After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 19

Tang Ling thought she must have misheard. “What did you just say?”

Tan Shiyi lowered her head. “Nothing. Just close the door. You can leave the light on.”

Tang Ling turned back toward the bed. “Didn’t you just tell me not to leave?”

Tan Shiyi mumbled, “You heard me, didn’t you?”

“I wasn’t sure I heard right.” Tang Ling dragged a chair over and sat by her bedside. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling really unwell?”

Tan Shiyi’s voice was soft. “No.”

She just felt lonely—unsafe, somehow hollow inside.

Tang Ling could understand that feeling. When she was young, she’d also lain in bed with a fever, staring at the cracks in the ceiling, feeling small and desolate. Being sick had a way of stripping a person down, leaving only the raw need for company.

“How about I tell you a story?”

Tan Shiyi blinked, surprised. “You can tell stories?”

“Why does that sound so unbelievable?” Tang Ling chuckled. Before she came here, she’d had a younger sister back home. Sometimes, it was her job to tell bedtime stories until the little one fell asleep.

“Then, tell me one.”

“Lie down properly and close your eyes.”

Tan Shiyi obediently lay back, turning her head toward Tang Ling. “Can’t I watch you while you tell it?”

A strange heat crept up Tang Ling’s chest. She licked her lips lightly. “If you look at me like that, I probably won’t be able to get a word out.”

Tan Shiyi seemed to consider that seriously. Then she nodded, closed her eyes, and curled up on her side facing Tang Ling, quietly waiting.

“A long, long time ago, in a great forest, there lived a family of foxes. When winter came.”

Tang Ling told her one of Tang Jia’s favorite picture book stories. It was simple but warm, the kind that soothed loneliness and made a room feel less empty.

Halfway through, Tan Shiyi’s breathing evened out.

She’d fallen asleep.

Tang Ling leaned forward and whispered, “Shiyi? Shiyi?”

No response.

She gently tucked the blanket around her, moved the chair back to its place, and turned off the lights—leaving only a small lamp glowing by the bed. Standing at the door for a moment to make sure everything was fine, she quietly slipped out.

Inside the room, Tan Shiyi slowly opened her eyes again. She pulled the blanket tighter—the same one Tang Ling had just tucked in—and stared at the little lamp for a long time before finally closing her eyes once more.

They say illness comes like a mountain falling, and Tan Shiyi, who rarely got sick, was completely knocked down this time.

Her limbs were weak, her throat inflamed until she could barely speak—let alone sing.

Someone who had always been focused entirely on performing now found herself bedridden, growing anxious enough to break out in stress pimples across her forehead.

Even so, she insisted on joining the daily rehearsals. When her body gave out, she would sit quietly on the side, observing and giving feedback.

After discussing performance details with Tang Ling, Tan Shiyi decided to simplify their stage routine—cutting some of the flashier, more complicated sections. The performance became cleaner, lighter, more fluid.

The group was split into two teams: Tang Ling oversaw vocals, while Tan Shiyi handled choreography.

The choreography was simpler now, but Tan Shiyi’s standards became even stricter—she would not allow a single mistake.

That, however, was tough on Fang Zhizi. Having taken several days off earlier, she couldn’t quite keep up. Within one morning, Tan Shiyi called her out multiple times.

The young girl was on the verge of tears, hiding pitifully in the corner to wipe her eyes.

The others were also growing tired under such intense training. Though they outwardly cooperated, it was clear they were running low on enthusiasm.

Sensing the tension, Fu Xin stepped in to ease things. “Shiyi, maybe we should take a short break—let everyone adjust a bit?”

Tan Shiyi nodded.

While the others gathered around Fang Zhizi to comfort her, Tan Shiyi sat alone at the edge of the room, quietly twisting open a bottle of water.

Pu Xiaoyu walked over. “Aren’t you going to check on her?”

Tan Shiyi rasped, her voice rough from illness. “I didn’t say anything harsh. I just corrected her.”

Pu Xiaoyu sat beside her with a small smile. “You’re not quite what I expected.”

Tan Shiyi turned to her, puzzled.

“When I watched your footage before, I thought you were the soft, gentle type,” Pu Xiaoyu said, rolling her shoulders back. “But after meeting you—I see you’ve got quite the stubborn streak.”

Tan Shiyi lowered her gaze. “Sorry to disappoint, Teacher Pu. I do tend to take things seriously.”

Pu Xiaoyu chuckled. “Don’t apologize. I actually like that about you—there’s a kind of strength in it. It’s quite charming.”

Before Tan Shiyi could fully process what quite charming meant, the door to the practice room swung open and the girls from the vocal team came in, chatting noisily.

He Junnian spoke in her usual carefree tone. “You’re all taking a break too, huh? What’s everyone crowding around here for?”

As soon as Fang Zhizi saw Tang Ling enter, she quickly wiped her tears. “Tang Ling-jie.”

Even though Tang Ling was terrible at recognizing faces, she could easily tell from those red-rimmed eyes that the girl had been crying. “What’s going on? Why are you crying?”

