After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 49

Tang Ling: “?”

Tang Ling hesitated. “You know about us.”

Cheng Qingyan’s tone was calm, almost too calm. “I know she likes you. And I also know you never realized her feelings for you.”

Tang Ling fell silent.

Even Cheng Qingyan could see it—just how dense was she?

Cheng Qingyan asked softly, “So, things between you two aren’t going well?”

Tang Ling gave a self-deprecating laugh. “There isn’t even a ‘between us.’ Nothing ever really started, so what’s there to talk about development? It’s all my fault. I didn’t cherish what she felt for me. I just don’t know if there’s still a chance to win her back.”

Cheng Qingyan let out a barely audible sigh, as if lamenting something far beyond the moment. “Relationships are never smooth sailing.”

She paused, then said gently, “If you want, you can tell me about it. Maybe I can help somehow.”

Tang Ling really did feel weighed down. For so long, all that emotion had nowhere to go—heavy, stifling, pressing down on her chest. The only one she could “talk” to was that unreliable little system assistant, who was more likely to stir up trouble than help.

But if it meant revealing what had happened between her and Tan Shiyi, she just couldn’t do it. She wanted Tan Shiyi to remain, in everyone else’s eyes, proud and untouchable—not the fragile, wounded person she had once seen up close.

Cheng Qingyan noticed her hesitation and smiled faintly. “It’s fine if you don’t want to say. It’s your private matter—my intrusion was out of line.”

Tang Ling sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk. I just don’t know where to begin. I can never figure out what she’s thinking, and I always end up upsetting her.”

Cheng Qingyan looked at Tang Ling for a long while before speaking slowly, “Tan Shiyi lacks a sense of security. You should try to be more understanding toward her. I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding lies between you, but it’s clear she does care about you. I believe the two of you will find your way back to each other.”

Tang Ling felt a faint warmth in her chest. “Thanks for saying that. If we really do get back together someday, I’ll be sure to tell her you gave us your blessing. I’m sure she’d appreciate it too.”

Cheng Qingyan gave a quiet, wistful smile. “Better not. She probably wouldn’t want to hear my name.”

Tang Ling froze. Only then did she recall why she had come to see Cheng Qingyan tonight in the first place—Tan Shiyi really didn’t want to hear Cheng Qingyan’s name. Not only that—she avoided it with visible resistance.

At that moment, the expression on Cheng Qingyan’s face was strangely familiar.

On that night when Tang Ling and Tan Shiyi had gone to the rooftop to watch the stars, Tan Shiyi’s face had carried the same trace of sorrow and resignation.

And then it hit Tang Ling—like lightning striking through a fog of denial.

Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at Cheng Qingyan.

Cheng Qingyan didn’t look away. She simply met Tang Ling’s gaze, quiet and steady—as though her silence was its own answer.

Regret hit Tang Ling like a wave. How foolish she’d been—so impulsive to come here tonight. Cheng Qingyan was also an Alpha, and they’d even been roommates once. It had never occurred to her to connect the dots. But once the thought took root, everything suddenly made sense.

With some effort, she forced out, “We’re still friends, right?”

Cheng Qingyan smiled gently. “If you don’t mind, I’d be happy to be.”

What else could Tang Ling say? She had never felt so awkward, so desperate to flee a scene in her life.

Sensing her discomfort, Cheng Qingyan took the initiative. “It’s getting late. You should head back and get some rest.”

She paused, then added softly, “Everything I said tonight was sincere. I truly wish you both happiness.”

After leaving Cheng Qingyan’s room, Tang Ling’s cheeks were still burning.

She felt like the worst kind of scum. Thank goodness Cheng Qingyan had a good temper—otherwise, what she’d just done tonight could’ve easily been taken as picking a fight.

Xiao Nan, her system companion, still hadn’t caught up with what happened and asked blankly, “Host, you didn’t even get to ask her why. Why’d you leave so soon?”

Tang Ling snapped, “Do you even have reading comprehension? It’s obvious—how can you not get it?”

Xiao Nan: “I really don’t! So why was Shiyi angry again?”

Tang Ling was speechless. “Who programmed your logic system? Does it even have one?”

Xiao Nan huffed. “Hey, not understanding something is perfectly normal. You don’t have to make it personal!”

Tang Ling couldn’t be bothered anymore. Her mind was full of ways to fix what she’d just ruined.

In less than twenty-four hours since Tan Shiyi had agreed to give her another chance, she had already messed up—twice. Each time, she only pushed Tan Shiyi further away.

Truly, she hadn’t known how to cherish what she had—until she lost it.

Serves her right.

She opened their chat window and started typing a message, deleted it, typed another, and deleted that too.

In the face of what had happened, every word seemed hollow and powerless. She didn’t even know if sending a message would help—or only make Tan Shiyi think she was insincere, hypocritical, and fake.

What she didn’t know was that Tan Shiyi was watching that chat window too.

She stared at the flickering “The other party is typing” notification, then at the silent, empty screen—until she finally sighed and set her phone down.

She wasn’t even sure why she’d opened the chat, or what she was waiting for.

