Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 64: I Want to Confess to Chu Ling

　　After Qin Shuo finished speaking, he left with a sour face.

　　The director was stunned. When he realized what was happening, he wanted to chase him. “Wait… Teacher Qin, let’s talk this through…”

　　But Qin Shuo had already slammed his door shut with such force that everyone nearby flinched.

　　Chu Ling rolled her eyes. “And they say I’m the diva? Now that’s what a real diva looks like.”

　　Refusing to film was one thing, but threatening the production team too?

　　The director was flustered, but he knew perfectly well this entire mess was Qin Shuo’s doing. He didn’t blame Chu Ling for her sarcasm. He only muttered to himself in despair, “This is a disaster.”

　　Gao Yan, the bystander, blinked curiously. “Is he really that powerful?”

　　“This show was launched from the beginning by Qin Shuo,” the director explained. “Back when it was just a proposal, Qin Shuo promised he’d join, then even invested his own money. That’s what officially got us off the ground.”

　　That was why the team bent the rules for him, letting him cheat here and there. Not only did he bring traffic and hype, he was basically half a sponsor.

　　Wen Shu only now realized the truth. Back then, she had been egged on by friends to join a romance show and find a fresh start after her divorce. She signed up in a daze, never suspecting she had already walked straight into Qin Shuo’s trap.

　　“Not to mention, most of the sponsors signed on because of him,” the director added with a heavy sigh. “If he leaves, they might pull out too.”

　　Sheng Yi tried to comfort him. “There are only a few days left. Even if they’re unhappy, they won’t break the contract.”

　　The director shook his head. “What I’m worried about is Qin Shuo pressuring them.”

　　Chu Ling chuckled and said with certainty, “They won’t dare.”

　　“Besides, what do sponsors want? Attention. Isn’t our show already buzzing enough?”

　　Sure, it wasn’t positive attention. But so what? In this industry, infamy was still fame.

　　Better to be notorious than forgotten.

　　“Qin Shuo quitting is just another headline we can spin,” Chu Ling said with a shrug.

　　She paused, then added with a sly smile, “I can even livestream and spill some gossip about him. With this level of hype, no one’s going to waste it.”

　　The others: “…”

　　The director: “...Maybe you’re not afraid of dying, but I’d still like to live!” (T/N: Hahaha, that poor Director!😂)

　　Chu Ling truly didn’t care whether the show wrapped up or not. But since the production team had paid her salary and thrown in so much extra money, she figured she might as well see it through to the end.

　　Wen Shu thought for a moment before asking, “Since there are only a few days left, why don’t we just wrap up the recording early?”

　　“Right now, all the viewers care about is Qin Shuo’s mess. Hardly anyone is interested in a proper ending. We can’t just pretend nothing happened.”

　　“And besides… the final segment was just the confessions anyway.”　　

　　In dating shows, the climax was always about romance. Suspense would be dragged out until the very last episode, to see which couples would end up together.

　　That was the standard format.

　　But Heartbeat Lab was clearly no ordinary dating show.

　　The audience didn’t care about romance anymore. What they wanted was gossip. Who will be the next to fall apart?

　　The director swept his gaze over the group and sighed in despair. “I doubt any of you can actually make it as a couple.”

　　The most popular pair in the first half, Qin Shuo and Wen Shu, had split and now Qin Shuo had quit entirely.

　　The next pair in line, Jiang Yicheng and Gao Yan, had collapsed too, after his spoiled-rich-kid persona was exposed and he left the show.

　　This season was cursed.

　　One scandal after another, guests leaving one by one, and now even the main star had fallen.

　　The director finally asked in defeat, “Does anyone here still want to confess?”　　

　　Zhou Yu raised his hand. “Me!

　　Chu Ling shot him a look. “Don’t disgust me, alright?”

　　The only reason she hadn’t ripped into him on camera before was to save his face. The man was the type to switch sides with the wind and kick someone while they were down. Did he really want to be roasted again?

　　Zhou Yu awkwardly put his hand down.

　　Staying alive was more important.

　　Chu Ling thought for a moment. “Qin Shuo will definitely release his own statement about quitting, so that’s not our concern.”

　　“As for the final recording, forget the confessions. Just make it a farewell or graduation segment, let everyone say their goodbyes, and it’ll be a proper wrap-up.”

　　It didn’t sound much like a dating show ending.

　　But at least it was something.

　　The director gave a weary smile. “Looks like that’s the only option left. You’ve all worked hard.”

　　Who could have imagined that a romance show that started out so exciting would end up in such a mess.

　　After the director walked away, Sheng Yi hurried after him.

　　“I do,” he said.

　　The director blinked. “You do what?”

