After gathering her thoughts, Yun Ni changed her clothes and headed downstairs, only to find Lin Zijin arriving at the exact same time.
The two exchanged a glance, both sizing the other up with their own hidden agendas, before finally heading to a private booth for dinner.
Yun Ni sat on the inner side, while Lin Zijin sat opposite her. The table was square, with QR codes on both sides. After the waiter explained that they could order and pay via mobile, Lin Zijin dismissed them.
“Does Miss Yun have any dietary restrictions?” Lin Zijin asked as she scanned the code, her gaze drifting toward Yun Ni from time to time.
Yun Ni had intentionally chosen a pale yellow spaghetti-strap dress—the original owner’s favorite. It accentuated her delicate collarbones and made her skin appear even more porcelain-white.
Yun Ni thought for a moment and shook her head. “No, you decide, President Lin.”
Lin Zijin asked casually, “Does Miss Yun like spicy food?”
Yun Ni glanced at her. In the dynasty she came from, chili peppers didn’t exist; seasonings were limited to simple salty and sour flavors. She definitely couldn’t handle spice. However, according to her memories, the owner of this body could eat spicy food. Lin Zijin was clearly using this as a test to see if she was the “real” Yun Ni.
Knowing she was being tested, Yun Ni shook her head.
Lin Zijin’s eyes lit up, but before she could speak, Yun Ni added, “I can eat it, but I don’t particularly like it. Eating too much spicy food isn’t good for the health, after all.”
Lin Zijin’s joy froze, and her brow furrowed. “I didn’t realize Miss Yun was so health-conscious.”
Despite Yun Ni’s answer, Lin Zijin wasn’t ready to give up. “Why don’t we indulge tonight? This place is famous for its Sichuan cuisine.”
Seeing her persistence, Yun Ni nodded.
Lin Zijin scrolled through the menu, found the Sichuan section, and frowned at the images of bright red chilies. In this world, she had spent over twenty years with zero tolerance for spice; even a hint of it felt like “insane” level heat to her. Yet, her family in this life loved spice, making her suspect her lack of tolerance was a carry-over from her previous life. Because of this, she was convinced that if this Yun Ni was “her” Yun Ni from the past, she wouldn’t be able to touch the stuff.
Noticing her expression, Yun Ni offered kindly, “If President Lin can’t eat spicy food, perhaps we should order something lighter? Since it’s evening—”
“No need.” Lin Zijin quickly tapped the two dishes with the most chili icons, then added a seafood soup and two bowls of rice before handing the phone to Yun Ni. “See if you want to change anything or add more.”
Yun Ni took the phone and saw that Lin Zijin had ordered Diao Jiao (chopped chili) Fish Head, Mapo Tofu, and Spicy Crawfish—all set to “Insane Spicy.” She looked up at the woman across from her.
Lin Zijin was holding her water glass. Noticing the gaze, she raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”
“No problem.” Yun Ni handed the phone back, feeling a mix of worry and curiosity. She had never eaten spicy food before; she could only hope she inherited the body’s original tolerance.
While waiting for the food, Lin Zijin broke the silence. “How does filming feel?”
“It’s alright.” Yun Ni didn’t back down, meeting her gaze with a smile. “Director Zhou is very responsible. I’ve learned things I never did in my previous projects.”
Lin Zijin arched an eyebrow. According to her investigation, the “body swap” should have happened no more than a month ago. A month ago, Yun Ni had been reduced to tears by her manager; the actual conflict only happened two weeks ago.
Logically, someone from ancient times couldn’t adapt perfectly to modern life in a month. It wasn’t just culture; it was the shift in status—from a high-and-mighty ruler to a ridiculed “plaything” of the industry. It had taken Lin Zijin years to fully adapt.
Yet, Yun Ni’s behavior was flawlessly modern, lacking the archaic speech patterns Lin Zijin herself had struggled to suppress in her early years. Could I really be overthinking this?
Yun Ni took a sip of water, determined not to speak more than necessary. The more she spoke, the more she risked exposing herself.
Opposite her, Lin Zijin wasn’t content with the silence. She tried a new angle: “Do you remember me telling you I have someone I like? Actually, she has the same name as you, and she looks exactly like you.”
Hearing this, Yun Ni was certain of her theory, but she had no intention of a tearful reunion just yet. She hadn’t sorted out her feelings for this woman and didn’t know how to face her.
She set down her glass, her expression unreadable. She diverted the topic with a self-deprecating laugh. “It’s all because of the rumors; I misunderstood your meaning, President Lin. Thinking back on it now, I’m truly embarrassed.”
