Dating Show Side Character, Getting Rich by Roasting People

CHAPTER 77: From Now On, Kiss Me Whenever You Want

　　Sometimes Sheng Yi felt that falling for Chu Ling was a calamity written into his fate. (T/N: Hahaha,omg! Sheng Yi! 🤣)

　　When he confessed back then, his emotions rose and fell like a storm.

　　Now that Chu Ling was the one confessing to him, his heart was going through the same wild ups and downs.

　　He stared at her for a moment, caught off guard, then asked quietly, “Are you serious?”

　　“Of course.”

　　Chu Ling tilted her head slightly. “Do you think I’d joke about something like this?”

　　Sheng Yi could feel his blood rushing upward, his heart pounding so hard it nearly leapt into his throat. His first instinct was still to hold himself back and ask, “Why?”

　　Chu Ling pursed her lips and drew her hand back. “If you have to ask for a reason, forget it. Makes it sound like you’re unwilling.”

　　“No.”

　　Sheng Yi caught her hand again and said quickly, “I’m willing. Completely willing.”

　　“But… I still want to know. Why?”

　　It was so sudden.

　　Even he wasn’t prepared.

　　Chu Ling rolled her eyes at him. “Are you an idiot?”

　　“What other reason could there be except that I like you?”

　　She added, “You like me too, don’t you?”

　　She didn’t sound like she was guessing. She was stating it outright, her expression holding a quiet, confident certainty.

　　Sheng Yi held her hand, looked at her face for several seconds, then suddenly smiled. “So you did know.”

　　His voice dropped low. “I thought you’d never understand.”

　　“I didn’t before.”

　　Chu Ling’s tone softened. “Back then I really believed there was no way anyone could like me.”

　　And she truly had believed that.

　　It wasn’t until later that she slowly started to feel the world shifting around her.

　　Viewers said they liked her, fans said they liked her, and even Sheng Yi, after knowing exactly what kind of person she was, still told her she was worth liking.

　　The curse of being hated by everyone was fading away bit by bit.

　　There was still malice around her, but through that black fog she could see some people’s genuine hearts.

　　“I’m sorry for ignoring how you felt back then,” she said honestly. “If I had known you were serious when you confessed… if you had made sure to tell me you were serious, I would’ve taken it more to heart.”

　　“But now I’ve thought it through. This is my answer.”　　

　　Chu Ling looked at him and asked again, “Do you want to be my real boyfriend?”

　　Sheng Yi fixed his eyes on her, then after a moment clasped her wrist, pulled her close and kissed her.

　　Chu Ling slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

　　They had already kissed once during the day, but that had been for work — they had to think about the timing, the camera angles, and the fact that the person in front of them wasn’t officially their partner. They’d kept it restrained.

　　This time, though, raw emotion came pouring out, racing toward each other.

　　Sheng Yi’s kissing skills were still far from polished, but his intensity was easily twice what it had been during the day. After only a short while Chu Ling already felt herself melting. She’d started sitting neatly on the sofa, but then slid against the cushions, and finally ended up lying down completely.

　　By the end, Sheng Yi brushed her hair back and planted light kisses on her eyes and nose.

　　“That’s my answer too,” he said.

　　Chu Ling blinked. “Hm?”

　　“From now on, kiss me whenever you want.”

　　Sheng Yi smiled. “Because we’re lovers now.”

　　Chu Ling laughed softly, wrapped her arms around him and rested against his chest.

　　Sheng Yi hugged her back.

　　For a brief moment they stayed like that, holding each other, letting this happiness quietly bloom between them.

　　“But what made you suddenly… realize?” Sheng Yi asked in a low voice. “Back then when I confessed you didn’t seem to notice, and now, just when I thought I’d hidden it well, you figured it out again.”

　　“Hmm…”

　　Of course Chu Ling couldn’t tell him she had finally figured out the system’s clues.

　　Hints had been obvious all along, yet she had ignored or even misread them.

