Lin Beixing lay on the bed, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone.

The kitchen was right by the entrance to the room. Beside the tiny stove, oil crackled and popped.

Lu Yu’s mother stir-fried the food in the wok, adding seasonings from time to time.

Lin Beixing couldn’t cook, so she couldn’t really help.

And on top of that, if she wanted to play Lu Yu convincingly, she couldn’t make any reckless moves.

The secret of Lin Beixing and Lu Yu swapping bodies would be easy enough to hide from Lu Yu’s friends. But if it was Lu Yu’s family, especially his mother, then Lin Beixing had to be extra careful.

She opened every game on Lu Yu’s phone one by one.

Since she had no idea how to play, and was afraid of messing up his game accounts, she only glanced at the interfaces before closing them again.

She switched through several apps, and suddenly felt the urge to check Lu Yu’s chat history...

She wanted to see if this guy really had some ex-girlfriend, current girlfriend, or something like that.

As class monitor, if Lu Yu was dating early, she had every right to give him a proper lecture.

Even though Lu Yu was already eighteen and legally an adult...

Wait, what age did “early dating” count up to again?

In the end, Lin Beixing still didn’t dare look through Lu Yu’s social app chats.

That was personal privacy. Even if she was the class monitor, she couldn’t do that. Her conscience wouldn’t let her.

Though more than that, she was just scared to look.

“Here, Xiao Yu, have a taste. Mom hasn’t made ribs in a long time. Try them and see if they don’t taste as good as before.”

Just when Lin Beixing was bored out of her mind, practically melting into the bed, the person beside her suddenly came closer.

Lu Yu’s mother held a plate in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other, her eyes bright as she looked at “Lu Yu.”

She seemed really eager for “Lu Yu” to try the dish she’d cooked herself.

Lin Beixing pushed herself up on the bed. She reached out to take the plate, but Lu Yu’s mother pulled it back a little.

“It’s hot. Mom will hold it. You use the chopsticks.”

This mother always treated Lu Yu with endless care.

Lu Yu wasn’t little anymore, but in his mother’s eyes, he was still a child.

Lin Beixing nodded, took the chopsticks, and picked up a piece of rib.

The rib was hot. The first taste was sweet and sour sauce, then the rich fragrance of the meat followed after, spreading through her mouth.

Lin Beixing didn’t know what Lu Yu’s mother’s cooking had tasted like before, so naturally she had no way to answer whether “the taste had gotten worse.”

“Well? Compared to how Mom used to make it, is it a bit worse?”

His mother looked at “Lu Yu” with all the hope in the world. Her eyes were full of tiny glimmers of light, and in their clear depths was Lu Yu’s reflected face.

But the moment Lin Beixing saw that light in her eyes, something inside her softened.

Lin Beixing had never eaten a meal cooked by her own mother.

She couldn’t answer that question.

But for some reason, her nose stung, and her eyes suddenly burned with heat.

From childhood to now, everything Lin Beixing ate had been carefully balanced by ideal nutrition ratios. The housekeepers who cooked for her changed one after another. The styles of dishes changed again and again, from domestic cuisine to foreign food. Yet all those countless delicacies had never left any real impression in her mind.

Lin Beixing had never known what “Mom’s cooking” tasted like. That kindergarten assignment had ended with her taking first place in class, thanks to a cook’s skill.

But no matter what, Lin Beixing couldn’t feel happy about it.

Because she knew she had cheated.

“Why are you crying? Was it too hot? Ah, it’s all Mom’s fault for rushing. I should’ve let it cool first before giving it to you... Don’t eat it now. Wait till lunch and taste it properly then.”

When Lu Yu’s mother saw “Lu Yu’s” reddened eyes, she quickly took the chopsticks from his hand.

Lin Beixing took a light breath, rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, and steadied herself.

“It’s really good, Mom...”

The wrinkles of a smile at the corners of Lu Yu’s mother’s eyes deepened, and her lips curved with relieved happiness.

“That’s good, that’s good...”

“You could add a little more sesame. Sesame smells really nice.”

“Alright! Just wait, Xiao Yu. There are still a few big dishes coming up!”

It seemed there was nothing in the world that made her happier than hearing praise from her own son. Lu Yu’s mother was instantly full of energy and started preparing the next dish.

Lin Beixing sat on the edge of the bed, silently watching her busy figure.

Actually, Lin Beixing didn’t think she lacked motherly love.

Maybe she was just a tiny bit envious of the kind of care Lu Yu’s mother gave—so overflowing, so direct, so decisive.

