The Vicious Female Supporting Character Goes Viral After Her Masks Drop During the Talent Show - Chapter 42

Saturday afternoon, Lu Family Villa.

Lu Yuanqian dragged her suitcase into the house and shouted, “Mom! Dad! I’m back!”

Aside from the servants who came out to help with her luggage, no one answered. Surprised, she asked the maid, “Where are my parents?” She had told them she would be home this afternoon after her vacation ended.

“The Master and Mistress are entertaining guests in the living room,” the servant replied.

“Guests? Who?” Lu Yuanqian asked curiously.

“Mr. and Mrs. Zhong.”

“Why are they here?”

“I believe they are discussing the Young Master’s marriage.”

“What? My brother’s wedding?” Lu Yuanqian hurried upstairs. As she approached the living room, she heard Shi Qian’s enthusiastic and cheerful voice.

“My dear in-laws, we’ve already arranged the gowns, the venue, and the ceremony plans. Please take a look and see if you’re satisfied. If everything looks good, let’s fix the date for the engagement as soon as possible. It’ll make it easier for both families to invite guests!”

Lu Yuanqian was bewildered. She had only been away on a half-month summer trip—how did her brother suddenly decide to get engaged? They had even planned the ceremony? For years, things had been dragging along sluggishly; just two months ago, they were even talking about breaking it off. How did it suddenly fast-forward to this?

She heard her mother, Fang Hui, hesitate. “Mrs. Zhong, Xiao Yan is still participating in that show. Can we really set a date while she’s away?”

Lu Tingshen had suddenly demanded an immediate engagement a few days ago, catching Fang Hui off guard. She couldn’t understand how her son’s mind had changed so drastically in just a few months. This impulsive behavior didn’t fit his usual steady and calculated style.

Shi Qian waved her hand dismissively, smiling. “Don’t worry, dear in-law! Once we decide, Xiao Yan will go along with whatever we say!”

“What do you mean, ‘go along with whatever’?” Lu Yuanqian couldn’t take it anymore. She stepped out from behind the door. “Uncle, Auntie, Sister Zhong is about to debut. How can she get engaged now? Have you even asked for her opinion?”

The sudden appearance of Lu Yuanqian startled everyone in the room.

Fang Hui frowned and scolded, “Qianqian, where are your manners? Greet our guests!”

Suppressing her annoyance, Lu Yuanqian gave a perfunctory greeting.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Shi Qian said with a sycophantic smile, addressing Lu Yuanqian. “It’s a good thing that a little sister-in-law cares so much for her brother’s bride. Don’t worry, dear; marrying your brother is the greatest blessing Xiao Yan could ever have. She’ll be too happy to have any objections!”

“But… if news of an engagement gets out, how can she debut? She’ll be criticized to death,” Lu Yuanqian muttered, her voice losing its confidence.

To be honest, Lu Yuanqian hadn’t had much personal contact with the “current” Zhong Yan. In her childhood memories, Zhong Yan really had wanted nothing more than to marry her brother. She didn’t actually know what Zhong Yan was thinking now. But as a loyal viewer of Best Girls, she felt it would be a tragedy if Zhong Yan were forced off the stage.

“…Does Brother think this way too?” she asked quietly.

Shi Qian said happily, “Of course! Tingshen was the one who reached out to us, saying he wanted the engagement settled as soon as possible.”

Surprised and somewhat disappointed, Lu Yuanqian pursed her lips and remained silent.

“That’s enough, Qianqian. This isn’t your concern. Go back to your room.” Hearing her mother’s dismissal, Lu Yuanqian didn’t argue. She silently left the living room.

Back in her bedroom, she could no longer hear the conversation downstairs. Listless, she slumped onto her bed and turned on the TV to catch the latest episode of Best Girls—the second ranking announcement.

She watched Zhong Yan give her acceptance speech for the first rank and watched her ascend to the very top of the pyramid. The massive, glamorous Center’s throne shimmered, and as Zhong Yan sat upon it with a smile, she looked even more radiant.

Suddenly, Lu Yuanqian felt a wave of irritation mixed with sadness. She couldn’t explain why. She snapped the TV off and pulled the covers over her head, letting the darkness swallow all the light.

Night, Zhong Family Villa.

Since returning from the Lu residence, Shi Qian had been restless. After an entire afternoon of discussion, the engagement date was still not finalized. The Lu couple insisted that it wasn’t right to set a date while Zhong Yan was absent.

Shi Qian consulted with her husband, Zhong Jiamao. “What if we just go directly to Lu Tingshen to set the date? I think the son is in more of a hurry than the parents.”

“Marriage is a major affair between two families. Bypassing the Lu elders to settle things with the younger generation is improper,” Zhong Jiamao shook his head. “Besides, the Lu parents have a point. It really is difficult to set a date while Xiao Yan refuses to come back.”

Shi Qian snapped, “Then make her come back! Tell her to stop participating in that show, and then the date is settled. Heck, we could skip the engagement and go straight to the wedding!” She continued, “The Lu family doesn’t like a daughter-in-law who mingles in the entertainment industry anyway. Let her cut off those delusions early and focus on keeping her husband and in-laws happy at home. That’s her real duty.”

If Lu Tingshen was happy and the Lu family was satisfied, the Zhong family would reap even more benefits.

Zhong Jiamao snorted. “You make it sound easy. What if she doesn’t listen?”

“Hmph, she wouldn’t dare.” Shi Qian was confident. She believed the years of “strict training” she had imposed on Zhong Yan would pay off. Although Zhong Yan hadn’t been particularly proactive toward Lu Tingshen recently, she usually did what she was told.

Zhong Jiamao still shook his head. “She hid the fact that she was joining the show from us. Now that she’s at the top of her game, do you really think that girl will still be so submissive? I doubt it.”

Shi Qian hesitated. Zhong Jiamao was right. Zhong Yan had been secretly writing books and joining shows behind their backs—who knew what other schemes she was hiding? “Then what do we do?”

The couple fell into deep thought. After a while, Zhong Jiamao’s eyes brightened. “Wait, do you remember what the Lu girl said today? She said if news of the engagement leaked, Zhong Yan wouldn’t be able to debut.”

Shi Qian thought back. “I think she did say that.” She paused. “But we don’t know anything about the entertainment industry. Can it really stop her from debuting?”

“If we don’t know, we can find out,” Zhong Jiamao smiled. “If it’s true, wouldn’t that kill two birds with one stone?”

By spreading news of the alliance, the Lu family would find it harder to back out, and Zhong Yan would be forced to return home and proceed with the marriage. For the Zhong family, it was a win-win situation with zero downsides.

The couple looked at each other, seeing the same calculating glint in their eyes.

Sweltering August. Outside the Best Girls recording studio, the audience was filing out in an orderly fashion. The third public performance had ended, but the crowd’s passion remained high. The night air was filled with their excited laughter and cheers.

Among them, Zhong Yan’s fans were the loudest and most numerous. They praised her breathtaking performance while inviting fellow fans to join them for a late-night meal to continue their celebration.

A group of them piled into a ride-share car. Some couldn’t stop talking about the stage; others began writing their “viewing reports” on their phones to share with those who couldn’t attend; others refreshed forums, waiting for “melon lords” to leak the voting results.

After a while, as the car neared the hotpot restaurant, someone staring at their phone suddenly shouted in distress, “Everyone, get on Weibo! Start the comment control!”

“What happened? Are anti-fans causing trouble? Or is a marketing account posting a hit piece?”

“I… I don’t know if you’d call it a hit piece…” the fan stammered.

“Just get online! Tons of marketing accounts are posting about it. It’s already on the Hot Search rising list!”