　　“I have… someone I want to confess to,” Sheng Yi replied.

　　“You mean Wen Shu?” The director shook his head. “That love triangle lost its appeal long ago. You two barely interacted for many episodes. The audience won’t buy it. And she doesn’t seem interested in you either. Chances are slim.”

　　Well, not every dating show had to end with a happy couple. But one as chaotic and explosive as this one was certainly rare.

　　“No.” Sheng Yi said firmly, “I want to confess to Chu Ling.”

　　—

　　That very day, Qin Shuo left the show without a word.　　

　　His studio quickly released an official statement, claiming that although the leaked audio did contain some of his voice, much of it was misleading, deliberately guided, and heavily edited to distort the truth. They accused the source of fabricating evidence, violating his right to privacy, and declared that none of it reflected reality.

　　The statement also pointed fingers at the production team, saying that during filming they prioritized hype over the artist’s image, using malicious editing, scripted manipulation, and other harmful methods. Disappointed and unwilling to continue under such conditions, Qin Shuo chose to withdraw from the show.

　　Between the lines, the meaning was clear: Chu Ling had set him up, and the production team had helped her do it.

　　Qin Shuo’s fans, who had already been given a heads-up, immediately sided with him. They believed Chu Ling had colluded with the production team to frame him, and stormed the show’s official page.

　　Although they couldn’t out-shout passersby in Chu Ling’s comments section, they still rallied together under the show’s posts, swapping in matching avatars and accusing the production team of harming their ¹idol.

　　Qin Shuo also tried to use his connections to pressure the show, hoping to force the show to shut down.

　　“Oh?”

　　On the other side, Chu Ling faced the camera with complete calm. “So now he’s accusing me of spreading rumors? Fine. Let him sue me then.”　　

　　Since she had time these days, and the production team had asked her to help soothe the audience, she decided to start a livestream herself. “When it goes to court, I’ll just hand over the original audio. Let the experts check if it’s been spliced or not. Problem solved, right?”

　　She raised an eyebrow and smiled provocatively. “But does he dare?”

　　That so-called statement was nothing more than smoke and mirrors for the fans.

　　Both of them knew perfectly well that Qin Shuo would never sue. If he did, it would only backfire and expose him further.

　　And blaming the production team for “manufacturing drama”? Please. The show had been more than lenient with him. Who else was there to blame but himself?

　　Leading his fans to attack the production team was just picking the softer target.

　　【LMAO, we warned him not to mess with Chu Ling. He didn’t listen, and guess what? The one ending up in jail won’t be our Queen Chu.】

　　【That so-called “clarification” is so flimsy it might as well be toilet paper. Only his fans would still believe it.】

　　【Instead of saying he left because of unfair treatment, let’s be real—he got flamed so badly he couldn’t stay.】

　　【This excuse is even weaker than Jiang Yicheng’s.】

　　【Chu-jie, I officially declare you my goddess. But please, tell me what dirt you have on Qin Shuo that makes him hate you this much?!】

　　【We’ve been waiting for days, dying of curiosity here!】

　　Chu Ling gave a mock-frightened look, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “But if I really spill it, what if his fans come after me again? I’ve already been scolded nonstop these past two days.”

　　The system: “…”

　　You’ve also been raking in cash nonstop!

　　【Don’t worry! We’ll protect you!】

　　【This time, when Qin-fans attack you, there will no longer be no one behind you, but a huge army of righteous passers-by!】

　　【I’ll stand right here and see who dares to scold my only connection in the entertainment industry!】

　　Chu Ling tapped her fingernail lightly on the table, then said, “Alright, are there any of his fans in here right now? If there are, you’d better leave. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

　　She waited a few seconds before speaking again. “I won’t say too much, otherwise it’ll look like I’m just slandering. But for those curious, you can dig into his marriage records. Your idol isn’t exactly the pure, thirty-five-year-old, love-inexperienced boy you think he is.”

　　【?!】

　　【What do you mean by that?!】

　　【Don’t tell me… Qin Shuo is secretly married?!】

　　【Married and still went on a dating show? That’s trash behavior!】

　　Chu Ling only smiled without answering.

　　She could have revealed far more.

　　But back then, Wen Shu had told her she didn’t want to be known as “Qin Shuo’s ex-wife.” Chu Ling understood and respected that.

　　So she simply tossed out a hint.

　　She never actually said whether Qin Shuo was secretly married. That kind of thing is hard to verify anyway. It was enough to plant a seed and let imaginations run wild.

　　And Qin Shuo? He was never going to reveal his marital status to the public. At most, he would issue a half-hearted denial claiming to be single. Suing her was out of the question.

　　Chu Ling knew exactly what would sting a fan’s heart the most.

