Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 66: I Like You

　　The livestream chat instantly exploded.

　　【Wow! Did I hear that right?!】

　　【Overbearing CP is really leveling up!!! I knew I wasn’t betting on the wrong ship!!】

　　【I thought since the show already had a graduation ceremony, there wouldn’t be any confession scenes! Honestly, none of the remaining guests looked like they were interested in real romance, who could’ve guessed Sheng Yi would actually confess?!】

　　【This kind of surprise is what makes it so addictive! From the start, who would have thought the two of them… I mean, with mouths that sharp, we all figured they’d fight till the end.】

　　【Remember when Overbearing CP got accused of being a cult or something.】

　　【Our misunderstood bad dog finally gets justice! My ship is not some evil cult, they’re absolutely perfect together!】

　　【Wait, I was skipping episodes and didn’t follow the whole arc. These two actually had hints? Shocking!】

　　【Honestly, I thought if anyone was going to confess, it’d be Zhou Yu… speaking of, where is Zhou Yu?】

　　【Forget him. The guy who mocked Chu Ling when she was in trouble doesn’t deserve her.】

　　【Thinking back, Sheng Yi was the very first to stand up for Chu Ling back then. He got dragged so hard for it… Looking at it now, it was pure love! No matter how it ends, I’m shipping them. It feels genuine, I just hope it doesn’t crash and burn.】

　　【He’s the only male guest Chu Ling never managed to roast into silence. That alone speaks volumes. You won’t find his name on any of those flop lists!】

　　【The moment Sheng Yi didn’t mention Chu Ling in his earlier speech, I knew something was off. How could he not bring up the girl he’s crazy about? Of course he was holding back a big move!】

　　Chu Ling stood frozen, her mind completely blank. “What did you just say?”

　　“..…”

　　Sheng Yi was more nervous than he had ever been.

　　He wasn’t the type who knew how to do this, and truthfully, he had zero experience with confessions.

　　Other people might casually spout romantic lines that made hearts race, but for him, even saying the simple words I like you was enough to make his voice tremble.

　　He also knew that if he said it today, there was a high chance Chu Ling would reject him.

　　If he kept quiet, maybe after the show they could still be friends. Maybe she’d come to their band’s gigs now and then, maybe they’d still hang out and chat like before.

　　But the bigger possibility was that they’d each return to their own lives, drifting further and further apart.

　　Sheng Yi didn’t want that.

　　So even if it wasn’t the smartest choice, just like that day when he suddenly blurted out I believe in Chu Ling in front of the cameras, he still wanted to say it now.

　　They were rockers. If nothing else, they were overflowing with courage.　　

　　“…Honestly, at the beginning, I never thought we’d get to this point.”

　　Step by step, Sheng Yi walked up to her.

　　His heart was pounding like crazy, his palms were slick with sweat, but he forced himself to look calm. “Back then, we weren’t close at all. We even snapped at each other a few times, and I thought we’d never get along for the rest of our lives.”

　　“But somehow, without me realizing it, my eyes just kept drifting toward you.”

　　When he decided to confess, Sheng Yi kept wondering, when exactly did he start liking Chu Ling?

　　He sifted through countless memories, each one filled with her, but when he tried to pin down the exact moment, he found he couldn’t.

　　There was something about her, something that stood out. At first, clashing with her only made him think she was a handful.

　　Most people would have backed away, but for him, it only made him want to understand her more, to dig deeper.

　　And little by little, his feelings had taken root in every quiet moment.

　　“We’ve had so many times where we were in sync, so many similarities between us.”

　　“Of course, I know… maybe you don’t feel that way about me, maybe you only see me as a regular friend.”

　　Sheng Yi rubbed the back of his hand against his nose, looking away for a second. “So I’m not saying this expecting an answer. I just wanted you to know…”

　　What was he even saying?

　　He cursed himself silently.

　　These weren't the words he'd originally prepared. He'd spent the entire night drafting his confession, polishing every word to perfection.

