Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 58: I Believe in Chu Ling

　　【Exactly. Do they think everyone who was online a few years ago has disappeared? That scandal was common knowledge back then.】

　　【So now people are hyping Chu Ling up? I honestly want to laugh. Her mouth is so vicious toward others, yet behind the scenes she must be groveling to her patron.】

　　【??? Wait, what’s this gossip?】

　　【Seriously, there are still people who don’t know? Her very first role was an “air-dropped” one. She got parachuted into the crew and replaced the original actress, who already had a signed contract. Chu Ling only rose to fame because of that supporting role. Later, because her EQ was so low and she kept acting like a diva, the industry collectively blacklisted her. Now suddenly she’s rebranded herself as some sharp-tongued queen?】

　　【I bet even her old backer got tired of her terrible EQ and stopped supporting her. Haven’t you noticed she hasn’t gotten any good resources since?】

　　【As someone who has followed this whole saga, I swear you could make a “Chu Ling low EQ compilation” that runs for three days straight. Back then, so many people told her to quit the industry. When did having a nasty tongue suddenly become a selling point? Chu Ling really is lucky she’s making her comeback now.】

　　【Wow… I honestly thought people only hated her because she was blunt and outspoken. I didn’t realize there was this much dirt.】

　　【Same. How can someone this gross still manage to whitewash herself? Ugh. And people are calling her “scumbag detector” and “prophet of scandals”? Please. She’s the one crashing the hardest.】

　　【Crashing? This isn’t a crash, this is straight-up ruins hhhh】

　　【So what do you think? Did she land this dating show because she found herself another sugar daddy to back her?】

　　Compared to the divorce scandal of a single ordinary contestant, a celebrity’s dirty laundry obviously stirred up much more attention online.

　　Talk of Wen Shu’s divorce was instantly drowned out.

　　And that was exactly why Qin Shuo told his team to dig up Chu Ling’s old black history.

　　Strike where it hurts most. For a female celebrity, her public reputation is everything.

　　Once she was branded with labels like “kept woman” or “sugar baby,” it would be nearly impossible to clear her name.

　　Especially since Chu Ling had already faced such rumors before. They weren’t fabricating from scratch, just building on “historical records.”

　　Qin Shuo’s people only had to dig a little to unearth those long-forgotten scandals, package them into a gossip thread, and then hire a batch of paid posters to push the narrative. In no time, it spread like wildfire.

　　Most of it was hearsay, screenshots from old chats, or so-called anonymous tips. But no one cared about what was real or fake. What mattered was the thrill of devouring a juicy scandal.

　　—

　　Chu Ling was woken up early in the morning by the system.

　　“Your backend numbers look off. The revenue is increasing way too fast.”

　　The system’s voice was urgent. “Check what’s going on!”

　　Half-asleep and annoyed by its fussing, Chu Ling mumbled, “What’s wrong with fast growth? You don’t want me making money now?”

　　But once she actually looked at the dashboard herself, she jolted wide awake.

　　The revenue spike was insane.

　　She had just crossed twenty million yesterday, and after a single night’s sleep, it was already pushing thirty million.

　　Good grief, one night’s worth was equal to half a month’s usual income!

　　And the negative emotions generating it? Almost all from netizens.

　　What the hell happened while she was asleep?

　　Did she sleepwalk into the White House and bomb it?

　　Chu Ling quickly unlocked her phone and found herself plastered all over the trending list.

　　The tag was blunt and straightforward.

　　#ChuLingScandals#

　　Chu Ling tapped in and took a look.

　　Well, well.

　　The same old rumors had crawled back from the grave. Some of the attached photos were so old they looked like antiques, and yet people were still posting them. Nothing new at all.

　　She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Who’s this bored?”

　　Digging up dirt from that long ago?

　　She clearly remembered checking her revenue before bed. Things were calm then.

　　So who went and bought her a black hot search in the middle of the night?

　　Curious, Chu Ling scrolled through the comments and live discussion threads.

　　Judging by the timing, this was clearly a ghost-shift operation. The smear posts were flooding in before regular netizens were even awake, steering the conversation early so the narrative would be easier to control later.

　　And it was working.

　　She glanced at the numbers. Views had already surpassed ten million, and plenty of netizens were buying it.

