I have a persona specifically for acting.

A gentle breeze rippled across the pond.

When He Shun lowered his head, he met Tong Zhao’s gaze, which sparkled like stars.

This unprecedentedly inflated his confidence.

When a man is attracted to a woman, the most obvious behavior isn’t necessarily being nice to her, as some men tend to hold back a bit. The clearest signal is when he deliberately shows off his strengths to catch her attention. It could be his work abilities, his talent and thoughtfulness, his willingness to spend time with her, or even more, revealing his past romantic experiences. It’s like saying, “Look! I’m such a devoted, kind-hearted guy. Now, aren’t you going to get in bed with me?”

“It’s just something I happen to know,” He Shun restrained himself with the last bit of rationality he had left, avoiding further showing off. “You don’t have to call me ‘teacher.’ You can just use my name. After all, I didn’t call you ‘Student Tong,’ did I?”

Tong Zhao’s inner voice: 【…Ugh, this is so cheesy.】

Contrary to her dismissive inner thoughts, she smiled gently, her white dress swaying in the wind, creating soft, layered ripples—fulfilling every man’s fantasy of the sweet childhood crush.

When the audience thought she would follow through with the sweet tactic and call him “Brother He” in a soft voice, she instead let her smile fade slightly: “Since you’re tutoring me, calling you by your full name feels a bit disrespectful.”

He Shun, Brother He, Ah Shun…

No matter how she addressed him, as long as it came from Tong Zhao’s lips, He Shun wanted to hear it. Yet at this moment, Tong Zhao seemed completely oblivious to his hint.

He Shun immediately became a bit anxious: “I’ve never felt disrespected by you.”

As he rushed to express his loyalty, the composed demeanor he had earlier crumbled like sand blown away by the wind.

[You want me to change how I address you without showing any sincerity? You’re too greedy, Little He.] Tong Zhao’s haughty inner voice revealed to the audience what was really going on.

So, the noble consort was displeased!

The live chat marveled at her skill, acknowledging that a true expert was at work.

He Shun was the typical successful, elite man—used to taking charge in relationships, often finding fault with others. However, in front of Tong Zhao, his psychological shifts were entirely under her control. Every advance and retreat was dictated by her.

A VIP viewer posted a meme from *Tom and Jerry*, capturing a melancholic Tom with the caption: “[Poor Tom, being played in the palm of her hand.jpg]”. It was instantly upvoted to 999 by the live-stream audience.

It was spot on!

Tong Zhao didn’t respond verbally, only giving him a slightly puzzled look.

【This is baiting.】

【Men are natural hunters. He Shun has already invested so much time and emotional energy in me, and I’m clearly the best “stock” among the three options. He needs to see a little hope of growth—the current stagnation is just because he hasn’t invested enough yet…】

【I need to make him believe that if he invests a bit more and performs better, he’ll get a return with interest on everything he’s put in.】

Tong Zhao’s cold and calculating inner thoughts stood in stark contrast to her gentle and sweet exterior.

In her mind, emotions were reduced to stocks, and He Shun was merely an investor.

It seemed like the one making the choices was the investor, but in reality, there’s always someone behind the scenes—the operator.

Some of the comments, clearly from male viewers, had already started criticizing her, calling her a bad woman.

But many more found her intriguing.

“I don’t just want to be your teacher.” Picking up on her signals, He Shun immediately raised the stakes.

The audience collectively gasped.

He Shun softened his tone: “As a teacher, the relationship ends once the lessons are over, right? I don’t want that to happen.”

The audience was stunned.

[That’s it? That’s it? That’s it?]

[You chickened out right at the finish line?]

[We gave you the chance, and you blew it, Little He!]

Some viewers had already forgotten about He Shun’s impressive credentials and high social status, which placed him in the top 80% of men in real life, and they began mimicking Tong Zhao’s tone, calling him “Little He.”

Tong Zhao’s smile faded, becoming almost nonexistent.

She had a face that held up under scrutiny, a real beauty.

This was quite different from the sweet, girl-next-door type. When she smiled, it was pure and soft, but when she didn’t, there was a noticeable distance. It felt as though—

If he didn’t raise the stakes and show more sincerity, he was about to miss his chance to invest in her.

“Tong Zhao…” he called her.

