After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 26

After the new group divisions were finalized, the host announced the rules for the fourth performance round.

Unlike the previous three rounds, this one had a completely different format — each girl had to freely choose and submit a song, rearrange it independently, and ultimately perform as part of a band.

In other words, every trainee had only ten days to learn and master an instrument well enough to perform it confidently on stage.

The practice room instantly fell into chaos.

“But I don’t know how to play any instrument?!”

“I thought this was a singing and dancing competition! Since when do we need to play something?”

“That’s it, I’m doomed. I’m going to get eliminated.”

Tang Ling looked around the room; every group seemed equally tense.

She turned to her own teammates. “Alright, let’s talk it out. What instruments can you play?”

Fang Zhizi replied first, “Jie, I can handle the bass pretty well.”

Cheng Qingyan said, “I’ve learned electric piano before — I’ll be the keyboardist.”

Lu Yao chimed in, “I’ve practiced the drums a little.”

Chi Ningrui hesitated. “I only learned the ukulele back in school, not very professional. Will that work?”

Tang Ling thought for a moment — not bad so far. Finally, she turned to Jiang Manli. “And you?”

Jiang Manli scratched her cheek and laughed awkwardly. “You know me, jie, uh, air guitar? You know, boom-chk-boom-chk?”

Tang Ling: “…”

Tang Ling sighed. “Could you maybe name something that actually exists?”

Jiang Manli: “Uh, maracas? Sleigh bells? Clappers? You know, those things they use in KTVs?”

Tang Ling: “…”

Is she treating this like an elementary school music class?

Expressionless, Tang Ling said, “Good thing I can play guitar. We’re actually a complete setup now. Jiang Manli, you’ll be our lead vocalist.”

Jiang Manli cheered like she’d just won the lottery. She didn’t have to learn anything complicated—just sing. She immediately threw her arms open to hug Tang Ling. “Ling-jie, you’re the best!”

Tang Ling pushed her away with a grimace. “Don’t celebrate too soon. If you don’t sing well, we’re all done for.”

This round’s elimination rules were especially brutal: on performance day, the bottom four teams would lose half of their lowest-ranked members in the public vote. That meant if their stage didn’t go well, Jiang Manli, Fang Zhizi, and Chi Ningrui were all at risk of being cut.

Jiang Manli saluted playfully. “Roger that, I’ll get the job done!”

Tang Ling: “…”

Why do I feel even less confident now?

When filming wrapped up, the trainees boarded the bus back to their dorms.

After the cohabitation segment ended, Tang Ling moved back into the Alpha dorms — still sharing a room with Jiang Manli.

Jiang Manli was a chatterbox, full of endless gossip, constantly babbling to Tang Ling.

Tang Ling was on her phone, scrolling through song options online, half-listening with occasional “mm”s and “uh-huh”s. Unfortunately, her indifference did nothing to dampen Jiang Manli’s enthusiasm.

“Ling-jie, I think I’m really in love with Lu Yao. She’s got that stubborn little temper—totally my type! So, how did you and Tan Shiyi get close? Any tips for making me and Lu Yao go viral as a ship too?”

Tang Ling rubbed her temples. “Can you be quiet for a minute.”

Just then, a Weibo notification popped up — a message from a friend.

Tang Ling tapped the red dot and froze when she saw the sender: bunny.

“Tan Shiyi?” Tang Ling blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected Tan Shiyi to message her on Weibo. Then again, they hadn’t exchanged any other contact info.

bunny: “Tang Ling, are you there?”

Tang Ling: “Here. What’s wrong?”

bunny: “I need a little help with something. Can we meet?”

Tang Ling: “Sure. When and where?”

bunny: “Practice room 5203. Right now.”

Tang Ling: “On my way.”

Tang Ling quickly changed clothes and headed for the door.

Jiang Manli leaned against the doorway, grinning and waggling her brows. “Ling-jie, you just got back and you’re already running off for a date?”

Tang Ling nearly choked. “Manli-jie, can we not? How about this — while I’m gone, you pick a song for us. Something you like and we can actually pull off. Big responsibility, okay?”

Easily flattered, Jiang Manli immediately nodded. “Got it! Don’t forget to teach me how to flirt with girls when you get back!”

Tang Ling: “…”

Keep dreaming.

Practice Room 5203.

Tan Shiyi sat by the window, gazing absentmindedly at the moon outside.

After a full day of performances, she was utterly exhausted. The building was almost deserted — few trainees came to practice this late, and the quiet emptiness of the entire floor felt strangely cold.

She wasn’t used to it.

Ever since entering the training camp, her days had been filled with nonstop rehearsals and people — she was never alone. Now, with the silence pressing in, it felt like something was missing.

And indeed, something was.

Tang Ling.

They weren’t in the same team anymore.

At some point, she’d grown used to having Tang Ling nearby. Even when they didn’t speak, just knowing Tang Ling was there made her feel grounded.

But now, they were competitors, no longer teammates — they wouldn’t even practice in the same room again.

The thought left an empty ache in her chest.

She never expected their relationship to become like this.

