Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 53: He’s Done For, He’s Fallen In!

　　By this point, the comment feed was going absolutely wild.

　　【Who else is losing it over this hand-in-hand drum lesson!!】

　　【When the guy is handsome and the girl is beautiful, the chemistry just hits different!】

　　【This physical closeness feels so natural… like it’s happened plenty of times before. What exactly have you two been doing behind our backs?】

　　【Is it just me, or is this the first time Chu Ling didn’t sass back and actually let someone teach her?】

　　【Because Sheng Yi didn’t try to show off in front of her. He gave her the freedom to try first, and only stepped in to guide her when she really needed it. He didn’t walk in acting like some know-it-all.】

　　【Exactly. Compared to certain other guys who’ve been exposed, the difference is night and day.】

　　【Who would’ve thought that two people who spit venom at everyone else could deliver such a heartwarming moment together?】

　　【¹werwerwer, my ship is feeding me so well, I can’t stop grinning!】

　　Sheng Yi’s hand covered hers, his palm resting gently against her wrist, while his left foot tapped on the floor, keeping time for her.

　　Every now and then, Chu Ling lifted her eyes to glance at him. Sheng Yi, lost in the world of music, looked utterly focused, his gaze fixed only on the rhythm of the drums.

　　Unconsciously, Chu Ling followed his lead. Under his guidance, she tightened her grip on the drumsticks and struck again and again.

　　Maybe it was the adrenaline stirred up by the beat, or maybe it was her heartbeat syncing with the rhythm that sent a thrill through her chest, but she found herself gradually sinking into the flow.

　　“Do you feel it now?”

　　She had no idea how long had passed before Sheng Yi finally stopped, releasing her hand as he asked.

　　Maybe she did feel something.

　　But it felt like more than just the rhythm of the drums.

　　Hesitant, Chu Ling gave the slightest nod.

　　“Once you’ve found the feeling, you can start practicing on your own,” Sheng Yi said. “Take it slow. It’s not as hard as it looks. The more you practice, the easier it’ll come.”

　　“No way, I’ve already failed.” Chu Ling shook her head and let out a deliberately dramatic sigh. “If you don’t work hard when you’re young, you’ll only regret it when you’re old. Learning instruments should start from childhood. I’m just a big kid at this point. Looks like it’s hopeless.”

　　Sheng Yi looked at her, then chuckled. “Don’t underestimate yourself. For a first try, this was really good.”

　　He even threw his bandmate under the bus. “Our drummer didn’t do as well as you when he first started out.”

　　“Guess he didn’t have Teacher Sheng guiding him hand in hand.”

　　Chu Ling tilted her chin and teased, “Didn’t think you knew how to play the drums too.”　　

　　“After all, we're in a band.”

　　Sheng Yi said, “Of course. You’ve got to know a little bit of everything.”

　　His main instrument was the guitar, but he could also handle bass, keyboard, and drums. He wasn’t as skilled as his bandmates in those, but teaching a beginner like Chu Ling was more than enough.

　　So impressive.

　　Chu Ling let out a hum of approval, nodded, and flicked her wrist.

　　Sheng Yi caught the small movement. “Does it hurt?” he asked.

　　“It’s not really pain,” Chu Ling replied. “More like a bit of soreness. Maybe I used too much force just now.”

　　“That’s normal in the beginning,” Sheng Yi said. “Drums aren’t exactly an easy instrument. We’ve got muscle tape here. Want some?”

　　Chu Ling shook her head. “It’s not that bad.”

　　“Ice pack then?” he suggested.

　　Chu Ling couldn’t help laughing. “Really, it’s not that serious. A little rub and it’ll be fine.”

　　“Alright then.” Sheng Yi nodded, stepped closer, and said, “Give me your hand.”

　　Chu Ling froze for a second before realizing he had misunderstood her words as asking him to rub it for her.

　　How embarrassing.

　　But if she corrected him now, wouldn’t that just make things more awkward and like she was rejecting him?

　　Even the system was shocked at her hesitation: “Since when were you this considerate?”

　　With anyone else, Chu Ling would have rolled her eyes and snapped, calling them a narcissist for even thinking she wanted their help.

　　But when it was Sheng Yi, she thought it over, then slowly reached out her hand. “Here, just the wrist. A little bit is fine.”

　　Sheng Yi’s fingers wrapped around her wrist again.

　　His fingertips were warm, with a faint layer of calluses. The moment his skin touched hers, Chu Ling involuntarily shivered.

　　But once he started rubbing, it really did feel like some of the soreness was melting away.

