Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 63: If You Go Against Chu Ling, It’s Like Kicking A Steel Plate!

　　The recording Chu Ling released began right from the moment she questioned whether the trolls spreading rumors were from Qin Shuo’s studio, all the way until their conversation ended.

　　It was uncut. No edits, no bleeping, no tricks.

　　She had just come out of a wave of vicious rumors a few days ago, and her name was still riding high on the trending lists. Netizens who were still hanging around, eager to see what her next move would be, were caught off guard when she dropped this recording. It landed like a heavy hammer, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

　　【Whoa, what’s going on here?】

　　【Chu Ling said she found the source of the rumors? You can actually trace that?】

　　【The recording is so long, can someone summarize it?】

　　【Wait, I recognized the voice after a bit! Isn’t that Qin Shuo?】

　　【It’s him, I heard Chu Ling call him “Teacher Qin.”】

　　【Damn, so all those people spreading rumors about Chu Ling these past days were his people? Why would he even do that?】

　　【Can someone please post a text transcript? I’m stuck in a meeting and dying over here!】

　　【¹TLDR: Chu Ling confronted him about whether the trolls were from his studio. Qin Shuo admitted it, tried to threaten her into silence, then offered her only two million hush money. Talks clearly broke down.】

　　【Shocking… Honestly I also thought those smear campaigns were weird. Most of that dirt was super old, and none of it had solid proof. How did it suddenly resurface and even force her off the show? Looked like a deliberate hit job.】

　　【+1. Back then everyone was bashing Chu Ling and I didn’t dare say anything, but the attacks were way too one-sided. If there weren’t paid trolls, I wouldn’t believe it.】

　　【I defended her and got accused of being a paid commenter myself, like a few cents a post. Turns out the real money was on the other side!】

　　【But I don’t get it. Qin Shuo and Chu Ling had no personal grudges, so why would he sic trolls on her?】

　　【No grudges? Please. Chu Ling clapped back at him so hard on earlier episodes that his “good guy” persona almost crumbled. Clips of her roasting him have over a million views on certain sites. Everyone was calling him a “dad-vibes guy.” In the entertainment world, image is everything. Qin Shuo had a great reputation before, so of course he needed to crush Chu Ling to polish his own image back up.】

　　【But that was ages ago. Choosing to go after her now feels pretty random.】

　　【Maybe they have some other private feud?】

　　Chu Ling deliberately picked out that last comment and replied:

　　【True. But to be precise, it’s not really a personal grudge. Let’s call it leverage.】

　　The comment section instantly exploded again.

　　【Holy crap, Chu Ling in the flesh!】

　　【Fresh reply! Chu Jie, are you still surfing the net yourself?】

　　【Wait wait wait, leverage? What kind of leverage?】

　　【Am I eating the melon right at the source?!】

　　【So does this mean Chu Ling has something on Qin Shuo, and that’s why he came after her first? By smearing her, he hoped she’d be too busy clearing her name to fight back?】

　　【Makes sense. Otherwise how did Chu Ling pinpoint so quickly that the trolls were Qin Shuo’s people?】

　　【Exactly. She’s offended more than just Qin Shuo, but it’s gotta be something else that let her know for sure it was him.】

　　【Chu Jie, tell us what it is! We promise we’ll help you roast that scumbag!】

　　【Chu Jie, you’ll forever be my jiejie. You’re officially my number one connection now!】

　　Of course, not everyone agreed.

　　【Isn’t this just a secret recording? What does it even prove?】

　　【And it wasn’t even Qin Shuo himself spreading the rumors. Even if it was someone from his studio, so what? Chu Ling really did those things before, people just brought them up again. How is that slander?】

　　【Besides, wasn’t she basically extorting him? Asking for a billion? I’d actually support Qin Shuo suing her with that recording!】

　　【This drama queen is even acting all cryptic in the comments. If she really has proof, why doesn’t she just drop it already?】

　　【Ah, Qin-fans have entered the chat.】

　　【What part of the word “slander” do you not understand?】

　　【She didn’t demand money upfront and she never took any, so how is that extortion? A billion was obviously a joke, do you really not get that? Fan IQ sure does follow the idol.】

　　【Careful now, with Chu-jie’s personality she might actually see your comment, and if she does, she might just drop the real hammer on your Film Emperor.】

　　【Honestly I support the Qin-fans making noise. Who knows, they might just scream themselves into getting the hammer dropped, ha!】

　　One particular user, with the ID “Did Qin Shuo Notice Me Today,” was especially aggressive, spamming comment after comment.

