The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 66

An Ran glanced at the woman but hadn’t spoken yet when another voice cut in, filled with suspicion.

“You really don’t know her? Don’t tell me you’re pretending?”

“What would I be pretending for!”

“Isn’t she someone you brought over? Did I just interrupt your little escapade? Hmph! I didn’t think you were such a lecher!”

The sweet-looking young woman let out a cry of exaggerated shock.

“Chi Tian! Keep spouting nonsense and I’ll tear that mouth of yours apart!”

“Chi Fei, you’re guilty as hell! Don’t tell me you didn’t call her over as a bed partner!”

“Say that again and I’ll slap you across the face!”

Chi Fei had always been proud and headstrong, the type who couldn’t stand being contradicted—especially not by her lifelong rival, Chi Tian. No wonder her fury spiked instantly.

“If you dare hit me, I’ll go straight to the elders!”

Chi Tian stuck out her tongue at her, making mocking noises before pulling a grotesque face.

Both were daughters of cadet branches. With the main line lacking direct heirs, the successor had to be chosen from among the collateral branches—a contest that would last two years.

The rivalry had already reached a fever pitch. Practically every collateral line was fighting for the position.

Among them, Chi Fei was considered one of the strongest contenders—ambitious, cunning, and with means to match.

From the bed, An Ran listened quietly, their argument washing over her. Suddenly, she heard sharp footsteps rushing in her direction.

Her heart gave a jolt. Chi Fei strode over, face dark with rage. She reached out and touched An Ran’s neck, then leaned down to get a closer look.

“Chi Tian, come see for yourself! No matter how reckless I am, I’d never bring an Omega to my bed!”

Chi Tian froze, then instinctively leaned forward, craning her neck to peek. When she confirmed An Ran’s secondary gender, she shrank back in surprise—only to lift her chin again quickly.

“That doesn’t prove anything! Who knows what you’re capable of?”

“You—!” Chi Fei’s fury was barely contained. “You’re twisting words, making slanderous claims! I say she’s someone you arranged to send here, just to frame me! Otherwise, why else would you insist on barging into my room tonight?”

It had been a retort made in anger, but the moment it left her mouth, a spark flashed through Chi Fei’s mind. The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

Yes—why was Chi Tian being so persistent tonight? Wasn’t it just a case of the thief crying “stop thief”?

No wonder she had been hounding her all evening. So that was her scheme!

Well then, she couldn’t be blamed for fighting back.

Chi Fei’s eyes flickered with a sudden plan. Across from her, Chi Tian stiffened, immediately crying out with aggrieved indignation.

“You’re making this up! Why would I ever do something like that!”

She had been about to insist she didn’t know An Ran, when suddenly an image popped into her mind—on that yacht a while back, she had tried to pay a beautiful Alpha lady to pose as her girlfriend. Too bad that Alpha had already been taken.

And if she remembered right… wasn’t her girlfriend the very Omega now lying in Chi Fei’s bed?

Oh heavens! Why on earth would that gorgeous Alpha’s girlfriend be here with Chi Fei?

Could it be she had… changed hearts?

“So you do know her!” Chi Fei snapped, seizing on her hesitation. She knew Chi Tian too well—her expressions always betrayed her thoughts.

“I-I…” Chi Tian stammered, unable to spit out a convincing denial. After fumbling for a while, she crouched down beside the bed and asked An Ran directly:

“Why are you here?”

“I don’t know either… Someone knocked me out, and when I woke up, I was already here…”

An Ran’s voice was faint, her breath unsteady, but her meaning was clear enough.

“So that’s it…” Chi Tian thought with relief. I knew it! That Alpha lady was like a goddess descended—why would she ever fall for Chi Fei of all people?

Yes—Chi Tian was a hopeless face-connoisseur, utterly powerless before beauty.

“Hmph!”

A cold laugh suddenly cut through her thoughts.

The laugh was sharp, mocking, laced with bitter irony.

“What are you laughing at, you lunatic!”

Startled, Chi Tian snapped back at Chi Fei with undisguised irritation.

“I’m laughing at the both of you. Drop the act, will you? It’s so fake! All this improvising, trying to cover your tracks with some pitiful little play? Please. Spare me the comedy—it’s pathetic.”

Chi Fei crossed her arms and waved dismissively, expression dripping with disdain.

“What nonsense are you spouting now!”

Chi Tian nearly screamed, demanding answers. She wasn’t going to let her rival slither out without explanation.

“Why bother asking? You and she both know the truth better than anyone.”

With a sneer, Chi Fei strode over to the wardrobe and barked:

“There are plenty of valuable jewels and heirlooms in this room. Who knows what you told this girl to come in here for—maybe to steal, maybe worse!”

The accusation blindsided Chi Tian, leaving her stunned—and fuming.

“How many times must I say it! She’s not someone I brought here! Don’t you understand human language? Yes, I’ve seen her before—on that yacht! She was with a stunning Alpha at the time, and that Alpha just happens to share our surname! If you don’t believe me, send someone to check!

And as for why she’s here—didn’t she already explain? She was knocked out and dumped in your room!”

