The Vicious Female Supporting Character Goes Viral After Her Masks Drop During the Talent Show - Chapter 57

“Sir, you cannot enter!”

The receptionist tried to block Zhong Yang as he attempted to barge into the office area.

“Do you know who I am?” Zhong Yang glared, pointing at himself. “I am your boss’s biological brother!”

The receptionist’s expression grew even more troubled. Working at Yanxing Entertainment, the staff had all heard rumors that the boss did not get along with her family.

“Sir, if you have business with the Chairman, please make an appointment first…”

“I’m here to take my sister home for the New Year. What do I need an appointment for?” Zhong Yang interrupted impatiently. He pushed past the receptionists to force his way in, leaving them with no choice but to call security. The shouting downstairs grew louder.

In the second-floor conference room, Zhong Yan stood by the window and frowned, letting out a sharp “tsk.” Xu You and Yan Shi had also heard the commotion.

Xu You walked to the window to look down, recalling how furious Zhong Yan had been during their last call because of her brother. “Is that the biological brother? Why has he been pestering you so much lately?” He looked at the greasy, stout man below and clicked his tongue in disgust. He thought to himself that this guy didn’t look like he belonged in the same gene pool as Zhong Yan; he and Zhong Yan made a much better pair of “siblings.”

Yan Shi’s expression darkened as he watched the scene. He looked at Zhong Yan with concern. “Is your family causing trouble for you again?”

Zhong Yan waved it off. “It’s not exactly ‘trouble.’ It’s just that they see I’m doing well now and think there’s a profit to be made. They’ve suddenly decided to start sucking up to me.”

While it wasn’t exactly trouble, it was incredibly annoying.

“This is sucking up? It looks more like harassment,” Xu You said, bewildered. “Who tries to flatter someone by making a scene at their company?”

“He’s doing it on purpose.” Zhong Yan crossed her arms and sneered at the figure below. “I’ve been ignoring him, so he’s trying to force me out.”

“Then let’s have security throw him out!” Xu You said indignantly.

Zhong Yan didn’t respond. Instead of calling security, she dialed Zhong Yang’s number. The moment he saw her name on his screen, his face lit up, and the arrogant bully persona he had displayed to the receptionist vanished instantly.

“Sis! You’re in the office, right? I’m right outside!”

“I know,” Zhong Yan said tonelessly. “I see you.”

Zhong Yang immediately started spinning around, looking for her. “Where are you? Why don’t I see you?”

“Don’t bother looking. Just tell me what you want.”

Zhong Yang complied immediately, stopping his frantic search to speak into the phone with oily sincerity. “Sis, what time do you get off? Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve! I’m here to take you home for the holidays. Mom and Dad miss you so much; they’re waiting for you!”

“Fine. I’ll go back tomorrow,” Zhong Yan said calmly.

Zhong Yang froze. He hadn’t expected her to agree so easily. “Really?” He had prepared to make an even bigger scene in front of her employees to embarrass her into meeting him.

“Really. Go back and tell them the good news.”

“Right! Right! I’ll go tell them right now!” Zhong Yang turned and practically skipped toward the exit. He thought to himself that he was a genius—forcing her hand at the office actually worked!

Back in the conference room, Xu You’s eyes widened. “Sister, are you really going back?”

Zhong Yan shrugged. “Rather than waiting for them to keep harassing me, I’d rather go and see what they’re actually plotting. It’ll save me the headache of them showing up every three days.”

Yan Shi watched her uneasily. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “My phone is on twenty-four hours a day. If you need help, call me.”

Zhong Yan gave him a playful look. “Don’t worry. They can’t eat me alive.” If anyone’s doing the eating, it’ll be me eating them.

New Year’s Eve

Zhong Yan drove back to the long-unvisited Zhong family villa. The moment her car passed the gates, she was given a hero’s welcome.

“Xiaoyan! You’re finally home! Your father and I have missed you dearly!”

As soon as she stepped out of the car, Shi Qian and Zhong Jiamao surrounded her, one taking her left arm and the other her right, treating her as if Empress Dowager Cixi herself had arrived.

Zhong Yang stood to the side, feigning jealousy. “Sis, it seems Mom and Dad only have eyes for their daughter now. They’ve forgotten they even have a son.”

Watching them perform their little play, Zhong Yan didn’t interrupt. She leaned back and enjoyed the “immersive theater” experience.

“It’s okay, I see you,” Zhong Yan said, gesturing with her chin toward the passenger seat. “Help me carry my bag.”

The three of them paused for a split second before returning to their fawning smiles. “Yes, yes! Let Yang’er carry the bag. Xiaoyan, come inside with us!”

The enthusiasm didn’t waver once they were inside. In the living room, Shi Qian held her hand and fussed over her, asking if work was too tiring or if she had been sick. She touched Zhong Yan’s face with practiced pity, saying she looked thinner and needed to eat more now that she was home.

