After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 7

The two of them went to the monitoring room and told the staff they had lost a phone, successfully getting access to the security footage.

On screen, Tan Shiyi was seen taking a carton of milk from the dressing room, sipping it twice before setting it on the table and going to do her makeup. When she came back later to pick it up again, only Ying Keren had approached the milk during that time.

However, since the table was positioned in a corner and people were constantly walking in and out of the dressing room, it was impossible to see clearly what Ying Keren had done to the milk.

The two left the monitoring room deep in thought.

Although they’d been grouped together for a while now, neither of them was particularly close to Ying Keren.

As a debuted artist with a hit song to her name, Ying Keren naturally carried herself with a degree of distance. Still, she’d never seemed openly hostile.

The older man in charge of the footage asked kindly, “Did you find your phone?”

Tang Ling smiled. “Yes, we did.”

A gentle breeze stirred beneath the hazy moonlight.

The two of them walked side by side down a tree-lined path. It was early May in the south, the air filled with the soft chorus of insects—summer was already in the air.

“You, why are you trying to cover for her?”

Tang Ling didn’t know how to bring it up. She couldn’t understand why Tan Shiyi—usually so proud, so clear-cut in love and hate—would choose to stay silent.

Tan Shiyi’s voice was calm and patient. “Tang Ling, it’s not that I want to cover for her. It’s that we don’t have proof. I don’t know why she would do something like this. We have no grudge between us—there’s no motive.”

“I’ll go with you to the hospital,” Tang Ling said. “We don’t even know what kind of filth she might’ve put in that milk.”

Tan Shiyi chuckled. “What could it be? At most, something to give me a stomachache. She wouldn’t go so far as to try to kill me over a performance.”

Tang Ling muttered, “You really are unlucky—people keep trying to drug you.”

Tan Shiyi raised a brow, amused. “You’re one to talk.”

Tang Ling’s cheeks flushed red. “I’ve changed, okay?”

Silence fell between them.

Tang Ling lowered her head and nudged a small pebble with the tip of her shoe.

After a while, she spoke softly, “I’m sorry for hurting you before.”

Tan Shiyi was quiet for a few seconds before replying gently, “It’s in the past. Let it go.”

When Tang Ling returned to the dorm, Jiang Manli was sprawled on her bed playing games.

The moment she saw Tang Ling, she jumped up excitedly. “You were amazing, Ling-jie! That performance was on fire! I’ve never seen you do martial arts before. And you and that little O—wow, you two actually had great chemistry. So, where are you going during the break, huh?”

“Thinking of going to an outdoor party. What about you guys? How did your performance go?”

“Ugh, don’t even mention it. You saw it yourself—we were drinking vegetable juice by the end.”

Tang Ling hadn’t known Jiang Manli had to do the punishment game; after all, no one could recognize anyone on stage without their Harry Winston accessories.

Completely oblivious, Jiang Manli flopped back onto her bed. “Our group didn’t score well this time. We’ll have to work harder next round—can’t risk getting eliminated.”

Tang Ling laughed. “Since when do you care about getting eliminated?”

“Getting eliminated’s no big deal,” Jiang Manli said solemnly. “Losing face is. I haven’t even managed to flirt with that cutie Lu Yao yet—no way I’m leaving now.”

Something clicked in Tang Ling’s mind. “Li-jie, are you familiar with Ying Keren?”

“Ying Keren? Not really.” Jiang Manli thought for a moment. “Wait—isn’t she the one who sings ‘Kiss Goodbye’? Yeah, I know of her. Kinda obscure. Isn’t she in your group?”

“Yeah,” Tang Ling replied. “I just wanted to learn a bit more about her.”

Jiang Manli smirked. “Oh? Got your eye on a new target already? Don’t worry, I’ll ask around for you. Promise I’ll get you some juicy details.”

The next day, Jiang Manli came back with gossip. “Ling-jie, I asked around. You better stay far away from that girl. Her agency’s trash—they’re always scheming for scandals and sabotaging others. Real nasty stuff. And that girl? She’s not as innocent as she looks. Plays the pure act on camera, but she’s slick and calculating offstage. Don’t let her trick you.”

Tang Ling nodded thoughtfully. She understood.

Three days later.

The Peach Blossoms Crease team members were up early, gathering in the practice room to prepare for the day’s picnic shoot.

Since the cameras would be filming them all day, the girls had dressed up carefully in their own casual clothes, looking extra fresh and lively.

Everyone sat in a circle, dividing up the day’s tasks.

“I’ll handle setting up the tents and the grill,” Tan Shiyi said. “Who’s with me?”

She wore a yellow T-shirt with a smiley face print and denim overalls, her hair braided into two boxer braids—radiating pure camping energy.

He Junnian immediately volunteered. “I’ll go with you. I’m tall, good for heavy lifting.”

“I’ll go buy ingredients then,” Tang Ling offered. “Ying Keren, would you like to come with me?”

Ying Keren looked up, surprised that her name had been called. “Huh? Me? Sure, I guess I can.”

Xia Yutong pouted. “Why didn’t you ask me to go with you, A’ling?”

Tang Ling coaxed her gently. “What’s fun about grocery shopping? Carrying all that stuff is exhausting. Go fishing with the others—it’ll be way more fun.”

Xia Yutong’s eyes brightened. “You really do know how to spoil me, A’ling.”

A system chime echoed in Tang Ling’s mind: ‘Detected: Host’s Scummy Alpha Value -2 points.’

All right, all right, as long as you’re happy.

Just as Tang Ling was about to leave, a cool, slender hand caught her wrist.

It was Tan Shiyi.

She gave Tang Ling a small shake of her head.

Tang Ling nodded, signaling she understood what to do.

