Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 19: No Exes

　　Chu Ling was genuinely a little surprised this time.

　　She sized up the unfamiliar young man in front of her.

　　She had never seen him before, but he was fairly good-looking.

　　No doubt, this had to be the new male guest brought in by the production team to fill in.

　　But as a newcomer, shouldn’t he have been more low-key and waited for the first few male guests to make their choices before stepping in?

　　Who does he think he is, rushing in like this?

　　According to the production rules, female guests weren’t allowed to speak before removing their masks, so their identities wouldn’t be revealed.

　　Chu Ling hesitated for a moment, still suspicious of his intentions, and didn’t immediately extend her hand.

　　But then Qin Shuo walked over.

“I’d also like to invite this lady to dance. I wonder if you’d be kind enough to honor me?” he asked politely.

　　Chu Ling: Oh wow.

　　Now things just got interesting.

　　【Whoa, this is intense.】

　　【A love triangle clash right after he arrives, fight fight!】

　　【He actually dared to challenge Qin Shuo! Kid, you’ve got guts.】

　　【But the new guy, Male Guest No.5, made his choice first. If anyone’s fighting over it, it’s Qin Shuo going after him.】

　　【What I’m really curious about is how they even know who’s under the mask! You can’t tell anyone apart, so what if they pick wrong? That would be so awkward.】

　　【The newbie doesn’t know, but Qin Shuo probably guessed it’s Wen Shu and that’s why he’s insisting. It really is Qin Wen. He recognized her even with the mask. I’m losing it!!】

　　【Yeah, Wen Shu really does look like a little white rabbit. That mask fits her vibe perfectly. Maybe this is already their secret signal, oh my gosh, I’m obsessed!】

　　Chu Ling glanced to the side.

Wen Shu, wearing the black cat mask, was being invited to dance by Lin Zirun.

　　For Wen Shu, as long as she didn’t have to dance with Qin Shuo, anyone else was fine. She quickly agreed without hesitation.

　　Chu Ling felt relieved.

　　Then she reached out her hand, deliberately twirling in front of Qin Shuo before taking the hand of the newcomer.

　　Qin Shuo: “……”

　　Are you kidding me?

　　He hadn’t expected Wen Shu to reject him, and he definitely hadn’t expected her to make such a provocative, rebellious move right in front of him. He ground his back teeth in anger and almost reached out instinctively to take her back.　　

　　But the new young man was already blocking her.

　　“Sorry.” His face stayed cold, his voice firm. “She has chosen me.”

　　Wow.

　　Chu Ling whistled silently in her head.

　　Quite brave.

　　Coming in for the first time and daring to go up against Qin Shuo, what are you trying to pull?

　　Chu Ling couldn’t quite figure it out.

　　【So intense! The newbie actually dares to fight the Film Emperor for a girl!】

　　【But he’s not wrong. She already made her choice. Qin Shuo trying to snatch her back would be the real problem.】

　　【Omg, our Qin Wen… Wen Shu, how could you!】

　　【Let’s not even get into whether this is really Wen Shu, but why lock it down like that? Wen Shu didn’t really do anything to Qin Shuo before, can CP fans respect the girl’s choice first!】

　　Qin Shuo stayed silent for a moment, glanced at the camera, and finally gave in. He had no choice but to invite the last solo girl, Ye Weiyang, wearing the little bird mask.

　　The music started.

　　Everyone held their dance partners and moved into the center of the dance floor.

　　Chu Ling was the tallest among them, so to match the others’ heights, she wore flat shoes.

　　While walking, it didn’t make much difference, but once the dancing began, the height difference became obvious.

　　Gao Yan, wearing nearly ten-centimeter heels, stumbled several times while trying to follow the unfamiliar steps and accidentally stepped on her partner’s feet. She couldn’t apologize verbally, so she had to gesture her regret instead.

　　Ye Weiyang wasn’t familiar with ballroom dancing and messed up several steps. Wen Shu had learned before, but she was too nervous and kept glancing at Chu Ling, causing a few mistakes herself.

