Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 11: So It Was A Gold Digger After All!

　　Because Chu Ling broke the pairing rule, the barbecue team ended up being just Lin Zirun and Qin Shuo, the only two guys left.

　　Qin Shuo’s expression didn’t look too good.

　　After all, the barbecue job was the hardest and most thankless. When everyone else could already start eating, the barbecue team would still be working hard serving food to everyone, and only after that could they finally eat themselves.

　　His fans, feeling bad for him, naturally went after Chu Ling online, convinced that her choice had landed Qin Shuo in this unlucky position.

　　Meanwhile, Chu Ling checked her backend earnings rolling in nonstop, and even the chore of washing vegetables suddenly felt pleasant.

　　“Chu Ling.”

　　Wen Shu called her softly.

　　“Mhm?” Chu Ling turned to look. “What’s up?”

　　Covering her mic and avoiding the camera, Wen Shu murmured, “Thank you.”

　　“Thank me?”

　　Chu Ling blinked, taking a moment to process. She finally realized Wen Shu must have thought she’d chosen to wash vegetables just to help her avoid being paired with Qin Shuo.

　　Shaking her head, Chu Ling said, “Don’t overthink it. I genuinely wanted to wash vegetables. It’s the easiest job, after all.”

　　Of course, making a little extra cash while playing the wicked supporting role was just an added bonus.

　　Seeing that Wen Shu still looked a bit guilty, Chu Ling couldn’t help laughing. She nudged her with an elbow. “Alright, seriously. If you still can’t get over it, then… hmm…”

　　She pointed at the bundle of enoki mushrooms they had just finished washing. “Give me two skewers later? I love these.”

　　That’s it?

　　That’s all it took to wipe away the damage of all the online hate Chu Ling would get for this?

　　Wen Shu was stunned, then genuinely impressed.

　　Chu Ling really was someone with a strong and unshakable heart.

　　Wen Shu blinked, a smile spreading across her face. “Perfect, I actually hate enoki mushrooms.”

　　—　　　

　　The other groups were basically just handling the prep work.

　　Jiang Yicheng and Gao Yan worked together to start the fire, and their teamwork was decent. In just a couple of tries, they got it going.

　　Lu Shixuan and Ye Weiyang teamed up to skewer the small chunks of beef and lamb prepared by the production crew. The skewers were a bit crooked, but at least they got the job done.

　　Only the barbecue group had the biggest impact on dinner.

　　Unfortunately, Qin Shuo had no idea how to grill.

　　When he found out Wen Shu couldn’t be in the same group as him, he hadn’t even bothered to think about his choice. By the time he looked around, he realized he’d been stuck with the heaviest workload — the barbecue.

　　And now…

　　Qin Shuo lowered his head, staring at the plate of charred black lumps he had just made. His expression darkened even more.

　　He was about to quietly dump them in the trash when Chu Ling walked over and caught him in the act. Pointing at the burnt mess, she asked in shock, “Teacher Qin, are you trying to poison us?”

　　“…”

　　Keeping his face stiff, Qin Shuo defended himself. “It’s just been a long time since I last barbecued outdoors. I’m a bit out of practice.”

　　The truth was, he had never grilled anything in his life, so of course he didn’t know how.

　　Chu Ling gave an exaggerated sigh, pretending to sympathize as she teased, “Teacher Qin, now I see why you were fighting me for the vegetable-washing job. Turns out you really can’t do anything else.”

　　Qin Shuo: “…”

　　Lu Shixuan, who was already unhappy with Chu Ling, couldn’t help jumping in to defend Qin Shuo. “You can’t blame him for this. If you’re so good, you should do it yourself.”　　

　　“I’m not good at it,” Chu Ling replied immediately. “That’s why I know better than to try. Whoever’s up for it should do it.”

　　And it definitely wasn’t going to be her.

　　Qin Shuo was so angry he could barely stand it, yet he couldn’t argue back.

　　On camera, he always kept a steady, respectable image. There was no way he would bicker with a junior more than ten years younger over something this trivial. All he could say was, “I’ll get it right after a few more tries.”　　　

　　So after that, Qin Shuo grilled another batch, and the success rate was still pitiful.

　　But this time, he finally managed to fish out one halfway decent skewer of enoki mushrooms from the pile of charred mess, and handed it to Wen Shu.

　　“Here, eat this,” he said. “This one’s not burnt.”

　　After wasting dozens of skewers, this was his one near-success, and he handed it to Wen Shu first. 

　　As he expected, she froze for a moment.

　　Qin Shuo felt a flicker in his chest, thinking that his way of loving was quiet and understated, and maybe Wen Shu was finally sensing it.