　　【If she really has proof then let her post it. Acting all mysterious is just a ploy for hype. It gave her the exposure she wanted anyway.】

　　【Repeating things she’s done before isn’t slander. Just because she denies it doesn’t make it disappear. The old rumors about her sleeping with sponsors are still out there online. If you still believe Chu Ling, then your whole life is pretty much set in stone.】

　　Chu Ling replied directly:【Sounds like your life is already set. Clear out those fake memories and let’s settle it in court.】

　　【LMAO. Told you not to mess with her! Why poke the bear?】

　　【Chu-jie isn’t like others. Most stars let their company deal with trolls. She’ll come down personally to roast them herself.】

　　【If you pick a fight with Chu Ling, you’re basically kicking a steel plate.】

　　The comments under Chu Ling’s post started piling up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

　　Meanwhile, hashtags like #ChuLingExposesQinShuo#, #ChuLingRecording#, and #QinShuoStudioSpreadingRumorsAboutChuLing# shot straight up the trending charts.

　　No one had to buy those spots. With a bombshell like this, every platform scrambled to grab the traffic, or risk missing out on the hottest story of the day.

　　Chu Ling’s very presence seemed to stir up storms. She was the undisputed queen of ²black-and-red hype. And the one she had called out was none other than Film Emperor Qin Shuo, who, until now, had both popularity and reputation on his side.

　　This kind of heat was destined to explode.

　　In the entertainment world, most people preferred to keep things civil. Even if there was conflict, it was usually left to underlings and marketing accounts to throw shade from the shadows. Unless it was about romance scandals, it was rare for the main figures to go head-to-head in public.

　　But Chu Ling had dropped a recording that directly nailed Qin Shuo.

　　And a male star spreading false rumors about a female star’s sex life was already disgusting enough. So even though Chu Ling carried her own “everyone hates her” aura, most people chose to stand with her this time.

　　【Never thought Qin Shuo would be this kind of person.】

　　【Hearing his voice in that recording, he sounded like a completely different man from his public persona. He was losing control, blurting threats, honestly terrifying.】

　　【I used to like his movies… great, now another wall has collapsed for me.】

　　【Male stars find the strangest ways to self-destruct.】

　　【So what else does Chu Ling have on him? Chu Jie, please share!】

　　【Chu Ling’s list of exposed scumbags is no joke… I really didn’t expect even Qin Shuo to fall.】

　　【There’s no one she hasn’t roasted, and no one she roasted who didn’t eventually fall.】

　　The Film Emperor who once looked mature, gentle, and reliable turned out to be this kind of man in private. The revelation completely shattered people’s expectations, sparking outrage across the internet.

　　Even Qin Shuo’s remaining fans who struggled to defend him were met only with merciless mockery from the wider crowd.

　　The livestream of Heartbeat Lab was buzzing with excitement. Everyone was waiting to see what would unfold next in real time.

　　But unexpectedly, the stream was suddenly cut off.

　　【??】

　　【What’s going on?】

　　【According to the usual process, shouldn’t Qin Shuo be coming out to give a live response? That’s what the last few contestants did, wasn’t it?】

　　【Or at least make a public apology and leave the show. Who cuts the broadcast halfway? Who did this?】

　　Inside the villa.

　　“Cut every camera feed. Now.”

　　“Hurry!”

　　Qin Shuo barked the order at the production team, then went straight to look for Chu Ling.

　　Chu Ling was lounging comfortably in her room, scrolling through the comments and replying to netizens. When she heard Qin Shuo pounding furiously at her door, she rolled her eyes before lazily getting up to open it.　　

　　The moment the lock clicked, Qin Shuo’s face came into view, twisted in rage.

　　What a shame.

　　Chu Ling arched her brow, thinking regretfully, if only the cameras were rolling right now. Netizens would have loved to see this.

　　“Teacher Qin already found out?” she asked lightly.

　　“Come out here!”

　　Terrified she might have a hidden livestream or another recording device set up, Qin Shuo yanked her straight into the hallway. His voice trembled with fury as he spat through clenched teeth, “You woman… you’re insane.”

　　Chu Ling smiled sweetly. “Thanks for the compliment.”

　　“What exactly do you want?” Qin Shuo demanded. “To ruin me? What good does that do you?”

