The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 52

This move—almost no one understood.

But Xia Meng clearly had been expecting it. She didn’t look surprised in the least, and instead swiftly stretched out her hands, catching the balloon to her chest. If this hadn’t been prearranged, how else could it have been so seamless?

Mingyu’s thoughts turned twice before her gaze darkened.

“Looks like Chi Wan’s team has more than just two people.”

Qu Huan blinked in surprise.

“You mean… Chi Wan made plans with Xia Meng beforehand? Xia Meng really doesn’t mind?”

Compared to the fact that they’d schemed in advance, what Qu Huan cared about more was—did Xia Meng know that the person Lu Xin liked was Chi Wan? If she knew, and Chi Wan still invited her to team up, would Xia Meng truly feel nothing?

Putting herself in Xia Meng’s shoes, Qu Huan was convinced Xia Meng didn’t know.

And just like that, pity welled up in her chest. Xia Meng suddenly seemed so pitiful.

“Perhaps,” Mingyu said casually, the curve of her lips tinged with mockery as she guessed Qu Huan’s thoughts, “you could find the right time to tell her.”

Qu Huan nodded at once, without the slightest suspicion.

“Mm, I will.”

Idiot… Mingyu’s smirk turned sharper, steeped in ridicule.

Thanks to An Ran yielding, the winner ended up being Xia Meng. And Xia Meng would inevitably choose Lu Xin. That way, the threat of Lu Xin and Chi Wan pairing up was eliminated.

________________________________________

That evening, after dinner, it was time for another round of the “heartbeat messages.”

“An Ran, you’ll still choose me this time, won’t you?”

Chi Wan asked, but her voice held a faint lack of confidence. Maybe it was because of that time before—when An Ran had kept telling her: Chi Wan, I won’t choose you.

That phrase had left a shadow in Chi Wan’s heart.

“Silly girl, if I don’t choose you, who else would I choose?”

An Ran walked over to her, and under Chi Wan’s slightly uneasy gaze, gently rose on tiptoe and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

The production team had already announced that after tonight’s heartbeat messages, the guests could return to their normal lives for a few days before resuming filming.

“When we’re back at school… I can still come find you, right?”

Chi Wan clasped An Ran’s wrist and intertwined their fingers tightly.

“Of course. You can even sit in on my classes with me.”

An Ran lowered her head and planted a kiss on the tip of Chi Wan’s nose. “And I can sit in on yours, too.”

Just imagining their days of going to and from school together, Chi Wan’s heart swelled with longing.

“Then it’s a promise. No backing out.”

Their foreheads leaned together, and they hooked pinkies as if sealing a pact.

At that moment, the two of them were standing on the deck, the evening sea breeze brushing against them as they strolled to aid digestion. When it was time to return to their rooms, Chi Wan had wanted to escort An Ran back, but An Ran insisted she wouldn’t rest easy unless she saw Chi Wan enter her own room first.

Chi Wan thought it over—who entered first didn’t matter—so she didn’t argue and slipped back inside.

The soft click of the closing door had just sounded when An Ran turned toward her own room—only to find several uninvited guests waiting at her doorway.

“Let’s cut the nonsense. How much money will it take for you to send your heartbeat message to Shi Yi?”

It was Su Yao speaking. After the afternoon’s balloon battle, her chest was still burning with unresolved anger. Since Chi Wan herself was proving hard to manipulate, the only way was to target An Ran.

Compared to Chi Wan’s influencer income, An Ran was clearly the one strapped for cash.

Su Yao had already given up on pairing with Chi Wan. But that didn’t mean she would let Chi Wan have her way. If nothing else, she had to split Chi Wan and An Ran apart.

“Shi Yi sent you?”

An Ran’s eyes flicked to the corner of the hallway—where a faint shadow was hiding.

“That’s none of your concern. Just name your price.”

Su Yao’s impatience was showing.

At this, Mo Wei spoke up.

“It doesn’t even have to be Shi Yi. As long as it’s not Chi Wan, it’ll do. Don’t worry about the number—you name it, we can afford it.”

Lu Xin nodded in agreement.

An Ran understood perfectly now. They’d clearly conspired beforehand—pooling money together for the bribe.

She almost wanted to laugh. Laugh at Chi Wan’s inexplicable allure… and laugh at the absurdity of human nature.

Never mind Mo Wei for the moment. But Su Yao and Lu Xin? Both were Chi Wan’s ex-girlfriends. When they were dating her, they hadn’t known how to cherish her. Now they were scrambling back to “the crematorium of chasing an ex.”

Tell her, wasn’t that utterly ridiculous?

“What are you laughing at!” Lu Xin frowned, sensing the mockery in An Ran’s smile.

“I’m just laughing at your confidence. What makes you think I can be bought with money?”

An Ran’s voice was soft, unhurried, yet dripping with quiet scorn.

“Isn’t that what this is?”

One of them shot back lightly. In their eyes, An Ran was merely putting on an act—stalling for a better bargain. That only proved her greed. Disdain flickered in Mo Wei and the others’ gazes.

“Miss An, it really doesn’t have to be this complicated. It could be settled quickly. Just state your price. If you so much as frown, we’ll consider it our loss.”

Mo Wei spoke as though she was offering her the greatest sincerity. If An Ran refused again, then she was simply ungrateful.

“Miss An Ran,” they coaxed, “think about that cheap little apartment you rent. Don’t you want to move to a better neighborhood? And you know Chi Wan’s reputation online—gold-digger, only looking for sponsors. We’re the ones who can actually afford her. You’re just a student. What can you offer?”

When An Ran still didn’t answer, their tone hardened into threats.

