Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: What Doesn’t Kill Me Will Eventually Make Me Richer

　　Chu Ling was the first to enter the villa.

　　The living room inside was pretty spacious. Near the floor-to-ceiling windows sat a long sofa with eight cushions neatly arranged on it.

　　Without hesitation, Chu Ling picked the center spot and sat down.

　　【She went straight for the center seat. Classic her.】

　　【I originally thought it was outrageous, but when I thought about Chu Ling, it actually seemed pretty normal... Didn’t everyone know she’d been buying press releases to hype up her beauty for years?】

　　Feeling bored while waiting, Chu Ling told the system to report the live comment feed to her. As she listened, she rolled her eyes silently.

　　Come on.

　　With a face like this, she steals the spotlight just by showing up in the same frame. Why would she need to pay for articles?

　　But whatever.

　　What doesn’t kill her will only make her richer.

　　Chu Ling rubbed her hands together in her mind. “What else can I do to stir things up even more?”

　　System: “...Just be yourself.”

　　According to its database, Chu Ling was a naturally gifted trouble magnet.

　　“Really?”

　　Chu Ling leaned her cheek on one hand and said, “So there really are that many people who hate me? I always thought the ones hating on me were paid bots hired by rivals. I mean, how else do you explain them repeating the same lame insults like they’re machines?”

　　She sighed with genuine regret. “They can say such filthy things even while looking at a face like mine. No taste at all.”

　　System: “...”

　　With that kind of mindset, you're bound to succeed at anything.

　　Not long after, the villa door was pushed open again.

　　A man with slicked-back hair walked in, dressed in a dark suit. His tie, watch, and cufflinks matched perfectly — not a single detail out of place. His whole vibe screamed corporate elite.

　　“Hello.”

　　When he saw Chu Ling, he raised an eyebrow and greeted her.

　　This was the Male Guest No.1.

　　The show Heartbeat Lab featured both celebrities and ordinary people.

　　Of course, aside from the male lead of the original book, the Film Emperor Qin Shuo, the rest were all little-known celebrities. So even though the production team labeled them as “stars,” in reality, they were basically semi-amateurs.

　　That’s why Chu Ling couldn’t immediately tell whether this person was a celebrity or just an ordinary person.

　　Thankfully, the system quickly fed her his info so she could more easily dance on his nerves and attract hate if needed.

　　Male Guest No.1: Lu Shixuan. Comes from a wealthy family, grew up overseas, Ivy League grad who returned to China and started his own business. Considers himself part of the upper-middle class and has a strong superiority complex.

　　“Oh, I know the type,” Chu Ling commented. “Usually a big fan of pretending to know everything. Total fake-deep guy.”

　　System: “...”

　　Lu Shixuan walked over to her and offered his hand with a smile. “Louis,” he introduced himself.

　　Chu Ling looked up at him, didn’t take his hand, and asked, “Are you a foreigner? Chinese-American?”

　　Lu Shixuan replied, “No. I’m Chinese.”

　　Chu Ling asked, “Then you don’t have your own Chinese name?”　　

　　“……”

　　Lu Shixuan was momentarily caught off guard, but quickly regained his composure. “Sorry, I'm just used to people calling me by my English name at work. But of course, you can call me by my Chinese name, Lu Shixuan.”

　　“I'm not your coworker though.”

　　Chu Ling casually introduced herself. “Chu Ling.”

　　She had only asked a simple question, but after that brief exchange, Lu Shixuan chose a seat a bit farther from her and didn’t continue the conversation. Instead, he shifted his gaze back to the entrance, waiting for the next person to arrive.

　　System: “See? Told you. You’ve got a natural talent for this.”

　　Chu Ling: “...”

　　Pretty sure he's just petty.

　　More guests started arriving one after another.

　　Female Guest No.2, Gao Yan, had short curly chestnut hair, a sweet smile, and a cute face that gave off a naturally friendly vibe.

　　Female Guest No.3, Ye Weiyang, showed up in a suit with her hair in a neat bun. She greeted everyone confidently and even brought little gifts for all of them.

　　Male Guest No.2, Lin Zirun, had slightly long hair tied up in a small ponytail. He gave off a strong artsy, indie vibe from head to toe.

