I have a persona specifically for acting.

“Remember to share good news with your elders,” Tong Zhao muttered while glancing at the second phone. The words “[Xu Zhu, in call]” on the screen filled her with immense satisfaction. This phone wasn’t on speaker, so while she could hear Xu Zhu’s faint cries, Tong Zhenmíng had no idea he was being used as a tool to mock his younger daughter, unknowingly starring in a comedy.

— “Don’t you think what you’re doing is childish?”

— “You’ve won. You’ve got everything. What more do you want? Enough! I’ll apologize, alright? I was wrong!”

To prevent herself from slipping into depression one day, Tong Zhao had already pressed the record button.

She could give these two father-daughter audio clips to a professional to adjust and compose into a symphony. Imagine relaxing in a bath, eyes closed, savoring the music. It would certainly make her downtime more enjoyable.

Concubine Chen: “I like this idea.”

The personas in her mind all praised her creativity.

In the ancient world, before concubine Chen had earned the title of consort, she had once been humiliated by a higher-ranking concubine, who had attempted to disfigure her with torture.

Although she didn’t suffer any real losses, the emperor, who had been infatuated and manipulated, was so appeased by Song Fei that he practically bent over backward for her. Later, Song Fei was demoted to a foot-washing maid by her side, and eventually banished to the Cold Palace. Everyone thought that the noble consort had long since avenged herself and should have moved on, forgetting all about Song. But not only did she not forget, she even had the emperor’s personally bestowed opera troupe create a performance based on this humiliating incident. When bored, she’d have her maids feed her peeled fruit while she listened to the troupe perform.

It was like the ancient version of a song on repeat.

The noble consort never tired of hearing it.

Meanwhile, Song, in the Cold Palace, was so furious that she coughed up blood. The once-proud Lord Song, who had formally criticized Noble Consort Chen, lost all his face and reputation.

Some whispered that she was overly vindictive and petty, but this only made others more fearful of crossing her.

Two of life’s greatest joys are when your loved ones succeed and your enemies are left helplessly enraged.

“I’m currently filming a variety show,” Tong Zhao began, her tone seemingly neutral but with a hint of sarcasm reaching its peak. “I’m so popular now that I have to disguise myself and wear a mask when I walk down the street. Half of the credit goes to your youngest daughter.” Her words appeared polite, but the venom was unmistakable. “I won’t go into detail because you wouldn’t understand, but just search for ‘Han Zhí’ and ‘Tong Zhao’ online, and you’ll see. She used your money and connections to buy a ton of fake accounts to smear me, but it backfired and ended up boosting my fame.”

“Impressive, Mr. Tong.”

Her cold tone was laced with a hint of amusement, and the end of her sentence had a slight upward lilt.

Xu Zhu listened in utter despair.

She knew better than anyone what kind of person her father was and how much affection he really had for her—essentially none. To put it bluntly, even the real daughter raised by his side, Tong Zhao, had been harshly disciplined after daring to defy him following her mother’s death. When Tong Zhao ran away from home, he didn’t bother looking for her, secretly hoping to see her fall hard and come back begging in humiliation. Xu Zhu had seen all this firsthand. While it had been satisfying to watch, it also filled her with a sense of dread. She constantly had to maintain a facade of obedience and sweetness in front of him, like a pet keeping up a flimsy father-daughter relationship.

Now, knowing his youngest daughter had spent his money and caused him to lose face in front of his eldest, what would Tong Zhenming do?

Just thinking about it made Xu Zhu’s eyes redden. Her fingertips trembled, and her voice rose in hysteria, “I didn’t! I didn’t do any of that!”

Mindful that she was still in the dorm, she couldn’t say too much.

Her roommates pulled their blankets tighter, thinking the little princess of Star Select was having another episode.

Tong Zhenming’s face darkened.

