The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 76

Because of her anxiety, Chi Wan’s heart was pounding wildly. Her vision was still blurry, but she understood all too well the danger she was in.

Yet, more than for herself, she worried for An Ran. An Ran had been dragged into this mess because of her, when she was never the target to begin with.

Now she was here, trapped—but what about An Ran? Had she already been harmed?

The thought of An Ran possibly being hurt felt like a knife twisting in Chi Wan’s heart.

“An Ran, are you here?”

She lowered her voice and called softly, fumbling with her hands to feel her surroundings.

But all she touched were a few loose pebbles—nothing more.

Could it be… that she was the only one here? Where had the kidnappers gone?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, a faint groan came from not far away. The voice was strangely familiar, yet not An Ran’s.

Chi Wan didn’t call out immediately. Instead, she listened carefully.

The owner of the voice soon stirred, pressed a hand to her temple, looked around, and swore under her breath.

Her movements stirred others awake. From farther away came a few muffled groans.

There were more people here. Quite a few, in fact.

Chi Wan’s heart tightened in alarm. Wait… were Su Yao and Lu Xin here too? And—was that Chu Rou? Meng Lan as well?

Could this group of kidnappers… have a grudge against the entire show crew?

“Are you alright, Mingyu?”

When Chu Rou and the others woke, their first instinct was to check on Mingyu. “We saw those thugs breaking into your quarters!”

“We wanted to scream for help, but we didn’t expect there’d be another group following them!”

“Were only we captured?”

Lu Xin and the others looked around, only to notice a figure sitting farther away.

The dim light obscured the person’s features, showing only a hazy silhouette.

“There’s someone else here!”

They were stunned.

Mingyu narrowed her eyes, studying for a moment before recognizing her. “It’s you.”

The others also realized belatedly. “Why did they drag Chi Wan here too?”

“Wait—was she there when all that happened to Mingyu?”

“No, I was in my room.” Chi Wan shook her head.

“That’s strange… Anyway, are you hurt?”

Lu Xin asked with concern, attempting to move closer—but when she struggled, she discovered her arms and legs were tightly bound. None of them could move.

Chi Wan’s heart sank. More and more people were waking, yet An Ran was still nowhere to be seen. And in that moment, she realized she had been wrong—the kidnappers weren’t targeting the show at all.

They were targeting her and Mingyu.

Because every single person tied up here… was an ex.

All people who had past entanglements with either Chi Wan or Mingyu.

Meng Lan had been silent all this time. Normally, her quietness wouldn’t have stood out, but once she realized Chi Wan was here too, she couldn’t stop staring at her—so fixedly that soon everyone else noticed.

Mingyu’s brows knitted in displeasure. In her eyes, there was no mystery to why the kidnapping had happened tonight of all nights. It was because she had just formally acknowledged her place in her family.

The kidnappers’ motive was obvious: to force the rightful heir to withdraw from the competition.

As for Chi Wan’s capture, Mingyu believed it was likely due to her similar appearance—an unfortunate mistake.

But she felt no guilt over Chi Wan being implicated. On the contrary, her loathing ran so deep that she secretly wished misfortune upon her. Now, it seemed her wish had come true. Mingyu almost felt a flicker of satisfaction.

Besides, she believed the kidnappers would never dare harm her—her identity was her shield.

“You all… did you see An Ran?”

After a pause, Chi Wan finally asked the question that had been eating at her. Her voice trembled; she was terrified of the answer.

But seeing all these “exes” gathered here made her think perhaps the kidnappers hadn’t harmed An Ran—after all, An Ran wasn’t connected to Mingyu at all.

But if they were after her… then An Ran’s safety wasn’t guaranteed.

“An Ran? Even now, you’re still thinking about her?”

Su Yao, brimming with jealousy and bitterness, snapped at her.

The others also felt a sour twist in their chests. Chi Wan’s constant mention of An Ran made it clear where her heart lay.

“Forget her already! We can’t even save ourselves…”

Their words made Chi Wan’s chest go cold.

Where was An Ran?

Against her will, her mind conjured a vivid image of An Ran, wounded and bleeding.

Chi Wan shook her head hard, trying to dispel the ominous vision.

As she silently prayed, a faint rustling suddenly sounded behind her.

The noise was light, but it made her pulse leap frantically.

She turned her head, her voice trembling with hope. “An Ran? Is that you?”

No reply came. Chi Wan’s heart clenched tight. Was she mistaken? Was it not An Ran?

But just as that fear took hold, she felt the figure drawing closer. Her heartbeat thundered.

At last, a familiar forehead pressed gently against her shoulder.

Then came the voice she longed to hear: “Mm, it’s me. I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” Chi Wan’s lips curved upward, her voice unsteady as tears threatened to spill.

Her body shook, trembling with emotion.

“Are you hurt?” she whispered, afraid that was why An Ran had been silent so long.

“Just a scratch.”

An Ran’s reply was deliberately light, meant to ease her worry.

Chi Wan’s heart twisted—she knew it was a lie—but she played along, pretending to believe.

The truth was, An Ran had been awake for a while. Listening to everything, piecing together the puzzle.

Chi Wan believed the kidnappers were after her and Mingyu. But An Ran suspected otherwise—that they were here for Chi Wan alone.

Thinking of Chi Wan’s striking resemblance to Mingyu, a startling thought occurred to her.

If Chi Wan was actually Chi Feng’s daughter, then it explained so much. Why, in that moment of vulnerability, Chi Wan had spoken of her father with such aching loss.

An Ran thought further. With Chi Feng’s methods, it was impossible that he hadn’t already discovered who his real daughter was. So why, in front of everyone, had he acknowledged Mingyu instead?

Perhaps… to protect her.

But now Chi Wan had been captured—proof that the protection had failed. Someone out there knew the truth.

As for why Mingyu was also here, perhaps the kidnappers simply wanted to be thorough.

An Ran sorted through all the clues in her mind. Yet one thing still didn’t make sense: why were Su Yao and the others dragged into this too?