After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 14

The morning jog took place around the stone-paved path in front of the villa—three laps in total, about twelve hundred meters. For girls who practiced singing and dancing every day, it wasn’t much of a workout.

Maybe it was thanks to her newly acquired superhuman arm strength, but Tang Ling found the run almost effortless. She even felt like she could hit the gym afterward and lift some weights.

After the jog, the girls gathered in the villa’s first-floor lounge to discuss their upcoming performance.

The production team had prepared three song options for each group to choose from. For Tan Shiyi’s team, the options were “The Tin Soldier,” “A Song for You,” and “Summer Equation.”

Just from the titles, one could tell the styles apart: The Tin Soldier was powerful and explosive, A Song for You was lyrical and tender, and Summer Equation fell under the bright and refreshing summer-pop category.

Pu Xiaoyu asked, “Alright, everyone—let’s hear your thoughts. Which song do you want to go with?”

Xiao Rong spoke up first. “I like Summer Equation. It matches the current season perfectly, and it’s not too difficult. Since we have a lot of people this time, something energetic and fun will look great on stage.”

Fu Xin nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we’ve already done emotional and high-energy numbers before. Something cute and playful for a change sounds good.”

Pu Xiaoyu turned toward Tan Shiyi. “What do you think, Shiyi?”

After a brief pause, Tan Shiyi replied, “Let’s go with Summer Equation. It’s friendly to both vocalists and dancers, and this kind of breezy, cheerful style fits the season.”

Pu Xiaoyu nodded. “Alright, then that’s settled—Summer Equation it is. For the costumes, do you girls prefer something bright and fresh in color? Maybe a little translucent and summery?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Great,” said Pu Xiaoyu. “I’ll let the production team know.”

After some discussion, the group decided to stage their performance like a small seaside play. The set would resemble a beach, with Pu Xiaoyu playing an ice cream vendor. The other trainees would appear in pairs, each taking turns to buy ice cream from her before joining together for the song and dance number.

Pu Xiaoyu picked up a pen. “Let’s divide up the lyrics next. I’m not that familiar with everyone yet—any preferences?”

The girls looked at one another, hesitant to speak first. There were ten members in total, meaning each person would get only a small part, so finding a section that suited them was especially important.

Cheng Qingyan was the first to break the silence. “The first two lines are in a lower register. I think Tang Ling and I are best suited for that range.”

Fu Xin blinked. “Wait—weren’t Tang Ling and Shiyi supposed to share the same part?”

Pu Xiaoyu looked at Tang Ling. “What do you think? Do you want to sing with Qingyan or with Shiyi?”

Tang Ling: “…”

Again with the choices! How was she supposed to know which one to pick?

She glanced at Tan Shiyi, then at Cheng Qingyan. Neither expression gave anything away.

Finally, Tan Shiyi spoke up, breaking the silence. “Let Tang Ling sing with Qingyan. If it’s always the two of us, the audience might get tired of seeing the same pairing. Besides, both of them have a bold, cool style—just make sure you adjust your stage presence accordingly.”

Pu Xiaoyu nodded. “Exactly. Since you two open the song, your energy will set the tone for the whole performance. Try to make it lively and full of charm.”

Cheng Qingyan replied coolly, “No problem.”

But as the morning rehearsal went on, it became clear that she was, in fact, full of problems.

The biggest one? She couldn’t smile to save her life.

Forget “lively” or “charming”—her expression screamed I hate everything.

The opening lines of Summer Equation went:

“Stepping on your shadow in secret, tiptoeing to cover your eyes,

Wanting to ask, was it you who left that strawberry ice cream on my desk last night?”

The melody was soft and low, but full of girlish playfulness and mischief. Unfortunately, Cheng Qingyan delivered it with the energy of a corporate resignation letter—cold and lifeless. The team spent ages just trying to fix those two lines.

Pu Xiaoyu patiently coached her. “Qingyan, I know the ‘cool idol’ image is trendy, but you still need to smile when the song calls for it. And not a forced smile—the kind that shows genuine joy, something that reaches your eyes and touches the audience. Try smiling for me.”

Cheng Qingyan stretched her lips awkwardly, producing something that could hardly be called a smile.

Pu Xiaoyu: “…”

“Okay, how about being a little mischievous? Playful?”

Cheng Qingyan deadpanned, “Teacher Pu, please don’t make things difficult for me.”

Pu Xiaoyu pressed a hand to her forehead. “Were all your past performances like this?”

Xiao Rong jumped in eagerly, “She’s always like this! People online even call her the ‘Expressionless Princess’!”

Pu Xiaoyu: “…”

After a moment of silence, she put on her serious mentor face. “Qingyan, having a unique style is good, but as part of a group, you need to match the team’s overall tone. You’ll need to work harder on your expressions.”

Cheng Qingyan nodded. “I understand. I’ll practice hard—I don’t want to hold the team back.”

When the clock struck twelve, morning practice officially ended. The girls headed downstairs in small groups to eat lunch in the villa’s dining room.

Tang Ling was about to follow them when Cheng Qingyan caught her by the arm.

Her eyes were half-lowered, her mood clearly subdued. “Tang Ling, can you help me practice facial expressions for a bit longer?”

