Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

Chapter 87: [Extra] Love May End Someday, But Hatred Will Last Forever.

　　Inside the studio, all the cameras were on the beautiful woman in the center. She furrowed her brows and said in a tone that was part disbelief, part blunt honesty, “So tell me, what exactly do you see in him?”

　　“Did this guy save your life or put a curse on you?”

　　“And you actually spent thousands on tarot readings for him? If you’ve got that kind of money to burn, maybe donate it to charity. Or give it to me, I don’t mind. I’ll make something up you’ll love hearing anyway.”

　　“Analyzing whether a single-celled creature like him loves you? Are you planning to use him for some kind of research innovation? Because honestly, I can’t figure out what else there is to analyze.”

　　【Haha, Chu Ling still says whatever she wants.】

　　【Every episode she just comes to snap these love-struck girls awake, feels so refreshing.】

　　【Highly recommend all the girls watch these episodes on repeat!】

　　The girl being roasted, Xiaojia, sniffled, and then tears started streaming down her face.

　　“Alright, that’s it for today’s recording.” The host quickly tried to regain control. “Thanks to our guest Xiaojia for sharing her story. Hopefully, she can take something useful from it.”

　　The recording ended.

　　Xiaojia still couldn’t stop crying. Chu Ling walked over and patted her shoulder.

　　“Don’t be too upset, the cameras are on.”

　　She added, “I might sound harsh for the show, but don’t take it personally.”

　　After a pause, she added, “Although, most of it is actually true.”

　　Xiaojia froze and ended up crying even harder.

　　“Really, I’m just saying this. Instead of constantly worrying about whether he loves you or not, just accept it—he doesn’t. At least it saves you some money.” Chu Ling looked at her and said, “Of course, you could always transfer me five thousand, and I’ll say things you want to hear. Then, when the episode airs, you can share it with all your friends and say, ‘Chu Ling herself said she likes me.’ Do you think I’d lie? Enough lying for a lifetime.”

　　“And maybe, just maybe, he’ll be scared of me enough to agree to get back with you. After all, every man who’s crossed me hasn’t done so well. You could use this to intimidate him—it might work.”

　　Listening to this, Xiaojia couldn’t help but laugh through her tears.

　　Chu Ling patted her again and left. At this point, there was nothing more she could do.

　　The show Chu Ling was recording is basically a talk show where she interacts face-to-face with ordinary people, listening and giving advice to help solve their problems.

　　In simpler terms, the producers find people with ridiculous love issues, then let Chu Ling roast them awake.

　　A show this ruthless actually exists, and somehow the ratings aren’t bad.

　　When the show first aired, some people complained that Chu Ling’s words were too harsh and could hurt young women’s hearts. Chu Ling responded immediately, “If my words hurt less than her boyfriend’s actions, then I’m doing fine. If a few words can hurt you this much, you should have broken up already.”

　　Chu Ling left the studio, glanced at her phone, and went down to the underground garage. She opened the car door like she knew the place by heart and got in.

　　“Finished?”

　　Seeing how tired she looked, Sheng Yi reached over and rubbed her head. “You must be very tired today.”

　　“It's like this every time,” Chu Ling leaned into him.

　　Sheng Yi, following their unspoken rhythm, naturally kissed her forehead before continuing to listen. 

　　“Maybe I just stick with acting? At least with that, I don’t have to worry about comforting anyone.”

　　“Go ahead,” Sheng Yi smiled.

　　“It's just that my previous acting skills are almost worn out.”

　　It had been three years since Chu Ling’s rise to fame.

　　In these three years, she never skipped a single variety show and at the same time kept joining drama productions.

　　She had once told her manager that she wanted to play wicked supporting roles. The manager thought it was a personal challenge she wanted to take on and still arranged such a role for her.

　　Only Chu Ling knew the truth. She wanted roles that made people grit their teeth in hatred, villains so irredeemable that no matter how many times you watched them, you could never sympathize. That way, she could harvest the maximum amount of negative emotional value.

