Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 46: A Scammer Has the Nerve to Talk?

　　The live chat exploded even more.

　　【Whose is that?】

　　【Don't tell me it's his parents' or something, hahahaha】

　　【No, the last names are completely different, even the region doesn't match.】

　　【[Link], I saw someone posted a pic on Weibo, solid proof! Go check it out!】

　　【…Checked it, seems like the car really isn’t his, nothing matches!】

　　【Breaking news! Someone traced the license plate, it belongs to a rental company!!!】

　　【? Rented? No way!?】

　　【All the info matches, this car was most likely rented.】

　　【It matches! Didn’t Chu Ling warn Gao Yan to check his car before?】

　　【That’s why he didn’t know where the seat adjustment buttons were? Thought he just didn’t drive it often. Turns out it’s rented?】

　　【So that thing he said about having too many cars and forgetting which is which…?】

　　【Never thought I’d see a fake rich second generation on a dating show.】

　　【Why bother! His face alone is enough for a dating show without faking being rich.】

　　【Why bother? Obviously for profit. A rich second-generation image is more popular, hype a CP, become a web influencer, and boom, you’re famous.】

　　【Right, what about his watch? Chu Ling said it’s fake. Has anyone checked it?】

　　Meanwhile, Jiang Yicheng had no idea the live chat was already going crazy.

　　He stared at the message Chu Ling sent him, his hand trembling slightly.

　　No way it could be fake.

　　When he rented it, the seller swore it was authentic.

　　Jiang Yicheng took off the watch, looked at it in the light from every angle, but he still couldn’t see anything wrong.

　　Maybe Chu Ling was trying to trick him.

　　He reassured himself.

　　This was a limited edition. Chu Ling might never have seen a real one.

　　He had painstakingly built this rich second-generation persona, thinking that once he became famous, all the money would come back. Spending some upfront costs wasn’t a big deal. He had spent a fortune renting this watch. How could he just accept her saying it was fake?

　　The room camera wasn’t on.

　　The viewers only saw the information the production team released separately.

　　He took a deep breath, patted his face, and tried to calm his nerves.

　　He still had one chance to reply and had to make it count. He couldn’t let the audience notice his panic.

　　He thought for a moment and typed:【Are you joking again? Maybe you didn’t see clearly before. Next time, I’ll show you properly.】

　　Just as Jiang Yicheng sent the message, there was a knock at the door.

　　He went to open it and saw a staff member from the production team standing there. He froze for a second and asked, “What’s going on?”

　　It was already really late.

　　Were they going to announce some special task?

　　“Don’t you know?”

　　The staff member sounded a bit annoyed. Even at this hour, they still had to handle emergency PR. “Explain clearly. What’s really going on with your car and your watch? Was there a problem with the info you submitted?”

　　Jiang Yicheng’s face immediately changed. “You saw the message Chu Ling sent? No, how could you believe what she says? She’s crazy, she says everything—”

　　“Not that,” the staff member interrupted. “People online have already dug up your information. If you don’t want to quit the show, you’d better explain properly.”

　　—

　　Third floor, Gao Yan’s room.

　　What Chu Ling said to her today was harsh, but it did make her more alert.

　　After her initial anger, Gao Yan quickly calmed down.

　　She wasn’t a huge celebrity, but as a model she had built up some connections. Getting someone to check up on a regular guy was fairly easy.

　　Soon, she received the feedback.

　　Looking at the information in her hands, Gao Yan’s face turned even paler than when Chu Ling had confronted her.

　　It was all fake!

　　Jiang Yicheng was not a rich second-generation at all!

　　His family had a little money, but at most they were middle class. His watch, his car, even the education he claimed on the show, all had been exaggerated!

　　Even the horse he took her to see at the stables, the one he claimed to own, was completely fake.

　　The black cards she had seen and the high-end restaurants they could enter freely were mostly places Jiang Yicheng had arranged in advance, with a little fake setup.

　　The only real thing was that Jiang Yicheng really did own that bar.

　　But it was his only property, and its profits were tiny, almost at the point of barely surviving.

　　Gao Yan remembered that Jiang Yicheng had also taken her to his bar, made drinks for her, drank with her, and introduced her to several fine liquors, making her think he was knowledgeable and sophisticated.

　　In the end, it was all just a way to promote his bar.

　　Of course, everyone on a dating show had their own motives.

　　But she had never expected that Jiang Yicheng’s entire persona was completely fabricated.

　　He actually had the audacity to lie to her!

　　Gao Yan was furious.

　　She had initially thought Jiang Yicheng was decent. He had money, he looked good, his personality was one of the better ones among the male guests, and pairing with him could boost her exposure.

　　If something had developed between them in the future, she could have used his money and connections to advance further in the entertainment industry.

　　But it turned out it was all fake!

　　Not only could he offer her no real resources, she had also invested in him and failed. Among all the male guests, she had picked a fraud!