　　Male Guest No.3, Jiang Yicheng, looked like the youngest of the bunch. His outfit was laid-back and stylish, the kind of look you’d expect from a rich young guy.

　　“Friendly reminder,” the system said. “Don’t fall for any of the male guests here. Even though they’re on a dating show, not a single one of them is actually single. They all still have girlfriends off-camera.”

　　“Makes sense.”

　　Chu Ling wasn’t surprised at all. “These days even dating shows are getting hit with scandals. If no dirt gets exposed after the show ends, is it even a real dating show?”　　

　　Objectively speaking, even though the guests on this show are supposed to be regular people, their looks are seriously top-tier.

　　Too bad every single one of them came here with their own hidden agenda. Basically, aside from the male and female leads, no one’s here to actually fall in love.

　　Still, everyone’s got to put on a show.

　　So, once they entered the villa, the male and female guests greeted each other, sat down, and started exchanging glances. Every smile was captured and broadcasted by the crew, complete with perfectly timed pink effects. Even a quick glance could be edited into a “love at first sight” moment.

　　【Ahhh I’m shipping Male Guest No.1 and Female Guest No.2! Anyone with me? Feels like a cold CEO and a sweet girl pairing. That eye contact just now was full of sparks!】

　　【I think Female Guest No.3 and Male Guest No.3 could work too. That sneaky dog couple vibe, who gets it gets it.】

　　But then, when the camera cut to Chu Ling—

　　She was looking down at her phone.

　　The barrage of comments that had just been buzzing with excitement over the guest interactions immediately turned furious.

　　【What is Chu Ling even doing?】

　　【So disrespectful.】

　　【If you don’t want to be on the show, then don’t come. It’s not like we want to see you anyway!】

　　Chu Ling, however, was checking her income dashboard.

　　And in just that short amount of time, she’d already made another two hundred thousand.

　　Hell yeah.

　　Keep yelling, people. Scold away. Let the storm rage even harder.

　　The last female guest to appear was the original novel's female lead, Wen Shu.

　　She had fair skin, gentle and cool features, and carried an elegant aura. The moment she pushed open the door, she stunned quite a few people.

　　【Wow, is this girl really a regular person? I swear on my ten years of idol-watching experience, I’ve never seen her before.】

　　【She looks even prettier than celebrities.】

　　【LMAO, looks like Chu Ling won’t be able to pull the “stealing the spotlight” headlines this time.】

　　Right after her, the original male lead made his entrance—Film Emperor Qin Shuo.

　　As the biggest name among them, the production crew even left a dramatic pause before he appeared. This cranked the suspense on the bullet comments to the max, with viewers guessing whether the final guest was really Qin Shuo or not.

　　Then, the door opened and the camera turned toward him, instantly sending the discussion into a frenzy.

　　【Holy shit, it really is Qin Shuo!!】

　　【Why is Qin Shuo on a dating show?!】

　　【This is for real? Can someone check how his fans are doing right now?】

　　【His real fans probably saw this coming... they knew this day of disappointment would come, even before they allowed themselves to believe the fantasy.】

　　【...Whatever. He’s thirty-five anyway. Let him do what he wants. Just please don’t let him end up with Chu Ling. 🙏】

　　Inside the villa, everyone clearly recognized Qin Shuo. Everyone except Chu Ling reacted with dramatic surprise.

　　“Whoa! Am I seeing who I think I’m seeing?”

　　“Oh my god, I can’t believe I get to meet him here—”

　　“Is this real? Am I dreaming?”

　　“Shouldn’t we let him sit in the middle?”

　　Seated right in the middle of the sofa, Chu Ling raised a brow, completely unfazed.

　　Qin Shuo didn’t look at her either. His gaze landed next to the original female lead Wen Shu and he said, “I’ll sit here.”

　　Male Guest No.3, Jiang Yicheng, chuckled. “Looks like everyone’s here. Shall we do introductions?”

　　Just as he finished speaking, each of them received the show’s first message.

　　【Please take out the whiteboard under the coffee table. Time for your first challenge.】

　　【Name & Job Matching Game!】

　　Ye Weiyang was sitting closest to the coffee table, so she took out the whiteboards and handed one to each person.

