Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: Might as Well Offend Everyone

　　【...What is she even saying?】

　　【Is she throwing shade at the Male Guest No.1? Kinda rude, no?】

　　【But I totally get her point, haha. That guy was acting so pretentious earlier, like he’s an expert in literally everything.】

　　【Agreed. Even the Film Emperor doesn’t show off that much.】

　　【Not a fan of Chu Ling, but I’ve got to admit—she really spoke my mind this time. That felt good.】

　　【Still, saying it out loud like that is seriously lacking tact. No wonder she’s stayed irrelevant all these years.】

　　Inside the room, the atmosphere froze for a moment.

　　Lu Shixuan’s face clearly stiffened, but then he let out an awkward laugh and said, “I was just trying to make things a little more challenging for everyone. Just joking, really.”

　　While he was calling it a joke, Chu Ling received a system notification showing she had just earned 2,000 yuan from him.

　　Looked like he was fuming.

　　Chu Ling calmly put down her board and raised an eyebrow. “Same here. Just joking.”

　　“...Right, so should we reveal the answers now and introduce ourselves too?”

　　Ye Weiyang, the Female Guest No.3, stepped in to smooth things over. Her eyes glanced around the room before finally landing on Qin Shuo. With a soft smile, she suggested, “Why don’t we start with... our giveaway guest over here?”

　　Instantly, all eyes turned to Qin Shuo.

　　Qin Shuo didn’t hesitate. He gave a small nod and introduced himself simply, “Hi everyone, I’m Qin Shuo. I’m an actor, mostly working in films.”

　　On the livestream screen, his career highlights and achievements popped up beside him.

　　He had been acting in movies since his debut and had created several iconic roles. Just a couple of years ago, he won the national Best Actor award. He was one of those rare celebrities who had both popularity and real talent.

　　【My boy’s so humble, ahhh!】

　　【Seriously, compared to the Male Guest No.1, he’s impressive and low-key!】

　　As expected, everyone got the question right except for Chu Ling.

　　While everyone continued their polite compliments, Jiang Yicheng asked, “If you could pick a girl to get to know right now, whose answer would you be most curious about?”

　　Qin Shuo looked straight at the original female lead, Wen Shu.

　　Without looking away, he said in a calm and steady voice, “Wen Shu.”

　　Wen Shu’s eyelids twitched slightly.

　　She knew it was bound to happen, and honestly, she had expected it.

　　She lowered her gaze for a second, then lifted her head and answered confidently, “Hi everyone, nice to meet you. I’m Wen Shu, and I’m an illustrator.”

　　“Really?”

　　Male Guest No.3, Jiang Yicheng, raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then he looked at the answer board in front of him and shook his head with a hint of regret. “I thought you were a model. You’ve got that kind of vibe.”

　　The production team helpfully brought up a few of Wen Shu’s illustrations on screen.

　　【She’s this pretty and turns out to be an illustrator? I thought for sure she was a model.】

　　【She’s got such a classy aura, and with all those designer brands, she totally looks like a rich young lady.】

　　【Why is she beautiful, talented, and rich? Life really isn’t fair.】

　　【Yep, I guess I was just born to fill the population count.】

　　Now it was Wen Shu’s turn to pick someone.

　　Feeling a bit scattered, she randomly chose Jiang Yicheng, since he had just spoken to her.

　　“Let me take a look at what everyone guessed.”

　　Jiang Yicheng rested his chin in his hand, glanced around, then let out a soft laugh. “A couple people got it right, but not many. I must be hard to read, huh?”

　　“You’re right. I’m a bar manager.”

　　Chu Ling originally wanted to ask something, but when she saw everyone nodding like they understood, she held back. Still, she asked the system, “What does ‘bar manager’ actually mean?”

　　The system replied very seriously, “It means he’s the founder or main person in charge of the brand—”

　　Chu Ling cut in, “Speak human language.”

　　After a short pause, the system adjusted, “You can just think of it as being the boss.”

　　Chu Ling replied, “Then why not just say bar boss?”

　　The system answered, “Maybe ‘manager’ just sounds trendier these days?”

　　Chu Ling thought about it and nodded. Makes sense.

　　Because it sounds more high-end.

　　After all, when you're on a show, wording matters—it’s all about presentation. Like, if the breakfast vendor downstairs came on the show, she could call herself a Jianbing Guozi specialist instead of a street vendor.

　　Jiang Yicheng asked everyone, “Do I not look like one?”

　　“You do look like someone who drinks a lot.”

　　Ye Weiyang gave her white board an X on that line of guessing. “But you look more like a regular at the bar, not the one running it.”

　　Next up was Ye Weiyang.

