The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 75

On the surface, Chi Feng’s expression was calm, but inwardly, she was filled with disgust. Though she hadn’t met the woman’s gaze directly, she could still feel it clinging to her—hungry, calculating, revolting.

It was a look she had endured far too many times in her life.

Chi Feng closed her eyes briefly, reining in her irritation. When she turned back to face the woman, her voice softened as much as she could manage.

“It’s late. You must be tired. Get some rest.”

With that, she pivoted on her heel, ready to leave.

But the woman rushed forward in a panic, throwing out an arm to block her way.

“I… if you’re telling me to rest, then what about you?”

Clearly, she had no intention of letting Chi Feng go. Her eyes clung desperately to Chi Feng’s figure, silently pleading: stay.

She had known of Chi Feng for years—though only from afar. Back then, she had been dating one of the Chi family’s illegitimate sons, and his every word had been laced with jealousy and resentment toward Chi Feng.

It was then she realized just how extraordinary Chi Feng was.

And more importantly—Chi Feng was capable of true devotion.

Everyone knew the reason the Chi family had never produced a legitimate heir all these years was because Chi Feng was waiting for a lost lover who had never returned.

If only I could replace that woman, she thought, I’d be willing to give up ten years of my life.

Chi Feng easily saw through her intentions. She was about to push her aside and leave, but just before her fingers touched the doorknob, she hesitated.

If she walked out now, her mother would surely grow suspicious. That would only put Chi Wan and her mother in danger.

Since I’ve started this act, I might as well see it through.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Chi Feng turned back and, in the gentlest tone she could muster, said,

“Sleep. I’ll stay here with you.”

The woman’s face lit up with unbridled delight. For a moment, a wild thought bloomed in her mind—

Could it be… did Chi Feng not recognize me? Does she think I’m really that woman she once loved?

If so, it was like a pie falling straight from heaven.

Suppressing her triumphant grin, she schooled her features into a shy smile.

“Then… I’ll go take a shower.”

“Mm. Go on.”

Chi Feng paused, the irritation in her chest growing heavier, though outwardly she remained composed.

“Alright. I take a little long when I shower.” Her cheeks flushed scarlet as she retreated toward the bathroom, throwing coquettish glances over her shoulder with every step.

She played the bashful maiden to perfection.

Chi Feng, however, had no patience for the performance. She sat down heavily on a chair, intending to wait an hour before leaving.

Inside the bathroom, the woman deliberately left the curtain half open. Through the frosted glass, her silhouette flickered faintly, a deliberately staged blur of curves. She twisted and posed under the stream of water, letting it cascade over her pale skin.

Since the day she had been chosen to attend the Chi family banquet, President Ming had sent her daily to the spa for full-body treatments. Now, she thought smugly, all that investment would finally pay off.

Looking down at her tightened, pampered skin, she felt utterly certain: tonight, she would conquer Chi Feng.
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Meanwhile, under An Ran’s gentle coaxing, Chi Wan had finally begun to drift into drowsiness. Half-asleep, she dreamed of the banquet—the moment Chi Feng had looked at her, as though the word daughter was trembling on her lips, ready to spill out.

But then, something changed. Chi Feng seemed to see something, and her face darkened with suppressed emotion. She held back, choosing silence.

Unease twisted through Chi Wan’s chest. She instinctively tightened her arms, only to brush against something soft. Awareness jolted her back, and she snapped awake.

“Mm? Bad dream?”

An Ran rubbed her sleepy eyes. In truth, she hadn’t slept much at all, too worried about Chi Wan’s fragile state of mind.

When Chi Wan looked up into her warm gaze, she suddenly realized how close they were. Her arms were wrapped around An Ran’s waist; her head rested in An Ran’s lap, while An Ran’s fingers stroked gently through her hair.

She should have blushed. But perhaps because the moment was so tender, and she was still half-dreaming, she only sank deeper into the comfort.

“Go to sleep. I’m here.”

An Ran’s fingertip brushed lightly against her earlobe, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Mm. You too.”

