Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 74: Sheng Yi Leaned Down and Kissed Her

　　For some reason, Chu Ling’s heartbeat seemed to skip a beat all of a sudden.

　　It wasn’t until the second verse that she finally found the lyrics and joined Sheng Yi in singing.

　　The fans had guessed right.

　　Chu Ling and Sheng Yi had never sung a duet before, yet their voices blended surprisingly well.

　　Sheng Yi kept his head lowered as he strummed the guitar. Chu Ling sat beside him, her fingers gently tapping along to his rhythm. The two barely looked at each other, and even when they did it was only for a fleeting moment, yet somehow the sight of them together just felt… right.

　　【So good! So good!】

　　【Big win for the fan who requested this song!! I never expected their voices to fit this well.】

　　【Even though they’re already together, the way they sang still carried that aching, unrequited feeling.】

　　【Especially 11. That expression of yours—why do I feel like you’re still secretly in love? You already got the ¹wife but you still sing so bitterly?!】

　　“Really?”

　　When the song ended, Sheng Yi glanced at the comments. He casually brushed the strings again and gave a small, offhanded smile. “You’re supposed to put real feelings into a song.”

　　Oh.

　　So it was just the emotion of singing.

　　Chu Ling thought, close call. For a second there, she almost misunderstood.

　　【00’s voice is so nice too! Have you ever thought about joining Mayfly Party as a co-vocalist?】

　　Chu Ling: “Me?”

　　Sheng Yi saw that comment too and laughed, asking her, “What do you think? Want to try?”

　　“No way.”

　　Chu Ling refused instantly. “I don’t want to take someone else’s job. Besides, aren’t bands usually against dating within the group? What, are you planning to make an exception for me?”

　　“Why not?”

　　Sheng Yi replied, “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve made an exception for you.”

　　【Wow! Tell us more about these exceptions!】

　　【They’re over here flirting without a care in the world. What about the poor fan who requested the song!】

　　“Don’t mind me, don’t mind me.”

　　The Domesticated Fierce Dog fan saw the comments and quickly spoke up. “As long as you two are happy!”

　　The host chuckled. “Alright, let’s pick our next lucky viewer.”

　　This time, the chosen viewer sounded a little stunned. “I didn’t think it would be me… let me think…”

　　Chu Ling glanced at her username. It looked like an ordinary, everyday account. Probably not a hardcore fan, maybe just a passerby. Surely she wouldn’t ask for something too difficult.

　　“Can you two… kiss each other?”

　　The lucky viewer asked, “A lot of people want to see it!”

　　【Wow! My spokesperson!】　

　　【This girl is fierce!】

　　【She said she hadn’t thought of anything but went straight for the big one!!】

　　Sheng Yi froze for a second and blurted out, “That’s not really okay, is it?”

　　As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how it sounded. But Chu Ling reacted even faster.

　　“Eh? What do you mean? You don’t want me to kiss you, Sheng Yi? We’ve only been dating a month and you’re already tired of me?”

　　The live chat instantly exploded into laughter.

　　Sheng Yi caught on quickly and hurriedly said, “It’s not that… it’s just that… being out in the open like this… with so many people watching…”

　　【11 means, kiss me properly at home later.】

　　【What’s the big deal? We’ve been following you two for so long, we’ve seen everything already!】

　　Chu Ling had already found an excuse. “No choice, he’s just a little shy.”

　　And just like that, she dodged the question. “Let’s move on to another one.”

　　The viewer pouted a little. “Then can you at least kiss on the cheek? Surely that’s not too embarrassing?”

　　Even the host joined in the teasing. “Look, the fans are so persistent. Just grant her little wish.”

　　Sheng Yi felt a little nervous.

　　From day one, he should have realized that playing a couple came with this kind of risk.

　　His mind raced as he scrambled for a new excuse, when suddenly he felt someone tug at his collar.

　　Then he felt something soft and gentle press against his left cheek.

　　His heart instantly started pounding.

　　“Okay, that’s enough, right?”

　　Chu Ling had finished with a quick, light peck. She looked at the camera with a mock exasperated tone. “Don’t push him too hard. I don’t mind, but Sheng Yi has a heavy idol image to maintain. Cut him some slack.”

　　The live chat erupted with excitement, and no one doubted their relationship.

　　Some just joked,【11 must really be shy. Look, he got kissed on the cheek and his ears are burning.】

　　【Our rock band lead singer turns out to be this innocent.】

　　…

　　The live stream ended in a lively, cheerful mood.