　　After thinking a moment, she smiled and said, “Maybe because when you kissed me today you didn’t look unwilling at all. Did I charm you that much?”

　　“……”

　　Sheng Yi smiled and said, “But what if it’s just because I’m a reckless guy who kisses and runs without taking responsibility?”

　　Chu Ling tilted her head and asked, “Do you dare?”

　　“……”

　　He really didn’t dare.

　　And he couldn’t.

　　Sheng Yi bent down, inhaled the scent of her, then said, “I’ll change my flight tomorrow.”

　　“Why?” Chu Ling asked.

　　He buried his face in the hollow of her neck, smelling her hair, and felt a surge of happiness. “I’ll move it to the same flight as you. I just want to spend a little more time with you.”

　　He used to look down on this kind of thing.

　　When couples dated, they would cling to each other, like conjoined twins who couldn’t be separated.

　　But now he just wanted to be a conjoined twin with Chu Ling, and he was afraid she wouldn’t want it.

　　“Can I?” he asked, lowering his eyes and putting on a pitiful look.

　　“……”

　　Chu Ling laughed and poked his head. “We’ve only been together ten minutes, and you’re already this attached to me? Is that normal?”

　　Sheng Yi asked, “Which normal person would accept being asked out, turned down, and then shoved into a fake couple promotion?”

　　Of course, Chu Ling's understanding was exceptional.

　　She really was extraordinary.

　　“……”

　　Chu Ling did feel a little guilty about this.

　　She didn’t even know how she had misunderstood things in such an epic way.　　

　　She could only defend herself boldly. “Fine, then. Neither of us is normal, so we’re even more suited for each other.”

　　She paused, then found another excuse. “Besides, I’ve never been in a relationship and I’ve never liked anyone. There are a lot of things, a lot of emotions I don’t fully understand. I’m just feeling my way step by step. This is me trying, and in the future, we can explore together slowly.”

　　“Coincidentally, I’ve never been in a relationship either,” Sheng Yi said. “I don’t even know what normal couples usually do.”

　　Chu Ling grinned. “Make love.”

　　Sheng Yi blinked. “?”

　　It took him two seconds to react before he felt his ears heating up.

　　Could she really say that?

　　Chu Ling thought for a moment. “Well, the bed I have is actually pretty big too.”

　　“Enough,” Sheng Yi interrupted her, stumbling over his words. “We, we should take our own pace. Some things… there’s no need to rush just because everyone else does.”

　　“How is that rushing?”

　　Chu Ling continued teasing him. “It’s natural. Don’t you want it?”

　　“……” Sheng Yi was speechless.

　　He could tell she was just teasing. He reached over, gently covered her mouth with his hand, and said, “Exactly because I want it, I don’t want to talk about it. On the first day of our relationship, I want to save some memories that are warmer, more special.”

　　Chu Ling leaned against his chest and couldn’t help laughing again.

　　Sheng Yi really was amazing.

　　Truly, truly amazing.

　　She knew what most people in this world were like, which made her appreciate him even more.

　　So this is what it feels like to be in love. It wasn’t as messy or stressful as she had imagined.

　　On the contrary, most of what she felt was this overwhelming, spilling-over kind of happiness.

　　No wonder some people can’t hide being in love.

　　Right now, she wanted the whole world to know.

　　…

　　That night, they still chose to sleep separately in the end.

　　Even though Chu Ling really wanted to cling to Sheng Yi, he told her, “It’s better for both of us if we sleep apart.”

　　“Why?” Chu Ling asked.

　　He gritted his teeth and said, “Mostly because it’s better for me. Okay?”

　　Chu Ling laughed and nodded. “Alright, don’t make me lose sleep thinking about you.”

　　She reached out and patted his cheek. “Of course, if you really can’t sleep, you can come find me anytime. I’ll always welcome you.”

　　“……”

　　That night, feeling completely relaxed and happy, Chu Ling slept incredibly well, and even her dreams were filled with happiness.

