I have a persona specifically for acting.

[Lu Xianzhang, calm down!]

[Zhao Zhao is in a lawful society; she can’t kill people.]

Everyone tried to persuade her. Unlike usual, the Consort, who often competed with Lu Xianzhang, was now smiling happily and encouraging her: [Yes, increase the intensity. Let him underestimate this palace. So what if he relies on men? I’m a professional at relying on men. I can make the world’s supreme ruler my lapdog. Someone like him doesn’t even deserve to carry Zhao Zhao’s shoes.]

Lu Xianzhang, still seething with anger, used invisible sword energy to strike Ning Zhiyi’s knee before returning control to Tong Zhao.

Tong Zhao knew Ning Zhiyi wouldn’t be able to stand up for at least a cup of tea.

“Brother Zhiyi, hey, get up quickly…”

The scene of Ning Zhiyi collapsing on the spot immediately became the center of attention in the exhibition hall. Xu Zhu anxiously tried to help him up but found she didn’t have the strength. Fortunately, security guards came forward immediately. After confirming that he couldn’t stand up on his own, they had to carry him to the lounge like eagles picking up a chick.

Ning Zhiyi, puzzled, asked, “What’s wrong with him?”

From the perspective of onlookers, it looked like Ning Zhiyi, who had been boasting, suddenly collapsed onto the floor and couldn’t get up.

Second-Generation A: “Could he have a hidden illness?”

Second-Generation B: “Ah, we should have recorded that. We missed a great chance to get likes on social media.”

Second-Generation C: “Xu Zhu is impressive. She and Ning Zhiyi have only been seeing each other for a short time, and already Ning Zhiyi is weak in the knees in broad daylight.”

?

Everyone turned their heads in unison to look at the driver.

Tong Zhao responded in the tone of Young Master Wei: “Didn’t he say I’m the Consort? He should kneel when he sees me.”

The second-generation people hadn’t expected her to play along so well despite her delicate and otherworldly appearance. But thinking about it, since she gets along so well with Young Master Wei, how could her way of thinking be ordinary? It made sense and was quite amusing.

Tong Zhao said this while still radiating the aura of the Consort, her almond-shaped eyes holding a faint smile, subtly outlining an expensive kind of allure. Ning Zhiyi was right; a Consort fighting in the harem could only rely on men, but not everyone was worthy of her reliance. Most men who saw her subconsciously felt they only deserved to flatter the Consort.

“To pay such respect, prostration and all, what about me beside you?” Young Master Wei turned to her and asked.

This rascal has even learned how to flirt.

Tong Zhao asked in return, “What do you think?”

Wei Zekai responded with caution, “I’d better keep my distance from you, or I might end up as a eunuch.”

…Well, what a talent.

In her previous life, after being heavily impacted, Tong Zhao had withdrawn into her shell like a snail, while Xu Zhu had used her thick skin and social skills to break into the circles of wealthy second-generation elites. Now that she had lived through it again, Tong Zhao thought there would be a generational gap with these second-generation elites. However, after Young Master Wei showed her off around, she found it wasn’t the case. They got along well, and after seeing the confrontation between the two, Young Master Wei assured her that he would never bring Xu Zhu into their circle in the future.

Tong Zhao wasn’t aiming to hit her stepsister over such trivial matters, but she inadvertently closed the door on Xu Zhu’s entry into the second-generation elite circle.

After strolling for a while, Wei Zekai noticed her bare hands and asked, “Before you ran away from home, did your dad even take off the jewelry you were wearing?”

Young Master Wei wasn’t aware of the severity of his friend’s family issues.

Tong Zhao lowered her eyes, her emotional undertone cold: “I didn’t want his things. I’m not interested.”

“Well said,” Wei Zekai casually stopped at a counter selling gemstone watches. “You should appreciate what I give you. I haven’t given you a congratulatory gift for your debut success yet. How about this one?”

He picked up a starry sky watch.

The gemstones on the watch face were more striking than time itself, dazzling and attractive, and the price was equally impressive.

Even among second-generation elites, not many are so casually willing to buy a seven-figure watch for a friend, essentially wearing a car on their wrist. Wei Zekai lamented, “Watches should never be cheap. The more expensive, the better.”

Tong Zhao asked, “Any insights?”

Wei Zekai had his own harsh perspective: “When dealing with someone like Ning Zhiyi, you can tell him, ‘My time is worth a million for a full rotation. Our sense of time is very different, and you don’t deserve to have me waste it on you.’”

Tong Zhao couldn’t help but laugh, but she still didn’t accept the watch.

Wei Zekai insisted on giving her a debut gift, reasoning that when he first performed in a class play in elementary school, she had also bought him a gift. Since that was a long time ago and Tong Zhao didn’t remember it, she finally relented and accepted a relatively cheaper diamond-studded bracelet watch. It looked quite nice on her slender, delicate wrist.

The friends also rallied to pool funds to buy her gifts—

“Tong Zhao, from now on, you’re the only star among us!”

“Yeah, if we want to invest in movies, it’s better to have an acquaintance than to be a naïve investor.”

“I say we should get that starry sky watch! Or just buy it; after all, Zhao Zhao has two hands, just right for the left Blue Dragon and the right White Tiger.”

“I think you’re really the Tiger.”

Finally, they settled for a sapphire necklace as a congratulatory gift.

Turning the jewelry exhibition into a shopping spree for friends was a privilege for these second-generation elites. They enjoyed the fun of choosing gifts together, and as soon as the necklace arrived, they urged Tong Zhao to put it on. Her neck was slender and elongated, and her shoulder line was impeccable. The gemstone pendant fell between her collarbones, blue like a tear from her heart.