Chi Wan yawned, pulling An Ran closer into her arms. Just as her consciousness began to fade again, she thought she heard the click of a door unlocking.

Not from their room, though.

So… someone else just left?

As footsteps echoed faintly down the hallway, Chi Wan felt her ears covered by a pair of soft, protective hands.

________________________________________

Meng Lan slipped out of her room. She tried to move quietly—it was late, and the house was still—but her excitement was too much to contain. She couldn’t wait until morning. She wanted to find the place from her memories now, take pictures, and help Mingyu recover what she had forgotten.

As she stepped out of the side building, her peripheral vision caught a figure. The silhouette bore a striking resemblance to the Chi family’s master.

But she didn’t dwell on it. She kept walking, soon noticing that one of the rooms in the main house was still brightly lit.

Through the glass, she saw shadows—more than one person.

Her brows furrowed, but she did not stop. Passing by what looked like an office, she heard voices from inside.

“Madam, you wanted to see me?”

The voice was male, cautious, quivering with restrained fear.

“How long have you been by Feng’er’s side?”

The slow, imperious female voice carried an undercurrent of anger.

“A long time…”

The man’s trembling was unmistakable.

“Yes, a long time… Then you must know quite a lot about him. Especially recent events, don’t you?”

Her meaning was clear enough.

She wanted to know about Chi Feng’s recent affairs.

Cold sweat broke across the man’s back. The only recent matter worth the old matriarch’s attention was the issue of recognizing her daughter.

“Mm…” he forced out a sound, his throat tightening.

“Then answer me. At the banquet today—that girl, Mingyu. Is she Feng’er’s child?”

Silence swallowed the room.

“Yes. She is.”

The man struggled to keep his composure. He had long suspected the old matriarch would confront him. After all, he was the family head’s closest aide.

But knowing it was coming hadn’t made it any easier. Her oppressive aura still rattled him to his core.

He had once asked his master why he was chosen as a confidant, when he was so poor at concealing emotion.

The master had told him: Precisely because of that. My mother will never doubt you. Otherwise, you’d never be qualified to stand by my side.

From that moment, he understood the terrifying degree of the old matriarch’s control.

And her paranoia.

“Truly? It was her?” The old matriarch’s tone dripped with doubt. “Don’t try to deceive me. Mingyu’s mother doesn’t look at all like that woman from back then.”

The man clenched his back teeth. “So many years have passed. Of course she would have changed.”

“You mean to say she might have had plastic surgery?”

The old matriarch sneered. With a sharp sweep of her hand, a teacup crashed to the floor, shattering loudly. Her patience was clearly thinning.

His heart lurched. Forcing himself steady, he said, “That is… possible.”

“Then look at this.”

Her voice rose, sharp as a whip. She thrust a phone at him.

“I know you’re loyal to the master. But if you don’t tell me the truth today, your family will pay the price.”

Her long sigh afterward pressed down on him like drowning weight.

When his eyes dropped to the screen, his blood ran cold.

It showed his family—unconscious.

“You… what are you trying to do?!”

“Don’t be nervous, I just want you to answer a multiple-choice question.”

The old matriarch smiled triumphantly, utterly certain of what his final choice would be.

The man stayed silent for a long while before finally changing his tune in a low voice.

“Oh? So it’s her?”

The woman recalled the strikingly beautiful face she had glimpsed at the banquet, and her heart half believed it already.

She picked up her phone and sent a message to a certain number.

The man’s heart went cold at once. “You… you’re not even going to confirm it first?”

“Confirm?” The old matriarch sneered. “In matters like this, better to kill by mistake than let one slip away.”

What?!

“You can’t do that—she’s the Master’s only child!”

The man’s eyes bulged with rage, and he roared at her.

It was precisely that roar that, without him realizing, drowned out a faint noise outside the door.

Meng Lan was utterly shaken.

She clapped her hands over her mouth and crouched low, hiding herself deep in the shadows.

Never in her wildest dreams did she think—the little girl from back then was actually Chi Wan?!

The “white moonlight” she had cherished in her heart for so many years… wasn’t Mingyu at all!

