me that you would look after yourself as an actor would. What happened to that promise? Did a dog eat it?"

Ruan Yesheng: "…"

Your humanity has also been eaten by a dog.

However, she was too hungry to retort. With the thought that something was better than nothing, she picked up the spoon and began to slurp the congee. After a few sips, she glanced over at Xi Mo. Ruan Yesheng had to say that Xi Mo's etiquette was impeccable. She had an air of n.o.bility when she moved her hands, something not easily imitated by people except for those who had been taught manners from a young age.

The table was silent all around.

After a while, Xi Mo said, "You'll feel much better if you remember that Cheng Qingbie eats only a few pieces of salad every night and drools over pictures of food on Weibo."

Does this count as some sort of consolation? If it is, can you not say it with such haughtiness?

"I am so satisfied t that I just might bow down in gratefulness." Ruan Yesheng gave Xi Mo a glance. "But I’m also quite curious about how you know that Cheng Qingbie only eats a few pieces of salad each night."

Xi Mo sneered. "She puts up pictures of food on her Weibo everyday, all different kinds of food: barbecues, yogurt drinks, cakes, steaks…. If it's high in calories, she'll post a picture of it. Her adoring fans are always envious about how she manages to keep slim despite 'eating so much.' That's their G.o.ddess for them, kissyface."  

Ruan Yesheng: "……"

Really, the only person who can say kissyface colder than a bad joke would be you.

She could no longer see kissyface the same way.

While she was talking about Cheng Qingbie, Xi Mo seemed to exuding resentment.  "With that much in calories, it must have been tough for her to still be skinny like that and have no chests or b.u.t.t to boot. Would you believe that?"

It was a rare sight to see her talk so much in her grudge state, it was just like seeing the sun rise from the west. Ruan Yesheng decided to roll with it. "Of course I don't."

Although Xi Mo's face was unmoving, a small spark seemed to instantly light up in her eyes. She spiritedly said, "Those are only photos she took, she can't take even a bite. She's only allowed to eat salad leaves to maintain her figure, and even then she's probably only allowed to drink plain water. Since she stares at her own photos of food, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think she drools while doing it."

Ruan Yesheng: "……"

I didn't expect that asides from being pretentious, you're also the queen of imagination. Should Cheng Qingbie learn about this, she'd probably cry herself blind.

But then again, this sort of behavior is commonly seen within the entertainment industry.

To keep beautiful and slim, many female idols were scared of eating. But, these ladies couldn't miss out on an opportunity to promote themselves and always show off their pictures of food on Weibo. However, all the pictures were very restrained shots: lips just touching the food. Surely the food would be tossed aside by the girls after the snap of the camera. To them, food was just like a spirit of temptation. This was definitely the case for high calorie foods.

To be fair, Ruan Yesheng had also done this a long time ago.

There were strict requirements for her figure even when she was still rising in her career. At the time all the acting had tired her out so much that her taste buds went numb and out of nowhere she had the urge to eat juicy meat skewers to reawaken her tongue. Her a.s.sistant cautiously bought her a skewer, then Ruan Yesheng took a selfie with the skewer, sniffed it, hypnotised herself into believing she had eaten it before finally letting the a.s.sistant eat it instead.

Xi Mo suddenly stared at her with a faint look, "You've never done this sort of thing before?"

Ruan Yesheng recalled the events that had happened in the past. Her face reddened, and then she said stretching her face, "Would I do that? I've always eaten whatever I wanted."

"Oh really?" Xi Mo glanced at her again with a mysterious smile.

Ruan Yesheng silently told herself that the queen of imagination was acting up again, and seeing Xi Mo silent, she continued to eat her meal.

After eating some more of the tasteless plain congee, Ruan Yesheng pointed to the luxurious boxes of takeout food placed on the side. "Are you going to eat those as well?" She said with discontent.

"I think you're pretty thin, so I’m only helping you by eating a bit more to make up for it," said Xi Mo innocently.

Ho ho, in any case I’m not the one getting fat.

Ruan Yesheng: "……"

Xi Mo calmly spoke. "In order for us to exchange bodies as soon as possible, there is naturally a lot of things I will need to do. It will be mentally and physically tiring, so I’ll need to have energy at all times. For the sake of our futures, I’ve decided to eat four bowls of rice with every meal."

Ruan Yesheng: "……"

"And add a chicken drumstick and omelette to that, the omelette cooked to about seventy percent as well." Xi Mo glanced at the takeaway box. " Your body's not allergic to chicken drumsticks or omelettes, right?"

Ruan Yesheng was very close to snapping the spoon.

Ho ho, I will eat seafood.

I will definitely go eat seafood.

Ruan Yesheng gulped down a mouthful of congee, then smiled. "My energy requirements will also be quite high. Weren’t you about to start filming a movie? Since I’m the one doing that now, I’ll also need to eat a bit more. I’ll eat however much you eat in the future. Keep in mind that I like my omelettes ninety percent done, and the chicken drumsticks crispy. Chocolates aren’t bad as well, they can be for dessert."

Xi Mo observed her in silence, revealing a secretive, guarded expression.

Ruan Yesheng felt slightly creeped out by the expression.

Xi Mo maintained a cool composure. "Lu Qingming won’t allow it. If you don't restrain your appet.i.te, you’ll  see what he is capable."

Ruan Yesheng:"……"

She had completely forgotten about the existence of Lu Qingming, the elite vampire manager.

Ruan Yesheng naturally knew of Lu Qingming. As the top manager of the company, he was its loyal dog: serious and capable. He basically managed everything that had to do with Xi Mo. His ability was outstanding, and he was capable of facing every obstacle: like some old busybody maidservant.

Normally, he was very cordial about doing things, so long it was within his jurisdiction. Even the most difficult and annoying requests of Xi Mo were accepted. However, should something cause delays in the schedule-small things such has oversleeping, getting a little fat because of failing to stick to a diet, or anything slightly "not acceptable"-he would instantly activate his maidservant modemotherhen and gently nag at the person until their ears bleed and they succ.u.mb to his will.

Because of this, Lu Qingming received a nickname within his social circle: the True Cordial Monk Lu.

Ruan Yesheng s.h.i.+vered. She silently looked down and sipped her congee.

Halfway through, Xi Mo pushed the takeout box that was untouched towards Ruan Yesheng, then got up to leave.

Ruan Yesheng was startled, then she laughed. "How come you're suddenly being humane again. Aren't you worried about your body going out of shape because of me?"

Xi Mo looked back at her and said, "If you're not worried about your body getting out of shape, then go ahead."

⇔  ⇔