　　Unexpectedly, this type of role became her comfort zone.

　　Chu Ling’s acting was never bad. It was innate talent, just unrecognized for years. Now with both the audience’s attention and good scripts, she could finally show her full range. Playing these roles was effortless for her.

　　What surprised her even more was her improved audience reception.

　　She had expected to be universally hated, but because she portrayed her characters so well, many viewers even grew to like her pure villain roles. She played them with a bold, unapologetic attitude. Even in death, her characters refused to admit fault, drawing hatred while simultaneously captivating the audience.

　　When people started saying the pure villain role was too one-dimensional, Chu Ling switched gears and began playing characters who fell from grace—heroes turning into villains.

　　By portraying the depth of these characters and the tragic inevitability of their fates, both the dramas and she herself became popular. She even won the Best Supporting Actress award that year.

　　Chu Ling still found it unbelievable that she could win a relatively prestigious award. The organizers actually gave it to her. She had no connections to manipulate the result and had offended quite a few people in the industry. Even she didn’t understand how she had beaten the other nominees.

　　The answer? Superstition.

　　Chu Ling’s “house collapse curse” was too strong. Combined with the high audience acclaim for her role, the judges were terrified of angering her by not giving her the award. They didn’t want a scandal.

　　Chu Ling’s ability to thrive in the entertainment industry despite offending so many people, and seeing her rivals one by one crash and burn, made her presence intimidating. She had already become a living legend in the industry.

　　Yet all of that was secondary to her.

　　What mattered most was that through her roles, she had earned a fortune over the years.

　　Not counting her variety show fees or business endorsements, her system account alone already held over three hundred million, and that number grew by the second.

　　As the saying goes, “Love may end someday, but hatred will last forever.”

　　As long as people remembered her, there would always be contributions.

　　Hitting five hundred million, a billion, these goals were just a matter of time.

　　Even if she retired one day, her income would continue uninterrupted.

　　Her retirement security for life was already set.

　　—

　　In the bustling stadium.

　　Wen Shu followed Chu Ling to their seats in the front row, marveling, “I didn’t expect they’d be filling up the stadium already. That’s amazing.”

　　Chu Ling smiled with a hint of pride, “Isn't it? They're definitely my chosen ones.”

　　The Mayfly Party band had been building their reputation live, show after show. Their ability to draw in fans offline was incredible. Anyone who saw them live would almost certainly be moved by their music.

　　Finally, they had reached the point where they could tour arenas.

　　Chu Ling had always thought Sheng Yi was meant for bigger stages. Now, he had finally made it. He brought his band to a mainstream, widely recognized stage, letting more people hear their music.

　　Wen Shu wasn’t a huge rock fan.

　　But first, the concert happened to be in her city, so she wanted to experience it and support someone she once knew. Second, it had been a long time since she had seen Chu Ling.

　　The two of them took the chance to catch up, sharing their lives.

　　Wen Shu was doing well. She had become an illustrator, gaining a small reputation in the industry. Over the past few years, her family had protected her, and she hadn’t been bothered by rumors. She was quietly doing what she loved. Qin Shuo’s influence on her life had gradually faded.

　　The system, noticing Wen Shu after such a long time, muttered, “Originally, the mission was to maintain your persona and keep the world on track, so the story could follow the original plot.”

　　But Chu Ling had gone all out whenever she confronted someone, completely unstoppable, and the original male lead had been entirely wiped out.

　　“Did the world line collapse?”

　　“No.”

　　Chu Ling shrugged. “Maybe this is actually the ending the original female lead wanted. Maybe your real mission was to help the protagonist trapped by the original world’s will escape and get the life she truly wanted.”

　　The system had nothing to say. Chu Ling’s talent for twisting reality was just too much. It didn’t even want to listen to her nonsense anymore.

　　Whatever the case, Chu Ling felt this was the best ending for most people.