　　By the time morning rolled on, more and more people would stumble across it.

　　Chu Ling was originally speechless, but when she glanced at her backend revenue again, her expression instantly flipped.

　　“No, I shouldn’t call them boring. They’re practically my god of wealth.”

　　Being cursed out and still getting paid—what a bargain.

　　She had earned so much that when she looked at the insults in the comment section, her eyes were almost brimming with benevolence.

　　Go on, curse louder.

　　The angrier, the better.

　　While Chu Ling was calm and even a little amused, the production team was in chaos the moment they saw the trending tag. It felt like the sky was falling.

　　The director was convinced he needed to get his fortune told.

　　Scandal after scandal, was this even still a dating show?

　　Other shows only had to film couples going on sweet dates. His show, on the other hand, felt more like a Death Note! One disaster after another.

　　And Chu Ling’s scandal was by far the loudest and most viral one yet.

　　By morning, as soon as the livestream started, over a million viewers rushed in just to watch the drama unfold.

　　Unlike when other contestants got caught up in scandals, almost no one was asking Chu Ling to clarify this time. The majority were flat-out demanding she get out.

　　In his own room, Qin Shuo leisurely sipped his coffee.

　　He was in a great mood, though with a tinge of regret.

　　Why hadn’t he thought of this earlier?

　　If he had pulled this move from the start, Chu Ling would’ve been forced out of the show long ago. Wen Shu wouldn’t have been dragged down by her, and maybe—just maybe—he and Wen Shu could have gotten back together.

　　Too soft-hearted.

　　He regretted it now. When Chu Ling first stood up to him, he should have done this immediately.

　　—

　　Such a huge scandal breaking out, and while Chu Ling remained calm, the people around her grew more anxious by the minute.

　　Her manager quickly called, urging her to keep a low profile on the show and not rush to argue with netizens. Luckily, nothing new had surfaced, only old recycled gossip. The company would handle it through PR as soon as possible.

　　Chu Ling listened absentmindedly, thinking to herself that if company PR had ever been effective, her career wouldn’t have been such a disaster in the past few years.

　　Her “public enemy” aura was practically unbeatable, and she trusted herself far more than she trusted the company to clean up the mess.

　　Next came the production team. They briefly brought up the online rumors and their rising attention, then cautiously asked about her stance.

　　The contract for celebrities on dating shows was, of course, different from that of ordinary guests.

　　Ordinary people didn’t get appearance fees, and only those picked by the production team could join. If a scandal broke, it was only natural they would be asked to leave.

　　Celebrities, however, were invited to boost hype and viewership. Money had already been spent on them, so the team couldn’t just kick them out casually.

　　“I’ll figure out a way to respond.”

　　To the team’s surprise, Chu Ling was calm, as if the storm outside had nothing to do with her. “Just give me a little time.”

　　Truly someone who had once endured a wave of nationwide backlash—her nerves were made of steel.

　　She wasn’t particularly worried about being pushed out.

　　When they first invited her, it was precisely for the drama and the buzz, even giving her a sacrificial “villain” script. The problem was, she had taken it and run with it.

　　Now that she was the center of attention and the show’s popularity had skyrocketed, there was no way the director would dare cut her out.

　　The next visitor was Wen Shu.

　　It was obvious she had heard the rumors from others. When she rushed over, her face was written all over with panic. “Chu Ling, have you seen the rumors online? You should go live right away, like you taught me last time. Clarify while it’s still golden timing, before people make up more stories.”

　　Chu Ling arched a brow and asked, “You don’t think any of it might be true?”

　　“..…”

　　Wen Shu froze, clearly never having considered that possibility.

　　Seeing her expression, Chu Ling gave a small laugh. “But what if it really is true? How am I supposed to respond then?”

　　“..…”

　　After a long silence, Wen Shu shook her head with difficulty. “No, you don’t seem like that kind of person.”

　　If she didn’t know Chu Ling personally, if she was just another distant actress on screen, Wen Shu might have believed the online rumors.

　　But now Chu Ling was someone beside her. Not a faraway star, but a friend, a sister, someone who had helped her and even saved her.

　　The netizens must be misunderstanding her. With so much fake news these days, Chu Ling was clearly being smeared.

