After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 37

After registering with the production team, Tan Shiyi was assigned a van the next afternoon to take her to S City.

The drive from their city to S City took about six hours, so they’d arrive in the evening at the earliest. Still, since travel time didn’t count toward their official break, their schedule was relatively relaxed.

It was rare for the girls to get a break from the training camp, and they were all excited—dressing up beautifully, chatting and laughing as they boarded the van.

Tang Ling took a window seat in the very back row, wearing her baseball cap backward and gazing out the window with an air of worldly detachment.

She frowned slightly. “Are you sure this is how I raise my ‘Scummy Alpha’ value?”

Xiao Nan replied confidently, “Of course. Backward cap, aloof aura—no one owns your heart. That’s step one of cultivating scum vibes. When someone talks to you, just smirk a little—charmingly wicked, you know? Keep it cool. Say as few words as possible, one or two at most. Got it?”

Tang Ling gave her a skeptical look. “I’m seriously doubting your professional credentials right now.”

“Trust me,” Xiao Nan insisted, thumping her chest. “I’ve coached plenty of Scummy As before.”

Nearby, the other girls were chatting happily.

Sitting beside Tang Ling was Su Mengzhi, the youngest of the group and Fang Zhizi’s underage roommate during the joint training. She’d never been to the seaside before and was practically glowing with excitement.

“Tang Ling-jie, have you ever been to Sister Manli’s house? What’s a sea-view villa like? Can you really see the ocean when you open the windows?”

Following Xiao Nan’s instruction, Tang Ling smirked slightly. “Never been.”

“I saw on TV that seaside villas are so pretty! Huge floor-to-ceiling windows, big open terraces—I’ve wanted to visit one forever!”

Tang Ling gave another strained smirk. “Oh.”

He Junnian chimed in, “The view’s nice, sure, but the sea air’s way too damp for long-term living. By the way, Tang Ling, did you bring your meds and bandages? Your wound shouldn’t get wet.”

Tang Ling’s face was starting to cramp from all the forced smirking. “Brought them.”

Fu Xin frowned. “Tang Ling, are you feeling unwell? Your face keeps twitching.”

At that, Tan Shiyi turned around. “Is it your injury? Does it hurt?”

“No, it doesn’t hurt,” Tang Ling muttered.

She turned her head back and sneered quietly at Xiao Nan. “This is what you call experience?”

Xiao Nan looked a bit embarrassed but refused to back down. “Hey, I am experienced. Just wait—you’ll level up soon.”

The girls, exhausted from intense daily training and long deprived of rest, soon grew sleepy after a bit of chatter.

Su Mengzhi, carefree as ever, was the first to doze off. Her head tipped over onto Tang Ling’s shoulder, and she began snoring softly.

Tang Ling started to help her sit upright, but Xiao Nan stopped her. “Don’t move! Let her lean on you! Classic Scummy Alpha move—central heating. The more people you keep warm, the scummier you get.”

Tang Ling blinked. “You sure about this?”

“Absolutely,” Xiao Nan said with conviction. “Now, make sure Shiyi sees this ambiguous position. Your Scummy Alpha value will skyrocket.”

Tang Ling deadpanned, “She’s in the front seat. There are like three rows between us. How’s she supposed to see me?”

Xiao Nan snapped her fingers. “Then groan dramatically—‘Ugh, my wound, it hurts’! Shiyi’s such a soft-hearted person, she’ll definitely turn around.”

Tang Ling pressed her lips together. “Sorry. I can’t bring myself to say that.”

Xiao Nan sighed dramatically. “Hopeless! Utterly hopeless!”

The six-hour drive went by quickly enough—music, phones, and dramas filled the time.

By the time the van neared the coastline, it was close to eight in the evening. The distant sky was still brushed with the afterglow of sunset, and waves shimmered under the fading light, the humid sea breeze spilling in through the half-open windows.

The girls burst into excitement.

“Wow, it’s really the ocean!”

“This place is gorgeous! And so quiet—it’s nothing like what I imagined the seaside would be!”

“Ahhh, the sea breeze feels so good! I think I could write a song called ‘Sea Breeze Secrets’ right now!”

In the distance, they could see a luxurious gated neighborhood with several blue-brick villas, elegant and serene against the ocean backdrop.

At the gate, someone in a flamboyant floral beach outfit with pink-dyed hair was waving enthusiastically.

Tang Ling didn’t even need to guess—it had to be Jiang Manli.

The van rolled to a stop. The door slid open, and the girls tumbled out in a flurry of energy and chatter.

Su Mengzhi, unable to contain her excitement, spread her arms wide like a freed bird and ran toward the beach. “Ahhh! I’m finally at the seaside!”

Xiao Nan whispered, “Okay, help her with her luggage, then head over to Shiyi. This time, just trust me—you’ll definitely rank up!”

Tang Ling sighed. “Fine. I’ll give you one more chance.”

She grabbed Su Mengzhi’s suitcase and quickened her pace toward Tan Shiyi.

Tan Shiyi immediately frowned. “You’re still injured—why are you carrying someone else’s suitcase? Let me do it.”

Tang Ling refused. “It’s fine. I can handle it.”

“You shouldn’t strain yourself,” Tan Shiyi said, reaching for the handle.

“It’s not heavy,” Tang Ling insisted.

A few meters away, Su Mengzhi came running back, waving her hands. “Oh no, I can carry it myself! You two don’t have to help me!”

She flashed a bright grin. “Thank you, Tang Ling-jie, and you too, Shiyi-jie!”

