The Vicious Female Supporting Character Goes Viral After Her Masks Drop During the Talent Show - Chapter 59

Zhong Yan jumped in fright, nearly tossing the tomato in her hand.

Had she been recognized?

She looked up. Across a bin of tomatoes stood a tall man, as heavily disguised as she was—hat, glasses, mask, and a low-profile black down jacket. Not an inch of skin was visible. Zhong Yan froze for a second, finding his voice incredibly familiar.

The man lowered his glasses slightly, revealing a pair of cool, sharp black eyes that were currently crinkled with a smile. “It’s me.”

Zhong Yan’s eyes widened. “Yan Shi?” she whispered in shock. “What are you doing here?”

“The same as you,” Yan Shi said, lifting his shopping basket.

Zhong Yan understood immediately. On New Year’s Day, Yan Shi was also someone with no family home to return to. She didn’t press further, instead changing the subject. She leaned in and gestured to her elaborate disguise, asking curiously, “I’m dressed like this—how did you recognize me?”

If he hadn’t spoken or lowered his glasses, she never would have known it was him.

Yan Shi simply smiled. “Teacher Zhong is Teacher Zhong. Of course I would recognize you.”

Zhong Yan didn’t quite follow his logic. Glancing at the tomatoes in her hand, Yan Shi asked, “Do you usually cook for yourself?”

She shook her head. “I can count the number of times I’ve cooked on one hand.”

Yan Shi laughed. “I figured.”

He took her bag, removed the two tomatoes she had picked, and put them back in the bin. Then, he expertly selected several plump, bright red, firm tomatoes and placed them in her bag. “These are better.”

Watching his practiced movements, Zhong Yan blinked in admiration. “You have this skill too?”

“I cook often. You develop an eye for it.”

Zhong Yan was surprised. She assumed that since Yan Shi was filming constantly now, he would be like her—rarely cooking. Even back when he was struggling, she imagined him living mostly on instant food.

As if reading her mind, Yan Shi said softly, “Cooking for yourself is more economical. Besides, you can’t eat instant noodles every day. It became a habit back then, and now when I’m free, I still prefer to cook.”

Zhong Yan nodded, feeling like she had been a “rich heiress” for ten years too long and had forgotten the realities of life.

“What else do you want to buy? I’ll help you pick,” Yan Shi offered.

“Um… I haven’t decided.”

“What are you planning to make for dinner?”

“I’m… just winging it,” Zhong Yan replied. She had no plan; she was just going to buy whatever looked good and see what happened.

Yan Shi stole a glance at her and cleared his throat. “In that case…”

His mask hid the expression on his face, but his voice betrayed a hint of hesitation and shyness. He lifted his basket toward her. “I bought a lot, and I can’t finish it all by myself. Why don’t… you come to my place? I’ll cook, and we can eat together?”

Zhong Yan froze. She looked at him but didn’t answer. A man inviting a woman to his home for dinner carried a certain level of intimacy. That old question resurfaced in her mind: Does Yan Shi actually like me, or am I just being vain?

Seeing her hesitation, Yan Shi quickly added, “If it’s inconvenient for Teacher Zhong, forget I asked. I just thought I’d mention it.”

Zhong Yan thought about it and decided to choose vanity. She was hungry, and she wanted a free meal. She adjusted her glasses and looked up at him. “It’s not inconvenient. Is it convenient for you?”

Yan Shi’s Apartment

Upon arriving at Yan Shi’s apartment, Zhong Yan discovered they lived only ten minutes apart. It explained why they frequented the same supermarket.

His place was similar to hers—a modern, high-security loft apartment perfectly sized for one person. The only difference was that while her home was often cluttered with clothes and miscellaneous items, Yan Shi’s home was remarkably tidy and organized.

When he asked what she liked, she told him anything delicious was fine. Yan Shi laughed and disappeared into the kitchen to get to work.

Zhong Yan followed him, intending to help wash the vegetables. But the moment she turned on the tap, Yan Shi reached over and shut it off. He looked down at her right hand, frowning. “You have a cut. Don’t get it wet.”

“Huh?”

Zhong Yan looked down and noticed a tiny scratch on the back of her right hand, still a faint red. She realized it must have happened back at the Zhong villa when the porcelain shards from the teacup went flying.

She gave an indifferent smile. “If I hadn’t noticed it now, it would have been healed by tomorrow. It’s nothing.”

She reached for the tap again, but Yan Shi intercepted her. Grabbing her arm through her sleeve, he gently but firmly led her out of the kitchen. He found a band-aid in a living room cabinet and carefully applied it to her hand.

“Better to be careful.”

Yan Shi wanted to ask where the wound came from, but he refrained. He suspected it had something to do with her family. She had said she was going home for the holiday, yet here she was alone at a supermarket on New Year’s Day. It wasn’t hard to guess that her trip home hadn’t been pleasant. If it was a bad memory, he wouldn’t force her to talk about it.

As his fingertip smoothed the edge of the band-aid, Zhong Yan felt a lingering warmth where his finger had touched. She lowered her eyes and tucked her hand behind her back.

