The Vicious Female Supporting Character Goes Viral After Her Masks Drop During the Talent Show - Chapter 50

Two weeks later, the long-awaited finale of Best Girls finally arrived.

Finale night is the ultimate holiday for survival show fans. They prepared by ordering takeout and stacking milk tea and snacks on their tables, settling in front of their screens to watch the live broadcast. Given the show’s explosive popularity this season, the viewership count surpassed 100 million the moment the stream went live.

The Finale Venue.

While the trainees were busy backstage making their final preparations, the show’s “Producer” and finale host, Yan Shi, had already taken the stage to introduce the guests. In addition to the permanent mentors, the finale night featured family members of the contestants, executives from various talent agencies, and members of the media.

Among the new guests, only the industry heavyweights from the talent agencies received individual introductions.

From the monitors backstage, Zhong Yan watched the live feed. There was no one in the family section for her, but she wasn’t surprised or disappointed; she didn’t want to see them anyway. In the media section, she spotted Xu You blending in with the crowd. She wasn’t surprised by that either—he was an expert at using Zhang Jing’s “back door” for access.

What did surprise her was seeing Lu Tingshen in the agency executives’ row.

Since Dingming Entertainment had two trainees, An Tao and Xia Meng, in the finale—both of whom were currently in the projected debut lineup—the company had to send a representative. However, Zhong Yan knew that Zhang Jing had sent two invitations to Dingming: one for Lu Tingshen and one for the new Director of the Artist Department. Zhang Jing hadn’t actually expected Lu Tingshen to show up in person.

After the public fallout of their broken engagement, Zhong Yan assumed Lu Tingshen wouldn’t want to see her, let alone attend the finale. Yet, there he was.

Yan Shi introduced the permanent mentors and shared brief conversations with them. The introduction of the agency executives was handled by Ke Ling, a popular trainee who had been eliminated in the third round. As a former broadcasting major, she was a natural fit for the role of a field host.

Ke Ling moved through the executive seating, introducing the big names one by one. She paused to interview those representing the most popular contestants.

Li Xing was seated among them. Since Zhong Yan had originally entered the show as an independent trainee, Ke Ling simply introduced Li Xing as the CEO of Yanxing Media without offering further details. This brief mention sparked immediate discussion in the livestream chat:

“Yanxing Media? What company is that? Never heard of it.”

“Are there any trainees from that agency? I don’t remember any.”

“Nope, none of the 18 finalists are from that company.”

“That’s strange. Why is the CEO of that company there?”

The speculation didn’t last long, as the camera cut to the next figure—a young, handsome man.

“Please welcome the CEO of Dingming Entertainment, Mr. Lu Tingshen,” Ke Ling announced.

The audience’s attention shifted instantly. The chat log refreshed at a lightning pace:

“Holy crap?! Is that Zhong Yan’s ex-fiancé? He’s actually really handsome…”

“He’s very handsome. I’ll say it quietly, but they actually looked good together…”

“Good together? Don’t let your morals follow your eyes! Don’t lose your stance just because he’s cute.”

“We’re just stating the fact that he’s handsome, not that he’s a good person. Calm down, everyone.”

“Exactly! If he’s this handsome and Zhong Yan still doesn’t like him, imagine how terrible his personality must be!”

“Can the host ask him which trainee he’s rooting for most?”

“I suspect the person above is looking for drama.”

“LOL, let’s go big! Ask him for his ‘breakup speech’ and how it feels to see his ex-fiancée about to debut as the Center!”

The netizens dared to say anything, but Ke Ling did not. She had a career to maintain in the industry and wouldn’t dare offend a titan. Despite her own curiosity, her survival instincts won out. She kept her address to Lu Tingshen professional:

“Dingming Entertainment’s An Tao and Xia Meng have both made it to the finale, and both were in the top nine in the last ranking! With the group debut imminent, please give them a word of encouragement!”

“Jiayou (Keep going),” Lu Tingshen said flatly. Then he paused, his gaze deepening as he looked into the camera. “Keep going, all of you.”