Tang Ling’s mind gave a sudden “ding.” Before she could react, Xiao Nan’s hesitant voice rang out,

“Report, Host, the system seems to have run into a bit of a problem.”

Tang Ling immediately had a bad feeling. “What kind of problem?”

Xiao Nan stammered,

“Just now, your Scummy Alpha Value dropped by ten points. You only have thirty-seven left now.”

Tang Ling: “Xiao Nan!!!”

Xiao Nan quickly tried to calm her down,

“Relax, relax! It could just be a bug in the system. I mean, in my entire professional career, I’ve never—uh, okay, I’ve actually never seen it happen before, but hey, we still have a chance to turn things around! You’ve still got a baseline of thirty-seven points, right?”

Tang Ling gritted her teeth.

“Don’t you dare burn through my baseline, or I’ll end up losing my flawless skin before I even get it—and downgrade into an N-class Omega instead!”

Xiao Nan swore frantically,

“That won’t happen! I’ve got this under control. I absolutely won’t let you become an N-class Omega!”

Just then, Jiang Manli came up to greet them with open arms and a warm smile.

“Ling-jie, I’ve been waiting for you guys forever! Your rooms are all ready. None of you are allergic to seafood, right? Come on, I’ll treat you to a big feast!”

Jiang Manli was a perfect host. Once the girls had dropped off their luggage, she led them to a revolving seafood buffet nearby. She’d even rented a private room with a panoramic ocean view.

For most of the girls, it was their first time at a revolving restaurant, and they were all thrilled, pressing up to the floor-to-ceiling windows to admire the sea.

“Don’t just stare,” Jiang Manli said. “Their king crab is limited. If we don’t grab it now, it’ll be gone!”

At the mention of king crab, the girls immediately abandoned the view and rushed off toward the buffet line.

In the private room, only Tang Ling and Tan Shiyi remained.

“You’re not going to get any king crab?” Tang Ling asked.

Tan Shiyi countered softly, “You’re injured. You shouldn’t be eating seafood, right?”

Tang Ling froze for a second before realizing, “Oh, right.”

Tan Shiyi sighed lightly. “Come on then, I’ll go with you. Let’s find something mild.”

The two of them walked side by side into the restaurant. In her mind, Xiao Nan piped up again, full of scheming energy:

“Host, I think it’s time to activate your central air conditioning mode. When everyone comes back, peel crab for everyone—except Shiyi. She’ll definitely get jealous.”

Tang Ling, who had completely lost faith in her system, snapped back.

“My arm’s barely functional, and you expect me to peel crabs for the whole table? Why don’t you do it?”

Xiao Nan protested.

“If I could, I’d already be there doing it! Just trust me, okay? I’m a professional customer service system—‘Scummy Alpha Rehabilitation Counseling’ is literally my specialty!”

Tang Ling thought for a moment. Peeling crabs for everyone did sound a little scummy.

“Fine. I’ll give it a try.”

The girls soon returned with plates piled high with all sorts of seafood—not just king crab, but also typhoon-shelter lobster, cheese-baked crab legs, steamed clams with garlic vermicelli, marinated raw shrimp, all dishes that took some effort to eat.

In comparison, Tang Ling’s and Tan Shiyi’s light broth and plain dishes looked pitifully meager.

Tang Ling glanced at Su Mengzhi beside her, who was staring helplessly at a lobster, unsure where to start.

After a pause, Tang Ling offered.

“Want me to help you with that?”

Su Mengzhi blushed, handing it over shyly.

“I don’t eat much seafood usually, so I’m not great at peeling it. Thank you, jiejie.”

Tang Ling took the lobster and carefully removed the head, shell, and vein. When she looked up again, the girl’s eyes were shining expectantly—her mouth already slightly open.

Tang Ling froze.

“Isn’t this a little too intimate?”

Xiao Nan was delighted.

“That’s the point! Feed her—go on, feed her! I told you, Host, you’re a natural scumbag!”

Who wants to be this scummy? Tang Ling steeled herself and popped the lobster meat straight into Su Mengzhi’s mouth.

Su Mengzhi took a bite, eyes curling with satisfaction.

“It’s so good!”

Tang Ling felt a twinge of guilt and stole a glance at Tan Shiyi from the corner of her eye. But Tan Shiyi looked completely unbothered, as if she hadn’t seen anything at all.

The others were happily enjoying their meal, chatting and laughing. Everything seemed perfectly peaceful.

Tang Ling exhaled in relief. At least nothing had gone wrong.

Then Xiao Nan’s uneasy voice broke the calm.

“Host.”

Tang Ling’s expression darkened. “What now?”

Xiao Nan said weakly.

“I don’t even know how to explain it, but your Scummy Alpha Value just dropped another ten points. You’re down to twenty-seven now.”

Tang Ling: “…”

Trying to salvage her dignity, Xiao Nan muttered.

“Honestly, Host, I really think young girls these days need a mandatory course in ‘How to Spot a Scummy Alpha.’ That one was way too easy to fool—how’s she supposed to survive in society like that?”

Tang Ling groaned.

“Quit the commentary and tell me what to do next!”

But even Xiao Nan was at a loss now. She started rambling, grasping at straws.

“Uh, maybe you could just confess? Like—‘Hey, sweetheart, didn’t you notice I was scumming you?’ I swear, your Scummy Alpha Value will shoot right back up!”

Tang Ling: “Get lost. I don’t have a system anymore.”