Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1: Making Money? Easy Peasy.

　　The fluorescent light above the dressing room was so bright that it was blinding.

　　Under the lights, Chu Ling sat in front of the mirror, slowly wiping off her lipstick with a makeup remover wipe.

　　“So,” she asked, “everything you said is true?”

　　The system replied in her mind, “Absolutely.”

　　Chu Ling narrowed her eyes slightly at her reflection in the mirror.

　　Just five minutes ago, this so-called “system” had suddenly appeared in her brain and revealed the truth about this world.

　　That was when she discovered she was actually a cannon fodder side character in a novel. She was about to appear on a dating reality show called Heartbeat Lab, cast as the control group for the protagonists, a stepping stone meant to make the main couple shine brighter.

　　In recent years, as dating variety shows have soared in popularity, they’ve also become a springboard for many. Some ordinary people join hoping to become internet celebrities, some internet celebrities aim to break into stardom, and a few fading stars use them as a last shot at making a comeback.

　　She, Chu Ling, was the third type.

　　At 21, she was still in college when a talent scout discovered her. Confident in her looks, she entered the entertainment industry with high hopes.

　　What she didn’t expect was that, although she was beautiful, her looks had a sharp edge. Her round, cat-like eyes and naturally upturned corners gave off a seductive vibe—the kind that made people instantly assume she was a scheming femme fatale. On top of that, she was just a newcomer with no real connections but acted like she had nothing to fear, flat-out rejecting every shady “opportunity” thrown her way.

　　In no time, her career hit rock bottom. She was labeled a small-time celebrity with a big attitude, constantly targeted by smear campaigns, fake scandals, and ugly rumors flying all over the place.

　　After being blacklisted by the entire internet, Chu Ling still lived as she pleased. Her mouth was as unyielding as her knees. She never bowed to anyone.

　　By her third year in the industry, she had truly lived up to everyone's expectations — a washed-up star. Not only had her fans disappeared, even her haters had nearly vanished.

　　With the idea that even a controversial celebrity could still gain popularity, her manager agreed to let her join a dating variety show — one that became a hot topic the moment it was announced.

　　Heartbeat Lab was a live-broadcast dating show where celebrities and impressive guests from all walks of life mingled, breaking industry barriers and sparking connections.

　　The show gained a lot of hype online even before airing, thanks to rumors that a newly crowned, famously low-key Film Emperor would be joining the cast.

　　These days, most dating shows were scripted.

　　The only reason Chu Ling was able to land a spot on the show was because she took the role nobody else wanted — the villain.

　　Everyone knew that if a dating show wanted to go viral, it needed drama and conflict. There had to be someone to stir things up and become the public’s punching bag.

　　With her already awful public image, the production team naturally gave that role to Chu Ling.

　　The real stars of the show, though, were the male and female leads from the original novel.

　　He was the low-profile Film Emperor. She was a wealthy heiress.

　　On the surface, they seemed like strangers. In truth, they were once married in a business arrangement. Misunderstandings tore them apart, and now the Film Emperor had humbled himself to join the show, all in a bid to win her back. The plot was meant to follow a romantic arc of her running and him chasing after her.

　　Meanwhile, clueless cannon fodder Chu Ling tried desperately to cling to the male lead for attention, just to ride his fame. Viewers quickly picked up on her tactics and dragged her hard online, even early on. As the show progressed, she became the perfect contrast to the clever, classy female lead.

　　In the final episode, when the male lead revealed the truth behind his grand romantic pursuit, the internet completely lost it.

　　After hearing the plot summary, Chu Ling asked curiously, “How come his fans didn’t just stop following him?”

　　The system went silent.

　　Only then did Chu Ling truly believe she was living inside a novel.

　　They’re secretly married, fooling their fans, treating the whole world like props in their little play. And the fans? Instead of lashing out, they start shipping them.

　　Stuff like that could only make sense in a novel.

　　Chu Ling picked out a new lipstick from the table. Facing the mirror, she used a lip brush to carefully glide a flawless layer of pure brick red across her lips. After admiring her reflection with a smug little smile, she asked, “So, tell me — are you here to flip my script? Gonna help me rewrite this tragic cannon-fodder fate of mine?”

　　“No,” the system replied, “you need to stick to your hated-by-everyone persona.”