　　Casual viewers might think it was low-class to personally spread rumors. But in a fan’s eyes, if their idol was accused of slandering another female celebrity, then surely it had to be the woman’s fault. She was shameless. Their “gege” was only misled.

　　But if it turned out their idol had hidden a marriage while pretending to be single, tricking them for years, that was unforgivable.

　　For fans, that was the ultimate betrayal.

　　Chu Ling had only dropped a single piece of information. From here on, they could connect the dots themselves.

　　And what would those fans—who had been charging into battle for Qin Shuo, attacking the show on his behalf—do when they found out?

　　Even if they didn’t believe it at first, the thorn would still be there, buried under their skin.

　　Besides, once any “rumor” starts spreading, there is no telling where it ends.

　　Back in the day, baseless rumors about her had fermented until they became part of her public persona. This time, the gossip came stamped with the credibility of an industry insider. Surely people would believe it even more.

　　Qin Shuo had dug up her past. She was simply returning the favor, tooth for tooth.

　　【What are Qin-fans saying now?】

　　【Probably calling it fake again, saying it’s just another rumor lol. But I bet Qin Shuo still won’t sue.】

　　【Industry gossip is always the real deal! Can Qin Shuo finally fall off the map already? Slandering female stars, hiding a marriage while going on dating shows, creeping on female guests and acting like someone’s dad… people like that should leave the industry.】

　　【Are Qin's fans the only ones allowed to criticize the production team? Who's going to support his endorsement?】　　

　　【Speaking for myself, I’m steering clear of all his endorsements from now on.】

　　【Who could have guessed Qin Shuo would collapse like this? The real him is nothing like his former image.】

　　“You all didn’t see the face he made threatening our production team, telling us the show couldn’t go on,” Chu Ling said with a sneer. “Completely different from the virtuous, respectable ‘Teacher Qin Shuo’ in your minds.”

　　She stressed each word deliberately, then answered a question from the scrolling chat. “How’s the show doing now… Not great.”

　　She let out a sigh. “Yes, we’re already preparing to wrap up early.”

　　Sure enough, as soon as she said it, the audience’s anger at Qin Shuo flared even hotter.

　　Chu Ling tried to soothe them. “A lot has happened in between, but after filming this long, we still want to give everyone a proper ending. There’s pressure, yes… but we’re working hard to sort things out. Even if it’s not exactly what you expected, we’ll do our best.”

　　Then she smiled. “Honestly, I’ve actually had a lot of fun here.”

　　She wasn’t lying.

　　Who wouldn’t be happy to wake up and find another few hundred thousand deposited in their account?

　　The system: “…..”

　　This show probably hasn’t made anyone else happy but you.

　　【Is it really ending?!】

　　【I thought it was supposed to run until the end of the month!】

　　【Qin Shuo, I hate you. You left and you’re still making trouble! Couldn’t you let us watch for a few more days?】

　　【First one to quit the show and now ruining it too. I dislike Qin Shuo more than the last two guys who crashed and burned.】

　　【No, Chu-jie, please! Watching you roast people has been my daily routine these past two months. There’s an edit of your best comebacks on X-site I’ve rewatched dozens of times. You’re truly one of a kind in the whole entertainment industry!】

　　In just a short while, the money coming in started climbing again.

　　By now, Chu Ling was more than familiar with how it worked. She only needed to think for a moment to figure it out.

　　Ah… reluctance also counted as a negative emotion.

　　She glanced at her dashboard.

　　Her balance had already hit fifty million.

　　“Thank you, everyone.”

　　Chu Ling smiled brightly, clearly in a good mood. “These past days I’ve been under everyone’s care. I know there are plenty of people who don’t like me, but I’m willing to accept all the criticism. In the future, I also welcome everyone’s advice.”

　　She hadn’t said the last four words—but I won’t change—before the screen was suddenly flooded with emotional comments.

　　【Wuwuwu, Chu Ling is just too good!】

　　【Even when so many people misunderstand her, she still insists on being herself. It’s our fault we got to know her too late.】

　　【The world kissed me with pain, yet I repay it with song.】

　　Chu Ling: “?”

________________

Glossary:

¹Idol: In C-ent (Chinese entertainment), “idol” doesn’t only mean an idol singer. It’s often used by fans to mean “the star I support,” regardless of whether they’re a singer, dancer, or actor. Even if Qin Shuo works only as an actor, his fans can still call him idol because it’s a fan’s perspective word, not his actual profession.

…..

T/N: Two more “treats” fresh out of the oven today, all thanks to our lovely Yobikir! Thank you, thank you for the Kofi love. I’ve whipped these up for you and your reader “siblings,” haha. 😂 Enjoy… but no fighting over the goodies, okay?

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