Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 49: The King’s Game

　　Chasing after girls?

　　Sheng Yi thought about it. He really had never taken the initiative to pursue anyone before.

　　So in truth, he didn’t even know what kind of effort or tricks it would take to make someone he liked fall for him.

　　In this regard, he was a pure, clumsy novice, completely unable to compare to Zhou Yu, who was practiced and skilled, as if he was already a step ahead.

　　But then again, maybe not.

　　Zhou Yu’s aggressive approach wasn’t necessarily something everyone liked. Coming on too strong could make people feel pressured.

　　As Sheng Yi walked downstairs, he caught Chu Ling’s response.

　　“Then I’ll have the Chinese breakfast. Thanks for the trouble.”

　　Sheng Yi: “…”　　

　　So it really did work?

　　Chu Ling sat at the dining table and asked Zhou Yu, “You prepared all this? You must have gotten up really early.”　　

　　“Not really, just an hour earlier than usual.”

　　Zhou Yu sat across from her, smiling. “For Jiejie, nothing is too much trouble.”

　　【Wow, he’s smooth!!】

　　【This straightforward style… if it were me, I wouldn’t be able to hold out either!】

　　【Team Zhou-Chu! The newcomer is coming in strong!】

　　Listening to that, Sheng Yi only felt goosebumps crawl over his arms.

　　Too greasy.

　　Turning away from Chu Ling, he walked into the kitchen to make his own breakfast, his mood tense. He wanted to glance at her, but he was afraid she would notice if he was too obvious.

　　Would Chu Ling actually like this kind of thing?

　　No way.

　　Based on what he knew of her, she would probably clap back with a sharp retort instead—

　　“—Wow.”

　　Chu Ling propped her chin on her hand, glanced at him, and let out a small laugh. “So thoughtful already, and you just got here?”

　　Inside Sheng Yi’s chest, it felt like a bubble of anticipation had popped, so abruptly it nearly made him spill the coffee beans he was holding.

　　Unbelievable.

　　How could Chu Ling fall for this kind of act?

　　That guy was clearly suspicious!

　　Who behaves this attentive when they’ve only just met? He had to be up to something.

　　Chu Ling smiled at Zhou Yu, though the smile never reached her eyes, and spoke privately to the system. “Breakfast tastes fine, but this guy is clearly here with an agenda.”

　　The system sounded a little exasperated. “What if he genuinely likes you?”

　　“You really think that’s possible?”

　　Chu Ling gave a dry laugh. “He met me yesterday—or rather, declared he liked me even before meeting me. Who would believe he has no ulterior motive?”

　　“Most likely, it’s a new storyline arranged by the production team.”

　　Her mind quickly pieced things together. “After all, Qin-Wen is already out of the running, and their fans aren’t supporting them anymore. Yi-Yan has withdrawn, and the Lu-Ye pairings have completely fallen apart.”

　　This dating show had long been nicknamed by netizens as a ‘Collapse Laboratory.’

　　To rescue the show, of course the production team would chase the most attention-grabbing plot.

　　And right now, Chu Ling was the centerpiece of that attention. Every episode, her blunt remarks trended easily, whether people were cursing or praising her—it still brought in views.

　　So if the production team wanted to push a new guest into her storyline, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.

　　Still, since Zhou Yu hadn’t crossed any lines yet, having a script wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Chu Ling decided not to nitpick and would just deal with things as they came.

　　The system, though half-convinced, asked, “So what you’re really saying is… it’s impossible for him to like you? Or do you think that about everyone?”

　　“Of course, about everyone.”

　　Chu Ling scoffed. “Don’t I know them by now?”

　　From Lin Zirun to Zhou Yu, anyone who started out so attentive always had a motive.　　

　　With her reputation as the ‘public enemy,’ how could anyone genuinely like her?

　　The only person she could trust in this world was herself.

　　As she was thinking this, another plate suddenly appeared by her side.

　　She blinked and looked over.

　　Sheng Yi had sat down next to her.

　　“Omelette.”

　　He spoke casually, as if it was nothing. “I accidentally made too many again. Do you want some?”