　　But no one had ever told him that in a real confession, the words might slip right out of your head.

　　Even his breathing trembled faintly. The lines in his mind refused to come together, leaving him as flustered as that moment during his very first performance when he forgot the lyrics on stage.

　　In the end, the only words he managed to get out were, “I like you.”

　　I really like you.

　　I like you the most.

　　【You can really tell how nervous he is.】

　　【His face might look calm, but his fingers totally gave him away. Sheng Yi, why are you shaking so badly? That’s pathetic!】

　　【Cut him some slack. This is probably his very first time confessing to anyone. I mean, it’s hard to imagine someone with that face ever facing rejection.】

　　【Well, this might just be his first time getting rejected then, hahaha. After all, the person he’s confessing to is Chu Ling! Can you even picture her in a relationship?】

　　【I actually believe her when she says she’s been single forever. It really feels like she has the power to turn every man into a sworn enemy.】

　　【But Sheng Yi looks so sincere! Come on, Chu Ling, look at him!】

　　“…Hold on a second.”

　　For once, even Chu Ling seemed a little flustered. “Give me some time to think about it.”

　　Sheng Yi’s heart sank, already bracing for the worst, but he still forced himself to answer calmly with a quiet “Okay.”

　　Inside her mind, the system was practically screaming. “Wow! He likes you!”

　　Chu Ling shot back instinctively, “Impossible.”

　　System: “What do you mean impossible?”

　　How could anyone like someone as unpleasant as her?

　　Chu Ling couldn’t wrap her head around it.

　　She had never once imagined Sheng Yi would choose to confess to her on the very last day.

　　If it had been anyone else, she would have seen straight through their motives, picked apart their pretty words, and rejected them on the spot.

　　But Sheng Yi…

　　He had always been good to her, and he had helped her so many times.

　　The words of rejection hovered on her lips, but somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to say them.

　　She asked the system, “Do you think he’s being serious?”

　　The system sighed. “…At a time like this, the question on your mind isn’t whether you like him back, but whether he’s joking?”

　　Did she? Did she like Sheng Yi?

　　The thought flashed for just a second before Chu Ling immediately pushed it away.

　　What was she even thinking!

　　She should be wondering why Sheng Yi suddenly decided to confess to her instead.

　　Out of the corner of her eye, Chu Ling noticed the setup.

　　Several cameras were already aimed at them. Clearly, this was meant to be the highlight of the final day. The crew had been waiting for this.

　　And the decorations behind him… there was no way they had been put together in just a few minutes.

　　Chu Ling asked, “You arranged all this?”

　　Sheng Yi nodded. “Yeah.”

　　From the moment he cleared it with the director, he had been planning everything.

　　He needed a place with no one around, but with just enough atmosphere to feel romantic. After thinking it over, the rooftop corner of the villa was the only choice.

　　This rooftop had once been the place where they opened up about their secrets, so in a way, it felt like a blessed spot.

　　Of course, the production team had helped him out a little too.

　　Chu Ling, however, suddenly felt like she had figured something out.

　　Honestly, he should have just said so earlier.

　　“How can you be so sure what kind of feelings I have for you?”

　　She took a step closer, lifted her head to meet Sheng Yi’s gaze, and smiled brightly. “These past days, I really did enjoy spending time with you. I’ve never dated before, so I don’t have much experience… but I think I probably like you too.”

　　The whole world seemed to fall silent.

　　Looking into Chu Ling’s smiling eyes, Sheng Yi couldn’t hear anything else. Even the wind seemed to vanish, leaving only the thunderous pounding of his own heartbeat echoing in his ears.

　　He had never once thought she would actually agree.

　　He had already braced himself to be roasted by her. The way she scolded Zhou Yu was brutal enough, and he was ready for her to tear him down just as mercilessly.

　　He had even told himself that if she cursed him out, at least it would be a memory worth keeping.