At this moment, Tong Zhao curled her lips slightly, her tone sounding annoyed: “I don’t need more friends.”

The two of them stood by the pond, leaning against the bridge railing, as the wind blew through the girl’s long, curly hair, momentarily blinding He Shun.

He Shun desperately analyzed the information hidden in her words.

Tong Zhao lightly bit the inside of her cheek, using the pain to stifle her laughter, making her look even more irritated.

Although Tong Zhao didn’t explicitly say it, her signals were clear. He Shun had a sudden realization: “Of course, Tong Zhao admires me so much. She must be feeling insecure inside and really needs my reassurance and protection… I’m a grown man—should I really wait for a young girl to take the initiative? That wouldn’t be right. Ah, I just can’t help but spoil her.”

This delusional inner monologue from He Shun, full of affectionate indulgence, immediately struck the audience, who had a godlike perspective, as hilarious.

[This is the charm of a regular person—unintentionally funny?]

[I bet this is exactly what Emperor Ming thought back then—‘Oh, my poor concubine! She can only rely on my brilliant and mighty self. Look at how much she adores me. I must protect this sweet, innocent girl.’]

[…]

No need to wonder, that last comment was sent by Song Wanzhuo, whose pride had taken another hit.

“Stop roasting me already! If this keeps up, I’ll be a fool,” Song Wanzhuo thought.

Unconvinced, Song Wanzhuo decided to turn off the holographic viewing mode and switch to a traditional viewing perspective. At the same time, he opened a document, intending to write an essay reflecting on Emperor Ming’s inner thoughts. He was convinced that he and that fool He Shun were nothing alike. He had to set the record straight, refusing to let the goofy netizens continue twisting the narrative.

He Shun was an outsider to the entertainment industry, so no matter how much people compared him to Song Wanzhuo, it wouldn’t affect Song’s popularity. Because of this, Song’s fans found such comments amusing and didn’t bother to stop them, even enjoying the opportunity to create an image of Song’s fanbase as well-mannered and respectful, not harassing others.

His model friend, Ling Zisheng, lit a cigarette, glancing at him: “Why are you even writing this? There’s no need to clarify anything. No matter how much this outsider tries to ride your coattails, it won’t affect you.”

“I know,”

Song Wanzhuo replied, typing away without looking up: “But what if *Baobei* sees it and mistakes me for being like that idiot?”

“Who’s *Baobei*? Do you have a girlfriend and you’re not telling your bro?”

Ling Zisheng, puzzled, lowered his head to light his cigarette.

“Zhaobao, of course.”

As he spoke, Song Wanzhuo quickly captured two close-up shots of Tong Zhao’s beautiful face.

“…”

Ling Zisheng, known for his calm and cool persona, shuddered at the response, nearly burning his fingers with the lighter.

Ling Zisheng started thinking maybe their agent had a point. The biggest threat to Song Wanzhuo’s public image wasn’t having a girlfriend—it was this childhood friend of his.

At that moment, in *King of the Sea*, He Shun finally summoned the courage to say the key words: “So, do you need a boyfriend?”

Under the camera, his attempt to act relaxed was seen through clearly by the audience.

At this moment, his previous “straight man syndrome” and macho attitude didn’t seem as off-putting, and the viewers began lighting metaphorical candles for him.

[“Poor He Shun, getting played like a puppet in her hands.”]

[“I love Sister Zhao’s bad girl energy so much, please crank it up!”]

The “bad woman” Tong Zhao stepped back upon hearing this, her face flushed.

What the heck!

How was this possible? How could this woman blush on command?

The audience was utterly confused, but somehow, she just had that skill.

Tong Zhao also bruised easily, though the marks faded quickly.

“Are you confessing to me?” At this moment, Tong Zhao’s earlier calm and aloof demeanor was nowhere to be found. Her sweet voice trembled slightly, and she awkwardly averted her gaze with a shy, embarrassed look: “You’re older than me, more mature, you know so much, and I’ve never been in a relationship before. If you’re just looking to play around…”

Tong Zhao’s inner voice was lively: *”Then you’ve definitely found the right person!”*

Of course, she didn’t say that out loud.

Her eyes were welling up with tears, holding back her laughter.

She had to stifle her laughter as she pushed He Shun to the edge of a cliff with her flattery.

