Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 13: Chu Ling, Please Don’t Target Me!

　　【Whoa, this question is bold and straight to the point. Will Chu Ling tell the truth?】

　　【Forget whether she’ll tell the truth, can she even count how many there are? Hilarious.】

　　【Don’t kid yourself, she’s not going to say a huge number. How else would she survive in the industry?】

　　【She’s got her reasons. Some are just people she’s slept with, so they don’t count. Some relationships were never publicly acknowledged, so how could they be called boyfriends? Hahahaha.】

　　The live chat was overflowing with malice.

　　People who disliked her acted like they had finally gotten the perfect chance to humiliate her, chewing over those rumors without holding back.

　　Even the system, which profited the more she was insulted, couldn’t help but feel a twinge of worry for her.

　　Chu Ling leaned back and narrowed her eyes.

　　Lu Shixuan’s question was pure poison.

　　No matter whether she answered or stayed silent, no matter what she said, it was guaranteed to shock the audience.

　　The production team, chasing hype without shame, was probably already drafting a controversial trending hashtag for her.

　　That oh-so-elegant face even added, “If it’s inconvenient to answer, that’s fine too. I understand.”

　　“I’m not that much of a sore loser.” Chu Ling raised an eyebrow. “But even if I say it, would you believe me?”

　　That one line immediately hooked the audience’s curiosity.

　　How many was she about to say?

　　A few? A dozen? Dozens?

　　Chu Ling paused, then said, “Not a single one.”

　　Almost everyone sat up straighter, their expressions more or less reading the same thing: No way.

　　Lu Shixuan clearly didn’t believe her and let out a short laugh. “Should we get a lie detector? Whoever lies has to drink.”

　　“What’s so impossible about it?” Chu Ling replied, turning her gaze toward the four men across from her. Her smile lifted, almost taunting. “Do you think anyone would actually dare date me?”

　　All four of them had suffered some kind of loss to her before. Thinking about it now, even with her looks, the idea of dating someone with her personality made them shudder. Her words suddenly felt a lot more believable.

　　Honestly, who in their right mind would want to date her?

　　Lin Zirun cautiously asked, “So those rumors—”

　　Chu Ling let out a small laugh. “If those rumors were true, then that unforgettable first love Teacher Qin just mentioned… would that be Lin Yue?”

　　Qin Shuo almost spat out his drink.

　　Lin Yue was a popular actress he had been paired with in CP gossip a couple of years back. Word was, they had a secret relationship at the time, and their fanbases had fought bitterly over it.

　　For Chu Ling to bring it up now was like tossing a lit match into a pile of dry leaves.

　　The production team: “..…”

　　They had never seen anyone this committed to stirring the pot, risking her own neck for a spike in views.

　　They almost wanted to wish her good luck.

　　If both fanbases decided to go to war, Chu Ling would be standing all alone.

　　For his own sake, Qin Shuo had no choice but to say stiffly, “Of course you can’t believe everything online. People will write anything.”

　　“Right?” Chu Ling said.

　　And really, why should she have to prove anything?

　　She added, “If you think I’m lying, then I welcome any of my ex-boyfriends to step forward and expose me… assuming you even exist.”

　　Otherwise, what right did they have to say she wasn’t telling the truth?

　　“Of course, I’ve also seen people swear up and down that I’ve dated some big shots for resources. Well, I’m curious—” Chu Ling blinked. “Where are those resources, exactly?”

　　She had never had good resources in her life.

　　What she had plenty of were roles and deals stolen from her because she refused to play by the unspoken rules.

　　Since her debut, she had never once played the female lead. She was always cast as a villainous supporting character, often accused of simply playing herself.

　　She honestly wouldn’t mind people calling her a resource-climber.

　　The thing is, you need to actually have resources first.

　　【Now that I think about it… Chu Ling’s resources really are tragic…】

　　【Wasn’t her lack of resources because every platform blacklisted her? And she’s still using this to play the victim?】

　　【But that doesn’t match her rumors. If she really had a sugar daddy, would she still be blacklisted? They’d have fixed it ages ago.】

　　【So this is basically her indirectly clearing her name, right?】

　　【First time I’ve seen a female celebrity actually answer this question herself. Whether it’s true or not, that attitude alone kind of makes me believe her.】

　　“Alright, my turn.”

　　Chu Ling spun the beer bottle, and all the male guests seemed to hold their breath, waiting to see where it would stop.

　　To everyone’s surprise, it landed back on Lu Shixuan.

　　His face stiffened, a chill running down his spine.

　　Ye Weiyang couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Now you can ask him how many girlfriends he’s had.”