The way they had parted tonight hadn’t sat well with her either. She knew it wasn’t entirely Tang Ling’s fault—Tang Ling didn’t know what had happened between her and Cheng Qingyan.

And she reflected on herself too—had she been too harsh?

There was no denying that she still had feelings for Tang Ling. Despite the repeated rejections, despite keeping herself on a pedestal, if Tang Ling truly gave up, the emptiness would probably turn to resentment.

Yet she couldn’t bring herself to accept her so easily either.

It wasn’t pride or pretense—it was because she couldn’t reconcile with the version of herself who had once loved Tang Ling so humbly, to the point of self-effacement.

Even thinking of that past made her feel suffocated with shame.

There was no balance to be found in this matter.

Without balance, everything was nothing more than a castle in the air.

She didn’t know how long she had been lost in thought before her phone finally buzzed with a vibration.

Thinking it was Tang Ling finishing her message, she quickly opened Weibo.

Only to frown.

It wasn’t Tang Ling. It was Pu Xiaoyu.

Pu Xiaoyu: “Resting already?”

Tan Shiyi had no desire to reply. Ever since their unpleasant fallout during the photoshoot, Pu Xiaoyu had been sending her message after message—each one more cloying and repulsive than the last.

Then came another message:

Pu Xiaoyu: “Read so fast—were you waiting for me?”

Tan Shiyi: “…”

Crazy woman.

She couldn’t help but reply:

Tan Shiyi: “You’re overthinking.”

A moment later, Pu Xiaoyu sent a voice message, her tone full of mock helplessness.

“Shiyi, you really leave me no choice. What must I do to make you understand that we’re meant to be together?”

Tan Shiyi truly wondered how anyone could be this greasy. She’d never realized Pu Xiaoyu could sound like this—so different from her public image.

Tan Shiyi: “Ms. Pu, we’re not compatible. Please stop entangling yourself with me. It’s no good for either of us.”

Pu Xiaoyu chuckled.

“How can you be so sure it’s no good for either of us?”

Tan Shiyi rolled her eyes and didn’t bother replying.

Another voice message followed.

“How about this—meet me tomorrow night. I’ll trade you a secret. Interested?”

Tan Shiyi actually laughed and sent back a voice reply of her own.

Tan Shiyi: “Ms. Pu, I’m not a child anymore. That kind of trick doesn’t work on me.”

Pu Xiaoyu: “And what if I said the secret is about Tang Ling?”

Tan Shiyi froze, then frowned.

Tan Shiyi: “Not interested.”

Pu Xiaoyu: “Not even a little curious?”

A pause—then another message came through:

“You might regret it.”

Tan Shiyi guessed Pu Xiaoyu must have gotten her hands on some kind of “dirt” about Tang Ling. But she’d been through plenty in the industry; rumors and scandals didn’t faze her.

Tan Shiyi: “I have no connection to Tang Ling. Please, Ms. Pu, stop wasting your time on meaningless things.”

The next second, a photo came through—a kraft envelope marked Paternity Test Results.

Tan Shiyi’s heart skipped.

Tan Shiyi: “What is that supposed to mean?”

Pu Xiaoyu: “Weren’t you not interested?”

Tan Shiyi: “Ms. Pu, spreading false information carries legal consequences.”

Pu Xiaoyu: “Tomorrow night. Camellia Hotel, 49 Jiujiang Road. How about it? Not a bad bargaining chip, hmm?”

Tan Shiyi felt a wave of disgust.

Tan Shiyi: “Whether you choose to hide or expose your so-called secret has nothing to do with me. I’m not interested. Please stop harassing me.”

With that, she unfollowed Pu Xiaoyu and blocked her.

Yet lying in bed afterward, her heart wouldn’t settle.

What exactly was in that envelope? What kind of secret about Tang Ling?

Could it be that Tang Ling wasn’t the Tang family’s biological daughter?

A spark flashed through her mind.

Tang Ling’s birthday and Pu Xiaoyu’s birthday were on the same day.

Could it be.

A terrifying thought crept into her head.

She shook her head hard, trying to banish it, but the more she resisted, the deeper it dug in.

She had met Tang’s father and mother before—and now that she thought about it, Pu Xiaoyu’s features did bear a stronger resemblance to them than Tang Ling’s did.

And come to think of it, Pu Xiaoyu’s strange behavior had all begun after that visit to the Tang residence.

If Pu Xiaoyu was truly the Tang family’s biological daughter, then the one who had grown up in the slums was—

Tan Shiyi didn’t dare think further. She wasn’t sure Tang Ling could bear such a revelation.

No. Calm down.

That file might not even be real. Paternity tests required DNA from both parent and child. Even if Tang Ling’s could be obtained easily, it wasn’t so simple to get Mr. and Mrs. Tang’s.

Most likely, it was fake—just another ploy to lure her to the hotel.

Taking a deep breath, Tan Shiyi forced herself to steady her thoughts.

Just then, a new message came in—from Tang Ling.

After all that time typing and deleting, the girl had finally sent only a single sticker—a little bunny saying goodnight.

Tan Shiyi’s heart softened.

So, should she go?

She asked herself quietly.