　　Every year, there were way too many transmigrators and awakened side characters messing with the original plotlines.

　　Some, after realizing they were headed for a tragic ending, would try all kinds of tricks to interfere or even jump into the main couple’s love story from another angle. So many were doing it that the timelines started getting all scrambled.

　　That’s why the system existed. Its job was to step in whenever it detected a side character about to awaken their soul consciousness. It would show up, offer them benefits, and push them to keep playing the villain so the world could keep running smoothly.

　　The world needs villains.

　　Without them, who would stir up conflict, move the plot forward, trigger emotions, or bulk up the word count?

　　Chu Ling was one of those villainous side characters.

　　Over time, she had already started to sense something off about this world. If left alone, she probably would’ve found a way to change her fate and break free from the story’s control.

　　“Our goal is to keep the storyline stable,” the system told her.

　　“So you need to keep playing the universally hated villain. Do whatever it takes to make everyone dislike you.”　　

　　Chu Ling: “Huh?”

　　In short, they wanted her to piss off the entire world.

　　She frowned, then snapped, “Only an idiot would—”

　　The system added, “During the process, the negative emotional energy you collect will be converted into income at a 1 to 100 ratio. In other words, for every 100 points of negative emotion fluctuations caused by you, we’ll deposit 10,000 yuan directly into your account.”

　　Chu Ling immediately went silent.

　　After a moment, she looked up. “Are you serious?”

　　The reason she entered the entertainment industry was simple.

　　She wanted money.

　　She’d grown up in a family that lacked both money and love.

　　So the moment she became an adult, she used the only thing she had — her pretty face — to step into showbiz. Unfortunately, she hadn’t realized how deep the water ran in the industry, and with her awful personality, not only did she fail to make any real money, she actually ended up paying a ton in hush money and penalties after offending the wrong people.

　　While others were raking in 2.08 million a day, she was lucky if she didn’t lose 280,000 by nightfall.

　　The system chimed in again, “Completely serious!”　　

　　Chu Ling pressed, “And how are you going to prove it?”

　　“Miss Chu, it’s almost time to start filming.”

　　The makeup artist walked back in, paused when she saw her, then frowned. “Miss Chu, did you change your lipstick without telling me?”

　　That was definitely not the shade she’d applied earlier.

　　“Yup.”

　　Chu Ling nodded calmly. “Because I thought the one you picked looked ugly.”

　　The pink-toned lipstick the makeup artist picked didn’t match Chu Ling’s overall makeup or outfit at all. It even dulled her natural beauty.

　　The makeup artist sighed softly, then said, “Miss Chu, I’ve mentioned this before — all our makeup and styling goes through strict checks. You shouldn’t make changes on your own. Even if something needs adjusting, you should’ve let me know first.”

　　Chu Ling pointed at her own eyes. “What do you think these are?”

　　The makeup artist looked confused. “…Huh?”

　　“I have eyes, so I can clearly see whether something looks good or not.”

　　She let out a soft laugh. “I heard you’re a seasoned makeup artist, yet you chose a lipstick like that for me. It’s either your sense of style is seriously lacking, and you should probably consider switching careers… or…”

　　Chu Ling stared straight at her. “You did it on purpose.”

　　The makeup artist visibly panicked for a second, then stiffly replied, “Please don’t make wild assumptions. I’ve done my job properly.”

　　Someone outside called again, “Time is almost up.”

　　“The shoot’s about to start. If you still have something to say, we can talk next time.”

　　Chu Ling picked up her bag and waved a casual goodbye. Just as she was closing the door behind her, she heard the makeup artist mumble under her breath, “She really is just as annoying as the rumors say.”

　　Ah, right.

　　Chu Ling let out a self-deprecating chuckle and thought, she really did have that kind of personality. Annoying. Unlikeable. Ever since she was a kid, no one had ever truly liked her.

　　She always assumed she was just naturally bad at getting along with people.

　　But if what the system said was true, maybe that was just a setting made by the author.　

　　Bzzz. Bzzz.

　　Chu Ling’s phone vibrated twice.

