The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 71

“The family head is still waiting for you.”

The secretary respectfully gestured forward. Old Master Ming hesitated for a moment, then ignored the curious, sidelong glances around him and strode ahead.

“Is it true… that Chi Feng’s illness really can’t be cured?”

Old Master Ming’s brows knitted with worry. To think that someone so young should suffer a tormenting, incurable disease—his heart ached at the thought.

“Yes.”

The secretary lowered his eyes, concealing the flicker of guilt in them. After all, Old Master Ming was sharp-eyed and perceptive. If he saw through anything, it might ruin the family head’s carefully laid plans.

Following the principle of ‘the less said, the fewer mistakes,’ the secretary kept his answer concise.

“Ah…”

The old man sighed heavily. His thoughts inevitably drifted to himself—how many more years could these frail old bones endure? He had only just found his granddaughter… how much longer could he stay by her side?

“Something weighs on your mind?”

The secretary seized the chance to divert the conversation, hoping to avoid more talk of the family head’s incurable condition.

Old Master Ming glanced at him. He figured the man must be tight-lipped—otherwise, he wouldn’t have become Chi Feng’s trusted confidant. In that case, telling him should be fine.

Yet the secretary tensed all over; that single, seemingly casual glance was laden with immense authority.

Could it be… some grave, unspeakable secret?

Sure enough, once they reached a secluded spot, Old Master Ming lowered his voice and said:

“Not long ago, this old man finally found his biological granddaughter. But the Ming family is far from peaceful… I worry for her.”

The words made the secretary’s heart pound wildly. What a coincidence! For not long ago, the family head had also found the wife and daughter she had yearned for all these years. At this very moment, she was likely sitting in her study, flipping back and forth through that paternity test.

Indeed, Chi Feng was staring at those thin sheets of paper as if she could never look at them enough.

She had wanted to call her beloved countless times. The phone number was already in her hand, yet she could never bring herself to dial.

Never had Chi Feng imagined herself capable of such cowardice.

Knock, knock.

Someone rapped on the study door.

“Family head, Old Master Ming has come to visit you.”

The secretary’s respectful voice came from outside.

“Come in.”

At her command, the door swung open. Old Master Ming stepped inside and caught sight of Chi Feng quietly closing a drawer.

“Old Master Ming, I hear you’ve found your biological granddaughter?”

Chi Feng’s gaze fell upon the elder, who looked rather spirited for his age. Before his arrival, she had already guessed his purpose—he had no intention of hiding it from her.

“Yes. But on that cruise ship, she was knocked unconscious, sent to the side branch’s quarters, and then falsely accused by your collateral relatives.”

Old Master Ming heaved a sigh. “Chi Feng, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”

Chi Feng froze. She had only known bits and pieces about Old Master Ming’s granddaughter—never had she imagined that girl would be An Ran.

The atmosphere grew heavy. For several minutes, neither of them spoke.

Old Master Ming lifted his eyelids, surprised by Chi Feng’s sudden silence.

“An Ran is your granddaughter?”

When the long-quiet family head finally spoke, Old Master Ming was struck speechless.

“Yes. You even know her name?”

Chi Feng nodded. Then, with words like thunder, she added: “Not only that—I know she’s also my biological daughter’s girlfriend.”

“Biological daughter…”

The old man was stunned into silence. Those two words echoed in his head again and again before he finally came to his senses.

“Chi Wan is your daughter?” He could hardly believe it. “When did you find her?”

“Just a few days ago—because of that incident on the cruise, when An Ran was falsely accused.”

A faint smile tugged at Chi Feng’s lips. Come to think of it, had it not been for An Ran, she might never have found her daughter so quickly.

“Well, what a coincidence indeed…”

Old Master Ming marveled. He had assumed Chi Wan was just some internet celebrity. Who would have thought her background was this extraordinary?

“It truly is a coincidence,” Chi Feng agreed with a soft laugh.

“Tell me—you’re not planning to oppose them, are you?”

The old man’s sudden worry made her both amused and exasperated.

“How could I? Finding my wife and daughter is already more than I could ever hope for. My own love and marriage were bound by duty, without freedom. I will not force that same fate upon my child.”

Her voice carried a solemn weight, laced with sorrow at the memories it stirred.

“I knew you were a reasonable person,” Old Master Ming said, finally setting down the heavy burden in his heart. “Have you contacted your fiancée yet?”

He assumed she must have. But to his surprise, Chi Feng only shook her head with a bitter smile. “I don’t dare.”

“What are you hesitating for? It’s been so many years!”

Old Master Ming frowned at her. “You need to gather your courage! Don’t you want a family reunion as soon as possible?”

Of course I want that! How could I not? But she feared Chi Wan’s mother would never forgive her, feared seeing avoidance and rejection in her eyes.

If that happened, it would tear her heart to shreds.

“Don’t burden yourself with so many worries.” After saying this, Old Master Ming’s gaze suddenly sharpened, carrying a deep, probing weight. “Tell me one thing—you only have one daughter, correct?”