　　“…Alright.”

　　Chu Ling looked at her and smiled again. “I know. I’ll make a statement.”

　　“But unlike your situation, it’s much harder for me to prove myself innocent.”

　　She added softly, “So give me a little more time. I’ll figure something out.”

　　Wen Shu grew anxious. “But time is really tight. If you respond too late, people who miss it will just believe you’re really that kind of person.”

　　“Don’t worry about me.”

　　Chu Ling’s voice was airy, almost careless. “You’ve never seen what my reputation used to be like.”

　　What was being dug up now were nothing more than old rumors.

　　A few years ago, those slanders had already made their rounds on her countless times.

　　That had been a truly impossible situation.

　　Back when her reputation was at its worst, she would open Weibo only to see everyone hurling insults at her.

　　Her inbox overflowed with filth—people telling her to get lost, calling her disgusting, even cursing her to die.

　　Whenever she accepted a new role, even as a side character, the lead actor’s fans would protest her joining the crew, demanding the director replace her.

　　The most popular role she had ever played back then was a vicious supporting villainess.

　　Everyone said she wasn’t acting at all, that it was her true nature shining through. Their hatred for her character quickly bled into hatred for her as a person.

　　At that time, before she even had the system, all she could do was endure it.

　　And she survived.

　　Compared to those days, this was nothing.

　　Every breath she took now was earning her money. What were a few insults in the face of that? They couldn’t even scratch her, let alone cost her a piece of flesh.

　　“The only strange thing this time is how deliberate it feels.”

　　Chu Ling’s tone turned cool. “Why do you think all these years-old scandals suddenly resurfaced now? People have been criticizing me ever since I joined the show, but why is it only exploding into such a spectacle at this moment, like they just discovered something new?”

　　She would never believe it wasn’t the work of a hired smear campaign.

　　Besides clarifying, what she needed was to find out who was pulling the strings.

　　She told Wen Shu, “I need some time to sort out my thoughts, and some time to prepare what I’ll use to refute them. So wait a little longer.”

　　The system spoke up, sounding doubtful. “…You’re not just trying to stall for more money, are you?”

　　Chu Ling put on a wounded expression. “Do you really think I’m that kind of person? That I’d throw away my reputation just for money?”

　　“Yes,” the system replied flatly.

　　Chu Ling curled her lips. “…Fine, I’ll give you that. You really do know me.”

　　“Anyway, stop worrying about me.”

　　She told Wen Shu, “Even if I’ve been a nobody all these years, I’m still a celebrity, not some random amateur. I also have my own company behind me. They’ll cover for me if needed.”

　　“You should focus on your own matters. Don’t get dragged into this, alright?”

　　Since Chu Ling had said so, Wen Shu could only listen.

　　She nodded and left Chu Ling’s room.

　　But her head was still a little dazed, full of worry about how Chu Ling would handle everything. As she walked downstairs, she suddenly noticed the scene in the living room.

　　Sheng Yi sat down in front of the livestream cameras, his phone streaming beside him. His brows were tightly furrowed, his expression uncharacteristically dark, though he was clearly holding himself back.

　　“Hello everyone, I’m Sheng Yi.”

　　“I know you don’t care about me right now, so maybe no one will listen to what I’m about to say.”

　　“But I still want to say it.”

　　He let out a short laugh. “I don’t know where all those so-called ‘facts’ you’re repeating came from, but the internet is flooded with fake news. Even if you’re here for gossip, at least use some common sense. Don’t swallow everything that gets shoved at you. If you keep stuffing yourselves with rotten fruit, don’t be surprised when it makes you sick.”

　　【??? What is Sheng Yi even talking about?】

　　【Is he throwing shade at netizens, saying they ate fake gossip?】

　　【What’s the point of him speaking up? If he’s that bold, tell Chu Ling to come out and explain herself.】

　　【Why is he trying to speak on her behalf in such a roundabout way?】

　　Sheng Yi spotted that last comment and gave a sharp laugh. “Roundabout? I thought I was being very clear.”

　　“Fine then, I’ll make it even clearer.”

　　“Speaking for myself, I believe in Chu Ling.”

　　“Is that direct enough?”

 

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