I have a persona specifically for acting.

The manager also sent Tong Zhao the related news.

Since Wei Zekai’s Weibo post caused a stir, the subsequent reactions included sharp-eyed netizens discovering that Tong Zhao and that group of rich second-generation heirs were all mutual followers on Weibo. Furthermore, in that group photo, she was definitely in the center position, not looking like a small star being casually played with by the second-generation heirs, but rather like a close friend.

[Hasn’t anyone dug up Tong Zhao’s background yet?]

[A post from her middle school classmate on the eighth forum group says her family is very wealthy and that she’s in the same circle as these second-generation heirs.]

[Wealthy but living in an old, shabby place? The nanny car Tong Zhao uses is also quite low-end.] (Wei Zekai secretly liked this post)

Tong Zhenming didn’t want to give his eldest daughter a “white and rich” image, so he naturally wouldn’t admit it directly, and Xu Zhu felt the same way.

Coincidentally, Tong Zhao perfectly agreed with them on this.

Who would care about being the Tong family’s daughter?

If it weren’t for the fact that her mother’s last name was Tong, she would have changed her surname before debuting.

As a result, the real information was ignored, while the false information was spread convincingly—

It was said that Tong Zhao came from a grassroots background, which was why she had a tough and resilient subconscious.

Which rich young lady hasn’t been pampered and cherished growing up? Who could have the courage to face challenges without any help?

“Is Wei Zekai your boyfriend? It’s fine if you’re really in love, and you two do seem to match. Just remember not to let your manager be the last person to know about your relationship.”

Sister Chu asked.

“It’s not true. I’ll have him clarify…”

Just as Tong Zhao thought she might have a chance to fight back, she realized that she and Wei Zekai would soon be filming a dating reality show together. Given her identity card, she would definitely have to flirt with Wei, and anything could happen. She decided to stop talking: “In any case, we’re not dating. If we were, would I still be living in that small apartment? I’d have to respond, right? As if nothing happened?”

Sister Chu said it was fine since she had her own work.

In the era of Instinct Films, the moral standards for “actors” had dropped to a new low.

After all, it’s instinctual; anything can happen in a show.

For example, Xu Zhu’s character, Feng Sisi, once faced widespread online criticism but didn’t lose all her opportunities. On the contrary, her deeply selfish portrayal attracted a group of self-interested fans and offered more negative roles.

As long as the “true self” has character and charm, it can keep attracting attention over time.

“Alright.”

Tong Zhao decided not to respond publicly and also instructed her team to stay silent.

Once the investment results come through, the rumors will naturally die down.

Her team liked this feeling of holding back their big move and agreed unanimously with Tong Zhao’s request to ignore the netizens’ speculations about their relationship. Thus, the public perception of Tong Zhao settled into the image of a “grassroots girl who gets along well with the second-generation heirs.”

The controversy over the group photo cooled down significantly after that.

Just because of that photo, Tong Zhao’s residence was dug up by keen-eyed netizens, and that very day, some fans showed up at her door asking for autographs. Feeling helpless, she had to borrow some money from Wei Zekai and move to a community with better security—

Given her current level of fame, she indeed couldn’t afford to live in a poor place any longer.

Wei Zekai, knowing he was in the wrong, personally drove her to the move.

Seeing her furniture nearly deforming his sports car, Tong Zhao sighed with a tinge of discomfort.

“I spent more on moving company services than you’d spend fixing this car,” she remarked.

Young Master Wei wasn’t pleased with this comment.

He thought his driving skills were a hundred thousand times better than those of the moving company: “I can reach your new home in ten minutes; this car goes from 0 to 100 in just 2.9 seconds…”

“City speed limits, thank you.”

※

Once the moving ordeal was over, the day for filming *Sea King Killer* arrived in the blink of an eye.

The director added all the cast members to a WeChat group so they could get to know each other in advance.

Tong Zhao didn’t check the conversations in the group, and Wei Zekai had directly muted them.

He Shun, on the other hand, enthusiastically added her as a friend. Since she needed to interact with him for work, she accepted the request and took the opportunity to learn more about her potential target— the female Sea King corresponds to all the male players. She asked Concubine Chen to also check out his social media.

He Shun’s social media was very glamorous and filled with the aura of successful individuals.

“The appreciation of RMB is the most important factor in offshore RMB liquidity expectations…”

“Next week, I will be giving a lecture at K University as an alumnus…”

“Self-discipline is a prerequisite for success [Fist][Fist]”

“Appropriate rest is also important! [Attached a filtered snapshot of first-class cabin with a Mac]”

Concubine Chen: “What a boring man. If His Majesty posted something like, ‘Have you seen the Golden Hall at 4 a.m.? Do you know how hard I work?’ I would vomit.”

Tong Zhao laughed: “Haven’t we seen him in person? Let’s analyze based on his social media.”

Concubine Chen, having the leisure to indulge her, responded: “He probably doesn’t listen to others. His politeness in front of women is just an act. Once someone is out of his control, his true nature will show. However, if you go along with his temperament, you’ll quickly fall under his spell.”

Tong Zhao agreed; he was indeed the type she had no interest in.

He Shun, on the other hand, had a lot of interest in her and invited her twice, but she had to refuse due to scheduling conflicts.

Concubine Chen, growing a bit annoyed, said: “Let him try a few more times. I’ll make him regret it and give him a psychological scar about women.”

The other personas were in awe.

The filming set for *Sea King Killer* was located in the villa area of the film city.

The holographic variety show would last for more than half a month, and the actors couldn’t stay in the set all the time. Therefore, medical teams and fitness trainers were provided to ensure that actors left the set daily for their required exercise to prevent muscle atrophy. This was a government mandate to prevent exploitative practices by unscrupulous production teams.

Tong Zhao was the last to arrive.

By the time she arrived, it was already quite late, and she found that the guest lineup was not complete; a male guest was missing.

Seeing her arrival, the director immediately approached her to explain: “Here’s the situation. The third male guest, Lu Yiqi… he’s in custody and won’t be able to make it to the shoot.”

“In custody?”

“For drunk driving.”

Tong Zhao understood; it seemed he was temporarily out of reach.

For holographic variety shows exceeding ten days of filming, due to certain risks, applications had to be reported in advance. Missing one person was acceptable, but adding one more was a serious legal issue, so the crew couldn’t find a replacement: “We’re filming with one less person?”

The director looked resigned: “It has to be this way, but there’s another issue…”

“You can go ahead.”

“Lu Yiqi drew the male Sea King card.”

That’s really problematic.

The Sea King has a key role; missing one significantly reduces the appeal.

Tong Zhao couldn’t help but glance at Wei Zekai, suspecting that his bad luck was affecting everything he was involved in.

“Others don’t know yet. Our production team has discussed and has a somewhat unwelcome request,” the director said, biting his lip as he revealed their solution: “We can create a new male model for you. This way, your Sea King card in the show will have the ability to transform.”

……

Tong Zhao was stunned for a moment.

Realizing that the idea was a bit outrageous, the director adopted a very humble stance and pleaded with her: “The pre-show hype has been so great, and we really don’t want to let this show, which is about to become a hit, slip away. We will also give you more screen time and opportunities to perform. What do you think?”

What did she think?

The more she looked at it, the more she felt that this director and the dog system were cut from the same cloth.

At that time, she had no preparation at all; she had just been transmigrated into a young, handsome guy named Han Zhi and lived a life as a man. Consequently, her mental palace also gained a male persona…

“Alright, but the model has to be handsome.”

Tong Zhao took a deep breath and woke up the well-rested Han Zhi in her mind.

[Brother Zhi, get up and get to work.]