The Vicious Female Supporting Character Goes Viral After Her Masks Drop During the Talent Show - Chapter 55

“Xu You?”

“It’s me, Sister!” Xu You chirped over the phone. Then, pretending to be indignant, he asked, “Who called and made you so angry? Tell me, and I’ll give them a piece of my mind for you!”

“My brother.”

“Me?”

“My biological brother.”

“Wait, am I not your biological brother?”

Zhong Yan gave a dry laugh, her irritation dissipating slightly. “I wish.”

Hearing her laugh, Xu You regained his playful tone. “That’s the spirit, Sister! Don’t be mad. If your biological brother is no good, just swap him for a new one! I think I’m a pretty great candidate.”

“Fine. Since you’re ‘pretty great,’ out with it—what do you want?”

“Hehe, what have you been up to lately?” Xu You asked slyly. “You haven’t been out much. Are you secretly working on a master plan? Like… a new script?”

“You’re a sharp one, kid.”

“I guessed right?” Xu You’s excitement spiked, but he immediately switched to a mock-pitying tone. “Sister, you’re working on a script and didn’t tell me? Did you forget your promise? If you strike it rich, don’t forget your only ‘brother’!”

“I haven’t forgotten. I was actually planning to call you soon, but since you called first, I’ll tell you today,” Zhong Yan said directly. “I’ve been adapting a script lately. My previous novel, Polluted by the Mud, is going into production as a drama.”

Xu You was ecstatic, practically rolling up his sleeves over the phone. “Great! I’m ready to get back to work! Just name your price for the rights. On behalf of Yuandian Media, I won’t even haggle!”

“Regarding that,” Zhong Yan countered, “there’s something I need to discuss with you first.”

Ten minutes later, the line went quiet.

“I see…” Xu You’s voice had cooled into a contemplative tone, clearly weighing the situation.

Zhong Yan added, “I haven’t shared this internal news with anyone else yet; you’re the first to know. Can you see my sincerity now?”

Xu You gave a bitter laugh. “Oh, I see your sincerity, Sister. You’re sincerely giving me a massive headache.”

“Don’t be like that. Tell you what, I’ll give you one more piece of insider info: I’ll be starring in this drama as well.”

“Argh! Sister, you’re making this even harder for me!”

Zhong Yan laughed. “Alright, alright. No rush. Take your time to think it over. I truly want to collaborate with you, but I’ll respect whatever you decide.”

“Sigh… I’ll give it some serious thought and get back to you as soon as possible.”

The Zhong Family Villa

After Zhong Yan hung up, Shi Qian began to rant loudly. “Look at that attitude of hers! Who does she think she is, acting so high and mighty?”

Zhong Jiamao shook his head in disappointment. “Ungrateful daughter. Truly ungrateful.”

“Mom, Dad, remember: small setbacks lead to great plans! For the sake of Wensheng Group and the Zhong family, endure it a little longer,” Zhong Yang urged.

“Endure how much longer?” Shi Qian felt stifled. “You called her and she wouldn’t come. The three of us called her together and she still won’t come. Do we really have to get on our knees and beg?”

“That won’t be necessary.” Zhong Yang waved her off, then frowned at his parents. “But you two need to be warmer and more caring. Your tone on the phone just now wasn’t enough!”

Shi Qian and Zhong Jiamao looked at each other blankly. They had never shown Zhong Yan warmth or care in her entire life; they literally didn’t know how to do it. Furthermore, the idea of groveling to that “rebellious girl” was a hard pill to swallow.

Seeing their hesitation, Zhong Yang added, “Just consider it a favor for me. Suffer a little bit of indignity for your son.”

The couple sighed and finally nodded. For their son, they were willing to endure anything.

“I’ll handle getting her home. I have other tricks up my sleeve,” Zhong Yang arranged. “You two just practice how to make her happy. When she finally comes back, make sure you perform well!”

Just as Zhong Yang was about to leave the villa, Shi Qian received a strange call from someone claiming to be from a private maternity hospital.

“A maternity hospital?” The name sounded familiar to her.

“Yes. Twenty-four years ago, Ms. Shi, you stayed at our facility and gave birth to a baby girl. Do you recall?”

“Ah… yes, I remember. I did give birth to my daughter there,” Shi Qian said. “Why are you calling so suddenly?”

Realizing the call might involve Zhong Yan, Zhong Yang stopped in his tracks and returned to the living room. Since Shi Qian didn’t have the speaker on, he could only watch her face. Her expression shifted from confusion to shock, then to pure disbelief.

“What? Swapped at birth?!”

Zhong Yang froze. Zhong Jiamao’s gaze snapped toward his wife. After the call ended, both men demanded to know what happened.

“The hospital says… Zhong Yan might not be our child. Apparently, the family that ended up with the other baby went to the hospital looking for answers. The hospital wants to know our stance.” Shi Qian looked between the two men. “They want to know if we’re willing to do a DNA test.”

