She's a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist's Halo-Chapter 61
Yan couldn't shake the feeling that her and Boss Tu’s conversations were being eavesdropped on by her phone.
Otherwise, why would she coincidentally get *that* kind of push notification?
Before she could even search for it herself, the trending local topics in Bin City had already revealed the location of the Xie Family’s company.
Silently noting down the address of the corporate building, Yan decided to mail the coat back there the next day.
Even though she’d ridden in Boss Tu’s car all the way up the mountain earlier, the round trip alone had taken over three hours. Add in all the walking around the temple grounds, and she was thoroughly exhausted.
Before heading to wash up, she sent Boss Tu a message.
**[Yan]:** Boss Tu! Share some gossip accounts with me, please!!!
By the time she finished showering and got into bed, Yan was already diving into the rabbit hole of the accounts Boss Tu had sent her. Now that she knew the names of the two body-swapping protagonists—and with the local gossip threads conveniently trending—it was easy to connect the dots, even though the tabloids used codenames.
There was the "Second Young Master," the "Temple Madam," and the rumored mistresses referred to as "the Secretary," "the D-list Star," and "the Love Child."
Xie Zhen was the second son of the Xie Family, hence "Second Young Master," while "Temple Madam" was a nod to Lan Ruo’s name.
Yan was thoroughly engrossed in the drama, though some of the details were so absurdly specific that she couldn’t help but wonder if the sources had been *literally* eavesdropping outside the door.
It wasn’t just Xie Zhen and Lan Ruo’s messy relationship—there was also the previous generation’s scandals. The more she read, the more she couldn’t resist sharing the juiciest bits with Jue Jue and her roommates.
Like how Xie Zhen and his elder brother had different mothers—his being Father Xie’s first love.
Like the rumor that Xie Zhen’s mother had publicly humiliated Lan Ruo at a banquet, sneering that a "barren woman should be cast aside."
Like how Xie Zhen had once openly flirted with a minor celebrity at a charity gala, ignoring Lan Ruo’s presence.
Like how Lan Ruo had repeatedly tried to divorce him, only for her own family to pressure her into staying. "Men will be men, just endure it." "What kind of man would marry you after leaving the Xie Family?"
The more Yan read, the more she thought it served Xie Zhen right to be stuck in Lan Ruo’s shoes. Maybe then he’d finally understand the humiliation she’d endured.
"This is just… unbelievable. Lan Ruo’s life is a tragedy," Chu Bingbing groaned after Yan shared the gossip, immediately diving into her own online deep-dive.
Gu Jiasui mused, "The Xie Family… I’ve met Madam Lan before."
As part of Bin City’s elite circles, the Lu Family was acquainted with the Xies—at least enough that Gu Jiasui remembered seeing the couple at Old Master Lu’s birthday banquet in October.
"She was… a very gentle beauty."
Eyes soft as water, her delicate features glowing under the lights—she seemed like someone without a single harsh bone in her body.
Chu Bingbing didn’t even need to search hard before finding photos of the couple, along with Xie Zhen’s various rumored mistresses.
"Oh my god. This woman is *gorgeous*. How could anyone with a wife like that even *think* about straying?!" She shuddered, finally understanding Yan’s outrage.
"If *I* had a wife this beautiful, I’d run home the second work ended just to see her."
Chu Bingbing stared at Lan Ruo’s photo, mentally screaming, *Pretty sister, let me hug you!*
Yi Zhi snorted. "Men like that take their wives for granted. Why settle for home when they can chase after fleeting affairs?"
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"So what’s this trending scandal about? Lan Ruo’s pregnant, so the playboy suddenly wants to ‘reform’?" Chu Bingbing scoffed.
"Pfft. Only *now* he remembers he has a wife? After all the cheating? Disgusting." She fake-gagged.
Yi Zhi scratched her head. "Is this one of those rich-family arranged marriages? Are divorces harder because of money and assets?"
She glanced at Chu Bingbing, assuming the heiress would know more.
"Bin City’s elite circles? Yeah, no clue." Chu Bingbing laughed awkwardly.
Her family was *new* money—far from the generational wealth of the Xies. The only "elite" people she actually knew were Yan and Gu Jiasui.
The next day, Yan sent the coat back via express delivery, addressing it to "Madam Lan Ruo" at the Xie Family’s corporate office, using the public contact number she found online.
On a whim, she tucked a note inside, briefly explaining how the coat had been flung down by that "Miss Feng," and signed off as "a student who was eating in the temple’s dining hall."
To Yan, it was just a small act of goodwill.
Unlike her roommates, these two were *married adults*—their drama wouldn’t affect her. And honestly, it wasn’t like she could do much anyway.
With the Xie Family’s wealth and connections, they’d surely hire some "master" to fix the body-swapping mess eventually.
Once the package was sent, Yan and Zhu Jue promptly forgot about the whole thing.
The weekend was Christmas, followed by New Year’s—and right after that, exam season began. Everyone was too busy cramming to care about gossip.
Saturday was Christmas Eve, Sunday was Christmas Day, and since both fell on the weekend, Bin City was *packed* with festive crowds. After checking last year’s chaos online, Yan wisely decided to stay indoors.
Luckily, neither she nor Zhu Jue had Friday classes, so they planned a "pre-holiday" outing to avoid the weekend rush.
