Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 59: Are You Ready to Receive My Lawyer’s Letter?

　　The moment those words left his mouth, the livestream barrage instantly exploded.

　　【??? Wait, are you even that close to her?】

　　【You barely know her, and you’re already vouching for her?!】

　　【Sure, I’ve shipped the “Overbearing CP” dynamic before, but I thought it was just as bantering teammates. I didn’t expect their relationship to already be like this???】

　　【Don’t be reckless, bro! Maybe she plays her role well in the show, but you don’t know what she’s like in real life.】

　　“I don’t know her? Then do you?”

　　Sheng Yi tilted his head slightly, like he was suppressing a laugh. “Was it you who filmed this show with her, or me?”

　　“You want to know why I believe her?”

　　He enunciated each word, his tone firm. “Because I’ve actually met her, worked with her, and seen her for myself, instead of defining her based on secondhand gossip and random posts online.”

　　Wen Shu froze halfway down the stairs, then suddenly realized something and hurried down. She rushed into Sheng Yi’s frame, raising her voice for the first time in front of the cameras. “I believe in Chu Ling too!”

　　She took a breath, forcing down the swell of emotion in her chest before continuing more steadily. “I… I can promise you that Chu Ling isn’t the kind of person those rumors describe. Even if my word means nothing to you, I still want to say it. Chu Ling is truly a good person.”

　　“Yes, she can be blunt at times, and her words might rub people the wrong way. But at heart, she’s incredibly kind.”

　　“I absolutely don’t believe Chu Ling would ever do the things they’re accusing her of.”

　　Her eyes softened as she pleaded with the camera. “Please give her a little more time. She will respond.”

　　Sheng Yi raised his brows, glancing at Wen Shu with clear approval. Then he turned toward the shadow lingering in the corner. “Zhou Yu, what about you?”

　　“You’re always calling her ‘Chu Jie’ this, ‘Chu Jie’ that. You’ve spent time with Chu Ling too. Why don’t you share your thoughts about her?”

　　Zhou Yu had only been passing through to pour himself some water, but suddenly found himself caught in the crossfire.

　　“Uh…”

　　He gave an awkward laugh and said into the camera, “Yeah, I’ve interacted with Chu Ling… and honestly, I did think she was pretty unique.”

　　His words faltered, dragging on with hesitation. Finally, he muttered, “But as for what kind of person she really is, I can’t say. After all, I’ve only known her a few days. Most of my impression still comes from what I’ve seen on the show, which might not even be accurate…”

　　Zhou Yu had already seen the wave of scandal swirling around Chu Ling. In his mind, she was finished.

　　What actress could ever walk away unscathed once tainted with these kinds of sleazy rumors?

　　Even if she or her company put out some lukewarm statement later, her reputation was already doomed.

　　There was no reason to keep hyping up this CP any longer.

　　So Zhou Yu chose self-preservation. “I think I’d rather not comment. After all, what someone shows on-camera and off-camera can be very different. We really don’t know which is the real Chu Ling.”

　　After another pause, he even decided to curry favor with the angry viewers. “And if those rumors do turn out to be true… then I’d be disappointed. She would have let down all the people who liked her, along with so many fans.”

　　Sheng Yi: “???”

　　Bastard. What’s this about ‘liking her’?

　　The moment trouble started, he cut himself off cleaner than anyone, even stepping on her while she was down.

　　He had known this guy wasn’t sincere.

　　Yet the barrage was full of support for Zhou Yu.

　　【That’s the rational response. Finally, someone acting like a normal person!】

　　【Good, good. Wipe your eyes clean and find a better girl! Don’t waste yourself on some actress, the entertainment industry is too messy.】

　　【Thankfully little Zhou only joined a few days ago. He can still back out before it’s too late.】

　　【Sheng Yi, Wen Shu, can’t you both wake up already?!】

　　“I am awake,” Sheng Yi said, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve never been clearer in my life.” 

　　He figured his manager or teammates were probably spamming him right now, begging him to shut his mic.

　　This had nothing to do with him in the first place.

　　He could have stayed out of it completely.

　　But because he spoke up, his name ended up trending alongside Chu Ling’s, and the trending page was filled with people cursing him out.

　　Some said he wasn’t thinking straight, others claimed he was just trying to ride the hype and get fame by stirring up controversy.

　　Whatever.

　　Sheng Yi thought, let them curse. It wasn’t the first time. At least this way, Chu Ling wouldn’t have to stand there all alone.

