I have a persona specifically for acting.

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Zhu felt countless gazes turning toward her.

It was as if she had said something hilariously foolish.

She wasn’t unfamiliar with this kind of attention.

Before entering the holographic filming chamber, she had always been the focus of such looks, usually directed at her stepsister.

Was there a problem with the filming?

Xu Zhu grew anxious and quickly tried to make amends: “My memory hasn’t fully returned yet. If I said something wrong, I’m sorry. I still hope the filming went well!” She then flashed a compliant smile to everyone.

She was a bit smarter than her character Feng Sisi, knowing how to shift the narrative.

After all, they had returned to a peaceful world. Unless faced with life-or-death situations, people’s darker sides are hidden beneath their polished exteriors, and once the lights are on, everyone appears dignified.

“The filming was very successful. I believe the box office will reach an ideal number!” The director stepped in to smooth things over.

With the director’s words, the other staff members also gracefully shifted the topic.

Xu Zhu’s intentions for bringing Tong Zhao into the group were not entirely pure, but that was only known to her.

In the eyes of the director and some core members, Xu Zhu was seen as the final piece of the puzzle for “Countdown 72 Hours,” a key contributor to the funding and promotion!

If she spoke negatively about Tong Zhao here, what would that imply?

It would imply that she was being modest!

Before filming, she praised Tong Zhao excessively, boosting their confidence, and after filming, she did not seek credit for herself, truly a generous person.

Xu Zhu, feeling uneasy, joined the conversation. Due to her blank memory and uncertainty about the developments, she could only engage in conversation with Anna, the third female lead whom she had chatted with pleasantly before filming. However, Anna politely avoided her.

Since Anna’s role was brief and she died early in the story, her in-film memory had already recovered.

How should one put it?

Although she knew it was all acting, being used as a scapegoat still wasn’t pleasant.

Hatred is too strong a word; being close friends is unnecessary.

If she had this time, why not get to know Miss Tong better?

Anna, in high spirits, went off to find her Eastern beauty.

Only the screenwriter walked over, patted Xu Zhu’s shoulder, and gave a wry smile: “Xu Zhu, you really caused me a big trouble!”

His private messages and comments on Weibo had exploded.

The movie was good, but the key was that it had nothing to do with him; he was just a gatekeeper, with the highlights all coming from the actors themselves. The downside of instinctive films is that they test the editor’s ability to create new worlds, and often, the outstanding performance is credited to the actors.

Especially actors like Tong Zhao, who have a very strong personal presence.

Oh well!

He could only think about the bonuses and fame that would come if the movie became a hit.

The screenwriter’s worried frown was partly genuine, while Xu Zhu, with a pleased expression, apologized to him on behalf of Tong Zhao.

The two of them comforted each other across channels; although they weren’t talking about the same thing, they both had a mutual understanding and unspoken sentiments of regret and happiness.

After adding a long list of new contacts on WeChat, Tong Zhao was allowed to rest before attending the celebration banquet the next day. According to the stage crew, the unedited and raw footage had already been sent to their personal email, while the polished movie would be available for viewing rights online a week later.

She took a shower and was about to go to bed when the door was knocked.

Tong Zhao was a bit surprised, and even more so when she saw a golden head through the peephole.

Tong Zhao: [Xiao Ge, are you awake?]

Duan Ge: [I’m here.]

Tong Zhao: [Anna came; she’s probably here to find you.]

Duan Ge responded, and Tong Zhao then handed over the position of the main personality to her.

At their core, they were the same person and had never competed for the main role.

Staying in the memory palace to sleep was quite comfortable; as long as “she” was doing well, that was enough.

Tong Zhao opened the door to find Anna standing outside with a snow-white pillow, looking quite embarrassed.

“Is there something you need?” she asked gently.

“The feeling from the scene hasn’t faded. I keep feeling like zombies might break into my room at any moment. I’m scared alone and can’t sleep by myself…” Anna continued, “Could I sleep with you tonight? I can just sleep on the sofa.”

The actors’ rooms on set were spacious, with a long sofa available for resting.

Tong Zhao chuckled softly, “Come in. You can sleep with me.”

Anna tiptoed inside and stole a glance at Tong Zhao.

Unlike her stylish short hair in the film, Tong Zhao outside of the scene had long, jet-black hair that looked like seaweed. She probably had just showered, as her hair was still damp. Her almond-shaped eyes, black and white under the light, had a poetic and picturesque quality unique to Eastern beauties. Anna stared, fascinated, and asked, “Can I help you dry your hair?”

Tong Zhao turned her gaze slightly, surprised.

Anna quickly added, “Consider it as a thank you for letting me stay.”

Tong Zhao nodded with no objection.

After receiving permission, Anna happily went to get the hair dryer.

Tong Zhao sat down, and Anna placed her damp hair on her hands. As she dried it, she said enviously, “Your hair quality is really amazing. Do you have any special maintenance tips? I’ve heard that many Chinese actresses drink traditional Chinese medicine to stay looking so young.”

Tong Zhao pondered for a moment and replied, “Go to bed early, get up early, and exercise more to boost your metabolism.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s all.”

Anna marveled once again at Tong Zhao’s beauty, which seemed to have been kissed by the gods.

If the so-called “system” claiming to be the main deity can be considered a god, then this statement does hold some truth.

Once the hair was half-dried, Tong Zhao held Anna’s hand and said, “I plan to watch some of the rough cuts before bed. I’m going to start now; would you like to join me? If not, I’ll just use headphones and watch alone.”

