The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 78

Someone finally struck out. Not long after, the rest followed suit, turning on Chi Wan.

Mingyu’s blows were nothing but spite. She had long despised Chi Wan—perhaps she’d been waiting for this very moment, eager to see her ruined.

When others hit Chi Wan, it was usually just a few perfunctory strikes—enough to draw blood and earn their share of food before stopping.

But Mingyu wasn’t like that. She swung with all her strength, intent on leaving Chi Wan’s flesh torn and her body broken. The look in An Ran’s eyes as she watched Mingyu was full of venom, as though she could devour her whole.

Mingyu, however, only met her glare with open provocation—her expression saying plainly: Yes, I did this. What can you do about it?

An Ran clenched her fists. When it’s my turn, I’ll make sure Mingyu pays.

Chu Rou also chose to harm Chi Wan. Unlike Lu Xin, she had always harbored some fondness for Mingyu, and given Mingyu’s current status, she felt she had no choice but to go along. Yet when she saw Chi Wan’s battered body, pity weakened her resolve. At first, her strikes were much lighter than the others’.

It took many blows before she finally drew blood.

Guilt pricked at Chu Rou’s heart, but to An Ran, it only made her seem more disgusting.

Meng Lan still hadn’t moved. Her eyes were dull and vacant, fixed silently on Chi Wan as though lost in some private abyss.

Chi Wan’s body was already covered in gashes, some still bleeding freely. Pain wracked her so severely that her whole body trembled.

And what was most despairing—this was all just over a single meal.

She began to wonder if she would survive this ordeal at all. The system suddenly came online, confirming her darkest fear.

It explained that the original host’s time of death was supposed to fall within these very days. What’s more, for reasons unknown, the consciousness of the book’s world had grown stronger. The storyline was realigning itself, pushing events back toward the original ending.

Chi Wan could only distill it into one sentence: She was going to die.

Though the thought of her own death filled her with unspeakable pain, her greater fear was for An Ran. Even if she perished here, she would return to her original world—but what of An Ran? Would she be forced to meet the tragic fate the book had written for her?

As Chi Wan wrestled with these thoughts, the system suddenly cried out: “Host, beware! Unknown interference detected!”

No sooner had the words landed than a dizzy spell overwhelmed her. When her vision cleared, she found An Ran staring at her in shock, muttering under her breath:

“Why…?”

Why? Chi Wan wanted to ask, but to her horror, she discovered she could no longer speak.

“Why? Why would you stop me?!”

An Ran was on the verge of breaking.

At last it had been her turn. She could never bring herself to harm Chi Wan, so she had decided to strike at Mingyu instead.

She was no fragile flower—anyone who dared hurt Chi Wan would face her wrath.

Even if Mingyu truly was the Chi family’s daughter, An Ran had no intention of sparing her. Retaliation be damned.

Lu Xin and the others quickly stepped in front of Mingyu, a flimsy show of loyalty that looked painfully contrived. But Mingyu basked in it regardless.

The sight made An Ran sick. She didn’t hold back her strength—only to be blindsided when Chi Wan suddenly threw herself in front of Mingyu.

The blow, meant for Mingyu, landed squarely on Chi Wan instead. Blood spilled instantly.

An Ran’s eyes rimmed red. “Why?!”

Chi Wan couldn’t control her body, nor offer any explanation. She could only meet An Ran’s gaze with a look of sorrow.

“Why would you shield her?”

An Ran’s chest ached so badly it stole her breath. She wanted to seize Chi Wan’s hands and demand an answer, but both of Chi Wan’s arms were already mangled with wounds.

“Chi Wan… you’d protect her?”

Chi Wan remained silent. At first she still looked at An Ran, but soon her eyes lowered.

An Ran’s breathing grew harsh, as though she was choking back a storm of emotions—rage and despair both.

Tears slipped silently down her face, crystal drops that traced her cheeks and fell from her delicate chin.

The sight was like knives in Chi Wan’s heart. But she was powerless, unable even to give her the comfort of an embrace.

She thought things could not possibly get worse. But she was wrong.

The man in charge stared at Chi Wan’s bloodied body with delight, filming as he clicked his tongue in satisfaction.

Now, only Chi Wan and Meng Lan remained without food. He ordered Meng Lan to act, but she stayed vacant, soulless.

Finding it boring, he prepared to act in her place. He feigned deliberation, glancing between Chi Wan and Mingyu. Mingyu glared at him through clenched teeth.

Chi Wan, however, barely reacted. Her thoughts were fixed solely on An Ran.

Though devastated by Chi Wan’s earlier betrayal, An Ran couldn’t help but worry for her. Her eyes tracked the man’s every move.

And just as she suspected, the man finally struck Chi Wan instead, opening another wound.

He showed no mercy. The injury was so severe that one of her arms was nearly destroyed.

Her gaze instinctively sought Meng Lan, but the girl was still lost in her daze.

Bored, the man tossed food to Meng Lan, then sauntered to Chi Wan’s side with a grin. Handing her the weapon, he said pleasantly:

“Your turn.”

Chi Wan couldn’t control herself. A wave of dizziness clouded her mind. In a haze, she seemed to take the weapon—and then swung it down hard on someone.

Something warm and wet splattered against her face.