With the aura activated, Tong Zhao exuded an ethereal grace.

However, her slightly shallow eyes, like a cat’s, conveyed just the right amount of aloofness. Even if someone had watched *The Emperor Ming’s Legend* and was overwhelmed by the impulse to pile all the world’s treasures in front of her, they still wouldn’t dare pursue her.

The Consort Shen felt puzzled: *“I have this strange feeling that ministers from the previous dynasty are partnering to send gifts to me…”*

Tong Zhao was both amused and touched. She didn’t just accept gifts without reciprocation; she promised that once she became familiar with the entertainment industry, she would definitely bring everyone along to earn money together.

When Wei Zekai was taking her home, he casually emphasized, “You must wear the award while wearing the gift I gave you. Otherwise, it won’t do for others to have it and you not. You’re now the representative of our little circle, the face of it.”

Tong Zhao finally recalled some memories.

She had been too young and narrow-minded back then. Even though friends had tried to help her when she was self-pitying, she hadn’t seized the opportunity. After experiencing countless worlds in fast-wear scenarios, she could now rise on her own without others’ help.

But…

“Thanks.”

“Thank you? Saying thanks makes it seem distant between good brothers.”

Wei Zekai, the spokesperson for brotherhood like Liu, Guan, and Zhang, laughed heartily.

※

Xu Zhu and Ning Zhiyi, the troubled couple, were furious.

Ning Zhiyi lay in the medical room for a while, his legs still feeling weak. The pampered young master was terrified he might be disabled for life and urgently called his private doctor. The doctor arrived a bit late, but by the time he showed up, the residual spiritual energy on Ning Zhiyi’s knees had dissipated, and he could stand up.

Xu Zhu had never seen her refined and elegant brother in such a disheveled state.

They placed the blame squarely on Tong Zhao.

Thinking about this, Xu Zhu felt a bit better, as she had always feared that Ning Zhiyi might be taken away by Tong Zhao.

Now that she had witnessed Tong Zhao’s true nature, it was time to wake up!

Xu Zhu pleaded softly, “Brother Zhiyi, don’t blame me; she might be so cold to you because she cares about Young Master Wei.”

In reality, Xu Zhu thought Tong Zhao was simply venting her jealousy.

Tong Zhao definitely disliked her and was cold to Ning Zhiyi because of it.

This was something Ning Zhiyi shouldn’t have figured out.

Sure enough, hearing Wei’s surname made Ning Zhiyi’s expression even darker.

However, despite moving in the direction she wanted, Xu Zhu felt unexpectedly unhappy. She realized that the ambiguous object of her desire was still thinking about her more attractive stepsister. Her heart felt tightly clenched, and her meticulously made-up face showed a fierce frustration.

Why does she have to play the role of the Empress so well?

Why does Tong Zhao get everything she wants?

Xu Zhu felt unbalanced.

She became even more determined to trip Tong Zhao up. After Ning Zhiyi dropped her off at home, she immediately used her connections—provided by her father—to send the script for *Countdown 72 Hours* to Tong Zhao. She even forced herself to praise her stepsister in front of the director, convincing him that Tong Zhao was just that good and suitable.

*Countdown 72 Hours* is a live-streamed show, so if the performance is particularly poor, there will be an audience who will pay just to watch the train wreck and have a laugh, minimizing the loss for the production team.

Xu Zhu didn’t want to offend anyone; she just wanted Tong Zhao’s reputation to be ruined.

Meanwhile, Tong Zhao was comfortably soaking in a bath.

Her manager, Chu Jie, was attentive to her needs. After receiving the invitation for the leading female role, she quickly got in touch to discuss it: “I’m not sure why they invited you. Let me put it this way: I remember you don’t like cilantro, right? Well, the script they sent us is like a pie filled with cilantro—extremely fragrant, but not suitable for you.”

“What’s the content? Is it really that bad?”

Tong Zhao found the analogy quite harsh.

“’ Countdown 72 Hours’ is a live-streamed apocalypse reality show. The role they offered you is that of Feng Yanqi, a decisive and individualistic heroine, which means action scenes are inevitable. And since it’s a live format, even if you’re cast as the lead, if your performance falls short compared to other characters, you might end up overshadowed, making it a risky endeavor.”

Chu Jie’s analysis was thorough: “It’s better to stick to the style of the Empress and take on similar roles that help build a stable fan base. In the future, people will think of you first for roles with that kind of positioning.”

This is the mainstream thinking for actors in the era of instinctual films.

Empress: “Oh, those who fight and kill just don’t fit in.”

Han Zhi: “Indeed, if you took the role, it would be the people fighting over you rather than vaccines in the apocalypse.”

Han Zhi: “Lu Xianzhang or Duan Ge would fit the role better.”

Duan Ge happens to be a persona that grew from Tong Zhao’s time in the apocalypse side story, similar to Lu Xianzhang in being taciturn.

“Lu doesn’t work,” the Empress insisted, “Sci-fi would turn into fantasy. Let’s go with Xiao Ge.”

While Lu Xianzhang disliked men, he also disdained relying on them. Although he had helped many lonely women on their cultivation journey, he mostly did so coldly and with a “give a fish, not a fishing rod” attitude, which strained his relationship with the Empress.

However, Duan Ge had a nurturing, caring attitude towards women and was well-liked by the Empress.

After drying herself off, Tong Zhao applied body lotion to her arms and thighs. “It’s perfect. The role of Feng Yanqi seems like it was made just for me.”

“…”

“………???”

Her manager began to question whether her ears were malfunctioning.

At that moment, as Tong Zhao was filling the bathtub, the sound of the water in her manager’s ears sounded just like the water getting into their artist’s head.