The Vicious Female Supporting Character Goes Viral After Her Masks Drop During the Talent Show - Chapter 58

The Zhong family villa was designed in a New Chinese style—an elegant, understated luxury featuring traditional courtyards with flowing water and small bridges, integrated with modern glass corridors and steel framework.

As Xia Meng and her parents followed the butler, she realized the entrance courtyard and front hall alone were ten times larger than her entire home. The meticulously landscaped gardens, the designer architecture, the priceless furniture—all of it felt like a dream, a world she could never touch in her lifetime.

Xia Meng felt a sudden wave of vertigo. Was all of this originally supposed to be mine?

Xia Yuansheng and Meng Jun exchanged a look, their hearts heavy with grief. If not for their wrong decision years ago, their daughter would have grown up in this splendor instead of their cramped, aging apartment.

The butler led them upstairs to the living room, where they found the Zhong family waiting. Seeing Zhong Yan there made Xia Meng even more restless. Her parents grew tense as well; they assumed their arrival—which would turn Zhong Yan from a “true heiress” into a “fake” one—would make her the person least likely to welcome them.

To their surprise, Zhong Yan was the most enthusiastic person in the room.

“Xia Meng? Is that you?” Zhong Yan feigned surprise, standing up to greet them. “It’s been a long time! Quick, bring your parents over and have a seat.”

Turning to the three stunned members of the Zhong family, she pretended to be relieved. “What a coincidence! This is my colleague from the show. See? It’s a good thing we let them in.”

The three Zhongs forced stiff smiles and began frantically exchanging glances, trying to find a way to kick the guests out before they could mention the hospital swap.

Zhong Yan saw right through them. As soon as the Xia family sat down, she cut straight to the chase.

“Xia Meng, what did you mean by ‘claiming kin’ at the Zhong family?”

Fearing they wouldn’t be direct enough, Zhong Yan decided to play it off as a joke. “Don’t tell me the two of us were swapped at birth?”

The room fell into a dead silence for a second. Everyone stared at her in shock. The “joke” hit the mark like a prophecy.

“Why is everyone looking at me like that?” Zhong Yan chuckled, playing dumb.

The Zhong family was flabbergasted, unsure how to handle such a blunt opening. In that window of silence, the Xia family took the lead.

“…Mr. and Mrs. Zhong, I assume you received a call from the hospital. We are indeed here because of that matter.”

Xia Yuansheng clasped his hands nervously. Faced with such a wealthy family, he couldn’t help but feel small. He chose his words with extreme care. “…We went to the maternity hospital. According to their archives, only two women gave birth to baby girls that day: my wife and Mrs. Zhong.”

“The hospital recently informed us that you were unwilling to perform a DNA test. We understand your feelings, but this is a matter of great importance. We felt the two families should meet and talk properly.”

“We took the liberty of visiting today because we hope you will see Mengmeng—see your… daughter—and reconsider the DNA test.”

Xia Yuansheng and Meng Jun had worked tirelessly to find the Zhong address. Now that they were finally face-to-face, they were determined to fight for Xia Meng. They pulled out various documents—IDs, hospital records, and proof of non-biological relation to Xia Meng—and spread them across the red sandalwood coffee table.

“Mengmeng, come here,” Meng Jun urged. “Talk to Mr. and Mrs. Zhong. Let them have a good look at you.”

“U-Uncle… Auntie…” Xia Meng twisted the hem of her shirt, her voice barely a whisper.

Zhong Jiamao and Shi Qian sat with darkened faces, refusing to speak or even look up. They had assumed the other family would at least be from a wealthy background since they used the same private hospital. Seeing the Xia family’s ordinary clothes and unrefined manners, they were instantly repulsed.

True daughter or fake daughter—it didn’t matter. The daughter of the Zhong family could not be someone so timid and shabby.

Zhong Yang lunged forward, grabbed the pile of documents from the table, and ripped them to shreds, throwing the pieces into the air.

“Talk about what? Look at what?” he shouted. “You’re just seeing how successful my sister is and trying to steal a daughter from our family! You malicious scammers, get out of here right now!”

The Xia parents jumped in fright. Xia Meng recoiled, shrinking behind her parents. Her eyes welled with tears as she tugged at her mother’s sleeve. “Mom, Dad… let’s just go…”

Just as they were about to flee in terror, Zhong Yan spoke.

“Xia Meng, Mr. and Mrs. Xia, I apologize. Zhong Yang has no class; please forgive his offense.”

They turned to see Zhong Yan sitting serenely on the leather sofa, a calm smile on her lips. After casually insulting her brother’s lack of manners, she elegantly lifted a jade porcelain teacup and took a sip of West Lake Longjing tea.

The Xia family was stunned. Zhong Yan’s reaction was entirely unexpected. They thought she would be shocked, confused, or angry. Instead, she looked like she was just watching a play that didn’t involve her.

Zhong Yang was fuming at being called “low class,” but since he needed her help, he didn’t dare talk back. His parents also stayed quiet, not wanting to ruin their son’s plans.

With one sentence, Zhong Yan had brought the chaotic room to a standstill. The Xia family looked at her with growing bewilderment. Is she the one who actually runs this house?

Xia Meng lowered her head, her sense of inferiority deepening. She felt completely out of place in this grand room, while Zhong Yan looked like the true master of the house.

Zhong Yan set down her cup and addressed her “parents.” “Mom, Dad, this involves the Zhong bloodline. For your sake, I don’t mind suffering a little grievance. Let’s just do the DNA test.”

The Xia parents quickly added, “Mr. and Mrs. Zhong, we aren’t trying to ‘steal’ your daughter. Miss Zhong will always be your jewel. We just want Mengmeng to be able to acknowledge her true ancestors.”

