After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 12

Late May weather—no need to turn on the air conditioning, but it wasn’t exactly cool either. The air was stuffy, slightly oppressive.

Tang Ling felt as if sweat had broken out all over her body. She discreetly adjusted her shirt and subtly shifted a little away from Tan Shiyi.

As if on cue, the bus took a sharp turn, and Tan Shiyi’s body leaned against her again.

She wore a simple, fitted white T-shirt that outlined her curves beautifully. Her presence smelled soft and sweet, like a tempting piece of candy.

Looking up at Tang Ling, Tan Shiyi said, “Since we’re going to be roommates, please take care of me.”

They were so close that Tang Ling could feel Tan Shiyi’s warm breath on her neck. Her face flushed. “O-okay, likewise,” she replied softly.

Rubbing her eyes, Tan Shiyi’s bright gaze was now slightly drowsy. “Sorry. I’ll rest a bit. My head feels a little dizzy. Wake me when we arrive, okay?”

“Sure, of course,” Tang Ling responded, then—almost against her better judgment—added, “The bus is a bit bumpy. If you don’t mind, you can lean on my shoulder.”

The words had barely left her mouth before regret flooded in. Why had she offered that? It would definitely look like she had ulterior motives.

Surprisingly, Tan Shiyi only paused for a moment before lowering her gaze. “Thanks,” she said softly.

She adjusted into a comfortable position and rested her head on Tang Ling’s shoulder.

Tang Ling’s body froze entirely. She didn’t dare move, not even breathe fully.

Tan Shiyi was really tired. Soon, her breathing deepened slightly—she had fallen asleep.

Tang Ling stiffened further, feeling suffocated. She gently pulled the curtain with one hand, subtly shifted her weight to a more manageable position that wouldn’t disturb Tan Shiyi, and closed her eyes.

“If I post this photo online, I’ll easily get over ten thousand reposts, right?”

“Definitely. Right now, Tang Shi is the hottest.”

Hearing the chatter, Tang Ling opened her sleepy eyes and saw a short-haired girl smiling at her.

It was He Junnian.

“We’re here, we’re here! Look at you two sleeping—both of you so cozy,” He Junnian said, holding up her phone to show the candid photo she had snapped. The image was slightly blurry, but the girls leaning on each other gave it a dreamlike beauty.

Tang Ling quickly tapped Tan Shiyi and whispered, “Shiyi, we’re here. Wake up.”

Tan Shiyi didn’t open her eyes immediately as Tang Ling had expected. Instead, she nuzzled Tang Ling’s shoulder like a lazy cat, still keeping her eyes closed.

Clearly, she had slept soundly.

Tang Ling unfastened her own seatbelt and helped Tan Shiyi undo hers. She lightly patted Tan Shiyi’s shoulder. “Shiyi? Shiyi?”

Finally, Tan Shiyi opened her sleep-drenched eyes. She looked around, still dazed, then closed them for a moment before shaking her head lightly. “Sorry. I overslept.”

“What time is it now?”

He Junnian glanced at her phone. “Six forty.”

They had only slept for about half an hour.

He Junnian laughed. “Just a short nap, yet you both slept so soundly. Fu Xin and I barely put our phones down before we arrived.”

Tang Ling felt a little dazed. She wasn’t the type to fall asleep anywhere easily, so sleeping this well meant the program had truly exhausted her.

She stood up to take Tan Shiyi’s backpack from the overhead rack. “Let’s get off.”

Once off the bus, they saw they had arrived at a villa-style estate. White walls and blue roof tiles gave the mansion a quiet elegance, European in style, almost like a castle from a fairy tale. Surrounding it was lush woods; the white tiled path extended forward, flanked by rows of verdant pine trees. A fountain sprayed water gracefully not far ahead.

The girls were thrilled with the surroundings:

“This villa is gorgeous! It must be so expensive!”

“I’d love to live in a house like this someday!”

“Sis, you can live here right now!”

Fu Xin also sighed, “This villa is really grand. I wonder who our backing vocal coach will be.”

Tang Ling’s heart tensed again at that thought. She was always ready to enter combat mode, determined to sabotage Tan Shiyi and Pu Xiaoyu’s relationship!

The production crew called out, “Ladies, let’s take a group photo in front of the fountain!”

The girls jostled and argued over positions:

“Xiao Rong, I want to stand next to you!”

“I’ll stand with Cheng Qingyan!”

“Who’s in the middle?”

“Of course, Tan Shiyi! She and Tang Ling will stand together. The Tang Shi CP is our image!”

The girls cheered, “Tang Shi! Tang Shi!”

Tang Ling was pushed and prodded until she bumped into Tan Shiyi. Meeting her clear, serene gaze, Tang Ling nervously licked her lips. Without thinking, she wrapped an arm around Tan Shiyi’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s take the photo!”

The girls screamed in excitement.

Outwardly, Tang Ling appeared calm, but inside she was a mess, anxiously waiting for the voice of her system, Xiao Nan, to alert her.

Time passed but nothing happened.

Tang Ling blinked. “?”

Was this normal? Had the system broken?

For the first time, she actively summoned Xiao Nan. “Xiao Nan, are you there?”

A cheerful voice rang in her mind immediately: “I’m here, host!”

