The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 31

A question flashed uncontrollably through An Ran’s mind: Was Chi Wan really drunk?

If Chi Wan hadn’t said those words earlier, An Ran wouldn’t have thought too much of it. But the fact that she had said them felt almost like a warning—like she was announcing in advance: “I’m going to do something to you.”

That, instead, made An Ran nervous, her heart skipping every time Chi Wan so much as moved, as though every action carried hidden intent.

“An Ran, your body is so tense—look, even your toes are curling up!” Chi Wan murmured, her voice thick with the haze of alcohol. She spoke as though she had just stumbled on a delightful surprise, her tone light and teasing.

“Y-you… don’t say that…” An Ran’s face flushed hot, burning up. Why is it that drunk people can notice things so clearly?

“Because I can’t stop wanting to look at you,” Chi Wan leaned closer again, her head resting on An Ran’s shoulder.

An Ran froze, only then realizing she must have blurted out what she had intended to ask.

“I don’t believe you,” she mumbled under her breath, lips twitching upward despite herself.

“It’s true. Everything about you attracts me, especially…” Chi Wan trailed off. Her thoughts wandered to those legs—but even in her drunkenness, she managed to bite her tongue, holding back from exposing her little secret about being a foot-fetishist.

“Especially what?” An Ran’s instincts told her this was important, maybe even the reason why she appealed to Chi Wan. But the woman refused to finish her sentence.

Unable to resist, An Ran leaned in to her ear, her voice soft and coaxing: “Chi Wan, especially what? Tell me, and I’ll send you a Heartbeat Text. How about that?”

“Hm?” At the mention of a Heartbeat Text, Chi Wan perked up instantly. Half-lidded eyes shining with childlike anticipation, she rubbed against An Ran’s shoulder like she was begging for candy. “Really? You’re not lying to me?”

“No. We’ll pinky swear, okay?” An Ran hooked her finger with Chi Wan’s. Her little finger was long, slender, but with a rounded tip—strangely adorable.

The instant their fingers touched, An Ran felt her heart thud. Chi Wan’s skin was so soft, so pleasant to the touch, that she couldn’t help pressing closer, sliding her palm over Chi Wan’s hand, deepening the contact.

Unlike her own roughened palms, Chi Wan’s were flawless—smooth, delicate, and faintly cool. The sensation of having such perfect hands pressed flush against hers left An Ran feeling… unworthy, almost ashamed.

“Your toes are curling up again!” Chi Wan’s gaze was drawn once more to An Ran’s feet—her shyly curled toes were just too cute.

“C-could you not notice things like that? It’s embarrassing…” An Ran shrank back, covering her ears with her hands.

“Why be embarrassed? You’re so beautiful—I just want to see you clearly.” Chi Wan’s drunken haze deepened. She leaned down and reached out, touching the parts of An Ran’s body that intrigued her most.

Her hand brushed her knee, appreciating the elegant bone structure. Then it slid down to her shin, smooth and slender, not an ounce of excess flesh. The kind of legs that made one want to bite—bite all the way down to those pale, delicate toes, leaving a trail of soft pink marks like plum blossoms blooming in snow.

The thought alone had Chi Wan’s mouth watering, her throat dry. “An Ran, An Ran… I really, really want to bite you.”

“What?” An Ran froze, her doe-like eyes going wide with shock. She parted her lips uncertainly, her voice hoarse and wavering: “What did you just say? Bite me?”

In an ABO world, that word—bite—inevitably carried another meaning.

To bite… was almost the same as to mark.

“Chi Wan! How could you—” An Ran’s ears turned scarlet, her heart rising with both shame and a flicker of anger.

She’s going too far! An Ran thought. I only agreed to give her a chance—I never agreed to date her. How could she use drunkenness as an excuse to demand something like this!

She pushed away the clingy body leaning on her: “You should keep your distance.”

“Wh-why?” Chi Wan asked, sounding pitiful as she instinctively leaned back toward An Ran’s warmth. “You’re so comfortable to be around.”

Comfortable enough to want to bite, right?

An Ran’s mind filled in the rest, and she had to shove her away again.

“An Ran, you’re being so mean to me!” Chi Wan whined, her drunkenness turning her into a giant sulky baby, desperate for comfort and cuddles.

“I’m not being mean for no reason.” With other guests casting subtle glances their way, An Ran muttered softly, “You need to reflect on yourself.”

“Mm!” Chi Wan pouted, slapping her thigh. “I just want to be closer to you, to look at you more.”

An Ran’s defenses cracked a little at those words. She clenched her fists. “You… want to look at me more?”

“Mm-hm!” Chi Wan’s eyes brightened at her softened tone, nodding wildly like an eager child. Yes, yes, that’s exactly it.

And all the while, she leaned closer, whining and rubbing against An Ran like a kid begging for a toy.

An Ran almost reached to twist her ear in frustration—when suddenly, her waist tightened, a chill running across her skin. Looking down, she saw Chi Wan’s fingers had found the lacy pattern of her half-sheer dress, tapping and prodding mischievously, even giving the fabric a playful poke.

“So springy,” Chi Wan giggled as she poked, delighted.