　　The next day.

　　Chu Ling’s flight was later, so there was no rush.

　　She was among the last to leave. Most of the production staff had already packed up, only reminding her about the checkout time.

　　Since they were newly dating and still clingy, they took their time organizing luggage, dawdled over lunch, and by the time they were ready, it was almost two in the afternoon.

　　Just before leaving, Chu Ling started a live stream to interact with her viewers.

　　Now whenever she went live, a huge audience would show up. There were hardly any insults anymore, mostly compliments, which fed Chu Ling’s vanity nicely.

　　“We’re about to head off now.”

　　“Recording’s done. Next episode… I probably won’t join, so we’re just leaving.”

　　“Yes, we’re flying together.”

　　Chu Ling pointed at Sheng Yi. “No choice. He insists on coming with me. Can’t shake him off. Such a hassle. Someone do something.”

　　【Can’t handle seeing this PDA so early in the morning, someone stop them!】(T/N: Morning? Hmm, maybe sarcasm? 🤔)

　　【Look at how naturally he’s carrying her suitcase.】

　　【Anyone who says they’re just contract partners clearly hasn’t seen this. These details can’t be faked. He’s not even an actor, how would he act this out?】

　　【Sheng Yi seems even clingier than before.】

　　【Exactly. They’re practically stuck together now, body distance is way closer.】

　　【Could it be that after winning yesterday’s competition, the couple was just in a ridiculously good mood?】

　　Chu Ling thought: She did think so. Some people seemed to think it was too fast.

　　Sheng Yi coughed a few times and brushed away the yellow-hearted barrage of comments on the stream. “We’re about to leave. Can you stop broadcasting?”

　　“Let people see how we really are off-camera.”

　　Chu Ling said, “That way nobody keeps suspecting we’re faking it, and we won’t get any 315 complaints.”

　　She held up her phone as she stepped out of the hotel room, walking while checking the live comments and occasionally replying to one or two.

　　As she rounded a corner, she faintly heard footsteps and voices approaching, and she instinctively paused.

　　“Weren’t you supposed to let us win yesterday?”

　　That voice was He Ming’s.

　　It sounded like a complaint, but there wasn’t any real blame in the tone.

　　Chu Ling’s internal alert bells instantly went off.

　　She should have cut the live stream right away. She thought about it but didn’t.

　　“Oh, we’ve already helped you guys a lot.”

　　Then came a female voice, unfamiliar but laughing lightly. “The first day, third round, and the last round were already in your favor. It’s your own fault for not taking advantage.”

　　The chat caught on immediately.

　　【That sounds like He Ming! Who’s the other person? Staff?】

　　【If I’m not wrong, they’re talking about yesterday’s episode, right?】

　　【This is so blatant. Are they saying the producers just gave the ‘Perfect Match’ CP an easy win?】

　　【No wonder the regular guests from ‘Perfect Match’ CP kept winning so many times…】

　　But what came next shocked everyone even more.

　　He Ming chuckled lightly, a teasing note in his voice. “I don’t care, but you know, you’ll have to make it up to me.”

　　The unfamiliar girl said, “Did you extend the room?”

　　He Ming chuckled again. “Do I even need to say? Same rules as always.”

　　With a click, the door slid open, and the two of them entered the room together, leaving Chu Ling and Sheng Yi holding their phones, staring at each other in shock.

　　Meanwhile, the viewers following the live stream exploded.

　　【Omg what did I just hear!?】

　　【That conversation is definitely off. One voice is He Ming’s, the other is definitely not Xie Qing.】

　　【What does he mean by ‘make it up’?】

　　【Extended the room… whatever it is, I don’t even want to imagine it…】

　　【But Xie Qing was there too, right? He wouldn’t be that obvious, would he?】

　　【Chu Ling, Chu Ling, where are you? Did you see what just happened!?】

　　【I can’t believe it… Chu Ling’s rule of “house collapse” would even work here!?】

 

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