After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 10

In the Beidou Star Training Program, all trainees’ phones were confiscated. They could only use them during specific hours for official activities.

Of course, there were exceptions—like Jiang Manli, who had secretly stashed away her phone. Every night, she’d huddle under her blanket playing games, and somehow always managed to be the first to catch wind of online gossip.

And this time, the latest “melon” had fallen right onto Tang Ling’s head.

“Let me see.” Tang Ling took the phone and read through it carefully.

It all started rather simply—with the bonus footage from the third episode.

Some of Ying Kener’s fans had noticed that during the prep period, including their trip to the supermarket, Ying Kener had been quite lively. But once they reached the campsite, she seemed to have vanished completely.

Her fans began questioning the production team: why did Ying Kener barely get any screen time? Why didn’t she appear in the later photo shoot, or even post on Weibo afterward?

The production team explained that Ying Kener hadn’t been feeling well during the shoot and had left early.

That should’ve been the end of it—except a netizen claiming to be an “insider” from Beidou Star spoke up.

“Sisters, I work for Beidou Star. What I’m about to say is 100% true. Kener wasn’t sick at all—she was bullied by Tang Ling! She didn’t leave early that day; she stayed in the tent the whole time.”

Naturally, most netizens didn’t buy it.

“Tang Ling and Ying Kener seemed to get along just fine. She doesn’t look like the bullying type.”

“Are you delusional? They’re all adults, and there were cameras everywhere. Go ahead—try bullying someone on set, let’s see.”

But the so-called insider insisted confidently:

“You all think you know Tang Ling just because you watched Peach Blossoms Crease? Please. Do a quick search on her old scandals—Miss Tang from the Tang family isn’t who you think she is.”

That was all it took. The comment section exploded. People started digging into Tang Ling’s past, and the deeper they went, the worse it looked.

“I’ve got nothing against smoking, drinking, perming, or tattoos, but doing all that in middle school? That’s a bit much. Emmmm, unfollowed.”

“Tang Ling really lives up to her ‘8-5-7’ lifestyle—party all day, every day. And she’s got a new girl on her arm every time.”

“Oh, I remember now! Didn’t she join a talent show a couple of years ago but got disqualified for rigging the votes?”

“I can’t believe this is what she’s really like off-camera. I’m done.”

Soon, Tang Ling’s Weibo page was overrun with hate, especially under her latest post, “Camping.”

“Bullied Ying Kener and now you’re clout-chasing Tan Shiyi? Disgusting.”

“While Kener was hiding in the tent crying, you had the nerve to post this? No guilt at all?”

“I’m officially announcing the downfall of the TangShi CP.”

“I’m taking my baby Tongtong and running—please don’t let her get fooled by Tang Ling.”

Most of Tang Ling’s fans were new and not exactly loyal. One by one, they went silent.

Tang Ling calmly finished reading the comments and handed the phone back to Jiang Manli.

“I get it. Let’s go to sleep.”

Jiang Manli’s eyes went wide. “Sleep? You can sleep after this?”

Tang Ling sighed. “What else am I supposed to do? Stay up all night arguing in the comments?”

Let them scold, she thought. After all, they were scolding the original Tang Ling, not her.

By the next morning, things had only gotten worse.

Because Ying Kener had officially withdrawn from the show.

She posted a long, carefully worded statement on Weibo—starting with some polite remarks about how much she’d learned in the training camp, how she’d made many new friends, and how grateful she was for the opportunity.

Then came the subtext-laden explanation: due to “personal reasons,” she couldn’t quite integrate with the group. And as a debut artist, her career path didn’t align with what the camp could offer, so she had no choice but to leave.

In other words.

1. She was ostracized.

2. The show hadn’t given her the treatment she deserved.

The production team hadn’t expected her to pull something like this. They called an emergency meeting for the Wildfire team first thing in the morning.

Everyone except Tang Ling and Tan Shiyi looked utterly bewildered.

Xia Yutong slammed her hands on the table. “Ugh! She totally played the victim card! So, what if she’s debuted? I debuted too—why don’t I act all fragile about it?”

For once, He Junnian didn’t argue with Xia Yutong. She also couldn’t understand why Ying Kener, who had seemed perfectly fine, would suddenly quit—claiming she couldn’t fit in. It was hurtful, honestly.

The team leader hesitated for a moment, then asked carefully, “Just to confirm—there hasn’t been any bullying among members, right?”

Her gaze lingered on Tang Ling.

“I haven’t.”

The leader nodded. “Good. There’s been some negative buzz online, but our PR team will handle it. Try not to let it affect you.”

Tan Shiyi remained silent the entire time, her lashes lowered as soft strands of hair framed her face—masking whatever emotions lay beneath.

When the meeting ended, the group returned to the practice room in silence.

There were only three days left before the second public performance. With one member gone, the song and choreography had to be completely rearranged.