What… is this?

Her mind reeled. When she finally came back to herself, the sight before her left her utterly shattered.

An Ran.

The one she had struck was An Ran.

Some force had seized her body, forcing her to attack the one person she most wanted to protect.

Chi Wan wanted nothing more than to die. The grief was crushing, unbearable.

Looking at the deep, bloodied wounds carved into An Ran’s body—more than a dozen of them—Chi Wan nearly fainted.

Her own muscles, her own heartbeat, told her the unbearable truth:

She was the one who had done this.

Chi Wan desperately wanted to know—just who was controlling her?

She would rather hurt herself than see An Ran harmed!

Sensing that Chi Wan was on the verge of collapse, the system hurriedly came online in alarm.

“Host, don’t get stuck in a dead end. Things have already come to this—you need to look at it from another angle. After all, you’re going to die soon. But An Ran still has to live. Let her hate you. That way, when you’re gone, she won’t be drowning in grief.”

Chi Wan listened in silence, not uttering a word.

She thought, An Ran must hate me to death now.

The thought of never again seeing those eyes once filled with love brought nothing but unbearable pain.

And yet, remembering the system’s words, Chi Wan had to admit—it wasn’t wrong. Since she was doomed to die, why drag An Ran down with her?

Perhaps… letting An Ran hate her was the best outcome.

With hate, those sweet memories would be buried, never to be recalled.

________________________________________

When Chi Wan struck An Ran, Lu Xin and the others were stunned, unable to make sense of it.

Had all those tender feelings before been nothing but an act?

Had they been fooled by Chi Wan’s performance all along?

If those emotions were real, how could Chi Wan ever hurt An Ran?

She could’ve chosen any of her exes, but she chose only An Ran!

And it wasn’t just Lu Xin and the others—An Ran herself felt utterly deceived.

Clearly, Chi Wan never liked her. All those words of affection had been nothing but lies!

Looking at her with the gaze reserved for a faithless betrayer, An Ran made Chi Wan’s breath hitch, her chest aching sharply.

Chi Wan wanted to explain, “It’s not like that.”

But then she thought—better a clean break than prolonged suffering.

If An Ran misunderstood her this way, so be it.

At least then, when she died, An Ran could quickly forget her… forget this love built on lies.

________________________________________

“Heh…” The man seemed delighted, laughing louder and louder.

Chi Wan never lifted her head, but the stench of blood kept seeping into her nose.

And then there was An Ran’s gaze—so heavy it pressed down on her chest until she couldn’t breathe.

The man’s laughter grew more boisterous. He asked if she’d had enough. If not, she could keep hitting.

Blood oozed from An Ran’s wounds, yet she still mocked through clenched teeth:

“Chi Wan, why are you standing there frozen? Feeling guilty now?”

But guilt meant nothing. The blows had already been struck, and no amount of words could undo them.

Chi Wan finally lifted her eyes, staring at An Ran in a daze.

But the moment she saw those wounds, it was like touching scalding fire—she tore her gaze away, unable to bear it.

After all, those injuries were inflicted by her own hands.

________________________________________

The days blurred together. Chi Wan’s body was battered with fresh wounds upon old ones.

Her exposed skin was a mess of blood and bruises, her clothes dyed a dark red.

Her breathing grew weaker and weaker, her life ebbing away, on the verge of vanishing completely.

Whenever An Ran fought, her true target had always been Mingyu.

But every time, Chi Wan threw herself between them.

Eventually, An Ran gave up attacking altogether—and with that, she stopped eating too.

This terrified Chi Wan. She would rather An Ran strike her than see her starve.

But her body was no longer under her control. She couldn’t even form words.

She tried to convey her thoughts with her eyes, but An Ran no longer looked at her. Perhaps her heart had already been shattered beyond repair.

________________________________________

Just as Chi Wan thought she would surely die here, suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the room.

People stormed in. For a moment, Chi Wan thought they had come to rescue them, but their purpose was clearly something else.

Sensing the danger, An Ran gathered what little strength she had left and dragged Chi Wan away in the chaos.

But Chi Wan had no strength left at all.

She opened her mouth, trying to tell An Ran to leave her behind and escape alone.

Yet no sound came out.

At that moment, Chi Wan hated herself more than ever. Why wasn’t she already dead?

If she was gone, she wouldn’t be such a burden to An Ran.

As if sensing her thoughts, An Ran spoke quickly, her tone sharp with bitter irony:

“You want me to abandon you and save myself, don’t you?”

Chi Wan froze, struggling desperately to nod.

But then came An Ran’s cold whisper at her ear:

**“Give up that idea. I will never let you go. You must pay for your lies.

You don’t love me? Fine. But you’ll still stay by my side.

If I can’t have your heart, then I’ll at least have your body.

I’ll lock you away, so that you’ll only ever see me, only ever feel me.”**

An Ran knew something inside her was breaking, but the torment was too much to bear. Everything Chi Wan had done these past days was like a living nightmare.

________________________________________

Outside, the two groups clashed fiercely. Amidst the chaos, An Ran dragged Chi Wan out into the open.

The place was desolate and remote. With no time to hesitate, An Ran scanned the surroundings and quickly chose a narrow, inconspicuous path.