Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 21: Guess Who Didn’t Get Invited

　　That night before bed, the production team handed out a new task to every guest.

　　【There are still many romantic spots waiting to be discovered on this cruise. Invite the person you want to see and explore together.】

　　Chu Ling wasn’t the least bit interested in this task and decided she’d just brush it off tomorrow.

　　She didn’t expect that before dawn the next morning, someone would knock on her door.

　　Chu Ling had initially buried her head in her pillow, but when the knocking went on for a long time, she finally got up and opened the door. “Who's there?”

　　Standing outside was Lin Zirun, fully dressed and smiling. “Good morning, Chu Ling. Interested in watching the sunrise over the sea together?”

　　Chu Ling, still half-asleep and dazed: “?”

　　Are you out of your mind?

　　She thought she’d already roasted Lin Zirun enough last time to make him give up.

　　But after witnessing Lu Shixuan’s downfall and withdrawal, Lin Zirun thought it over and decided he had to hold on to Chu Ling.

　　On one hand, he needed to maintain his persona as the devoted man who never wavered. On the other, he couldn’t let Chu Ling’s earlier “scumbag detector” label stick to him.

　　He had to work hard to fix the impression she had of him, otherwise netizens might buy into her judgment and brand him a scumbag too.

　　“During that time I quit my job and went traveling, I saw the sunrise so many times—on mountains, plains, and in cities—but I never got the chance to see it over the sea.”

　　“I’ve always wanted to witness it with my own eyes, to watch the first ray of sunlight pierce through the darkness and scatter across the glittering waves. It must be incredibly romantic.”

　　Lin Zirun spoke with deep affection. “Do you know that movie, Before Sunrise? I think that’s exactly how it would feel for us to watch the sunrise together—perfectly fitting.”

　　Chu Ling glanced at the time on her wristband, her eyelids drooping. “You’ll only make me angry if you call me now. It’s 04:30 in the morning.”

　　She yawned and added, “Do you need me to remind you the cameras aren’t even rolling at this hour?”

　　Lin Zirun: “...”

　　Crap, he’d forgotten about that.

　　He quickly brainstormed, then said, “It’s fine, we can ask the cameraman to come along. I’m sure he wouldn’t want to miss the beauty of a sunrise at sea—”

　　“Then are you going to give him a raise?”

　　Chu Ling asked.

　　Lin Zirun choked on his words.

　　Chu Ling let out a cold little laugh.

　　So eager to polish his image, yet he wanted to squeeze the staff dry. Who would get up at this hour just to film him?

　　“If you want to act crazy or be romantic, go do it yourself. Don’t drag others into it.”

　　She started to close the door, but Lin Zirun quickly blocked it.

　　“Wait.”

　　He said, “Then if possible, would you at least be willing to watch the sunset with me—”

　　“What a shame.”

　　Chu Ling’s face was blank. “You only get one chance. You just used yours up.”

　　With that, she ignored his expression and shut the door firmly, heading back to bed for more sleep.

　　When she finally woke up again, it was already past eight.

　　The production team had been calling to hurry her up, and after hanging up three times, she reluctantly got out of bed. She did a quick wash-up, put herself together, and went to the cruise ship’s buffet restaurant for breakfast. While eating, she started thinking about which unlucky soul she should drag along for the task.

　　Wen Shu came over with her own breakfast tray and sat down beside her.

　　“Good morning.”

　　She asked carefully, “For today’s task, have you decided who you want to invite?”

　　It was a rare task that required the girls to take initiative. But she had no one she particularly wanted to approach, which gave her a headache.

　　“Mhm.”

　　Chu Ling took a sip of milk and said, “Still thinking.”

　　She wasn’t interested in going on a date with any of the male guests.

　　If she really had to pick, she’d just choose the one with the best cost-to-roast ratio.

　　Wen Shu: “I also—”

　　Before she could finish, Qin Shuo came over with his breakfast tray and sat down across from them.

　　Wen Shu instantly stiffened.

　　The livestream comments, however, went wild.

　　【Ahhh my Qin-Wen CP is happening!!!】

　　【I’d bet everything I own that Qin Shuo is going to invite Wen Shu! I believe in this ship!!】

　　Wen Shu lowered her head and kept quiet, instinctively leaning a little closer to Chu Ling.

　　“Wen Shu.”