“No!” Zhong Yang shouted immediately. “Regardless of any mistake, the daughter of the Zhong family must be Zhong Yan! It can only be her!”

Currently, even as their “daughter,” Zhong Yan barely gave them the time of day. If that blood tie was severed, wouldn’t she cut them off completely? If that happened, how could the Zhong family use her to save Wensheng Group?

The Xia Household

At dusk, Xia Yuansheng and Meng Jun sat in their living room, their brows furrowed with worry. They had just received a reply from the hospital: the other party refused to undergo DNA testing.

“Sigh, I suppose it was expected,” Xia Yuansheng said with a bitter smile. Having raised Xia Meng for over twenty years, their bond was deep. He assumed the other family felt the same about their daughter. Besides, that girl was so successful; why would they want to let her go?

Meng Jun sighed. “What do we do now?”

“We talk to Mengmeng first. We have to respect her feelings on this.”

In the bedroom, Xia Meng sat on the edge of her bed. After hearing the story from her parents, she fell into a long silence. Eventually, she said sadly, “…But in my heart, you are my real parents.”

“Silly child, in our hearts, you will always be our real daughter.” Meng Jun sat beside her and pulled her into a hug. “We only hope you can have a better life and get the help you need so your career can thrive. Other than that, the love between us will never change.”

Xia Yuansheng patted his daughter’s head. “Mengmeng, we aren’t trying to ‘replace’ you. We just want the Zhong family to acknowledge you. If you’re willing, we’ll find a way to talk to them in person. You’re so sweet and lovely; perhaps once they see you, they’ll fall in love with you and want to claim you. They are powerful and wealthy—with their help, you can achieve your dreams.”

Xia Meng looked at her parents’ expectant faces. After a moment of inner conflict, she gave a soft nod.

The Lu Villa

On the weekend, Lu Tingshen returned to the family villa for dinner. At the table, his mother brought up the one topic he dreaded.

“Tingshen, the New Year is almost here. I’ve scouted a few girls from good families. During the holiday, you should meet them and see if any catch your eye.”

Lu Tingshen remained expressionless, focused on cutting his steak. “Mom, I’ve said it many times. I’m not considering marriage right now.”

“You’ll be twenty-nine after the New Year. A man should be established by thirty. How can you not consider it?” Fang Hui frowned. “Now that the engagement with the Zhong family is officially off, what are you still worried about?”

Lu Tingshen fell silent. He ate a few bites of steak, set down his cutlery, and dabbed his mouth with a napkin. Claiming he had work to do, he went upstairs to his study.

Left in the dining room were the Lu couple and Lu Yuanqian, who was home for winter break. As her brother’s silhouette disappeared, Fang Hui sighed.

The engagement with the Zhong family had been a mess of reversals. Lu Tingshen wanted to cancel, then changed his mind, then wanted to go through with it, then changed his mind again. It had caused a huge scandal before finally being called off by his own decision. Fang Hui thought he had finally cleared his head, yet he refused to see anyone new.

“I just don’t get it,” Fang Hui muttered. “The engagement is over, yet he won’t look at anyone else.”

Hearing her mother’s confusion, Lu Yuanqian—her mouth full of food—giggled. “Mom, have you ever considered that the reason he finally called off the wedding was because he actually fell in love with Sister Zhong?”

“In love? Then why call it off? You’re too young to understand these things,” Fang Hui dismissed her.

Lu Yuanqian pouted and stopped arguing. But based on her knowledge of her brother and her years of reading novels and watching dramas, she was certain her judgment was spot on. While she felt a bit sorry for her brother, she also found it slightly hilarious. To see her normally arrogant and powerful brother suffering from unrequited love… Sister Zhong really was something else.

In the study, Lu Tingshen sat blankly at his desk. He had no work; he just didn’t want to face his mother’s questions. Even though nearly six months had passed, his thoughts were still entangled with her.

Eventually, he picked up his phone and called Secretary Wen.

“President Lu, how can I help you?”

“I asked you to keep an eye on Yanxing Entertainment and Zhong Yan. Any unusual activity lately?”

“Nothing unusual.”

Nothing? Lu Tingshen frowned. Her public appearances had dropped significantly. He had a feeling she was up to something. He suspected she was preparing a new script to sell. If that were true, Dingming Media had to secure the rights this time, no matter what.

“What about Yuandian Media?” Lu Tingshen asked. As much as he hated to admit it, if Zhong Yan were selling, Yuandian would likely hear about it before Dingming.

“I haven’t heard of any new movements involving Ms. Zhong there either.”

Lu Tingshen felt uneasy. Was his hunch wrong? “Keep watching. Tell me the moment you hear anything.”

“Understood.”

“And keep an extra close eye on that producer at Yuandian, Xu You. He likely gets the news first.”