　　Then Wen Shu promptly turned around and handed the enoki mushroom skewer to Chu Ling.

　　Qin Shuo: “…”

　　Did she really hate him that much?

　　—

　　Luckily, even though Qin Shuo couldn't grill, Lin Zirun at least knew a bit.

　　After more than an hour of everyone waiting with growling stomachs, Lin Zirun finally finished grilling most of the skewers and placed them on plates to hand out to everyone.

　　They all ate barbecue, drank beer, and sat together in a circle.

　　Jiang Yicheng suggested, “Let’s play Truth or Dare. We have beer bottles here, so whoever the bottle points to has to answer a question from the rest of us.”

　　Truth or Dare was already a standard segment in dating shows.

　　The guests who signed up for the program were all smart enough to have a few stories prepared, so each one looked forward to this part and agreed without hesitation.

　　Jiang Yicheng, who often played these games, volunteered to spin the bottle first.

　　The first person it landed on was Lu Shixuan.

　　Lu Shixuan looked at the female guests sitting across from him, leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms in front of him, and asked, “Anyone want to ask me something?”

　　Chu Ling: “...”

　　She was dying to know if he had ever been punched for acting this pretentious all the time.

　　Logically, the one who should have asked was Ye Weiyang, since she had been interacting with him the most these past few days.

　　But Ye Weiyang did not seem to be in a hurry. She waited a moment, and when no one else spoke up, she smiled and said, “Then I will. I hope this won’t offend you.”

　　“I want to know the reason for your last breakup.”

　　That question was bold.

　　The livestream chat instantly lit up with excitement.　　

　　【Wow, didn’t expect the Female Guest No.3 to have such a straightforward personality.】

　　【True, asking about the reason for a breakup can really show if someone has flaws or is just not a good match.】

　　【The question is whether the Male Guest No.1 will answer honestly.】

　　Lu Shixuan frowned slightly, then relaxed, and said casually, “Come to think of it, I haven’t been in a serious relationship for a long time.”

　　Chu Ling quietly muttered to the system, “Meaning he had a bunch of casual flings in between.”

　　Lu Shixuan pretended to think back, then said, “The last one was probably still a campus romance.”

　　Ye Weiyang asked, “Graduation season breakup? Long-distance relationship?”

　　“Not exactly.”

　　Lu Shixuan smiled and said, “I think the main reason was that she disliked me for not having money.”

　　Everyone was shocked. “She disliked you for not having money?”

　　Lu Shixuan was a successful CEO now!

　　He actually had a time when someone looked down on him for being broke?

　　“It wasn’t that I was truly broke. It was just that I was studying abroad at the time, and my family, wanting me to develop independence, didn’t give me a big allowance every month. I also had to work part-time, so on the surface, my life looked pretty rough.”

　　“My girlfriend back then was fine with it at first. But later, she probably felt I couldn’t give her the life she wanted. She also didn’t think much of my startup plans and said my dreams were unrealistic. The conflicts piled up, and after a few arguments, we broke up.”

　　He lowered his head and let out a small laugh. “She probably never expected that when I returned to China, I would get my family’s support, actually start my company, and now it’s already gone public.”　

　　【Oh my god, so it turns out he ran into a gold digger… that’s rough.】

　　【Poor Male Guest No.1】

　　【This is like one of those “rich young master experiences the hardships of life only to get his heart broken by a bad woman” stories, hahaha.】

　　【Who would have thought the Male Guest No.1 not only came from a wealthy family but also actually started his own company and became a successful businessman? I wonder if his ex regrets it now.】

　　【Of course she regrets it. She might even try to get back together. Don’t you dare say yes!】

　　The production team even helpfully added big, flashy text on screen:【If I were young and accomplished, I wouldn’t feel insecure】.

　　It was basically setting Lu Shixuan up as the perfect face-slapping male ‘protagonist’ who had been abandoned by a materialistic gold digger, only to make a comeback and prove everyone wrong.

　　“It’s fine, man. It’s actually a good thing you two didn’t end up together.”

　　Jiang Yicheng quickly tried to comfort him. “If she only saw your money and not your abilities, it wouldn’t have lasted anyway. You’ll meet someone better.”

　　Lin Zirun chimed in, “Exactly. She looked down on you back then, so let her regret it now.”

　　“I think so too. It’s good you didn’t stay together.”

　　Chu Ling spoke up, a faint, cold smile on her lips. “It just means she had pretty good judgment, not staying with a guy who’d passive-aggressively call her a gold digger after breaking up.”

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