After Being Bound to the Scummy Alpha System, I Became Famous Thanks to My Face Blindness - Chapter 74 EXTRA STORY 5

After being discharged from the hospital, Pu Xiaoyu temporarily stayed at the Tang residence.

At the end of a long workday, Tang Ling and Tan Shiyi made a special trip home to visit her.

Compared to the last time they’d met, Pu Xiaoyu looked much better. She had taken off her gold-rimmed glasses and was dressed simply in a soft cotton pajama set. Her expression was calm and gentle, stripped of the sharpness she once carried.

When she saw the two of them again, she apologized earnestly.

“Because of my personal issues, I caused you both a great deal of trouble. About what happened before, I hope you can forget it.”

Tang Ling waved it off.

“It’s fine. Everyone has moments when work stress gets the best of them. What matters most is that you’re healthy again. Let’s all get along from now on and stop making the family worry.”

Pu Xiaoyu studied her quietly for a long moment before saying, slowly,

“You really aren’t her.”

Tang Ling blinked.

“Not who?”

Pu Xiaoyu smiled faintly.

“Freud once said that dreams are the fulfillment of desires. In dreams, one can most easily find themselves—and also most easily lose themselves. I hope neither of you will ever be driven by desire. Stay true to who you are.”

Tang Ling and Tan Shiyi exchanged glances, not entirely understanding her words, and simply nodded along.

Since it had been a while since everyone gathered together, the family shared a peaceful dinner before Tang Ling and Tan Shiyi took their leave.

On the drive home, Tan Shiyi leaned her head against Tang Ling’s shoulder, replaying Pu Xiaoyu’s cryptic words.

“What do you think she meant? Can dreams really affect people that much?”

Tang Ling had an inkling of what Pu Xiaoyu was referring to, but she didn’t know how to explain it. Instead, she asked softly,

“Shiyi, if you dreamed that you and Pu Xiaoyu were the real couple—living happily together—would that dream make you leave me?”

Tan Shiyi frowned.

“Of course not. Even in a dream, I’d still find you. I’d always choose to be with you.”

Tang Ling hesitated.

“Then, what if there were two of me—identical in every way? Which one would you choose?”

Tan Shiyi didn’t understand.

“How could there be two of you? Even if there were ten who looked exactly the same, I’d still be able to find the real you.”

As the saying goes—what you think of by day, you dream of by night.

That night, Tan Shiyi really did have a strange dream.

She was standing on an endless stretch of nothingness, surrounded by thick, sightless fog. When she tried to take a step forward, her foot landed on something soft and buoyant, like a cloud. The uncertainty made her hesitate to move further.

Suddenly, a saccharine electronic voice rang out in her mind.

“Shishi, hehe hehe hehe.”

Tan Shiyi froze.

Tan Shiyi: “…”

A shiver ran through her. Goosebumps everywhere.

“Who are you?”

“Hehe. Welcome to the Void Dream Realm! I’m Customer Service No. 43, Xiao Nan, here to serve you! Hehe. You may not know me, but I know you very well!”

Tan Shiyi frowned.

“Why am I here? And how do you know me?”

“Hehe. Secrets of heaven can’t be told. But I’m so happy to be bound to you! Shishi, you smell so good—just like I imagined! A real fairy.”

Tan Shiyi: “…”

“Then tell me—how do I get out of this dream?”

“Oh, that’s simple! You just have to find your true partner, and you’ll be free.”

“How do I find her?”

With a flash of silver light, two crystal spheres appeared before her. Within each sphere, moving images flickered like a carousel.

“Shishi, your lost lover—” Xiao Nan’s voice teased, “is it the Tang Ling on the left, or the Tang Ling on the right?”

Tan Shiyi leaned closer. Both spheres indeed showed Tang Ling.

In the left one, she wore simple clothes, aloof and cold, living a quiet, uneventful campus life.

In the right, the scene was lively and warm—Father Tang, Mother Tang, Jiang Manli, and others could all be seen.

Tan Shiyi didn’t hesitate.

“I choose the one on the right.”

“Excellent! Connection established. Enjoy your journey!”

Tan Shiyi woke up from her dream, hazy and disoriented. She vaguely remembered dreaming something long and winding—something about events years ago—but the details slipped away like sand through her fingers.

She looked around. The large double bed was empty except for her; Tang Ling hadn’t come home again last night.

It had been five years since their marriage. Though they were supposed to be closest to each other, somehow, they hadn’t really seen one another in a long time.

Five years ago, Starlight Girls had officially disbanded. Tan Shiyi transitioned into acting, while Tang Ling shifted her focus toward variety shows.

Both of them were busy—constantly. Leisure time was a luxury, and neither had ever seriously discussed having children.

After sitting blankly on the bed for a while, Tan Shiyi got up, folded the quilt neatly, and went to the kitchen.