During the New Year’s dinner, Zhong Jiamao personally served her food. He was a traditional patriarch who rarely even served his own son, so Zhong Yan noted he was putting a lot of effort into his performance.

The table was covered in dozens of delicacies. Zhong Jiamao put a bit of everything on her plate, telling her it was fine to leave what she couldn’t finish. Zhong Yan found it hilarious; she realized he had no idea what she actually liked to eat, so his only strategy was to give her everything.

Zhong Yang acted as the dedicated hype-man, praising Zhong Yan to the heavens while weaving a touching (and entirely fabricated) narrative about how much the family had pined for her. To an outsider, they would look like a perfectly loving, harmonious family.

Zhong Yan listened to the sweet talk and enjoyed the table service, waiting with interest to see when the wolf tails would poke out from under their sheep’s clothing. Surprisingly, the trio held their act together all through New Year’s Eve, doing nothing but trying to keep her happy.

After the midnight countdown, Zhong Yan stayed the night in her old bedroom at their insistent request. She hadn’t stayed there in a long time, but the room was exactly as she had left it.

New Year’s Day

Zhong Yan didn’t wake up until nearly noon. Since she didn’t stir, no one dared to wake her. To keep her in a good mood and wait for her for the first meal of the year, the other three members of the family simply stayed hungry.

When the sun was high in the sky, Zhong Yan finally rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked downstairs.

“Xiaoyan, did you sleep well?” Shi Qian immediately greeted her. “You woke up so late; I was worried you didn’t rest well during the night.”

“No, I slept fine.” Zhong Yan was late simply because she was lazy. Since she was finally on holiday, she was going to sleep in regardless of where she was.

The butler, Uncle Yao, came over to ask what the masters wanted for lunch. Shi Qian immediately pointed to Zhong Yan. “Ask Xiaoyan. She’s the boss today.”

Zhong Yan didn’t hold back, listing several Hong Kong-style dim sum dishes she craved. Uncle Yao nodded. “Of course, Eldest Young Lady. We shall prepare a Hong Kong brunch for everyone.”

Halfway through the meal, Zhong Yang decided that since they had been coddling her since yesterday, it was finally time to broach the real topic. A key part of his plan to reform the Wensheng Group was to create an online reading platform. He wanted to use the vitality of web literature to revive the family’s struggling traditional print business.

To make a new platform successful quickly and cheaply, he needed a big name. If he could sign a “God-tier” author like “Zhong Yan” to anchor the site, the brand recognition would skyrocket instantly. Since she was a daughter of the Zhong family, he figured she should help the family for free, saving him the massive cost of hiring a top-tier author.

Just as he was about to speak, Uncle Yao hurried into the dining room.

“Master, Madam, there are guests at the door.”

“Guests?” Zhong Jiamao and Shi Qian were puzzled. Usually, New Year visits between elite families were scheduled in advance. They had declined all invitations this year to focus on Zhong Yan. “Who is it?”

“They are not from any of the families we usually associate with,” Uncle Yao paused, glancing nervously at Zhong Yan before continuing. “…They claim their surname is Xia, and they are here… to claim their kin.”

The faces of the three Zhong family members turned pale instantly.

“What kind of scammers are they? Throw them out!” Zhong Yang shouted at Uncle Yao.

Uncle Yao was about to turn away to do just that when Zhong Yan stopped him. “Uncle Yao, wait.”

She looked at the three frantic family members. “Why are you in such a hurry?”

The moment she heard the keywords “Surname Xia” and “Claim kin,” Zhong Yan felt a jolt of excitement. Is the female lead finally here to claim her rightful place?

But seeing the panicked state of the Zhongs, she wondered: Do they already know about the swap? Are they trying to drive the real daughter away because they’re afraid I, the fake daughter, will run off?

Zhong Yan wasn’t about to let that happen. She was practically waiting for the real daughter to take over this mess.

“We haven’t even seen them yet. How can you be sure they’re scammers?” Zhong Yan blinked, feigning innocence. “What if they really are relatives? Uncle Yao, bring them in.”

Uncle Yao didn’t move, looking hesitantly at the other three.

Zhong Yan looked at Uncle Yao, then at her “family.” She set her silver chopsticks down on the table with a sharp clack. The smile on her face turned chilly.

“What’s the matter? Does my word not count for anything anymore?”

Seeing that she was about to get angry, Zhong Yang had no choice. He gave his parents and the butler a pointed look. They couldn’t let all their hard work over the last twenty-four hours go to waste at the finish line.

“It counts, it counts. Whatever Xiaoyan says goes,” Shi Qian said with a forced smile.

“Yes, Eldest Young Lady,” Uncle Yao bowed slightly and turned to lead the visitors in.