Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 37: Unfortunately, The Plagiarism Rate Is Ninety Percent.

　　“Ah.”

　　Ye Weiyang seemed to sense the subtle tension in the air. She smiled and stepped in to ease the mood. “Since these two are a pair... I think we shouldn’t separate them. How about we treat them as one gift, and someone can take them together?”

　　But Chu Ling had already pulled her hand back, showing no intention of picking them up again.

　　Sheng Yi glanced around. Since no one else spoke up, he smoothly said, “Then, thank you?”

　　Chu Ling looked again, then chose a small shark.

　　Wen Shu was a little surprised. “You picked a shark?”

　　There were so many cute little animals, yet Chu Ling went straight for the fiercest one in the bunch.

　　Although she hadn’t expected it, when she thought about Chu Ling’s personality, it somehow made sense. “Because the shark is the king of the sea?”

　　“Not exactly.”

　　Chu Ling pointed at the little fins on the shark’s sides. “This way, if someone annoys me, I can just lift this up and show them how I feel.”

　　Shark arm.

　　System: “...”

　　Wen Shu: “...”

　　She had to admit, this choice really did fit Chu Ling’s character.

　　Sheng Yi carefully kept the pair of penguins, but he couldn’t help sneaking a few more glances at Chu Ling.

　　If earlier he could still convince himself that he was overthinking, now he truly realized that Chu Ling was upset with him.

　　To put him down directly in front of the cameras and all these people... she must be really angry.

　　The problem was, he had no idea why.

　　Yesterday they were still chatting just fine. How had things flipped overnight?

　　Surely he hadn’t done something bad while sleepwalking last night?

　　Sheng Yi’s feelings were tangled.

　　Just yesterday, he had realized that he was starting to feel something for Chu Ling. Rationally, he told himself he should suppress it, since this was impossible.

　　This was just a dating show. Both of them had their own scripts, and after the program, they would go their separate ways.

　　Chu Ling’s coldness toward him today actually gave him the chance to calm down.

　　If things continued like this, maybe he would gradually let go of the idea of liking her…

　　Ten minutes later.

　　At the end of the hallway, away from the cameras, Sheng Yi stopped Chu Ling who was on her way back to her room.

　　“Can you tell me what’s going on?”

　　Leaning casually against the wall, he bent down a little and asked her directly, “If I did something that made you uncomfortable, you can just tell me.”

　　Sheng Yi realized he really couldn’t hold it in anymore.

　　He didn’t like going around in circles.

　　Chu Ling had always been the type to speak bluntly too.

　　He would rather she scold him to his face and let him know exactly what he did wrong, than deal with this unexplainable coldness and distance.

　　Chu Ling: “?”

　　Shouldn’t she be the one asking that?　　

　　She had no idea why Sheng Yi had been pouring negative emotions onto her all night. Just how much did he hate her?

　　This was the first time Chu Ling had earned money but felt no joy from it. Instead, she was a little frustrated.

　　Sheng Yi thought back to what she said that morning. He couldn’t figure out when he had ever acted two-faced.

　　If he had to say something, maybe it was because he didn’t send her the message last night?

　　But that was her own suggestion.

　　After things came to light during the hotpot gathering yesterday, they had talked about how to play out the show’s storyline in a way that would gain popularity without causing too much trouble.

　　When it came to popularity, Chu Ling’s only experience was in making people angry.

　　Still, she had bold ideas.

　　She told him that while the love triangle storyline would inevitably lead to more criticism, it would also let him ride on the Film Emperor’s popularity and even lean into his “strict dad” persona for marketing. It would still be worth it in the end.

　　Besides, from her personal point of view, she didn’t want Wen Shu to stay tied to Qin Shuo. So she supported Sheng Yi continuing down this path.

　　Conveniently, Wen Shu didn’t like him anyway, and Chu Ling said she would talk to Wen Shu about it. There was no chance of them becoming a real couple, and even if they did, it would just be contractual.

　　That way, everyone gained popularity, and at worst only Qin Shuo would get hurt.

　　So why did things feel completely different after they went back?

　　Sheng Yi decided to just ask her directly. “Did I do something that made you think I was being two-faced? Or did someone tell you something about me?”

　　The fact that he asked so bluntly caught Chu Ling a little off guard.

　　As she thought it over, she noticed his negative emotions still fluctuating wildly.

　　She frowned.

　　Was he apologizing on the surface while secretly cursing her in his head?

　　Her irritation spiked. “What do you think?”

　　Sheng Yi, who was already nervous and uneasy because of her, and continuously leaking negative emotions: “...”

　　Of course he didn’t think so.

　　“I didn’t. You’re just imagining things.”

　　Chu Ling gave a cold laugh. “Unless you’re feeling guilty.”

　　With that, she turned, walked into her room, and slammed the door shut.

　　Sheng Yi: “...?”

　　Why did it feel like he came to apologize, yet somehow made her even angrier?

　　—

　　“What’s wrong?”

　　The system looked at Chu Ling storming into the room, confused. “He’s giving you negative emotions to earn money. Isn’t that a good thing?”

　　Besides, Chu Ling had always been doing exactly that.

　　From its perspective, making money without any effort was the best deal in the world.

　　“The whole world is the same,” Chu Ling said.

　　By logic, she should have been used to it by now. What was there to be angry about?

　　But for some reason, her mood was still sour.

　　She sat on the bed and punched the teddy bear she had brought back yesterday to vent her frustration.

　　She had actually, for a moment, treated Sheng Yi like a friend.

　　Turns out he was no different from anyone else.

　　She should have known. Someone like her, disliked by everyone, should never expect anything from others.