　　Chu Ling tilted her head. “And what good did it do you to spread rumors about me? Didn’t you do the same thing?”

　　Qin Shuo froze, words caught in his throat.

　　“Besides, I already warned you,” Chu Ling said calmly. “I’m emotionally unstable. I might do anything. You were the one who didn’t believe me.”

　　Who could have imagined she would actually record him?

　　No, Qin Shuo thought. The real reason he never saw it coming was because Chu Ling’s manner toward him had always been sharp, with no hint of coaxing words or fishing for information. She even asked him about extorting money outright. By normal logic, no one would believe she’d release such a recording, the kind that would hurt herself almost as much as it hurt him.

　　But the problem was, Chu Ling wasn’t normal.

　　She never cared about her public image in the first place.

　　Since his debut, Qin Shuo had always had smooth sailing. The greatest pain he’d suffered was his breakup with Wen Shu. Who would have thought another calamity in his life would come in the form of Chu Ling?

　　His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging as he glared at her. “Do you even know the consequences of what you’ve done? You’ll regret this for the rest of your life!”

　　He would make sure she regretted it. Even if she knelt before him, begging for mercy, it would be useless.

　　“I think those words suit you better.”

　　Chu Ling’s tone was perfectly even. “Back then, when you had your team spread dirt about me, you probably never thought you’d be hoisting a rock only to drop it on your own foot. Do you regret it now? If you had another chance, would you still do the same thing?”

　　Their argument in the hallway grew so heated that the other six people peeked out one by one to watch.

　　Chu Ling gave them a friendly wave. “Hey, here for the gossip? You’ve come just in time for the live version.”

　　The onlookers: “…”

　　“See?”

　　Chu Ling even had the leisure to smile at Qin Shuo. “There are so many people here, and the internet is watching with such high attention. What exactly do you think you can do to me? Everyone’s eyes are on you.”

　　Qin Shuo’s chest burned with fury, yet for the first time he truly looked at Chu Ling and felt a chill.

　　There wasn’t a trace of fear in her smile.

　　Everyone has a weakness. But Chu Ling seemed to have none at all.

　　She came with the determination to go down together, if that’s what it took.

　　And in the art of making a scene, she had no rival.

　　“Teacher Qin.”

　　Sheng Yi finally snapped out of his daze and quickly stepped in front of Chu Ling, shielding her without making it obvious. “You’re a big star. Isn’t it a little much to pick on a young girl like this?”

　　Qin Shuo: “???”

　　Young girl?

　　She was more like a demoness!

　　“Exactly,” Chu Ling agreed with a nod. “Teacher Qin, arguing with me here is pointless. Our last negotiation already broke down. I think you’d better focus on PR, see if you can salvage your reputation. That should be your top priority.”

　　As if she cared to play the kind-hearted one!

　　“…..”

　　Qin Shuo flung his hand angrily. “Fine. I’m done. I won’t record this show anymore.”

　　He turned to the director, who had rushed over to mediate. “Spending even one more second on this program with someone like her is unbearable. I want to end the recording immediately.”

　　The director was dumbfounded. “Teacher Qin, there are only a few days left, just the final confession segment to wrap everything up. If it really doesn’t work… we can move the confession ahead and record it right away…”

　　Confession?

　　What confession!

　　Qin Shuo had originally planned a grand and romantic confession, but now it was completely useless. Wen Shu would never accept him anyway.

　　“I said I’m ending it now.”

　　Still fuming, Qin Shuo threw out one last warning. “And once I’m gone, don’t even think about this show continuing.”

________________

Glossary:

¹TL;DR = Too Long; Didn’t Read

Used when a post or explanation is long. The writer adds a short summary after “TL;DR.”

Example:

Long rant about a bad day.

TL;DR: Spilled coffee, missed the bus, boss yelled at me.

Why not just say summary?

“Summary” is formal and neutral.

“TL;DR” is casual internet slang, often playful or joking, like saying “oops, I rambled.”

²“Black-and-red hype” (黑红) is a Chinese internet slang term. It means someone is famous because of both love and hate—they attract massive attention whether people like them or despise them.

🔹 Black = the haters (negative attention, scandals, people cursing you).

🔹 Red = the fans (positive popularity, people supporting you).

So when the text says:

> “She was the undisputed queen of black-and-red hype.”

It means Chu Ling thrives in controversy. Whether people are praising her or tearing her down, she’s always trending, always staying in the spotlight.

 

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