All the guests knew the rules of the game in *King of the Seas*. You could talk however you liked, but most wouldn’t register their “crush” on the app. Just like in real life, very few people would hand over their paycheck or add someone to the house deed while still dating.

If Tong Zhao were the one to bring it up first, it might trigger He Shun’s suspicion or wariness.

The essence of romantic relationships is an exchange of benefits. These benefits could be appearance, companionship, money, loyalty, or even the promise of marriage.

To leverage something small into something bigger, you must use psychological tactics to create an illusion for the other party.

Why are so many women willing to act as free housekeepers before marriage? It’s because these men often give out a “promise of marriage” in exchange for actual domestic labor, claiming, “I’m working hard for *our* future happiness.” But if you think about it, a promise of marriage before actually tying the knot is just empty talk. Would a man stop working hard if he didn’t have a girlfriend? Of course not—it’s nonsense, pure deception, with bad intentions.

At this moment, Tong Zhao was exactly that kind of bad woman with bad intentions.

So, she had to keep pressing forward, step by step.

Step by step, He Shun unconsciously added more to the pot.

While pushing him to make a statement, Tong Zhao used compliments to make him believe he was the one holding all the cards, the one in control.

[–This was a trap carefully crafted after understanding He Shun’s personality weaknesses.]

With Tong Zhao’s calm inner voice, He Shun interrupted her self-deprecating remarks: “I’m serious. You don’t need to give me an answer right now, but I can show you my sincerity.”

Saying that, He Shun took out his phone.

Under the watchful eyes of millions of viewers, he opened the official app for signaling romantic interest. After a brief loading screen, he selected Tong Zhao without a moment’s hesitation and firmly pressed confirm.

As soon as He Shun pressed the button, the screen changed: “Congratulations, player! You’ve found your match!”

The cheesy fireworks and clapping sound effects added a bit of humor to the historic moment.

He Shun felt he was embodying the responsibility and grace of a mature man.

The chat was stunned.

[Did he really just give in that easily?]

[Tong Zhao didn’t really seem to do much, yet it feels like she did everything…]

[Boyfriend fans, it’s time to back off. We can’t keep up with her. Isn’t just being a pure looks fan or career fan enough?]

Some fans of Han Zhi jokingly commented in the livestream:

“[Oh no, oh no, Zhao Zhao scores the first point, Zhi Ge is falling behind!]”
“[I’m willing to fill Zhi Ge’s fish pond.]”
“[Go for it, Zhi Ge!]”

While banter flew outside the show, real emotions of love and jealousy were unfolding within.

[…Ah, level cleared.]

The audience could easily sense the boredom in Tong Zhao’s inner voice.

However, on her face, she graciously displayed a touched expression. She played her part well, acting as if she was deeply moved by being chosen so decisively for the first time, almost as if He Shun were her savior. But, since it was her first experience, she couldn’t quickly give him an answer…

Then she added a shy smile.

To a man, it looked like the bashfulness of a girl experiencing her first love, and naturally, he wouldn’t push her for a response.

This is the advantage of showing weakness in relationships.

Outwardly weak, but inwardly strong.

It leaves the other person with no choice but to feel morally obligated!

[I wonder when he’ll realize I never actually accepted his pursuit?]

[Oh well, it doesn’t matter.]

[Let’s see who I’ll play with next.]

As Tong Zhao thought this, she and He Shun strolled around the garden for a while.

What neither they nor the audience noticed was that a fluffy little dog was hiding behind the bushes, observing them in secret…

When the director switched the camera, the audience realized that Wei Zekai was dutifully performing his role as a judge, keeping an eye on the “bad guy”! Although the distance was quite far, Wei Zekai, now a dog, had excellent hearing and could clearly hear their conversation.

Wei Zekai: [Hmm, I can hear their conversation very clearly.]

The audience was alarmed—Tong Zhao was in danger!

It’s normal for He Shun to be swayed by novelty and have reduced judgment due to infatuation. This can be understood.

In love, the observers are always clearer.

With a bit of romantic experience, one can step back and observe the two of them to see that there were details about Tong Zhao that seemed off.

Wei Ke: [Tong Zhao really is a…]

[Femme fatale! Femme fatale! Femme fatale!]

[Sea King! Sea King! Sea King!]

[There’s only one truth—]

Wei Zekai’s doggy eyes looked admiringly at her departing figure: […a girl who takes relationships seriously and is pure!]