　　And the production team, their screening process was so careless that a fake like him could slip through.

　　As expected, this world was nothing more than a giant amateur show.

　　Since Jiang Yicheng was heartless, she couldn’t be blamed for being ruthless.

　　Gao Yan let out a cold laugh.

　　She had a sweet girl’s face, but her personality was nothing like it. She was straightforward and decisive in everything she did.

　　Continuing to hype this CP would only harm both sides. It was better to pull the few CP fans over to her, make the audience sympathize with her, and boost her popularity.

　　After deciding, Gao Yan didn’t hesitate. She posted all the information she had online and stuffed in every possible tag.

　　Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

　　Jiang Yicheng, you better prepare yourself.

　　—

　　As expected, the whole thing blew up that night.

　　Every viewer of Heartbeat Lab suddenly turned into Sherlock Holmes. Following one clue, they could dig up a whole chain of evidence.

　　There was no doubt that Jiang Yicheng’s car and watch were fake.

　　That watch, if it were real, would be a limited edition, with only a few in the world. Who would have thought Jiang Yicheng would choose such an obvious target to fake? No wonder people quickly called him out.

　　The car was rented, and the rental company’s info was easy to verify.

　　Someone even leaked key info claiming that the horse Jiang Yicheng said he kept at the ranch was also fake.

　　Fans who had been deceived for so long were thrilled to see this rich second-generation facade crumble. They dug deep into every lead.

　　Jiang Yicheng also had his own Weibo account, which had been part of maintaining his persona.

　　Now, following that account, people found that many of the photos were stolen.

　　【LOL, how many more surprises are you hiding from us?】

　　【Didn’t anyone suspect before?】

　　【No, who would have? The show even invites celebrities. Having a rich second-generation guy seems totally normal.】

　　【Curious, how did Chu Ling figure out his watch was fake?】

　　【She’s a female star, probably seen a lot of things. Maybe she really had seen the real watch before.】

　　【This isn’t the first time this dating show has had someone exposed, right? I remember the last scumbag already got exposed?】

　　【Exactly, and that was also first discovered by Chu Ling.】

　　【Chu Ling, the master at spotting scum, her persona is untouchable.】

　　【LOL, Chu Ling's death list has been added.】

　　【So, is this another one of Chu Ling’s accomplishments?】

　　【This prophet is terrifying. Any guy she calls out ends up exposed.】

　　【Share this Chu Ling, and anyone you dislike will automatically get exposed.】

　　【Now I’m suspicious of Qin Shuo and Lin Zirun. Anyone going to dig up info on them?】

　　……

　　There was just too much info dug up.

　　Even if Jiang Yicheng tried to clarify, he couldn’t keep up with how fast the netizens were uncovering everything.

　　Besides, sometimes he got so into acting that he even believed his own lies and couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t.

　　Late at night, the production team called Jiang Yicheng in to discuss an emergency PR plan.

　　“I don’t want to leave the show.”

　　Seeing that he couldn’t lie his way out, Jiang Yicheng had no choice but to come clean to the director. “Yes, I faked some information, but you can’t say I completely deceived anyone. My family does have some money, and my identity as the bar’s manager on the show is real.”

　　“As for the fake stuff, I just wanted to pick a few things that look better for the show. What’s wrong with that?”

　　He tried to argue, “Besides, many celebrities wear fake items. Mine is nothing unusual.”

　　The director could only sigh.

　　After seeing Qin-Wen start strong and then fizzle out, they had planned to push this CP. Their early progress had been solid.

　　Who would have thought it would collapse over something like this?

　　He thought for a moment and decided to bring Gao Yan in and explain the situation to her as well.

　　After all, whether Jiang Yicheng stayed on the show depended a lot on Gao Yan’s attitude. They had tied the CP together so tightly in the early stages. If Gao Yan was willing to continue, maybe they could spin it into another wave of “I love you not for your status, but because of you.”

　　“I don’t want to leave the show.”

　　Jiang Yicheng stated firmly, “And I hope you can support me.”

　　Gao Yan felt puzzled. “...Why should I?”

　　“Our CP was very popular before. If I leave now, it won’t benefit you either. We’re a community of shared interests.”

　　“If you abandon me, wouldn’t that prove you only like me for my money?”

　　Jiang Yicheng said confidently, “Then it would prove you’re a gold digger, which doesn’t look good for your persona either.”

　　Was he threatening her?

　　Gao Yan instantly felt angry.

　　She had a sweet, cute face, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have a temper.

　　Just as she was about to slam the table, Chu Ling’s voice came from the doorway.

　　“A scammer still has the nerve to talk?”

　　She let out a small laugh. “Your only way out now is to think about how to apologize properly, not to try some moral blackmail here.”

　　“Being a gold digger is still better than scamming, don’t you think?”

    

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