The Vicious Female Supporting Character Goes Viral After Her Masks Drop During the Talent Show - Chapter 12

“Producer Zhang!”

Outside the backstage dressing room, Yu Junran called out to the hurried Zhang Jing.

Zhang Jing stopped in his tracks. “Oh, Junran! What’s up? Isn’t today’s recording over? Why haven’t you left yet?”

Yu Junran smiled smoothly. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Is there a change in the selection rules for the Initial Center this year?”

An odd glint flashed through Zhang Jing’s eyes, but he quickly covered it with a flawless smile. “Oh, that. It hasn’t been decided yet.”

Yu Junran frowned. “Not decided? So there is a possibility the rules will change?”

“Not necessarily,” Zhang Jing replied evasively. “Don’t worry, once it’s finalized, the mentors will be the first to know.”

Yu Junran realized Zhang Jing was playing dumb and wouldn’t yield more information. He went for a different angle. “Producer Zhang, I assume you and Dingming’s Director Lu Mingqiu already had dinner before the season started?”

“We did, we did! Haha, thanks to your uncle’s cooperation, I was able to get a busy man like you on my show,” Zhang Jing said politely.

“Since we’re all friends, I’ll be blunt,” Yu Junran said. “You promised to look after Dingming’s priority trainees. That still stands, right?”

“Of course, of course.”

“Then I think Tian Jingyu is the most suitable for the Center position.”

Zhang Jing had predicted this. He clapped Yu Junran on the shoulder with feigned confidence. “Jingyu is so talented; regardless of the rules, she’s definitely a candidate. Look, I have an urgent call to take. Don’t worry about the Center!”

As Zhang Jing hurried away, Yu Junran felt a sense of unease. He decided to pressure his uncle to have Dingming Entertainment intervene officially.

The Lu Family Villa

“So, Dingming hasn’t signed the agreement with Guan Ke yet?” Yu Junran asked, surprised.

The agreement dictated that Dingming would manage the daily operations of the debut group while Guan Ke provided platform resources, with a 50/50 profit split. Usually, this was signed before filming began.

Lu Mingqiu puffed on a cigar, looking irritated. “It’s all because of Lu Tingshen. That kid has been making trouble for me lately. I’ve been too busy dealing with him to finalize the contract.”

Lu Mingqiu knew the CEO, Lu Tingshen, was determined to kick him out of the high-level management, but couldn’t move against him yet because of the family patriarch, Lu Dingchun.

Yu Junran warned, “I’m worried that if we don’t sign, Zhang Jing might change his mind about Jingyu.”

“Change his mind? Impossible,” Lu Mingqiu said confidently. “Guan Ke has too many business ties with us. Zhang Jing wouldn’t risk offending the industry leader over one girl. Besides, he has no other choice for a partner.”

“Anyway, don’t worry about that. I have something else to ask you,” Lu Mingqiu said. “About ‘Zhong Yan’—that writer.”

“Yes,” Yu Junran said. “She’s exactly why I’m worried about Jingyu. That woman… she’s definitely going to be a hit.”

Lu Mingqiu’s face darkened. If Zhong Yan became a massive star, he couldn’t let Lu Tingshen collaborate with her. If Lu Tingshen succeeded with her project, it would prove the young CEO was a visionary and that Lu Mingqiu was a fool, giving Tingshen more leverage to oust him.

“Did you bring her information?” Lu Mingqiu asked.

Yu Junran pulled up a photo of her trainee information sheet. Lu Mingqiu took the phone, his expression shifting from curiosity to shock.

“…Zhong Yan?”

The name and face were strangely familiar. He slapped his forehead. “This is Lu Tingshen’s fiancée!”

Yu Junran’s eyes widened. “Fiancée? The CEO has a fiancée?”

“It’s an arranged marriage from when they were children—a ‘baby marriage’ between the Lu and Zhong families. Only the inner circles know.”

“The Zhong family? As in… Wensheng Group?” Yu Junran asked.

“Which other Zhong family could match the Lus?”

Yu Junran fell silent. A famous author, a chaebol heiress, and the future ‘First Lady’ of Dingming Entertainment. Zhong Yan had too many high-level identities for him to process. He began to wonder if he had made a mistake by offending her during the initial evaluations.

Lu Mingqiu was even more rattled. “If she’s his fiancée, then their collaboration is practically set in stone! How can I stop it?” He paced the room until a thought struck him. “Wait! If they’re ‘fiancés,’ there’s still a way! We just have to make sure they never become a real couple.”

He knew Lu Tingshen had always been cold toward this arranged marriage. “Has the news of her being on the show leaked yet?”

“No, Zhang Jing is keeping it quiet for now.”

“Good,” Lu Mingqiu smirked. “We need to make Lu Tingshen break off the engagement before the news breaks.”

As Yu Junran drove away from the villa, his phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.

“I know your darkest secret. If you don’t want it exposed, transfer 1 million to this account within 24 hours.”

Yu Junran sneered, thinking it was a scam, and was about to block the number when a second message arrived: a photo of a crumpled piece of paper. The header read: “Notice of Expulsion.”

Yu Junran’s pupils contracted. The phone almost slipped from his hand.

The Re-Evaluation

Five days of intense practice flew by, and the day of the Theme Song Re-evaluation arrived. Trainees entered the room one by one to perform for the four mentors. Yan Shi was not present, as the Producer wasn’t needed for this technical check.

When Zhong Yan entered, the tired mentors perked up.

“The one everyone’s waiting for is here,” Mu Bin joked, glancing at Yu Junran. “Especially our Junran—he’s finally going to see if she’s ‘qualified’ to be an idol.”

Yu Junran gave a forced, slightly awkward smile. “Teachers, don’t tease me. I was just excited for her performance.”

Zhong Yan noticed that Yu Junran’s attitude seemed different today—almost cautious, or even “timid.”

Zhong Yan performed the song and dance flawlessly. Her movements were sharp, and her vocals were unshakable even while dancing. After she thanked them and left the room, Mu Bin looked at the other three mentors, already holding the “Class A” stamp.

“Do we even need to discuss this one?”