The warmth pouring from her touched Lin Beixing from the bottom of her heart.

...

“In the northern darkness there is a fish, and its name is Kun. The size of Kun—who knows how many thousand li it spans...”

Lu Yu pouted his lips, a pen tucked between his upper lip and nose.

In front of him lay a thick copy of Required Ancient Poems for High School.

He realized his morning self-study session was actually pretty easy. It wasn’t the prison sentence he’d imagined.

No one was even standing over him to make him study. Lin Beixing’s mother had only told him to plan his own time, and that she’d come check his progress later.

She seemed to trust her daughter quite a lot.

Well, Lin Beixing was that kind of good girl—obedient both at school and at home.

A sensible, well-behaved girl like that should be given more trust and allowed to manage her own time.

For example, that music class in the afternoon would be best canceled.

Lu Yu thought to himself.

Of course, he was only daydreaming. With how compliant Lin Beixing was right now, there was no way she’d get to control her own schedule.

As random thoughts drifted through his head, Lu Yu flipped a page and kept reading from the book.

“At Xunyang River by night I saw off a guest, with maple leaves and reed flowers rustling in autumn chill...”

“Rustling...”

Then it suddenly hit him—his mobile game hadn’t been signed into since yesterday.

If they still couldn’t switch back today, his login streak would break!

Lu Yu scratched his hair in frustration.

What kind of human suffering was this?

He really wanted to play games...

Lu Yu leaned back into the chair. He’d said he absolutely wouldn’t slack off today, but after being tense for so long, his body instinctively wanted to relax and rest.

Especially with no one supervising him, Lu Yu had already started slacking off without even realizing it.

Actually, he really wanted to ask how things were going on Lin Beixing’s side. But since she hadn’t replied, he didn’t keep messaging her.

He was pretty confident in both Lin Beixing and his mom. No matter what, Lin Beixing’s situation couldn’t possibly be worse than his.

Bzz—bzz—

Just as Lu Yu took out the phone, Lin Beixing’s phone vibrated twice at the perfect moment.

He unlocked it and saw that the message had come from another profile picture.

Lu Yu had some impression of the pink avatar. It was Lin Beixing’s best friend.

Xiao Lan: [Image]

Xiao Lan: So? This handsome guy looks good, right!

Lu Yu frowned and studied the photo carefully.

You could tell it was some young male celebrity.

But that was about it.

Lu Yu just couldn’t appreciate male looks.

Lin Beixing’s best friend seemed like a textbook fangirl. Her greatest hobby was looking at handsome guys, and the photo she sent to “Lin Beixing” was clearly some new treasure she’d dug up while surfing online.

Lu Yu curled his lip. His fingers flew across the keyboard.

North Pole Little Star: Average.

Lan Xi didn’t give up and immediately sent several more.

Xiao Lan: [Image][Image]

Xiao Lan: What about these?

North Pole Little Star: Pretty average.

Xiao Lan: Hmph hmph hmph, I get it, I get it. To you, no one’s more handsome than your Lu Yu, right!!!

Lu Yu froze when he saw that.

The corners of his mouth, flat and calm just a second ago, couldn’t help lifting a little.

His gaze swept over the words “your Lu Yu” again and again, like he was afraid he’d read them wrong.

A moment later, Lan Xi sent another message.

Xiao Lan: What, not talking again? Every time I bring him up, you go all wilted.

Xiao Lan: Stop studying already, stop it! The whole grade is gonna get crushed to death by your grinding, Xiao Xing!

Xiao Lan: If you really like Lu Yu, leave it to Sister Xiao Lan. With the world’s number one wingwoman here, are you really scared you can’t do it?

Lin Beixing’s best friend was probably also the type of internet-addicted girl who lived online. She typed insanely fast. In the blink of an eye, the phone in Lu Yu’s hand was getting bombarded.

Xiao Lan: One sentence. Are you chasing him or not!

Xiao Lan: When a girl chases a guy, it’s only a thin veil apart. If you don’t do it now, you’ll graduate, and then you’ll regret it!!

Lu Yu held the phone and spun once in his chair. He somehow looked inexplicably happy.

Then the phone buzzed again.

Xiao Lan: RE! PLY! I’ve already thought of names for your daughter!

The smile on Lu Yu’s lips never came down.

He wasn’t about to make that decision for Lin Beixing.

Lu Yu raised that pale, slender girl’s index finger and lightly swiped across the screen.

There were barely any stickers in Lin Beixing’s WeChat. He searched for a while before finally finding a suitable cat sticker.

North Pole Little Star: (blushing cat.jpg)