I have a persona specifically for acting.

[I’m not sure why, but I’m a bit moved.]

[Mysterious emotion 1]

[Who says Brother Zhi is fake! I’m telling you to fuck off, he has consciousness and a soul, his own thoughts—why is he considered fake? At most, he’s missing a bit of his spirit.]

This is the emotional response from fans.

…

The industry insiders and casual observers were stunned.

No one expected that a small influencer’s drunk livestream could create such a big stir, like pulling up a carrot with all the dirt still attached, with each event escalating more than the last. It started as a replacement issue, then escalated to a huge privilege scandal…

But once the truth was revealed, Han Zhi is Tong Zhao!

It was originally a baffling twist, but the program’s editing of this footage was done very well.

Fans are very emotional; they’re hard to deceive but easy to appease. Most who succeed in the entertainment industry by riding the wave of fandom culture usually understand how to comfort fans. Not to mention, after Han Zhi’s five-year reign as a top star, he transitioned to serious acting and moved away from idol work, yet his popularity remained undiminished. It’s not about the flow but surpasses it.

His Vlog was a genuine performance.

Outsiders see the spectacle and think he’s just incredibly handsome and lucky, with female fans obsessed to the point of madness.

Insiders see the intricacies and wonder why this amateur understands fangirls so well. In hindsight, it’s mostly Tong Zhao’s influence.

To be charming and seductive but not too down-to-earth—becoming purely mundane.

Fangirls are willing to devote themselves to a celestial ideal, so a certain distance must be maintained to allow for fantasy… Mastering this balance is an art.

Teenagers usually don’t understand this and rely on their agents to teach them.

Tong Zhao understands this.

But she doesn’t flaunt it.

Seeing Han Zhi’s success, industry insiders are already discussing—

Xu Zhu, who debuted third in “Star Selection Girls,” had just finished sweating it out in the dance practice room, exhausted. When she returned to her dorm and opened her computer, she was greeted with a flood of bad news. The water army she had deployed was confused, seeking instructions from their sponsor. As she scrolled through Weibo, the related phrases and lines of text burned into her retinas…

The first message was:

@Entertainment Affairs:

“If Tong Zhao were willing to participate in a girl group variety show, she would be a top C-position debutant, and Han Zhi is the best example!”

Xu Zhu gripped her mouse tightly, her palm sweating so much that it dampened it. She stared at the stream of Weibo posts and trending topics, unwilling to accept reality while desperately searching for more leaks, her face growing increasingly pale.

The overwhelming “good news” drowned her.

All praising Tong Zhao.

[Tong Zhao’s subconscious is so diverse—how many more surprises does she have that we don’t know about?]

[Suggest checking Tong Zhao’s mental health/dog head. Generally, actors can’t handle dual roles.]

[What does Han Zhi’s rise as a new traffic representative signify? It means Tong Zhao has the ability to attract a large number of male fans, but she doesn’t peddle romantic fantasies. I can’t help but fall for her fierce demeanor. Announcing my investment! (Secretly becoming Han Zhi’s female fan should go unnoticed, right?)]

…

The mouse was clicking furiously under Xu Zhu’s grip.

Her roommate quietly climbed into bed next to her, trying to lower their presence by covering their head with a blanket.

Finally, Xu Zhu, unable to bear it any longer, closed the entire Weibo page.

Since Tong Zhenming began mentoring her and she took the stage on “Star Selection Girl,” Weibo has been her favorite and most frequently used app. She enjoyed searching her own name and seeing fans showering her with praise…

When did Xu Zhu stop wanting to open Weibo?

It was probably after the success of her role as the concubine in “The Ming Emperor’s Chronicles.”

Why was her stepsister always so much better and more impressive than she was? Why?

Why was her stepsister always able to reverse the situation from angles she couldn’t even imagine?

Xu Zhu really didn’t think she could bring her down this time; she just wanted to make her sick.

Being entangled with the female fans of a rising star felt like attracting flies, enough to annoy Tong Zhao for a while.

Now, thinking that Han Zhi is actually Tong Zhao…

The water army she had deployed ended up being the very wind that pushed Tong Zhao to even greater heights!

