The Vicious Female Supporting Character Goes Viral After Her Masks Drop During the Talent Show - Chapter 49

The day after the livestream, Xu You spent his spare time scrolling through Weibo.

After a night of fermentation, the online discourse had undergone a earth-shattering transformation. The focus of the conversation had shifted away from Zhong Yan herself, replaced by a much broader, grander issue.

“Zhong Yan’s case has essentially ripped the fig leaf off patriarchal society. Whether a girl is from a poor family or a rich one, under the systems of father-right and husband-right, they seem to be born as slaves with different price tags, merely waiting to be sold to men of varying status.”

“While wealth gaps exist everywhere in this world, there is no wealth gap when it comes to the gaslighting of women.”

“Is anyone still saying Teacher Zhong only got famous because of Wensheng and Dingming? Those two don’t want her to have a career at all; they just want to imprison her at home and domesticate her into a submissive ‘good woman’.”

“The very idea that she ‘relied on her father or husband’ to succeed is a product of patriarchal gaslighting. As soon as a woman achieves something, they credit it to the men in her life to erase her glory.”

“I think she’s incredible. Despite being brainwashed by her parents since childhood, she stayed clear-headed and ambitious, carving out a path entirely on her own. She’s a modern female icon!”

“A girl is doing everything she can to break out of an iron cage. Anyone demanding she withdraw is an accomplice in locking women back inside.”

“Zhong Yan cannot withdraw. She must debut. It would prove to all women in dire straits that resistance is meaningful.”

“She wasn’t my ‘pick’ before, but I’ve decided to vote for her every day now!”

“I’ve never even watched the show, but I’ve started voting for her. Times are tough for women; we should at least help each other.”

Zhong Yan had effectively become a beacon of hope for female independence. Far from being forced out, she gained unprecedented support, riding the waves of public opinion to new heights.

This was her goal all along, Xu You realized.

The best way to kill one controversy is to spark another, even more contentious one. By skillfully shifting the topic from “an idol getting married” to “women’s rights,” her negative news was instantly rebranded as a positive crusade.

Big Sister is truly Big Sister, Xu You thought. She has played the public like a fiddle.

He recalled her saying, “Public opinion is the best weapon; it can save a person, and it can kill one.”

For Zhong Yan to be “saved,” someone else had to be “killed.”

Online, as support for Zhong Yan surged, so did the vitriol directed at her parents and Lu Tingshen. Wensheng Group and Dingming Group bore the brunt of the assault.

“After the Yan Shi incident, I knew Dingming was trash. Who knew they didn’t just bully people in the workplace, but in marriage too? This company is a den of iniquity.”

“The daughter is a highly educated, independent woman—how did her parents end up so backward? Their feudal mindset is no different from the uneducated elders in my village. If the bosses are this uncultured, Wensheng Group shouldn’t be in the publishing and culture business. Just go bankrupt already.”

“Dingming and Wensheng—two feudal remnants. Let’s hope they go down together!”

“That Dingming CEO needs to stay away from Teacher Zhong. Don’t touch our girl! Zhong Yan is the collective wife of all her fans; that arrogant man shouldn’t dream of hogging her!”

“Say no to forced marriage! We welcome Teacher Zhong to a beautiful solo life. Scum parents and stinky men, begone!”

Xu You chuckled as he read the comments, happily liking every single one of them.

On Friday, the teaser for the third public evaluation was released. The full episode would air on Saturday.

The teaser immediately prompted leaks from those who had attended the live recording.

“I didn’t fully grasp it during the recording, but looking back with everything that happened this week, Zhong Yan’s stage was brilliant. It follows current events so closely—it’s like a modern-day fable.”

Many audience members shared similar sentiments, whetting the public’s appetite. The third evaluation was trending before it even aired.

On Saturday, the episode premiered to massive anticipation. The Dolls team was the final group to perform. Their styling was dark-fairytale—five Gothic dolls.

As the performance began and the lights hit the stage, several giant gift boxes were visible. The five girls wore lace dresses in a dark-fairytale style. They leaned against the boxes, eyes vacant and limbs stiff, their bodies tangled and bound in messy ribbons—Gothic dolls waiting to be packaged as exquisite gifts.

The music started. The “dolls” began to move mechanically to the beat, like marionettes on strings.

During the first verse, the dolls danced while bound by their ribbons. They were dressed to be pretty and cute, using sweet voices and submissive movements to catch the eye of “passers-by” outside the display window, hoping to be bought.

But the ribbons made them stiff and uncomfortable, their footsteps stumbling.

“I feel pain, but humans love to see my suffering,” Zhong Yan sang. “How beautiful, how elegant—this is how a doll should be. Humans smile and praise me.”

As the first chorus hit, the melody became intense and eerie. The dolls’ beautiful but vacant faces began to show signs of struggle and agony. They tore at the ribbons on their bodies. Following the drumbeat, their dance steps grew faster and more fluid.

In the second half of the song, the dolls broke free from their shackles. Their eyes became vivid, their faces lit up with joyful smiles, and their singing and dancing became wild and free.

“I feel joy, but humans loathe my happiness,” they sang. “How ugly, how savage—this is not how a doll should be. Humans shake their heads and scold me.”

During the second chorus, accompanied by powerful drumbeats and spinning steps, the dolls threw the ribbons that once bound them high into the air, tossing them off the stage. They laughed, singing and dancing even more provocatively.

As the song reached its end, the lyrics went: “Broken dolls have no place in the display window.”

With a loud thud, the five dolls collapsed simultaneously—discarded toys left on a cold floor. The music stopped abruptly.

