The Vicious Female Supporting Character Goes Viral After Her Masks Drop During the Talent Show - Chapter 32

In the show’s dressing room, Yan Shi finished his hair and makeup. A staff member knocked on the door, notifying him that recording for the “Summer Sports Meet” was about to begin.

This episode was designed as a final gathering for the 100 trainees to relax and have fun before the first elimination round. Because of the casual theme, no mentors were required; Yan Shi would be the sole host in his capacity as the “Representative.”

As he followed the staff toward the recording studio, Yan Shi felt a prickle of nerves. Given the storm of rumors surrounding him, he had expected the show’s director, Zhang Jing, to temporarily replace him until the dust settled. But Zhang Jing hadn’t. He had treated Yan Shi with the same professional courtesy and warmth as always.

Yan Shi was deeply grateful for the trust, but as he neared the studio, his anxiety spiked. He didn’t care much about what the world thought of him, but he cared deeply about Zhong Yan’s gaze.

The teacher’s lies, his parents’ cold-hearted frame-up, the vitriol of the internet—he had looked at it all last night with a numb heart. But now, those thoughts flooded his mind, threatening to pierce the thick callouses he had built around his soul.

The voice in his earpiece began the countdown. Yan Shi clenched his fists, realizing his palms were damp with sweat. He took a deep breath, trying to loosen his stiff shoulders.

The studio doors slid open. The cheers of the trainees filled the room. Yan Shi stepped onto the stage, his eyes instinctively searching the crowd.

As if by telepathy, he found her instantly.

Zhong Yan was smiling. Her gaze met his with clarity, composure, and an unwavering trust—just like that afternoon during his audition over a year ago.

The tension left Yan Shi’s body in an instant. Nothing needed to be said. This was enough.

The Offer

By the time recording ended, the sun was beginning to set. Yan Shi returned to his private dressing room to change. His assistant, Wang Li, was packing up when the work phone on the table buzzed.

“Brother, it’s probably another brand representative,” Wang Li sighed, handing him the phone.

Lately, these calls were always the same: brands demanding he settle the scandal immediately or informing him they were terminating his contracts. Only Zhang Jing had remained steadfast.

Yan Shi took the phone and pressed answer.

“Hello, is this the Yan Shi Studio?” a steady, professional female voice asked. Unlike the panicked callers from earlier, she was polite and calm.

“This is Yan Shi. To whom am I speaking?”

“Mr. Yan, my name is Li Xing. I am the head of Yanstar Entertainment.”

Yanstar Entertainment? Yan Shi had never heard of them. “How can I help you?”

“Our company admires your talent greatly. I’m calling to ask if you have any intention of signing with an agency. Yanstar is very eager to have you join us.”

Yan Shi was stunned. Since his breakout role in Hate the Spring Breeze, many agencies had approached him. But because of his traumatic experience with Dingming, he preferred the struggle of running his own small studio over putting his fate in someone else’s hands.

To receive an offer now, while he was radioactive with scandal, was suspicious. He didn’t believe a stranger would reach out purely out of the goodness of their heart.

He politely declined, but Li Xing didn’t seem disappointed. She simply added one more thing:

“Mr. Yan, the Chairperson of Yanstar Entertainment—and currently our only signed artist—is Zhong Yan. Would you like to reconsider?”

The Confession

The training building was quiet in the twilight. Yan Shi walked down the hallway, searching for the practice room labeled “Group B, Playing.”

Through the small window in the door, he saw her. Zhong Yan was sitting by the window, bathed in the golden hour light. She was humming a soft melody, her fingers busy weaving a blue cord into something.

He watched her for a long time before finally knocking.

“Come in,” she said.

As he entered, she tied the final knot and looked up with a knowing smile. “You’re here.”

Li Xing had told him that if he wanted to reconsider, Zhong Yan would be waiting for him with something important.

“Teacher Zhong,” Yan Shi started, his voice turning clumsy again. He looked at her, but quickly averted his eyes when their gazes met.

“Teacher Yan, we’re quite familiar by now, aren’t we?” Zhong Yan teased, standing up. “Why are you so nervous every time you see me?”

“Because you are someone I… respect very much,” he whispered, his ears turning red.

Zhong Yan laughed and patted his shoulder. “Don’t be so stiff. I think of you as a friend.”

She pulled a thick envelope from her pocket and handed it to him. “This was meant for you.”

Yan Shi noticed the handwriting on the envelope: To: Yan Shi. It wasn’t Zhong Yan’s elegant, bold script. This was smaller, more rounded.

“I can wait in the hallway if you need space to read it,” she offered.

“No, please stay,” he said. He sat by the window and unfolded the pages.

The name at the top of the first page stopped his heart: Ji Xi.

He looked up at Zhong Yan, but she simply nodded for him to continue. He began to read.

“Dear Mr. Yan Shi: I don’t know if you remember me. My name is Ji Xi. Eight years ago, I was the girl you saved—the girl who ultimately caused you to be expelled…”

Flashback: Eight Years Ago

Eight years ago, Ji Xi had stayed late for cleaning duty with her classmate, Tian Jingyu. Three senior boys were waiting for Tian Jingyu; she had laughed and dumped the cleaning supplies on Ji Xi before running over to the most handsome boy in the group.

Ji Xi watched them from a distance. The boys had caught a stray cat. They were kicking it, laughing as it screamed. The leader of the group flicked hot cigarette ash onto the kitten’s head. As the kitten tried to flee, he caught it again and pressed the glowing cherry of his cigarette toward its eyes.

Terrified, Ji Xi fled to the Dean’s office and reported them. The Dean promised to handle it.

Two days later, Ji Xi was cornered by Tian Jingyu and the three seniors. They dragged her to the old gymnasium.

That evening was a nightmare. But a hero had appeared to save her. She didn’t know his name then, but she never forgot his face. After escaping, she found a teacher and told them there was a fight in the gym. She was too scared to go back.

A week later, Ji Xi returned to school. To her horror, the bullies were still there, acting as if nothing had happened. They caught her during lunch. The leader warned her that the Dean would call her in that afternoon.

“Speak ‘the truth,'” he had hissed, “or every day of your life will be like that night in the gymnasium.”

In the Dean’s office, the “Statement of Facts” was already prepared. Tian Jingyu and the others had already signed it.

The Dean smiled at Ji Xi, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Student Ji Xi, think carefully. It was Yan Shi who abused the cat and bullied you, wasn’t it?”

Everyone in the room knew it was a lie. But Ji Xi, trembling with fear and hopelessness, nodded. She signed the paper and left, unable to look Yan Shi in the eye. Throughout the entire ordeal, Yan Shi hadn’t said a word in his own defense.

Two days later, she saw him for the last time.

They passed each other on the stairs. He was carrying a worn but clean backpack stuffed with all his belongings. He had been expelled.

When their eyes met, his gaze was calm. There was no hatred, no resentment, and no blame in those dark eyes. He didn’t stop. He simply walked past her.

Ji Xi had watched from the window as his solitary, upright figure walked out of the school gates and disappeared into the vast sea of people.