The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 51

The production crew glanced at the measly leftover slice of watermelon. As a prize for the livestream audience, it felt pitifully stingy.

Should they… maybe find another watermelon that looked similar enough and just pad things out?

But with how sharp the viewers’ eyes were—like magnifying glasses—such trickery would be quickly exposed. If people accused the show of fraud, they’d be in a very awkward spot.

After mulling it over, the staff gave up the idea. There’d be other opportunities anyway.

“Alright, time’s up! Guests, please gather for the balloon-snatching challenge. Anyone want to forfeit?”

Chu Rou’s voice boomed through a loudspeaker. All the guests shook their heads.

“Good. Since no one’s forfeiting, let’s begin.” Chu Rou pointed toward the cluster of balloons set on the far side of the pool. “I’ll count down from three. Once I hit one, you can run for them. Three, two, one!”

At the sound of “one,” Chi Wan shot forward like lightning. She was an Alpha, long-legged, and the first to react, giving her the advantage. But Lu Xin, a seasoned extreme-sports enthusiast, wasn’t about to lag behind—her speed was just as fierce.

She was about to overtake Chi Wan when, lips pressed together as if struck by a thought, her pace suddenly slowed.

Chi Wan blinked, confused. But since her opponent had deliberately held back, she naturally wouldn’t hesitate to seize the chance.

The balloon was hers. The moment it landed in her hand, she noticed Lu Xin spring back into action, darting toward her with renewed vigor.

And it wasn’t just Lu Xin—Su Yao, Mo Wei, and a few others also quickened their pace, converging straight toward her.

What the—? Chi Wan froze for a second before realizing they weren’t after the balloon at all. They were lunging straight at her.

Hey! The balloon’s right here in my hand, so why are you grabbing at my chest?

I already shifted it to my right—so why are you still lingering around my waist?!

It only took a few rounds for both Chi Wan and An Ran to realize: these women weren’t gunning for the balloon. They were using the game as an excuse to take advantage of Chi Wan!

Dodging one person was manageable. Dodging three at once? Even with Chi Wan’s stamina, she was soon drenched in sweat.

She passed the balloon off to An Ran, but Lu Xin and the others still crowded her. Fortunately, Gu Lin and Tang Qian weren’t eager to let Mo Wei get too close to Chi Wan. Each had their own designs on Mo Wei and used this chance to stick near her.

By accident, they were actually shielding Chi Wan. Every time Mo Wei tried to close in on her, Tang Qian or Gu Lin would block her way.

As for Lu Xin, Xia Meng kept her busy. But Su Yao was different—Chi Wan had to deal with her herself.

“President Su, what exactly are you doing? You can see where the balloon is, right?” Chi Wan tilted her chin toward where An Ran was.

“Chi Wan, your eyes work fine. Surely you understand what I mean?”

Su Yao pounced again, seizing Chi Wan’s wrist. Suddenly, they were so close their hurried breaths brushed against each other’s skin.

“I only want a chance. Why treat me like a plague?”

“I don’t want to give you a chance.” Chi Wan jerked back, widening the gap.

“Don’t speak so absolute,” Su Yao pressed closer again.

“I don’t know about anything else, but this—I’ll never regret refusing you.”

With a forceful tug, Chi Wan finally tore her arm free. The price, however, was a stinging scrape across her hand where Su Yao’s nails had raked the skin.

“Chi Wan, now I’m angry.”

Her tone claimed “a little angry,” but her expression was anything but mild.

Chi Wan scoffed inwardly: What do I care if you’re angry? You’re not my girlfriend. I don’t need to coax you.

Just as Lu Xin lunged again, Chi Wan dove straight into the pool, planning to take the water route to An Ran. Out of the corner of her eye, she had spotted Shi Yi harassing An Ran—absolutely intolerable.

But Lu Xin and the others followed her into the pool, triggering a full-on underwater chase.

Though Lu Xin swam fast, her recent near-drowning still haunted her. Within moments her limbs felt weak, and in the end Xia Meng had to drag her to the shore.

Su Yao, halfway across, realized she’d cut Chi Wan off faster by heading for land, so she doubled back toward the bank.

Meanwhile, Mo Wei, irritated by Gu Lin and Tang Qian dogging her every move, finally stood upright in the shallow end, glaring at them.

“Can you two stop following me? It’s really annoying!”

“I’m only worried about you,” Gu Lin murmured. She pinched herself hard enough to tear up on cue, her eyes instantly rimmed red.

