After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 36

Tang Leng was momentarily at a loss for words. She’d grown used to seeing that contact name and had completely overlooked how inappropriate it might sound.

“Ah, that.”

Jiang Manli, ever the instigator, immediately jumped in, delighted by the chance to stir up trouble.

“Contact name? What contact name? Sweetheart? Baby? Wifey?”

She craned her neck closer. “Or maybe bunny? Didn’t expect you to be this smooth, Leng-jie!”

“Go on, get lost.” Tang Leng tried to explain herself. “I didn’t mean anything by it. When we first met, I didn’t know you well yet, but it just felt kind of fitting at the time, so I saved it like that.”

Tan Shiyi lowered her head slightly. “It fits me, does it?”

“If you don’t like it, I can change it right now,” Tang Leng said, already reaching for her phone.

“I—I don’t mind. Really, whatever you like is fine.”

“What’s there to change? Couples always have little nicknames like that!” Jiang Manli butted in again shamelessly. “I think it’s cute. Why don’t you, sister-in-law, give Leng-jie a matching nickname too? Make it a couple’s thing! Ooh, I know—how about Timber Wolf? What do you think?”

“Not much. Sounds awful,” Tang Leng said flatly, pushing Jiang Manli aside again. “Ignore her. Let’s talk business. Do you have any ideas for the composition?”

Tan Shiyi replied, “Not yet, which is why I wanted to discuss it with you. You were experimenting with that new arrangement software, right?”

Tang Leng nodded. “Yeah, it’s actually easier than I thought—pretty intuitive to use.”

“That’s good.” Tan Shiyi smiled. “Actually, I came today to talk about the one-day break we’re getting. Do you have any plans for it?”

“One-day break?” Jiang Manli looked puzzled. “Wait, I just got eliminated, and now they’re giving you guys a vacation?”

“No,” Tang Leng said, giving her a quick rundown of the performance rules. “That day off is actually pretty important. The show will probably film us the whole time, so we’ll need to plan carefully.”

Jiang Manli clapped her hands. “Then call me in as backup! Isn’t your next piece Heart of the Sea Breeze? My family’s got a seaside villa in S City. You can come and soak up the sea breeze—instant inspiration!”

Their current city wasn’t coastal, and not every team could afford a trip to the seaside. Even if they went, they’d probably end up in hotels with shooting restrictions.

Tang Leng exchanged a look with Tan Shiyi—honestly, it didn’t sound like a bad idea.

“Wouldn’t we be bothering you?” Tan Shiyi asked.

“Bother me? Nah.” Jiang Manli waved it off. “No one’s living there anyway. And I’m bored out of my mind after dropping out of the show—this’ll be like a mini vacation. Come on, I’m taking that as a yes!”

“Well, it’s not impossible,” Tang Leng hesitated. “But isn’t it a bit rash to decide this quickly? Should we ask the others first?”

“Sure, sure,” Jiang Manli said. “Just tell me once you’ve decided. I’ll head over early and get the place ready.”

Tang Leng and Tan Shiyi looked at each other. “Alright.”

The next morning during practice, they brought it up with their teammates. The decision passed unanimously.

Most of the girls came from small agencies, without strong connections or resources, and had been struggling to find a direction for this project. Hearing they could go to the seaside lifted everyone’s spirits.

“If everyone’s fine with it, I’ll report it to the production team,” said Tan Shiyi. “The sooner we go, the better.”

After all, the fifth performance was less than two weeks away, and composing the melody was just the first step—vocal training and choreography would require long hours of rehearsal afterward.

Everyone nodded eagerly.

Fu Xin asked, “S City’s pretty far, isn’t it? Are we flying there?”

“Let’s take a van,” Tan Shiyi suggested. “Tang Leng just had her stitches done. Flying might affect her recovery.”

“I’m getting them removed today,” Tang Leng said. “I’ll ask the doctor if flying’s okay. Driving takes forever.”

“You’re getting the stitches out today?” Tan Shiyi blinked.

“Yeah,” Tang Leng nodded. “It’s been a week already—it’s about time.”

“Then I’ll go with you,” Tan Shiyi said.

Tang Leng didn’t really want her to. Every time she changed her dressing and saw that ugly, swollen wound—stitched up like a little bundle of explosives—it made her lose her appetite for hours. She really didn’t want Tan Shiyi to suffer that same visual trauma.

But Tan Shiyi was insistent. “I’ll worry if you go alone. I’m responsible for my team members.”

Unable to win the argument, Tang Leng finally agreed, and they went to the hospital together.