　　Among all the guests, only Chu Ling landed every step perfectly on the beat. Her wide skirt swirled like waves with every movement.

　　Under the dazzling crystal lights of the ballroom, even with her mask on, she stood out beautifully, drawing almost all the cameras’ attention.

　　【Who’s under that rabbit mask? They dance so well!】

　　【Is it Wen Shu or Ye Weiyang? Looks like they actually learned dance.】

　　Chu Ling’s long hair brushed past her partner’s wrist as she moved.

　　Through his mask, he caught a glimpse of her light-colored round eyes. Even if he couldn’t see clearly, she gave off a beauty that the mask couldn’t hide.　　

　　He hadn’t watched the show before coming, only heard from others that she was currently the most popular female guest.

　　Popularity really does come with a reason, he thought.　　

　　Chu Ling felt she had danced really well.

　　What surprised her a little was that this male guest across from her was also keeping up nicely. He didn’t look like he had learned ballroom dancing, but his sense of rhythm was spot on and he didn’t hold her back at all.

　　【I don’t even know who this pair is, but wow, the dance duo is stunning. Both are dancing so beautifully it’s a joy to watch.】

　　When the first song ended, the director’s voice came over: “Male guests, please remove your female partners’ masks and confirm who you danced with.”

　　The young man reached out and lifted Chu Ling’s mask.

　　When he saw her face, he visibly froze.

　　Chu Ling noticed his hesitation.

　　“What’s wrong?” she raised an eyebrow. “Not happy with what you see?”

　　Today, for the dance, she had put on striking, glamorous makeup. 　　She had even made several suggestions to the makeup artist to ensure the look came out perfectly, impossible for anyone to be displeased.

　　Unless—he wasn’t expecting to see her.　　

　　“……”

　　He froze for two or three seconds, then the corner of his mouth lifted in the hint of a smile before he finally said, “How could it be otherwise.”　　

　　“Miss Chu Ling, thank you for choosing me.”

　　Qin Shuo looked at Chu Ling’s face after her mask was removed and almost had his jaw drop.

　　【It’s Chu Ling?!】

　　【Just thinking about how those two almost came to blows over Chu Ling makes me laugh so hard! Hahaha!】

　　【Qin Shuo must be relieved now, thank goodness he didn’t get chosen!】

　　【Remember those who said Qin Shuo could recognize Wen Shu? Take this bitter pill and enjoy.】

　　【But Chu Ling dances so beautifully… didn’t even realize it was her. A true celebrity shows even in dancing.】

　　When the song ended, everyone returned to their tables to get ready for dinner.

　　“Let’s give a warm welcome to our newly joined guests!” Jiang Yicheng clapped first and said, “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

　　“My name is Sheng Yi, twenty-two years old,” he said. “From today on, I'm officially joining Heartbeat Lab.”

　　Gao Yan asked him, “Did you watch the show before coming?”

　　Sheng Yi nodded slightly. “A little. I could recognize everyone’s personalities.”

　　Gao Yan’s curiosity flared up. “Then I have to ask. Before you made your choice, did you have any guesses? Were you aiming for Chu Ling specifically, or did you think it was someone else?”

　　All eyes turned to Sheng Yi.

　　His smile was a little awkward.

　　How could he put it?

　　He couldn’t exactly say it was the choice arranged by the production team.

　　At that moment, the directors backstage were about ready to lose it.

　　Originally, the plan here was for an intense love triangle to create a dramatic highlight.

　　After Qin Shuo and Wen Shu’s pairing had gained some online popularity, the producers decided to bring in a new male guests to compete with the Film Emperor Qin Shuo for Wen Shu.

　　On one side, there was the older, mature, steady, and considerate Film Emperor.

　　On the other side is the younger, enthusiastic and proactive puppy.

　　Isn't this the explosive point?

　　Even Qin Shuo wasn’t told about this move. They only told him that Wen Shu would wear the rabbit mask, but they didn’t tell him the production team also informed the newcomer Sheng Yi, forcing him into the mix to deliberately create a rivalry.

