Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 81: Can Teacher Chu Compliment Me?

　　【Chu Jie, you're speaking for everyone! You just said what we’ve all been thinking about some people in the entertainment industry right now—who's really paying them?!】

　　【They haven’t even debuted yet and they’re already this confident. Just look at your own stage skills first, please. Stop sending ugly, useless, scandal-prone idols into the industry!】

　　【At first, I thought Chu Ling was being a bit harsh, but then I realized people like them actually make money and it just hurts.】

　　【Hahaha, and they actually dared to go up against Chu Ling directly? Do they really think they can outtalk her?】

　　Facing someone who directly challenged her, Chu Ling’s attitude was merciless: “You said the other mentors didn’t point out all your problems. That’s true, because they’re professionals and can see your strengths. I, as an ordinary viewer, can only say your strengths aren’t obvious enough yet, but your weaknesses? They’re all right in front of me.”

　　Before she could finish, the trainee’s eyes slowly reddened.

　　Chu Ling: “……”

　　Seriously? Already crying?

　　He blinked back tears, then after a moment, stubbornly wiped his face with his hand and said, “I know we didn’t perform well today. You can say whatever you want. But in the future, I’ll make sure everyone sees our efforts. One failure doesn’t define us.”

　　The host quickly handed him a tissue.

　　Even the other mentors clapped for him, a little moved.　　

　　“……”

　　Chu Ling felt like she had turned into the classic villain in a story who bullies others for no reason.

　　The villain at this moment rested her chin on her two fingers, completely calm as she watched this trainee cry. She thought his stage skills weren’t impressive, but his camera presence was solid. At least tonight, the topic buzz would be guaranteed.

　　Crying might not be genuine.

　　But wanting fame? That was definitely real.

　　Any attractive kid would be trying to get that perfect tearful shot to go viral.

　　She glanced at him again and shook her head.

　　Too bad the hardware just isn’t there.

　　“These days, if you fail once, there’s usually a second chance.”

　　“But remember, this is still a survival audition.”

　　Chu Ling’s eyes held no sympathy, and she smiled faintly, “If you want to cry, go cry on the side. Don’t block the others from going on stage.”

　　…

　　Finally, the first half of the recording wrapped up after more than three hours.

　　The remaining trainees who hadn’t appeared yet would be featured in tomorrow’s second half.

　　As the cameras moved away, the vocal mentor turned to Chu Ling and said, “Teacher Chu, you’ve worked hard. Tomorrow is the second half of the recording.”

　　She hesitated for a moment before adding, “But… do you think you were a bit too harsh? I felt a few trainees got a little… overwhelmed by your comments.”

　　“They’re still in the trainee stage, not official idols yet. They still have room to grow, right? Maybe don’t hit their confidence too hard?”

　　Chu Ling stood up, unstrapping her microphone pack, and smiled. “That’s what you’re here for, isn’t it? If I don’t play the bad cop, who else is going to? Getting criticized is part of my job.”

　　Hmm… the production team really knew what they were doing, and she thought she handled it pretty well.

　　The other mentors blinked in surprise.

　　Chu Ling waved at them and even blew a flying kiss. “Bye-bye, I’m clocking out first.”

　　Confidence hit? Chu Ling couldn’t help but laugh.

　　With their current skills, just getting on stage was the biggest confidence boost they could hope for. This really showed how lenient this world normally was with these guys.

　　Back home, Chu Ling checked the trending topics.

　　As expected.

　　#ShiningStarPathDebutStage#

　#ChuLingSharpCommentsOnTrainees#

　　#ChuLingMakesTraineesCry#

　　#IAmTalkingAboutEachOneOfYou#

　　#ChuLingStrict#

　　These hashtags were all trending high. Clearly, the production team had counted on her to deliver quotable lines and stir controversy to boost ratings.

　　She didn’t mind.

　　After all, she and the show were mutually benefiting from each other.

　　She brought them heat, they gave her opportunities to be hated. Everyone got what they wanted. No debts owed.

　　Chu Ling smiled. “Now let’s see how these trainees—and their fans—are feeling.”

　　She checked the backend feed.

　　As expected, the trainees had generated plenty of negative emotions for her, and it wasn’t a small amount.

　　Even the trainees who hadn’t gone on stage yet were spewing negativity, showing not just dislike but also fear of the so-called “devil judge.”

　　The more, the better.

　　Remember to have nightmares tonight. (T/N: 🤣🤭 So devilish!)

　　As for the audience…

　　Chu Ling thought most people would hate her sharp, no-mercy commentary.　　

　　But when she checked the trending comments, the top votes were all full of welcome and praise.

　　【Please let Chu Ling stay for more episodes!】

　　【Don’t just comment on the debut stage! I want Chu Ling in all the performances!】

　　【Without Chu Ling, who’s going to vent for me? Seriously, stop spoiling them! If you’re bad, just practice more!】

　　Even if some people complained that Chu Ling was too harsh, others would say, that’s just her style, it’s not her first day, get used to it.

　　Chu Ling: “……”

　　Look at how she’s trained this audience.

　　The next day, the second half of 《Shining Star Path》was recorded.

　　Chu Ling was a little surprised. The production team had actually set things up to highlight a contrast.

　　The trainees who appeared on the first day had been weak, but today’s trainees were clearly stronger.

　　Chu Ling thought for a moment and it clicked.

　　The production team really knew what they were doing.

