After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 47

The day after, Tang Ling arrived at the cafeteria early in the morning.

The main entrance was still closed, but white smoke was already curling from the kitchen chimney—someone was clearly at work inside.

Tang Ling walked around to the kitchen’s back entrance used for deliveries and knocked.

She explained to the kitchen aunties that she wanted to make breakfast for a friend.

The aunties welcomed her warmly. “Not long ago, there was a girl who came here often, saying she was making soup for her injured friend. That girl was so considerate—she helped us out a lot!”

Tang Ling wore a black three-quarter sleeve T-shirt and instinctively hid her still-bandaged arm behind her back, embarrassed to admit she was that injured friend.

The perceptive aunties didn’t miss the gesture and immediately started gossiping:

“Oh! Your arm’s injured? So that girl came here to make soup for you, right?”

“How’s your wound healing? Was the soup good? Did you enjoy the secret recipe the aunties taught?”

“Are you here to make breakfast for her? Is she hurt too?”

“Don’t you check the internet? Those two are super popular in our camp—they’re dating!”

Tang Ling’s face turned red. “No, no, she’s fine. She’s not injured. I just felt bad being taken care of all the time, so I wanted to make something for her.”

The aunties smiled knowingly. “Ah, young love is always sweet like that. We understand. So, what are you planning to make for her?”

Tang Ling knew that Tan Shiyi had a small appetite—usually just two slices of bread for breakfast—so she decided to make some delicate little desserts.

The aunties offered suggestions. “Go over to the baking area and learn from the chef. Make a small cake or something; girls always like that.”

The camp’s cafeteria offered a variety of treats every day, though the trainees usually didn’t take any to keep in shape. Whatever wasn’t chosen would be bought by the staff.

Tang Ling checked with the chef about today’s ingredients. There happened to be fresh Liupu taro, so she decided to make Osmanthus Taro Cake. This dessert was low-calorie and oil-free, with a soft texture and gentle coloring—aesthetically perfect. Tang Ling guessed that Tan Shiyi would like it.

From steaming the taro to baking the cake, it took over an hour. Once cut and packed, Tang Ling thanked the chef and went to Tan Shiyi’s dormitory.

Only then did she realize this was her first time visiting Tan Shiyi’s dorm in the training camp. Seeing all the traces of her friend’s life there made her nervous; her palms were sweaty as she knocked.

After a short wait, Tan Shiyi opened the door.

Even though it was early, she was fully dressed and had finished her makeup, clearly waiting for Tang Ling as agreed.

Her room was neat and orderly. Tang Ling immediately noticed the guitar she had given Tan Shiyi—it stood by the head of the bed, close to the pillow, clearly cherished.

Tang Ling breathed a sigh of relief. At least Tan Shiyi hadn’t been so resolute as to throw away the guitar in her anger.

Following her gaze, Tan Shiyi said softly, “That’s the guitar you gave me.”

Tang Ling, fearing that Tan Shiyi might immediately say, “Take it back,” quickly presented the Osmanthus Taro Cake. “Here, breakfast. Special for today—freshly made, oil-free and sugar-free, so it won’t make you gain weight. Give it a try.”

She placed the cake on the table and added shyly, “It’s my first time making it. I’m not sure if it suits your taste. If you prefer something sweeter, I can adjust next time.”

She looked at Tan Shiyi like a puppy seeking approval, tail-wagging almost included.

Tan Shiyi looked at her and said slowly, “Tang Ling, I can’t eat this.”

Tang Ling froze. “Huh?”

Tan Shiyi lowered her eyes. “I’m allergic to taro.”

Tang Ling was stunned, frozen in place. The worst-case scenario she had imagined was the cake not suiting Tan Shiyi’s taste—never that she couldn’t eat it at all.

Tan Shiyi hugged her arms as if recalling an unpleasant memory. “When I was little, I ate taro and developed acute hives. I haven’t eaten taro since.”

She lowered her head. “I mentioned this in a previous show.”

Tang Ling: “…”

Of course, she had no idea when Tan Shiyi had mentioned it. She hadn’t even looked into which shows Tan Shiyi had been on before, let alone other personal details.

So much for a serious attempt—her first effort had already failed.

Embarrassed, Tang Ling bundled up the Osmanthus Taro Cakes. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t know. I’ll throw them away later.”

Tan Shiyi said, “Why throw them away? You can eat them yourself. You worked hard on them; don’t waste it.”

And so, what started as delivering breakfast to Tan Shiyi turned into having breakfast together in her dorm.

