The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 17
When was your first kiss?
Even though Lu Xin, Su Yao, and Ruan Xiao tried hard to hide their curiosity, their eyes gave them away. It wasn’t just the three of them—Chi Wan could feel two more gazes from afar, focused intently on her.
She didn’t need to look to know it was Chu Rou and Meng Lan.
Meng Lan was already aiming her camera straight at her.
The livestream screen was currently focused on a close-up of Chi Wan, while the chat scrolled rapidly with comments:
“Aren’t the questions for Chi Wan a bit too aggressive? First asking if she’s the dumper or the dumpee, and now jumping straight to her first kiss? Can’t they see how upset she looks?”
“Lol, I actually think the second question isn’t bold enough! Just ask which kiss felt the best!”
“Gross! What if Chi Wan still hasn’t had her first kiss?”
“As if! With how materialistic she is, I bet she’d sleep with anyone who offers enough money!”
Chu Rou glanced at the comments. While the direction of the show was going as they’d hoped, seeing the harsh words in real time left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She turned her gaze back to Chi Wan, subtly studying her expression, trying to guess how she really felt.
Finally, Chi Wan spoke, slowly but clearly:
“I still have my first kiss—but I’d like to give it away on Endless Heartbeats.”
The guests and online audience were stunned. Her first kiss? Still untouched? How was that possible? Hadn’t she said she had multiple girlfriends? She even admitted it herself—so how could she still have her first kiss?
But wait—did she just say she plans to kiss someone on the show?
In an instant, viewers’ anticipation skyrocketed.
Lu Xin and the others had been feeling a bit smug just moments before. Now, hearing the second half of her statement, their faces visibly darkened.
Xia Meng couldn’t help but ask, “Chi Wan, when you were with your exes… what did you do? You must’ve at least held hands or hugged, right?”
Although the question was a bit intrusive, Chi Wan didn’t sense any malice from Xia Meng and nodded frankly.
“Wow, you seem so… pure,” Xia Meng said in genuine surprise. In her mind, when adults are attracted to each other, sparks fly—it’s only natural.
Xia Meng’s question, surprisingly, eased some of the hate-filled comments from earlier. Seeing this, Meng Lan quickly messaged Chu Rou, urging her to go ahead with the next phase of their plan.
Chu Rou bit her lip. Although she was hesitant, she knew one thing for certain: being soft on Chi Wan was being cruel to herself.
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[Ding! Plot update. System prompt: Mobile Phone]
Mobile phone? That’s it? Chi Wan was annoyed. After stressing herself out to complete a side mission earlier, all she got was this?
Hey, hey, calm down, host!
“Mobile Phone” means…
The system whispered a few words in her mind. Understanding dawned on Chi Wan. Taking advantage of her jacket’s cover, she quietly pulled out her phone and tapped a few times.
Moments later, Chu Rou stood up and said, “We’re adding a new segment! This episode of Endless Heartbeats isn’t just about guests being curious about each other—the audience is super curious too. So now, let’s satisfy their curiosity!”
She placed a tablet in front of them. On it was a message from a viewer:
“I’m dying to know what the last three photos, last three messages, and last three contacts in the guests’ phones are! Hope I get picked!”
The room instantly fell silent. Several guests subconsciously clutched their phones tighter.
Mo Wei’s expression turned particularly grim. In her last three messages was a joking—but damning—line:
“Mingyu’s too hard to approach. I need a stand-in to soothe the loneliness.”
To which her friend replied:
“Why bother looking? That Chi Wan girl’s perfect. Total gold-digger. Just throw money at her and keep it casual.”
Mo Wei had responded:
“Gross! Chi Wan makes me sick.”
Among the Alpha guests, the one with nothing to fear was probably the painter Shi Yi. She calmly took out her phone, turned it toward the camera, and said softly:
“Here are my three most recent photos—all of my artwork. My last three messages were conversations with my mentor and agent, all about painting. And my three most recent contacts: my mentor, my agent, and my mom.”
Though spoken with utmost seriousness, her tone at the end somehow came across as humorous.
But the messages, despite being about art, seemed to hint at something… big.
“Wait, that’s Shi Yi? OMG! I didn’t expect to see my idol here!”
“Her paintings are insanely expensive—she’s one of the most promising young artists out there!”
“A small piece goes for hundreds of thousands? Damn!”
Even the guests couldn’t hide their excitement. If not for the cameras, they would’ve swarmed Shi Yi for collaborations.
Shi Yi’s work was incredibly famous in China.