Tang Qian cursed her inwardly for being such an actress—then immediately joined in: “Mo Wei, I just can’t help myself. I want to stay close to you.”

Mo Wei faltered. Those words struck a chord. Her feelings for Chi Wan… weren’t they just like Tang Qian’s for her?

Out of a strange sense of shared helplessness, her tone softened. She even took Tang Qian’s hand—just for a moment, but enough to stun everyone.

“Alright. Don’t be upset. Maybe I was too harsh.”

Tang Qian’s heart leapt with delight. So Mo Wei was touched by my sincerity! She actually likes this kind of talk. I’ll remember that.

Gu Lin, however, could only curse Tang Qian’s sheer dumb luck.

Back at the pool’s edge, Chi Wan surfaced—only to find Su Yao waiting like a predator.

Leaning down, Su Yao murmured, “Now, where can you run?”

“President Su, must you? Clinging on like this really isn’t your style.” Chi Wan stayed in the water, refusing to climb out.

“You’ve changed me. That means you’re responsible.”

The bluntness of it only worsened her irritation—especially with Shi Yi using the chaos to press against An Ran’s collarbone.

“Move aside, President Su. Don’t force me to make things ugly.”

“If you want to force it, let’s see what you can do.”

Su Yao, trained in combat sports, doubted Chi Wan could break through by force. Her gaze locked tightly on Chi Wan—so tightly that she missed the shadow moving up behind her.

A sudden shove knocked her clean into the pool. Though she held her breath quickly, water still rushed up her nose.

Spluttering, her first instinct wasn’t to check who had pushed her, but to look for Chi Wan. But by then, Chi Wan had already scrambled ashore, reuniting with An Ran.

Only then did Su Yao turn, icy-eyed, toward her attacker. An Ran met her gaze head-on, smug as if to say: Yes, it was me. What are you going to do about it?

“An Ran…” Su Yao mouthed silently, her eyes growing frostier.

Truthfully, An Ran had wanted to quit earlier. When she realized the others weren’t even after the balloon, she’d nearly pulled Chi Wan out of the game altogether. But then she worried: if they forfeited, the others might use their win to split them up. So she endured. Until now.

Reunited, the balloon safely in An Ran’s hands, Chi Wan stood guard. Mingyu had never moved much from the start, content to watch from the sidelines.

Qu Huan, however, had been eyeing her chance to steal. But with Shi Yi glued to An Ran, she hung back, waiting for an opening. Then her attention drifted toward Gu Lin.

Seeing Gu Lin upset made her heart twist. Maybe it was guilt—after all, she’d recently learned her father had broken off a marriage contract with Gu Lin just because of her family’s poverty. Or maybe it was the stolen kiss in the breakroom.

She had always assumed it was Gu Lin who’d kissed her so fiercely, saying she’d wanted it for a long time. Who else could it have been?

But if Gu Lin truly liked her, why was she chasing Mo Wei so stubbornly?

Qu Huan thought of her own predicament, and suddenly they felt alike—both chasing someone they didn’t really want, forced by circumstances. Which could only mean… Gu Lin’s real feelings were for her.

The thought sent a rush of sweetness through her chest.

But then she saw Gu Lin’s hurt expression over Mo Wei’s sharp words. Was that really an act—or was Gu Lin falling for Mo Wei for real?

Jealousy curdled in her stomach like poison.

She was still reeling when she saw An Ran shove Su Yao into the water.

All of this chaos played out under Chu Rou’s watchful eyes. Watching guest after guest swarm Chi Wan, taking the game as an excuse to touch her, she felt a pang of regret. Maybe this activity had been a mistake.

Because even she wasn’t immune. Watching Chi Wan—skin pale as porcelain, sweat beading like dew, wiping at her face with careless sensuality—Chu Rou felt the same dangerous pull.

The gauzy cover-up clung damply to the form-fitting clothes beneath, outlining every curve as Chi Wan ran and swam. It was impossible to look away, impossible not to want.

This was dangerous, Chu Rou knew. But her eyes refused to leave Chi Wan’s figure.

The image of the Chi Wan she’d known before was fading. In her place stood this bewitching creature, every glance and gesture a spell.

By now, Chi Wan and An Ran had held their ground far too long. With the game’s time limit almost up, An Ran suddenly hurled the balloon across the field, shouting to someone:

“Catch it!”

Was she really giving up their win… just like that?