　　He even went back and snapped at every single barrage that insulted Chu Ling, one by one. He hadn’t gotten far before the production team, terrified he’d stir up more trouble, rushed to drag him away and told him to mind his own business instead of arguing with the viewers.

　　The entire day, with Chu Ling absent, the livestream was a complete mess.

　　【Looks like Chu Ling has no intention of responding this time. Playing dead again, just like always.】

　　【Ha! And some fool even defended her, only to get stabbed in the back. Must feel stupid now.】

　　【I doubt she’s ever coming out. Let’s just call it a day. Boring.】

　　“Why so impatient? You won’t even survive until tomorrow morning?”

　　Just as the livestream was about to wrap up that night, and the gossip crowd was ready to log off, Chu Ling’s stunning face and sharp, unmistakable voice suddenly appeared on camera, snapping everyone’s attention back in an instant.

　　【Holy crap, it’s Chu Ling!!】

　　【She actually dared to show up?!】

　　【Get out of Heartbeat Lab! Don’t pollute this dating show, you’re not worthy!!】

　　【Still… kind of want to hear what she has to say. Those rumors always sounded ridiculous anyway.】

　　【She’s definitely here to whitewash herself. Maybe she’ll even play the victim, say it was all lies. Let’s see if she shows up with red eyes.】

　　Sorry to disappoint.

　　Even after such a storm, Chu Ling’s face showed not the slightest trace of weariness. She was still the same arrogant, dazzling, high-spirited Chu Ling, which only made countless viewers fume with rage.

　　【What? She still looks perfectly fine!】

　　【She’s acting like nothing happened at all. Her skin must be thicker than a city wall!】

　　The system: “..…”

　　Of course she looked radiant.

　　Her income had already passed forty million.

　　While other celebrities were earning two million a day, Chu Ling had pulled off the feat of raking in twenty million in just one day. How could she not be in a good mood?

　　“I know plenty of people are lining up to curse me. Don’t rush, there’s enough time for everyone.”

　　Chu Ling glanced at the comments and picked one to read aloud. “So you’re finally showing up. What were you doing until now, drafting your PR statement?”

　　She laughed after reading it, then put on an exaggeratedly touched expression. “You actually think my company would bother writing me a PR plan? You’re giving us way too much credit. Even my manager doesn’t imagine things that pretty. Thank you.”

　　“As for why I’m late, well, rumors don’t need evidence, but a response does. Otherwise, wouldn’t I be letting down the people who schemed so hard to set me up?”

　　Chu Ling sat down in front of the camera and even waved for it to zoom closer, until her face filled the screen.

　　“All these years, people have kept recycling the same insults. I never bothered to answer one by one because I thought most viewers had brains and wouldn’t buy into it. I didn’t expect to see it dragged out again today. That really surprised me.”

　　She pressed a finger to her lips, pulling an exaggerated, infuriating face. “You actually believed it?”

　　From a short distance away, Sheng Yi watched her. At her words, he suddenly chuckled.

　　As expected of Chu Ling.

　　Even in the middle of clearing her name from a massive scandal, she still couldn’t keep that sharp tongue in check.

　　【Is she insane?】

　　【She looks completely lost in her crazy-girl act. This is probably just another trick to wash her image. Don’t fall for it.】

　　【If you’re so capable, why not show some real proof?】

　　“You don’t demand evidence from the people spreading rumors, but you turn around and demand it from the one being slandered? Fine then, let’s dig into it.”

　　“Proving this kind of thing is tricky, but not impossible. First off, the claim that I landed my debut role by sleeping with a sponsor.”　　

　　Chu Ling said the words “sleeping with a sponsor” without hesitation, then rolled her eyes. “What, were you hiding under my bed? Did you see it with your own eyes?”

　　She ran her fingers over her face, her tone dripping with self-admiration. “People have been saying this about me since the day I debuted, just because I looked too good. You all thought it was a waste if this face didn’t belong to someone in power, right?”

　　“Sorry to disappoint, but no.”

　　She chuckled. “Then there’s the doubt about how I got the role of Lin Yao out of nowhere. It’s simple. Why don’t you go ask the actress who supposedly got pushed out by me why she ditched the crew and breached her contract after filming had already started?”

　　That single sentence completely overturned what most people thought they knew.

　　【Wait, what?!】

　　【That’s not what I heard. I thought Chu Ling barged in after filming had already begun, forced another actress out, and then blew up because of the role.】

　　“Try using those smooth brains of yours for once.”

　　Chu Ling gave a scornful laugh. “If I had such powerful backing, why wouldn’t I just get handed the lead role in a brand-new drama? Why would I waste all that effort stealing someone else’s supporting role? What’s the point? For the joy of being branded a vicious villainess and getting mobbed online?”

