The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 21

An Ran let out a sharp, shallow breath—barely audible—and kept her head bowed. All eyes, along with the cameras, were fixed on the verbal sparring between Chi Wan and Mo Wei, so naturally, no one was paying much attention to her.

Her fingertips curled into the hem of her dress, trying desperately to suppress the rising tide of physical need.

She could not go into heat in a situation like this—it would be far too humiliating. In her previous life, she’d almost never experienced this kind of impulse, and now, in her current state of poverty, she hadn’t even prepared any suppressants. All she could do was pray she could get through this wave.

Mo Wei, provoked by Chi Wan’s earlier words, let out a cold laugh.

“Since you claim it’s your most treasured possession, and that you cherish it so much, why don’t you tell us where it came from?”

Chi Wan’s smile remained bright, but there was a faint bite to her gaze.

“And why should I? This segment is meant to satisfy the viewers’ curiosity—not Miss Mo’s.”

“You—” Mo Wei’s lips curled into a smirk. “Sounds to me like you’re guilty of something. Afraid you’re just making a fuss to hide it?”

“Oh? So according to Miss Mo, anyone who refuses to answer must be guilty? Then I suppose you’re able to answer any and every question without ever feeling guilty, hm?” Chi Wan propped her chin on one hand, looking casual, but her tone pressed forward with deliberate force.

“That’s right. I’ve always acted with a clear conscience—why would I feel guilty?” Mo Wei leaned forward slightly, smiling, and gave a malicious kick under the table. If Chi Wan hadn’t reacted quickly, her leg would’ve taken the hit.

Chi Wan was really starting to find Mo Wei insufferable—the urge to put her in her place was growing stronger by the second.

[Ding! Main Mission: “Slap Mo Wei in the Face.” Reward: +1% Progress Toward Returning to Original World.]

Sensing her mood, the system issued a mission right on cue. But Chi Wan didn’t accept it immediately.

[Host! Why aren’t you accepting the mission? Don’t tell me you’re too happy to think straight?]

You’re the one who’s too happy to think straight! Chi Wan thought. She might dislike Mo Wei, but she wasn’t stupid—without any dirt on her, there was nothing she could do.

[I can give you dirt on Mo Wei. And while we’re at it, we could even get back at a few of your exes. Well? Do you want it or not?]

Now that was a gift she’d be a fool to refuse. “Of course I want it—out with it, quick!”

With a crisp ding, the deleted chat logs Mo Wei had erased earlier popped into Chi Wan’s mind.

After reading them—ugh.

She almost gagged. Mo Wei was looking for a stand-in, and one of her friends had even suggested going after the original Chi Wan.

Disgusting.

Her mind worked quickly. System, can you restore these chat logs?

[Yes, but you’ll need to complete an urgent mission first.]

An urgent mission? Chi Wan deflated instantly. She still had one “get physically close to the villain” urgent mission hanging over her head—adding another might actually kill her.

Still, if one plan didn’t work, she had others. She looked at Mo Wei long enough to make her uneasy but didn’t speak. Mo Wei grew impatient.

“Chi Wan, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing. Director Chu—” Chi Wan turned toward Chu Rou. “I just feel like this ‘satisfy the viewers’ curiosity’ segment isn’t fair to me. Everyone else gets one question, but I get two. So, could I ask one of my own?”

“And who do you want to ask?” Chu Rou didn’t immediately agree. In fact, her first instinct was to guard against trouble—and her mind instantly went to Mingyu.

But Chi Wan tilted her chin toward Mo Wei, brows lifting. “Naturally, Miss Mo.”

“That’s fine. Mo Wei, do you agree?” Chu Rou relaxed instantly—she didn’t like Mo Wei either, and besides, Mo Wei was one of the obstacles in her pursuit of Mingyu.

Chi Wan had expected Chu Rou to side with her, and sure enough, she did.

“I suppose I can’t say no—otherwise, by your logic, I’d be guilty of something, right?” Mo Wei smiled faintly, her makeup lending her expression a mocking edge.

“Oh, it’s not my logic—it was yours first, remember?” Chi Wan wagged a finger at her, as if pitying her poor memory.

“Fine. Ask away.” Mo Wei shrugged as if it didn’t matter.

“I hope you’ll still feel that way in a minute.” Chi Wan leaned in, murmured something low and fast in Mo Wei’s ear, then stepped back as if nothing had happened.

Mo Wei’s smile didn’t change, but her heart gave a sudden jolt.

Lu Xin and the others, catching the look in Chi Wan’s eyes, knew she had something up her sleeve. They settled in to watch the show.

Then Chi Wan’s voice rang out:

“It’s simple. I just want to ask Miss Mo—what’s your opinion on people who, after failing to get the one they want, go looking for a stand-in instead?”

Fail to get… stand-in…

The whole room went silent.

Even the livestream chat froze for several seconds before a trembling line of text appeared:

“Wait, what? Chi Wan was someone’s stand-in?”

“No way! But if you think about that recent text on her phone—‘I know I’m not the one in her heart’—it’s kind of chilling.”

“Don’t tell me all her rich exes treated her like a stand-in!”

“Don’t fall for it! This is just gold-digger Chi Wan trying to distract everyone!”

“Okay, but… if Chi Wan was the stand-in, then who was the real one?”