　　Sure enough, after just a couple of bites, Qin Shuo spoke. “You know on the cruise deck, there’s a viewing platform with an amazing view. From up there you can look down at the entire ship and out at the wide open sea.”

　　He looked at her, her head practically buried in her plate to avoid him, and chuckled. “Would you be interested in going there with me?”

　　With Wen Shu’s personality, there was no way she would dare refuse. Qin Shuo was certain of it.

　　As expected, Wen Shu clutched the handle of her coffee cup, hesitating nervously.

　　“Too bad.”

　　Chu Ling suddenly looked up at Qin Shuo. “I noticed that spot yesterday, so I already invited Wen Shu to go with me.”

　　Qin Shuo: “?”

　　Wen Shu was stunned for a moment and didn't react. She was about to ask when that happened, but Chu Ling continued first. “Anyway, there’s no rule saying you can’t invite your best friend, right?”

　　The director in the back: “...”

　　Who wrote these rules? Who?!

How did Chu Ling manage to find another loophole again!

　　The CP fans in the comments exploded in anger.

　　【I give up, why does Chu Ling always ruin our Qin-Wen moments?】

　　【Is she really that jealous? Is she really that envious? The Film Emperor falling for a pretty newbie has got to be driving her crazy!】

　　【She’s actually insane. Wen Shu, stop hanging out with her, she’s clearly doing this on purpose!!】

　　“Oh, right.”

　　Wen Shu quickly followed up. “I already made plans with Chu Ling.”

　　“Think carefully again.”

　　Qin Shuo spoke calmly. “Who do you really want to go with?”

　　Wen Shu's hand holding the chopsticks was slightly stiff.

　　“You’ve got to be kidding me, Teacher Qin.”

　　Chu Ling showed a displeased look. “Invitations should go by first come, first served, right? It’s bad enough you’re trying to steal someone I already invited, but now you’re telling Wen Shu to ditch me? That’s not okay, is it?”

　　“...”

　　After all this time, Qin Shuo had grown wary of Chu Ling’s constant roasts. He fell silent for a moment, then said, “Alright, then are you free this afternoon? I saw there’s a deck surfing experience. It looks pretty fun—”

　　“But I don’t think she really wants to go with you.”

　　Another voice cut in.

　　Sheng Yi sat down beside Qin Shuo and across from Chu Ling with his breakfast tray. He chuckled. “Teacher Qin, are you really going to keep embarrassing yourself by pushing?”

　　Qin Shuo: “...”

　　A wave of crisis hit him, and he shot back, “If she doesn’t want to go with me, you think she wants to go with you?”

　　“Maybe.”

　　Sheng Yi picked up a piece of bread, glanced at Wen Shu, and politely asked, “Miss Wen Shu, if you’re free later, would you be interested in coming to the small theater on the second floor of the cruise?”

　　He paused, then added, “If you think it might be awkward going alone, feel free to bring your friend along.”

　　【Wow, this is intense!】

　　【See? I knew it! The new male guest is here for Wen Shu! The love triangle is here!】

　　【Older man versus younger man. Who will Wen Shu choose? Don’t let me down!!】

　　Half-trying to escape from Qin Shuo, Wen Shu blinked and nodded. “Alright, if I’m free this afternoon, I’ll go.”

　　Qin Shuo: “?”

　　He couldn’t believe it. His brows furrowed tightly. “You can agree to him, but not to me?”

　　His tone was a little sharp, and Wen Shu flinched instinctively.

　　Years of being intimidated by him had left an aftershock. Even after the divorce, she still had a bit of PTSD.

　　“Because some people never reflect on their own problems.”

　　Chu Ling finished her last bite of breakfast, looked at Qin Shuo, and said, “With control issues that bad, what are you, her dad?”

　　Sheng Yi casually chimed in, “Even if you were her dad, you wouldn’t get to control her that much.”

　　Already self-conscious about the age gap, Qin Shuo nearly spat blood from being roasted by both of them at once.

　　Chu Ling felt refreshed. She glanced at Sheng Yi, only to meet his gaze as he looked up.

　　He raised his brows. “See you later?”

　　Strange.

　　He had clearly invited Wen Shu, yet his tone made it sound like he was certain Chu Ling would show up too.

　　Chu Ling didn’t reply or nod. She simply left with Wen Shu, both carrying their breakfast trays.

