After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 4

The next day, inside the practice room, a group of girls gathered together, chattering brightly.

“What was your name again? You really stood out yesterday! You’re the one who danced that classical blues piece—so decadent, I loved it!”

“He Junnian! Right, He Junnian! I swear I won’t forget it this time!”

“Ah, and you’re Ying Keren, aren’t you? I already knew about you! You sang ‘Kiss Goodbye’, right? I’ve heard that one!”

“Wait—you’re signed under Ruixin Entertainment? That means you’re Ye Zheng’s junior, right?! Aaaah! Ye Zheng’s my idol, I’ve loved him for years! Can you get me his autograph?”

Listening to their cheerful laughter, Tang Ling stifled a yawn.

She was feeling visually fatigued again.

Ying Keren, He Junnian—honestly, they all looked the same to her.

She had a bag full of little gifts, planning to hand them out later as a way of making “markers.”

“Hey, everyone, come here! The livestream’s starting!” a girl with twin ponytails called out.

The others immediately gathered around, standing neatly before the camera. The camera was connected to the livestream feed, meaning the trainees could see what was happening on the broadcast, and the audience could also see what was going on inside the practice room.

Today’s schedule was simple: each team captain would draw lots for their group’s first public performance song in the livestream room, then return to the practice room to rehearse with their members.

Ten captains appeared on the big screen.

The room instantly erupted with excitement.

“Shiyi! Go, Shiyi!”

“Shiyi, you’re the best!”

Tang Ling: “…”

She honestly couldn’t tell which one was Tan Shiyi.

As the drawing began, the ponytailed girl next to her suddenly clutched Tang Ling’s arm, fists clenched in excitement. “Aaaah I’m so nervous! I hope we get a song in my genre, please, please, please!”

Tang Ling froze stiff.

Though she knew girls often got affectionate with one another, she’d never had such close friendships growing up, so it just felt awkward.

Worse, she was an Alpha—and judging by the girl’s figure, this one was most likely an Omega.

Tan Shiyi ended up drawing a traditional-style song called ‘Peach Blossoms Crease’, the theme song of a wildly popular xianxia drama.

The ponytailed girl jumped up in delight. “That’s great! I can sing that one!”

He Junnian frowned slightly. “That song doesn’t really work to our advantage. Slow songs like that don’t usually bring the house down.”

The twin-ponytailed girl tilted her head, playfully leaning against Tang Ling. “Mmm, not necessarily. The song’s really well-known, so the audience already feels familiar with it. We can tweak the arrangement a bit, right, Tang Ling?”

Tang Ling: “?”

What’s that got to do with me?

Still, she now knew who this girl was.

Xia Yutong—the “scheming green tea” from the original story.

After being grouped with Tan Shiyi and Tang Ling, she’d set her sights on the original Tang Ling’s family background and social status. To climb higher, she had clung to Tang Ling relentlessly. The original Tang Ling, a textbook self-absorbed Alpha, had mistaken that flattery for affection, got tangled up with her, and threw Tan Shiyi aside like trash—planting the seed of Shiyi’s lasting resentment.

Expression neutral, Tang Ling gently pulled her arm free. “Let’s wait for Shiyi to come back and discuss together.”

Soon, Tan Shiyi returned to the practice room.

The girls immediately swarmed her.

Looking a little apologetic, she said, “Sorry, I drew ‘Peach Blossoms Crease.’ It’s a tough song, and not easy to make stand out.”

The others hurried to comfort her:

“It’s okay! We’ll figure it out together!”

“If it’s hard, we’ll just practice harder! Heaven rewards effort!”

Tan Shiyi nodded and shared her plan. “For now, I think we’ll keep the first section faithful to the original’s emotional tone. Then we can add a short fight sequence. For the second section, we’ll ask the arranger to quicken the tempo and mix in some modern dance elements—that should make the performance more dynamic.”

Xia Yutong tilted her head with a giggle. “Great minds think alike! We were just talking about that before you came back. Junnian was so worried when she saw what you drew—afraid it wouldn’t hype up the crowd, haha.”

He Junnian blushed, shooting her a glare. “That’s not what I meant, Shiyi.”

Tan Shiyi smiled gently. “It’s fine. Guess I just didn’t have the best luck today. Let’s start dividing parts.”

Xia Yutong, pretending not to notice the tension, latched onto Tang Ling’s hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

Tan Shiyi’s gaze lingered on their joined hands for a brief moment before she looked away.

A cheerful system chime echoed in Tang Ling’s head:

“Detected: Host’s ‘Scummy Alpha Value’ has increased by 2 points! Only 12 points left to unlock the reward ‘Incredible Arm Strength!’ Keep it up, Host!”

Tang Ling was speechless. Sure. When I get that so-called incredible strength, I’m starting by snapping your fingers in half.

Under the vocal coach’s guidance, the group quickly divided up their parts. Then the choreography coach arrived to design the stage movements.

“I heard you’re planning to add a combat segment,” the dance instructor said with a nod. “If you’re focusing only on vocals, it’s true this song won’t stand out much. But with fight choreography, some roles will naturally have more spotlight than others. How do you plan to assign them?”

Tan Shiyi had already thought it through. “I want two center roles—one soft, one strong.”

The dance instructor asked, “Do you already have people in mind?”

Xia Yutong quickly spoke up with a bright smile. “How about Tang Ling and me? I’ll play the soft role, she’ll be the strong one. You guys handle the vocals, and we’ll handle the main performance.”

