After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 70 EXTRA STORY 1

Tang Ling and Tan Shiyi’s first date ended up being public knowledge.

After all, the oceanarium was mostly filled with young visitors, and given Tang Ling and Tan Shiyi’s current level of national popularity, it would’ve been more surprising not to be recognized.

What should have been a simple date quickly turned into an impromptu fan meeting—autographs, photos, selfies—the works. Many fans hadn’t brought pens or paper, so they started borrowing the aquarium’s complimentary visitor guides. For the first time in the aquarium’s decades-long history, the guides sold out completely.

Before long, Tang Ling’s various creative signatures were circulating all over the internet. But the most viral of all was a single photo—one captioned: “Tang Shi is real.”

The result?

The next day, both of them were summoned to the management office.

Bai Xi, the manager of the “Starlight Girls” girl group, sat across from them, looking exasperated as she slapped her palm against the desk.

“So tell me—‘Tang Shi is real,’ huh?”

Tang Ling and Tan Shiyi exchanged a glance. Tang Ling quickly offered her a glass of water.

“Sister Xi, please don’t be angry.”

“Don’t pull that with me,” Bai Xi said flatly. “Just give it to me straight—are you two actually dating or not?”

The two looked at each other again, staying silent.

That was all Bai Xi needed to see. She sighed—once, twice, several times in succession.

“You two, honestly, what am I supposed to do with you? You’ve barely debuted for a few days, and already you’re dating? And so publicly at that? Do you realize how that makes Miss Pan look?”

Tang Ling thought privately that Pan Qingchen probably didn’t care much for the so-called “no-dating” rule anyway—he’d been gleefully eating popcorn during the finale—but she didn’t dare contradict Bai Xi.

“Sister Xi, we know we made a mistake. We’ll keep things low-profile from now on.”

“This isn’t about keeping a low profile,” Bai Xi said with a frown. “You can’t date. Period.”

Tang Ling froze for a moment, then immediately replied, “Sister Xi, Shiyi and I are not breaking up.”

Bai Xi waved a hand. “That’s not what I meant. I’m not some villain who enjoys splitting couples apart. What I’m saying is—whatever happens in private is your business. But in public, you’re teammates, not lovers. If you really insist on going public, wait at least a year. Once the group’s position is stable, then we’ll talk—assuming, of course, you haven’t broken up by then.”

Tang Ling wanted to protest again, but Tan Shiyi placed a calming hand on hers.

“Got it, Sister Xi. So, what do you want us to do for damage control?”

Bai Xi gave Tan Shiyi an approving glance. No wonder she ranked first in popularity—she knew when to play the long game. Her tone softened.

“I’ll handle the PR side. You two just cooperate. Do a live broadcast, apologize to the fans, explain that it was all a joke. A few days later, the buzz will die down.”

She paused before continuing, “And one more thing. I know you won’t want to hear this, but I’ll say it anyway—office romances rarely end well. Think carefully before you go too far.”

Her gaze lingered meaningfully on Tang Ling.

Tang Ling quickly nodded, “Understood, understood.”

Bai Xi: “…”

“Alright then, I’ll contact PR. You two, start preparing for the stream.”

As soon as Bai Xi left, Tang Ling muttered under her breath, “What’s her problem? Can’t stand seeing people happy? What’s so bad about an ‘office romance,’ huh?”

Tan Shiyi tried to soothe her. “She’s just looking out for us. She’s afraid things might get awkward if we break up.”

“I’m not breaking up with you. Honestly.” Tang Ling huffed. “Ugh, we were just showing a bit of affection yesterday, and now we have to deny it publicly today. My poor Tang Shi fans.”

Tan Shiyi sighed, a little helpless. “So, we’ll do the livestream tonight?”

Tang Ling pouted. “Do what livestream? My heart’s shattered. I need my wife to give me a kiss before I can function again.”

Tan Shiyi’s cheeks flushed pink. “Stop being childish. The stream can’t just be an apology—we need to make it substantial. You should prep a short composition class segment too. And don’t mess it up—are you even listening to me?”

Tang Ling grinned. “I’m listening, I’m listening. But wife, comfort me first?”

Tan Shiyi stayed firm. “No comforting. Go work.”

Tang Ling couldn’t help but laugh at how red her face was despite her serious tone. She leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on Tan Shiyi’s forehead.

“Alright, alright. I’m going to work.”

That evening.

Tang Ling visited Tan Shiyi’s apartment for the first time.

The Sakura Garden complex was an old residential block, still running on visible external heating pipes—no underfloor heating here. It had been years since Tang Ling had stepped into a neighborhood like this.

The compound was small, with only two rows of grayish-blue four-story buildings and no elevators. Tan Shiyi lived on the top floor, which meant quite the climb.

Inside, though, everything was spotless. She’d covered the yellowed walls with simple but tasteful wallpaper, and every piece of furniture gleamed with fresh polish. The place felt warm, homely, and comfortable.

Tan Shiyi turned on the air conditioner and handed Tang Ling a glass of juice from the fridge.

Sitting side by side before the laptop, they both knew this would be a tough one. After a steadying breath, they opened the livestream software.

Within seconds, the comment section exploded.