Chu Rou stared at the scrolling comments, numb. If she’d known Chi Wan was going to ask that kind of question, she would’ve shut her down in a heartbeat.

Now she could only hope Mo Wei would be quick-witted enough to defuse it.

But the usually sharp-tongued Mo Wei froze, her eyes locked on Chi Wan’s lips as she silently mouthed: I saw your deleted chat logs.

She what? When? How?

Was it during those few seconds right after she’d deleted them?

Mo Wei’s rare slip in composure made the tension in the room even stranger. Xia Meng glanced between Chi Wan’s flawless smile and Mo Wei’s stiff face, utterly baffled.

“What’s wrong, Miss Mo? Cat got your tongue?” Chi Wan leaned in a little. “Is it that you don’t know how to answer… or that you’re feeling guilty? If it’s the latter, could it be that you also—”

“Shut up!” Mo Wei exploded, cutting her off. Her breathing was sharp and uneven, her eyes flashing with anger and… fear.

“My, how fierce you are.” Chi Wan feigned a flinch, her posture still elegant and charming—enough to make the viewers burst into laughter.

“Chi Wan is hilarious! And honestly, Mo Wei’s behavior is so unrefined for an Omega.”

“Yeah, shouting ‘shut up’ like that—so rude.”

“Is she really Mo Corporation’s heiress? Because she’s giving the whole company a bad look right now.”

“I’m sensing a dip in Mo Corp’s stock prices.”

Mo Wei, realizing she’d lost her composure, tried to steady herself. But Chi Wan’s question had hit a sore spot too precisely—there was no way to regain her calm and answer cleverly now.

Her silence was, to everyone present and watching, as good as an admission of guilt.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you’ve completed ‘Slap Mo Wei in the Face.’ Reward issued!]

The system was about to vanish when Chi Wan stopped it. Hold up—whose pendant is this, and where did An Ran’s bra go?

[You don’t remember?]

No! Who does it belong to? Chi Wan was still puzzling over it when the system dropped one word:

[Homewrecker.]

Wait! How am I a homewrecker? Explain!

[Hmph. Since the two items were swapped, the pendant’s location is the same as the bra’s location. Figure it out yourself.]

Chi Wan racked her brain, but the answer wouldn’t come. The pendant looked familiar, but the memory was fogged over.

Right—An Ran was a top student with an excellent memory. She could just ask her.

It was now break time; most of the guests had either gone for a walk or retreated to their rooms.

An Ran seemed to have gone upstairs?

Chi Wan headed that way, but at the turn of the second-floor hallway, someone grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the shadows.

“Don’t move. I just need a word.” Mo Wei’s voice was sharp and venomous. “You embarrassed me today, Chi Wan.”

“Is that so?” Chi Wan shook off her grip, lifting her eyelids just enough to give her a sidelong glance.

“Of course. And how should I repay you? I hear you’re from the countryside, with only a sick mother at home. What if I send some people to… pay her a visit?”

Her voice was like a snake’s hiss—cold and malicious.

“If you dare, don’t blame me for making those chat logs public.” Chi Wan might not be the original, but she’d inherited her ties, and she would protect the original’s mother.

“So you do have a backup? How?” Mo Wei’s hand shot out again, this time aiming for Chi Wan’s throat.

But Chi Wan was an Alpha—one block and Mo Wei’s wrist twisted painfully in her grip. “Not only do I have a backup, I have many. I can make them public anytime I want. Try me.”

Try me and you’ll die, Mo Wei thought involuntarily. If those chats leaked online, she wouldn’t be ruined completely, but she’d suffer a very public humiliation—and Mingyu would be out of reach forever.

Unlike a so-called gold-digger, she was an heiress—she had a reputation to maintain.

She took a step back. “Fine. I’ll leave you and your sick mother alone—for now. But this isn’t over. As for those chats, I’ve never had the slightest interest in you.”

With a derisive laugh, she turned to go—then suddenly stopped and glanced back, malice in her eyes.

“Oh, and that pendant? I know exactly what it is—it’s just a trinket from An Ran’s sandal. And you treasure it? Pathetic.”

She strode off, her footsteps loud and smug.

Chi Wan froze. Wait—what? The pendant belongs to little Miss White Flower?

And if the pendant’s location was the same as the bra’s location… Oh my god.

[Idiot host! An Ran’s pendant fell off long ago. I was talking about where it fell.]

Oh. Well, I’ll just ask her directly, then.

Chi Wan turned toward An Ran’s room.

Knock, knock, knock.

No answer.

“An Ran? Open up!” Chi Wan almost broke into a nursery rhyme.

After a while, she heard something fall inside—followed by a soft, muffled sound.

“An Ran? What’s wrong?”

Sensing something off, Chi Wan was about to kick the door open when it cracked open a sliver. A rush of scent spilled out immediately.

One whiff, and Chi Wan’s head went light. What is this? It smells so good… and it’s hitting me like a drug.

[That’s an Omega in heat releasing pheromones. You’re an Alpha—it’s in your genes to respond.]

In heat? An Ran’s in heat?

[Exactly.]

“Chi Wan… help me. Find me a suppressant… I can’t take it anymore.”

From behind the door, An Ran’s voice was low and hoarse, tinged with the faintest sob—weak, helpless, and achingly enticing.