　　This was also Sheng Yi’s scripted role. As long as he played the crisis instigator well, he would still get plenty of screen time.

　　But no one expected it.

　　Before entering, Wen Shu and Chu Ling actually swapped masks!

　　The carefully planned love triangle instantly fell apart, leaving the comment section filled with hahahaha.

　　“I wasn’t really aiming for anyone,”

　　Sheng Yi said casually. “I just thought the rabbit mask was cute, so I picked it.”

　　Even he didn’t understand why the result was different from what the production team had told him.

　　“Really?”

　　Chu Ling looked at him. “You don’t really seem like the kind of person who would go for a rabbit mask.”

　　Though he was in a tailcoat and well-dressed, she had noticed his bracelet during the dance. It was a silver, punk-style accessory.

　　“…”

　　Sheng Yi said stubbornly, “I just like a bit of contrast, okay?”

　　Of course, no one dared ask why Qin Shuo had made his choice.

　　Everyone knew he was going for Wen Shu, but he ended up picking wrong. Not only that, he never even ran into Wen Shu after going full circle. That kind of embarrassment? No one was going to roast the Film Emperor for it.

　　Lin Zirun asked him, “So, what do you do for a living?”

　　Sheng Yi raised his eyebrows and said, “Guess what it is?”

　　“You look pretty cool, man. Don’t tell me you’re a race car driver?”

Jiang Yicheng asked.

　　“Nope,” Sheng Yi said.

　　Gao Yan guessed, “A tattoo artist?”

　　“Nope,” Sheng Yi answered again.

　　“Not in a band, are you?”

　　Chu Ling asked casually.

　　Sheng Yi froze for a moment and looked at her. “How’d you figure that out?”

　　Chu Ling gave a half-smile. “It’s obvious.”

　　His dyed tips hadn’t been changed for the show.

　　Combined with his bracelet and the vibe that even a formal outfit couldn’t hide.

　　“You got it right.”

　　Sheng Yi introduced himself again. “I’m the lead singer and guitarist for the band Mayfly Party. Anyone heard of us?”

　　Everyone present: “…”

　　Yeah, no one had heard of them.

　　Chu Ling understood immediately.

　　So he was here just to ride the show’s popularity.

　　She deliberately said, “People like you need a dating show too? Isn’t it just dating if you want to?”

　　“Since you’re filling in, you should know how the last guest left, right?”

　　Chu Ling smiled again and asked, “Have you handled your past relationships properly? Don’t repeat the same mistakes as the last one. After all, you musicians have a reputation for being a total mess when it comes to breakups.”

　　【? He just got here, why is Chu Ling already being so rude?】

　　【But given how accurate she was last time, I’ll wait and see.】

　　【She’s not wrong, musicians have a high risk of messy relationships, don’t ask me how I know.】

　　【Ex-fan circles… as long as nothing crazy happens here, it’s fine. The production team just brought in someone risky, it might backfire later.】

　　Chu Ling wasn’t targeting him personally.

　　She treated everyone the same, and no one came in vain.

　　If you want to move on, trade your negative emotions for money.

　　After she finished speaking, she asked the system to check backstage, wanting to test Sheng Yi’s tolerance for sensitive topics.

　　“No issues.”

　　The system replied.

　　Chu Ling: “…No issues?”

　　Seriously?

　　She just said something so harsh, and not a single negative reaction?

　　“Don’t go judging everyone the same way.”

　　Sheng Yi looked at her and suddenly smiled. “If I’m a mess, isn’t the entertainment industry in the same earthquake zone? When it comes to potential risks, I think we’re even.”

　　He shrugged. “Also, don’t worry. I don’t need to deal with any exes. I simply don’t have any.”

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T/N: Hello everyone 👋 Apologies for missing last night’s update. I ended up in a food coma after dinner and slept straight through till morning 😂 When I checked, my translation page was still open but completely blank.

To make up for it, I’ll be posting both yesterday’s and today’s chapters together. Thank you for your patience, and sorry for the delay 🙏✨

　　

　　 

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