The Stand-In Alpha Goes Viral on a Dating Show - Chapter 7
After speaking, Chi Wan gently took hold of An Ran’s ankle and dipped her delicate, jade-like foot into the water. The emerald-green lake shimmered like a natural filter, casting her foot in a glow that made it resemble a piece of cool, translucent jade.
An Ran, noticing how nonchalant Chi Wan seemed toward the approaching group, couldn’t help but feel a flicker of confusion in her gaze.
She recognized those women—they were all Chi Wan’s ex-girlfriends. In her past life, hadn’t Chi Wan been head over heels for them? So why was she so calm now?
Was she playing hard to get?
It wasn’t just An Ran who had such thoughts. Even Lu Xin and Su Yao felt the same.
Normally, if any of them were nearby, Chi Wan would somehow instantly know, as if she had a GPS tracker in her head. But today, she didn’t even glance their way, staying completely focused on the girl in the white dress by her side. Could this be a new tactic—to provoke jealousy?
If so, then Chi Wan was truly laughable.
Meanwhile, the viewers in the livestream had also noticed the commotion by the shore, and the comments started flying:
“Who are they? Even from afar, they look pretty stunning.”
“Wait… are those Chi Wan’s exes?”
“Now I’m curious—Chi Wan’s dated so many girls, who was her favorite?”
That last comment seemed to freeze the whole screen for a moment. Even Lu Xin and Su Yao, who had just entered the livestream, paused slightly in surprise.
Yeah… they were all Chi Wan’s ex-girlfriends. They’d all once mistaken Chi Wan as a stand-in for their idealized “white moonlight” or “bright jade.” But none of them had ever wondered: among all of them, who had Chi Wan liked the most?
“Heh, netizens are getting really nosy these days.” Lu Xin let out a scornful chuckle, though her slowed pace and the way her ears perked up betrayed her true interest.
Su Yao noticed and couldn’t help but mock her inwardly: This tsundere… pretending not to care when she clearly does.
They’d secretly compared notes before—things Chi Wan had done while dating each of them: cooking, cleaning, running errands in the rain… More or less the same across the board.
So… who did Chi Wan actually like best?
As the thought flashed through Su Yao’s mind, she instantly scolded herself. Why am I letting a random netizen’s comment mess with my head?
Just as she was about to shake off these pointless thoughts, Chi Wan spoke up.
“Oh? You want to know who I liked the most?”
The moment she said that, it was as if even the wind stilled. Lu Xin and Su Yao both subconsciously stopped walking.
“My favorite?” Chi Wan tilted her head. “She’d be the one who stays by my side, supports me unconditionally, tolerates all my flaws. She’d a warm smile, bright eyes, and a supple, flexible body.”
She ended with a cheeky wink at the camera.
The viewers exploded:
“Wait—was that last bit… about that? She’s so bold—I love it!”
“Mic her up! Tell us more about that last part!”
“So the one she likes most is the one who stayed with her. Meaning none of the exes were her favorite?”
“Big brain! So it’s basically ‘bye-bye, next one’s better!’”
“LMAO! No ‘favorite,’ only ‘more favorite!’”
As the chat went wild, Lu Xin and Su Yao were both inwardly fuming.
No matter what they thought, they had to admit: Chi Wan’s description? Barely fit either of them.
Lu Xin irritably flipped her short hair behind her ear, clicked her tongue, and strode over toward Chi Wan. Su Yao, stunned for a moment, quickly followed.
“Chi Wan!”
Lu Xin’s voice rang out impatiently.
“You’re soaked—don’t you have a change of clothes?” she said, glaring at Chi Wan for ignoring her and tending only to the delicate, flower-like girl beside her. A strange surge of frustration welled up, and she knelt abruptly, grabbing Chi Wan’s arm.
Her grip was too strong—Chi Wan’s wrist instantly reddened.
An Ran’s gaze darkened as she looked through the shadow of her brimmed hat at that pale, slender hand now marred by red marks.
God knows how much I want to break Lu Xin’s arm right now.
Despite the sweltering heat, Lu Xin suddenly felt as though a predator were watching her. Her heart skipped. As a seasoned extreme sports enthusiast, her instincts were sharp.
She followed the stare—but all she saw was a white-clad girl sitting quietly at the lake’s edge, head lowered in thought.
“Oh, it’s you. Still as wild as ever—you hurt my hand.”
Chi Wan’s voice rang out, playfully pouty. She yanked her hand back with a flick, as if shaking off something dirty.