The lights dimmed. After two seconds, a single beam of light—like a divine glow—hit the center of the stage. The five girls stretched and sat up within the light. The camera zoomed in on the center, Zhong Yan. She arched an eyebrow, looking directly into the lens with a defiant gaze. Her berry-red lips curved into a wicked, ghostly smirk.

“Who cares?”

“Dolls have become human.”

The Dolls stage was an instant sensation.

“Wow, this stage is incredible! It really is a modern fable!”

“Zhong Yan was explosive. Especially that final shot—those lines definitely came from the heart, haha!”

“I’m declaring this my favorite stage of the entire show. Every girl needs to watch this! Every second is worth analyzing.”

“Is this a story about dolls? No, it’s a story about women. It’s just that while the dolls in the story became human, many ‘dolls’ in the real world aren’t so lucky.”

Buoyed by the momentum of her earlier scandal, the Dolls stage heat skyrocketed. The video surpassed 100 million views within the day, and related topics dominated the hot search lists.

The third evaluation ended on a high note. Everything was proceeding according to Zhong Yan’s plan, but two unexpected things happened.

The first occurred Saturday night. After the “Top Nine” benefit livestream, it was Xia Meng’s turn. When she returned, she hid under her blankets and cried.

Since they shared a dorm, Zhong Yan couldn’t ignore it. An Tao was trying to comfort her, and from what Zhong Yan overheard, Xia Meng had said something during her stream that provoked a wave of insults in the comments.

Eventually, Xia Meng stopped crying but kept her head covered, saying she wanted to be alone. Zhong Yan pulled An Tao outside to ask what had happened.

An Tao sighed. “It’s because she tried to speak up for Yu Junran again.”

Zhong Yan was surprised. “She still hasn’t let that go?” Yu Junran had been out of the spotlight for a month; Zhong Yan had long since forgotten him. She hadn’t expected Xia Meng to still be hung up on it.

On second thought, it wasn’t that surprising. Xia Meng’s performance had been lackluster in both the second and third evaluations. If she were preoccupied with Yu Junran, it made sense she was distracted during the competition.

“She always wants to do something for him,” An Tao said. “Seeing how you turned public opinion around with your chat, she thought she’d try it too. She said she didn’t want to ‘whitewash’ him, just that she hoped netizens would give him a chance to change. The netizens weren’t having it and turned their anger on her instead.”

An Tao shook her head helplessly. “Her devotion is a bit obsessive; she won’t listen to reason. I honestly don’t know how to comfort her anymore.”

Zhong Yan had no words. She simply patted An Tao’s shoulder. “Respect her choice and wish her well.” You can only save those who want to live; you can’t save those determined to ruin themselves.

On Sunday, the third ranking announcement was held. Zhong Yan remained firmly in first place. The engagement scandal hadn’t caused her votes to drop; instead, the positive narrative had widened the gap between her and the runners-up.

An Tao and Jin Li continued to rise, ranking 3rd and 4th respectively. Two other Dolls team members saw significant jumps: Meng Le rose from 12th to 10th, sitting right on the edge of the debut lineup. Zhang Duo’er, who had barely escaped elimination in 30th place during the last round, jumped 12 spots to 18th—securing the final “ticket” to the finale.

Meanwhile, Xia Meng, who had been 8th, slipped to 9th. It was unclear if this was due to her poor performances or the backlash from her livestream.

The second unexpected event happened after the rankings.

Dingming Entertainment’s official Weibo posted a startling update. It was unusual because their account normally posted about artists or film projects, but this was about the company CEO.

The post was brief:

“Regarding the recent public discussion concerning the private affairs of our CEO, Mr. Lu, and Ms. Zhong, we respond as follows: After gaining a deep understanding of Ms. Zhong’s thoughts, Mr. Lu has expressed his respect for her wishes. The engagement between the two parties has been officially cancelled. Private matters should not occupy public resources, but given the widespread interest, we are disclosing this for the sake of both parties’ reputations.”

The hashtag #ZhongYanEngagementCancelled immediately hit #1 on the hot search. Fans were ecstatic for her “solo beauty,” and bystanders saw it as a victory for female resistance.

Before the post went live, Zhong Yan had received a WeChat message from Lu Tingshen. His sudden agreement to the breakup was a shock. She had stirred up the controversy to use public opinion as a shield—making it so that if Lu Tingshen tried to force the marriage, he would be doing so against the entire world.

She hadn’t expected them to actually have a change of heart.

When she saw Lu Tingshen’s message saying he agreed and had already handled the parents, she was genuinely stunned. Did he find his conscience? Or was he just so annoyed by the insults that he gave up?

His message was curt and unreadable. Zhong Yan didn’t care about the reason, though. The long-standing headache was finally resolved. She felt so refreshed that her reply to him was uncharacteristically friendly.

Lu Tingshen looked at her rare, gentle words, unsure if he should be happy or heartbroken.

With the engagement gone, fans began to worry about a new issue. Historically, the debut groups from this show were managed by Dingming. Even though this season’s management company hadn’t been revealed, fans feared that if it was Dingming, the CEO might hold a grudge and sabotage Zhong Yan’s career.

As these discussions grew, a known “leaker” posted on an entertainment forum.

“No need to worry. This season’s management company is not Dingming.”

People recognized this user as the same one who correctly leaked the “initial center” three months ago. The thread blew up as everyone asked which company it was.

The leaker replied with only one sentence: “You’ll find out after the finale. All I can say is, it’s a company that will definitely not sabotage Zhong Yan.”