The more Xu Zhu desperately denied it, the more certain Tong Zhenmíng was that she was the one behind all the trouble. “Just check your daughter’s financial records, and you’ll know. That’s all I have to say, Mr. Tong, the philanthropist,” she teased in a light, mocking tone before hanging up the phone and blocking him in one smooth motion.

She didn’t give her opponent any chance to respond.

After doing all this, she leisurely picked up the phone that was still connected to Xu Zhu. “Reporting behind someone’s back—I learned that trick from you. Turns out it works quite well.”

In her past life, Tong Zhao only realized after falling out with Xu Zhu that every secret she had ever shared had been secretly told to her father, all to damage his opinion of her. They were nothing more than trivial teenage worries, but Tong Zhenming loved to assert his authority by disciplining his children. Controlling their secrets made him feel like the supreme ruler of the household.

It was just a typical flaw of authoritarian parents.

Tong Zhao knew that Tong Zhenming wouldn’t let Xu Zhu spend money freely. He likely kept an eye on every transaction she made. And she was certain that, true to his character, he would investigate.

Would Xu Zhu crumble and be abandoned by Tong Zhenming because of this?

Probably not.

But since Xu Zhu had gone out of her way to disgust her, Tong Zhao wasn’t just going to slap her back; she was going to make her feel equally sick.

“You damn…”

Just the thought of the incoming wrath from Tong Zhenming and the foreseeable punishment of having her allowance cut down made Xu Zhu’s hands tremble, and her words crumbled in disarray.

The more panicked Xu Zhu became, the more calm and steady Tong Zhao felt.

She curled up a faint smile, “I’m the kind who holds grudges. You insult me once, and I’ll slap you ten times harder. Xu Zhu, this is what you and your mother owe my mom. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. I don’t mind wasting time on you, so never provoke me again.”

Tong Zhao hung up the phone and promptly put her back on the blacklist.

Some people are naturally non-confrontational. Even when the other party is clearly at fault, they first reflect on themselves. After mustering up the courage to stand their ground, they still feel unsettled after the conflict. However, Tong Zhao was a different kind of person. She thoroughly enjoyed humiliating her enemies and drew immense motivation from it.

What positive self-help books don’t tell you is this: while words of encouragement from friends warm the heart momentarily, like a bowl of chicken soup for the soul, they soon fade. But the scorn and mockery from enemies often become the driving force that propels you out of bed every morning, and that motivation lasts a lot longer.

Your loving mom might tell you, “Do your best on this exam!”

The classmate who mocks your idol and steals your pen might say, “You’re so obsessed with celebrities, you’re definitely going to fail, haha.”

Now, be honest, which one of these gives you more motivation to study?

After getting humiliated by Tong Zhao, Tong Zhenming indeed went to check the transaction records of Xu Zhu’s secondary card.

Xu Zhu’s connections all came from her father, so it was easy for him to inquire about his younger daughter’s recent activities. When he asked his secretary about Tong Zhao’s situation—despite knowing that the relationship between father and daughter wasn’t good—the secretary braced himself and reported truthfully.

Upon discovering that the situation was exactly as Tong Zhao had said, Tong Zhenming’s old face flushed red with both shame and anger.

Of course, he wasn’t going to reflect on why Tong Zhao had gone out of her way to mock him.

How could a patriarch ever be wrong?

In the Tong family, Tong Zhenming was the law and the truth.

When he was upset, someone had to suffer and get scolded.

Since Tong Zhao wasn’t playing along with his usual tactics, the burden of his wrath fell on Xu Zhu, who had finally been accepted as his daughter.

Simply yelling over voice calls wasn’t satisfying enough for him, so Tong Zhenming dialed Xu Zhu on a video call.

When Xu Zhu received the call, she felt a chill run down her spine. Not daring to answer in her room, she rushed to the bathroom, turned on the faucet to ensure her roommates couldn’t hear clearly, and only then carefully pressed to answer the call.

“Where the hell were you? It took you so long to answer!”