　　Only, the atmosphere between them suddenly felt far too ambiguous.

　　Chu Ling’s heartbeat, stirred up earlier while playing the drums, hadn’t quite settled. If anything, it was growing stronger.

　　【Help, I’m shipping this way too hard!】

　　【Are they seriously this comfortable with each other already?!】

　　【What happened to Sheng Yi the aloof? Since when is he holding hands like this?】

　　【The progress is insane. At this rate, they’ll be signing marriage papers tomorrow.】

　　【Chu Ling actually let someone massage her hand. Is this really Chu Ling?!】

　　【She’s completely different with him. Can you imagine Chu Ling letting Lin Zirun, Qin Shuo, or Lu Shixuan touch her like this?】

　　【…No way. She’d probably slap their hands away the second they tried.】

　　【I was ready to ship Zhou Yu and Chu Ling, but now? Compared to Sheng Yi and Chu Ling, that ship sinks fast. You’re too late, little brother!】

　　【Chu Ling just sitting quietly and letting someone massage her wrist… where’s my fierce, sharp-tongued Chu Ling?! Please come back!】

　　Maybe sensing the awkwardness in the air, Chu Ling spoke up first to ease it. “You’re pretty professional at this.”

　　“…Am I?” Sheng Yi asked.

　　Sheng Yi followed up, “Maybe it’s because after every performance, our drummer’s palms and wrists are always red. Usually I… well, we would help massage them a little to ease the soreness.”

　　“That’s also why people who are slimmer or not as strong aren’t really suited to be drummers. Playing the drums takes a lot of physical strength, otherwise you just can’t keep it up.”

　　Chu Ling clapped for herself. “Wow, then I guess I’m actually pretty impressive.”

　　“But forget it. It’s exhausting, and I don’t really like it that much.”

　　Sheng Yi chuckled. “You can try another instrument.”

　　“No need.”

　　Chu Ling shook her head. “I can’t even manage keeping time with drums, everything else would be even harder.”

　　After thinking for a moment, she asked, “Is there anything easy, something even an overgrown child could learn without suffering?”

　　“There is.”

　　Sheng Yi said, “You could be our lead singer. As long as you can sing, you qualify.”

　　Chu Ling froze for a second, then laughed. “Wouldn’t that put you out of a job?”

　　“Not at all.”　　

　　Sheng Yi replied, “I can keep playing lead guitar. It would just mean one less responsibility for me, which sounds perfect.”

　　Chu Ling propped her chin on her hand, pretending to think it over.

　　“Still no.”

　　She said with a straight face, “My charm is simply too overwhelming. I’m afraid once I’m on stage, everyone would just be staring at my face and completely ignore your music.”

　　【…Hahahahaha, there she is. That’s still our Chu-jie, the same self-absorbed little gremlin who never changes.】

　　【If anyone else said this, it’d sound narcissistic, but Chu Ling can actually pull it off. Her face is truly magnificent.】

　　“Music that can be ignored just isn’t captivating enough.”

　　Sheng Yi let out a low laugh. “If that really happened, then it would only mean I need to work harder and write even better songs.”

　　Chu Ling blinked, then burst out laughing. “Sorry.”

　　“I apologize for my suspicions about your single status.”

　　She said it lightly, then added, “Now I think I get it. Someone like you, who throws himself so completely into music, probably doesn’t have much energy left over for dating.”

　　No wonder he was still single.

　　With the cameras rolling, she couldn’t say more, but the thought came naturally. It felt like he could just spend his whole life married to his goddess of music.

　　Sheng Yi paused.

　　Before meeting Chu Ling, that really had been his plan.

　　His teammates weren’t wrong. His personality was difficult, overly picky, the kind of person who drove others crazy. He used to joke that someone like him shouldn’t go ruining some poor girl’s life, but the truth was simpler. He just wasn’t interested in most people.

　　“What about you?”

　　Sheng Yi suddenly asked.

　　“Me?” Chu Ling blinked, caught off guard.

　　“Is it alright if I ask?” His tone softened. “You’ve always been single too, haven’t you?”

　　After a brief silence, he added, “If it’s too personal, you don’t have to say.”

　　He had joined the show later than the others. He had seen the earlier cuts where Chu Ling mentioned she had always been single, but he didn’t know if she had ever explained the reason off-camera. He worried he might be touching on something painful.

　　Chu Ling, however, didn’t avoid it. “It’s fine.”

