The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 18

They were all Omegas. They were all called cute.

But why did it feel so different?

No matter how hard Lu Xin racked her brain, she just couldn’t figure it out—she was on the verge of a breakdown!

Su Yao and Ruan Xiao’s eyes were practically boring holes into Chi Wan. Their gazes were like hi-tech scanners, analyzing every micro-expression frame by frame, trying to catch the slightest sign of a lie.

But… nothing. Absolutely nothing.

How was that even possible?

“I feel like Chi Wan really does kinda like the girl in the white dress…”

“Like? Please. I just want to know—does she even know her name?”

“She’s obviously just putting on an act! Look at how upset our dear Lu Xin is!”

“No but seriously… is anyone else getting the vibe that Lu Xin really cares about Chi Wan?”

The live chat exploded with speculation, the comment section buzzing with debates—was Chi Wan being genuine or just performing?

Chi Wan caught sight of a particular comment and smiled, her lips curving into a perfect arc. Her voice, as she replied, was smooth and sweet:

“Wondering if I even know her name? Of course I do. Her surname’s An, first name Ran—An Ran. Isn’t that right?”

As she said this, her gaze drifted from the tablet and locked directly onto An Ran. She propped up her chin with one hand and turned to face her.

An Ran met her eyes—and suddenly felt parched for no reason.

“Isn’t that right, Miss White Dress?” Chi Wan leaned in a little, her long hair brushing gently against An Ran’s hand.

Her skin tingled from the touch, and she instinctively pulled her hand back, uneasily asking,

“How did you know?”

Was it from the staff? Or…

“I saw it when I was helping you unpack,” Chi Wan murmured, leaning close enough for her breath to tickle An Ran’s ear.

Her neck and shoulders instinctively tensed into a perfect arc.

“What are you two whispering about?” Mo Wei cut in with a smirk, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Chi Wan casually held up a finger and waved it playfully, her smile full of mischief but clearly drawing a boundary:

“A little secret between the two of us.”

Mo Wei couldn’t help thinking of that idiotic idea her friend had come up with—to use Chi Wan as a stand-in.

Please. She wasn’t crazy enough to willingly get involved with an Alpha this spiky. Was she asking for misery?

“Can I hang out with you when we’re back at school?” Chi Wan added softly.

An Ran was still mentally stuck on the suitcase incident—back then, she’d accidentally dropped all her underwear on the floor, and Chi Wan had calmly picked each one up, dusted them off, and folded them neatly.

At the time, she’d been too emotionally exhausted to care. But now that she thought back… it felt weirdly intimate.

Her fingertips curled involuntarily. Then Chi Wan’s voice drifted into her ears again.

Chi Wan… wanted to hang out at school?

Was she serious?

An Ran looked up in mild shock, eyes meeting Chi Wan’s.

Chi Wan smiled again, lips slightly parted:

“You’re not saying anything, so I’ll take that as a yes.”

An Ran pressed her lips together, wanting to say something—but in the end, she stayed silent.

To be honest, she didn’t want to get any closer to Chi Wan. She had a sinking feeling that it would only end badly for her.

She didn’t like things spiraling out of control. Not one bit.

She decided then and there: she would pull away. Slowly but surely.

Her gaze lingered on Chi Wan’s perfectly sculpted hands. Such beautiful hands… pity I won’t be seeing them up close again.

Just thinking that gave her an odd twinge of regret—but she refused to dwell on it.

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“Chi Wan, it’s your turn! Come on, show us your phone!” Ruan Xiao tilted her head, the pink bow on her headband swaying playfully. Her tone was light, but she was tense inside.

She wanted to see what was in that phone. But at the same time… she was afraid of what she might find.

She glanced subtly at Lu Xin, Su Yao, Meng Lan, and even Director Chu Rou. Judging by their stiff expressions, they all felt the same way.

Surprisingly, Chi Wan didn’t hesitate at all. She casually unlocked her phone and held it out to the camera.

“Here. Have a look.”

The most recent photo was a selfie. A woman in a red dress swirled before the lens, her gaze smoldering and captivating. She exuded magnetic charm, like a phoenix reborn in flames.

This was actually taken right after Chi Wan had transmigrated. She’d wanted to see what the original owner looked like and, being particular about her selfies, ended up with this stunning shot.

Even though the real Chi Wan was sitting right there, Ruan Xiao still found herself short of breath. In that moment, she finally understood:

Why did Chi Wan have so many haters online, yet still so many diehard fans?

Because beauty that devastating… is a weapon.

Everyone who saw that selfie collectively forgot to breathe. When Chi Wan’s finger swiped the photo away, only then did people remember how to inhale—yet their minds still lingered on that image.

Their eyes slowly drifted back to the real Chi Wan, hungry for another dose of that soul-snatching charm.

Lu Xin was still staring, half dazed, when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something in the second photo—and her bl00d ran cold.

No way! That hair tie on the table—that was the breakup gift she’d given Chi Wan!

Oh crap.

That means the rest of those cheap trinkets were breakup gifts too. And they all looked… embarrassingly cheap.

“What’s this stuff? Random junk from an online sale?” Mo Wei sneered, eyeing the low-quality items with clear disdain.

The moment she said that, several sharp glares zeroed in on her. Confused, she looked up—and saw it was Lu Xin, Su Yao, and Ruan Xiao.

What are they glaring at me for? Did I say something wrong?

Even the camerawoman Meng Lan was giving her the death stare.

A sinking feeling crept in.

Wait… Don’t tell me those tacky little things are…

Sure enough, Chi Wan rested her chin on her hand and sighed:

“Sigh. These aren’t just online trinkets. They were once my most precious treasures. I wouldn’t trade them even for a bar of gold.”

Xia Meng’s eyes widened in realization.

“Ohhh, so they were gifts from your exes, huh?”

“Mm. Breakup gifts,” Chi Wan said softly, gaze growing distant as if lost in memory.

The other guests couldn’t help shooting her sympathetic looks.

Wasn’t her exes all supposed to be rich, beautiful socialites? And these were the best they could offer? For breakup gifts?! That’s just pitiful.

“Don’t feel bad, okay? Breakups happen. The next one will treat you better!” Xia Meng clenched her fists, trying to cheer her up.

Chi Wan nearly burst out laughing. This girl’s way too cute!

If she wasn’t so committed to playing the tragic ex persona, she might’ve cracked right then and there.