The Vicious Female Supporting Character Goes Viral After Her Masks Drop During the Talent Show - Chapter 20

Music swelled throughout the arena as a deep crimson glow washed over the stage. Five girls stood on a slightly elevated platform at the rear of the stage, their backs to the audience. The hazy, flirtatious red light traced the silhouettes of their graceful, curvaceous figures.

The drumbeats kicked in, accelerating by the second. Beams of bright spotlights flared to life, alternating left and right to illuminate each girl’s silhouette in turn.

The final beam of light landed on the center position: Zhong Yan.

Just as the audience strained their eyes to catch a glimpse of the performers, the music abruptly cut off. The lights vanished.

The sudden silence and darkness caused hearts to skip a beat. Adrenaline spiked; expectations reached a fever pitch.

In the next instant, the music roared back to life. The stage was flooded with blinding light as the five girls moved in perfect unison—hands on hips, tossing their long hair as they turned to face the crowd.

A wave of screams erupted instantly.

Stepping precisely to the beat, the girls descended from the platform. As they took their positions at the front of the stage, four members fanned out to flank Zhong Yan. As the first verse began, the broadcast director cut to a close-up of Zhong Yan’s face on the stadium screens.

Zhong Yan lifted her gaze. Her “peach blossom” eyes—slightly upturned at the corners—shimmered with a seductive, soulful brilliance. Her stare pierced through the lens, seizing the heart of every spectator. She flashed a charming, wicked smirk at the camera and sang the opening line.

In stark contrast to her ethereal, crystalline vocals from the initial evaluation, her voice was now rich, sultry, and magnificent. It sent goosebumps rippling through the crowd. Like the enchanting song of a Siren, it lured the audience into a dangerous trap.

The Performance: “Playing”

The lyrics of Playing described a fickle, beautiful woman who toyed with various men. They were obsessed with her, yet she remained forever out of reach, dancing just beyond their grasp. Simply put, the song was about “playing” men.

Comparing the two teams:

Group A portrayed a cold, arrogant beauty who looked upon her suitors with disdain and boredom, choosing to remain aloof.

Group B portrayed a seductive, cunning woman—a flirtatious fox who captured hearts and basked in their devotion, only to heartlessly cast them aside once she grew bored.

A high-level predator often appears in the guise of prey.

The first half of the song used Zhong Yan’s glamorous, sultry vocals as a backdrop. The girls’ choreography was soft and alluring, mimicking the “prey” to lure the men in. By the bridge, Jin Li’s rap was sharp and biting. Her cold, exotic beauty, paired with a cunning and wild smile, revealed the predator’s true face.

During the first chorus, Zhong Yan took the center. The group executed a “sword dance”—sharp, synchronized movements that balanced power with feminine grace. They performed like women enjoying the spectacle of men falling for them, reveling in the chaos they created.

Then came the dance break. The members retreated to the sides as An Tao took center stage, landing a smooth, powerful aerial cartwheel. The narrative shifted: the women were now tired of their suitors and sought to push the “pests” away.

In the latter half of the dance break, Zhong Yan stepped forward for a steamy duo dance with An Tao. Under the lingering red lights, their eyes locked. They pushed and pulled, entangling and retreating in a display of tension that drew non-stop screams from the floor.

By the final chorus, the choreography became even more forceful. It signaled the moment the women abandoned the men—standing tall and proud like victors of a game. This contrast between their curvaceous figures and the aggressive, explosive dance style pushed the performance to its climax. The entire audience was captivated by the “beautiful bad girl” charm.

The Ending Pose

As the final note faded, the group snapped into their ending poses with frame-perfect precision.

Due to the intensity of the dance, a stray lock of hair fell across Zhong Yan’s face, partially obscuring her features. Just as the “ending fairy” camera cut to her, she didn’t panic. She simply smiled at the lens, parted her red lips, and gave a gentle puff of air.

The strand of hair obediently blew aside, revealing her radiant smile to the cameras. She arched a thin eyebrow, her eyes flickering with a provocative blend of pride and confidence—the look of a hunter declaring victory over a caged beast.

The arena exploded into a deafening, prolonged roar of cheers.

“AHHHH! Sisters, you are too hot! I’m literally on fire!!” “Teacher Zhong, how many faces do you have?! This was such a surprise!” “I loved her first style, but this is even more my vibe! I’m stanning her for life, I’m never leaving this fandom!!”