　　“I heard plenty of people doubted it anyway.” She gave a small shrug. “But why would I lie? It’s not like I debuted with some fake ‘pure goddess’ persona. What’s the benefit of pretending to be single?”

　　“The reason’s simple. No one’s ever liked me.”

　　She said it so naturally that Sheng Yi froze. “…Huh?”

　　Chu Ling smiled. “Ever since I was a kid, I was never the popular one. Even after entering the entertainment industry, I’ve always been among the least liked female celebrities. That much I’m well aware of.”

　　“And when I say ‘like,’ I don’t mean just finding my face attractive. I mean someone who truly liked me as a whole person.”

　　“Someone like that has never appeared.”

　　She gave a careless little laugh. “Sure, there were a few people who said they liked me, but I found out pretty quickly they all had some other agenda.”

　　Of course, with her personality, expecting anyone to really like her might have been asking too much.

　　Chu Ling had always known that.    

　　She had long since learned to see through people’s so-called affection, most of it nothing but pretense.

　　Just like Zhou Yu now.

　　【…Somehow that sounds a little heartbreaking.】

　　【She’s this gorgeous and yet no one’s ever liked her? No way.】

　　【Didn’t she already say it? Most people who claimed to like her had ulterior motives. Makes sense if you think about it. None of that was real.】

　　【Careful, don’t let Chu Ling fool you into a redemption arc! She could just be playing the victim. Don’t forget her personality!】

　　“Of course.”

　　Chu Ling lifted her chin, eyes gleaming at the camera. “I don’t need your love anyway. Go ahead and keep hating me if you want. I won’t be changing for anyone.”

　　【…Right, still the same infuriating attitude.】

　　【And here I was, feeling sorry for her. Thought she was going to soften her image.】

　　【Too naive. Anyone else might, but Chu Ling will never whitewash herself. She’ll just keep charging straight down the same road.】

　　【But honestly… when you get used to it, this personality isn’t so bad?】

　　【Uh oh. You’re done for. You’ve caught the Chu Ling bug!】

　　There was, of course.

　　How could there not be someone in this world who liked her?

　　Sheng Yi’s gaze lingered on her, words resting on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to say them, yet held back. He was afraid she’d laugh it off, or worse, brush him aside as just another man with an agenda.

　　“You know, the two of us are kind of alike.”

　　Chu Ling thought back to how Sheng Yi never accepted flowers from fans. Maybe he felt something similar to her.

　　She said, “I just thought of a term that matches all that ²‘rental apartment literature.’”

　　Sheng Yi asked, “What is it?”

　　Chu Ling grinned. “If we ever got together, it’d probably be called ³‘Eighteenth-Tier Literature.’”

　　She realized then that if Sheng Yi ever asked to pair up with her for a CP, she would probably agree.

　　Two bottom-tier nobodies in the entertainment world, clawing their way through the abyss, understanding each other, pushing one another upward to reach the things they both longed for. There was nothing wrong with that. (T/N: This kind of makes me feel a little sad for her. 😢)

　　—

　　Outside the rehearsal room, the other three members pretended to be busy, but in truth, they were secretly watching the livestream.

　　As they watched, they couldn’t resist taking shots at Sheng Yi.

　　The keyboardist fumed. “Since when do I have a girlfriend? Who gave him the right to spread that around?”

　　The drummer, deadpan, added, “And when has he ever massaged my hands after a show? In his dreams, maybe? Every time, it’s me dealing with it myself.”

　　The bassist only let out a cold laugh.

　　“Seriously, you guys still don’t see it?”

　　He pointed at the screen, where Sheng Yi’s gaze clung to Chu Ling, utterly unwilling to look away. “Look at him. Pathetic. He’s done for. He’s already fallen.”

________________

Glossary:

¹werwerwer: This not literally a dog barking here. In internet slang, especially on Chinese social media, “werwerwer” is just a playful, nonsensical way to express excitement, fangirling, or squealing over a ship or cute moment. Think of it like typing “ahhhh” or “omg omg omg” repeatedly. 

² ‘rental apartment literature’ – This refers to a style or trope often found in online novels, usually about struggling young adults living in small, modest apartments, facing hardships, often relatable “slice-of-life” drama. It’s a bit of a humorous/self-aware term.

³‘Eighteenth-Tier Literature’ – Chu Ling’s playful twist on the previous term. Instead of “rental apartment” (which might imply a low level), she calls it “Eighteenth-Tier,” exaggerating how minor or low-tier they are in the entertainment world. It’s tongue-in-cheek and self-deprecating, highlighting their underdog status.

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