After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 54

Tang Ling was mortified, but she had to admit—it was true. Her head had been completely filled with those thoughts.

She even wanted to shamelessly say, I’ve already asked, so why not just tell me?

But in the end, her skin wasn’t quite that thick.

Tan Shiyi looked at her helplessly, as if disappointed in her lack of composure. “We hugged.”

Tang Ling blinked. “Huh?”

“I said we hugged.” Tan Shiyi’s tone was calm, her gaze steady. “The director didn’t tell us in advance that the camera would cut before the hug scene, so we just went ahead and filmed it for real.”

“Oh.” Tang Ling responded faintly. Strangely, now that she knew the truth, the anxious, scratching feeling in her chest eased—but was replaced by something far more sour.

After all, it had been so long since she last hugged Tan Shiyi.

“What’s wrong?” Tan Shiyi asked, glancing at her. “Do you think I got dirty because someone else hugged me?”

Tang Ling’s eyes widened in shock. “How could you even think that? In your eyes, am I really that kind of person?”

“Then why are you moping around like this?” Tan Shiyi countered.

“I.” Tang Ling was at a loss for words. “Can’t I be jealous? The girl I like is hugging someone else—being jealous is normal human behavior, isn’t it?”

“That was work,” Tan Shiyi corrected, frowning. “Not hugging and cuddling. Forget it—this is like arguing with an elementary schooler.”

Tang Ling silently thought, Even when I was in elementary school, I wasn’t this childish. Love really did make people lose IQ—actually, she hadn’t even been in love yet, and her IQ was already plummeting.

She changed the subject quickly. “Okay, okay, let’s drop it. Tomorrow’s the fifth performance already. What’s your plan?”

The Beidou Star Training Program only had six public performances in total, which meant that after tomorrow’s show, they would move straight into the finals.

According to the program’s rules, the six teams would be ranked based on audience votes. The team ranked first would keep all members and receive one guaranteed debut spot; second place would lose one member; and so on, until the team ranked sixth, which would lose five.

In short—only Tan Shiyi was guaranteed to make it to the finals. Everyone else faced elimination, the difference lying only in the odds.

“I don’t have a plan,” Tan Shiyi said softly, lowering her eyes. “Just do my best. I really don’t want any of my teammates to get eliminated.”

Which, of course, meant she wanted to rank first.

Tan Shiyi had said something similar before—on the day she accompanied Tang Ling to get her stitches removed. Back then, she’d been aiming for the debut slot, worried that Tang Ling’s injury and absence from the stage would affect her popularity. She had wanted to win first place to secure Tang Ling a direct debut.

That was Tan Shiyi then—impulsive, fiery, and reckless for Tang Ling’s sake. But now, with a calmer head, she understood that getting first place wasn’t easy.

After all, in the past four performances, she had given everything she had, yet had never once managed to win first.

The same went for the popularity rankings. Her audience love rating had climbed to third place, but then plateaued. Without a solid fanbase or an easygoing, bubbly personality, how could she possibly take the top spot?

Tang Ling offered a reassuring smile. “No one wants to be eliminated. We’re all in the same boat. Let’s just do our best and leave the rest to fate.”

The next day arrived—the venue for the fifth public performance.

Performance order was decided by drawing lots. There were six teams; Tan Shiyi drew the fourth slot. After a brief discussion, the team decided not to change anything and went backstage to prepare.

Their stage concept this time was self-designed: a pure, summery look with light-blue beach skirts trimmed with shimmering silver threads shaped like seashells. Under the stage lights, the fabric gleamed like rippling water—ethereal yet lively. Even the bandage on Tang Ling’s arm didn’t look so out of place.

The other groups performed one by one, each drawing waves of cheers from the audience.

Backstage, the girls watched quietly through the large monitor.

Every team had its own style and distinct strengths—it was clear everyone had put in the work.

By the time they’d seen all the performances so far, the atmosphere had grown heavy. No one felt confident.

Among the six of them, Su Mengzhi’s ranking was the lowest. She fidgeted nervously. “I, I think I need to go to the bathroom again.”

He Junnian sighed. “Didn’t you just go?”

Su Mengzhi whimpered, “But I really have to go again.”

Tang Ling patted her shoulder soothingly. “Don’t be nervous. Getting this far is already amazing. Just perform your heart out. Even if you get eliminated, it’s fine—you’ve already left your best self on that stage.”

On stage, the host’s voice rang out:

“Next, please welcome our fourth group, performing ‘Heart of the Sea Breeze.’ The members are—Tan Shiyi, Tang Ling, He Junnian, Fu Xin, Xiao Rong, and Su Mengzhi! Let’s give them a warm welcome!”

Tan Shiyi turned to look at her teammates, her gaze firm. “Be confident. We’re just as good as anyone else.”