　　In his wildest dreams, the furthest his imagination went was Chu Ling saying, “I’ll think about it.” He had never dared hope to hear her say, “I like you too.”

　　Huh.

　　Chu Ling thought to herself, what usually happens after a confession succeeds?

　　Do they hug?

　　With zero experience to draw on, she leaned a little closer to Sheng Yi and tentatively spread her arms toward him.

　　It took him two whole seconds to realize what she meant. Chu Ling wanted a hug.

　　His heartbeat was so fast even his fingers trembled, but his body moved on instinct. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, clutching this unbelievable happiness to his chest.

　　Maybe a little too tightly.

　　Pressed against his chest, Chu Ling felt like she could barely breathe.

　　【Oh my god, who would’ve thought it would actually be these two in the end!!!】

　　【Chu Ling, you actually like Sheng Yi!!!】

　　【Am I blind? I swear I never noticed a single arrow pointing between them before. While scandals outside were tearing everything apart, the two of them were in here having a pure first love. How is that even fair?!】

　　【It makes perfect sense, wewerwer!!! I declare myself the happiest bully-dog fan in the world today! I knew there was something going on, but none of you believed me! You all mocked me! Well, here’s my proof! This ship is real!!!】

　　Time and cameras froze on the moment they embraced.

　　It was the perfect curtain call for this dating show. The director cut the feed at just the right time.

　　In Sheng Yi’s arms, Chu Ling rose on her toes and whispered softly in his ear, “I’m willing.”

　　Sheng Yi’s ears instantly turned red. “Mm.”

　　“To build a CP with you,” Chu Ling added in a whisper.

　　She could feel him stiffen the moment the words left her mouth.

　　Letting go of him, she studied his expression.

　　He looked utterly lost. “Huh?”

　　“Yeah, I just thought it through.” Chu Ling said it with complete seriousness. “Pairing up benefits both of us. The show is insanely popular right now, and we’re the only successful couple. Of course the audience will pay attention. Plenty of reality show guests ride that wave and gain a massive CP fanbase.”

　　“But this was way too sudden. You never thought about what would happen if I couldn’t react in time and rejected you?”

　　“You…” Sheng Yi struggled to get the words out. “Do you think the reason I confessed was because I wanted to fake a CP with you?”

　　Chu Ling blinked. “What else would it be?”

　　“..…”

　　Within just five minutes, Sheng Yi felt like he had gone through the highest high and the lowest low of his entire life. His heart could barely keep up.

　　“No, that’s not it?”

　　Chu Ling paused, then asked, “So I guessed wrong?”

　　He was about to nod when Chu Ling continued, “Then maybe your plan was to have me reject you so you could set yourself up as the tragic one and attract fans that way?”

　　Sheng Yi: “…..”

　　Her expression turned slightly apologetic. “Sorry, if that’s the case I misunderstood… wait.”

　　She pulled out her buzzing phone, glanced at the screen, and said, “It’s my manager. Let me take this first.”

　　Sheng Yi, still in complete chaos, could only nod.

　　Chu Ling answered, and right away her manager’s scolding came through the line. “Who told you to accept that confession? Was that written in the script? Something this big, how could you not discuss it with me first—”

　　“I just thought it would play really well,” Chu Ling replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

　　“..…”

　　Sheng Yi suddenly spoke up. “You go ahead and take care of that. I won’t bother you. I’ll head out first.”

　　Chu Ling made a small sound of acknowledgment, not really paying much attention. She quickly went back to trying to convince her manager, Xu Jie. “It all happened so suddenly, I didn’t see it coming either. But I’ve thought it through. At this stage, creating a CP with Sheng Yi would actually work in my favor. At the very least, the audience would love it.”

　　As she spoke, she pulled up the backstage feed to check her emotion stats. To her surprise, the entire screen was filled with Sheng Yi’s data instead. His negative emotions were spiking so high it was almost frightening.

　　Chu Ling: “?”

　

　

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