Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 48: He’s Your Type?

　　Chu Ling asked the system, “Who is this guy?”

　　The system scanned through the data and replied, “This character doesn’t appear in the original story.”

　　Makes sense.

　　Chu Ling had been on a roll, exposing two male guests’ secrets and getting them kicked off the show. By now, the plot had gotten pretty out of control.　　

　　The production team probably scrambled to find a replacement, and this guy was someone who shouldn’t have appeared at all in the original story.

　　So Chu Ling had no way of knowing his background.

　　She narrowed her eyes. Judging from his words, she couldn’t even figure out what script he had picked up from the production team or what persona he intended to play.

　　After thinking for a moment, she decided to stick with her usual style.

　　“Like me?”

　　Chu Ling gave a sarcastic laugh. “You’ve got quite the confidence, huh?”

　　Normally, after seeing her antics in the previous episodes, any sane guy wouldn’t want to get anywhere near her, even if they didn’t dislike her.

　　“Really? Why do you say that?”

　　Zhou Yu smiled. “I’ve been watching the show. Every time you speak, you make sense. I really admire that, and I respect your viewpoint.”

　　He looked at Chu Ling and grinned. “You don’t know me yet. Maybe we’re the same kind of people.”

　　Although his words sounded fine, Chu Ling couldn’t shake off the strange feeling his gaze gave her.

　　He looked cheerful on the outside, but at that moment, there was a hint of something almost… predatory in his eyes.

　　“Let’s eat first.”

　　Zhou Yu seemed to notice her slight discomfort and said, “I can introduce myself to you later.”

　　Chu Ling nodded and started flipping through the menu. “You agreed to treat me today, so don't blame me for eating too much, okay?”

　　“Of course,” Zhou Yu said with a smile. “Order as much as you want. If you can’t finish it, there’s always me.”

　　Zhou Yu picked a mid-range restaurant. The dishes were simple and decent, but Chu Ling felt a quiet satisfaction. At least she no longer had to pretend to enjoy fancy white-tablecloth meals for appearances like she did with the previous male guests.

　　She casually chose a few dishes, Zhou Yu added a couple more, and then handed the menu back to the waiter.

　　The waiter left the private room, leaving just the two of them and the camera crew.　　

　　“Let me introduce myself first,” Zhou Yu said, sitting up a bit straighter. “I’m Zhou Yu, twenty-one, still an undergrad, but I already have a clear plan for my career, so I’m not in a hurry. I wanted to take this time to join the show and maybe find a connection.”

　　Chu Ling raised an eyebrow.

　　The production team actually found someone this young.

　　He seemed to have learned from the previous guests. His background was simple, his introduction straightforward. There shouldn’t be any problems. Still, knowing the way the show picked participants, Chu Ling remained a little wary.

　　Her eyes flicked over him carefully, landing on the watch on his wrist.

　　“This one’s real,” Zhou Yu said, noticing her gaze. He held it up and asked, “Want to check it?”

　　“No need,” Chu Ling replied. “I’m not running a pawnshop.”

　　Last time she had been lucky. Jiang Yicheng had been too greedy, faking a limited edition watch, which made it easy to tell. For a normal luxury watch like this, she wouldn’t be able to tell either way.

　　Zhou Yu smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not like some people who rent everything. If I have it, it’s real. If I don’t, then I don’t.”

　　Chu Ling: …Well, that’s refreshingly straightforward.

　　【Wow, he’s really just saying it outright. The newbie has clearly seen the drama too, hahaha】

　　【Makes sense. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have gotten on the show. He’s probably relieved Jiang Yicheng left.】

　　【He seems pretty direct. Looks like a straight-shooter personality.】

　　“Since I’m being this honest, Jiejie, can you also be honest with me?”

　　Zhou Yu took the chance to ask her another question.

　　Chu Ling hummed in response. She had nothing to hide, after all.

　　“I want to ask you something,” Zhou Yu said. “Is there any male guest you’re… interested in right now?”

　　Chu Ling blinked.

　　He went on, “If not, then for the remaining twenty days, can I try to be the one who makes your heart skip a beat?”

　　【Oh wow, younger guys are the best! They go straight for it!】

　　【Wait, did the newbie just confess to Chu Ling!?】

　　【Someone actually likes Chu Ling? I don’t get it. Haven't they seen all the gossip from the past?】

　　【What's wrong? Because of this show, I dug up all the so-called negative information about her, and most of it was just written material, without even a shred of solid evidence. Why shouldn't I trust the Chu Ling I see on this show?】

　　【+1. I used to really dislike Chu Ling, but after these two episodes, I might actually switch sides. Trash talk all you want, but she gets things done!】

　　【Completely normal reaction.】

　　【Of course, anyone who sees Chu Ling roast those scumbags can’t help but give her a thumbs-up.】

　　【Come to think of it, hasn’t she already caught all the guys making mistakes…】

　　【Hold on, the newbie hasn’t! Can we start shipping Zhou-Chu CP yet!?】

　　Seeing Chu Ling frozen for a moment, Zhou Yu asked again, “So… you don’t like younger guys?”

　　Chu Ling replied, “…It’s not that.”

　　Age wasn’t the problem. It was just that Zhou Yu was being so direct.

　　So direct that she couldn’t help but wonder what his real intentions were.

　　The system even whistled in her head. “What a great guy, coming for you. So… want to give him a chance? You’re free anyway.”

　　Chu Ling rolled her eyes and scolded it. “If you’re not giving me information, then don’t stir the pot, okay?”

　　She knew her “everyone hates me” vibe well. Even if she did nothing, someone would always dislike her.

