The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 29.1

Lu Xin fumed for a while, stamping her foot in frustration. She decided she was going to find Su Yao and ask her point-blank whether she had thrown the toilet paper at her too when she handed it over!

She stormed out of the restroom, taking two steps at a time—only to unexpectedly run into Meng Lan and Chu Rou.

At that moment, Chu Rou was speaking sharply to Meng Lan. “This isn’t what we agreed on. You’ve given Chi Wan far too much screen time.”

Meng Lan’s expression darkened. Her voice cooled as she replied, “I’ve already cut as much as I could. It was your segment setup that gave her so many chances to shine. Besides, if we cut her scenes too obviously, the viewers—who aren’t idiots—will say the production team is targeting her.”

Chu Rou shot her a sidelong glance, irritation bubbling up. “Enough. Pointing fingers at each other like this won’t solve anything.”

Still simmering, the two of them stepped into the restroom—only to almost collide with someone head-on. Chu Rou’s mind went blank for a moment. She realized instantly that she’d made another mistake. Even if she wanted to complain to Meng Lan, she should’ve done it privately. Saying these things in the open, in a foul mood no less, risked being overheard by other guests and arousing suspicion. That would be trouble.

Luckily, the person they ran into was Lu Xin.

“What’s got you in such a rush?” Meng Lan took a step back, adjusting the clothing that had been brushed against.

“I—” Lu Xin had meant to say she was looking for Su Yao, but the words shifted mid-thought. Her eyes flickered with a new idea. If Su Yao could say things to make her jealous, why couldn’t she return the favor?

She pulled out a lip balm, waved it casually in front of them, and said with a tone that was half-troubled, half-smug,

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just that Chi Wan noticed my lips were a little chapped and actually chased me into the restroom to give me a brand-new, unopened lip balm. You both know I have drawers full of lipsticks, so I tried to give it back. By the way—have either of you seen her?”

Chu Rou and Meng Lan caught the deliberate flourish in her tone but still couldn’t help being distracted by the implication of her words.

“Aha, judging from your faces, I guess you haven’t. Speaking of which, has Chi Wan given either of you anything?”

As she spoke, Lu Xin’s eyes discreetly scanned their hands and pockets. Both empty. So—no gifts. Sure enough, once they snapped out of their daze, both women shook their heads.

Lu Xin smacked her lips in mock sympathy. “Ah, well, since it’s come to this, I won’t hide it from you anymore. I just ran into Su Yao earlier—she said Chi Wan gave her a bottle of stomach medicine. And she gave Ruan Xiao a lipstick, just because Su Yao had a stomach flare-up tonight and Ruan Xiao’s lip line smudged. And you know what that means.”

She let out two theatrical sighs.

“What does it mean?” Both Chu Rou and Meng Lan leaned in, unable to suppress their curiosity. After all, jealousy usually burns brightest when things aren’t equal.

“It means…” Lu Xin deliberately drew out her voice, “…it means Chi Wan’s been watching the three of us all along. She still can’t let go—oh no, wait, she’s longing for one of us. Tell me, do you think she’s trying to get back together with someone here?”

At those words, Chu Rou’s breath hitched, her face darkening in a way she couldn’t hide. Meng Lan’s expression wasn’t much better.

Lu Xin was just about to needle them further when Chu Rou abruptly strode off, tossing over her shoulder, “Sorry, nature calls.”

Meng Lan followed close behind.

Lu Xin blinked. She hadn’t expected the ever-composed Chu Rou to be rattled into a tactical “bathroom escape.”

She grinned inwardly, flashing herself a silent victory sign, and strolled toward her room in high spirits. But as she reached the door, she happened to run into Su Yao.

Su Yao gave her a quick once-over, noticing something odd in her expression, but didn’t dwell on it. She reached for the doorknob—only for Lu Xin to grab it first, blocking her from turning it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Su Yao arched a brow.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Lu Xin shot back furiously. “Why did you throw the toilet paper at me and leave without waiting? What—getting stomach medicine from Chi Wan put you in such a good mood you’re wagging your tail now? Well, for your information, I got a lip balm from her too!”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Su Yao’s initial joy at receiving the medicine evaporated under Lu Xin’s barrage. Worse, Lu Xin was outright refusing to let her in.

“Hmph! You said it yourself, and now you’re denying it?” Lu Xin narrowed her eyes, tightening her grip on the handle.

“What did I even say? I never went to the restroom! And how do you even know Chi Wan gave me stomach medicine?” Su Yao was baffled.

“Oh, still playing dumb? How do I know? Because you told me! And not just that—you told me she gave Ruan Xiao a lipstick too!” Lu Xin’s voice rose with conviction. “You just wanted to provoke me, but you didn’t expect that not long after you left, Chi Wan gave me a lip balm as well!”

Su Yao stared, stunned. “When did I tell you that? I haven’t even run into you tonight!”

“Still pretending, huh?” Lu Xin clearly thought she’d caught her red-handed.

That got under Su Yao’s skin. “Pretending about what? I have no idea what you’re talking about! I didn’t even know Ruan Xiao got a lipstick! If you’re going to accuse me of something, at least make it logical!”