The fight scene was the centerpiece of the performance—and holding a double-center position meant guaranteed screen time. Tan Shiyi was already the main vocalist, and since they didn’t know each other that well, Xia Yutong assumed she wouldn’t reject her outright. Her calculations were crystal clear.

But Tan Shiyi’s reply was calm and firm: “Sorry, but I plan to perform the fight scene myself. Since I designed this stage, I think I’m the best person to interpret it.”

Xia Yutong froze, then leaned coquettishly against Tang Ling’s shoulder. “But I really wanted to perform with A’ling.”

Tan Shiyi answered mildly, “Then you can perform with Tang Ling in another part.”

Xia Yutong pouted, obviously dissatisfied.

Tang Ling immediately took a stand. “I’ll take whatever role you assign me. I’ll follow the arrangement.”

Tan Shiyi glanced at her, saying nothing more.

Tang Ling suddenly heard a chime in her head:

“Alert: Host’s Scummy Alpha Value has dropped by 2 points. Current Scummy Alpha Value: 91. Host, please keep working hard!”

Tang Ling froze. Something about this system felt buggy.

“If my Scummy Alpha Value drops, are you going to take back the muscles you gave me? Like, what—my abs are here today and gone tomorrow?”

That would be absurd, even for this world.

Xiao Nan replied cheerily, “All rewards granted by the system are permanent! As long as the host accumulates Scummy Alpha Points, you can claim task rewards. But if your value ever falls below zero, you’ll re-differentiate into an N-Class Omega. Please take care, host!”

Take care of what? Tang Ling thought. With how fast her score was climbing, falling below zero was pure fantasy.

“Tang Ling. Tang Ling, are you even listening?” Tan Shiyi frowned.

“Huh?” Tang Ling snapped back to reality.

“The dance instructor wants you to perform the combat dance with me as co-leads. What do you think?”

“I’ll do whatever the team decides—wait, me?”

“Yes,” the instructor said. “You’re the only Alpha in the group. I’ve seen your previous performances—you’re a power-type dancer with excellent physical control. You’re more suited for this role than anyone else. Do you think you can handle it?”

Only then did Tang Ling remember: in the original plot, the two who were first chosen for this role were also the original host and Tan Shiyi. But the original Tang Ling had dragged Tan Shiyi into fooling around, causing her to injure her joint. Then, lacking diligence herself, she’d failed to train properly. They’d had to replace her last-minute, ruining the performance.

“I,” Tang Ling hesitated. If she didn’t act like the original scummy Alpha, she should be able to manage, right?

After a pause, she nodded. “I can.”

Tan Shiyi gave a small nod. “Then it’s settled. Tang Ling and I will take the lead for the fight choreography. Everyone okay with that?”

Xia Yutong gave a faint “eh” of protest, but said nothing more.

By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted. The girls packed up their things, ready to head back to the dorms.

Just as Tang Ling was about to leave, Xia Yutong caught up to her and hooked an arm around hers affectionately. “A’ling, heading back to the dorm? Let’s walk together!”

Tang Ling was speechless. This Xia Yutong’s approach was way too aggressive—how had the original host not realized she was such a sly little green tea?

“Why don’t you come to my dorm? I’ll make milk tea for you! My roommate just got eliminated, so I’ve got the whole room to myself!”

Tang Ling subtly took a step away. “I’ll pass. My roommate’s waiting for me.”

“You can bring her along! Your roommate’s Jiang Manli, right? She’s so cool—can you introduce us?”

“Maybe another time. We’ve got other plans tonight.”

“What plans? Can I come too?” Xia Yutong beamed as if she hadn’t noticed the clear rejection in Tang Ling’s tone.

So annoying. Definitely the type to “mark” as dangerous and avoid at all costs.

Tang Ling lowered her gaze and opened her bag, taking out a small orange box. “I really can’t tonight. Here, take this watch as a gift. It’s our first meeting, and I’m happy to have met you.”

Xia Yutong’s eyes widened, utterly caught off guard. “A Hermès classic model? Are you sure you’re giving this to me?”

“Of course it’s for you. Do you like it? Let me help you put it on.”

The delicate quartz watch clasped around her slender wrist made Xia Yutong’s cheeks flush pink. “Thank you, A’ling. I’ll treasure it forever.”

Don’t treasure it! Tang Ling hurriedly added, “If you like it, then wear it. I’d rather see you wearing it every day.”

Just then, a girl stepped out of the restroom and paused upon seeing the two of them standing so close.

Tang Ling silently prayed, Please don’t tell me that’s Tan Shiyi.

Sure enough, Xia Yutong chirped, “Oh, Shiyi, you’re here! A’ling just gave me a watch—look, isn’t it pretty? I love it so much!”

Tang Ling: “…”

Game over.

Tan Shiyi gave the watch a brief glance and said coolly, “It’s beautiful.”

Then she turned to leave.

But Xia Yutong caught her wrist. “Wait, Shiyi! A’ling and I were just talking about going out tonight—want to come with us?”

Tan Shiyi looked at her, then at Tang Ling. “No need. Today’s training was exhausting, and we have to be up early tomorrow. I’d rather turn in early.”

“Oh, that’s true,” Xia Yutong said sweetly. “You’ve got to perform the combat dance—must be even harder for you. Then rest well, okay?”

Tan Shiyi regarded her for a moment, then smiled faintly. “You’re right about that. But speaking of which—Tang Ling’s performing the combat dance too, isn’t she? Maybe she should turn in early as well.”