The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 65

Su Yao and the others closed their eyes for a moment. They had to admit, Chi Wan’s words cut deep—sharp, brutal, and merciless.

And the imagery she evoked… it was impossible to erase. Even now, the scene was still vivid in their minds: An Ran in a bathrobe, damp hair clinging to her skin, sitting openly on Chi Wan’s lap during the livestream, the two of them entwined so intimately.

To this day, countless netizens were still debating whether they had actually slept together. After all, Chi Wan hadn’t looked remotely like someone “after the fact.”

But now, the person herself had admitted it—right in front of several ex-girlfriends!

It was like crushing the very last shred of fantasy in their hearts. Too cruel. Too ruthless. For the first time, Su Yao and the others felt an unfamiliar flicker of hatred.

Their breathing grew heavier, increasingly unsteady. Chi Wan, ever alert, sensed there was more than just the few of them here.

She couldn’t see the figures, but she could guess. Only the original host’s ex-girlfriends would react so strongly to her words.

So, An Ran’s disappearance… they must have had a hand in it.

Keeping her expression steady, Chi Wan felt a headache creeping in. It was becoming obvious—An Ran had become the thorn in their side, the enemy they wanted gone. And worse, they had already acted on it.

That was no small matter. In fact, it was very bad.

Just then, Chi Wan frowned. By the faint reflection of the railing on the deck, she caught sight of a figure standing on the second floor of the cabin. The silhouette looked familiar.

Feigning the motion of fixing her hair, she turned slightly. The sea breeze lifted strands of her black hair, and through the gaps, she caught a glimpse of the face.

Mingyu?

Could Mingyu be involved in this too?

The thought made Chi Wan’s stomach twist. She couldn’t waste any more time—she had to find An Ran.

Turning on her heel, she scanned the deck first. By conventional logic, An Ran should have been nearby. The exes would want her to witness Chi Wan berating An Ran in person, crushing her spirit.

But the wide deck was full of people strolling and chatting, with no sign of An Ran.

Suppressing her unease, Chi Wan headed toward the source of the commotion. The two “fighters” were still locked in their performance, showing no cracks in their act even after being exposed—as if they were genuinely caught up in the heat of passion.

But precisely because of that, it felt off.

After all, how many couples could make such a spectacle of themselves in public, utterly shameless?

“Mm…”

Moans, nasal breaths, and faint splashes of water filled the air. Chi Wan forced her gaze down, focusing on keeping her composure as she searched the area. No An Ran—but she did spot a small video recorder.

Her heart sank. If there was a recording, then An Ran had to be somewhere it could be seen.

Which meant she was most likely inside one of the cabins.

But there were far too many rooms on this yacht. If Su Yao and the others refused to talk, finding her would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Turning back toward them, Chi Wan let out a heavy sigh. “Well? Are you ready to tell me the truth now?”

Su Yao bit down hard on her lip, her jawline tight with tension.

Lu Xin glared at her with burning eyes, spitting out, “That person was clearly An Ran! Chi Wan, wake up! I know you don’t want to face it, but facts are facts.”

Mo Wei narrowed her eyes. She looked like she was about to leave, but instead she changed her mind. “It really was An Ran.”

This absurd, twisted insistence left Chi Wan both impressed and unsettled. Then it struck her—their behavior wasn’t just obstinacy. It was stalling.

Could An Ran be in danger?

Her mind raced. If An Ran was in a cabin, three scenarios came to mind:

First—she was locked in a room alone.

Second—someone was watching over her.

Third—she had been placed in someone else’s room.

And on this yacht, the guests were all wealthy, powerful figures. If one of them found a woman lying on their bed… would they assume she was some kind of gift?

Would they accept her—or reject her?

Chi Wan’s fingers clenched tight. She glared at Su Yao and the others one by one, but their determined expressions told her they would never admit the truth.

There was only one option left—to search the rooms, one by one.

Without hesitation, she spun around and sprinted toward the cabins.

“Su Yao, look at her! She’s hopeless!”

Lu Xin stomped her foot angrily. “What on earth has An Ran done to her?!”

Su Yao shot her a glance—one that carried a chill even in the night air. “Hasn’t she always been like this? Think back. When she first liked us, wasn’t she just as stubborn? We had to work hard just to shake her off.”

Lu Xin opened her mouth, but no words came. A sudden heaviness settled over her, and she kicked at the deck in frustration. A quiet voice echoed in her heart: She’s right. We were the ones who lost her.

