The Vicious Female Supporting Character Goes Viral After Her Masks Drop During the Talent Show - Chapter 53

The survival show that had dominated the summer finally lowered its curtain on the last Saturday of August. But the excitement was far from over.

On Sunday at 6:00 PM, the official Weibo of Yanxing Media released two consecutive posts. Despite having few followers, the content was so explosive it commanded the entire industry’s attention.

Post 1: “The stars are bright, and the ‘Time’ (Yan) is now. Welcome actor @YanShi to the Yanxing Media family!” (Accompanied by a stunning new profile photo of Yan Shi.)

Post 2: “Emerging from the clouds, ‘She’ stands alone. Welcome girl group @SHESONE to Yanxing Media!” (Accompanied by a photo of the nine girls with their suitcases outside the training camp, ready for their new journey.)

Immediately, Yan Shi’s studio and the SHESONE official account reposted the announcements. An army of fans flooded the comments.

Most of Yan Shi’s casual fans were shocked. He had been famous for six months, and despite every major agency trying to sign him, he had remained independent. Why this unknown company? Meanwhile, core fans who had heard rumors were finally relieved. Their “Big Fans” had previously hinted that the new boss was “reliable” and would “treat him well.”

Now, the mystery was solved. Yanxing Media? Never heard of it.

The Best Girls fans had been waiting for months to know who would manage the debut group. Seeing a small, obscure company, many were disappointed and worried. Was this company professional? Or was it kept a secret because it was too small to show off?

But then, a realization hit: If a small company can sign Yan Shi—someone the giants couldn’t catch—they must be “hidden masters” of the industry.

The fans went into “investigation mode,” and within hours, they uncovered the truth: The boss of Yanxing Media was Zhong Yan herself.

The hashtags #YanxingMedia, #YanShiSignsWithZhongYan, and #ZhongYanIsYanShisBoss skyrocketed to the top of the Hot Search.

“Opening her own company?! Zhong Yan is truly a beast! Her ‘career-driven’ talk wasn’t just for show!”

“Competing in a show, debuting, and then managing herself? What kind of 4D chess is this? I’m floored, Teacher Zhong!”

“Yan Shi, SHESONE, and Zhong Yan herself—she’s collected all the top traffic in the industry. It’s a small roster, but every single one is a ‘Top Stream’ star!”

“Zhong Yan is professionally poaching her ex-fiancé’s talent! First the CEO, now the group and the top actor. Hahaha!”

The following days proved Yanxing Media’s strength.

The luxury brand VG announced Yan Shi as their regional spokesperson. Simultaneously, his new drama held its opening ceremony, revealing a high-quality cast.

Yan Shi’s fans were over the moon. They learned that the company had provided a full staff and ample funding, and that the CEO (Li Xing) was acting as the head manager for both Yan Shi and Zhong Yan. Most importantly, the company respected Yan Shi’s artistic autonomy, allowing him to choose the serious police drama over generic idol scripts.

On the other side, the SHESONE fans went through a roller coaster of emotions. While Zhong Yan’s fans were in heaven—knowing their idol wouldn’t be mistreated by her own company—the fans of other members were terrified.

A teammate as the boss? Isn’t that just a ‘privileged trainee’ on steroids?

However, these doubts vanished once the group’s operations began. Yanxing Media became a model for domestic idol management.

In the first month, while the group focused on their album and reality show, the company provided a constant stream of content: daily member vlogs, training diaries, and interactive livestreams every weekend.

In the second month, the debut album Swan was released.

The title track, Swan, merged the classic melody of Swan Lake with a powerful modern trap beat. It was elegant, catchy, and instantly viral. The MV production was high-end, with “Black and White Swan” concepts that made every member look like royalty.

When the “solo fans” of the other members did their “frame-by-frame” analysis, they were shocked to find that the line distribution and screen time were incredibly fair. While Zhong Yan maintained her “Center” status, she didn’t squeeze out the others. Every girl had a “high-light” part that showcased her specific talent.

This isn’t fan hell; it’s fan heaven!

By the third month, SHESONE was the undisputed top girl group in the country. Their national six-city tour was announced, and despite Yanxing Media’s strict anti-scalping measures (mandatory real-name registration), all six shows sold out in seconds.

The Zhong Family Villa.

On a Sunday evening, Shi Qian sat on the sofa, flipping through TV channels in a bad mood.

One channel showed a variety show featuring Zhong Yan’s group. Click. Another showed a commercial with Zhong Yan. Click. A third played her song. Click. She finally turned to a streaming app, only to see Hate the Spring Breeze recommended on the front page.

“Useless daughter! Worse than a piece of roast pork!” she cursed, slamming the remote down.

To Shi Qian, Zhong Yan’s “rebellion” had ruined the family’s reputation and lost them the Lu family as a backer. While the Zhong family “suffered,” Zhong Yan was out there basking in glory.

Zhong Jiamao, her husband, sipped his tea. “She has strong wings now. I can’t control her. I’d rather just forget this unfilial daughter.”

“Mom, Dad, don’t say that!”

Their son, Zhong Yang, walked in. At nearly 200 pounds, he sank deep into the leather sofa. Despite his poor academic record, he had an ambitious streak and had recently been appointed a director at the family company, Wensheng Group.

“Why are you so biased against Zhong Yan?” Zhong Yang asked, his small eyes gleaming with excitement.

“We’re worried about you!” Shi Qian cried. “If she had married Lu Tingshen, he would have helped you run Wensheng. Now we have no backer.”

Zhong Yang smirked, finding his parents’ mindset outdated. “If you’re worried about me, you should be sucking up to Zhong Yan right now.”

Zhong Jiamao and Shi Qian froze. “What do you mean?”

“Zhong Yan is a superstar now,” Zhong Yang explained. “If we use her ‘Gold Brand’ name correctly, why would we need Dingming? Wensheng’s comeback is right around the corner!”

Unlike his parents, Zhong Yang didn’t care about “face” or “morality.” He saw his sister as the perfect tool to revitalize the fading Wensheng Group.