Tan Shiyi’s routine remained the same: two slices of bread and a carton of milk.

Tang Ling sat across from her, eating the Osmanthus Taro Cake she had painstakingly made early that morning. Although it tasted good, it gave her no sense of accomplishment.

After breakfast, the two of them headed to the practice room together.

Today’s main task was still dance practice. Recently, the instructor team had been popping in randomly to check on progress, so there was no room for slacking off. Fortunately, compared to other groups, their pace was relatively fast—many other teams hadn’t even finished arranging their music.

As Tang Ling practiced her steps, her mind wandered in a thousand directions.

Which shows had Tan Shiyi appeared on before? What interviews had she done? What materials existed about her? Tang Ling searched her mind over and over, yet found nothing.

In theory, she had inherited all the original owner’s memories, but her mind was blank. Evidently, the original owner’s fondness for Tan Shiyi had never been very deep.

During a break, Tang Ling immediately pulled out her phone, put on her headphones, and quietly started searching for information on Tan Shiyi.

Besides the CP mash-up videos with Tang Shi, most of what circulated online were a few photos and blurry short videos from school cultural performances. Tan Shiyi had been only fifteen or sixteen then, still carrying a bit of baby fat, making her face look younger, yet she already had the same cool, detached aura she did now.

After much effort, Tang Ling finally found the segment where Tan Shiyi mentioned she couldn’t eat taro.

If it had been an old program, it wouldn’t have mattered. But this was during the full cast rapid-fire Q&A after the Beidou Star group had entered the camp. When it was Tan Shiyi’s turn, the question happened to be, “What food do you hate the most?”

Tan Shiyi’s answer: “Taro. I ate it once as a child and had an acute allergic reaction. After that, I never dared eat it again.”

The original owner had been present at the time but hadn’t registered a thing.

Incidentally, the question the original owner had been asked was, “What quality attracts you the most?”

The original owner had shamelessly grinned and said, “I’m shallow—I like people who are beautiful.”

Tang Ling: “…”

It was indeed shallow.

Suddenly, Su Mengzhi popped her head over Tang Ling’s shoulder. “Tang Ling-jie, what are you doing?”

Tang Ling jolted and quickly locked her screen. “Nothing, just reviewing some notes.”

Su Mengzhi frowned. “But weren’t you just watching our rapid-fire Q&A from when we first entered camp? What’s so worth reviewing?”

Hearing that, Tan Shiyi, who had been sipping water nearby, gave her a long, penetrating look.

Tang Ling: “…”

She wished she could disappear. This was practically a public execution.

Luckily, the other girls didn’t realize what had happened and gathered around to chat:

“Rapid-fire Q&A? That was two months ago, right?”

“Only two months, but it feels like forever.”

“I remember what Tang Ling said. When asked what quality she liked, she said she liked people who are beautiful, hahaha.”

“Speaking of Tang Ling, you scared me too! When they asked if you had any special abilities, you said you sleepwalk!”

“Huh, really? I don’t remember that.”

As the girls chatted animatedly, Tang Ling got up and walked over to Tan Shiyi. “I really didn’t mean to disappoint you with the Osmanthus Taro Cake this morning. I’m sorry.”

Tan Shiyi said, “I didn’t think you did it on purpose.”

Tang Ling asked, “What do you like to eat? I can make it for you tomorrow.”

Tan Shiyi glanced at her. “No need. I’ll just have sliced bread.”

Tang Ling hurriedly said, “I don’t mind the trouble.”

Tan Shiyi looked away. “I do. I don’t like waking up early, getting ready, and waiting for you in my room. That feeling isn’t pleasant.”

Tang Ling: “…”

At this point, she couldn’t push further. She could only blame herself for not handling the situation better. She had a vague understanding of what Tan Shiyi meant by “not pleasant.” It wasn’t this single instance of waiting that made her uncomfortable, but the long period of effort before, when she received no response.

Tang Ling didn’t dare say more, afraid that Tan Shiyi might revoke her permission to pursue her entirely.

She knew winning over Tan Shiyi would be a long process. After all, it was her own mistake, and she would have to endure the consequences.

At that moment, the door to the practice room opened. The coach trio—Pan Qingchen, Meng Bingxia, and Xu Xizhao—walked in.

The girls stood up. “Hello, coaches.”

Pan Qingchen smiled. “I heard your group is the fastest in choreography, so we came straight to you.”

Xu Xizhao asked, “How’s practice going? May we have the honor of a preview?”