“An Ran, everything about you is fascinating. I remember when I wiped you down before—your lower back curved in so beautifully, that line, that shape—”

She was rambling when suddenly, the system’s voice thundered in her head:

【Shut up right now, host!】

Why should I shut up? Chi Wan sulked inwardly.

【Even drunk confessions have limits! Any more, and you’ll blurt out how you wanted to steal her underwear during her heat! What would she think of you then? Do you want her to believe you’re a pervert?】

【Do you want all her favorability toward you to plummet straight to zero?】

The system’s barrage jolted Chi Wan’s consciousness back just enough. She slapped her cheeks in regret—ah, that was close, I almost made a huge mistake!

But as she did, she suddenly realized her mouth had already been covered by another hand.

An Ran had clamped her palm over her lips, face flaming. She was nervous, flustered, and whispered urgently: “Please, stop talking.”

The other guests might look like they were enjoying dinner, but plenty of ears were clearly turned this way.

Chi Wan nodded obediently, promising silence.

When An Ran hesitantly lifted her hand away, Chi Wan immediately melted bonelessly against her, nuzzling and negotiating in a coaxing voice: “See? I stopped talking. So let me lean on you, okay? Please? I like you the most!”

Those last words were a lethal blow. An Ran could only grit her teeth, resigned to endure this little demon clinging to her.
________________________________________

Meanwhile, Mingyu, in order to keep the “Heartbeat Text” segment from falling flat, forced herself into polite small talk with Qu Huan, feigning interest she didn’t feel.

Her irritation tonight was entirely Chi Wan’s fault—so seeing her spend the whole evening wrapped up with that poor student An Ran gave Mingyu a sliver of satisfaction.

So Chi Wan has fallen. Once she dated wealthy beauties—now she’s throwing herself away on a penniless student.

Maybe she’d been rejected too many times and finally accepted she had no place in high society.

Mingyu glanced at Mo Wei, who seemed quite entertained teasing Gu Lin and Tang Qian. That only soured her mood further. Why doesn’t Mo Wei come to me? Just because I sent my Heartbeat Text to Qu Huan tonight? How fast she gives up. How realistic she is.

Elsewhere, Su Yao had been distracted all evening, her gaze drifting again and again toward Chi Wan, even when Yi tried to chat about the anklet. Su Yao only half-listened.

Her focus remained on Chi Wan and An Ran. Because of what Lu Xin had told her, there were still unanswered questions.

Like—who had brought toilet paper to Lu Xin?

If it was An Ran, then she must know Chi Wan once dated Lu Xin, and had even overheard her pretending to be Su Yao. That meant An Ran knew Chi Wan had not only been with Lu Xin, but also Su Yao and Ruan Xiao.

And she would also know Chi Wan gave gifts to all her exes. Proof of sincerity.

If so, even the dullest person would realize Chi Wan’s sudden courtship wasn’t pure—it was either to provoke her exes, or just to find a convenient stand-in for the show.

In either case, An Ran should’ve distanced herself.

But instead, Su Yao watched as An Ran only seemed fonder of her.

That could only mean one thing: the one who had brought toilet paper wasn’t An Ran—it was Chi Wan herself.

That realization left Su Yao with an odd, unpleasant ache. For an Alpha like Chi Wan to enter an Omega-only restroom cubicle carried risk. If another guest had seen, misunderstandings would be inevitable.

But she had done it anyway, without hesitation.

Su Yao recalled her earlier assertion that Chi Wan had no feelings left for any of them. Now she wondered if she’d spoken too soon. If Chi Wan truly felt nothing, she wouldn’t go that far.

Unless… it was only for Lu Xin.

Even injured, Su Yao had come down tonight for one reason: to see Chi Wan’s attitude for herself.

But the conclusions she reached unsettled her. If Chi Wan treated Lu Xin differently—if she was special—then why?

Back then, Lu Xin had been the worst of them all. By comparison, Su Yao felt she had at least been better.

So why was it Lu Xin Chi Wan still held onto?

She had even watched Meng Lan and Chu Rou closely. Chi Wan had given them nothing.

So clearly—it wasn’t everyone.

Su Yao’s frustration twisted in her chest, her fingers tightening until her chopsticks nearly snapped.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look happy.” Shi Yi had tried to ignore it, but Su Yao’s tension was too obvious. And, truth be told, Shi Yi was curious about her—perhaps because of that anklet, that strange sign they shared a similar inclination.

“I’m just thinking,” Su Yao said coolly, “about how to make something that once belonged to me, belong to me again.”

“You want to be its master?” Shi Yi asked, not directly answering.

“No. I just can’t stand the way it looks now.” Su Yao barely hesitated before replying.

Shi Yi thought a moment, then understood. She leaned back, legs crossed, speaking lazily: “It’s not so complicated. The same methods that worked back then will still work now. Think carefully.”

Su Yao stilled, then smiled faintly. “You might be right.”

“Of course I am. I’ve had plenty of experience in that area.” Shi Yi’s lips curled, her gaze holding Su Yao’s with a flash of understanding that only the like-minded could share.

Su Yao lifted her glass, clinked it lightly against hers, and drank.

“It’s easy to break into someone’s heart,” Shi Yi added, “if you catch them at their weakest.”

Su Yao’s eyes drifted to Chi Wan again, her lips curving.

So drunkenness counts as weakness too.