After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 68

Tang Ling’s speech set off another wave of screams from the audience.

“Did you hear that? Hear that? If you round up what she said, isn’t that basically a confession?”

“If Tang Shi doesn’t marry on the spot, wouldn’t that be unreasonable?”

“Get married! Get married! I’ll even pay the dowry!”

Tang Ling gestured for everyone to calm down. “Alright, alright, I’m not joking anymore. I really think their performance was outstanding—creative, heartfelt, and full of personality. I hope everyone won’t hesitate to use their precious vote on them.”

The audience roared back:

“Coach Tang is totally playing favorites—campaigning for her wife!”

“How is it called campaigning when it’s for your wife?”

“One vote from you, one vote from me—Shiyi gets married today!”

Tang Ling was left speechless. “I said the same thing to every team, okay?”

Seeing that the crowd had reached peak excitement, Pan Qingchen smoothly took over. “Alright, alright, let’s quiet down and return the stage to our host for the fourth group’s performance.”

Tang Ling finally exhaled in relief—no more dealing with that rowdy audience for now.

Once all four groups had performed, the girls gathered again on stage.

It was time for the most anticipated moment of the night—the final rankings.

Although each trainee more or less already had a guess in mind, they all maintained their brightest smiles.

Pan Qingchen walked to the center of the stage holding a red envelope. “Everyone in the audience, are you ready?”

“We’re ready!”

“And all of you on stage—are you ready?”

“Ready!”

Pan Qingchen tapped the envelope playfully. “Oh my, this ranking is a little different from what I imagined.”

The trainees exchanged glances, and murmurs rippled through the audience.

Du Zhen blurted out anxiously, “Coach Pan, stop keeping us in suspense! Hurry and announce the results!”

Pan Qingchen chuckled. “Alright, alright, should I read them now? You’re sure? Okay then—the trainee ranked sixth on the Beidou Star Training Program popularity list is Lu Yao!”

Lu Yao froze, disbelief flickering across her face.

She instinctively turned toward Tan Shiyi, who gave her a reassuring nod.

Beside her, Lin Ruoxin also looked momentarily surprised before smiling in relief and stepping forward to hug Lu Yao.

Thunderous applause filled the hall. Lu Yao’s fans screamed her name in excitement, while some of Lin Ruoxin’s fans couldn’t help but shed tears of disappointment.

Tang Ling, too, was momentarily taken aback. She hadn’t expected Lu Yao to overtake Lin Ruoxin at the last moment.

It seemed the reality of this world had already diverged significantly from the original storyline.

Pan Qingchen continued to announce the rankings.

“Fifth place goes to Song Yue, fourth place to Xu Zhixiao, and third place to Bian Wenqi.”

These matched the original order.

Then Pan Qingchen paused dramatically. “The runner-up of the Beidou Star Training Program popularity ranking is.”

A sharp premonition ran through Tang Ling’s mind. The name wouldn’t be Tan Shiyi.

Tan Shiyi, she would be first.

With all she had endured and accomplished, she deserved to be first.

Sure enough, the next second, Pan Qingchen read out, “Du Zhen!”

For one brief beat, the hall went silent—then erupted into deafening screams.

“What? Du Zhen is second? Then who’s first?”

“Are you kidding? It’s obviously Tan Shiyi!”

“Ahhh! I knew it! Shiyi’s the best! She deserves first place!”

“No way! Du Zhen has been number one since the show began—she’s never fallen before!”

“What’s wrong with that? Shiyi’s been climbing steadily this whole time! The only reason Du Zhen stayed ahead was because of her massive fanbase. Shiyi started out practically unknown—if not for that, she would’ve passed her long ago!”

“Wow, listen to yourself. Isn’t Tan Shiyi just popular because of her ‘CP-baiting’ and girl-love marketing? What’s there to be proud of?”

“Is it really that hard to admit your fave just couldn’t keep up? Plenty of contestants hype up fake CPs—but only Shiyi won first. Ask yourself why.”

Onstage, Pan Qingchen raised her voice again:

“The trainee who has won first place on the Beidou Star Training Program popularity ranking is—Tan Shiyi! Let’s all congratulate her!”

The moment the words left his mouth, a burst of colorful fireworks exploded above the stage, showering ribbons and confetti down onto the audience.

Each ribbon carried handwritten messages of blessing from the trainees themselves.

They had written those on the very first day of training—back when all 120 girls were still wide-eyed and uncertain, carefully following the staff’s instructions to write ten lines each. Their handwriting had been clumsy, their wishes simple and sincere. The notes were sealed into confetti cannons, to be released at the show’s finale.

Now, each ribbon had fulfilled its purpose, just as each trainee had completed a vivid, unforgettable chapter of her youth.

On stage, Pan Qingchen smiled and handed the microphone to Tan Shiyi. “Shiyi, congratulations on winning first place. How do you feel right now? Say a few words to everyone.”