He had been noticing how the Ming family’s current head had been making secret moves lately. At first, he couldn’t quite piece it together. But the Chis’ banquet had exposed more than a few hints.

That man was a selfish schemer who valued profit above all else. His attention to the banquet had far exceeded what was normal.

And he had been secretly meeting with Mingyu again and again, as if this matter concerned her deeply.

Or rather—concerned her origins.

Old Master Ming had already begun to suspect that Mingyu’s parentage was somehow tied to the Chi family. If she was just a collateral or illegitimate child, that would be one thing.

But if she was Chi Feng’s blood… that would be a different matter altogether.

Chi Feng’s brows furrowed, a flash of anger breaking through her composure. “What exactly are you implying?”

The moment those words were spoken, the other person quickly explained,

“I’m not doubting you—I only wanted to ask, because Mingyu’s background isn’t all that simple either.”

With that, Old Master Ming laid out in full his suspicions regarding Mingyu’s parentage.

“I even brought along a strand of her hair.”

Unless he got to the bottom of Mingyu’s true identity, he could not feel at ease.

“Rest assured—whatever else she may be, she is absolutely not my daughter.”

Chi Feng spoke with unshakable certainty. Old Master Ming set the hair aside and took his leave.

With the conversation laid so bare, there was no doubt the Chi family head would mete out harsh punishment to the junior who had slandered An Ran.

Once the study fell quiet, leaving Chi Feng alone, her thoughts began to churn. In the end, she could not suppress her longing any longer and dialed the number of Chi Wan’s mother.

“Beep… beep…”

Hearing the rings echoing in her ear, Chi Feng’s heartbeat quickened.

Would she answer? After all these years, Chi Feng had never changed her number—would the other woman still recognize it?

“We’re sorry. The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…”

The automated female voice brought a stab of disappointment, and Chi Feng’s expression contorted as if she was about to cry.

Was it that she was busy and couldn’t pick up—or had she recognized the number, and chosen not to answer?

Just as Chi Feng was drowning in her thoughts, the call came back through.

Flustered, she fumbled to press the answer key. “H-hello…”

Her voice trembled so badly it was nothing like the poised, commanding Chairwoman Chi of the business world.

She pressed her lips together, steadied her breath, and tried again, “Hello.”

“Chi Feng—it’s me.”

At last, the voice she had yearned for day and night reached her through the receiver. The timbre hadn’t changed, though it was weaker now, with traces of time’s erosion.

Even so, it nearly broke Chi Feng into sobs.

Her muffled crying left the woman on the other end at a loss. “You… you’re crying?”

“Mhm. I missed you.”

Chi Feng didn’t know how else to convey the depth of her longing. Like a broken record, she repeated the same words over and over:

I missed you. I missed you so much. Do you know that?

“…Have you seen Chi Wan?”

The gentle voice came through with a hint of hesitation, careful and tentative.

Chi Feng’s heart ached at the question. “Yes. You raised her well—she’s exceptional.”

“Ah…”

A soft exhale, almost carrying an inaudible whisper of relief: “That’s good.”

Chi Feng rested her forehead against the phone screen, as though it might bring her closer to the one in her heart. “Have you forgiven me?”

As soon as the words left her lips, she felt the question was wrong. Hastily she corrected herself, “Can you forgive me? I’m sorry. Back then, I neglected you. I didn’t know how much you were suffering in silence. I truly am sorry…”

Her tone was pitiful, like a loyal dog abandoned too long, yearning for its master’s glance.

At the same time, it was like a prisoner awaiting judgment—life or death, all hinging on a single word from the other side.

“Chi Feng… you don’t need to abase yourself like this…”

It sounded as though Chi Wan’s mother was crying too. In her memories, Chi Feng had always been elegant, radiant, untouchable. She had never heard her lower herself like this. The sound cut her to the core.

Did she hate Chi Feng? Yes, she had hated her.

Did she resent her? Yes, she had resented her too.

She thought she was still full of bitterness, but who could have predicted—a single phone call, like a warm breeze, had scattered all those hardened feelings in an instant.

Suddenly, she felt disgusted with herself. She had thought her heart had grown a fortress of stone over the years, yet it was crumbling piece by piece…

Perhaps only because she still loved her.

Then, her thoughts flew to Chi Wan. The girl had grown up in a single-parent home—how could she not yearn for her other parent?

The more she thought of her daughter, the more her resolve wavered.

Perhaps sensing this, Chi Feng didn’t press further. Instead, she began to talk about their daughter. “Our girl’s in love. Her partner’s a wonderful young woman. And as it happens, she’s actually Grandpa Ming’s biological granddaughter.”

Chi Wan’s mother froze. She had known her daughter was dating, but she hadn’t known the identity of her partner.

Grandpa Ming’s granddaughter—she had seen reports about her online.

“You mean Mingyu? But isn’t she an Alpha?”

The thought startled her so much her voice rose sharply.

Chi Feng was taken aback by her sudden intensity. Quickly, she explained, “No, not her. Chi Wan’s girlfriend is someone else.”

“…That’s good then…” the woman murmured softly.