How could this be?!

What was worse, from the way that woman spoke, it sounded like they were about to make a move against Chi Wan!

She must—she must warn Chi Wan right away, get her out of here!

Meng Lan, trembling all over, straightened up and turned to run—only to be knocked to the ground by a pair of hands reaching from the darkness.

There was someone outside the door too!

“Madam, we’ve found a little rat.”

“I knew there had to be someone sneaking about,” the woman replied, not in the least surprised.

Her gaze shifted toward a brightly lit room not far away.

That was where the candidates chosen from the collateral branches were gathered. Of course they wouldn’t be willing to see years of effort end in vain.

“I can’t sleep! Just thinking of Mingyu is like a bone stuck in my throat!”

“Same here! We worked for so long, and it’s all for nothing!”

“Who isn’t furious? We’ve all become a joke!”

“No way! If we can’t have it, then she can’t either!”

“That’s right—she has to be eliminated!”

Just as these candidates grew restless, plotting how to rid themselves of their rival, one man’s phone buzzed twice.

He glanced at the screen, and his eyes widened before narrowing dangerously.

He was a male Alpha, one of the stronger contenders favored by many board members, and thus privy to more inside information.

The others fell silent at the sight of his expression. After a long moment, someone ventured cautiously, “What’s wrong?”

“Here, see for yourselves.” The man didn’t hide it. He simply turned the phone around.

At once, the gathered candidates saw the message on the screen.

Someone gasped aloud. “What?! Mingyu might not be the Master’s daughter—Chi Wan is!”

“But… who even is Chi Wan?”

The sudden, unfamiliar name left them all bewildered.

“Is the news reliable?”

Someone muttered under their breath, “What if, after we kill them both, a third one pops out?”

“Who cares! One comes, we kill one. Two come, we kill both!”

One of the more ruthless candidates slammed the decision down on the spot. It didn’t matter anymore—anyone suspected of being the true heir had to be eliminated.

Only after removing them could the candidates stand a chance themselves.

They quickly began to act, sending trusted aides to investigate Chi Wan’s situation, and dispatching men separately to infiltrate both Mingyu and Chi Wan’s residences.

With the old matriarch backing them, the plan felt almost divinely assisted.

Everything went too smoothly.

Mingyu was quietly abducted to a hidden location.

But at Chi Wan’s place—though the intruder tried to open the door silently—it still disturbed An Ran.

Too worried about Chi Wan to fall into deep sleep, An Ran stirred at the faintest movement, her weary eyes snapping open.

Her gaze locked directly with the intruder’s, startling him. He had assumed that by now, everyone inside would be fast asleep!

“Who are you?!”

An Ran was about to scream when the intruder clamped a hand over her mouth and nose.

Struggling desperately, she woke Chi Wan. Instantly sensing the danger, Chi Wan switched on the bedside lamp.

The sudden glare forced the man restraining An Ran to squeeze his eyes shut reflexively.

Seizing the chance, An Ran kicked him and broke free. Barefoot, she grabbed Chi Wan’s hand, and the two bolted for the door, shouting for help as they ran.

They were just about to grab the doorknob when the door was pushed open from the outside.

Another one?!

Chi Wan’s heart lurched. Her instincts screamed that these people were after her. An Ran was innocent—she had to escape at least!

But An Ran seemed to sense her intention and clutched her hand tightly, as if to say: Don’t you dare shake me off.

Everything happened in a flash. With no other choice, Chi Wan lunged at the newcomer. But she hadn’t expected his combat skills—he was clearly trained!

This was a planned abduction.

And they weren’t just one or two—

In the end, overwhelmed, Chi Wan was subdued and smothered until she lost consciousness.

In the haze of fading awareness, she vaguely heard them grumbling.

“What about the other chick?”

“She saw our faces!”

They cursed under their breath. Taking an extra hostage meant extra trouble.

Chi Wan realized bitterly that she had dragged An Ran into danger.

When she came to again, the first thing her nose caught was a foul stench. Her brow furrowed in discomfort—then memory surged back.

An Ran. Where was An Ran?!