　　Chu Ling said, “...No need, I really can’t eat anymore today.”

　　Sheng Yi gave a quiet “oh,” and didn’t seem the least bit disappointed by her refusal. He only nodded and said, “Alright then.”

　　Zhou Yu narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Sheng Yi.

　　If he remembered correctly, this guy had first shown interest in Wen Shu. So why was he suddenly hovering around Chu Ling now?

　　He didn’t say anything aloud, but Chu Ling could still feel that his expression was far from pleasant.

　　【Why do I feel like Sheng Yi isn’t in a good mood?】

　　【That face is way too dark, hahaha】

　　【He looks like he’s practically dripping with jealousy】

　　【This triangle really has a bit of a love-rival vibe… though Chu Ling seems completely oblivious】

　　【What love-rival drama? Once Chu Jie shows up, she shuts it all down】

　　Chu Ling couldn’t help but think this was the first time she’d seen Sheng Yi’s displeasure written so plainly on his face.

　　She glanced at the shadows under his eyes and guessed, “Didn’t sleep well?”

　　The gloom swirling around him seemed heavier than usual these past few days.

　　“…A little,” Sheng Yi admitted.

　　It was true. He hadn’t been sleeping properly, tossing and turning at night.

　　Every time he thought about how reckless it was, falling for Chu Ling on a show where he was supposed to follow a script, he wanted to slap himself awake.

　　But the moment he saw her in the daytime, his feelings felt impossible to suppress. The contradiction only left him restless and miserable.

　　Ah, so it was insomnia.

　　Poor sleep could be torturous, and Chu Ling could understand that.

　　But for some reason, it felt like he was putting the blame for his sleepless nights on her.

　　Chu Ling was baffled. She wasn’t the one keeping him up at night, so why should the debt fall on her head?

　　Resentments should have their rightful owner. Sheng Yi, aren’t you throwing the blame around a bit carelessly?

　　—

　　This day was supposed to be a rest day, but with the arrival of a new guest, it turned into an icebreaker day.

　　“Let’s give a warm welcome to Zhou Yu joining our Heartbeat Lab!”

　　Gao Yan had been assigned by the production team to handle the cue, so she stepped up and took the lead, which also meant more camera time for her.

　　She asked Zhou Yu, “You’ve met everyone here yesterday, right?”

　　“Pretty much,” Zhou Yu replied. “On the way, Jiejie gave me a brief introduction to all the big brothers and big sisters.”

　　Chu Ling raised an eyebrow. “?”

　　Had she really said that much? And “big brothers and big sisters”? Are you that much younger than us? There’s a limit to how childish you can act.

　　“To help you fit in better and get to know everyone, we decided to play a game of King’s Game today.”

　　“Everyone knows the rules, right?”

　　Gao Yan pulled out eight prepared playing cards. “Here we have Hearts 1 through 7, plus a King. Whoever draws the King can choose one or two people to do something.”

　　The first round began. The cards were scattered, and the first person to draw the King was Wen Shu.

　　She had never played this before and looked a bit lost. “Can I really ask them to do anything?”

　　Gao Yan nodded. “Anything goes.”

　　Wen Shu struggled to think of something mischievous. She also worried about bad luck landing the task on Qin Shuo, so after scanning everyone’s faces, she decided to test the waters. “Uh… Number One, make a funny face for the camera?”

　　“Is that okay?”

　　“Of course,” Gao Yan replied.

　　Ye Wei Yang chuckled. “That doesn’t seem exciting at all.”

　　Gao Yan smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s the first challenge. Consider it an appetizer.”

　　Everyone flipped their cards.

　　Number one was Qin Shuo.

　　He didn't look happy—he'd been in a good mood after hearing Wen Shu had drawn number one, but he hadn't expected such a task.

　　He usually cared a lot about his image, and now he could only make a slightly silly face at the camera to get through it.

　　Chu Ling, of course, didn’t let him off easily and teased, “Teacher Qin, your idol image is really heavy, huh?”

