Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 10: Let Them All Come at Me!

　　Encouraged by Chu Ling, Wen Shu, for the first time in her life, voiced her dissatisfaction to Qin Shuo and bravely hit send on the message.

　　The last time she had been this brave was probably the day she signed the divorce papers.

　　Thinking about it now, her eyes couldn’t help but turn a little distant.

　　Qin Shuo was older than her, and whenever he spoke, his tone always carried an unquestionable authority.

　　She had a soft temperament, so over time she simply got used to following his lead.

　　Even when their arranged marriage came to an end and she was the one who chose to leave, she had never voiced any complaints to him.

　　She never expected that joining this show would somehow give her this strange burst of courage.

　　It turned out she could refuse to eat the food Qin Shuo cooked.

　　It turned out she could say she didn’t like the things he planned.

　　Wen Shu suddenly felt as if she could finally breathe freely.

　　Still, after sending the message, she was too nervous to check for any replies.

　　“You’re acting like you’re waiting for college entrance exam results.”

　　Chu Ling chuckled, reaching out a hand. “If you’re too scared to look, I’ll check for you.”

　　Wen Shu hesitated for a moment.

　　Normally, any received messages were something only the recipient could see.

　　Still, since Chu Ling had already given her advice, Wen Shu figured there was no harm in letting her know.

　　She handed her phone over to Chu Ling without the slightest hesitation.

　　Chu Ling took a glance.

　　Wen Shu had only received one anonymous “crush” message today:【Did you have fun today?】

　　Even with her eyes closed, she could guess it was from Qin Shuo.

　　Chu Ling read it aloud for her, and Wen Shu’s expression instantly wavered again.

　　“So… I just sent him that message saying I’m afraid of heights and didn’t like today’s activity. Was that a bit too much?”

　　Chu Ling: “?”

　　She decided to cut straight to the point. “Do you like Qin Shuo?”

　　Wen Shu was caught off guard and quickly shook her head, then realized this was a dating show and she couldn’t be that blunt.

　　Trying to cover it up, she added awkwardly, “I… I haven’t really thought about it yet.”

　　“If you don’t like him, then stop catering to his feelings,” Chu Ling said. “Ever heard that saying? Seeking someone’s approval is giving them power. He’s a Film Emperor, not an actual Emperor. Do you really want to crown him?”

　　Wen Shu stared, a little dazed.

　　Chu Ling was clearly taking advantage of the fact there were no cameras around to speak freely, saying whatever she wanted.

　　The worst part was… Wen Shu kind of thought she had a point.

　　After thinking it over, Wen Shu voiced another concern. “But… his fans—”

　　“I know. Not a big deal.” Chu Ling waved it off. “If his fans end up scolding you over this, just tell them it was all my idea, that I told you to do it. Let them come at me.”

　　In other words, dump the whole thing on her!

　　Let her take the heat!

　　System: “…”

　　Great. She’d just found another perfectly legitimate way to make money off trouble.

　　Wen Shu froze for a moment, then shook her head. “No, you helped me. I can’t repay kindness with betrayal.”

　　Chu Ling only laughed, giving her another light knock on the head. “Do you even know what kind of chaos it’d be if you really got scolded? You’re just an ordinary person—you wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

　　“As for me, I don’t care. I’m used to it. A few more curses won’t make a difference.”

　　System: “…More like a few hundred more.”

　　Chu Ling chuckled. “This is called making the most out of being scolded. Get it?”

　　Wen Shu stared at Chu Ling. Her eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.

　　She’d heard plenty of rumors about Chu Ling—how difficult she was to work with, how much dirt she had on her, how she’d been living under the label of “public enemy” for years while barely keeping her footing in the entertainment industry.

　　But meeting her in person, Wen Shu realized Chu Ling was nothing like the rumors.

　　She could even toss out a line like, “Let them come at me, I’m used to being cursed out,” as if it was nothing.

　　And then there was Qin Shuo.

　　When she and Qin Shuo first got married, he’d warned her never to let a single word leak to the outside world. His identity was special; if the paparazzi caught even a whiff of scandal, it could seriously damage his image and even stall his career.

　　Back then, she really had been afraid of causing trouble for him, so she’d kept everything under wraps for years.

　　Now, hearing what a near-stranger like Chu Ling could say so casually, Wen Shu suddenly felt a complicated mix of emotions.　　

　　—

　　On the other side, Qin Shuo paused for a moment when he saw the text.

　　It was the last thing he expected:【Thanks for the hot air balloon ride today, but I forgot to tell you I’m afraid of heights.】

　　He straightened up a bit, thought it over, and replied:【Sorry, I didn’t know. It won’t happen again.】

　　After sending it, he rubbed his forehead.

　　The truth was, he did know.

　　It was exactly because he knew that he’d taken Wen Shu on the hot air balloon in the first place.

　　Otherwise, how else would she rely on him out of fear?

　　But Wen Shu’s response had caught him off guard.

　　The Wen Shu from before would never have told him directly, no matter how dissatisfied she was.

　　A divorce, and suddenly she’d grown a backbone.

　　Interesting.

　　Qin Shuo let out a small chuckle, closed his phone, and found himself curious about what kind of Wen Shu he’d be seeing next. (T/N: Classic scumbag move! 😑)

　　—

　　A live-streamed dating show is all about giving the audience a real-time, all-angle look at the guests falling in love.

　　Compared to traditional dating shows, there’s barely any downtime for the cast.

　　Yesterday’s one-on-one dates had just wrapped up, and by the next afternoon, the production team had already lined up the next group date — outdoor camping.