Chi Tian felt she had never spoken so quickly in her life—and with such clear enunciation.

“Where’s the evidence? You expect me to believe whatever you say just like that?”

Chi Fei pretended to rummage through the wardrobe. With her back turned to Chi Tian, she carefully hid the shock flickering across her face.

Because as Chi Tian spoke, she too was reminded of that night on the yacht—when she had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of that Omega in bed!

Now that the other had fallen into her grasp, she had to get her payback. There was no way she was letting her off easily.

Chi Tian was momentarily stumped. True, she didn’t have any concrete proof—but what she had said was the truth!

Then she thought, I have nothing to be guilty about. Why should I waste time with a lunatic like Chi Fei? She bent down, intending to help An Ran up and leave.

But halfway through, she noticed something was off. Leaning close to An Ran’s ear, she whispered, “Were you drugged?”

“Mhm.” An Ran gave a slight nod, answering just as softly, “I don’t have any strength at all right now.”

“I can tell. Your limbs are like jelly.”

“Um… could I trouble you to let my girlfriend know I’m here?”

An Ran thought to herself that her sudden disappearance must have driven Chi Wan frantic by now. She was surely searching everywhere.

“Alright. Let’s get you out first.”

Just as Chi Tian helped An Ran sit up, Chi Fei suddenly let out a shriek: “My jewelry! My jade piece worth millions—it’s gone!”

“What are you screeching for? We didn’t take it!”

The high-pitched wail made Chi Tian’s eardrums throb painfully. Irritated, she snapped, “You’re yelling so loud—what, do you expect us to be responsible for your missing trinkets too?”

She had only said it casually, but that was precisely the angle Chi Fei had been waiting for. She spun around, jabbing a finger at the two of them, her tone fierce:

“Well? Was it you who instructed her to steal, or did she act on her own?”

“This is my room, and while I was away, only she came inside. Not many people even know my room number—you, Chi Tian, happen to be one of them! If it wasn’t you two, then who else?”

“That jade was meant as a gift for one of my direct elders. Clearly, you found out about it and couldn’t stand the thought of me winning their favor—so you stooped to this disgraceful act!”

Chi Fei knew the value of striking first. Before Chi Tian could even defend herself, she had already unleashed the accusation in a flood of words, leaving Chi Tian completely dumbfounded.

Chi Fei understood Chi Tian’s nature all too well. She was the type who valued loyalty but wasn’t exactly quick-witted.

Even if it was a stranger, if that person was in trouble, Chi Tian wouldn’t stand idly by. Which meant that with this Omega’s situation, Chi Tian was bound to get herself dragged in.

Sure enough, after standing frozen in shock, Chi Tian hesitated, then muttered, “Things don’t just vanish into thin air. You’d better search carefully again.”

An Ran tugged lightly at Chi Tian’s sleeve, whispering, “The real question is—did that jade even exist?”

Prompted by the reminder, Chi Tian reacted instantly. She realized this might all be a setup and raised her voice: “Wait! You say your jewelry is missing—do you have proof? For all we know, you could have made it up just to frame us!”

“O-of course I have proof.”

Chi Fei hadn’t expected Chi Tian to catch on so quickly. A chill of panic ran through her, and she faltered, her voice trembling.

“What proof? A receipt? Even if you have one, that doesn’t mean you actually brought it aboard!”

“You’re twisting words!”

Chi Fei roared, “As a member of the Chi family, you can’t possibly have forgotten—the coming days mark the time of year when Great-Grandmother is in the foulest mood. I wanted to present her with white jade, her favorite, to bring her a little comfort. Don’t tell me you didn’t think of the same thing?”

Chi Tian, who had also purchased a jade ornament, was struck dumb.

“She’s changing the subject,” An Ran quietly reminded her again.

Chi Tian’s mind jolted. She nearly walked right into Chi Fei’s trap. Clenching her fists, she snapped back instinctively, “Stop trying to distract me! Even if I had the same idea, that still doesn’t prove you ever actually bought anything!”

Chi Fei stood there, neck stiff with anger, glaring daggers at her. The air between them grew tense and heavy.

________________________________________

“By the way, Mingyu, isn’t your birthday coming up soon?”

Qu Huan had just looked into the destination the yacht was headed for. Coincidentally, in a few days there would be a fireworks festival there. A flicker of excitement stirred in her chest.

That, in turn, reminded her—Mingyu’s birthday fell not long after that. So she asked casually.

“Yes.”

In the past, whenever Mingyu mentioned her birthday, her voice always carried an unspoken sorrow. But today, it almost sounded light—almost expectant.

Because of her looks, Mingyu had long dreaded birthdays. With every passing year, her appearance looked less and less like that of the Ming family.

But this year was different. This year, she was looking forward to her birthday. Because on that day, she would finally reunite with her biological father.

Qu Huan gazed out at the dark sea, and couldn’t help but think of Chi Wan. Had she found An Ran yet?

Then she remembered something else—back when she had joined the show, she had skimmed through all the guests’ basic profiles: names, genders, birthdays.

She distinctly recalled that Chi Wan’s birthday was also around these days—remarkably close to Mingyu’s.