The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 28.2

Chi Wan glanced at her phone—only six minutes had passed.

【Ding! ‘Deepen your ex’s regret’ progress: 2/5. Slim waist effect +2%. At 5%, the change will be visible to the naked eye!】

She slipped the lipstick back into her outer pocket, washed her hands again, and was about to leave—unaware that the scene of her helping her ex apply lipstick had been quietly witnessed by someone around the corner.

“…Chi Wan…” An Ran mouthed the words almost soundlessly. She had been planning to quietly slip away before they could meet.

But just then, from the Omega stall came a vaguely familiar exclamation:

“Ruan Xiao! Ruan Xiao! Are you done with your lips? Hurry and get me some tissue! I swear I won’t lie again—how did I end up in such a mess when I only meant to sneak out to avoid a conversation?!”

Chi Wan froze—she recognized Lu Xin’s voice instantly.

Lu Xin had noticed Xia Meng’s interest in her, but she didn’t feel the same and had no desire to continue chatting. Forced into a corner, she’d resorted to the classic “bathroom escape.” Who knew that after going in for a quick pee, it had… escalated.

Worse still—she hadn’t brought enough tissue. Truly, misfortune upon misfortune.

“Ruan Xiao! Ruan Xiao! Are you there?”

Her voice was urgent, her mouth dry, her patience fraying.

“She’s not here—just stepped out.”

Chi Wan couldn’t hold back her laughter as she called back.

“What?! She left? That ungrateful traitor! No conscience at all!” Lu Xin cursed for several seconds before it suddenly hit her. “Wait—who are you?”

Chi Wan was about to give her real name, but her eyes flickered with mischief. “Su Yao.”

“Su Yao?” Lu Xin sounded skeptical, but the muffled voice from outside the stall wasn’t clear enough to confirm, so she chose to believe it. “Fine, then you bring me some tissue! We’re dorm mates—whether we like it or not, we still see each other every day!”

“But I don’t feel like seeing you right now. What should I do?” Chi Wan laughed so hard she bent over the sink.

“You dare say that to me?! Aren’t you afraid I’ll spill your secret?” Lu Xin was getting more agitated by the second, sweat beading on her forehead.

“Oh? And what secret would that be?” Chi Wan lowered her voice.

“Hmph! For starters—your stomach hurt today, didn’t it? Why didn’t you take medicine? Don’t make me spell it out. You want me to say it out loud?”

Lu Xin was practically banging on the stall door. “You really went all out just to test Chi Wan, huh? Not afraid you’d faint from the pain with no one to carry you out?”

Her tone was angry, but there was something else mixed in—something not entirely clear.

“Oh, that? Chi Wan already gave me medicine.” Chi Wan deliberately paused before answering.

In truth, she’d been taken aback herself. She had noticed Su Yao acting strangely earlier, but she hadn’t expected it to be intentional. And for someone as carefree and oblivious as Lu Xin to pick up on it—that was even more surprising.

“What? She gave you medicine? Then why didn’t she notice my lips were chapped? When we were dating, she used to take care of me so well! Ugh, she’s so biased!”

The more Lu Xin thought about it, the more upset she became—borderline pitiful.

“Oh, and by the way—when I came into the restroom, I saw Chi Wan give Ruan Xiao a brand new lipstick.” Chi Wan even imitated Su Yao’s voice, slightly pitched.

Lu Xin, puffed up like an angry pufferfish, didn’t suspect a thing. “Great! So now I’m the only one left out! Hurry and bring me tissue or I’ll start making a scene!”

Chi Wan decided she’d teased her enough. She grabbed some tissue, ready to pass it in.

But just as she moved, someone caught her arm. Turning, she was surprised to see the little white flower herself—An Ran. She glanced sidelong at Chi Wan, her tone tinged with acidity.

“What, helping someone with lipstick wasn’t enough? Now you’re going to barge into a stall to deliver toilet paper to an Omega?”

“This…” Chi Wan rubbed her nose awkwardly. “What are you doing here?”

An Ran snorted. “To borrow your own words—this is a public restroom. If you can come, why can’t I?”

Clearly, she had seen and heard the whole thing.

“You’re not mad, are you?” Chi Wan asked carefully, gripping her arm, her voice laced with worry.

“Why would I be mad?” An Ran shot her a look, then lowered her gaze, speaking with quiet grievance. “I don’t have the right to be, do I? Turns out they’re all your exes.”

Hearing the first half, Chi Wan’s heart softened, aching to comfort her—but by the last part, her scalp was tingling. “An Ran, let me explain—”

“No need.” An Ran made a motion as if wiping her eyes, which made Chi Wan’s heart clench even more. That alone confirmed for Chi Wan that An Ran did, indeed, have feelings for her.

Still, letting her overhear all that… was not ideal.

“Who? Su Yao? Who else is out there?” Lu Xin suddenly spoke again, her tone laced with unease.

An Ran, still displeased, answered without thinking, “Mingyu.”

Her voice was nothing like Chi Wan’s, but the stall’s soundproofing and Lu Xin’s own anxiety erased any suspicion.

“Ah?” Lu Xin tensed, wondering if Mingyu had overheard the earlier conversation. But she quickly reassured herself—Su Yao wouldn’t be that careless.

Before she could dwell on it, a stack of tissues was tossed over the stall partition, landing on her lap. She fumbled to grab it, too relieved to care about Su Yao’s “rudeness.”

The rustle of movement followed from inside. Soon, Lu Xin would be coming out.

“Are we leaving now?” An Ran assumed Chi Wan wanted to avoid Lu Xin. But Chi Wan didn’t move at all, which piqued An Ran’s curiosity—what was she up to?

Chi Wan pulled a new lip balm from her pocket and asked, “If I give this to her later, you won’t get the wrong idea, will you?”

“Feeling guilty? For pretending to be Su Yao just now?” An Ran thought that was it—but after looking closely at the balm, she frowned. It was new, clearly bought for Lu Xin.

Chi Wan didn’t answer.

When Lu Xin finally burst out of the stall, she found not Su Yao but Chi Wan and An Ran, the air between them tense.

She glanced around for Su Yao, assuming she’d left because of the smell. Then she looked at Chi Wan and, recalling what she’d seen happen with Su Yao and Ruan Xiao, pouted in an exaggerated way, hoping Chi Wan would notice.

Instead, Chi Wan simply stepped forward. “Hands out. Palms up.”

Puzzled, Lu Xin obeyed. “What’s with the mystery?”

“Catch.” Chi Wan tossed a small white item into her palms—then turned and left with An Ran.

Lu Xin blinked, dumbfounded. “Hey! What are you—” She looked down and saw a lip balm in her hand. Delight bloomed, but only for a moment before indignation returned. Why did hers have to be thrown at her?