The comments section exploded again:

“Reasonable guess: the first ‘Jiayou’ was for the Dingming trainees. The second one wasn’t.”

“Looking at his eyes, I bet the second one was for someone specific.”

“Is it really ‘all of you,’ or is ‘all’ just a code for one person?”

“Ugh… he better not be pining after her now that they’ve broken up…”

Yan Shi, standing at his host position, glanced toward Lu Tingshen. His expression cooled by a fraction. Xu You, in the media section, rolled his eyes shamelessly toward the CEO. This guy is so annoying. Why say something so ambiguous after the breakup? Is he still trying? Poor Big Sister, she’s stuck with a persistent pest.

Zhong Yan also sensed that Lu Tingshen’s second “Jiayou” was directed at her. She found it baffling. Lu Tingshen had been acting strange lately—first agreeing to the breakup, then coming here to cheer her on. Has he really found his conscience and decided to be a decent person? She decided that if he truly had changed for the better, it was a good thing. As she developed Yanxing Media, she would inevitably cross paths with Dingming. If he behaved, they might actually become successful business partners.

The finale officially began.

The 18 trainees, dressed in their show uniforms, performed the season’s theme song to thunderous applause. Following the opening, it was time for the battle between the two finale tracks: Team A and Team B.

While the trainees headed backstage to change, a video played on the big screen showing their training progress. The final suspense point was the selection of the Center Position.

For the finale, the girls chose their songs based on their rankings. However, the Center wasn’t chosen by an internal vote. Instead, every trainee had the chance to film a “Center Version” of the choreography. The production team then selected 1000 viewers to watch all versions and vote for the best fit.

The results would be revealed as the trainees took the stage.

First up was Track A—Queen. Zhong Yan was in this group.

As the training video ended, the screen flashed: “Who is the Center of Queen?”

The audience erupted, chanting Zhong Yan’s name. Even before the announcement, the fans were overflowing with confidence. Yan Shi looked out at the crowd, a smile tugging at his lips. “Next, please welcome the performers of Queen to the stage!”

The massive LED screen split open like a set of grand doors. Eight girls walked out, four on each side, leaving the center gap empty. Then, the center lift rose from the floor, revealing Zhong Yan.

She was dressed in a tight black outfit with long black boots, highlighting her tall, seductive figure. Her costume incorporated European court elements, making her look both noble and imposing. A magnificent one-shoulder cape draped over her left side, and her long black hair was tied in a high ponytail. A small, delicate gold crown sat tilted in her hair, sparkling under the stage lights.

As the lift stopped, the other eight girls took their positions beside her. Zhong Yan stood in the center, tilting her head back slightly. She looked down with the gaze of a monarch surveying her subjects. Finally, she let out a confident, calm smile toward the audience—composed and regal.

Her name shook the studio once more. Even though everyone expected her to be the Center, seeing her rise like a true sovereign left them breathless. Looking at her, everyone had the same thought:

Standing in the center of the stage, she was born to be the Queen of this world.

10:00 PM. The night grew deeper.

All performances were over, and the atmosphere shifted from excitement to intense anxiety. The voting channels had officially closed. The 18 girls stood in the center of the stage in their uniforms.

Opposite them stood the breathtaking Debut Pyramid, glowing with dreamlike pink and purple neon lights. Nine “debut sofas” were tiered from bottom to top. At the very peak sat a single, shimmering crystal throne—the ultimate glory.

Before the names were revealed, the name of the nine-member girl group was announced: SHESONE.

The name was a combination of “She” and “One,” where the “s” could signify the plural “Shes” or the word “is.” It symbolized the nine girls forming a single unit while highlighting that each member was a unique, incomparable individual.

Yan Shi stood to one side of the pyramid. Looking across the long floral runway at the 18 trainees, he raised his microphone.

“The debut lineup for the Best Girls group, SHESONE, will now be revealed.”

In the audience, every fandom was sweating with nerves—except for Zhong Yan’s. Her fans weren’t nervous; they were purely ecstatic. They were finally about to witness Teacher Zhong’s coronation as the Center.