The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 10
“……”
Chi Wan froze mid-roll on the bed, her joyful thrashing coming to an abrupt halt.
System! she gritted her teeth mentally. Can you stop popping up out of nowhere like this? It’s really creepy, okay?!
And the timing—ugh! Always the worst. Her good mood had completely vanished!
Besides, she hadn’t even finished the last side mission yet. And now it was assigning another one? Wasn’t that a bit much?
[Hey now, the capable should do more, right? You have to complete all these tasks anyway—there’s no escape. So why not get a head start? Psst, just so you know, Lu Xin is still right outside.
Open the door, pin her down, plant a hickey, and mission complete!]
Huh? Lu Xin hasn’t left yet?
Chi Wan blinked, momentarily stunned. She was just about to get up—but then hesitated. Forget it. Maybe she should choose someone else instead. But who? She pondered briefly.
Meanwhile, just on the other side of the wall, Lu Xin stood frozen, still lost in the look in Chi Wan’s eyes—those glassy, tear-brimmed eyes.
Why was she crying? I never meant to make her cry…
Lu Xin stood for a long time before finally lowering her head and muttering under her breath, “If you don’t want to move out, then don’t. Why cry over it?”
She had originally planned to be all generous and persuasive, saying, “If you agree to move out, I’ll let you pick any 500,000 yuan handbag you want.”
But now, those words wouldn’t come out at all. Her own mood had plummeted. When she returned upstairs looking for Su Yao, she discovered that the only room on the second floor had already been sneakily claimed during her absence.
Su Yao had taken advantage of her absence to occupy it!
Ughhhh! She was furious! Lu Xin was done playing nice!
Su Yao even leaned on the doorframe with a diplomatic smile and said, “Lu Xin, you can’t blame anyone else. You were too slow. Just head up to the third floor.”
“No! I won’t!” Lu Xin stiffened her neck, dragged her suitcase, and shoved her way in.
She declared boldly that there were no rules from the production team saying “two guests can’t share a room,” so she moved right in.
Su Yao was nearly fuming, but since Lu Xin had already barged in, there was no way to throw her out now. She could only pinch her nose and concede, but not without muttering, “Fine. But I get the bed. You sleep on the floor.”
And so, the second-floor guest list was finalized. Aside from Mingyu and Chi Wan—both Alphas—the remaining five were Omegas. Even more interesting, all of them except An Ran were admirers of Mingyu.
“Dear guests, once you’ve chosen your rooms, please come down to the living room. For the foreseeable future, filming will revolve around this villa. So now, it’s time to clean up! Also, lunch is approaching. There are ingredients in the fridge. Please arrange everything yourselves.”
The assistant director, Chu Rou, reappeared to announce the next segment of the show.
“Cleaning and cooking? Then let’s split the tasks,” Mingyu suggested with a gentle smile, scanning the group.
“Sure, we’re fine with that!” her admirers responded eagerly, even asking her to take the lead on task assignments.
“Well, if you insist, I won’t decline. Let’s start with cooking—any volunteers?”
At that moment, Lu Xin was still fuming about being forced to share a room—with none other than her love rival. The worst part? That rival actually had a better financial standing than her.
That alone made her stew. If Chi Wan had just agreed to move out earlier and given her the room, none of this would’ve happened.
So, the moment Mingyu asked, she blurted out instinctively:
“Chi Wan! She’s great at cooking—and loves it too! If you don’t let her cook, she’ll get upset!”
The way she said it had a distinct note of sarcasm.
Idiot! Su Yao shot her a glare, exasperated. Why would you say that in front of everyone? Might as well hold up a sign that says you’re close to Chi Wan.
Lu Xin quickly realized she’d said something inappropriate, especially under the current circumstances.
But it was true. Back when she and Chi Wan were dating, Chi Wan had handled all their meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even when Lu Xin tried to treat her to expensive restaurants, Chi Wan would always decline, saying it was a waste of money.
Lu Xin would tease her, saying, “Don’t you get it? I’m paying. Why won’t you just enjoy it?”
Chi Wan would only reply, “Your money doesn’t grow on trees. Better to save it.”
And then she would go right back to chopping vegetables.
So in hindsight, not only had Lu Xin barely spent any money on Chi Wan—Chi Wan had actually saved her quite a bit.
As she reminisced, the memories of their past slowly crept in. Around her, however, the atmosphere was charged. The other guests were silently trying to figure out the nature of her relationship with Chi Wan.
Then Ruan Xiao broke the tension with a light laugh.
“I’m guessing Lu Xin must be Chi Wan’s fan? Chi Wan used to livestream cooking a lot.”
She cleverly threw Lu Xin a lifeline.
Chi Wan curled her lips into a smile. None of the guests were fools—based on Lu Xin’s tone earlier, “fan” was the last thing she sounded like. A black fan, maybe.
But since the tension had eased, Mingyu followed through smoothly and turned to Chi Wan.
“Well then, could I trouble you to take care of lunch? Do you need a helper?”
“Yes, I do. Her.” Chi Wan arched an eyebrow and casually linked her arm through An Ran’s.
An Ran froze for a second, then turned her gaze over, eyes sparkling. When no one was paying attention, she leaned in and whispered,
“Why would you drag me into this?”
“Because I want to. Is that not okay? Everyone knows the saying—AO makes the best combo. For the sake of a fast and delicious lunch, just go with it, pretty lady~”
Chi Wan’s voice lilted playfully at the end, like a feather brushing softly against the heart.
An Ran’s gaze darkened slightly, though her face stayed composed as she nodded.
“Mua! You’re the best!”
Their playful exchange drew the attention of Lu Xin, Su Yao, and Ruan Xiao—each glancing over with different thoughts: a touch of jealousy, scrutiny, and suspicion.
“Hey, who is that girl anyway? Is she really worth all that attention from Chi Wan?”
The villa was massive. While Chi Wan and An Ran were assigned to cook, the rest of the guests began cleaning. Ruan Xiao used the moment of grabbing a broom to sidle up to Lu Xin and Su Yao.
“So? What’s her deal? She must be someone special, right?”
“Her?” Su Yao responded flatly. “She’s just a university student from a top school—same one as Chi Wan.”
She’d already done her homework. While Lu Xin looked confused, Su Yao sounded very sure.
“Really?” Ruan Xiao was clearly skeptical. “You’re sure you investigated properly?”
“Ruan Xiao,” Su Yao replied with a knowing smile, “You of all people should know Chi Wan. The internet loves calling her gold-digging scum. But do you really not know where that label came from?”
At that moment, Chi Wan and An Ran stood in the kitchen, staring at a fully stocked fridge.
Chi Wan looked like she was thinking hard about the lunch menu—but a closer look would show An Ran wasn’t looking at the food at all. Her eyes were fixed on Chi Wan’s delicate, sculpted hands.
“You’re not starting?” came a soft voice that startled Chi Wan from her thoughts.
“I’m planning the menu. What do you like to eat?” Chi Wan replied smoothly—while mentally screaming for the system.
System! SYSTEM! SOS! I can’t cook!! I’m going to embarrass myself in front of this delicate little flower, help meeee!