Even the fans of her rival, Tian Jingyu, momentarily forgot the competition, swept up in the sheer brilliance of the show.

“…Damn. I didn’t get the hype for Zhong Yan during the first show, but today… I get it.”

The Mentor’s Room

Inside the observation room, the mentors were in an uproar. Mu Bin stood up, punching the air. “Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic! That was a professional-grade stage. Flawless!”

“I was worried if this style would suit Zhong Yan,” Mu Bin continued, shaking his head in amazement. “But now? It’s like the song was tailor-made for her! How can she fit it so perfectly?”

Ye Shi clapped in approval. “Zhong Yan is something else. Her versatility is incredible! And An Tao was great today, too. I used to feel she was like a ‘dust-covered pearl’—talented but forgettable. Today, she finally cracked the shell. She shone!”

Qian Wei laughed. “You two took the words right out of my mouth! What’s left for me? Let’s talk about Jin Li—she’s the rapper I’ve had my eye on, and she didn’t disappoint. Excellent performance!”

Yu Junran smiled and nodded but remained silent. It wasn’t that he disagreed; it was that he was so impressed he had nothing left to argue. He had assumed her dancing would be weak because her vocals were so strong. He was wrong. He assumed she only suited beautiful ballads. Wrong again.

Thinking back to the “trap” he tried to set for her during the first evaluation, Yu Junran finally realized: he hadn’t been digging a hole for her; he had been weaving her wedding gown. Zhong Yan had known this all along, using every obstacle he threw her way to pave her path to the throne.

The VIP Section

In the VIP area, the usually boisterous Xu You was uncharacteristically silent. Zhang Jing turned to him in surprise. “What’s wrong? You’ve gone mute?”

Xu You’s eyes were still glued to Zhong Yan. He reached out and pushed Zhang Jing’s head away, signaling him to be quiet. “It’s my first time seeing this side of Teacher Zhong. I haven’t processed it yet. Don’t bother me.”

Zhang Jing swatted his hand away with a chuckle. Xu You had grown up in the entertainment industry and had seen countless beauties, yet he had always remained a fickle playboy. To see him this dazed was rare.

If she can charm even Xu You like this, Zhang Jing thought, she’s going to dominate the rankings once this episode airs.

He then turned to the man on his right, Lu Tingshen. “President Lu, what did you think? Are you satisfied with this group? Zhong Yan and Ding Ming’s trainee, An Tao, both did quite well.”

In the dim light, Lu Tingshen’s face was unreadable. He remained silent, staring at the stage. Just as Zhang Jing began to worry he was displeased, a faint, almost imperceptible chuckle came from the right.

Zhang Jing froze. It was the first time he had heard Lu Tingshen laugh today.

Lu Tingshen’s gaze remained locked on the person at the center of the stage. The stage lights reflected in his eyes, revealing a turbulent, shimmering intensity.

“It was… decent.”

His voice was low, and it was unclear if he was answering Zhang Jing or speaking to himself.

The Aftermath

As host Yan Shi took the stage, the members of Group B relaxed from their poses. They lined up, waving and blowing kisses to their fans while waiting for the results.

Yan Shi couldn’t help but look at Zhong Yan. Seeing her happy expression, his own lips quirked upward. But then, a bead of sweat rolled down Zhong Yan’s jawline, sliding over her slender neck and disappearing downward.

Yan Shi immediately averted his eyes, his ears flushing red as he hurriedly organized the voting.

The voting ended quickly. As the groups retreated backstage, Zhong Yan and her teammates finally burst into cheers, hugging each other tightly. They had “played” their hearts out on that stage.

As they headed toward the results room, Zhong Yan caught sight of Tian Jingyu’s grim expression. She remembered she still had a “performance” to finish. She noticed a camera crew following them to capture “touching” footage for the final edit.

The camera is still rolling, she noted. Now is the time.

Back in the VIP room, Xu You was restless. He wanted to find Zhong Yan before Lu Tingshen did. He whispered to Zhang Jing, “Where is Teacher Zhong? I have business with her. Tell me quietly—don’t let the guy on your right hear.”

Before Zhang Jing could respond, his phone vibrated. He answered it, and his expression shifted instantly.

“What? Teacher Zhong collapsed?!”

At those words, the faces of the other two men in the room changed instantly.