Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 36: What Kind Of Love-brain Are You?

　　Chu Ling asked the system, “What’s going on?”

　　This was way too strange.

　　Sheng Yi wasn’t even with her, so how did he suddenly start disliking her?

　　Chu Ling felt like she was just sitting quietly in her room, and somehow the pot fell on her head out of nowhere.

　　System: “...Maybe you just did something, and he only realized it now?”

　　Chu Ling: “?”

　　What did she do?

　　After thinking it over, all she had done was send a text, asking Sheng Yi to go to the amusement park with her again next time.

　　What was wrong with that?

　　It wasn’t even certain he knew she was the one who sent that message.

　　Chu Ling kept refreshing the backend and saw that the negative emotions Sheng Yi contributed were still climbing.

　　Not by much each time, just a few points here and there, slowly ticking up.

　　Other people’s negative emotions usually spiked all at once, and then with every snarky line she threw at them, the number might go up again.

　　But this kind of steady increase, this was the first time she had seen it.

　　System: “What exactly did you do?”

　　Chu Ling: “...I’d really like to know that too. What did I do?”

　　Before, no matter how she roasted Sheng Yi, he never got mad. Even when her words were cutting, he just wouldn’t get angry.

　　Today they had fun at the amusement park, ate hotpot together, and he had even spoken honestly for once, almost like he was opening up a little. Then he turned around and suddenly started hating her.

　　Chu Ling’s lips twitched. “...Does your system ever get bugs?”

　　—

　　How could he possibly like Chu Ling?

　　Was he sick in the head?

　　He came on this show to work, not to fall in love.

　　If his three bandmates ever found out about this, what kind of teasing would he face when he got back?

　　Sheng Yi rolled over in bed, restless, unable to figure out where these feelings had even come from.

　　Besides, she was a celebrity.

　　Would she even look his way?

　　He was just a nobody in some small-time band, completely out of her league.

　　What kind of guys did Chu Ling even like?

　　He couldn’t figure it out. On this show, it felt like she roasted every type of guy there was.

　　Was he a masochist or something?　　

　　When he first arrived, Chu Ling didn’t hold back on roasting him either.

　　She had run her mouth plenty of times, yet somehow he still found her interesting and cute.

　　...But she really was cute.

　　Lying awake, Sheng Yi’s mind replayed her face.

　　The way she laughed, the smug look she had when she got in a good jab, the times she secretly rolled her eyes off-camera, the way she pretended to be a tiger just to scare him, the moment in the dark when she covered his mouth and leaned against him.

　　It seemed like no matter what she did, she was just… adorable.

　　Stop.

　　Enough. He couldn’t keep thinking like this.

　　Sheng Yi couldn’t even tell if these feelings were just an impulse or if it was real. He had never liked anyone before, and his bandmates had even joked that he was incapable of feeling anything.

　　Yet now, whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see was Chu Ling.

　　He wrestled with his thoughts all night before finally drifting off to sleep.

　　That night, he dreamed that he and Chu Ling had gone back to the haunted house.

　　Only this time, the one who fell into the coffin wasn’t Wen Shu, but the two of them together.

　　Chu Ling landed right on top of him. Then, as if she heard something outside, she froze, lying still against him.

　　He could feel her hair tickling his face, her breath brushing against his, mingling with it.

　　“I get it now.”

　　Chu Ling whispered, “We can’t make a sound.”

　　He nodded, barely daring to breathe.

　　An NPC passed by, even leaning in to listen.

　　In the silence of the coffin, even their breaths felt dangerously loud.

　　Then Chu Ling shifted. He instinctively thought she was about to cover his mouth with her hand, but instead her face moved closer, and her lips sealed his breath.

　　The moment Chu Ling kissed him, Sheng Yi’s heart pounded so wildly that it jolted him awake.

　　He sat there in a daze, then slapped himself.

　　What kind of dreams was he having!

　　At the very moment he should be focused on his career, he went and fell for someone impossible. What kind of love-brain was he?

　　—

　　Sheng Yi barely slept that night.

　　The next morning, when he dragged himself downstairs with dark circles under his eyes, Chu Ling was already having breakfast.

　　She had only tied her hair up in a simple bun and was wearing plain pajamas, nothing styled at all, yet she still stood out with her beauty.

　　Here we go again.

　　Sheng Yi felt that strong heartbeat all over again.

　　Trying to act calm, he walked over and greeted her. “Morning.”

　　Chu Ling gave him a smile that was anything but friendly. “Heh.”