　　She smiled slightly and said, “I’m a fashion designer. If there's ever a chance in the future, I’d love to collaborate with any of you.”

　　【I know her! She’s designed custom outfits for so many celebrities!!】

　　Even though she was a non-celebrity, she clearly had close ties to the entertainment industry.

　　Chu Ling suspected she joined this show to grow her client base.

　　After Ye Weiyang finished her introduction, she glanced around the room.

　　Male Guest No.1, Lu Shixuan, hadn’t been picked for two rounds in a row, and his expression was starting to sour.

　　He’d always carried himself with a strong sense of superiority, so not being the center of attention here was clearly frustrating. He was doing his best not to let his annoyance show.

　　So Ye Weiyang graciously chose him next.

　　Finally, it was Lu Shixuan’s turn to shine. He instinctively adjusted his cuff before speaking. “Hello everyone, my name is Lu Shixuan, but I usually go by Louis. I studied abroad for a few years, and just recently started my own company. It’s not very big yet, but it went public not long ago. We mainly do finance.”

　　He finished, and as usual, waited for the expected wave of admiration.

　　【I knew he was a CEO type! He totally gives off that vibe.】

　　【No wonder he can act like that—he’s got the backing for it.】

　　“Ohhh—”

　　But then, Chu Ling casually chimed in, “So you're also a manager.”

　　Lu Shixuan instantly choked on his own pride.

　　That’s not the same at all!

　　His company is publicly listed! He’s the CEO of a listed company, not some random nobody trying to ride the wave!

　　His face darkened. Just as he was about to say something to defend himself, Jiang Yicheng slung an arm around his shoulder with a grin.

　　“Guess that makes us fellow entrepreneurs, huh?”

　　Like hell we are!

　　Lu Shixuan held back his anger and forced a couple of polite chuckles.

　　There were only two female guests left. Out of pure dislike for Chu Ling, he immediately picked the Female Guest No.2, Gao Yan.

　　“Not much left to choose from anyway. I’m sure everyone’s already figured it out.”

　　“Surprise—turns out I’m the model.”

　　Gao Yan smiled as she clarified, “But not a runway model. I do print modeling. My name’s Gao Yan, and I hope we all get along well over the next two months.”

　　The rest of the male guests had already been picked, so she went with the Male Guest No.3, Lin Zirun. After glancing at the final options, she asked, “You’re the writer, right?”

　　“Rather than ‘writer,’ I prefer to call myself a content creator,” Lin Zirun replied, pushing up his glasses. “The word ‘writer’ feels too big. I’m just someone who writes down thoughts, tries to share what I want to say, and happened to get a chance to publish.”

　　Gao Yan asked curiously, “What kind of things do you write?”

　　“My travel experiences,” he said. “A few years ago, I quit my job and went on a trip around the world. I felt like the noise of big cities was turning us into machines, so I wanted to return to nature and rediscover myself.”

　　【I really admire that mindset.】

　　【I like Male Guest No.3! Feels like you’d be so free with him.】

　　Chu Ling thought to herself.

　　Oh. So he’s here to sell books.

　　After listening to everyone’s intros, she noticed they each had their own little “hook.”

　　Aside from the main male and female leads, it seemed like everyone else joined the show just to get famous and boost their visibility.

　　Honestly, instead of calling this show “Heartbeat Lab,” they might as well rename it to “Debut Stage.”

　　Finally, it was Chu Ling’s turn.

　　“I feel like this is basically a freebie question?”　　

　　Gao Yan looked at her and smiled sweetly. “Chu Ling, I’ve seen your work before.”

　　“Really.”

　　Chu Ling gave her a polite smile too. “Was it my acting or the gossip you’ve heard?”

　　Let’s be real—her scandals were a lot more famous than her roles.

　　【How does she have the face to say that out loud!?】

　　【Is she… openly admitting her own scandals now?】

　　Chu Ling said, “I’m an actress too. Lately…”

　　Lately, she couldn’t get any acting jobs, which was why she ended up joining this variety show to ride the hype.

　　She let out a sarcastic laugh in her head but still kept things civil.

　　“…I wanted a change of pace, so I decided to join the show, meet new people. Maybe it’ll bring some unexpected surprises.”

　　And oh, it did.

　　The system already gave her the biggest surprise of her life.

　　According to the show’s rules, guests would get points based on how many answers they matched correctly.

　　After what Chu Ling pulled, it was only natural she ended up at the bottom of the scoreboard.

　　Which suited her just fine. She didn’t care who she had to go on dates with—none of them made a difference anyway.

　　The only one who got all eight answers right was none other than Film Emperor Qin Shuo.

　　Chu Ling’s expression turned a little amused.