　　Sheng Yi chimed in smoothly, “What can you do? Teacher Qin is at that age. Asking him to act cute isn’t really appropriate, right? That’s enough, that’s enough.”

　　Qin Shuo: “……”

　　It looked like Sheng Yi was defending him, but actually, he threw a little shade at the same time.    

　　【Hahaha, I’m dying laughing. So true, don’t bully the poor man.】

　　【But if you can’t even make a funny face, why bother playing King’s Game? This is already super easy.】

　　【As expected, Wen Shu’s challenges are all so innocent. Truly a good kid, haha.】

　　Wen Shu felt relieved she hadn’t picked anything too wild. If she had, she would have been the one in trouble.

　　Next round.

　　This time, the King went to Gao Yan.

　　She flipped her card and couldn’t hide her mischievous smile. Raising an eyebrow, she said, “Then… Number Five, please kiss the person you like the most in the room.”

　　【Wow, this escalated fast.】

　　【How did a kid’s game turn into an adult nightclub challenge?】

　　【It didn’t say where to kiss. Cheek works too, right?】

　　【Hurry, let me see who got this!!!】

　　Everyone flipped their cards one by one. The camera scanned across them, none matched, until it landed on the last card.

　　Chu Ling held the Five of Hearts and lifted an eyebrow slightly.

　　【Whoa, finally we might see who Chu Ling likes more.】

　　【Wait, she’s not going to kiss Wen Shu, is she?】

　　【…Knowing how Chu Ling usually acts, she probably would.】

　　All eyes in the room instantly focused on Chu Ling.

　　Sheng Yi’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as a mix of nerves and anticipation surged through him. He felt even more anxious than Chu Ling herself.

　　Chu Ling twisted the card in her hand, then lifted her left hand and lightly kissed the back of it.

　　She looked up and said, “I like myself the most. Any problem with that?”　　

　　【…I’m dying laughing, as expected from Chu Ling.】

　　【Too clever! She can actually do this!】

　　【But she’s not wrong. She loves herself the most. Everyone in this show has been roasted by her, except herself—she always praises herself.】

　　Sheng Yi: “…”

　　Even though he was momentarily confused, he felt an unexpected sense of relief.

　　“Damn it, next time I’ll learn my lesson. I should have picked a member of the opposite sex.”

　　Gao Yan shook her head regretfully and said, “Next.”

　　This time, the King went to Lin Zirun.

　　He was the type who enjoyed chaos, so he said, “So far it’s been solo challenges, right? I’ll make it a double. Number Three and Number Seven, keep eye contact. Don’t move. Whoever moves first has to drink as punishment.”

　　“Wow.”

　　“Bring it on!”

　　Everyone flipped their cards.

　　Chu Ling got Number Three and muttered helplessly, “My luck on this is really terrible today, isn’t it?”

　　The person paired with her on the card was…

　　Chu Ling looked over and met Zhou Yu’s gaze.

　　He gave her a quick glance and smiled, “Feeling nervous, Jiejie?”

　　Chu Ling smiled back, “Nothing to be nervous about. Let’s go.”

　　They stepped to the center and stood still.

　　At Lin Zirun’s command, they began staring at each other.

　　Chu Ling didn’t feel shy at all. Even if she lost, she’d just have a drink. But after only three seconds, Zhou Yu suddenly blinked and then clutched his chest.

　　“Ah, I lost.”

　　Zhou Yu grinned, “I’m smitten.”

　　“Eek—”

　　The whole room instantly erupted in cheers.

　　Gao Yan cupped her hands like a megaphone and teased, “You’re really good at this!”

　　“—Where did you even dig up this ancient cheesy line?”

　　Only Sheng Yi spoke out unexpectedly, cooling the room a little, “Classic pick-up lines still work no matter how old they are.”

　　Zhou Yu shrugged and looked at Chu Ling again, smiling, “Right, Jiejie?”

　　“Yeah.”

　　Chu Ling remained completely unfazed by the energy around her, saying, “After all, if your heart never moves, you might as well be dead.”

　　Zhou Yu: “…”

 

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