　　The eight guests would spend a full day and night camping in the wild, with the unfamiliar environment stirring up tension and hopefully sparking new chemistry.

　　The weather was perfect today. The guests packed light and headed for the campsite.

　　The bus could only take them to the entrance, so everyone grabbed their luggage and started walking in on foot.

　　“So heavy.”

　　Chu Ling had barely walked a few steps with her backpack before she started complaining. “Is the campsite really this far? No shuttle bus or anything? We have to carry all this ourselves?”

　　【Here she goes again, Miss Princess acting spoiled.】

　　【Why isn’t anyone else complaining?】

　　【She’s just pretending to be helpless so the guys will help her. Classic green tea move!】

　　Lin Zirun was the first to react, reaching over to take Chu Ling’s bag. “I’ll carry it.”

　　Only then did the other male guests catch on and start asking the other women if they needed help.

　　The moment Chu Ling let go of the bag, her shoulders felt instantly lighter.

　　If she hadn’t spoken up, they would have just stood there watching the women carry their own bags. She could already tell some of the girls were struggling, and not one of the guys had noticed.

　　Chu Ling sneered inwardly. She’d figured it out now. None of them were really here to fall in love. They couldn’t even catch the smallest details, too busy building their own perfect image instead.

　　When they arrived at the campsite, they were greeted with one good news and one bad news.

　　The good news was that the production crew had already set up the tents for them, saving everyone a lot of trouble.

　　The bad news was that tonight’s dinner would be an outdoor barbecue, and they’d have to handle it themselves.

　　At least the ingredients were all prepared in advance.

　　In the open field of the campsite, four signs stood in different spots, each marked:

　　【Washing Vegetables】

　　【Skewering】

　　【Fire Starting】

　　【Grilling Meat】

　　“Oh, looks like we’ll have to work together if we want dinner tonight.”

　　“Not bad, I’ve done some outdoor cooking while traveling. But… this division of labor—”

　　Lin Zirun rubbed his hands together. “What should we do, draw lots?”

　　“No,” Ye Weiyang said. “I think picking for ourselves might be better.”

　　Some of these jobs clearly weren’t for everyone. Starting a fire, for example, was a disaster waiting to happen for anyone with no outdoor cooking experience.

　　Since there were four tasks and eight people, they’d have to pair up and work in twos.

　　Jiang Yicheng said generously, “Ladies first. You can pick, we’re fine with anything.”

　　The women glanced at each other.

　　Chu Ling could already tell they were about to start another endless round of polite refusals.

　　“Um… I’m not really good at the other stuff,” Wen Shu said hesitantly. “Maybe I could wash the vegetables?”

　　Yesterday, talking with Chu Ling gave her a bit more courage.

　　She thought about it. She had never been camping before and wasn’t familiar with the other tasks.

　　If fire starting or grilling went wrong, it would ruin the meal for everyone. Washing vegetables seemed like the safest bet.

　　That was exactly what Qin Shuo was thinking too.

　　Without a word, he gave the other men a subtle look, hinting for them not to compete with him for that spot.

　　No one wanted to go against the Film Emperor, so the guys instantly got the message.

　　“Perfect, I want to wash vegetables too.”

　　A voice that clearly did not read the room cut in.

　　Qin Shuo turned to Chu Ling, frowning instinctively, thinking she was about to fight Wen Shu for the spot. “She already picked it.”

　　“Exactly, and the job’s for two people anyway. Me and Wen Shu make the perfect pair, right?”

　　Chu Ling looked completely justified. “Besides, I checked. None of the other tasks suit me. I’ve never been camping, so I can’t start a fire. If I grilled meat, it’d probably end up half raw or turn into carcinogens. As for skewering—”

　　She held up her sparkly fingers. “I’ve got my nails done.”

　　Then she looked at Qin Shuo. “Or are you saying, Teacher Qin, that you want to fight me for such an easy job?”

　　She didn’t spell it out, but the look in her eyes screamed four words: No. Sense. Of. Responsibility.

　　Look at the other male guests!

　　So considerate!

　　And here he was, a dignified Film Emperor, actually fighting a woman for the easiest job in the whole camp. Could he really feel no shame?

　　Qin Shuo hesitated, then nodded. “Alright, ladies first.”

　　“Thanks, Teacher Qin.”

　　Chu Ling said, “Let’s go, Wen Shu. Time to wash some veggies.”

　　The show’s director: “…”

　　This part of the segment was indeed meant for a man and a woman to work together.

　　But since the dating show’s production team could not make their presence too obvious—otherwise the audience might suspect a scripted setup—they chose not to interfere directly.

　　Who would have thought Chu Ling would find a loophole.

　　The livestream comments were baffled.

　　【Is Chu Ling insane? Isn’t this segment basically meant for a guy and a girl to pair up?! You just don’t want Qin Shuo and Wen Shu together, huh? Scheming bitch!】

　　【Give me back my Qin-Wen couple!】

　　【What’s it to you if they just want to be close? Breaking up my ship won’t get you your own romance!!】

　　Who cares?

　　It was satisfying.

　　Villainess duties for the day: COMPLETE.

　　Picked the easiest job and even got paid for it.

　　Chu Ling smugly wagged her imaginary tail in triumph.

　　Meanwhile, walking right behind her, Wen Shu let out a small sigh of relief, though she also glanced at Chu Ling with a hint of worry.

　　Because Chu Ling had helped her, wouldn’t she be the one to get scolded by netizens again?

　　And what could Wen Shu possibly do to help her in return?

　　

　　

　　

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