She had always been the one to make breakfast. With her early-riser habits, it wasn’t a burden; rather, it gave a small rhythm and warmth to an otherwise dull life.

She made herself shrimp-and-egg cheese toast and brewed a cup of coffee, then turned on the TV to watch a random variety show.

On-screen, Tang Ling had her arm around a young female guest, smiling with radiant ease. Every movement between them carried an intimate, ambiguous air.

Tan Shiyi watched silently for a while before turning off the screen.

After breakfast, she drove herself to the filming set.

Inside, several actors were gathered in hushed conversation. When they noticed her, they quickly dispersed.

Perplexed, Tan Shiyi frowned—until she opened her phone and saw her name trending at the top of Weibo’s hot search.

# Tang Ling and Meng Qian Stay at a Hotel Together

Meng Qian was the very same female guest Tang Ling had been seen acting intimately with earlier that morning.

So, it was true—things between the two of them were far from simple.

Tan Shiyi let out a soft sigh.

They had been married for five years, and she had lost count of how many times something like this had happened. From the shock and resistance she’d felt at first, she had now learned to face it with calm indifference.

There is no sorrow greater than a heart that has died.

She no longer knew why she continued to maintain this hollow shell of a marriage—was it because she still clung to an impossible dream, or because she’d already been numbed by disappointment?

The vows once made at their wedding had long since turned into empty promises. What remained of her now was merely a shell—empty, hollow, and devoid of the soul that once brimmed with warmth.

A nearby staff member, seeing Tan Shiyi’s distant, hollow expression, couldn’t help but feel pity. “Miss Tan, are you alright? If you’re not feeling well, you can rest for a bit. We’re actually ahead of schedule.”

Tan Shiyi lowered her eyes. “No need. Let’s begin filming.”

Work—at least—could temporarily distract her from her troubles.

When the day’s filming finally wrapped up, she stopped by a noodle shop near the set, had a simple bowl of noodles, then drove home.

From a distance, she saw the lights on inside the house.

Her heart gave a small, instinctive jolt. She quickened her pace and unlocked the door with the passcode.

Sure enough, Tang Ling was home—sprawled out on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. She obviously noticed Tan Shiyi come in but didn’t even lift her head, her fingers tapping rapidly on the screen as she chuckled at something.

Tan Shiyi felt another piece of her heart go cold. Without a word, she set down her bag, changed into her loungewear, and turned on her laptop to deal with some work.

Finally, Tang Ling sat up from the sofa and glanced lazily in her direction. “You’re not cooking?”

“I didn’t know you’d be home today,” Tan Shiyi said evenly. “I already ate outside.”

Tang Ling pouted. “But I haven’t eaten yet. Come on, good wife, make me something. I’m starving.”

Tan Shiyi paused, then turned her head slowly. “I thought you’d already forgotten you even had a wife. Cook it yourself. I’m not in the mood.”

“What are you angry about this time?” Tang Ling snapped, impatience creeping into her voice. “You’ve been so cold lately—you’re the one making this house unbearable to live in.”

“Am I the one throwing a tantrum?” Tan Shiyi’s voice trembled with restrained disbelief. How could Tang Ling still act so righteous after what she’d done? “If it’s so unbearable, then don’t come home. This house doesn’t need you to bless it with your presence.”

Tang Ling laughed, as if she’d just heard something absurd. “Since when did this house become yours to command? I paid for it. If anyone’s leaving, it won’t be me.”

Tan Shiyi took a deep breath, swallowing down her anger and pain. Then she stood up and reached for her coat. “Then I’ll go. Sorry for disturbing you.”

Seeing her actually move to leave, Tang Ling quickly jumped up and wrapped her arms around her from behind with a playful grin. “You’re really mad? Our Shiyi’s temper is getting worse and worse.”

Tan Shiyi broke free of her grasp. “Don’t touch me with those filthy hands you’ve used on someone else!”

Tang Ling smirked, completely shameless. “Oh, you’re jealous?”

“Tang Ling, we’re married,” Tan Shiyi said through clenched teeth, trying to contain the fury in her chest. “What you’re doing is called cheating.”

“Don’t make it sound so serious. Meng Qian and I were just having some fun. Who doesn’t have a few flings outside these days? You can go find one too—I won’t stop you.”

A wave of disgust surged in Tan Shiyi’s chest. “Tang Ling, do you even love me?”

Tang Ling scoffed. “You’re not a little girl anymore. Still hung up on all that love and romance nonsense? How childish. Anyway, you’ll always be my officially wedded wife—different from those girls outside. That should be enough for you.”

Tan Shiyi looked at her quietly, as though gazing at a stranger. After a long silence, she finally said, slowly and clearly:

“You’re not the Tang Ling I once knew. Let’s get a divorce.”