　　Chu Ling and Sheng Yi were both completely exhausted.

　　Once the staff had all left, she finally let out a long sigh. “Sorry, I felt like we couldn’t really end it if I didn’t do it, so I just… took the initiative.”

　　She raised her hand and wiped Sheng Yi’s face a couple of times.

　　“…It’s fine.”

　　Sheng Yi held her hand as he lowered it and smiled. “You’re not poisoning me, so why are you wiping?”

　　Chu Ling looked at him and, for a moment, her eyes instinctively flickered away.

　　What was going on?

　　She realized she was a little nervous too.

　　Playing fake couple had gone a bit too far—she almost felt like she was acting herself into the role.

　　Quickly, she switched topics. “If it weren’t for today’s live stream, I wouldn’t even have realized we have so many CP fans.”

　　She gave a self-deprecating smile. “Times have changed. Chu Ling, even you are doing well now. So many people like you.” (T/N: She really say like that in RAW text, no mistake.)

　　“Isn’t that normal?”

　　Sheng Yi said, “I still think it’s too few.”

　　Chu Ling always said that no one in the world could truly like her.

　　He didn’t know what experiences had given her that thought, making her say it half-jokingly, half-seriously. But to Sheng Yi, after getting to know Chu Ling, liking her felt completely natural and normal.

　　The whole world should like Chu Ling.

　　Chu Ling paused for a moment, then smiled. “Forget it. I see you’re filtering everything about me too.”

　　“I’m not as good as you think. I know myself, I’m not really a good person—”

　　Halfway through her sentence, Sheng Yi suddenly reached out and patted her head.

　　Chu Ling: “What are you doing?”

　　…He’s not going to say one of those comforting things like, “I think you’re amazing,” is he?

　　She was about to tell him not to comfort her, but Sheng Yi said, “Funny enough, I’m not really a good person either.”

　　He patted her and added, “Who says you have to be good to be liked? I think the way you are now, you’re already worth liking.”

　　“Good night.”

　　“Get some rest.”

　　Chu Ling froze in place, listening to the pounding of her own heart.

　　So loud, so loud.

　　Why is my heartbeat so loud?

　　That night, Chu Ling finally found herself unable to sleep.

　　Probably because no one in her past had ever unconditionally stood by her. Even though she knew it was all pretend, she couldn’t help imagining—if Sheng Yi were really her boyfriend, if they really were a couple, they’d probably be really happy.

　　No need to tell her that you’re a good person.

　　Just tell her, “I’m a bad person, so I can be with you too.”

　　—

　　The next day, Chu Ling and Sheng Yi continued with the show’s recording.

　　“Today, we’re down to the last, hardest, most complicated, and most unpredictable round,” the host announced.

　　“We’ll be doing it as a task ²PK battle. In this huge arena, we’ve hidden a bunch of PK cards. Each couple that finds a PK card can choose whether to start a challenge. The chosen target couples cannot refuse the challenge.”

　　“Once the PK battle starts, the losing side will transfer their points to the winners.”

　　Chu Ling went over the rules in her head.

　　So it was basically a race to find the PK cards.

　　Only the couples who found the cards had the initiative. They could choose their opponents and decide whether or not to challenge them.

　　Thinking about that, she frowned slightly.

　　Rules like these gave the production team a lot of flexibility if they wanted to favor a particular couple.

　　Once the host announced the start of the game, all four couples scattered to search.

　　Chu Ling and Sheng Yi moved quickly, but luck was not on their side. They checked several empty boxes and came up empty-handed every time.

　　Chu Ling muttered, “Are we possessed by some unlucky spirit or something?”

　　She had barely finished speaking when the broadcast system crackled. “The ‘Made for Each Other’ CP has issued a challenge. Their chosen opponents are… Overbearing CP.”

　　Chu Ling: “?!”

　　They had already found a card?

　　Following the rules, Overbearing CP was escorted to the PK battle site chosen by the ‘Made for Each Other’ CP.

　　“I didn’t expect you guys to choose us. Bold move,” Chu Ling said.

　　After all, Overbearing CP wasn’t exactly weak. Chu Ling had considered it—if it were her, she definitely wouldn’t have picked Overbearing CP so early.

　　“That’s where you’re wrong,” Xia Yi said, holding up the PK card. “We chose you because we’re confident we can win.”

　　The card read:

　　【Kissing Challenge (20 points)】

　　【Two couples will compete for the longest kiss. The couple who kisses longer wins.】

　　Chu Ling and Sheng Yi froze. “!?!”