　　And now here comes a guy saying he likes her?

　　And he’s seen her show and claims he likes her.

　　It all sounded… a little too convenient.

　　Chu Ling propped her chin in her hand and decided to see what he would do next. She replied casually, “Then I guess that depends on your performance.”

　　—

　　After dinner, Chu Ling brought Zhou Yu back to the little villa and greeted each of the other guests.

　　The guys weren’t exactly thrilled. They had assumed that with Jiang Yicheng gone, the vacant male guest spot would work in their favor. They didn’t expect the production team to bring in a completely new guest out of nowhere.

　　“Hi everyone, I’m Zhou Yu. Nice to meet you all—”

　　He chuckled lightly before continuing, “—although you might not be that excited, I hope that from now on, we can all get along.”

　　Lin Ziyun raised an eyebrow. “Get along more?”

　　“Get along and be patient,” Zhou Yu said honestly. “I have a pretty bad temper, so if I say something that offends anyone, please don’t take it to heart.”

　　Chu Ling: …He’s already putting out a disclaimer.

　　It felt like he was layering armor, saying: I’ve already told you about myself, so you can’t judge me.

　　“No problem,” Lin Ziyun said meaningfully. “There’s more than one of us with a bad temper here.”

　　He had already been roasted enough by Chu Ling before.

　　Ye Weiyang laughed and smoothed things over, asking, “Zhou Yu, how’s your first date with Chu Ling? How do you feel?”

　　“Really good,” he replied. “Happy and satisfied.”

　　Zhou Yu glanced at Chu Ling and added, “Jiejie, I’ll keep trying my best.”　　

　　【Yes! Straight! Forward!】

　　【Declaring your claim in front of everyone!】

　　【Younger guys who go straight for it are the best!】

　　Sheng Yi had been watching Zhou Yu closely since he returned from the date with Chu Ling. “Trying for what?” he asked.

　　Zhou Yu looked at Chu Ling, his bubbly voice soft, teasing, and intimate. “Of course, I’m trying to be someone Jiejie can’t help but notice.”

　　That bubbly tone gave Chu Ling goosebumps.

　　She hadn’t seen anything wrong with him so far, but her instincts still whispered that something felt off. 

　　She flipped through the backend, wanting to see if Zhou Yu had shown any negative emotions.

　　There were none.

　　And recently, the person sending her the most negative vibes was…

　　Sheng Yi?

　　Chu Ling was a little surprised and looked more closely.

　　His negative emotions had been skyrocketing ever since she brought Zhou Yu back—no, ever since she went to meet Zhou Yu for the date. From that moment on, Sheng Yi’s negative energy seemed endless.

　　Chu Ling: ?

　　The people around her, after hearing Zhou Yu’s words, couldn’t help but cheer. “Whoa—”

　　It was clear his target was very obvious. He was coming straight for Chu Ling.

　　“Enough already.”

　　Sheng Yi interrupted the atmosphere, saying, “It’s getting late. Shouldn’t you go put your luggage away?”

　　Zhou Yu glanced at his suitcase. “You’re right.”

　　He looked at Chu Ling. “Then, Jiejie, good night for today.”

　　“I know I’m late arriving, but like I said, I’ll find a way to leave a special impression on you.”

　　He waved at her. “Bye, see you tomorrow.”

　　Chu Ling: “…Bye.”

　　Sheng Yi had been standing beside her the whole time. After Zhou Yu left, he casually lifted his chin and asked, “So, is this your type?”

　　Chu Ling: ?

　　Chu Ling thought to herself that her ideal type was easy to describe: one day, someone would come riding a rainbow cloud and make her bank account overflow.

　　“Hard to say.”

　　She answered simply, “I don’t really have a standard for ideal types.”

　　No standards made things even more complicated.

　　Sheng Yi thought. That meant anyone could possibly catch her interest.

　　“What’s wrong?”

　　Chu Ling noticed Sheng Yi’s negative emotions had spiked even higher and was startled. “You don’t seem in a good mood?”

　　Sheng Yi had been frustrated for a while.

　　He hadn’t expected the new guest to set his sights on Chu Ling, and yet, bound by the script the production team gave him, he couldn’t admit how he felt.

　　See you tomorrow?

　　Sheng Yi chuckled inwardly.

　　Who here wasn't going to see her tomorrow? Why didn't he tell the others too?

　　“…Nothing.”

　　He tried to suppress his mix of feelings, only rubbing his face irritably. “I’m just tired.”

　　Chu Ling: …

　　Even though he said that, his negative emotions didn’t stop. They kept surging.

　　She couldn’t blame his fatigue for this, right?

　　She asked the system, “There’s no bug in your program, right?”

　　System: “No.”

　　That was strange.

　　What could make Sheng Yi this upset?

　　Chu Ling even started to doubt her previous judgment.

　　Could it be that Sheng Yi wasn’t upset because of his sadness or anxiety, but because he actually disliked her?   

　　……

　　Chu Ling couldn’t figure it out, so she decided not to think about it at all.

　　The next morning, as soon as she got up and went downstairs, she heard Zhou Yu’s voice.

　　“Jiejie, do you want a Chinese breakfast or a Western one?”

　　He added, “It doesn’t matter, I prepared both. You can pick whichever you want, and I’ll finish the other one myself.”

　　Chu Ling: …

　　She was a little taken aback by his enthusiasm. “Thank you.”

　　Sheng Yi came downstairs at the same time and let out a cold laugh. “Being this attentive on your first day here?”

　　“You have to be if you want to win a girl’s heart,” Zhou Yu shot back. “Aren’t you the same?”

     

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