She raised her water glass. “Let me apologize with water instead of wine. I hope you won’t hold my past ‘young and ignorant’ stupidity against me.”
Lin Zijin’s follow-up questions died in her throat. She could only clink her glass against Yun Ni’s. “The past is the past.”
Yun Ni’s smile remained, but her bowed head showed a submissiveness that Lin Zijin found irritating. “Yes, of course.”
As the food arrived, a thick aroma of chili filled the air. Lin Zijin’s nose twitched, and she quickly grabbed a tissue to stifle a sneeze.
Yun Ni looked at the fiery red dishes and felt the heat rising just by looking at them. “President Lin, if you really can’t eat this, let’s order some lighter dishes.”
Lin Zijin stiffened and waved her off. “I’m fine. I can eat it.”
Since she insisted, Yun Ni couldn’t back down either, as it would validate the suspicion that she wasn’t the original Yun Ni.
They began to eat. Yun Ni took a spoonful of Mapo Tofu with rice. An explosion of numbing heat burst on her taste buds, but it wasn’t unbearable. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked up at Lin Zijin, whose face was already flushed beet-red after one bite. The President was frantically pouring and drinking water, far too busy to monitor Yun Ni.
Seeing that her body could handle the spice, Yun Ni relaxed and started eating heartily. She was low on funds lately and usually only ate until she was 70% full to save money. Since Lin Zijin was paying, she wasn’t going to let the opportunity go to waste.
Lin Zijin hadn’t realized “Insane Spicy” meant this. After guzzling warm water and two large glasses of iced Coke, the burning in her mouth finally subsided.
She looked up and was stunned. Yun Ni was expertly peeling crawfish, a pile of shells growing like a small mountain on her plate.
Seeing Lin Zijin staring, Yun Ni placed a piece of peeled crawfish meat on the President’s plate. “President Lin, please, don’t be polite.”
Lin Zijin looked at the shells, then at Yun Ni, whose face was only slightly rosy. She asked, feeling a bit soul-crushed, “You don’t find it spicy?”
“A little, but it’s quite appetizing.” Yun Ni peeled more. “The flavor here is good. You should eat more.”
Lin Zijin had intended to test Yun Ni, but she ended up torturing herself. She looked at the chili-coated meat on her plate, her stomach already beginning to churn—a delayed reaction to the spice.
A glint of amusement appeared in Yun Ni’s eyes, but she quickly masked it. She stepped out and returned with a tray of five bowls filled with warm water. She lined them up in front of Lin Zijin. “If you can’t handle the spice, President Lin, you can rinse the food in the water first. It won’t be as hot.”
Lin Zijin was touched by the gesture but kept up her front. “I just haven’t had spicy food in a while, so I’m a bit out of practice. Sorry for the poor display.”
Yun Ni shook her head and returned to her seat. Most of the dishes ended up in Yun Ni’s stomach; she ate faster to prevent Lin Zijin from forcing herself to eat more just for the sake of the test. By the end, Yun Ni’s tongue was so numb she had lost all sensation.
After paying, a soul-weary Lin Zijin no longer had the energy for interrogation. The two went their separate ways.
The moment Yun Ni returned to her room, nausea hit her. She began to vomit, her stomach churning as if it were being stirred with a ladle. After a long bout of sickness, she felt weak. She grabbed her ID and headed out.
She didn’t know why her body had reacted so violently with vomiting and diarrhea, but it was undoubtedly linked to the spice. She needed a doctor.
She flagged a taxi. “Driver, to the nearest hospital.”
The driver, seeing her pale face, drove faster than usual, dropping her at a private hospital in five minutes.
It was her first time in a modern hospital. After navigating the registration process with the help of staff—which took another half hour—she finally made it to the second floor.
She ran right into Lin Zijin.
Yun Ni looked at the medicine in Lin Zijin’s hand. Lin Zijin looked at the registration slip in Yun Ni’s. They both understood immediately, but neither knew what to say.
The silence was broken by a nurse calling Yun Ni’s name.
“Go on,” Lin Zijin said, snapping out of it. “Seeing the doctor is more important.”
Yun Ni, genuinely unwell, nodded and brushed past her toward the nurse.
Lin Zijin watched her back and, after a moment’s thought, followed her. Although the test hadn’t yielded a clear answer, the fact that Yun Ni was suffering because of the spicy food she had ordered made leaving feel inhumane.