……

………

[It’s hopeless, both Wei Zekai and I who had expectations for him are doomed.]

[For the sake of the show, why not set up a bet on how long it will take for the princess to win him over?]

[I’m reasonably suspicious that Wei Zekai is still a virgin.]

[Virgin 1]

[I want to keep following this pair!]

Wei Zekai clenched its pink paw pads and wagged its little tail.

※

The events in the garden were known to no one other than Wei Zekai.

He was aware that he didn’t get along well with the other two girls, and Wei Zekai seemed too aloof and immature, so when he was bored, he mostly chatted with Han Zhi. Interestingly, although he initially looked down on Han Zhi for being too good-looking, he found him to be quite pleasant and a good company.

However, from the audience’s god’s-eye view, Han Zhi showed no interest in chatting with men.

[So boring, can you not corner me into talking?]

Han Zhi’s thoughts were very cold, lacking the gentle patience he had when speaking with girls.

He felt he could converse well with Han Zhi…

Only because of the emotional intelligence gap, he was under the illusion that they had a lot in common, but it was really just that Han Zhi was playing along.

Without much thought, He Shun asked, “It looks like you must get confessed to by girls often.”

Han Zhi was taken aback, not expecting such a personal question, and replied with a smile, “Not really, saying ‘often’ is an exaggeration.”

He Shun looked at him with a somewhat envious and dismissive gaze.

Who doesn’t want to be a popular man?

However, he already had the best one, and thinking about Tong Zhao’s appearance, he spoke with a hint of superiority: “Anyway, it’s definitely more than I have.”

Han Zhi responded with a simple “Hmm?” and let him continue performing on stage.

Han Zhi: [This guy’s desire to perform is overflowing the screen… Should I start charging for this chat?]

The audience couldn’t help but laugh.

Since learning that Han Zhi and Tong Zhao were the same person, they began to see their common traits.

One of those traits was a somewhat harsh sense of humor.

He Shun couldn’t hide his amusement in his voice: “I prefer to take the initiative. Women are shy and like to play hard to get; there’s nothing we can do about them, so we men have to be more proactive.”

Han Zhi smiled and deflected the conversation, thinking to himself: [He seems excited; he must have been won over by Tong Zhao.]

The roles in their interactions were quite clear; he understood them well.

[That seemingly perfect girl, could she actually be interested in He Shun?]

Han Zhi subtly glanced at the open door on the second floor.

Tong Zhao didn’t often come to public spaces and maintained a vague distance from everyone, adding to her air of mystery.

[It seems we’ve tacitly put each other at the bottom of the list.]

The audience sighed as they listened.

It seems we won’t be seeing any high-level matches for now!

We’ll have to settle for watching the low-level games and how they maintain their daily routines.

For the daily surprise tasks, it seemed that the production team intentionally mixed up the players’ teams to create more excitement. Zhong Muxi drew He Shun, Chang Xiaonian ended up with the very cautious and handsome Han Zhi, leaving Tong Zhao and Wei Zekai as a pair.

The male side decides on the activities to build friendship, with restrictions against anything explicit or offensive.

Wei Zekai had a good impression of the innocent girl in his mind and took off his game headset: “Do you play games?”

Tong Zhao: “…What games?”

Wei Zekai: “Honor of Kings.”

……

Wearing a white dress with an ethereal, otherworldly beauty, Tong Zhao gave him a very tolerant smile and told herself: [The task content is here, there’s money to be made, cater to their interests, cater to their interests…]

So, they went to the gaming room to play ranked matches.

Since Tong Zhao was actually good at Honor of Kings (in reality, she was introduced to it by Wei Zekai), the production team had set up an account for her that was exactly like the one she remembered. Wei Zekai was surprised: “You’re also a king-tier player? What role do you play?”

He doubted her ability, suspecting she was carried by a high-level player.

The word “surprisingly” sounded a bit off-putting, but Wei Zekai himself meant no harm.

Tong Zhao gave him a glance and tentatively showed weakness: “If you’re really good, I could play support for you.”

As soon as he agreed, Tong Zhao could stage a scenario of “The Wild King and His Supportive Little Wife.”

