Chapter 153: Your Body

The spacious carriage had a strange atmosphere.

Pam the train conductor anxiously circles the sofa, her long ears drooping listlessly with worry: "Now this is a problem, Pam! The plan is completely messed up, Pam! What about the leap, the leap, Pam!"

On the sofa sits… hmm, how should I describe it?

"So—there—fore—"

Star elongated the tone, golden eyes wide open, scanning between Jizi and San Yue Qi, "You… really swapped souls? Like that… thing written in novels?"

Pam the train conductor, standing aside, ears and Tail drooping listlessly, notebook filled with chaotic lines: "Yes, Pam… it's a total mess, Pam! Dan Heng passengers are fine, but Walter passengers and 'Shut Up (Cocktail Technique)' have also swapped, Pam! The plan for today's next leap has to be postponed, Pam! We have to wait at least 48 hours for the swap effect to end before everyone can return to normal, Pam!"

San Yue Qi, stared at by Star, showed a hint of helplessness, trying to explain: "That's basically the situation, Star. It's a phenomenon we can't yet understand. Until things return to normal, everyone needs to maintain the status quo as much as possible to avoid unnecessary trouble."

Jizi, however, appeared restrained.

She tried hard to straighten her back, adopting Jizi's elegant composure, but the occasional wandering gaze and the subconscious urge to tug her own hair, which she stopped midway, completely gave her away.

Especially when Star's scorching gaze fell on her, a familiar silly grin would briefly appear on her face before she quickly suppressed it, making her expression twist amusingly.

"Wow!"

Star's face instantly broke into a huge smile, "So this is soul swapping? That's insanely cool!"

She hopped a few steps to the front of the sofa, bent down, her face almost touching Jizi's, scrutinizing her: "So… you're Jizi big sister now? Do you remember how to make coffee?"

Jizi, seeing the suddenly close face, instinctively leaned back, her face showing the usual expression: "Um… Star, Star… about coffee… I think adding a bit of sugar cubes and milk might make it taste better…"

The voice was Jizi's mature timbre, but the tone was entirely San Yue Qi's style.

San Yue Qi sighed helplessly, reaching out to gently push Star, who was about to collapse onto 'her' self, "Star, stop messing around. We need to discuss serious matters now."

She tried to make her voice sound more authoritative, but San Yue Qi's naturally crisp tone undercut the authority, creating a strange, endearing contrast.

"Serious business?"

Star straightened up, glancing here and there, finally fixing her gaze on the worried Pam, "Isn't it just that we can't leap for now! Pam, we can just wait for them to switch back before leaving, right? This is a rare Wonderous Sight!"

She even pulled out her phone, eager to take a picture, "Record it! Must record it! This is a precious Dark History for the Train Group!"

"Star passenger!"

Pam stamped her foot, "This isn't a joke, Pam! The leap plan concerns the subsequent Exploration of routes; a delay could cause a series of unknown effects, Pam! And… with everyone like this, what if an unexpected situation arises, Pam!"

She looked anxiously at the several core members whose behavior was completely out of sync.

"Dan Heng is fine, right?"

Star pointed at the reliable guard by the door, "With Teacher Dan Heng here, there's no need to worry about safety! As for the leap…"

She touched her chin, eyes rolling, "A few days later is just a few days later, the universe won't run away. Maybe we'll encounter something even more interesting on the way!"

Pam looked here and there, her ears drooping even lower, but finally sighed, "Since that's what everyone says… fine then, Pam. The leap plan is temporarily postponed, Pam. But! In these 48 hours, everyone must be careful and not cause any more chaos, Pam!"

"Don't worry, Pam!"

Star pounded her chest in assurance, but the golden eyes sparkled with excitement no less than discovering a brand‑new treasure.

The meeting ended hastily amid Pam's worried concerns and everyone else's agreement.

Star watched Jizi leave, her tall mature figure, and a brilliant idea exploded in her mind like fireworks.

She quietly followed, and at the hallway corner gently tugged Jizi's sleeve.

"Hmm? Star, anything else?" Jizi passed by, her face showing a bright smile with a hint of doubt.

Star glanced left and right, lowered her voice, her face a mix of mystery: "San Yue, oh no, now should I call you 'Jizi big sister'? Come with me, to your… uh, my room! I have a super—awesome idea!"

"Jizi" didn't understand, but Star's enthusiasm pulled her involuntarily back to San Yue Qi's room.

"Look!"

Star closed the door, gesturing flamboyantly, "You're using Aunt Jizi's body now, right? Aunt Jizi is usually so proper, mature, and elegant!"

"Jizi" nodded, using Jizi's face to try to make a deeply convinced expression, though it was a bit awkward.

"So!"

Star clapped loudly, "A rare chance! Let's do something… hmm, not so 'Aunt Jizi'… like… learn Pam's 'Ear Twirl Dance'? Or use Aunt Jizi's face to make the exaggerated expression you, San Yue, love the most? Or else… imitate Teacher Dan Heng's usual arms‑crossed, cold‑faced saying 'According to the think‑tank…' pose?"

"Eh?!"

"Jizi" widened her eyes, a flash of panic crossing her face, "No, can't… If Aunt Jizi finds out…"

"What are you afraid of! She's using your body now, maybe she's in your room trying coffee latte art in front of a mirror!"

Star kept fanning the flames, pulling out the ultimate trump card, "And— we can take photos as souvenirs! Don't you want to see what Aunt Jizi's body looks like doing these moves? This might be the only chance in this life! A one‑of‑a‑kind 'Aunt Jizi Special Edition' meme!"

"Photo… souvenir…"

San Yue Qi visibly wavered.

Imagine reliable Aunt Jizi dancing Pam's cute dance, or pulling her usual goofy expression…

That scene is so striking, and also… tempting.

As a seasoned photography enthusiast, she finds it hard to resist the temptation.

"Just… just try it for a bit?"

She whispered, her eyes beginning to shine with the same light as Star's.

"Yes, yes, yes! Just a little! Start with the simplest! Come, copy my expression!"

Star instantly perked up, first making an extremely exaggerated "shocked face" with mouth shaped like an "O" and eyes wide round.

"San Yue Qi" inhaled deeply, striving to mobilize Aunt Jizi's facial muscles she was still unfamiliar with, attempting to imitate…

Just as her features were about to twist into a strange shape—

"Cough."

A clear cough sounded at the doorway.

Both froze instantly, like puppets hit with a pause button.

There stood San Yue Qi — actually Jizi — now using San Yue Qi's body, arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe.

That face, which should always be brimming with a lively smile, now bore helplessness and a hint of warning in its seriousness.

She slightly raised an eyebrow, her gaze slowly swept between Xinghe and her own body.

"It seems some people need a bit of 'proper' guidance."

Jizi spoke, her voice that of San Yue Qi, but her tone was wholly Jizi's, "San Yue, come with me. We need to have a proper 'talk' about how to correctly use… um, the body that temporarily belongs to you, and how to avoid being led astray by certain restless factors."

She deliberately gave Xinghe a glance, that look clearly saying "go play elsewhere."

San Yue Qi, feeling as if pardoned yet also embarrassed as if caught doing something bad by parents, quickly rose from the bedside, lowered her head, and obediently followed "herself" out.

Before leaving, she even used Jizi's face to cast a sympathetic "may you be blessed" look at Xinghe.

Xinghe stood in place, watching the "Jizi" being "escorted" away, then glanced at the empty doorway; the excited gleam on their face quickly faded, replaced by a huge regret over the plan's premature demise.

"Alas…"

She let out a long sigh, her shoulders slumped, "Just a little bit short…"