Xia Yutong complained, “That Ying Kener is way too selfish. I never thought she’d be the quiet scheming type. Quitting at a time like this—what’s that supposed to mean?”

Tan Shiyi stood up after a pause. “It’s my fault. I’ve dragged everyone down.”

Everyone turned to look at her.

Tang Ling said, “What does this have to do with you? If anyone’s to blame, it’s me for being too impulsive.”

Xia Yutong looked puzzled. “Wait—what do you mean? You two know why she quit?”

Seeing Tan Shiyi lower her head in guilt, Tang Ling couldn’t help speaking up. “Remember during the first performance when Shiyi had a stomachache? It was because Ying Kener spiked her milk.”

Everyone gasped in shock.

“What? She drugged her? That’s disgusting!”

“But we’re on the same team. What could she possibly get out of that?”

“Why didn’t you report it to the show staff?”

“We checked the surveillance footage,” Tan Shiyi explained. “But that spot happened to be a blind zone. You could see her walking over, but there wasn’t enough evidence.”

Tang Ling continued, “So on the day of the camping trip, I tried to test her a bit. Sure enough, her reaction gave it away.”

He Junnian thought back. “Right. After that day, she started keeping her distance from us.”

Fu Xin felt a complicated tangle of emotions. “And to think, just last night we stayed up late helping her design her outfit. She did something wrong and still had the nerve to turn it around on us.”

Tan Shiyi pressed her lips together. “Right now, what we should be focusing on is our stage performance. There are only three days left, and since the news about Ying Kener has already started spreading online, our group’s votes will probably take a hit.”

That meant one thing—someone from their team was likely to be eliminated.

The ones feeling the most pressure were Gu Ruxuan and Fu Xin.

Seeing the group of dejected girls in front of her, Tang Ling spoke up.

“Actually, I have a recording from that day. The question is—do you want to give her the benefit of the doubt or not?”

Tan Shiyi blinked in surprise. “You recorded it?”

Xia Yutong’s eyes lit up. “A’ling! Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“I was afraid Shiyi wouldn’t want to make the incident public.”

Tang Ling remembered that, at first, Tan Shiyi hadn’t even wanted to check the surveillance footage.

She looked over at her. “Would you be okay with making this public?”

Tan Shiyi thought for a moment, then nodded firmly. “Yes. I don’t want our team to be criticized because of her.”

Tang Ling nodded back. “Got it. Leave it to me.”

She immediately contacted Ah Tong, and within an hour, Ah Tong arrived at the training camp to help retrieve the video and audio files.

Ah Tong was a tall Beta in her mid-twenties with big, loose curls and the poised confidence of an older sister type.

The girls all trusted her and gathered around to help her compile the evidence.

Tang Ling asked, “Do we have enough material to take her down?”

Ah Tong shook her head. “Not quite. Your conversation with her was too vague.”

Tang Ling had only recorded the conversation in the car, where they spoke in hints—mentioning “things that shouldn’t have been done”—without any specifics.

Tang Ling nodded. “That’s fine. I have more.”

Before long, Jiang Manli arrived with her teammates. One of the girls in her group had previously worked under Ying Kener’s agency but left after she couldn’t stand their shady business practices anymore. She was the one who’d supplied Jiang Manli with insider information before.

This girl had basically endured months undercover—collecting evidence instead of doing actual work. She’d kept detailed records of every time the agency forced young artists to “entertain” executives, even taking photos. Some of those photos included Ying Kener.

The girl said, “Didn’t they criticize Tang Ling for smoking, drinking, dyeing her hair, getting tattoos, and clubbing? Ha! I’ve got pictures—Ying Kener does all of that too. They said Tang Ling’s a party girl? I’ve got proof Ying Kener’s the same. Whatever dirt they threw at you, I can throw right back with receipts!”

Tang Ling sighed. “Don’t look at me. I’ve quit all that—no more smoking, drinking, dyeing, tattoos, or clubbing. I swear.”

That afternoon, with Beidou Star’s official approval, Tang Ling used her personal account to post a full explanation of the Ying Kener incident. The video included a clip showing Ying Kener lingering near Tan Shiyi’s milk, along with the camping-day recording.

Finally, Tang Ling openly shared the photos that had sparked so much online criticism.

“There’s nothing to deny—yes, the person in these photos is me.

They capture a part of my past when I was immature, but they’re also a part of who I am.

From now on, I’ll do my best to show everyone better work.

If possible, I hope you can get to know me again, accept me again, and recognize me for who I am.

My name is Tang Ling.”

Originally, Ah Tong had written one last line for the post: “A girl who once smoked, drank, dyed her hair, got tattoos, and went clubbing.”

Tang Ling deleted it immediately. Too cringe. Was she never going to live that down?

As for the rest of Ying Kener’s dirt and photos—they were handed off to marketing accounts for exposure.

Within half an hour of Tang Ling’s post going up, public opinion had completely flipped.