Is there anything more disgusting than this?

Her roommate, peeking out from under the blanket, saw Xu Zhu rush into the bathroom, followed by the sounds of intense vomiting and faint crying. The knot of jealousy trying to surpass Tong Zhao tightened, but it seemed like nothing she did could make a difference. She could only comfort herself by thinking that at least Tong Zhenming cared deeply about his reputation, and her stepsister had a stubborn personality. As long as the father and daughter didn’t reconcile, the Tong family’s assets would always belong to her brother.

The Tong family’s business is still making money!

At worst, she could go back to being a rich young lady and marry Zhao Yi.

The money earned from the Ning-Tong family marriage would definitely be better than being just a star.

※

After entering the holographic chamber twice in a row, even Tong Zhao’s body was feeling the strain. She filled the bathtub with hot water and ginger-scented bath salts, immersed herself, and took a deep breath, finally feeling like she was coming back to life.

Just then, her manager, Chu Jie, called.

Tong Zhao put the phone on speaker and placed it by the bathtub.

As soon as the call connected, Chu Jie’s excited voice came through:

“You’ve done an amazing job! The industry is saying that your crisis management this time was divine. Out of a possible 100 points, you scored 150—50 extra points for Han Zhi. Have you checked Weibo? The comments are all from Han Zhi’s fans apologizing and declaring their love. They’re just hoping that you’ll occasionally perform as Han Zhi in the future. I think some programs could use this identity. Honestly…”

Chu Jie couldn’t contain her laughter: “I’ve also received several offers for you to play male leads.”

“Tong Zhao? Tong Zhao, are you listening?”

“Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle…”

Tong Zhao straightened up, lifting her head out of the water: “I’m listening.”

Chu Jie ignored the strange water sounds and discussed the future direction with her.

Han Zhi’s identity is a great selling point. If Tong Zhao doesn’t mind, it could indeed be used as a public persona, like a virtual streamer, without needing frequent appearances.

Of course, everything needs Tong Zhao’s approval.

“Let me think about it.”

Tong Zhao needed to consult with Han Zhi.

All personalities are essentially different versions of herself from different times and worlds. Just as a person’s thoughts change significantly from age three to sixteen to thirty-six, so too can the thoughts between different personalities vary.

To love others, one must first love oneself. Tong Zhao respects and cherishes her other personalities because they are reflections of her former selves.

Duan Ge: [So, Han Zhi is going to become a virtual idol?]

Duan Ge was curious.

After all, in her past life, due to the end-of-the-world scenario, she never enjoyed high technology. The most advanced technology she encountered was various high-damage weapons.

Chen Guifei: [I suspect that if I had first crossed over as Han Zhi and then gone to conquer the ancient world, not only would the dog emperor have been head over heels in love with me, but the harem of three thousand beauties would have fallen for me too.]

[Exaggerated.]

In the memory palace, Han Zhi’s voice was a bit colder, but still gentle: [I can do that, but Zhao Zhao, you need to be clear. Although there’s no distinction between you and me, we both hope that when we return to our original world, we will be the most complete version of Tong Zhao.]

[I understand.]

Hearing Han Zhi’s agreement, Tong Zhao accepted Chu Jie’s proposal and let her handle the details.

It was previously mentioned that each personality is a partial and extreme version of Tong Zhao.

Only when they are all combined can she be considered complete.

So, they all hope that Tong Zhao won’t rely too much on any single personality.

However, decisions made by the primary personality are usually not opposed by the others.

After a while, Tong Zhao received another WeChat message from Chu Jie.

Chu Jie: [I forgot to mention, Han Zhi’s rise to fame has some artificial traces. Was it your advance purchase of Water Army? Although it was pretty low quality and quite noticeable, the result is good. Next time, let me handle such tasks, and you don’t need to worry about these things.]

…?

Tong Zhao nearly slipped and fell in the bathroom.

She repeatedly sent messages of confusion: “It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it, I don’t know.”

Chu Jie told her to stop being modest.

Spending money in advance to hype up Han Zhi was a marketing strategy only someone like Tong Zhao could pull off.

Chu Jie: [But really, finding a water army requires spending money and finding the right channels. Don’t leave any traces. Next time, let me handle it. Otherwise, I’d be earning my salary for nothing.]