When she’d first walked out of Tang Ling’s room, all she’d felt was humiliation and anger at being teased. Joining Tang Ling’s group for the first performance had been a purely strategic decision — to strengthen her team’s lineup.

And yet, somewhere along the way, everything had changed.

However, after spending time together, she realized that Tang Ling wasn’t as calculating or manipulative as she had imagined, nor was she as indifferent to everything as she seemed. Instead, Tang Ling was stubbornly principled, with a strong sense of justice—and the occasional moment of absent-mindedness made her unexpectedly endearing.

It drew her in, beyond her control.

It made her reach for her phone and send Tang Ling a message before she could stop herself.

In truth, Tan Shiyi had learned a bit of music before. The orphanage had an old piano, and one of the caretakers had taught her to play. She wasn’t particularly skilled, but if she focused on practicing a single song for ten days, performing it onstage wouldn’t be a problem.

Yet at this moment, she didn’t want to admit that she could play the piano.

She wanted an excuse—an excuse to see Tang Ling every day.

Since Tang Ling was willing to teach Fu Xin to dance and to help Cheng Qingyan with expression control, she probably wouldn’t refuse to teach her an instrument, would she?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway.

Tan Shiyi quickly straightened up, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smoothed her collar, and composed herself.

A second later, Tang Ling pushed the door open.

Her breathing was still a little uneven, her gaze falling on Tan Shiyi. “What’s wrong? Did you need something from me?”

Tan Shiyi lowered her eyes. “Nothing important. I just wanted to ask—has your group decided on the division of roles yet?”

Tang Ling blinked, then nodded. “Yeah, we’ve figured it out. Our group’s pretty balanced, actually—everyone has their own strengths. What about yours?”

Tan Shiyi shook her head. “Not yet. Most of my group members are dancers; not many of us can play instruments. We’ll probably have to learn from scratch.”

Tang Ling tried to comfort her. “It’s fine, don’t worry. The show said we could choose and rearrange the songs freely—they’ll definitely arrange lessons for you guys. Learning on the spot isn’t a bad thing.”

Tan Shiyi said softly, “You know my background. I never really had the chance to study music. I’m completely blank in this area. I’m afraid I’ll drag the whole team down.”

Tang Ling waved it off. “That’s nothing—you’re smart, you’ll pick things up fast. You’ll be fine.”

But no matter how she tried to steer the conversation, Tang Ling wasn’t getting the hint. So, Tan Shiyi pressed further. “What role do you have in your group?”

“Guitarist,” Tang Ling replied. “But I’m really just a beginner. I still need a lot of practice.”

In truth, the original Tang Ling had been far beyond beginner level—born into a prominent family, she’d been forced to master several refined skills. But this Tang Ling, who had inherited the original’s memories, had never actually learned to play herself, so she dared not brag.

Tan Shiyi, on the other hand, was starting to grow anxious. They’d talked for so long, and Tang Ling still hadn’t offered to teach her.

Biting her lip, she finally asked outright, “Then, could you teach me to play the guitar?”

Tang Ling froze. “Huh? So that’s why you came to find me?”

Disappointment flickered across Tan Shiyi’s face. “Is that not okay?”

Tang Ling scratched her head. “It’s not that it’s not okay, I just think I’m not as good as a real teacher.”

Tan Shiyi lowered her head. “A real teacher wouldn’t still be here this late.”

Even someone as dense as Tang Ling could sense the vulnerability in her tone. She replayed Tan Shiyi’s words in her mind—“teacher,” “professional teacher”.

Cautiously, she asked, “You’re not feeling a bit… uncomfortable being away from Teacher Pu, are you?”

Tan Shiyi frowned. “What does Teacher Pu have to do with this?”

Perfect—nothing to do with her. In the original storyline, Tan Shiyi and Pu Xiaoyu had only started building a connection during the competition, with their relationship truly developing later on a dating show. Judging by Tan Shiyi’s tone now, her interference had clearly worked.

Tang Ling quickly said, “It’s just guitar, right? As long as you’re willing to learn, I’ll teach you.”

Finally, Tan Shiyi smiled, rising to her feet and walking toward the practice room’s instrument area. “Then could you start by teaching me how to hold the guitar? I don’t even know the basics.”

The two of them practiced together until eleven that night before leaving the studio.

Once she picked up the guitar, Tang Ling realized her hands still remembered the movements. Her fingers flowed over the electric guitar with surprising ease.

Tan Shiyi learned quickly, too—not only mastering the correct posture and the six-string tablature, but also learning how to tune the instrument.

Of course, she was still far from performance-ready.

Tang Ling encouraged her, “You’re doing great. Tomorrow we can start working on finger techniques.”

Tan Shiyi blinked. “You’ll still teach me tomorrow?”

Tang Ling looked surprised. “Uh, were you only planning to hire me for one day?”

Tan Shiyi hurriedly said, “No, I mean—I’d love for you to teach me every day, but I don’t want to take up your practice time.”

Tang Ling laughed. “It’s all guitar practice anyway. We can just meet later at night—nine to eleven, does that work?”

“I can do that,” Tan Shiyi said softly, lowering her head as a faint blush colored her cheeks. “Then, see you tomorrow night.”