Fu Xin lowered her voice and explained, “Zhizi couldn’t keep up with the choreography. Shiyi pointed it out, and she got a little upset.”

Looking at the younger girl with her head down, looking for all the world like a scolded puppy, Tang Ling couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle her hair. “I thought it was something serious. If you can’t keep up, just practice more. Don’t cry. Your Shiyi-jie’s only trying to help you. Don’t blame her, okay?”

Fang Zhizi sniffled and nodded, her nose still pink. “I’m not blaming Shiyi-jie. I just feel useless for dragging everyone down.”

Tang Ling comforted her gently. “There are still a few days left before the performance. Take it slow, you’ll get there.”

Her words only made Fang Zhizi’s nose sting more, and tears threatened to fall again.

Tang Ling, completely defeated, sighed. “Alright, alright, stop crying. Where’s your Shiyi-jie? I’ll go talk to her.”

Fu Xin pointed to the side. “Isn’t she right over there?”

Tang Ling followed her gaze—and immediately felt a chill run down her spine. She might not recognize Tan Shiyi by face, but there was no mistaking Pu Xiaoyu’s signature gold-rimmed glasses.

Seriously, what kind of mysterious magnetism did these two have? Leave them alone for five minutes and they’d somehow end up together again!

She didn’t have time to think further and quickly stepped forward. “Teacher Pu, Shiyi—you’re both here!”

Pu Xiaoyu rose and adjusted her glasses with a calm smile. “How’s the practice going?”

“Pretty good. Everyone’s getting the hang of it.” Tang Ling’s gaze lingered on Tan Shiyi. “I heard Zhizi made you upset?”

Tan Shiyi had already felt sour watching Tang Ling coax Fang Zhizi with such tender patience. Now, hearing her ask that, her mood only worsened. Her face was expressionless as she replied, “No.”

“‘Detected: Host’s Scummy Alpha Index has increased by 3 points!’”

Tang Ling froze at the sudden voice of Xiao Nan, the system that had been silent for ages.

She instantly realized she’d said something wrong—but what? What had she stepped on this time?

Awkwardly, she chuckled. “I knew it, you wouldn’t take it to heart. She’s just a kid—doesn’t know any better.”

“‘Detected: Host’s Scummy Alpha Index has increased by another 3 points!’”

Tang Ling: “?”

What was she supposed to say, then? That the kid doesn’t know better, so if you scold her, she deserves it?

Tan Shiyi lowered her eyes. “I merely pointed out her mistakes objectively. I didn’t make things hard for her, and I certainly wasn’t targeting her. You didn’t have to come here to confront me.”

Tang Ling: “?”

“I’m not confronting you,” she said, bewildered. “I just wanted to check if you were feeling better. Do you still have a fever?”

Tan Shiyi’s voice was cool. “It’s much better now.”

Sensing the tension, Pu Xiaoyu smiled and patted Tan Shiyi’s shoulder. “Come on, look at you—still saying you’re not upset, but your face is all stiff. Come downstairs with me; I asked the housekeeper to make some dried tangerine peel and pear soup for you. It’s good for your throat.”

Tan Shiyi blinked in surprise. “You made it especially for me?”

“Of course. A special batch, just for you,” Pu Xiaoyu replied with a smile. “Starting to think about becoming my junior yet?”

Tan Shiyi’s bright eyes flickered, and she quickly lowered her head.

“I’m teasing,” Pu Xiaoyu chuckled. “Come on, it won’t taste good once it cools.”

She reached out a hand to help Tan Shiyi up, but before she could, Tan Shiyi stood on her own.

Pu Xiaoyu glanced at her still-outstretched hand, then laughed lightly and withdrew it, unbothered.

Meanwhile, Tang Ling felt as though she’d taken ten thousand points of damage straight to the heart.

Junior right. How could she have forgotten that part?

In the original novel, the original Tang Ling had been reckless and lazy during the training camp and was quickly eliminated. Later, in order to keep controlling Tan Shiyi, she pressured Tan Shiyi’s small agency with a series of unreasonable demands. The company couldn’t resist under the weight of the Tang family’s power.

It was then that Pu Xiaoyu intervened—personally contacting the company’s executives, pulling strings, and successfully poaching Tan Shiyi to Acorn Entertainment, effectively protecting her.

That incident had also brought Pu Xiaoyu into contact with the Tang family’s management, leading to the eventual discovery that the two girls had been switched at birth.

But now—Tang Ling hadn’t done any of those things yet. So why was Pu Xiaoyu already interested in poaching Tan Shiyi?

Could it be that Pu Xiaoyu was already in touch with the Tang family’s leadership? Was Tang Ling’s secret as a fake heiress about to come to light?

Her mind was in chaos. She’d thought she’d finally managed to smooth things over with Tan Shiyi, but it seemed one wrong step could still land her back at rock bottom—maybe even out on the streets, picking up trash!

Since Pu Xiaoyu had specifically said the pear soup was “a special batch,” Tang Ling couldn’t very well follow them. She could only watch helplessly as the two disappeared down the stairs together.