Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 83: Teacher Chu Ling is Too Terrifying!

　　Funny enough, even though Chu Ling was in the glamorous entertainment industry, she had barely enjoyed any of it. After the first six months in the business, when she briefly interacted with the so-called upper class, the flood of criticism hit her like a tsunami, dragging her straight to hell.

　　So even though she was a recognizable star, she had almost never basked in the typical celebrity glow or lived a truly rich life.

　　Other stars would show up in full luxury brands, their watches and jewelry costing seven figures.

　　Chu Ling, on the other hand, dressed in outfits that could easily serve as style inspiration for ordinary people. She was incredibly approachable.

　　But now, finally, it was time for some revenge spending.

　　Her bank account was nearing nine figures!

　　She was going to spend, and spend hard!

　　However, Chu Ling didn’t really have much experience buying property.

　　Her budget was high, and ordinary agents probably wouldn’t find anything suitable. Plus, she didn’t have many connections in the industry these past couple of years.

　　The only rich person she actually knew—

　　After some thought, she decided to reach out to Wen Shu.

　　Since leaving the show, Wen Shu had been living very freely.

　　Qin Shuo’s scandal had gotten out of hand, and he was busy just trying to cover his own mess. On top of that, Chu Ling had hinted about his secret marriage, so he definitely wouldn’t risk contacting Wen Shu now, leaving any possible leverage behind.

　　Meanwhile, Wen Shu’s family elders saw that their usually compliant daughter had suddenly become so determined. They understood her stance and stopped pressuring her to reconcile.

　　For the first time, Wen Shu felt the world was wide open.

　　She realized that stepping away from Qin Shuo’s umbrella meant there hadn’t even been any rain outside in the first place.

　　She swore she would never go on another variety show again.

　　When she reviewed the controversies from her last appearance, she was shocked. Viewers could twist every tiny detail into a thousand conspiracies. Some even thought her relationship with Chu Ling was bad, that Chu Ling was trying to sabotage her.

　　If Chu Ling hadn’t shielded her, who knew what would have happened?

　　She truly felt grateful to Chu Ling.

　　So when Chu Ling contacted her, Wen Shu agreed immediately.

　　“Buying a house?”

　　“Mm… sure. I know a reliable agent around here.”

　　Wen Shu was genuinely happy for her. “Looks like life’s treating you well if you’re thinking about moving.”

　　“Thanks to my haters,” Chu Ling replied, “things are going really well now. I feel safe.”

　　Her critics could bite their tongues. She was living her best life.

　　Wen Shu got to work efficiently. She introduced Chu Ling to an agent specializing in high-end properties.

　　Because Chu Ling’s budget was very comfortable, the agent quickly found several great options.

　　Chu Ling sent them to Sheng Yi for reference.

　　He opened the list, checking the size, location, and finally the price, then sent a question mark in reply.

　　Chu Ling called him. “What’s wrong? Not happy with any of them? We can look for others if you want.”

　　“…It’s not that. I just thought we were still living that simple, struggling life of eighteen-line celebrities. Isn’t this a bit too much?” Sheng Yi said half-jokingly. “Honey, when did you secretly level up?”

　　“I leveled up right in front of you, thank you very much,” Chu Ling laughed. She added, “With my current following, I’m at least a tenth-line minor celebrity now!”

　　No, scratch that. If you only looked at her traffic, it might even be more.

　　Because of her unique style, every show she appeared on blew up, and invitations from daring variety programs kept coming non-stop. She had an extremely wide range of options.

　　A few days ago, her manager, Xu Jie, even told her that some new artists were starting to imitate her, trying to use sharp, biting commentary to gain popularity.

　　Chu Ling was shocked. “People are even competing in this lane now?”

　　Please.

　　She made money from being scolded, not because she wanted to cultivate some “controversial star” image—though, admittedly, she had sort of ended up doing exactly that.

　　But others competing in this lane? That was just plain reckless.

　　“Not everyone can handle being criticized like this,” Chu Ling said, a little pained. “Just let me take this spotlight. I’m strong enough. I can handle it.”

　　At the same time, it was clear that Chu Ling had fully hit it big.