Even in December’s biting cold, Bin City’s streets were filled with fashionably dressed crowds. Though Christmas Eve was still a day away, shops had already been decked out in holiday décor for weeks.
Snowflakes glittered in store windows, carols played on every corner, and Santas waved from every other doorway.
Yan had reserved seats at a Western restaurant near Bin City’s historic church—a must-see landmark, even for non-religious visitors like them.
The centuries-old structure was a stunning blend of East and West: Gothic spires atop traditional tiled roofs, crimson pillars framing arched doorways, every brick steeped in history.
After reading the visitor guidelines, Yan and Zhu Jue checked their outfits (no exposed shoulders or shorts, per the rules) and stepped inside.
The interior was just as breathtaking—dark wooden pews instead of the usual Western-style benches, intricate carvings along the beams.
Photography for commercial use was banned, so they settled for snapping a few discreet phone pics of the architectural details.
The nave was vast, and as they wandered toward the front, Yan suddenly froze.
There, standing before the priest, were two all-too-familiar figures—the same glowing silhouettes they’d seen at Fayan Temple.
*First a Buddhist temple, now a church?* Yan tugged Zhu Jue back a step.
It seemed these two had never given up on finding a way to switch back into their original bodies. Having failed with Buddhist methods, they were now trying their luck with Western deities.
But the result was obvious—the two halos remained, suggesting that even Western gods held little sway on Chinese soil.
Yan wasn’t entirely sure what ritual they had performed—whether it was a prayer service or something else.
One thing was clear, though: the ceremony had ended, and it had accomplished nothing.
At that moment, Yan watched as the couple spoke to the priest before preparing to leave. When Xie Zhen and Lan Ruo turned and noticed them, the pair froze in surprise.
"Xie Zhen" took a step forward upon spotting the young couple sitting on the church pews, seemingly recognizing them immediately. Before "Lan Ruo" beside him could react, he was already walking toward them.
"Xie Zhen" looked at Yan and asked politely, "Excuse me, was it you two who returned my... wife’s coat?"
Yan nodded and smiled courteously. "The coat wasn’t dirty, and it looked expensive. The monks at Fayan Temple weren’t sure how to handle it, so since we happened to find it and managed to track down your company, we mailed it back."
A flicker of emotion passed through "Xie Zhen’s" eyes as he studied the youthful, clearly deeply affectionate couple before him.
"Thank you," Xie Zhen said with a nod.
"If it’s not too much trouble, could we exchange contact information? The elder we met at Fayan Temple left in a hurry, and we no longer have his business card," Xie Zhen continued.
In truth, the card had been kept safely—they had even sent someone to investigate the man who gave it, Boss Tu, the very same day they left Fayan Temple.
He was indeed a skilled feng shui master, but even he hadn’t detected anything unusual about them at the temple.
Clearly, the "solution" the monks spoke of wasn’t to be found at Fayan Temple, nor with its abbot, and certainly not with the feng shui expert.
Could it possibly lie with this seemingly inexperienced young couple?
Lan Ruo never underestimated anyone. She deftly obtained the couple’s phone numbers.
Perhaps the key to switching back was in their hands.
But she wasn’t in a hurry anymore. After the initial panic and desperation, though Lan Ruo still detested being trapped in Xie Zhen’s body, she had to admit that this bizarre situation had given her an entirely new perspective.
Being a man—especially a wealthy one—was surprisingly liberating.
"Xie Zhen" bid the young couple a polite farewell before tugging along "Lan Ruo," who was hissing low-voiced questions at him.
Yan and Zhu Jue stared at their newly added WeChat contacts, exchanging puzzled glances.
They waited until the couple had left before exiting the church. "What was that about?" Yan scratched his head.
"We’ll find out when she messages us," Zhu Jue mused.
"Well, I forwarded Boss Tu’s contact to them," Yan said.
After all, "Xie Zhen" had used that as an excuse to ask for their details. Maybe it’d even bring Boss Tu a new client.
Last Tuesday, the four parents back in Ning City had received the jade bracelets and pendants mailed to them. The pendants were immediately hung in their cars, while the mothers declared the bracelets a godsend—with the heating blasting all day, the cool jade was a relief against their skin.
Yan and Jue Jue had dinner at a Western restaurant and strolled around the mall before heading back to campus.
With "Xie Zhen" added on WeChat, they discovered an unexpected perk: they now had front-row seats to the latest gossip.
From Christmas to New Year’s, they feasted on updates about the Xie couple—though not through WeChat, but via high-society tabloids.
**#Playboy Xie Second Young Master Turns Over a New Leaf—Gifts Wife a 300 Million Mansion for Christmas#**
**#New Year Auction: Xie Second Young Master Spends Nine Figures on Pink Diamond to Win His Wife’s Smile#**
*"From luxury estates to rare gems, Mrs. Xie remains stone-faced. How much gold will it take for the reformed playboy to reclaim her heart?"*
**#Exclusive: Mother Xie Slams Lan Ruo for ‘Failing to Bear Children’ at New Year Banquet—Xie Second Young Master Publicly Claims HE’s the Problem!#**
**#Xie Zhen Admits He’s ‘Infertile’—Takes Full Blame for Childless Marriage#**
Yan and Zhu Jue, devouring scandal after scandal: !!!
Sister Lan Ruo—absolute legend.