　　【…She kind of has a point. If someone really had that kind of backing, they’d have been locked into the role during casting.】

　　【But it’s still true she only joined after filming had started. I remember the press release and opening ceremony didn’t have her name anywhere.】

　　“At that time, I was brand new to the industry. I auditioned for the role and failed.”

　　“Later on, because the original actress broke her contract and ran off to film another project, the director came back to me at the last minute.”

　　Chu Ling toyed with her phone. “Luckily, I never delete my chat logs. I still have the messages between me, the director, the producer, and my manager about going for two auditions back then. I’ll post them all on Weibo in a bit.”

　　She wasn’t some resource hog who muscled her way into the role. She was the one who stepped in to save the production.

　　“And then there’s the rumor that I got dumped by a sugar daddy, which is why my career tanked.”

　　Chu Ling almost laughed. “Tell me, what kind of pathetic sugar daddy only gave me a supporting role before vanishing? Where were all these supposed amazing resources after that?”

　　Why did her popularity fade?

　　Because she turned down casting-couch deals, offended too many people, and paid the price for it.

　　“They also say I have low EQ, that I throw my weight around…”

　　Chu Ling tilted her head. “Sorry, I’ve offended so many people I can’t keep track anymore.”

　　“But if I cursed someone out, then they probably had it coming, don’t you think?”

　　She added, her voice cool and steady, “Especially those so-called directors, producers, and investors who tried to force drinks on me at dinner tables and slipped their hands onto my leg. Throwing a drink back at them counts as arrogance? Really?”

　　She gave a short laugh. “I always thought that was just cleaning up the workplace, standing up against toxic behavior.”

　　Sheng Yi blinked, suddenly realizing why Chu Ling had stepped in to shield him from drinking at a banquet once. She’d already seen this kind of thing far too many times.

　　“Actually, I still remember the names of quite a few of you.” Chu Ling’s expression was calm, almost indifferent. “If you want to come out and say I was the one acting arrogant, I’ll be more than happy to face you head-on.”

　　【Wait… I actually remember this rumor. Back then people said Chu Ling acted stuck-up after she got popular and offended a lot of people. But was it actually some old creeps trying to harass her at those dinners?】

　　【There really were tons of articles about her being difficult to work with, but none of them ever had concrete proof. It was always ‘an insider revealed…’】

　　【…Honestly, being a female celebrity sounds miserable.】

　　【If that’s true, then she really deserves sympathy.】

　　“The wildest one? That I dropped out of school to chase money in the entertainment industry.”

　　Chu Ling pulled a folder from beside her and took out the freshly delivered diploma. “I graduated properly, thank you very much. Sure, I barely showed up in my senior year because of work, but I’d already earned most of my credits.”

　　“Whose genius idea was it to claim that just because I wasn’t seen at the graduation ceremony, it means I didn’t graduate? Since when do universities hand out diplomas based on attendance at a ceremony? If that’s the standard, then the janitors and security guards should count as alumni too.”

　　【…Pfft, I’m dying, who even came up with this rumor?】　　

　　【Listening to her, she really doesn’t seem to have done anything wrong. Maybe she just offended too many people.】

　　【Throwing drinks at people during banquets… yeah, I can see why she made enemies, hahahaha.】

　　【But then why didn’t she clear things up before? Is she just using this for hype now?】

　　“Hype?”

　　Chu Ling arched a brow. “With just a few words I can hit the trending list. You think I need to hype myself up with tabloid trash? If you want this kind of ‘blessing,’ I’d gladly hand it to you.”

　　“I’ve already clarified plenty of times before. People just didn’t bother listening.”

　　In interviews, on Weibo, every time someone asked her.

　　Back then, she wasn’t acting fiery. Whatever she said was brushed off as some PR routine, and nobody believed her anyway.

　　“Besides, we’re all in the entertainment circle. You have to leave people some room to save face, don’t you?”

　　“And at the time, I was still a rookie. I thought, if I offended the wrong person, maybe I wouldn’t be able to survive in this industry. So I let a lot of things slide.”

　　Her tone sharpened. “But now? I don’t care anymore.”

　　“If the entertainment industry doesn’t want me, fine. I can walk away.”

　　Chu Ling lifted her chin, eyes like blades cutting straight into the camera. “But even if I quit tomorrow, there’s still one thing I need to do first.”

　　“That netizen who goes by the name ‘Wangzai Ding Ding Dang’…”

　　“Are you ready to receive my lawyer’s letter?”

　　

  

 

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