And now, she liked someone else. Someone they could never replace.

Mo Wei stayed silent, her gaze fixed on a certain spot in the shadows. Then she spoke: “What do you all think?”

From the darkness, three more figures stepped out—Chu Rou, Meng Lan, and Ruan Xiao.

Chu Rou gave a smile that revealed nothing. Her eyes lingered on the place where Chi Wan had disappeared. “What else is there to think?”

Her rhetorical question ended in a faint, self-mocking smile tugging at her lips.

“No matter what, An Ran is not Chi Wan’s true match.”

Lu Xin couldn’t help blurting out, her tone edged with something almost frightening, “An Ran really isn’t good for her.”

Meng Lan lit a cigarette, standing quietly in the sea breeze as smoke drifted away into the night. “I think An Ran is cunning. I’m not saying we have to tear them apart, but I can’t stand by and watch Chi Wan get deceived.”

Ruan Xiao walked over to the railing, gazing down at the crashing waves. After a pause, she added, “You all saw that livestream, didn’t you? Everything was going fine until An Ran showed up in that outfit. If that wasn’t deliberate, it’s awfully hard to believe.”

At that, the others all nodded in agreement.

An Ran appearing in front of the camera had to be intentional. If not for her, they wouldn’t have tossed and turned sleepless that night, and Mingyu wouldn’t have been torn apart by netizens.

“Do you think she’ll actually find An Ran?”

Chu Rou narrowed her eyes. From afar, she could see Chi Wan already knocking on cabin doors one by one. Even when no one answered, she pressed her ear to the door, straining to catch the slightest sound. If she sensed anything unusual, she would call out An Ran’s name.

But that method was far too slow. Too slow to stop what was coming.

________________________________________

Back in their cabin, Qu Huan couldn’t hold back her question anymore. Watching Mingyu’s unruffled expression, she blurted out, almost foolishly, “Why are they all suddenly targeting An Ran?”

After all, Qu Huan had never seen people with such strong backgrounds join forces just to deal with a single student. Her heart was still pounding wildly.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Mingyu tilted her chin slightly, casting Qu Huan a dismissive glance. Her tone was light, almost playful.

“Because of Chi Wan?”

Qu Huan mumbled, confused, half to herself. “But… Chi Wan doesn’t even seem that extraordinary.”

“She isn’t.”

Hearing that, Mingyu’s mood brightened instantly. Crossing her long legs, she sat with graceful poise, a faint smile curling her lips.

“It’s just about unwillingness.”

Her laugh was laced with mockery. She knew it well—Su Yao and the others weren’t doing this because of love, but because they couldn’t stand it. Chi Wan had once given them her whole heart. And now, she had given it to someone else.

Of course they couldn’t bear it.

“But… didn’t Su Yao and the others like Chi Wan?”

Qu Huan blinked, dazed, and murmured almost to herself.

“Like?”

Mingyu scoffed even more disdainfully, wagging a finger at Qu Huan.

“You… you’re still far too naïve.”

Qu Huan put on an eager, “please enlighten me” expression. Mingyu happened to be in a good mood, so she indulged her with a few more words.

“Given my relationship with Su Yao and the others, I can tell you with certainty—their so-called liking isn’t what you think it is.”

She poured herself a glass of red wine and swirled it lightly.

“In fact, I can confidently say—Su Yao and the others don’t even understand what real liking means.”

Qu Huan’s mouth fell open in shock. It took her a long while to realize how silly she looked before she quickly shut it again.

“How could that be? How could they not understand…?”

She stammered through the words, yet Mingyu’s unwavering certainty made it impossible to doubt her.

Besides, there had long been rumors of Su Yao and Lu Xin chasing after Mingyu for years. Now everything clicked into place—why Mingyu had never accepted them. It wasn’t because she was being aloof, but because they didn’t even understand feelings at all.

“Their so-called affection can’t last long,” Mingyu added with a faint smile.

She took a sip, her already crimson lips now shining with the gloss of wine, even more striking and impossible to ignore.

Qu Huan, unable to hold it in, asked,

“Then… where exactly have they taken An Ran?”

For the first time, a trace of sympathy for Chi Wan flickered through her. Perhaps she also wanted to know whether Mingyu had been involved, and to what extent.

Mingyu, as if reading her thoughts, cast her a sidelong glance. The look seemed light and casual, but it carried a sharp warning.