Lu Xin bristled but quickly turned to check Chi Wan’s phone screen. Thankfully, the barrage of comments was just speculation—they hadn’t picked up on anything suspicious.
Of course they wouldn’t. Everyone thought Chi Wan was groveling to get her exes back. There was no way she’d dare act like this otherwise.
Still, just the thought of “groveling” made Lu Xin uneasy. And combined with the earlier question—“Who’s her favorite ex?”—she suddenly had an awful realization: maybe she didn’t mean that much to Chi Wan after all.
Just then, Su Yao stepped forward—not roughly grabbing Chi Wan, but politely offering her hand.
“Come on, Chi Wan. Let me help you out. The shoot’s about to start, and it’s not great to still be in a swimsuit, right?”
Lu Xin thought Chi Wan would ignore her. But instead, Chi Wan’s lips curled, and she placed her cool fingertips into Su Yao’s palm. Her voice was flirtatious, like a siren’s song:
“Sure. How could I say no to President Su’s gracious invitation?”
Su Yao froze, instinctively closing her fingers around Chi Wan’s.
And just like that, Chi Wan let herself be led out of the water—black swimsuit clinging to her damp, toned figure, long legs on display, her silhouette all curves and elegance. Her jet-black hair draped behind her, with a single tendril falling over her brow. Her smile hovered between coy and unreadable, her eyes sparkling like rippling water, enough to steal someone’s very soul.
With the sun blazing behind her, Chi Wan looked like a goddess of love and desire straight out of Greek mythology.
Su Yao’s heart raced uncontrollably. Her palm felt strangely hot. Her gaze was glued to Chi Wan—no, that wasn’t right. Think of Mingyu. Focus on Mingyu!
But the more she struggled to look away, the more flustered she became.
“President Su, I trust your judgment. So… how are you planning to arrange things for me?”
Chi Wan leaned close and whispered into her ear with a chuckle.
“Y-You just come with me,” Su Yao stammered. She winced at her own awkwardness, especially under Lu Xin’s knowing smirk. Damn it. How embarrassing!
“President Su, do you mind if I bring someone along?”
Just as Su Yao was about to flee the scene, Chi Wan suddenly tugged at her sleeve, gently pulling it back and forth.
Su Yao froze. She shut her eyes, forcing herself to ignore how much sway Chi Wan had over her.
“Who do you want to bring?”
“That young lady in white. She only ended up in the water because of me. I can’t just leave her behind, can I?”
Chi Wan let go of Su Yao’s sleeve without hesitation, walked a few steps back, and soon returned holding An Ran’s hand.
An Ran followed half a step behind, observing her carefully. Thanks to Chi Wan’s quick catch, her clothes weren’t even that wet. But she was far too curious to see how this drama would play out to walk away.
So when Chi Wan leaned down, offering her hand and softly saying, “Come with me, miss,” she simply went along with it.
Su Yao pressed her lips together and cast a glance at An Ran. After a brief hesitation, she reluctantly agreed.
Lu Xin, having been ignored this whole time, finally snapped as Chi Wan turned to leave.
“Chi Wan! Have you forgotten about me?”
At the word “forgotten,” a twinge of bitterness and indignation rose in her chest.
Chi Wan nearly laughed. These two exes sure are something. I haven’t even done anything, and they’re already jealous? They didn’t even like the original me… must be their pride and possessiveness flaring up.
Su Yao walked at the front, silently berating herself. I can’t let Chi Wan keep leading me around like this. Especially with Mingyu appearing in this season. If she found out Su Yao was still tangled up with Chi Wan, how could she ever win her heart?
That thought turned her gaze colder.
Before heading into the changing room, she pulled Chi Wan aside and gestured for Lu Xin to follow.
Once they found a quiet spot, Su Yao, looking a little annoyed, undid the first button of her blazer and said bluntly, “Chi Wan, we ended things a long time ago. I would appreciate it if you stayed away from me from now on.”
Lu Xin blinked, then remembered their previous agreement and quickly echoed, “That’s right. I came on this show to find true love. We may have had a thing before, but if we can’t be lovers, let’s not be enemies. So here’s the deal: you keep your distance. If you’re smart, we’ll all get along fine. But if you’re not… don’t blame us for forcing you out.”
Smart? Forcing me out?
Chi Wan kept a straight face, but inside she was nearly laughing.
These two really have some nerve.
【Ding! Main Quest Activated: Within one hour, deliver a light-hearted yet humiliating blow to these two exes. Make sure they feel embarrassment, emotional turmoil, and shame. Complete the mission successfully to receive a reward!】