　　After the concert, Wen Shu said goodbye and went home. Chu Ling returned to the backstage lounge to rest.

　　She decided to check the audience’s reactions online, only to find:

　　【Ahhh Chu Ling and Wen Shu actually still know each other! I’m so touched!】

　　A photo was attached of the two of them talking in the front row. Both were wearing masks and hats, but passersby still recognized them.

　　【Such beautiful girls! I’m so jealous of everyone at the show today!】

　　【I didn’t expect Chu Ling to still keep in touch with Wen Shu…】

　　【Yeah, she even mentioned Wen Shu in a live stream before. They must be really close.】

　　【It’s really rare for a celebrity and a non-celebrity to keep a friendship for this long.】

　　【Everyone says our Heartbeat Lab fell apart, but the remaining guests all get along really well. Gao Yan even wore the dress Ye Weiyang designed for her at the gala. Their relationships are solid.】

　　【I didn’t expect Sheng Yi and Chu Ling to still be together… I thought it was just for show, but it’s been over three years.】

　　【Someone even saw them living together, right?】

　　【Even if it’s a contract relationship, I respect how long they’ve lasted.】

　　【Little couple, be secretly happy and don’t worry about us, werwerwer】

　　“Why are they still saying we’re a contract couple?”

　　Sheng Yi suddenly wrapped his arms around her from behind. His eyes landed on her screen, and he frowned, clearly displeased. “Stop looking at that.”

　　He had just stepped off the stage, and the ribbons in his hair brushed against Chu Ling’s ear, tickling her a little.

　　“Don’t you think it’s pretty great?”

　　Chu Ling smiled, “Everyone thinks we’re not real, but somehow we’re still together. Which contract couple lasts this long?”

　　“And now, both of us are doing even better.”

　　Back then, she had joked with Sheng Yi that their little couple thing should be called a “low-tier literary CP.”

　　A few years later, both of them had gone far in their respective careers, achieving solid results along the way.

　　Chu Ling balanced acting and variety shows with ease, with projects to her name and awards to show for it.

　　Sheng Yi’s band had broken into the mainstream, their music spreading across the country.

　　Anyone who disliked them had a tough time watching their success.

　　Because they were genuinely happy.

　　“Yeah, I guess we’re pretty good luck for each other.”

　　Sheng Yi rested his head on her shoulder, joking, “Looks like, for the sake of our careers, we really should keep dating.”

　　“Are you saying you’re dating me just for work?”

　　Chu Ling pretended to pout, “Whoa, let’s get this straight, Sheng Yi. Am I just your career tool? You’re not breaking up with me just to one day reach a bigger stage, right?”

　　Halfway through, Sheng Yi tilted his head and kissed her.

　　Chu Ling instinctively responded, but she also glanced nervously at the door, worried someone might suddenly walk in. She was a little distracted even while kissing, and Sheng Yi playfully nipped her twice.

　　After the kiss, he said, “Of course it’s because I love you.”

　　“So, the big star won’t break up with me because I love you this much?”

　　Chu Ling had always doubted forever, promises, and fleeting sincerity.

　　Yet from the moment they started dating, she never once imagined being apart from Sheng Yi.

　　Even someone who didn’t trust the future had somehow placed Sheng Yi firmly in hers.

　　She smiled faintly, lifted her face to look at him, and said, “That depends on your performance, little lead singer.”

　　-The End- 

    

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T/N: Yay! We finally finished this novel! Sorry for posting a bit late—I overestimated my stamina, haha. Anyway, thank you so much for staying with me on this journey. I’ll be back with a new novel once I’ve recovered a bit. 💖

Dear readers, is there anyone who can help with the last chapter from JJWC? 🥺 The author added it last month and I completely missed it! I keep choosing novels that I think are complete, and then—bam—a new chapter drops. Haha, fate really has jokes. 😂 So if anyone can help your fellow readers out, please do! 🥺 This applies to both DSSC and SEM×TFM—I don’t have their final chapters yet. Ugh, tragic.

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