Qu Huan’s heart jolted. She dared not press further.

Seeing her shrink back, Mingyu felt satisfied with her sense of discretion. Finally, that oppressive gaze withdrew, and Qu Huan let out the breath she’d been holding.

After this exchange, Qu Huan realized something new about Mingyu—her powers of observation were frighteningly keen. Just a fleeting thought of warning Chi Wan had crossed her mind, and Mingyu had already sensed it.

________________________________________

Meanwhile, on An Ran’s side—

Shortly after being separated from Chi Wan, someone struck her from behind.

When she came to, her head was spinning. She tried to move, but found herself unable, her body heavy and unresponsive, as though pinned down by a ghost.

She lay on a large bed. The room was dim, but the soft texture beneath her skin made it clear she was on a mattress.

She already had a good idea of who had attacked her, and why needed no explanation.

She flexed her arms slightly—no strength. Her limbs were unbearably weak. They had drugged her, leaving her no energy to resist.

The situation was dire. An Ran worried not only for herself, but even more for Chi Wan.

She knew she had nothing worth targeting. If someone had gone this far, then the only reason must be Chi Wan.

No matter how she looked at it, the true objective wasn’t her at all—it was Chi Wan. Which meant they wouldn’t only come for her. They would surely move against Chi Wan as well.

The thought left her chilled and frantic, despite her usual composure.

Ever since reuniting with her grandfather, he had arranged people to protect her. But even with tight defenses, there’s always one overlooked crack—and this time, she had fallen right into it.

Still, a room like this should have a phone. If she could just make a call, she’d soon be rescued.

But the drug was strong. No matter how many times she tried, she couldn’t roll off the bed. Every attempt left her dizzy, stars flashing before her eyes.

In the spacious room, the only sound was her own strained breathing.

An overwhelming mix of powerlessness and frustration consumed her. Longing for Chi Wan, hatred for the faceless manipulator—both burned in her chest.

If nothing happened to Chi Wan, fine. But if she truly suffered because of this, An Ran knew she would be consumed by a storm of rage.

She had already tried countless times, yet her body remained uselessly weak.

When would this drug finally wear off?

Just then, faint noises drifted from the door. As the moments passed, the sounds grew louder—an argument.

Holding her breath, An Ran strained to listen. Two voices. Strangely familiar ones.

She was certain she had heard them before—she had even spoken to their owners briefly.

The quarrel outside continued—

“You pest! Don’t think you’ll be the last one standing. Who wins in the end is still undecided! Do you really think you can take the family inheritance all for yourself?”

“Hah! You’re already panicking, aren’t you? The elders favor me, while you, just like the other useless juniors, have accomplished nothing. If I were you, I’d have quit long ago instead of humiliating myself here!”

“You—you look down on me?!”

“Oh, look at you—you’re about to cry from being scared, aren’t you?”

The arrogant female voice let out an exaggerated laugh, then scoffed coldly.

“No time to waste with you. I’m going back to my room.”

“You’re not leaving! You’ve gone too far!”

The two scuffled outside the door. Then—beep!—the door swung open.

The sudden burst of light made An Ran squeeze her eyes shut against the sting.

And in that instant, she remembered who the voices belonged to. Thanks to their words about inheritance, she recalled the two women she had encountered on another yacht not long ago.

One had insisted on spending money to make Chi Wan her girlfriend; the other was brazenly arrogant and domineering.

And here they were again—what a coincidence.

“You never quit, do you! Loser! I’m sick of your unlucky face—I don’t ever want to see it again!”

The arrogant woman’s voice dripped with venom, as if she could throw the other girl out by sheer will.

“I’m not leaving! Not unless you apologize!”

The other, usually lively, now sounded wounded and low, though her determination was unshakable.

“Get out!”

With a hard shove, the arrogant one slammed her into the wall—crack!—her back hitting the switch.

The ceiling light blazed on.

“Ahhh!”

A piercing scream rang out, so shrill it stabbed the eardrums. The arrogant girl glared furiously.

“Are you crazy? Why are you shrieking like that?!”

“Th-there’s someone on your bed!”

The cute-faced girl, shocked beyond words, squeaked out her discovery.

“What?”

The arrogant one turned—and froze.

On her bed lay a disheveled girl, face vaguely familiar.

“You—who are you? And what are you doing here?!”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, every instinct screaming that something was very, very wrong.