　　After the two of them walked off, Qin Shuo turned to Sheng Yi, his voice cold. “You like Wen Shu? It’s only your first day here.”

　　He had lived with Wen Shu for so long before.

　　There was no way he would let someone steal her away from him.

　　“Exactly, it’s only the first day, so no need to be so hostile toward me.”

　　Sheng Yi didn’t answer his question directly. Instead, he said, “Teacher Qin, I know getting rejected put you in a bad mood, but think about it. She agreed to Chu Ling, and she agreed to me. Guess who she didn’t agree to? Now do you see whose problem it really is?”

　　Qin Shuo: “???”　

　　—　　　

　　Deck Viewing Platform

　　The view here really was the best on the whole ship, and it wasn’t too high, so Wen Shu’s fear of heights didn’t kick in.

　　Chu Ling looked out at the sea, the ocean breeze on her face, feeling completely at ease.

　　She glanced at Wen Shu beside her, who seemed distracted and lost in thought. Knowing she was still hung up on what just happened, Chu Ling chuckled. “Still thinking about it?”

　　“If you don’t want to do something, you can just say no. Do I really need to teach you that?”

　　Wen Shu’s problem was that she was too nice.

　　So nice that there were no boundaries, which was exactly why Qin Shuo had been able to push her around so easily.

　　But Wen Shu had her reasons for hesitating.

　　On one hand, it was because of the cameras. She was terrified of being scolded online. With how many fans Qin Shuo had, she’d get attacked whether she agreed or rejected him.

　　On the other hand…

　　Wen Shu hesitated, then seemed to force herself to speak softly, almost painfully. “I know this isn’t good. But maybe it’s because… my last relationship wasn’t a very good experience. I don’t think I’ve ever really moved on from it, so I never learned how to refuse people. It’s hard for me to say no.”

　　Back when she was married, Qin Shuo’s word was law.

　　Even her own family sided with him, believing she had married up and should do whatever he said to keep the marriage.

　　So she endured it, year after year, accepting a pile of things she never truly wanted.

　　She thought that once she divorced him, she’d finally be free.

　　But Qin Shuo’s shadow lingered, clinging to her everywhere she turned.

　　She wanted to move on, but his presence haunted her.

　　That fear of saying no had followed her into the present.

　　And now Wen Shu was baring that scar she had never wanted to expose.

　　Chu Ling froze for a moment, then listened as Wen Shu gave a bitter little laugh. “Of course, it also has to do with my personality. If it were you, I’m sure you’d be much more decisive than me.

　　But the CP fans watching the stream felt completely betrayed.

　　【So this is why she can’t make up her mind?】

　　【Why didn’t she say this before? Now that there’s a new male guest, suddenly she’s hesitating. Isn’t she just trying to string both sides along and play the victim by blaming her past relationship?】

　　【As a Qin-Wen fan, this hurts. Qin Shuo has treated you so well, can’t you not waste his sincerity?】

　　【Unbelievable. What a waste of Qin Shuo’s feelings.】

　　【If you don’t like him, just say it outright. What’s with this act, pretending to be some fragile green tea girl?】

　　Hearing these comments fed through the system, Chu Ling instantly felt annoyed.

　　Why scold Wen Shu?

　　Come on, scold her!

　　She’s the one who broke up the Qin-Wen CP, and she’s the one interfering with the romance between the leads. Of course, all the fire should be aimed at her.

　　“I get how you feel,” Chu Ling spoke up, drawing the attention to herself. “But with someone like Qin Shuo, if you want to reject him, just reject him. There’s nothing worth agonizing over.”

　　Wen Shu: “?”

　　Chu Ling continued, “He’s way too controlling. This isn’t the first or second time he’s disrespected you. Just now, you two didn’t even confirm any relationship yet he was already trying to order you around, like you were his property. Imagine if you really got together. Would you still have your own life and your own opinions?”

　　Then, with a rather reckless streak, she added, “Honestly, judging from the way he treats you, I don’t think he’s a good match at all.”

　　After getting that off her chest, Chu Ling felt refreshed. She said to the system, “Show me the comments.”

　　【…Congrats to Qin Shuo for making it onto Chu Ling’s scumbag candidate list.】

　　【Uh oh, don’t tell me the Film Emperor is gonna be the next one to flop?】

　　Chu Ling: “?”

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