Tan Shiyi took the microphone, bowed deeply to the audience, and began softly,

“This ranking really surprised me. I honestly didn’t think I would win first place.”

“But since I’ve been given this honor, I’ll do everything I can to live up to it—to lead this team with pride and to never disappoint the trust and support you’ve all given me.”

Thunderous applause followed, filling the hall once more.

“Shiyi, you’ve got this!!”

“Shishi, you’re the best!!”

“Waaah—both A’ling and Shishi debuted! My life is complete!!”

A few staff members pushed a large fondant cake onto the stage. It was designed around a starry-sky theme—deep indigo in color, with swirling nebula patterns and golden lettering that read Starlight Girls. The cake shimmered with moon-and-star decorations, delicate and dazzling.

“Now, let’s have all seven Starlight Girls come forward and take a photo with the cake!”

The girls stepped up one by one. Tang Ling also rose from the coaches’ seats and walked onto the stage, where the others good-naturedly pushed her toward the center.

“You stand in the middle—with Shiyi!”

Tang Ling met Tan Shiyi’s gaze. With a natural ease, she slipped an arm around Shiyi’s shoulders.

Screams erupted from the audience:

“Ahhh—A’ling just put her arm around Shishi! This is straight out of a dream!!!”

“How is this not a wedding?!”

“Do you guys remember those leaked photos from A’ling’s birthday party? Now that I think about it, that looked exactly like an engagement banquet!”

“Waaah, it really feels like I’m at a wedding right now!!!”

“I don’t care—this is Tang Shi and her beautiful bridesmaid group!!!”

Tan Shiyi’s cheeks turned bright red. Shielded by the cake, she discreetly poked Tang Ling in the waist with her finger.

Tang Ling squeezed Shiyi’s shoulder in return—a silent, teasing response.

Shiyi turned toward her in disbelief, only to find Tang Ling flashing her a pleading little smile.

At that exact moment, the flashbulbs went off, capturing their expressions perfectly on camera.

The following days were a whirlwind.

The girls barely slept—rushing between interviews, shows, and recording sessions. Even though they were together every day, they hardly had time to talk.

After nearly a week of this high-intensity schedule, they were finally granted their first short break.

For Tang Ling, that break carried a special purpose—she was finally going to meet the original body’s biological mother.

With the Beidou star group’s final debut results officially announced, Pu Xiaoyu had come to realize that reality didn’t match the strange dreams she once believed in. After her secondary differentiation, her emotions had stabilized and she’d agreed to continue treatment. She was still hospitalized but doing much better.

Online public opinion had also settled down. Thanks to Ah Tong’s skillful handling, fans had accepted the truth that Tang Ling and Pu Xiaoyu were accidentally switched at birth.

During Tang Ling’s hectic week, her parents had already met with Pu’s mother. The meeting went smoothly, so they felt reassured about Tang Ling’s upcoming visit.

Of course, Tang Ling wasn’t going alone—Tan Shiyi would be accompanying her.

They agreed to meet at eight in the morning at the gate of Sakura Garden, where Shiyi lived.

After leaving the training camp, Tan Shiyi had moved back to the apartment assigned to her by Fangyu Entertainment in Sakura Garden—a rather old residential community mostly inhabited by middle-aged and elderly residents. The security wasn’t great, but for Shiyi, it had always felt warm and homey.

Now that she was a rising star, the modest setting didn’t quite suit her newfound fame—but she didn’t mind at all. She greeted the neighbors warmly whenever they recognized her. With her hair tied into two loose fishtail braids, a simple T-shirt and overalls, and a backpack slung over her shoulders, she looked like any ordinary college girl—comfortable, relaxed, effortlessly charming.

Tang Ling couldn’t help but find this version of Shiyi just as heart-stealing. The glamorous days at the training camp had felt like a dream; this slice of ordinary life felt far more real, far safer.

She found herself sneaking glances at Shiyi again and again.

“Did you have breakfast?” Shiyi asked, embarrassed under her gaze, quickly changing the topic.

“Ah? I forgot.” Tang Ling admitted. She’d been so preoccupied with getting ready to see Shiyi that she hadn’t thought about eating.

“You could forget that too? Unbelievable.” Shiyi sighed, taking her hand. “Come on, let’s grab breakfast.”

They stopped by a nearby shop for steamed dumplings, then headed to a nearby grocery store.

“You can’t go to meet your parents empty-handed. Do you know what Aunt Pu likes to eat?”

Tang Ling shook her head. “No idea. It’s so hot—maybe some watermelon and lychees?”

Shiyi gave her a helpless look before bending down to pick fruit.

Tang Ling followed behind her, unable to resist murmuring, “Wife, you’re amazing.”

Shiyi’s hand trembled—the lychees she’d just picked slipped right back into the basket. Her face flushed scarlet as she turned away, voice lowered in flustered protest.

“What are you calling me that for?”