“They’re here!! Today’s Tang Shi broadcast!!”

“I heard Tang Shi went to the aquarium yesterday—why wasn’t I there???”

“Tang Ling, tell me the truth—was that a date with Shishi yesterday?!”

“When’s the next date? I want to witness love in person!!”

Tang Ling and Tan Shiyi exchanged another look. Then Tang Ling cleared her throat.

“Date? What date? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The comments flooded in.

“???? How could you not know?!”

“Shishi’s sitting right next to you! How dare you play dumb?!”

“Ah, so this is the legendary cold-hearted Alpha move!”

Tang Ling sighed dramatically. “Tsk, tsk, you guys—just because an Alpha and an Omega hang out together, you have to assume they’re dating?”

The comments came back even faster.

“Well, aren’t you??”

“If it’s not dating, what is it—marriage?”

“Wait, wait, are you saying Tang Shi’s wedding date is confirmed?!”

Tang Ling almost laughed out loud—these fans were ridiculous, but admittedly quite witty. Still, she had a job to do today. Putting on a straight face, she began her official statement.

“Actually, we went live today to apologize to everyone. Yesterday, we weren’t on a date. We just went to the aquarium together for a little walk after work. We didn’t mean to cause any misunderstanding—really, we’re sorry.”

Comments Section:

“Ew, just taking a walk at the aquarium after work, huh? What a scheming Alpha.”

“Then why don’t you take a walk at the aquarium with me?”

“You liar, you were the one who said yesterday that you two were on a date!”

Tang Ling: “That was just me running my mouth for a moment. Now that I realize how serious this has gotten, I want to clarify and apologize to everyone.”

Comments Section:

“Wait, wait, wait—Tang Ling ran her mouth at Shi Yi, realized the seriousness of it, and came to publicly propose and thank everyone?”

“Comment above—10/10 reading comprehension.”

“Comment above—I suspect you’re being filthy.”

Tang Ling: “…”

These fans were getting harder and harder to fool.

Seeing Tang Ling struggling, Tan Shiyi took over the mic. “What Tang Ling said is true. We’re not dating—we’re just regular colleagues.”

Comments Section:

“Shiyi, you probably don’t realize it yourself—you’re really bad at lying.”

“Not dating? Then why were you holding hands?”

“Not dating, but you go on a date together?”

“Mind your wording, everyone! Tang Shi weren’t on a date—they were just taking a casual walk at the aquarium after work! [dog emoji]”

“Girls, can we please respect Tang and Shi? If they don’t want to go public, let’s not pressure them—what if we scare them so much they don’t dare to go on dates anymore?”

“Wouldn’t that be better? Then they’d just stay home and, hehehehe.”

“By the way, where exactly are Tang and Shi streaming from? Doesn’t look like an office or a hotel.”

“Silly, where else would it be at this hour? Obviously, Shiyi’s place.”

“Wow—so they finish fooling us, then start kissing and cuddling. Respect, Tang Shi, respect.”

Tan Shiyi glanced helplessly at Tang Ling. The comments section was too fierce—she couldn’t even last one round against them.

Tang Ling was just as helpless. Normally, she wouldn’t have cared what fans said—she’d simply start teaching. But today’s main task was clearing up rumors, so she couldn’t just ignore the audience’s reactions.

Patiently, she explained, “We’re really not dating. We only played along because you all seemed to enjoy it so much, and we got carried away. Our manager reminded us to be more careful with our words, so we sincerely apologize.”

Comments Section:

“But we like it—so keep playing along!”

“I’m just a hopeless CP fan, let me ship in peace!”

“No need to be cautious! Keep getting carried away!”

The comments were flying by too fast for Tang Ling to keep up. She was utterly exhausted—until one particular comment caught her eye.

“Alright, so it’s true your manager warned you. Just admit it—how long are you two planning to pretend to be strangers? We’ll wait.”

Tang Ling couldn’t keep up the act anymore. That message felt like a lifeline.

She smiled and replied, “You’ll wait for real? Fine then—one year. Wait.”

Tan Shiyi froze and looked at her in shock.

Comments Section:

“??? What do you mean one year??? Why did Shiyi suddenly make that face???”

“Aaaaaahhh scroll up! Tang Ling was replying to that fan’s comment!”

“Aaaaaaahhhhhh I’m losing it, I’m losing it!!”

“What are you guys talking about?! I don’t get it!!”

Tang Ling pretended not to see any of it. “Alright, that’s all for today’s clarification. Now, let’s start our little songwriting class!”

Neither of them dared to look at the comments again as they hurriedly began the lesson.

When the stream finally ended, both let out a deep sigh of relief and collapsed into their chairs.

Tan Shiyi scolded softly, “That’s how you clear up a rumor?”

Tang Ling groaned. “To clear a rumor, it first has to be a rumor. It’s just too hard for me to lie and say there’s nothing between us.”

Tan Shiyi’s voice softened. “I know. It’s hard for me too.”

Tang Ling stretched lazily. “Forget it. We’ll just get scolded tomorrow anyway.”

Tan Shiyi thought for a moment, then leaned closer with a little smile. “Tomorrow’s tomorrow. But for today—don’t you think we deserve a little reward?”