　　On the left side of the board were big headshots of everyone, and on the right side were the listed occupations. The task was to draw lines connecting the right person to the right job.

　　“Well... this one's basically a freebie, right?”

　　Female Guest No.2 Gao Yan glanced toward Qin Shuo and smiled.

　　Jiang Yicheng nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Who here doesn't know Qin Shuo?”

　　Lin Zirun laughed. “This is one of those ‘everyone under heaven knows him’ moments.”

　　Even though he was used to compliments by now, Qin Shuo still enjoyed being praised like this, especially in front of someone he liked.

　　He was just about to wave it off and say something modest when the girl sitting in the middle suddenly chimed in.

　　“Of course,” Chu Ling said casually, “a lot of us probably grew up watching ¹Teacher Qin's work.”

　　Qin Shuo: “...”

　　【I’m impressed with Chu Ling. Did she really not do it on purpose?】

　　【Now I finally get why so many people dislike her. She seriously has zero emotional intelligence.】

　　Chu Ling said it like it was no big deal, no malice in her tone at all. After that, she just looked down and kept poking her pen at the whiteboard, like she was figuring out how to match the names.

　　What she said was true, though.

　　Qin Shuo debuted young, and Chu Ling was still in her early twenties. She had already seen his work back in elementary school, so it did count as growing up watching his projects.

　　If it had been on a different kind of show, it might have just come off as a lighthearted joke, maybe a little impolite, but not a big deal.

　　But this was a dating show.

　　And the original leads in the book had a twelve-year age gap, with a dynamic that leaned heavily on the charm of an older man.

　　It wasn’t a problem since they were both adults, but with Chu Ling bringing it up like that, the contrast felt even sharper. Qin Shuo instinctively glanced at Wen Shu, only to find she wasn't looking at him. His expression darkened slightly.

　　As for Chu Ling, this challenge was basically an open-book test. If she wanted, the system could feed her all the right answers instantly.

　　But the message from the production team had made it clear:

　　【The number of correct matches will determine your date order.】　

　　Chu Ling immediately decided to give up and go full lazy mode.

　　She had zero interest in dating anyone here.

　　Aside from a few celebrities, the rest were regular folks—and honestly, a bit hard to guess.

　　Author, illustrator, CEO, bar owner...

　　Gao Yan lifted her gaze, looking back and forth between the non-celeb participants. She tapped her pen against her cheek and said in a cutesy tone, “Is there any kind soul who could give me a little hint?”

　　Male Guest No.1 Lu Shixuan raised a brow at her, then deliberately changed to a deep, suave voice. “Then let me give you all a tiny hint. Rather than the job listed here, I prefer to call myself... a dream weaver.”

　　Everyone else: “…”

　　“Of course, if you want to call me an artist, I won’t argue. I’m good at painting and have some talent in literature too.”

　　He looked at the given list of careers, smiled again, and added, “I also know a thing or two about alcohol. If you’re interested, I can mix you a drink sometime.”

　　“Alright, alright, alright,” Gao Yan laughed and cut him off. “Are you trying to mislead us on purpose?”

　　“But I really am good at all of those things,” Lu Shixuan replied with a grin. “How do you know I didn’t hide the real answer in there somewhere?”

　　【So talented! I’m obsessed!】

　　【Good-looking, talented, and rich. Do men like this even exist in real life?!】

　　Only Chu Ling rolled her eyes in her head.

　　Acting flashy on a dating show was normal, but this was way over the top.

　　She lowered her head, thought for a moment, and then drew a line connecting Lu Shixuan to all eight of the job titles on the right.

　　Once everyone finished, they counted down from three and flipped their whiteboards over at the same time.

　　One panel stood out right away and drew everyone's attention.

　　【What’s with this octopus chart Chu Ling made?】

　　【She connected every single profession to the Male Guest No.1? What’s going through her head?】

　　【Totally on purpose—what a schemer】

　　Even Lu Shixuan was momentarily stunned. He chuckled and asked, “Uh... what’s this supposed to mean?”

　　“Oh, nothing much. I just think Mr. Louis is really amazing,”

　　Chu Ling curved her lips into a mocking smile. “Honestly, it feels like the production team wasted their budget on the other guests. Should’ve just invited you alone, don’t you think?”

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