Zhong Yan frowned inwardly. She didn’t want to be the Zhong family’s “jewel” for another second.

She immediately put on a mournful face. “Mom, Dad, I’ve been a useless daughter. I’ve never lived up to your expectations, and I even ruined that marriage alliance you cared so much about. Even if you choose not to acknowledge me anymore, I’ll have no complaints.”

She intentionally emphasized “ruined the marriage” to trigger them, hoping they would kick her out in a fit of rage.

Instead, it triggered Zhong Yang. His bulky frame lunged up from the sofa. “I don’t care! In this life, I only recognize one sister—Zhong Yan! She is my only sister!”

Zhong Jiamao and Shi Qian, though annoyed by the mention of the marriage, immediately followed their son’s lead. “Xiaoyan, you are the daughter we are most proud of! We love you too much to ever disown you. It’s impossible! You are our only precious daughter!”

The three of them exchanged a look. Shi Qian, catching the signal, immediately clutched her chest and began to moan in pain. After a few “Aiyos,” her legs went limp, and she “fainted” onto the sofa.

The living room descended into chaos again. Zhong Jiamao shook his wife, shouting for the butler to call a doctor, while Zhong Yang pointed at the Xia family. “You bastards! Look what you’ve done to my mother! If you don’t get out now, I’ll make you pay with your lives!”

Terrified by the dramatic scene, the Xia family scrambled to apologize and fled the villa.

Throughout the farce, Zhong Yan didn’t move an inch. She continued drinking her tea and checked the time. Sure enough, less than five minutes after the Xia family left, Shi Qian “miraculously” woke up.

Glancing at her mother’s rosy complexion, Zhong Yan set down her cup and stood up. “Since Mom isn’t feeling well, you should rest. I won’t disturb you. I’m leaving.”

The “Lead Actress” had failed to take over her role. Bored, Zhong Yan didn’t want to stay any longer.

“Sis, don’t go!” Zhong Yang cried out. They hadn’t even discussed the real business yet.

Shi Qian scrambled up from the sofa to grab her. “I’m fine now! Just seeing you makes the pain go away!”

Zhong Yan sat back down. “Fine. I’ll give you one more hour.”

Zhong Yang got straight to the point. “Sis, I’ve been wanting to talk to you. I’m starting a new web literature platform for Wensheng. I want you to anchor the site and help us with promotion.”

He tried to make it sound appealing, but Zhong Yan understood perfectly: he wanted her to sign with their platform and publish her new works there to attract traffic.

“The profit split will be just like your current platform! 50/50! We won’t let you lose out!” Zhong Yang said, patting his chest.

Zhong Yan scoffed. “First, my current split is 70/30—I get seventy. Second, I’m currently with a top-tier platform. Wensheng’s is a startup with no traffic; moving there would hurt my reach and income. Third, I have a stable reader base that I would lose in a move.”

“Signing me is 100% beneficial for Wensheng and 100% harmful for me,” she said, looking at him. “So, how does Wensheng plan to compensate my losses?”

Zhong Yang tried to grab her arm with his “pig trotter” hand. “Oh, Sis! We’re family! Don’t be so formal.”

“That’s right,” Shi Qian added. “Wensheng is our family business. Helping your brother is helping yourself.”

Zhong Yan sneered, shook off his hand, and picked up her bag. Seeing she was serious, Zhong Yang buckled. “Fine! What kind of compensation do you want?”

“If you want me to help Wensheng, give me shares.”

The three were stunned. “Shares?”

“With shares, helping the company actually becomes helping myself,” Zhong Yan said. Currently, the family held 55% of the group: the parents held 20% each, and Zhong Yang held 15%. Zhong Yan held zero.

After a long hesitation, Zhong Yang sighed. “Fine! I’ll give you 1%. Satisfied?”

Zhong Yan squinted at him. “Are you trying to tip a beggar?”

“Then how much do you want?” Zhong Yang’s temper was fraying.

“Since we are both children of the Zhong family, I want as much as you have. 15%. That’s fair, right?”

Zhong Yang’s face turned red with rage. “Zhong Yan, don’t push your luck!”

The idea of her having as many shares as him was unthinkable. Zhong Jiamao couldn’t hold back anymore either. He slammed his teacup onto the floor, the porcelain shattering with a loud crack.

“A sister helping her brother is the natural order of things! And here you are, being calculating and greedy!” he roared.

Shi Qian joined in. “We haven’t even punished you for ruining the marriage alliance, and now you’re making demands? How did I raise such an ungrateful daughter!”

Seeing them finally drop the masks and return to their familiar, ugly selves, Zhong Yan smiled.

“If you find me so ungrateful, then go find a ‘grateful’ daughter. That one outside probably hasn’t gone far.”

She brushed the tea splashes off her clothes and walked out of the house without a backward glance.

By the time she drove back to her apartment, it was 4:00 PM. Since her lunch had been interrupted, she was starving. There was nothing in her fridge, and she wasn’t much of a cook.

Deciding to be healthy for once, she changed into comfortable clothes and headed to a nearby supermarket. No family, no problem—I just have to love myself more.

On New Year’s Day, the supermarket was relatively empty. Wrapped in a large black down jacket, with a hat, scarf, glasses, and a mask, Zhong Yan wandered through the produce section unrecognized.

She stared at a bin of tomatoes, poking a soft one and weighing a hard one, completely unsure which was better. “How do people even pick these?” she muttered.

She realized that with her pathetic cooking experience, even buying groceries was a challenge. She decided to just grab two at random and throw them in her bag.

Just then, a voice came from across the bin.

“Teacher Zhong?”