　　They put the weaker trainees first, letting her quotable critiques go viral to pull in viewers curious to see the mess. Today’s trainees were the real prospects they wanted to push.

　　Chu Ling, however, stayed her own way.

　　Facing the stronger trainees, her jabs were more like playful teasing, not over the top, and even carried a bit of humor.

　　【Haha, Chu Ling seems a lot less intense today. Did she get tired from yesterday’s roasting?】

　　【See, we told you Chu Ling’s critiques are always fair and reasonable. Yesterday’s trainees were just bad, she wasn’t mindlessly bashing.】

　　【Haha, now the pressure on the trainees must be even higher. Before they could comfort each other thinking, Chu Ling would roast anyone anyway. Now, the difference is obvious.】

　　Indeed.

　　The remaining trainees, who hadn’t gone on stage yet, were even more nervous.

　　They had assumed everyone would get treated the same.

　　Turns out, it wasn’t the same at all.

　　Just seeing the growing negative energy from the trainees waiting offstage, Chu Ling could tell how anxious they were.

　　Meanwhile, she was happily collecting her paycheck, roasting when necessary, complimenting when appropriate, and even throwing a little shade for good measure.

　　“Looks like those I roasted yesterday really deserved it.”

　　She held up a B card for a trainee who had performed decently and said, “Otherwise, compared to today’s group, I’d look way too lenient on yesterday’s.”

　　As the recording went on, gradually, earning Chu Ling’s recognition became the trainees’ real goal.

　　Other mentors would encourage you no matter how badly you performed. But Chu Ling would roast when deserved, compliment when deserved, and only those who won her approval had the skills to back it up. That meant they could win the audience’s favor and maybe even earn a debut spot.

　　So the moment all the trainees finished performing, their eyes immediately turned to Chu Ling.

　　Chu Ling: “……”

　　Now it was her turn to feel the pressure.

　　She really was just a professional mercenary for roasting people, getting paid to take the job, not some high-level expert.

　　After a few hours of recording, it was finally time for the last trainee to go on stage.

　　He came out carrying a guitar, a little nervous as he introduced himself, then performed a self-written song, singing and playing.

　　The song was slow and emotional, and since it was the last performance of the day, the atmosphere in the studio had cooled a little.

　　When he finished, the microphone was handed to Chu Ling.

　　The trainee assumed he had completely ruined his performance, and knowing Chu Ling’s sharp style, he was too scared to even breathe.

　　“Hmm……”

　　Chu Ling said, “Feels like you came to the wrong show.”

　　She paused, then smiled. “Maybe you shouldn’t be here for a boy group audition. Feels more like you should be on a singer-songwriter program.”

　　The trainee froze for a moment, then realized she wasn’t insulting him and quickly said, “I can be a vocal for a boy group, and I can write songs for the group too. I just didn’t have anyone to pair with for a stage, so I decided to bring my solo piece.”

　　He knew this choice was risky.

　　Especially with a strict, sharp-tongued mentor like Chu Ling, she could very well dismiss his music entirely.

　　But he still wanted to take the chance to perform, at least to bring his music to the audience. Even if he got eliminated later, it wouldn’t feel wasted.

　　“You still have room to grow, but I can tell you put a lot of effort into this song.”

　　Chu Ling said, “Keep going, I’m looking forward to more of your work.”

　　The trainee bowed with his guitar, a little moved, saying, “Thank you, Teacher Chu.”

　　【Chu Ling actually told a trainee to keep it up, and it wasn’t even sarcastic.】

　　【Honestly, this song is pretty good, and I didn’t expect Chu Ling to be this gentle.】

　　【It seems she’s a bit more lenient toward original musicians, weirdly makes me like her more.】

　　【I get you, I kinda fangirled too haha】

　　【?! What code are you guys speaking, I don’t get it】

　　With the two episodes of debut stage recording finished, Chu Ling had completed this phase of her task.

　　Her contract only required her to give commentary, so she would only appear again for the live performances, unlike other mentors who participated in the trainees’ daily training.

　　At the moment the host announced this, she could sense the trainees all letting out a sigh of relief.

　　Chu Ling was happy to have some free time too.

　　She went home to rest and called her boyfriend.

　　Both of them had been busy with work lately, barely seeing each other.

　　Chu Ling lounged on the sofa, phone in hand, lazily asking, “How have you been the past couple of days?”

　　“Not bad.”

　　Sheng Yi said, “We’ve got a new music festival performance coming up, so we’ve been practicing together a lot these days. If it goes well, we might even be able to hold a small livehouse show this year.”

　　“Oh, and I watched the program you recorded today.”

　　He chuckled softly. “The last trainee to perform—you seemed to like him quite a bit?”

　　“His original song was actually pretty good. I don’t really understand music all that well, but I thought the song sounded nice, so I just encouraged him a little.”

　　Mentioning this, Chu Ling chatted a bit more, then realized why Sheng Yi was asking and raised an eyebrow with a smile. “Jealous?”

　　Sheng Yi: “Just a little.”

　　“Teacher Chu.”

　　He copied the way the trainee had addressed her, lowering his voice in a playful whine. “I’ve written a new song recently too. Can you praise me?”

　　Chu Ling couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course I can.”

　　“When will you sing it for me? Then I can praise you too.”

　　“That’s perfect.”

　　Sheng Yi smiled, “I’m already outside.”

　　“Teacher Chu, can you open the door for me?”

    

  

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