　　She glanced at it and noticed a new app had appeared out of nowhere. At the top, a pop-up message flashed on the screen:

　　【Congratulations! You’ve received 10 points of negative emotion from makeup artist Annie.】

　　【Account credited: 1,000 yuan.】

　　Chu Ling froze. Then she opened her banking app to check.

　　Sure enough, her card really had an extra 1,000 yuan.

　　In that instant, her heart started racing uncontrollably.

　　“Now do you believe me? I told you it was real.”

　　The system sounded smug. “Relax, we exist above the world’s natural order. That money will be rationalized by the system — no one’s gonna arrest you for unexplained income.”

　　“And no taxes either. Whatever lands in your account is yours to keep.”

　　So easy?

　　Chu Ling’s mood, which had dipped just a moment ago, instantly brightened.

　　So all she had to do was get hated to earn money?

　　For her, that was way too easy.

　　Even without factoring in her naturally off-putting personality, being a female celebrity and getting hated was as natural as breathing.

　　Too fat, too skinny. Too tall, too short. Too loud, too quiet. No matter what you did, people would find something to hate. Even being too perfect would get you slammed for being fake.

　　Now this — this was going to be a walk in the park.

　　“I believe you.”

　　In a great mood, Chu Ling hopped into the show’s transport vehicle headed for the recording site, a luxurious villa just a short drive away.

　　On the way, her manager, Xu Jie, sent her a reminder via text:

　　【Make the most of this chance. No matter how badly you get cursed out, you have to endure it.】

　　Before they left, Xu Jie had already warned her: this was her final shot at making a comeback. She had to go all in. Even if she was scolded to death, the traffic it brought would be real. And if she still couldn’t rise again, she’d be completely shelved.

　　All in?

　　Of course she could go all in!

　　If being hated meant making money, then it didn’t matter if the whole world despised her.

　　Even if one day she was the only person left who loved herself, she’d still live her best life in a giant mansion, counting her Maybachs and Rolls-Royces, crying over her piles of gold and jewelry.

　　Chu Ling fell into thought, and somehow, the corners of her mouth twitched into a creepy smile.

　　The system watched as her grin grew increasingly unhinged. “...Can you tone it down a little?”

　　Chu Ling pulled out her compact mirror to check her expression, then forced down the corners of her lips. “Got it.”

　　When they arrived at the villa, Chu Ling got out of the car.

　　She already knew that her assigned role was the Female Guest No.1, so she was supposed to arrive first.

　　Meanwhile, the live broadcast room had been opened early, quietly stirring up hype behind the scenes.

　　【She’s here, she’s here! My first time tuning in to a live dating show—I’m way too excited.】

　　【Is the guest list online legit? Is the Film Emperor Qin Shuo really coming??】

　　【His flight info’s already leaked, so it’s pretty much a done deal.】

　　The camera slowly zoomed in, capturing a shot of Chu Ling’s back.

　　【Is that a girl? The Female Guest No.1? Anyone recognize her?】

　　【Is she a celebrity or a regular person?】

　　【That outfit doesn’t look like a regular person’s... Based on the rumored cast list, could that be Chu Ling?】

　　Although Chu Ling had faded from the spotlight these past two years, the public still knew who she was.

　　Unfortunately, not for good reasons.

　　The camera moved in again, catching a glimpse of her faint profile.

　　【Damn, that really looks like Chu Ling.】

　　【The program team must be desperate for traffic. What were they thinking inviting her? Aren’t they worried she’ll mess up the whole show?】

　　【Who still doesn’t know about all her scandals from a few years ago? It feels like she came to this show just to clear her name.】

　　【If my brother really joins this show, someone please make sure she stays far away from him! Ahhhhhh!!!】

　　Even if some people only felt a tiny bit of dislike toward her, the sheer volume of viewers meant that in just a few short minutes, Chu Ling’s ¹backend had already raked in over a hundred thousand yuan.

　　She couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from curling up.

　　Right then, the camera zoomed in and finally caught her full face.

　　She looked up, eyes bright and confident as she stared directly into the lens. Her brows raised slightly, her smile bold and dazzling, with an aura that said she was here to win.

　　Bring on the storm. Don’t pity me—just hit me with everything you’ve got!

　　For a moment, even the viewers who were bashing her or listing her scandals went quiet.

　　【I know she’s problematic and all but still...】

　　【This woman’s face really is something else!】

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