Several girls steadied their nerves and stepped onto the darkened stage. The set was already prepared — the backdrop showed a churning sea, and on the sandy beach stood jagged reefs.

At her cue position, Tan Shiyi gracefully sat atop her designated reef, lifted a conch shell to her lips, and began to play the song’s refrain. The clear, resonant notes drifted across the stage before she gently set the shell back down.

This segment had been a late addition — a creative touch to enhance the seaside atmosphere.

The sound of the sea breeze rose, waves crashed rhythmically, and Tan Shiyi began her narration:

“More than anyone, I understand — on that summer day, what the sea breeze stole away was the sound of your heart.”

Suddenly, the stage lights flared to life, illuminating the girls’ radiant faces. The music brightened into a cheerful rhythm, and they began to move in perfect sync with the beat.

The audience followed along, waving glow sticks, hand lights, and banners in rhythm.

The girls had practiced countless times; their movements flowed with the ease of muscle memory. Their only nervousness now came from uncertainty about the other teams’ performances. But seeing such an enthusiastic response from the audience reignited their confidence, and their smiles grew brighter, glowing under the lights.

When the song ended, the applause was thunderous. From the crowd came shouts of “Tang Ling!” and “Tan Shiyi!”

Coach Pan Qingchen smiled as he took the microphone.

“Some of you might not know this, but Tan Shiyi’s group was actually the first to complete their arrangement for this round. Even during our mid-stage reviews, their progress was already remarkably high.”

He paused with a grin. “Would you like to tell us how you managed to finish so quickly and with such high quality?”

Tan Shiyi replied modestly, “Actually, none of us had much experience with arrangement. What helped most was teamwork — everyone was willing to contribute, to share ideas, and that made the process smooth. And speaking of that, we really have to thank Jiang Manli for offering us her seaside villa. She took us clam-digging by the shore — that setting really sparked our inspiration.”

Pan chuckled. “I’ve heard that you and Tang Ling have been hosting live-streamed mini music workshops on Weibo — and they’ve become incredibly popular! Rumor has it your very first stream got over sixty thousand homework submissions. Is it true that you’re now too scared to assign any more?”

Tan Shiyi laughed and glanced at Tang Ling. “We honestly didn’t expect such enthusiasm from fans. We’re not professionals — we just share some simple creative techniques. If we can inspire people to enjoy music, then we’ve already met our goal.”

Her sincere response earned a round of applause.

Pan Qingchen then said with a teasing tone, “Alright, a personal question from me — if your group’s song ‘Heart of the Sea Breeze’ is chosen as the debut version, who would you recommend to debut directly?”

The girls exchanged looks, clearly caught off guard. Though they got along well privately, they’d never discussed this — after all, everyone dreamed of debuting themselves. It was only natural.

He Junnian was the first to speak. “Tang Ling, I’d say. She’s already ranked seventh overall — she’s qualified to debut. And honestly, she’s been amazing. Even after getting injured, she kept training every day, always putting the team first. Personally, I want to support her.”

Fu Xin nodded. “I agree.”

The others chimed in one by one, all voting in favor of Tang Ling taking the debut spot.

Tang Ling, startled by their support, protested, “Wait, no — I think it should be Shiyi! She’s the team leader, she’s done the most for us. I don’t deserve special treatment just because I got hurt, right?”

But Tan Shiyi ignored her, turning directly toward the camera with a calm smile.

“As everyone can see, if we’re lucky enough to take first place, we’ll be nominating Tang Ling for debut. Please give her — and us — your support.”

Pan Qingchen laughed. “You still have sixty seconds left for your voting appeal.”

The girls, realizing they’d forgotten about the reward card, immediately burst into a flurry of antics and cheerleading.

“Vote for us! I’ll do the splits right here to hype things up!”

“Vote for us! Aren’t you all fans of the Tang Shi couple? I’ll film a full 24-hour Sweet Life of Tang Shi documentary for you!”

“Let’s go big — how about a whole month of live music workshops, every day with Tang Shi content? Vote for us!”

“Please give us a chance — we want to bring you even more amazing stages!”

The crowd went wild. Even audience members who hadn’t planned to vote were caught up in the excitement, frantically pressing their voting devices.

Tang Ling stole a glance at Tan Shiyi. Her teammate still wore that easy, unshakable smile — not at all upset by the fans’ teasing or the “Tang Shi” chatter.

When the sixty seconds were up, voting closed.

The girls were escorted backstage for a short break.

Su Mengzhi was still buzzing from the adrenaline. “So? How was that? I swear the atmosphere out there was way hotter than any other team’s, right?”

He Junnian laughed. “Doesn’t seem like you’re imagining it — I think we might really be the front-runners this time.”