　　Lu Shixuan: “..…”

　　What goes around comes around, no one escapes fate.

　　“You think I’m that petty?” Chu Ling shook her head, still looking straight at him. “I just want to ask—did you ask me that earlier because you dislike me?”

　　Lu Shixuan’s heart skipped, and he blurted out, “Of course not.”

　　Chu Ling reminded him, “This is the truth-or-dare round.”

　　Lu Shixuan quickly defended himself. “Really, it’s not that. I just… asked randomly. Isn’t this supposed to be a game? I even answered one just now.”

　　“Alright, so it’s not because of some personal grudge against me.”

　　Chu Ling curved her lips into a smile and went straight in. “That means asking a question like that just means you’re kind of a lousy person, huh?”

　　“After all, digging into a girl’s dating history on camera… isn’t that a bit too rude?”

　　【Damn, Chu Jie is so direct! I was just thinking that question was really impolite.】

　　【I was too busy eating popcorn earlier, but now that I think about it… asking a female celebrity that kind of question on purpose? You know it’s going to get her in trouble and make her a target. Don’t tell me there’s no personal grudge.】

　　【Even if it wasn’t Chu Ling, asking a girl on camera how many boyfriends she’s had is still disrespectful. How is it any of your business? That kind of question is just to stir up gossip. If a girl’s dated “too many” guys, you’re just setting her up for slut-shaming.】

　　Noticing the thoughtful glances from the other female guests, Lu Shixuan suddenly found himself at a loss for words, feeling even more stifled.

　　The show’s big moments kept coming one after another tonight, and the production team was pleased. Still, they worried that if the conversation went on any longer, someone might actually end up dead, so they called it a wrap.

　　After everyone helped clean up, they headed back to their tents.

　　Lying down, Chu Ling scrolled through the livestream comments.

　　Tonight’s truth-or-dare session had drawn plenty of attention and chatter. As expected, most of it was still people criticizing her. Some defended her, but those voices were quickly drowned out by the crowd.

　　“How strange,” she murmured.

　　Chu Ling let out a soft laugh. “Everyone’s lying, and I’m the only one telling the truth. But somehow, netizens believe what they said and think I’m the one lying.”

　　This even made the system pause in surprise. “…You really have never been in a relationship?”

　　It had assumed she was just pretending to brush off the question.

　　“Is that so strange?” Chu Ling shot back. “With how this world is set up, is there even anyone who could like me?”

　　She already knew that in this novel’s setting, her character was universally disliked. Everyone who had ever interacted with her since childhood would end up disliking her.

　　Sure, there were a few who were drawn in by her looks, but the moment they learned what she was really like, they would back away fast. (T/N: I feel you, girl 😭. Pretty privilege expires fast when personality tax kicks in.)

　　Well, nothing she could do about that.

　　Who would have the guts to try to “own” someone everyone else hates?

　　“How tragic.”

　　Chu Ling put on a fake sad face and said to the system, “Can’t I at least make money from the negative emotions I generate for myself?”

　　System: “…No.”

　　Also, you really don’t look sad at all.

　　Chu Ling figured she probably wouldn’t get any texts tonight, but the rules said she still had to send one to a male guest.

　　After thinking it over, she picked Lu Shixuan, purely out of mischief.

　　Meanwhile, Lu Shixuan had just finished writing and sending his own message when he opened the one he had received.

　　It was a single line:【You lied.】

　　Late at night, the words sent a chill down his spine.

　　It was anonymous, so he had no idea who sent it.

　　His first thought was Chu Ling. But their conflict was already out in the open. Would she really waste her “crush” message on him just to send something like this?

　　That meant it could have been one of the other female guests—maybe even Ye Weiyang, the one he liked—using the text to show her displeasure.

　　Lu Shixuan spent the whole night on edge.

　　Chu Ling, on the other hand, had a perfectly peaceful sleep.

　　The next morning, once all the female guests had freshened up, they were called in front of the tents for the next segment.

　　【Blind Date Selection】

　　【The male guests will each give a date location, and the female guests will choose one of the locations.】

　　On the table were four cards with different date locations, but none of them showed which man had suggested which place.

　　Gao Yan glanced over and asked, “So, we won’t know which guy is behind which location, right?”

　　Production team: “Right.”

　　Oh, so basically a mystery pick.

　　Chu Ling raised an eyebrow.

　　She didn’t really care. In fact, instead of hoping to get the man she wanted, she figured the guys were probably the ones praying to every deity they could think of, begging that she wouldn’t pick them. (T/N: LMAO 😂)

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