　　It was just about making money anyway. Whether people liked her or not didn’t matter. In fact, the more they disliked her, the better. If they didn’t like her, she could earn even more.

　　—

　　Chu Ling was still upset when, close to evening, the production team sent out a new task.

　　Everyone received a message on their phones.

　　【The “Heartbeat Lab” program is already halfway through. Maybe by now you’ve developed feelings for someone during your dates. But have you found yourself lacking the time or the chance to really have a deep talk with each other?】

　　【Tonight is the full moon, a perfect time for heart-to-heart conversations.】

　　【Head up to the rooftop. Under the moonlight, share your pasts, explore the future, talk about poetry, songs, and dreams, or say the words you’ve been keeping hidden in your heart.】

　　【Invite the one person you’d like to open up to, and enjoy the moon together.】

　　【Note: Everyone can only send one invitation, and only to someone of the opposite sex.】

　　After being played by Chu Ling too many times, the production team added the “opposite sex” rule just to be safe.

　　“I have zero interest in learning about their pasts.”

　　Chu Ling asked the staff, “Can I just skip this?”

　　Staff: “…If you really don’t want to invite anyone, then yes.”

　　After the stunts she had pulled before, they didn’t dare force her into anything, afraid she might turn around and invite Qin Shuo just to dig up more of the film emperor’s dark history.

　　Chu Ling: That makes it easy.

　　She thought she was free to relax, but before long she received an invitation from Lin Zirun.

　　She happened to be in a bad mood today and wanted to pick a scapegoat to cheer herself up, so she accepted.

　　According to the rules, only one pair could be on the rooftop at a time.

　　When Chu Ling pushed the door open, Lin Zirun was already there.

　　She had expected the rooftop to be bare and empty, but it was surprisingly well decorated. The warm yellow lighting added a cozy atmosphere.

　　“You’re here.”

　　Lin Zirun stood up from the table, poured two glasses of wine, and said, “How about a drink? The moonlight is so beautiful tonight. Why don’t we raise a toast to the moon and make four shadows between us?”

　　Chu Ling: “…”

　　It had been a while, but Lin Zirun was still exactly the same.

　　She happened to be in the mood for a drink, so she sat down and clinked glasses with him.

　　“It feels like… we haven’t had a proper one-on-one conversation in ages. The last time must have been way back during that date.”

　　【I can’t believe he actually brought up that date, hahahaha】

　　【Lin Zirun really is something. After that disaster of a date, he’s still chasing Chu Ling.】

　　【If I’m not mistaken, didn’t she roast him really badly that time?】

　　Chu Ling didn’t expect that after all this, Lin Zirun still hadn’t given up on her.

　　She vaguely remembered that during the cruise she had insulted him pretty harshly.

　　Her eyes turned a little strange when she looked at him.

　　As expected, a true masochist will always be a masochist.

　　Lin Zirun really had no other choice.

　　From the moment he picked Chu Ling, he had already decided to go all the way.

　　Now that her popularity online was skyrocketing and she was being hyped up as the “queen of topics,” with people starting to spin the narrative of【Chu Guiren may be mean, but she’s hilarious】, there was no way he was letting go.

　　“Really?”

　　Chu Ling propped her chin on her hand and lazily swirled her wine glass, sounding perfunctory.

　　“Can I ask?”

　　Lin Zirun said, “After all this time, do you feel any attraction to any of the other male guests?”

　　Chu Ling paused for a moment, then said, “Not yet.”　　

　　“That’s great. That means I’m not too late.”

　　Lin Zirun smiled.

　　Chu Ling: “…”

　　“I know it might not be the best timing to say this now.”

　　Lin Zirun gazed at her affectionately, like a scene straight out of a drama. “But if I don’t tell you now, I’m afraid it will be too late, and I’ll never get another chance.”

　　“At first, I never imagined that coming on this show, I would meet you, let alone develop feelings for you.”

　　“After all, when I first arrived, I had no illusions about us, because I knew we weren’t from the same world.”

　　“But you know how emotions are. When they come, they come. Over this time, I’ve done everything I could to appreciate the things you’re passionate about. I’ve racked my brains to prove that I’m not some ignorant or shallow person. From what I know, most people feel sad and disappointed when they fall in love but don’t get anything in return. But I’m not like that…”

　　The more Chu Ling listened, the more familiar it sounded.

　　Lin Zirun kept going, “…Every time I see happiness in your eyes, I feel happiness in my own heart.”　　

　　【Wow, he’s so good with words… that was so romantic…】

　　【Did I misunderstand Lin Zirun before? His feelings sound deeper than I thought.】

　　【And he’s so brave, actually saying it out loud. This can’t be the ending already, right?】

　　【Maybe saying it is the only way to fight for his chance.】

　　【Rooting for the Male Guest No.2! Pure love warrior, go!】

　　【No wonder he’s a writer. That confession really hits.】

　　After hearing him out, Chu Ling leaned back and laughed.

　　“Didn’t you forget a line?”

　　She raised her brow and said, “What you really forgot to add was, even though I’m stupid, frivolous, and empty-headed, you still love me, right?”

　　Lin Zirun’s proud, lovestruck expression froze.

　　Chu Ling said, “Not bad. You copied the passage well, but too bad the plagiarism rate is ninety percent.”

　　And he had even smugly skipped the most famous line, as if people had only read the beginning?

　　“Lucky for you, you left out the part where she’s called second-rate trash.”

　　“Because I personally think I’m top-tier.”

　　Chu Ling crossed her arms, giving him a sideways glance, “And you’re nothing but trash.”

 

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