　　The more people who knew her, the more fans she gained, but the more haters she attracted too.

　　Chu Ling was perfectly satisfied with her current status.

　　“Don’t worry, I have the money,” she told Sheng Yi. “You only need to care about whether you like it. After all, we’ll be living here together.”

　　The houses she had shortlisted were all priced around thirty million. After buying, she still had fifty million left in her account.

　　She had never fought such a luxurious battle in her life!

　　Sheng Yi was momentarily stunned, then laughed softly. “I feel like I suddenly leveled up with you.”

　　Chu Ling replied casually, “Just remember to work for me and pay off your debts for the rest of your life.”

　　She spoke like she didn’t believe in the future, didn’t believe in forever.

　　Yet without even showing it, she had already made a deal with him for the rest of their lives.

　　Sheng Yi froze for a moment, then half-joking, half-serious said, “Alright, don’t just say the rest of this life, we can do the next life too.”

　　After discussing it, they finally settled on one house.

　　Chu Ling signed the contract without hesitation and paid in full.

　　The agent, experienced with many celebrities, said smoothly, “Thank you for your trust, Miss Chu. We also have strict confidentiality procedures to ensure your purchase remains private—”

　　“No need,” Chu Ling said. “It’s fine if people know.”

　　The agent froze. Celebrities usually cared deeply about their privacy. Chu Ling was surprisingly open about it.

　　Good. Let the news spread.

　　Soon people would wonder, can a star of Chu Ling’s level really afford such a luxury house? She’s only been popular for a short time, done a few gigs, and being a star seems too easy.

　　Then the online storm would hit, people would roast her for having so much money.

　　And she would profit from the hype.

　　Fans insult her, she lives well; fans see her living well, they get angrier, and the cycle repeats—a perfect, money-making perpetual motion machine.

　　Just thinking about it gave Chu Ling another rush of satisfaction.

　　It’s fine. If I’m happy, everyone else’s misery doesn’t matter.

　　—

　　Two weeks later, it was time for the first live performance of《Shining Star Path》.

　　Chu Ling, as one of the judges, was back on set for the recording.

　　This episode was still being filmed live, but there were also three hundred audience members who had been selected to vote for the trainees’ performances.

　　“These trainees actually have quite a few fans.”

　　Chu Ling had just taken her seat at the judges’ panel. She glanced at the crowd holding up lightboards and teased, “If I say something harsh later, please don’t rush up to hit me.”

　　As she looked around, she was surprised to notice that among the trainees’ fans, some were holding up lightboards with her name on them.

　　“…..”

　　Chu Ling couldn’t help but laugh. “Wait, you guys actually came to see me? Or are you my haters in disguise?”

　　The fans obviously heard her. They waved their boards even more excitedly.

　　“Not at all!”

　　“Chu Ling, Chu Ling, we like you!”

　　“Teacher Chu Ling! Please do your best tonight! We love hearing you!”

　　Chu Ling blinked, then smiled. “Well, that’s nice to hear.”

　　She suddenly remembered what Sheng Yi had told her: you’ve always been worth being liked.

　　She had always just been herself. Now, with the spell of “everyone hates her” gradually fading, she finally had some genuine fans.

　　Before the performance started, the vocal and dance mentors joked, “Oh no, I feel kind of nervous too.”

　　The dance mentor nodded. “I know what you mean. It’s like watching your own kid get ready for an exam.”

　　She paused, then added jokingly, “And then they end up facing the big boss grading the papers.”

　　After all, the mentors had spent the last two weeks guiding the trainees and knew what most of them were capable of.

　　But Chu Ling didn’t.

　　The performance was like a mid-term exam for the trainees.

　　And Chu Ling, the “big boss,” would judge everyone in her own style.

　　This gave the other mentors the strange feeling that they were being tested too.

　　“Are you guys this nervous too?” Chu Ling tilted her head and said, “Fine, I’ll hold back a bit. Let’s leave your students some face.”

　　The vocal mentor gratefully clasped her hands. “Thank you.”

　　Of course, anyone who really knew Chu Ling would know one thing.

　　Never believe her words too easily.

　　The first round of trainees stepped onto the stage.