　　“He got the answer sheets beforehand, didn’t he?”

　　She asked the system.

　　Considering his status, it wouldn’t be hard for him to pull some strings with the production team.

　　The system replied like it was nothing new.

　　“Well, he’s the male lead. You know how it goes—everything’s gotta be set up so he can chase the girl.”

　　The date picks would happen that evening.

　　For now, everyone could settle in and choose their rooms.

　　But it was getting close to dinnertime, so Jiang Yicheng was the first to speak.

　　“What about dinner? Do we eat out or…?”

　　“I peeked in the fridge earlier. There are ingredients inside,” Ye Weiyang suggested.

　　“How about we take turns cooking?”

　　Everyone eventually agreed to take turns cooking, and the order would be decided by drawing lots.

　　When Chu Ling looked at the paper in her hand, which had the same pattern as Qin Shuo’s, she was silent for a moment.

　　【Why did it have to be those two?! No way!!!】

　　【Chu Ling get lost! Stay away from my brother!!!】

　　【This is obviously arranged by the production team. They're just trying to let Chu Ling leech off my brother’s popularity! Production team go die!!】

　　Chu Ling: “...”

　　She didn’t know if it was intentional on the crew’s part, but either way, it wasn’t her doing.

　　Qin Shuo’s face didn’t look too good either.

　　But the draw couldn’t be changed, so while the others went upstairs to unpack and rest, Chu Ling and Qin Shuo exchanged a glance and wordlessly walked into the kitchen.

　　The system whispered to Chu Ling, “This scene is also in the original plot.”

　　Chu Ling was supposed to act all cute in front of the Film Emperor, hint that she couldn’t cook, and ask him to teach her. It ended with him being completely annoyed and his fans dragging her through the mud.

　　The system nudged, “Here’s your chance!”

　　Chu Ling replied, “Got it.”

　　Qin Shuo was deep in thought.

　　Before coming, his manager had warned him that many of the guests might try to ride on his fame. Especially Chu Ling, who already had a bad reputation. Negative press is still press, and someone like her might cling to him like a leech.

　　But for the sake of pursuing Wen Shu, he didn’t really care about anything else.

　　Still, looking at this draw result now, he thought maybe he had underestimated Chu Ling.

　　Worried that she might find ways to interact with him, he quickly tied on an apron and moved to the other side first.

　　“I’m not really used to cooking with someone else,” he said.

　　【Nice one!!】

　　【Stay away from Chu Ling!! She doesn’t deserve him!!】

　　Qin Shuo was about to suggest they cook separately in shifts. He could just make a few dishes on his own without needing to coordinate with her. It would be much more comfortable.

　　“That’s a shame,” Chu Ling replied.

　　Chu Ling quickly pulled off the apron she had just slipped over her head and said, “I’m actually not very good at cooking. I just thought I could lend you a hand, Teacher Qin. But if that’s how it is... should I not stick around and get in your way?”

　　She pressed her palms together and smiled politely. “Thank you, Teacher Qin. I’ll leave dinner to you tonight then.”

　　Qin Shuo: “?”

　　Even after so many years in the entertainment industry, Qin Shuo had never met someone with such little social tact.

　　Most people, even if they couldn't cook, would at least pretend, right?

　　He hesitated. “Are you saying you want me to cook for all eight people by myself?”

　　Chu Ling looked surprised. “Isn’t that what you meant, Teacher Qin?”

　　She pretended to think for a couple of seconds before continuing, “If you feel like that’s too much, I can just order takeout for everyone. That way, it’ll ease some of the pressure on you, right?”

　　Qin Shuo: “…”

　　Qin Shuo: “…Forget it.”

　　“Really? Thanks, Teacher Qin! I’ll leave it to you, then!”

　　Chu Ling hung the apron back up and happily skipped out of the kitchen.

　　The system sounded shocked.

　　“You’re not trying to get his attention at all. How are you going to complete the ‘everyone hates you’ task?”

　　“I am completing it,” Chu Ling said. “Check the dashboard.”

　　The system took a peek.

　　She was right.

　　The negative points Chu Ling was collecting were steadily climbing.

　　【Chu Ling, are you serious?!!】

　　【I’ve never seen anyone like this. They drew lots and she just dumped all the work on Qin Shuo? What kind of attitude is that?】

　　【So selfish!!】

　　“Sure, a clingy green tea type is annoying, but only his fans would get mad at that. Most people are just here for the drama,” Chu Ling said. “But this way? It’s different.”

　　Now she was a selfish slacker. The kind everyone could agree to hate.

　　Offending one group? Might as well offend everyone.

　　Go on, hate me all you want, everyone!

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