“Why hasn’t my Scummy Alpha value fluctuated recently?”

“Reporting, host: you haven’t done anything that could trigger a change in your Scummy Alpha value!”

Tang Ling tried hard to keep her expression neutral. “How can that be? I literally just hugged Tan Shiyi!”

“Host, seeing you so motivated makes me really happy!” Xiao Nan chirped brightly. “But, Host, in the target—Tan Shiyi’s—eyes, your behavior still isn’t Alpha enough! You need to keep working harder!”

Motivated, my ass.

Tang Ling felt utterly speechless. “Alright, alright, you can shut up now.”

Why had Tan Shiyi’s tolerance for her suddenly gone through the roof lately?

The group photo session finally ended.

“You’re still not letting go?” Tan Shiyi raised her eyes, looking at her calmly.

If there was ever a time to dig her own grave, this was it—and Tang Ling really, really wanted to dig.

Testing the waters, she asked, “Can I hold you a little longer?”

Before Tan Shiyi could respond, she tightened her arms around her.

Tan Shiyi froze for half a second, then gave a soft laugh as she gently pried Tang Ling’s hands off her waist. “No, you may not.”

Tang Ling stood there for two long seconds—still alive. No lightning strike. No divine retribution.

Seeing Tan Shiyi about to walk off, she quickly caught up. “Let me carry your luggage for you?”

“No need. You’ve got two suitcases of your own.”

Soon, the group arrived at the gates of the villa.

According to the original novel’s plot, this was supposed to be Tan Shiyi and Pu Xiaoyu’s first meeting.

In the story, Pu Xiaoyu was written as an SS-Class Alpha—tall, elegant, with sharply defined features and sleek black short hair. The very picture of elite refinement. Completely different from Tang Ling’s style.

And what was Tang Ling’s style? Smoking, drinking, getting perms, tattoos, and hitting the club circuit—basically, walking chaos.

She’d studied this world’s version of herself closely. The facial features were the same as before—sharp, attractive, actually quite Alpha-looking. It was just the bright red, wild curls and the rose tattoo on her collarbone that screamed “untrustworthy.” Clean her up a little and she could absolutely rebrand herself as a respectable Alpha.

But not today.

“Ahhh, I’m so nervous! Do you think our guest mentor will open the door for us?”

“Who do you think it is? Have you guessed?”

“Shiyi, you’re our team leader—go ahead and ring the bell!”

Tan Shiyi stepped forward. “Alright, everyone ready? I’m pressing it now.”

Tang Ling hurried to stand behind her, all smiles. “Let me hold your bag for you?”

Tan Shiyi gave her a suspicious look but, since they were on camera, couldn’t really refuse. “Thanks,” she said, handing it over.

Tang Ling positioned herself right behind Tan Shiyi, looking for all the world like her personal bodyguard.

“Ding-dong.”

Someone inside must have been waiting, because the door opened almost immediately. A woman appeared, smiling warmly. “I’ve been waiting for you all—finally, you’re here.”

The girls outside exploded.

“Ahhh! It’s Pu Xiaoyu!”

“Oh my god, my goddess! I can’t believe I’m seeing her in person!”

“Xiao Yu, I’m literally going to be too nervous to sleep tonight!”

Pu Xiaoyu smiled at their excited reactions, her gaze eventually landing on Tan Shiyi. “You must be Tan Shiyi?”

Tan Shiyi said her line exactly as scripted: “Hello, Ms. Pu. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Pu Xiaoyu’s smile deepened. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Come in, all of you.”

Now was her chance—Tang Ling blurted out, “Ms. Pu, have you heard of me too? I’m Tang Ling.”

Tan Shiyi: “?”

Pu Xiaoyu froze slightly. She had already noticed the tall girl standing behind Tan Shiyi, but she hadn’t expected her to speak up now. Was this girl trying to steal the spotlight, or was she just naturally clueless?

“Of course I have,” Pu Xiaoyu said graciously. “The Tang Shi CP is all over the place these days. You two are really popular.”

“I’ve always admired you,” Tang Ling said, flawlessly bullshitting. “I’ve seen every drama you’ve starred in. I’m really happy to meet you.”

Pu Xiaoyu studied her—so calm and composed, not a hint of actual excitement anywhere. She decided not to bother overthinking it. “Come in, everyone. You must be tired from the trip.”

The girls entered one after another, trying to contain their excitement as they took in the spotless, elegantly designed interior.

“Are you sure we’re allowed to stay here?”

“This is so much better than our old dorms!”

“I’m in love with this place already—I never want to leave!”

Pu Xiaoyu smiled and introduced, “Welcome to our little castle. For the next two weeks, we’ll be living and training together. This is my first time being a mentor on this show, so please take care of me too.”

One girl asked, “Ms. Pu, how are the rooms assigned?”

“All the rooms are doubles, located on the third and fourth floors. You can choose freely who to room with.”

Tang Ling immediately recalled that in the original plot, Tan Shiyi and Pu Xiaoyu’s relationship deepened quickly—because they happened to live on the same floor, in neighboring rooms.

Absolutely not. She could not let that happen.

Without thinking, Tang Ling grabbed Tan Shiyi’s wrist.

“Shiyi,” she said earnestly, “can I room with you?”