The same doctor who had stitched her up was the one removing the sutures. After checking her healing progress, he carefully began to unwrap the bandages.

The jagged wound was suddenly exposed to the air. Tan Shiyi visibly flinched.

“It’s not pretty,” Tang Leng said softly. “Don’t look. Wait for me outside, okay? Be good.”

Tan Shiyi lowered her head. “I’m already here—why would I leave?”

She reached out and held Tang Leng’s hand.

“If it hurts, you can squeeze me. I can take it.”

The doctor couldn’t help but say, “It won’t be that bad. She managed to endure the suturing—removing the stitches won’t hurt nearly as much.”

As expected, the doctor’s technique was excellent. Only a small trace of blood seeped out, and there was barely any pain—just a bit of swelling around the wound.

Tan Shiyi watched nervously as the doctor applied medicine to Tang Ling’s wound. “Doctor, how long will it take for her to fully recover? Can she travel by plane anytime soon?”

The doctor glanced at her. “That’s hard to say—it depends on the individual. Generally, it takes two to three months. I’d advise against flying for now. The wound has only just healed; it could easily split open again.”

Tang Ling, unwilling to give up, pressed further. “Then how long until I can move freely without restrictions?”

The doctor replied, “You two are idols, right? Singing shouldn’t be a problem, but if you want to dance—especially high-intensity choreography—you’ll need to rest a bit longer.”

Tan Shiyi’s heart sank. From the sound of it, Tang Ling would likely have to miss the fifth stage performance as well.

On the way back.

Tan Shiyi didn’t say much, but a faint shadow of worry clouded her expression.

Tang Ling, aware that she was anxious about the performance, comforted her. “It’s really not that serious. The stitches are already out—I’ll be fine in no time.”

Tan Shiyi frowned. “If you miss two performances in a row, your audience ranking will definitely drop. You might lose your chance to debut.”

Then a sudden thought struck her. “Let’s aim for first place! If we win first, there’s a guaranteed debut slot. You’ll debut no matter what!”

Tang Ling couldn’t help but laugh. “And how do you know I’ll miss two shows in a row? Maybe I’ll recover sooner than you think. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself.”

Tan Shiyi lowered her gaze. “Didn’t you hear what the doctor said? You’ll need to rest before you can perform again. The fifth show isn’t that far away.”

Tang Ling smiled. “Maybe I just have amazing recovery abilities. Don’t worry. Let’s focus on what’s right in front of us—whatever comes next, we’ll deal with it when it comes.”

Back at the dorm, Tang Ling immediately summoned Xiao Nan.

“How many more ‘Scummy Alpha Points’ do I need before unlocking flawless skin?”

“Reporting, host—you still need 13 more points to reach the ‘Flawless Skin’ milestone.”

Thirteen points. Tang Ling frowned. It had been a long time since her score had changed. Earning that many points in just a few days wouldn’t be easy.

She asked sincerely, “Any ideas on how to raise my Scum Alpha value quickly? Do you have any experience with that?”

Xiao Nan’s tone was lackluster. “If you want to increase your Scum Alpha value, you’ve got to act scummy.”

That was as good as saying nothing.

Tang Ling took a deep breath and kept her patience. “Honestly, I still don’t really understand your system’s criteria. How exactly do you define ‘scummy behavior’? Sometimes my score changes for no reason at all, and other times I do things that should count—but nothing happens.”

Xiao Nan sighed. “Host, that’s what we call being scummy without even realizing it. That’s actually a pretty advanced level of scumminess. I should be praising you but honestly, I feel bad for Shiyi.”

Tang Ling: “…”

Alright, alright—she understood this system’s internal conflict already!

“I’m just trying to heal faster for Shiyi’s sake. Can’t you help me out a little?”

Xiao Nan hesitated. “Technically, no. I’m just a customer service bot. If I help you, that would count as cheating—and I could get punished by the system.”

“Then what if you help me discreetly? Something subtle, something that won’t alert the system. You know, like a stealth operation.”

Xiao Nan didn’t reply. Tang Ling could tell the weak-willed little assistant was wavering.

She pressed her advantage. “I’m doing this for Shiyi too. You saw how worried she was about my injury.”

Xiao Nan remained silent, as if deep in thought.

Tang Ling sighed, her voice low and a little forlorn. “If my recovery drags on and I can’t perform, I might get eliminated. And if that happens, I might never see Shiyi again.”

At last, Xiao Nan relented. “Alright, just this once. Starting tomorrow, you’ll do exactly what I say. We’ll finish the mission as fast as possible—you can’t afford to miss the next performance!”

Tang Ling’s eyes lit up. “Deal!”