Tong Zhao denied it again, and this time Chu Jie believed her.

So, who was behind the water army?

After entering the holographic chamber, Tong Zhao felt as if she had stepped into another world. She carefully analyzed the shifts in online public opinion and identified a suspect who was both angry and amusing. She thought about it and decided to release Xu Zhu from her contact blacklist, thinking that even if she guessed wrong, it wouldn’t matter.

Surprisingly, the call went through.

Tong Zhao’s voice sounded cheerful: “Xu Zhu, water armies aren’t cheap, are they? It seems that Tong Zhenming really gave you a lot of money and connections.”

Xu Zhu on the other end of the phone did not respond immediately.

All Tong Zhao could hear was Xu Zhu’s rapid breathing, and she was about ninety percent certain it was Xu Zhu’s work.

“This really sounds like something Xu Zhu would do.”

“Let me guess your thought process,” Tong Zhao said cheerfully, pacing back and forth in the room provided by the production team. Her lips curled with a mischievous smile, as if she found amusement in analyzing her stepsister’s behavior like playing with a cat or dog:

“You’ve been keeping an eye on me and noticed that the male guest spreading rumors about me attracted a bunch of impulsive, low-age fans. So you came up with a scheme to use others to attack me… Maybe ‘attack’ is too strong a word. You should know, this kind of drama won’t leave me without work; it might even help me maintain my topic’s popularity. Four out of ten actresses on the market wouldn’t resist this kind of news, but you know me well enough to know I don’t like this kind of gossip.”

At this point, Tong Zhao couldn’t help but laugh, her clear laughter almost giving Xu Zhu a stroke:

“You spent money and hired a water army just to annoy me? Using the connections and financial power given to you by Tong Zhenming, you ended up turning me into a new rising star… Not everyone can achieve this, and it’s quite an accomplishment. I almost want to remove Tong Zhenming from the blacklist and have a word with him.”

At this point, Tong Zhao really thought it was a good idea.

If she could make Tong Zhenming so angry that he had a stroke, it would be a double victory!

Xu Zhu was on the verge of a stroke.

Upon hearing that her stepsister intended to take the issue to their father, Xu Zhu panicked: “You said you wouldn’t contact him again!”

“I regret it. How can I not share such good news with him?”

“I didn’t buy the water army; I didn’t do anything. Even if you’ve offended someone without realizing it, you can’t blame me for everything!”

Realizing the situation was going poorly, Xu Zhu thought her stepsister probably didn’t have concrete evidence.

As long as she denied everything, it would be fine.

Once she came to this conclusion, she felt much more relaxed. Just as she was putting her mind at ease, she heard dialing sounds on the other end of the phone…

With a beep, the call was connected.

Whose call was it?

While she was wondering, Xu Zhu heard a very familiar middle-aged male voice: “Who is this? If you don’t speak, I’ll hang up.”

Xu Zhu’s eyes widened in shock.

Tong Zhao actually had two phones and was making a call to her father on speakerphone!

This phone was the one Wei Zekai had reminded her to handle.

He said it was about separating public and private matters.

Then, using her new phone, he also added himself to her friends list.

Tong Zhao had given him a bemused look at the time and asked about the promised separation of public and private matters.

Wei Zekai had asserted with confidence that both professionally and personally, she should stay in touch with him.

“Tong Zhenming, it’s me,”

Thinking about Wei Zekai’s situation, Tong Zhao’s voice softened, carrying a hint of pleasant amusement.

“Hmph, you only come to me when you’re in trouble? When things are fine, you don’t come around?” After recognizing his eldest daughter’s voice, Tong Zhenming sneered.

He didn’t know much about the entertainment industry.

What he had recently been exposed to were the comments from Han Zhi’s fans, which his youngest daughter had shown him, either intentionally or unintentionally.

Given Tong Zhenming’s understanding of his eldest daughter’s personality, she wouldn’t seek reconciliation unless she was truly trapped in a situation with no way out…

This understanding was still not deep enough.

After all, in her previous life, Tong Zhao never bowed her head to him, even if she were to sink into the mud.