“So you are saying I’m brainless and illogical?” Lu Xin’s temper spiked.

“Because you are.” Su Yao gave her a cold glance. “Now move. A good dog doesn’t block the road.”

Lu Xin’s breath deepened dangerously, ready to snap—but then she suddenly remembered Mingyu. “Then what about Mingyu? You ran into her in the restroom and deliberately didn’t wait for me, right? You must’ve been with her.”

“What does this have to do with Mingyu?!” In Su Yao’s eyes, Lu Xin was completely unhinged, dragging anyone into her accusations.

“Just admit you’re going to deny everything. Fine. But can you swear you didn’t run into her? Swear that if you’re lying, you’ll never win Mingyu’s heart.” Lu Xin’s whole body trembled with rage.

“Lu Xin, you’ve gone too far!” Su Yao’s expression sank fully now. “How long are you going to act like this? I’m busy. I don’t have time for your baseless nonsense.”

“So you are guilty!” Lu Xin’s lips curled into a feral grin, her eyes glittering with hostility.

She stepped closer, voice laced with mockery. “You could swear, you know. But maybe you don’t even care that much about Mingyu. I know what kind of person you are—you’ve probably got an emotional-avoidance problem. You only like people who don’t want you. The moment they do, you toss them aside like trash. Wasn’t Chi Wan exactly like that back then?”

Su Yao was floored that Lu Xin would say such things in the middle of the hallway. She forcibly twisted the doorknob, shoved the “lunatic” inside, and slammed the door shut.

She thought no one had seen—but at the corner, Chi Wan and An Ran had witnessed the entire scene.

So Su Yao has emotional issues? Chi Wan’s expression turned thoughtful.

“Do you… feel sorry for her? Or maybe for all of them?” An Ran’s eyes were downcast as she nudged her sneaker against the floor. The movement, paired with her flawless legs, radiated pure innocence in Chi Wan’s eyes.

“You mean Su Yao? I honestly didn’t know she had that problem. But back then, she was ruthless with me. Her control issues were terrifying—if I so much as talked to someone else, she’d find endless reasons to accuse me. Thinking about it… it’s exactly like how she just treated Lu Xin.”

Recalling the original owner’s relationship with Su Yao, Chi Wan couldn’t help saying, “I’m guessing the way she felt just now with Lu Xin’s unreasonable pestering was probably the same as I felt back then. Only I wasn’t as forceful as her—so I ended up hurt even worse.”

An Ran listened quietly but caught the subtle oddity in Chi Wan’s tone—it was as if she were speaking about someone else’s experiences entirely. That detail lodged itself in An Ran’s mind.

“Do you pity Lu Xin, then?” After all, in Su Yao’s eyes she was being unreasonable, but Chi Wan, who’d indirectly set this whole scene in motion, probably understood the truth better than anyone.

“Lu Xin? For what just happened, maybe I do feel a little sorry. But back when we were together, her innocence bordered on cruelty. She was careless and inflicted deep emotional wounds on me without even realizing it. Cruel, but oblivious.”

From Chi Wan’s perspective, none of these exes deserved much sympathy. In the original story, they’d joined forces to drive the original owner to her death. Who would pity their enemy?

“Then why are you really here? For revenge—or to actually find a relationship?” This was the question An Ran realized she’d cared about all along.

She thought back to earlier in the restroom. Chi Wan had taken her hand and pulled her away. Not long after, she’d shaken free, annoyed, and headed toward her room—only for Chi Wan to rush after her and block her at the corner.

“An Ran, let me explain!” That had been the first thing Chi Wan said.

But An Ran hadn’t wanted to hear it. In her mind, Chi Wan never told the truth. She’d once said that the most important thing she kept in her inner coat pocket was her “treasure,” and at the time, it had been An Ran’s pendant—making her heart race uncontrollably.

But later, Chi Wan had swapped it out, even putting the lipstick she’d given to an ex in that pocket.

And what did that mean? It meant it had all been a lie from the start. Nothing was truly important to Chi Wan.

An Ran began to realize that perhaps Chi Wan’s purpose in joining the show this time wasn’t reconciliation as in the previous life—but revenge.

She didn’t understand what had shifted her intentions between then and now. Was it really the “butterfly effect” of her own rebirth? That by meeting her, Chi Wan had learned the truth about her exes and decided on revenge instead?

But if it was revenge… why do things that look so much like seducing her exes?

Was it love and hate intertwined? A tangled mix of both?

No matter what it was, An Ran understood one thing: in this tangled battlefield of love and hate, there had never been a place for her from the very start. It had all been her own wishful thinking. Luckily, it still wasn’t too late—she could still pull back the excess feelings she’d invested, cut them off completely at the root.

On the other side, Chi Wan had also fallen silent. What was her real purpose for coming on this show—revenge, or romance?

If it had been at the beginning, the answer would have been obvious: revenge. But now… now she thought romance didn’t sound so bad either. And yet, she also knew—no one would willingly start a relationship when they didn’t know the full truth.

Just like now. The moment An Ran accidentally found out that Lu Xin and the others were her exes, her attitude had shifted.