The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 23

“Mm…”

An Ran let out a faint murmur as her eyes fluttered open. The overhead light blurred her vision, making her head spin. She instinctively turned her head away and raised a hand to shield her eyes.

When sight is blocked, the other senses inevitably sharpen.

For instance, she could distinctly sense the presence of someone sitting at her bedside—and feel the faint, lingering coolness beneath her body.

The instant she became aware that someone was there, she did feel a flicker of alarm. But as always, she pushed the emotion deep down, regulating her breathing to a calm, steady rhythm before lowering her hand and looking straight ahead.

The figure sitting with knees bent at the edge of the bed—who else could it be but Chi Wan?

Only, something about her state was… off. A flush bloomed across her cheeks, a delicate pink spreading faintly down her neck and into her skin, and her breathing was subtly uneven.

The sight made An Ran’s own breath catch, and for a moment she forgot to even question the source of that coolness beneath her.

“Chi Wan, you…” Her voice was soft, trembling just slightly, as though afraid to disturb something fragile.

“Oh—you’re awake?” Chi Wan, however, still flinched at the sound, head jerking up. When she saw that An Ran was awake, the heavy stone weighing down her heart finally dropped.

And dropped completely—after all, Chi Wan had spent the past while enduring an unbearable inner heat, all while entertaining some… questionable thoughts. For example, she had almost talked herself into changing An Ran’s clothes from the inside out, just so she could take the panties away along with her.

But the more she thought about it, the more she felt it wasn’t a good idea. If An Ran woke up, she wouldn’t be able to explain it—at least, not convincingly.

Now that An Ran was conscious, those little schemes and petty temptations could be laid to rest.

“Since you’re awake, I should get going. Good thing I brought two suppressants—any fewer really wouldn’t have been enough. I was thinking, if your symptoms didn’t subside, I’d have to borrow another one. Looks like that won’t be necessary after all.”

Chi Wan smiled lightly, ready to stand and leave. But suddenly remembering something, she reached into her inner pocket under An Ran’s dazed gaze and placed a small sandal-shaped pendant on the pale bed sheet. The overhead light caught its crystal surface, scattering dazzling glimmers across the room.

“This is yours—returning it to its rightful owner.” She nudged the pendant toward An Ran, her tone casual yet probing. “Picked it up by accident. I don’t know when you dropped it, but be careful next time. Don’t lose it again.”

An Ran’s gaze seemed frozen as it slowly shifted to the pendant within arm’s reach. After a pause, she spoke softly, “I remember it was still there when we went to the lake…”

The truth was, ever since Chi Wan had taken it out in the living room, An Ran had suspected she had deliberately taken it. She couldn’t understand why Chi Wan always did these ambiguous, heart-tugging things—what her true purpose was.

But hearing her say this now… she couldn’t be sure anymore whether Chi Wan’s actions had been intentional or not.

Her tangled thoughts were a mystery to Chi Wan, but her words were exactly what Chi Wan had hoped for.

Having guessed where the bra might be, Chi Wan decided to take her leave. There were still over ten minutes before the livestream resumed—enough time for her to make a quick trip to the lake and back.

No time to lose—hesitation only led to trouble. Chi Wan stood abruptly. “I’m heading off. Rest a bit, and don’t forget the recording later.”

With that, she strode toward the door. She didn’t see that, as she left, An Ran had instinctively reached out toward her back—only for her arm to falter halfway, then slowly lower again.

“Chi Wan… what exactly do you take me for…” The faint, hidden murmur dissolved into the air.

Chi Wan left An Ran’s room, her steps still unsteady from the residual heat in her body. But once she steeled her resolve—today, she was getting that bra back—her limbs suddenly felt strong again.

She jogged out of the villa, unaware that An Ran was following close behind.

It wasn’t for nothing—An Ran felt an inexplicable unease. The flush on Chi Wan’s face wasn’t normal, and her hurried manner only deepened the concern.

Silently, An Ran tailed her all the way out. At this hour, the rest of the guests were still gathered around Mingyu in the villa, listening to her share stories from her travels, so no one noticed the two of them slipping away.

An Ran followed Chi Wan to the lake, watching as she returned to the very spot where they had first met. She paced back and forth, as if searching for something—or perhaps lost in thought.

An Ran kept her distance, holding her breath so quietly that even the faint sound of exhalation was suppressed.

Before long, she saw Chi Wan pull out her phone, sit on the large boulder they had shared before, and switch on the flashlight.

By now, night had fully settled in. The distance was swallowed in deep shadow; alone, Chi Wan sat with the cold stone for company, her only companion a dim beam of light.

“I remember it was right here…”

The night breeze carried her faint murmur to An Ran’s ears.

“At the time, An Ran’s foot was glowing so beautifully in the sunlight…”

“I’d never seen anything so beautiful…”

Each word was borne by the wind, drifting into An Ran’s heart bit by bit. In that moment, she felt like a wandering ghost—yearning for the light just ahead, yet too afraid to step closer, lingering instead in the shadows, stealing glances at the warmth within reach.

Chi Wan, for her part, had no idea she had become a view framed in the eyes of a would-be villainess.

She was speaking to the system, in fact—complaining that she’d come all the way here and still couldn’t find the bra. System, what if it got washed away? It’s tiny, it’s thin, it’s got padding—it’s super light, okay?

The system was so annoyed it didn’t even want to answer: 【Do you think I’m that unreliable?】

Yes. When have you ever been reliable? Chi Wan picked at her ear and spoke the truth.

The system was speechless with rage.

Still, Chi Wan’s deduction from the system’s reaction was correct—the bra was definitely still around here. Maybe it hadn’t fallen at the lake at all, but somewhere on the way to the changing room?

No sooner thought than done—Chi Wan stood again. The night air cooled her flushed face considerably, confirming her suspicion: it was only a false heat cycle. And with that, she also realized—this era’s medicine wasn’t advanced enough to even have suppressants for false heats. Terrible rating!

As a modern medical PhD, she had just discovered a whole new research direction for herself in this world. The light returned to her eyes.

Still… the bra came first. Oh, the cruelty of reality.

Retracing her memory of the route, she moved forward—and sure enough, spotted a small, familiar-looking lump by the roadside. Ha! Found you at last!

A smile broke across her lips. But in An Ran’s eyes, it looked like Chi Wan was simply retracing the path they had once walked together, smiling to herself at happy memories.

The problem was—this path wasn’t just theirs. Lu Xin and Su Yao had walked it too.

An Ran couldn’t help but wonder—was Chi Wan’s smile for her… or for Lu Xin and Su Yao?

That thought sent her heart plummeting, like it had fallen into a deep abyss. Only now did she realize—though that boulder was where she and Chi Wan had first met, Lu Xin and Su Yao had also been there.

Persistent as ghosts—so maddening. The thought stirred a dark edge inside her; even the pure, delicate façade of a “white flower” took on a faint hint of menace under the cover of night.

With the little scrap of fabric finally in hand, Chi Wan felt a wave of relief. Without lingering, she turned back toward the villa.

The moment she stepped into the bright indoor lights, the blush on her face was immediately noticed by the others.

Lu Xin’s heart clenched, and she blurted, “Chi Wan! The two suppressants I lent you—did you use them?”

Just then, An Ran stepped in from outside, cold air clinging to her like frost, and heard every word loud and clear.