“Besides, you’re well aware of our backgrounds. Competing with us is the same as treating us like we don’t exist. Out of respect for the fact that you’re still a student who hasn’t entered society yet, we’re speaking nicely. But if you remain stubborn, don’t blame us for turning hostile.”

An Ran’s face stayed blank, though inwardly she found the whole performance laughable. They were far too wrapped up in their own superiority, tossing around words like status and background as if that meant something.

Bored, she simply brushed past them, pushed the door open, and walked straight inside.

With a bang, the door slammed shut.

The three women stared at one another in disbelief.

“She… what did that mean?”

“Of course she rejected it.” A shadow of frustration clouded Mo Wei’s features. “Really doesn’t know what’s good for her—turning down a toast only to drink punishment instead!”

“What’s her major?” Su Yao asked coldly.

“Seems like… computer science?” Lu Xin answered, not entirely sure.

“She’s about to graduate. If she can’t find a job, maybe that’ll knock some sense into her.”

Su Yao let out a faint, derisive laugh and turned to leave.

At the corner, a figure who had been lingering quietly slipped away without showing herself to the three.

—Hmph! All because of that infuriating charm of yours!

Lying in bed, Chi Wan suddenly received a text from An Ran. She froze for a moment, rereading it twice before thinking to herself: What’s that supposed to mean?

Tentatively, she sent back: Are you saying I’m too charming?

—Yeah. So charming that three people have already approached me privately, offering a hefty price to break us up.

Chi Wan stared at the message, stunned. She hurriedly typed back: Terrified! Terrified! Baby, you mustn’t agree!

—Relax, I didn’t. Only an idiot would agree to that.

Seeing this final message, Chi Wan finally let out the breath she’d been holding.

After those heart-fluttering text exchanges, regardless of the outcome, the guests soon drifted into sleep, while the cruise ship quietly sailed back toward the shore under the cover of night.

At dawn, with the first light of morning spilling across the deck, the guests slowly woke, gathered their luggage, and disembarked one by one.

Since Chi Wan and An Ran attended the same university, they shared a cab back to campus.

Before they even reached the gate, they saw from afar a huge crowd of students gathered at the entrance, craning their necks and buzzing with excitement.

Strange… Chi Wan glanced at the time. Shouldn’t they all be in class right now?

From a distance, she could only see their lips moving, but not make out the words.

“Who are these students waiting for?” Even the cab driver was curious.

As they drew closer, Chi Wan finally picked out fragments of what the crowd was chanting—her own name.

“Ugh, what time is it already? Why aren’t Chi Wan and An Ran here yet!”

“I’m the number one WanAn CP fan! I even skipped class just to see them in person. We were in the same school all along, but I never ran into them before.”

“You think the counselor’s gonna punish us all for skipping class to see WanAn?”

“Quit being such a coward! We’re already here—what’s the point worrying now?”

“I just wanna know if Chi Wan is really as gorgeous in person as she is on camera!”

“And I just wanna know if WanAn CP is real!”

Hearing the nonstop chatter, Chi Wan and An Ran exchanged a helpless look. Their heads throbbed. So this entire crowd is here just for us?

Did they have to be this crazy? It was class time, for crying out loud!

“What do we do? I don’t even dare get out of the car now.” Chi Wan leaned back against the seat with a sigh. Luckily, both she and An Ran were wearing hats, so the driver hadn’t recognized that his passengers were the very same trending CP.

“Girls, are you getting out or not?” the driver finally prompted, a little impatient.

Reluctantly, after some hesitation, Chi Wan and An Ran grabbed their luggage and stepped out of the cab.

The moment they did, they were instantly surrounded by the sea of students.

“Chi Wan! Welcome back!”

“An Ran! Welcome to campus!”

The driver raised his brows in surprise as it clicked who they were. He slapped his forehead in regret. “Damn, so they really are the WanAn CP! My daughter’s obsessed with them. If I’d known, I would’ve asked for an autograph… but now? No way I’m squeezing into that mob.”

Regretfully shaking his head, he waited for the crowd to disperse—but when it showed no sign of thinning, he had no choice but to drive off.

Back at the office, Su Yao was greeted by her trusted secretary, who looked hesitant, as if holding back words.

“Spit it out. No need to stammer.”

“President Su, I just… wanted to ask. What exactly is going on between you and Miss Chi Wan?”

Is it just for show on the program… or do you actually want her back?

Her secretary had been puzzled for days—because Su Yao’s behavior on the reality show had been anything but typical. Normally aloof and commanding, she’d shown signs of unhealthy possessiveness whenever Chi Wan was involved.

“What’s going on? Simple. I regret it. I want to win her back.”

Su Yao answered openly, even expecting her secretary to help strategize.

Instead, the secretary sucked in a sharp breath. So the president really did want to rekindle things? Knowing the history between them, she couldn’t help but think the odds were slim. Chi Wan wasn’t a masochist, after all. And truthfully, back when they were together, President Su hadn’t treated her well—it was more like toying with a pet.

No, actually… Chi Wan probably hadn’t even been on the level of a pet. More like a novelty toy, something amusing to pass the time.

But these thoughts, the secretary dared not voice aloud. With someone as obsessive as Su Yao, saying the wrong thing could be dangerous.

Meanwhile, on the other side of campus, Mo Wei was already being mocked by her friends.

“Hahaha, Mo Wei, you really fell hard! Remember when you suggested Chi Wan should just be your stand-in? You swore up and down it was impossible. And now? Just a few days later, you’ve changed your tune?”

“It’s not about her being a stand-in. I think… I might actually want to try being with her for real.”