And artwork by public figures, when handled well, could be transformed into fashion, cosmetics, films, advertising—endless possibilities.
Shi Yi was normally extremely low-key. People knew her work but rarely saw her. Now, seeing her in person? It was exhilarating.
Chu Rou hadn’t expected such a strong reaction—even Mingyu wanted to collaborate. She quickly signaled everyone to calm down—the segment wasn’t over yet.
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Next up was Mingyu. Her photos were mostly documents, blurred out due to business confidentiality. Her messages and contacts were all corporate-related.
Then came Mo Wei’s turn. She had already deleted the “stand-in” message, so what showed up on screen was much more flattering:
—Mingyu is so beautiful and capable. Of course I like her!
—I’ve had a crush on her for years… too bad fate keeps us apart.
—I joined the show just to pursue her!
Gasps and “oohs” broke out among the Alpha guests—no one expected a confession on day one.
Mo Wei, pleased with their reactions, felt she’d just gotten ahead of the competition. After all, the “Secret Crush” text message segment was coming soon.
Lu Xin was next. Clearly flustered, she scratched her head awkwardly. She wanted to delete her messages too—but there were simply too many. Her photos were dramatic extreme sports shots, but her messages…
—How do I shave armpit hair? It grows so fast!
—Need a powerful hair removal cream! Price doesn’t matter!
—This cream sucks. You lied. We’re not friends anymore!
She looked utterly embarrassed—but the livestream chat exploded:
“Wait, Lu Xin’s kind of adorable with all that armpit hair, LOL!”
“No wonder she always wears long sleeves and pants!”
“Wait—long pants? Does that mean she’s hairy everywhere? Hahaha!”
“Lu Xin, don’t worry! Your fans knew all along! We were just being kind. Hope you find someone who’ll help you shave for life!”
“HAHAHAHA I can’t take it—I’m laughing too hard!”
No one needed to see her contacts to guess: agent, sports partner, and hair removal vendor.
Lu Xin held it in as long as she could, then—just before the camera cut away—slammed one leg onto the sofa, yanked up her pant leg, and with a flushed face, shouted:
“Look! Look at my legs! Smooth! Sleek! Not a single hair in sight!”
“LMAO! Smooth legs reveal! My stomach hurts from laughing!”
“Lu Xin, how are you both adorable and a total goofball?”
“She panicked! She really panicked! LOL!”
Fuming, Lu Xin turned her back to the camera in embarrassment. If she knew the chat was calling her “even cuter from behind when she’s mad,” she’d probably pass out on the spot.
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Su Yao and Ruan Xiao’s phones didn’t reveal much—they each had two phones and simply handed over the decoy ones.
Then came An Ran.
When she began sharing, most guests lost interest. Just one look at her outfit screamed “student”—and a serious one at that. Everyone could already guess the contents.
Sure enough, her photos were of campus landscapes and school events.
Seeing the lack of interest, An Ran tried to scroll quickly—but just as her finger moved, Chi Wan suddenly said:
“Wait, don’t scroll yet—I wasn’t done looking! So we go to the same university! Different majors, though. When classes start again, I’m definitely coming to find you!”
The playful lilt in her voice made her sound almost coquettish.
An Ran wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but none of the other guests seemed fazed by the remark.
Her messages were mostly mundane—like “landlord reminding about rent.”
“Wait—Miss White Dress isn’t a rich heiress? Did Chi Wan misjudge her?”
“Maybe the gold-digger’s just using the poor girl to fix her own image!”
The chat was in shock. Everyone had assumed An Ran was some wealthy debutante.
Seeing the comments, An Ran lowered her head and let out a bitter smile:
Now that Chi Wan knows I’m broke, will she still want to be close?
She wasn’t the only one thinking it—Lu Xin, Su Yao, and Ruan Xiao all had similar thoughts. Though theirs were tinged with schadenfreude.
They figured Chi Wan must be regretting it now. After all, she’d spent a lot of time on that girl.
Their eyes all drifted toward Chi Wan. From that close distance, she must’ve seen the “rent due” messages.
They expected her expression to fall—but instead, Chi Wan simply pouted and told the viewers:
“You all think I approached her because I thought she was rich? No. I just think she’s really beautiful and adorable!”
Huh?
Even the other guests were stunned.
“I like being around her. She’s so pretty and sweet—who wouldn’t like her? If she’s in trouble, of course I’ll help her if I can!”
Chi Wan spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world—unaware of the emotional shockwaves her words were causing.
Lu Xin was practically green with envy:
Why does she get to be pretty and cute? And I’m just goofy and fuzzy?!