Anna agreed happily, so the two young women sat side by side on the sofa, turned off the lights, and watched the rough cuts of their own performance.

In the neighboring room, separated by just a wall, Xu Zhu was doing the same thing.

The movie started, but Tong Zhao didn’t immediately switch to double speed. Instead, she stayed with Anna, watching the scene where she was dragged off as a substitute. Anna was still deeply affected by this scene, angrily hitting the pillow: “She’s so annoying, just a bitch. I really… I can’t face this face anymore! She only needed to avoid it! I didn’t do anything wrong, and I’m so useful!”

Tong Zhao: “Continue.”

Anna, with a confused look on her freckled face: “Huh?”

“If you can talk, say more.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the scene switched to where Tong Zhao was pressing Xu Zhu’s head down onto a public restroom floor, making her bow.

Tong Zhao couldn’t recall this memory at the moment, so she had to replay it repeatedly to savor it.

Anna, witnessing this personal grudge: “…”

After that scene passed, Tong Zhao switched to double speed to save time.

Anna was shocked and asked, “Do you hate her that much?”

“Not really. Don’t you think this part is quite satisfying?”

“You switched to double speed right after making her bow…”

Tong Zhao curved her lips slightly, the blue light from the TV screen casting a cold outline around her: “Don’t you have scenes coming up? Since you want to watch, I won’t fast-forward.”

With that, she became fully engrossed in the plot.

Anna, however, couldn’t focus on the screen anymore. Her heart was pounding as she watched Tong Zhao intently. Taking advantage of Tong Zhao’s concentration, she quietly moved closer and snuggled up to her. Tong Zhao didn’t mind at all. Noticing the added weight on her shoulder, she glanced at Anna, assuming the air conditioning was too low and that Anna was cold. She grabbed a thin blanket from beside her and draped it over Anna’s shoulders, pulling it closer around herself as well: “Still cold?”

……

The intimidating Eastern beauty knows how to flirt too well!

Apart from the part where she taught Xu Zhu a lesson, Tong Zhao mainly reviewed the crisis management aspects of the film, identifying many areas for improvement. In case of another apocalypse, she……

After finishing the sample footage, Duan Ge returned control of the body to Tong Zhao and also triggered two system notifications.

[Congratulations, host, for activating Duan Ge’s passive skill “Best in Show”: Physical fitness greatly enhanced, allowing the host to enjoy the physical strength developed by Duan Ge during the apocalyptic scenarios without any pain.]

[Congratulations, host, for activating Duan Ge’s active skill “Ultimate Moment”: The host can exceed human limits for ten minutes each day, performing theoretically impossible actions.]

Notably, the system also provided conditions for upgrading the skill.

For the Empress Shen-related skills, receiving a confession from an S-rank man grants one upgrade opportunity, while confessions from ranks below S (ABC) increase experience points accordingly. What surprised Tong Zhao was that a confession from an E-rank man actually decreases experience points.

Tong Zhao: [Experience points can be deducted?]

Empress Shen: [It’s reasonable. If a low-quality man has the courage to confess to me, it’s a disgrace. You must not have appeared noble or aloof enough; it’s time for reflection.]

Fair enough.

A woman favored by the emperor indeed has the right to be so demanding.

In comparison, the conditions for upgrading Duan Ge’s skills are more reasonable and positive.

Saving a man grants half an upgrade opportunity.

For women, it grants a full upgrade.

Female Reporter: [Duan Ge’s true nature confirmed.]

[It’s not me, I didn’t do it,] Duan Ge denied, scratching her face. [I just care more for women. If women don’t pity women, should we wait for men to save us?]

Lu Xianchang silently gave a thumbs up.

Given this trend, Tong Zhao really feared that one day after acting in a fantasy drama, Lu Xianchang’s skill upgrade condition might be to personally eliminate scumbag men—killing one would grant a level-up. But that’s a long way off, so she tried not to think too much about it.

After the movie ended, Anna was once again moved to tears by the ending.

Tong Zhao handed her a tissue and acted as a comforting, secure pillow all night until the golden-haired round-face fell asleep in her arms.

They slept soundly, but someone in the neighboring room couldn’t sleep.

After watching the sample, Xu Zhu finally understood why the other staff members looked at her oddly.

It turned out, it wasn’t because Tong Zhao had ruined the performance…

On the contrary, she had performed exceptionally well.

It was Xu Zhu who had messed up!

Xu Zhu twisted her fingers until they were white, too afraid to check Weibo on her phone.

Her mind was filled with images of Feng Sisi from the movie—

How could she be like this?

Recognizing oneself is an eternal challenge in life. Those often called brave might flee when faced with true danger, while the most ordinary and unremarkable individuals might sacrifice themselves to save others during an earthquake… Xu Zhu knew she wasn’t particularly kind, but she never imagined she could be so outrageous.

What puzzled Xu Zhu even more was how she might have messed up, but how could Tong Zhao perform so well?

Wasn’t she just someone who flattered men?

It was all Tong Zhao’s fault. If Tong Zhao hadn’t performed so well, Xu Zhu wouldn’t have looked so selfish and conspicuous.

While Xu Zhu was anxious and confused, a message from a special contact on WeChat arrived:

Dad: [How was your performance in the first film?]

Dad: [I have high hopes for you. In my heart, you’re actually better than Tong Zhao. Don’t let me down.]

She had longed for such words for many years.

At that moment, her heart rate suddenly quickened, and she felt her hands and feet turn cold with panic.