Unexpectedly, Wei Zekai raised his eyebrows. The self-reminder to be gentle with girls evaporated instantly, and his proud and youthful demeanor emerged sharply:

“Are you trying to leech off my points?”

……

Tong Zhao felt a pang of anger, her feelings hurt.

From her psychological activity, the live audience could see that although she often showed weakness to men, she was actually very ambitious and had a high sense of pride. This time, she flashed a delicate smile, her aura suddenly turning sharp: “Then I’ll take the support role.”

In the first game, she played as the side lane hero, Orange Jing.

In the second game, she chose the mid-lane hero, Shangguan Wan’er.

For the third game, she picked the marksman, Gongsun Li.

Finally, before the activity time limit ended, Tong Zhao chose the support position she had mentioned at the start. With her strong performance as Ghost Valley, she roamed the entire map, controlling the rhythm of the game. Under her influence, the opponents dared not show themselves. After winning four consecutive games and earning MVP in all, Tong Zhao let out a sigh of relief, feeling her mood improve a bit.

After calming down a little, Tong Zhao suddenly realized something.

She had forgotten that this was a perfect opportunity to strategize against Wei Zekai.

She should have let him take the stage instead…

Tong Zhao turned to look at Wei Zekai, and as if fate had its way, he also turned towards her at that moment.

“Wow…”

Wei Zekai looked at her with stars in his eyes, shining brightly: “Impressive, girl!”

…?

“Very few people can keep up with me. Your awareness and control are top-notch.”

Wei Zekai was generous with his praise.

The audience also noticed that Wei Zekai’s liking for Tong Zhao had indeed increased significantly.

[The way to marry into a wealthy family has been mastered: first, play as top-tier national server support.]

[Help, he’s not going to start seeing her as a brother, is he?]

[That look, it seems like he’s looking at a comrade.]

Tong Zhao was a bit speechless.

She was a quick learner, young with fast reactions, and excelled in MOBA and strategy games. After the four games, she had already figured out Wei Zekai’s general personality. With that in mind, duo queue turned out to be a good dating activity, a good way to understand each other’s character. At the very least, it helps to exclude boys who frequently go AFK and curse in the game.

Wei Zekai had a bit of a personal heroism streak; he wanted to win the game by carrying it himself.

At the same time, he wouldn’t abandon his teammates and had a sense of loyalty.

However, he lacked a broad perspective and was prone to focusing too much on one point, potentially losing a good game.

When Tong Zhao asked him to do something, if Tong Zhao had more kills than he did, he would obediently follow her instructions. In a similar situation, Tong Zhao felt that He Shun would not follow orders and could only be guided through coaxing.

[Much cuter than that guy named He.]

[But he keeps secretly leeching off my lanes while jungling, which is a bit annoying.]

In contrast to Wei Zekai’s increased affection, Tong Zhao’s feelings for him slightly declined.

Wei Zekai’s evaluation of her was genuinely high.

He thought the girl was excellent, serious about relationships, and skilled at gaming.

Wei Zekai glanced at her with a bit of arrogance, thinking:

[I must protect her love.]

When the event ended, Tong Zhao closed the game:

[When should I start tricking him into taking the bait?]

……

On the other side, Han Zhi was at the villa’s bar, mixing drinks for Chang Xiaonian.

Wearing a long black trench coat, Han Zhi looked like he stepped out of a Korean drama, making Chang Xiaonian hesitant to look him in the face.

Chang Xiaonian appeared somewhat reserved: “You might not realize this, but I can really drink a lot. No need to make cocktails; just a bottle of white wine will do.”

Her tone was slightly lifted, deliberately rough.

This was at odds with her usual sweet persona.

She had no choice.

Despite her constant chatter with her friends about how all handsome guys are jerks, in the presence of a genuinely handsome man like Han Zhi, she felt awkward and uneasy, unable to speak freely. She was somewhat insecure. Therefore, she tried hard to appear casual and carefree in front of Han Zhi.

Chang Xiaonian had no ambition to be a queen of hearts.

She subconsciously felt she couldn’t handle someone of Han Zhi’s caliber.

Regardless of any friendly signals he might give, they only served to heighten her wariness.

Han Zhi categorized this as one of the troubles of being a handsome man.

[Using “I’m not interested in you” as a subtext to protect oneself,]

Han Zhi took out the liquor he was about to mix: [Girls… are really all quite charming.]