The screen showed Tong Zhenming’s angry face. After seeing Xu Zhu’s panicked apology, he let out a breath but immediately started yelling: “I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t checked the transactions! You actually used my money to buy fake followers! Your sister used your stupidity to embarrass me. I’m spending money and effort, but not getting any appreciation! You and your mom must’ve been born to torment me…”

“I put you on a show, smoothed everything out, and gave you a stable debut. Do you even know how much talent you have? Look at your sister. I didn’t spend a single penny on her. I let her fend for herself, and look at where she is now. Ever since you were kids, I’ve given you and Tong Zhao the same resources, but neither your looks nor your grades ever matched hers.”

“Your only advantage is that you’re obedient. I thought I could cultivate you since my older daughter turned out to be a disappointment. But no! I thought Tong Zhao was done for, but she’s bounced back. I don’t expect you to be as excellent as her, but at least don’t embarrass me.”

“You got into trouble because you had too much money to spend. Your secondary card is now suspended. Once you’ve reflected on your mistakes, I’ll consider reinstating it.”

Tong Zhenming took pleasure in using his financial control to punish his children. He added another threat: “If you really can’t make a name for yourself, then come back and get married.”

His words hit Xu Zhu like a hammer, crushing her spirit. She didn’t even dare to plead with him because her father hated being talked back to. It wasn’t until the call ended that she wiped her face and realized she was covered in tears.

Xu Zhu was filled with resentment.

Before, Tong Zhao had been the center of attention in the family, and all she needed to do was drive a wedge between her stepsister and their father.

Now, Tong Zhao was no longer willing to tolerate it.

Her mother was pregnant with a younger brother, and Tong Zhenming had a thousand hopes pinned on this son. Because of the pregnancy, he couldn’t possibly get angry at her mother, leaving Xu Zhu as the only target in the family to vent on. His recent words were incredibly harsh, far more hurtful than her stepsister’s taunts—each one striking her sore spots a hundred times harder.

So, in her father’s eyes, she had always been the second choice.

Even though her stepsister had fallen out with the family…

Even though she had tried so hard, being obedient and eager to please her father…

She had thought that since her outdated father didn’t pay attention to the entertainment world, as long as she always reported good news and concealed the bad, she could keep up the illusion of her perfect image in his eyes.

But in the end, in Tong Zhenming’s eyes, she still wasn’t as good as Tong Zhao!

Xu Zhu bit down hard on her back teeth, her jaw clenched so tightly that it made a grinding sound. Her heart turned cold.

What Xu Zhu didn’t want to admit was that, at this moment, she really envied Tong Zhao.

Living under Tong Zhenming’s thumb was unbearable!

But what could she do?

She hated Tong Zhenming, but she hated Tong Zhao even more.

If Tong Zhao didn’t live well, then the position of Tong family’s heiress that Xu Zhu had lowered herself to claim would finally hold some meaning.

As the sound of running water from the faucet echoed, Xu Zhu’s delicate face gradually twisted in anger.

※

Due to the change of format for *King of the Sea* into a live broadcast, the shooting was postponed, giving the guests an extra day off.

He Shun tried to invite Tong Zhao to the cafeteria via WeChat for a meal, but after being flatly rejected, he received a sarcastic message:

【Actually, I think building something from scratch is more reliable than inheriting wealth. What do you think?】

Clearly, she was referring to Wei Zekai as a rival.

Tong Zhao found it amusing and replied:

【I think starting a business doesn’t always succeed, but waiting to inherit an estate? That’s guaranteed.】

He Shun: 【…】

Just after sending the message, there was a knock on the door.

Tong Zhao thought to herself, could he be coming to ask in person?

The male and female guests stayed on separate floors, but since they were adults and the place was filled with security cameras, there weren’t strict rules like a university dorm banning opposite genders from visiting. So far, no scandals had emerged. Tong Zhao cautiously looked through the peephole and froze—

Standing outside was none other than the “waiting-to-inherit” guy himself.