Then, she and Ying Keren headed off to the supermarket.

This supermarket was huge, with four floors in total—the first and second dedicated to food.

Because the cameras were following them, Ying Keren took the initiative to hold Tang Ling’s hand, pushing the shopping cart together with her, looking especially affectionate.

“A’ling, do you think they’ll actually catch any fish? What kind of fish could there even be in that little creek?”

“Probably crucian carp or catfish or something. Who knows.”

Ying Kener tilted her head. “Then should we buy some seafood instead? Like shrimp, squid, maybe some mackerel?”

“Sure.”

After buying the seafood, they happened to pass by the refrigerated section. Tang Ling’s eyes immediately caught sight of the Yuepu milk.

Yuepu milk—the official sponsor of the Beidou Star Training Program. The show had given each trainee a case of it.

It was Yuepu milk that Tan Shiyi’s bottle had been tampered with.

Tang Ling walked straight toward the display, picked up a bottle, and checked the production date.

Ying Kener turned to the camera with a practiced smile. “Ta-da! Look what we found—Yuepu milk! Nutritious and natural! Comes in all kinds of flavors too!”

Tang Ling placed the bottle in the cart. “Let’s grab a few more.”

Ying Kener laughed lightly. “Buy Yuepu milk? Don’t we already have tons of it back at camp?”

Tang Ling leaned close, her breath brushing Ying Kener’s ear as she murmured, “The ones we have were tampered with—they’re not clean.”

Ying Kener froze, her face turning red, then pale.

As if she hadn’t heard clearly, she forced a smile for the camera. “Wh-what did you say?”

Tang Ling smiled at her, eyes calm. “You know exactly what I said.”

For the rest of the shoot, Ying Kener clearly stopped clinging to Tang Ling. She pushed the cart silently, no longer engaging her in conversation.

The crew grew anxious. “Come on, you two—interact a little more! The atmosphere was great earlier!”

Tang Ling offered an apologetic smile. “It’s been a while since we’ve been out. I’m a bit tired, and Kener must be, too.”

The staff sighed helplessly. “You girls finally get a bonus segment and don’t even make use of it.”

When they’d finished shopping, Tang Ling and Ying Kener returned to the van.

With only the driver present, Ying Kener finally couldn’t hold back. “Tang Ling, what did you mean by that just now?”

Tang Ling raised an eyebrow. “Just now? I didn’t say anything.”

Ying Kener lowered her voice. “You know what I’m talking about. What exactly are you trying to do?”

Tang Ling smiled faintly. “What could I possibly do? Just giving you a little reminder—don’t do things you shouldn’t.”

Ying Kener fell silent, turning her head toward the window.

The rest of the ride passed in silence.

Outside, the sunlight was warm, tree shadows swaying gently. In contrast to the tense air in the van, the campsite was filled with laughter.

Tan Shiyi and He Junnian had already pitched two tents, laid out an Instagram-worthy picnic mat, set up the grill, and lit the charcoal fire.

When the two returned, everyone gathered around to see what they’d bought.

He Junnian laughed. “You even bought Yuepu milk? Didn’t we already have a whole case in the trunk?”

Tang Ling smiled lightly. “I was afraid you might run out.”

“Fair enough. Milk’s healthy, after all.”

Ying Kener’s face didn’t look good. When her gaze brushed past Tan Shiyi, her expression turned even more unnatural.

“Sorry, I’m not feeling well today. I’ll go rest in the tent for a bit.”

He Junnian blinked. “Why’s everyone suddenly not feeling well these days?”

Tang Ling smoothed things over. “Let her rest. Come on, let’s get started with the barbecue.”

It was a rare group activity, and the girls were laughing and playing together, having a great time. Eating wasn’t the main point though—taking photos was.

After everyone had eaten their fill, the girls followed the cameramen’s direction, splitting into pairs or trios to pose for pictures.

The production team had brought along all kinds of props—bouquets, playing cards, paper fans, balloons, bubble machines—for them to use.

Tan Shiyi wasn’t much into taking photos and stayed behind to tidy up the grill and clean the area.

Tang Ling stayed with her to help.

A soft breeze stirred the air, rippling through the lush green grass. When they were done cleaning, they sat down together on the picnic mat to rest.

Tan Shiyi glanced toward the tent. Ever since Ying Kener had gone in, she hadn’t come back out.

“What did you say to her?”

“Nothing much. Just gave her a little reminder.”

Tan Shiyi didn’t buy it. “Then why did she look so terrified?”

“Being afraid is good, isn’t it? Maybe she’ll think twice before doing something shady again.”

Tan Shiyi lowered her head. “You don’t have to stand up for me.”

“I’m not,” Tang Ling said, aware that Tan Shiyi still kept her guard up around her. She didn’t want to add pressure. “I just can’t stand people who hurt the team.”

Tan Shiyi seemed to think of something and smiled faintly. “Didn’t expect you to be such a righteous person.”

Just then, a photographer happened to pass by. Seeing the two of them sitting together on the mat, he lit up. “Hold that pose, you two—it looks great. Tang Ling, look at the camera and smile. Perfect. Tan Shiyi, keep your head down just like that, soft smile, yes, that’s it.”

Click.

Tang Ling stood up, brushed the dust from her pants, and ran over. “Let me see!”

On the screen, she was grinning like a fool—bright-eyed and silly—while beside her, Tan Shiyi had her face turned slightly away. The breeze lifted a few strands of her hair, brushing across her cheek as she squinted and smiled faintly, beautiful and effortlessly captivating.

Even though Tang Ling was notoriously face-blind, in that moment, she couldn’t help but think.

Tan Shiyi was really, really beautiful.