　　The live chat exploded like never before.

　　【Finally, the production team is going all out!】

　　【So exciting, I’m ready to watch these two couples go crazy!】

　　【‘Made for Each Other’ won’t lose, right? They're such a kissing freak!】

　　【They picked Overbearing CP perfectly. Two first-timers in a new relationship, their kissing skills might not even be coordinated yet.】

　　Chu Ling instinctively held Sheng Yi’s hand, feeling the heat of his palm.

　　She asked cautiously, “If we lose the challenge, some points get deducted and given to the other team, right? What if we refuse the challenge?”

　　“Refusal counts as forfeiting,” the staff member acting as the ³NPC explained. “The outcome is the same.”

　　Xia Yi teased, “Are you guys already scared before it even started?”

　　Yuan Tiantian added, “Or are you two just afraid you can’t actually kiss?”

　　After losing the first round yesterday and getting roasted for it, they were both determined to prove themselves. They even looked up negative reviews of Overbearing CP online and found plenty of people still doubting that their relationship was real.

　　So today, they decided to use that to their advantage.　　

　　Chu Ling: “……”

　　She had already been planning to forfeit in her mind, but hearing Sheng Yi speak made her hesitate for a moment.

　　Sheng Yi quickly did the math. “If we give up, we lose twenty points. We can still go search for other challenge cards later. Maybe next round we’ll have the initiative.”

　　Chu Ling whispered to him, “What if the other tasks are like this too?”

　　Sheng Yi: “……”

　　It wasn’t impossible.

　　The NPC announced, “We’ll give you five more seconds to decide. After five seconds, the match begins. If you don’t start, it will count as an automatic forfeit.”

　　【Why is Overbearing CP so resistant to the kissing challenge?】

　　【I watched the evening livestream yesterday. They skipped the fans’ requests for a kiss too. Apparently Sheng Yi was too embarrassed to go through with it.】

　　【They’re in the entertainment industry, what’s there to be embarrassed about? I think they just can’t kiss each other!】

　　The NPC started counting down. “Five, four—”

　　Chu Ling felt a little nervous and grabbed Sheng Yi’s sleeve.

　　As an actress, she had no mental burden about this.

　　But for Sheng Yi… he had seemed pretty resistant from the start.

　　The ‘Made for Each Other’ CP had already directly challenged them. If they dodged now, it would not suit their style. It might also make the audience even more suspicious that they were a contract couple.

　　“Three—”

　　Chu Ling looked up at Sheng Yi.

　　Sheng Yi met her gaze.

　　In that glance, she wanted to ask if he was willing. If not, it would be fine—they’d just get scolded together—but the words got stuck in her throat.

　　“Two—”

　　Chu Ling, hesitating, rose slightly onto her toes.

　　In the final second of the countdown, she reached up and tugged at Sheng Yi’s collar, and he bent his head to kiss her just in time.

________________

Glossary:

¹Wife: That line doesn’t mean a real wife — it’s just internet slang or casual talk. In this context, “you already got the wife” means something like:

> “You already have a girlfriend!” or “You already have your girl, so why are you still acting so lovesick?”

It’s playful teasing, not literal marriage. Fans often use “wife/husband” loosely to refer to a partner or even a celebrity’s rumored lover.

² PK battle: In Chinese internet slang (especially from survival shows, gaming, and fandoms), PK stands for Player Kill — borrowed from gaming terms. But in the entertainment or fan context, it doesn’t literally mean killing someone! It means a competition, duel, or face-off between two people or groups.

So when someone says “两组选手PK,” it means the two teams are competing head-to-head.

In fandoms or online discussions, “PK” can also be used more casually, like:

“这两个CP谁更好嗑？PK一下！” → “Which couple is more shippable? Let’s have a PK!”

“今晚有PK投票，快去投票！” → “There’s a PK vote tonight, go vote!”

Basically, it means to compare or compete, usually in a friendly or dramatic way.

³NPC stands for “Non-Player Character.” It originally comes from video games — it means background characters that the player can’t control, like shopkeepers, villagers, or random passersby who repeat the same lines.

UPDATE (Thu, Nov 13, 2025): Oh guys, I accidentally found this video while scrolling through YouTube, and my first thought was—this is so like Sheng Yi and Chu Ling!!! 🤭 Don’t worry, it’s 100% safe, I got it straight from YouTube:

https://youtube.com/shorts/BpBQSkYkzUw?si=XuE_h5o4muphL5AB

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