　　Sheng Yi: “?”

　　Had he offended her in any way?

　　Things were perfectly fine last night.

　　Yesterday, when the system did a check, the result came back saying its judgment was correct.

　　Which meant Sheng Yi really was secretly resenting her behind her back.

　　Chu Ling went through all the possible reasons with the system, but no matter how they analyzed it, they couldn’t figure it out. They even considered the possibility that he had an avoidant personality, and after opening up too much yesterday he regretted it and ended up dragging her into his resentment too.

　　But whatever the reason, Sheng Yi had definitely generated negative emotions toward her.

　　So Chu Ling wasn’t exactly in the mood to be friendly with him anymore.

　　Sheng Yi looked confused. “What’s wrong?”

　　“Nothing,” Chu Ling said.

　　He grabbed a piece of bread, sat down across from her, and asked, “Bad mood?”

　　Chu Ling: “No.”

　　Sheng Yi: “Not feeling well?”

　　Chu Ling: “No.”

　　Sheng Yi: “Did someone upset you?”

　　“Something like that.”

　　Chu Ling gave a soft hum and said, “Some people are really strange. They act one way in front of you and another behind your back. They make it look like you’re on good terms, but who knows what they’re really thinking about you inside.”    

　　【Who is she talking about?】

　　【Throwing shade at someone??】

　　【No, Chu Ling isn’t the type to talk behind people’s backs… her favorite thing is saying it right to their face.】

　　【So going by that logic, the one she’s talking about is… Sheng Yi?】

　　Sheng Yi: “...?”

　　She’s talking about him?

　　He didn’t get it, but still asked, “Did I do something to upset you?”

　　Huh.

　　Chu Ling glanced at the system panel, puzzled.

　　Now Sheng Yi wasn’t resenting her anymore.

　　She had basically called him out to his face, and he still had no reaction.

　　Chu Ling couldn’t figure it out.

　　But the confusion only made her more curious about Sheng Yi, wondering why his numbers behaved so strangely.

　　Just as Sheng Yi was about to say something else, footsteps sounded upstairs.

　　Before long, the others came down one after another for breakfast.

　　Wen Shu came downstairs, saw the others already gathered, and suddenly remembered. “Oh right, you guys came back late yesterday. I forgot to give you your gifts.”

　　She went back to her room, then placed the presents she and Chu Ling had bought onto the table. “Here, these are for you guys. Not sure if you’ll like them though.”

　　Gao Yan let out a squeal, playing along. “These are way too cute!”

　　Ye Weiyang laughed. “What a coincidence, we also brought gifts for you.”

　　She pulled a gift bag out from under the coffee table in the living room, placed it on the table, and said, “These are little animal figurines from the aquarium. We picked out a bunch, so feel free to choose whichever one you like.”

　　Chu Ling glanced inside.

　　Sure enough, there were lots of animals: sea lions, seals, orcas.

　　Wen Shu asked, “Can we really just pick any?”

　　Ye Weiyang gave a generous smile and waved her hand. “Go ahead, pick freely.”

　　Chu Ling spotted a pair of penguins in the corner, small and finely made. She reached out toward the one on the right. “Then I’ll take this one—”

　　Just as she spoke, she heard someone across the table pick the one on the left at the exact same time.

　　Both of them froze, lifting their heads to meet each other’s eyes.

　　“Oh wow, you two chose perfectly. These are actually a pair,” Gao Yan explained excitedly. “They’re modeled after the star penguin couple at the park. We even saw them yesterday. Penguins are monogamous, and those two have been together in the park for many years. So romantic.”

　　Chu Ling instantly pulled her hand back as if burned. “Then I don’t want it.”

　　Sheng Yi: “?”

　　Chu Ling gave a cold little laugh. “We’re not a couple, so taking a pair would just look weird, right?”

　　【Oh my god, this atmosphere is so awkward…】

　　【Okay, from the looks of it, I’m convinced the amusement park date yesterday definitely wasn’t Overbearing CP. I’m starting to suspect they actually had a big fight off-camera.】

　　【Not necessarily. Maybe they’re just avoiding suspicion after yesterday’s rumors.】

　　【Can you CP fans stop forcing it? You’re as blind as your idols and just as overbearing.】

　　【Where’s Qin Shuo? Maybe he should come out and break the tension.】

　　【How’s he supposed to do that?】

　　【Everyone knows that whenever he shows up, Overbearing CP gangs up on him, so maybe they’ll stop fighting with each other.】

 

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