“Okay. Thanks.”

With nothing to do, Zhong Yan wandered around the living room. She noticed a litter box and cat toys in the corner, but no cat. “Do you have a cat? I don’t see one.”

“I found a kitten in the garden a while back,” Yan Shi called out while chopping vegetables. “I didn’t know if it was a stray or abandoned, but it followed me around meowing. It seemed hungry, so I took it in for a while.”

“Where is it now?” Zhong Yan wandered into the kitchen.

“I’ve been filming away from home too much lately to care for it properly. I sent it to a friend who loves cats. I checked on it a few days ago; it’s happy there and my friend wanted to adopt it, so I let it stay. It has other cat friends to play with there. It’s better than being alone here all the time.”

Yan Shi felt that while humans could adapt to loneliness, there was no need to make a cat suffer through it.

This reminded Zhong Yan of something. She walked over to him. “By the way, have you seen the cat Ji Xi raised? The one you saved back in high school? It’s huge now—fat as a ball.”

Ji Xi occasionally brought the cat to the office, where it had become something of a mascot.

Yan Shi smiled. “I saw it once at the company. It seemed to remember me; it kept rubbing against my legs wanting to be petted.”

As he spoke about the cat, his eyes grew incredibly soft. Zhong Yan couldn’t help but sigh. “You really are a reincarnated Disney Princess.”

Yan Shi froze, looking at her in confusion.

“I mean animals love you. Unlike me,” Zhong Yan pouted. “When I go to Ji Xi’s place, that fat cat won’t even look at me. When I tried to pet it, it nearly scratched me.”

Zhong Yan loved animals, but animals hated her. In both her lives, she had never met an animal that wanted anything to do with her. “They say animals can tell a good person from a bad one,” she joked. “Maybe I just don’t look like a good person.”

Silence followed her joke. She turned to look at him.

Yan Shi was staring at her with those dark eyes, which looked like clear, gentle spring water. There seemed to be both everything and nothing in his gaze. Being stared at like that made Zhong Yan’s face flush.

“What are you looking at?” She turned away uncomfortably, touching her face. She wasn’t wearing makeup today. She hadn’t bothered for her family, and she had been masked at the store. She hadn’t expected to run into Yan Shi.

She thought she didn’t care what he thought, but in that moment, she realized she did.

A soft chuckle came from beside her, and the sound of chopping resumed. Yan Shi’s eyes were even softer now. “I was just thinking… compared to animals, humans are much smarter.”

As he finished, the tips of Yan Shi’s ears turned red, and he went back to his chopping in silence.

Zhong Yan was stunned. He’s the one who said it, so why is he blushing? It made it very hard not to overthink things!

The scent of stewing meat began to fill the air, and a subtle, lingering tension drifted through the small kitchen. Zhong Yan closed her eyes, mentally reciting a “mantra” of indifference. He’s just calling me a good person. That’s all. It’s normal for an employee to flatter their boss. And he’s blushing because the kitchen is hot. Yes, it’s just the heat.

Her stomach let out a loud growl. Yan Shi’s blush faded slightly as he sped up his work. “Hungry? It’s almost ready.”

“Yeah. I’ll go set the table.” Zhong Yan used the excuse to flee the “danger zone.”

Dinner was served quickly. Yan Shi was efficient; in a short time, he had produced a spread of meat, fish, vegetables, and soup. Though they were simple home-cooked dishes, the colors and aromas were irresistible.

Zhong Yan focused entirely on the food. Partly because she was hungry and it was delicious, and partly because she didn’t want the atmosphere to turn intimate again if she looked at him too long.

Seeing her enjoy the meal, Yan Shi pushed most of the dishes toward her, barely eating much himself. It was as if watching her eat was enough to make him full.

After a vigorous feast, Zhong Yan went home and weighed herself—she had gained three pounds. She rubbed her round stomach, threw on a tracksuit, and did two hours of cardio before she dared to go to sleep.

As she drifted off, she reminded herself: Maintaining my figure is professional ethics for an idol. Not falling in love is also professional ethics.

On the first day of work after the New Year, Secretary Wen knocked hurriedly on the CEO’s office door.

“President Lu, I have news regarding Ms. Zhong.”

Lu Tingshen set down his pen and looked up. “Go on.”

“Ms. Zhong is indeed preparing a new adaptation. According to my sources, she has already contacted the producer Xu You; she wants to collaborate with him again.”

Lu Tingshen frowned. “Is she selling the rights to Yuandian again?”

“No. I hear she isn’t selling the rights this time. The drama will be produced by Yanxing Entertainment, and Yuandian is participating as an investor.”

“An investor?” Lu Tingshen said immediately. “Contact Zhong Yan right away. Tell her Dingming Media wants to invest in her new drama as well.”

“Yes, President Lu.” Secretary Wen paused. “Should I mention the specific share or amount we are looking for?”

Lu Tingshen toyed with his fountain pen, a slight arch to his brow. “No need for details. Just tell her I want to meet in person.”