Tang Ling: “Me?”

Cheng Qingyan answered earnestly, “I watched the previous episodes carefully. You usually look calm off-stage, but once you’re performing, your expressions are very compelling. I want to learn from you.”

Tang Ling blinked, surprised to discover she even had that strength. She didn’t have any other plans anyway, so she agreed easily. “Sure, though I’m not sure how much help I’ll be.”

Cheng Qingyan gave a polite nod. “Thank you.”

Downstairs, the smell of lunch drifted through the air. The others were already seated, chatting and laughing in the dining room.

Considering the large number of trainees, as well as the accompanying vocal and dance instructors and staff, the dining hall had been designed in a buffet style so everyone could serve themselves.

Tan Shiyi, He Junnian, and Fu Xin carried their trays and chose a table to sit at.

He Junnian glanced around. “Where’s Tang Ling? Haven’t seen her come down yet.”

Fu Xin replied, “Oh, I saw her just now—she was about to come down, but Cheng Qingyan stopped her. Maybe something came up. Should we wait for her?”

He Junnian nodded. “Sure, we’re not in any rush to eat anyway.”

The three of them sat chatting, not touching their food.

Before long, the conversation drifted toward Tang Ling.

Fu Xin sighed. “Honestly, when I first got assigned to the same group as Tang Ling, I was kind of intimidated. She didn’t have the best reputation online, and in person she seemed really aloof. I was terrified of making her mad. But when she took the initiative to teach me how to dance, she completely overturned my impression of her.”

He Junnian agreed. “Yeah, she’s really different from what the rumors say. She seems nice to everyone. She’s only known Cheng Qingyan for a day, right? But they already look so close.”

Fu Xin said, “Right? I think so too! She’s so kind to everyone. She even gave me a bottle of perfume once and told me to be more confident. Without her encouragement, I probably wouldn’t have opened up like this.”

Tan Shiyi’s expression darkened slightly. Without a word, she used a hair tie to pull her long hair into a ponytail. “Let’s just eat first. Who knows when she’ll come down—our food’s getting cold.”

Upstairs, in the practice room.

“Detected: Host’s Scummy A-value has increased by 1 point.”

“Detected: Host’s Scummy A-value has increased by another 1 point.”

“Detected: Host’s Scummy A-value has increased yet again by 1 point.”

Tang Ling listened to the relentless string of system notifications echoing in her head, and her smile slowly froze.

Wait—what the hell did she even do to deserve this?

“Xiao Nan, can I ask who the target is?”

“Reporting to Host: after checking, the target is Tan Shiyi!”

Tang Ling: “?”

She was completely dumbfounded. She hadn’t done anything—hadn’t even seen Tan Shiyi’s face today—so how on earth did things escalate like this?

Could it be that Tan Shiyi was venting to Pu Xiaoyu again, saying Tang Ling was about to be sent out to ‘pick up trash’ for her debut?

The mere thought of Tan Shiyi and Pu Xiaoyu together made Tang Ling feel inexplicably uneasy.

Cheng Qingyan noticed her strange expression and asked, “Tang Ling, what’s wrong?”

Tang Ling forced a smile. “How about we grab lunch first? We can continue practice this afternoon.”

The two walked downstairs, and just as they reached the restaurant entrance, they spotted two people standing there.

The woman standing slightly inside had short black hair, a light lilac suit jacket, and gold-rimmed glasses—Pu Xiaoyu’s signature look for the day.

The girl facing away had chestnut curls and was wearing the standard BeidouStar trainee uniform. That must be Tan Shiyi.

Tang Ling’s inner alarm bells went off immediately. Of course—it had to be them. The fated pair! She’d barely taken her eyes off them for a moment, and now they were already forming a bond?

Quick! Go break them up—now’s your chance!

Before she could even finish the thought, Tang Ling was already striding forward. “Teacher Pu, why aren’t you two going in to eat?”

The girl lowered her head. “I came to ask Teacher Pu for a leave of absence. I accidentally twisted my ankle just now, so I might not be able to join afternoon practice.”

“You twisted your ankle? Is it serious?” Tang Ling noticed her muffled tone and assumed she was in pain. “Do you need me to carry you back to your room?”

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise. “I, how could I trouble you like that.”

Tang Ling thought, What’s there to be embarrassed about? As long as you don’t send me out to pick up trash again, carrying you upstairs is nothing.

“It’s fine, come on up. I’ll take you back.”

Pu Xiaoyu smiled gently. “Then I’ll trouble you, Tang Ling. Please carry Zhizi back to her room to rest. I’ll call the program team and ask them to send a doctor.”

Tang Ling: “?”

Zhizi? What Zhizi?

Wait—so this girl wasn’t Tan Shiyi at all, but their new teammate, Fang Zhizi?

Fang Zhizi’s face flushed bright red. “Th-then I’ll really trouble you.”

At that moment, a new notification chimed in her mind:

“Detected: Host’s Scummy A-value has decreased by 10 points! Current value: 53 points. Host, keep up the good work!”

Tang Ling was speechless. Her feelings were complicated, but since she’d already offered, she could hardly take it back now.

Well, she thought as she crouched down, I’ll just consider this a small act of charity.