　　The performance followed a PK system. Trainees were divided into Groups A and B to perform the same song one after another.

　　Chu Ling put on her headset.

　　Although few trainees had stood out during the first stage, they had two weeks of practice under their belts. They should have improved somewhat.

　　So she had a little hope for them, but not too much.

　　Yet after the first group finished their performance, she took off her headset and rubbed her ears.

　　She realized she had expected too much.

　　【As expected, live broadcasts are the best way to test real talent. This stage… honestly, it’s hard to describe.】

　　【If the first group was like this, then the rest…】

　　【It’s not that bad, I actually think it’s pretty good.】

　　【Fans, don’t try to control the comments. When Chu Ling critiques, just listen to whether it’s good or not. If you overreact, it’s your own embarrassment.】

　　【Haha, did you see Chu Ling’s expression? I feel like she’s about to go all out.】

　　The host handed the microphone over to the judges’ panel.

　　After a moment of hesitation, they decided to give it to Chu Ling first.

　　Chu Ling：“……”

　　So she got the job of offending people first, huh.

　　That actually worked in her favor.

　　Her gaze swept across the two groups of trainees. She asked, “Do I really have to cast a vote between these two groups?”

　　She looked at the audience. “You think it’s difficult too, right?”

　　Audience：“Yes——”

　　Chu Ling：“You can’t choose, can you?”

　　Audience：“Right——”

　　Chu Ling：“You’re basically tempted to just abstain, right?”

　　Audience：“Uh——yeah?”

　　Chu Ling leaned in, revealing her sharp tone. “Because it’s really that bad. Bad enough that I can’t even vote.”

　　The whole room went silent.

　　Even the live comments exploded in surprise.

　　【After seeing this stage, I finally understand what they mean by ‘there’s always a lower mountain.’】

　　【What kind of talent-matching system pairs these two groups of potential stars together?】

　　【Twelve people in total. I just listened, and it feels like there isn’t even a single person on pitch. I guess you guys just came here to torture the audience’s ears. If your goal was to take revenge on society, well… you did a pretty good job.】

　　【The dance moves too… sure, the costumes and stage are nicer than the first performance, but no matter how fancy the outside looks, it can’t cover up the lack of skill. Nothing matters more than talent itself.】

　　Chu Ling narrowed her eyes. “I remember some of you once said you’d prove yourself with talent. Is this the result of all your hard work? If so, maybe the chance should go to someone who actually needs it.”

　　A trainee timidly raised a hand. “He… he was sick today, so—”

　　“It's understandable that one person is sick, but what about the others? Oh, they were all infected, so the whole stage performance was not good? How… synchronized of you.”

　　【Wow, Chu Ling really has the aura of a true teacher now.】

　　【I feel like I’m back in high school class!】

　　【Teacher Chu Ling, forever young, forever scarily harsh.】

　　Backstage, the trainees who hadn’t performed yet were trembling and wailing.

　　“Not even a bit of mercy.”

　　“Even our mentors’ pleas didn’t help!”

　　“Crap, just survive this stage if you can!”

　　“No one is slacking off later. We have to give this stage 120 percent, understood?!”

　　“Teacher Chu Ling is terrifying!!”

　　Even with the other mentors trying to speak up, Chu Ling showed no mercy.

　　Now the situation was crystal clear.

　　If you perform badly, Chu Ling will tear you apart.

　　And Teacher Chu Ling is no longer the target of online hate like before. Now the audience actually enjoys her critiques, and she hits the mark every single time.

　　For the trainees who got criticized, it’s basically like being sentenced to death.

　　So the next trainees who went on stage were all giving it their absolute all, performing with a do-or-die mindset.

　　Skill aside, just from their attitude, none of them were slacking off.

　　Under this kind of pressure, a few of the stages actually exceeded expectations.

　　【It feels like… every trainee coming up afterward is going all out.】

　　【Haha, Chu Ling probably scared them stiff, now they’re all going crazy with effort.】

　　【The more they compete, the better, that’s how entertainment should be!!】

　　【With Teacher Chu Ling at the helm, the next and the one after next performances are going to be great too.】

　　【Let’s all say, thank you, Teacher Chu Ling!!】 

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