I have a persona specifically for acting.

“Did you hear that Tong Zhao is coming? Is it true?”

“It’s true; it’s already officially announced.”

“I heard she was only supposed to come for two days, but then it changed. Who knows what she’s after.”

“Then we have to help her out, right?”

At the filming site of ‘OneLifeSurvivor’, three ordinary guests huddled in a corner, discussing quietly.

Even with a 24-hour survival show, there’s still some room for behind-the-scenes manipulation.

It’s just much less than traditional variety shows.

In survival-type shows, if a certain guest’s physical capabilities are enhanced—like when everyone is getting rained on and drinking raw water—only that guest won’t suffer from headaches or fevers. Or if the same food supplies are available, one specific guest might feel fuller than the others, giving them an invisible advantage.

However, the audience for survival shows seeks a sense of realism, so such behind-the-scenes interference is rare…

Or rather, it’s very well-kept secret, with few leaks.

“Who knows?”

When Tong Zhao was mentioned, the two shrugged dismissively, and one added, “Director Chen wouldn’t dare to go too far. If the complaint rate exceeds 40%, the backend data has to be made public. The show’s ratings are good; why would they ruin their reputation for a publicity-seeking female star?”

The remaining person looked a bit embarrassed: “I actually like Tong Zhao, so don’t say that about her.”

“Why do you like her? Is she going to ruin your own rice bowl?”

…

As soon as the words left their mouths, Director Chen walked in through the door.

He was no longer the aloof figure he usually presented to his subordinates; instead, he wore a smile on his face. “I can’t feel at ease for even a moment when I don’t see anyone.”

Walking beside Director Chen was a tall, slender woman.

“I’ve always been on time.”

Her voice was a bit cold. Dressed in sporty casual clothes with sneakers and a baseball cap, she wore an outfit that, while suitable for sweating it out on the sports field and not showing off her figure, made it clear that she had model-like proportions with her long legs. Even if she wore a burlap sack, she could easily be ready to strut down a runway.

When people see a good figure, they can’t help but imagine she must be beautiful.

When she took off her black cat-ear hat, the other guests couldn’t help but have their hearts skip a beat.

It was really Tong Zhao!

They had known for a while that a very beautiful female star would be coming today—the recent splash screen advertisement on Weibo was for ‘Heartless Tribulation’, and with Tong Zhao’s rising popularity, anyone in the film industry, even a temporary actor, couldn’t possibly have not heard of her or seen her photos.

These guests, who often frequented the film city, had long been accustomed to handsome men and beautiful women.

To stand out among so many attractive faces, Tong Zhao’s looks had to be remarkable.

The guests who had been whispering and speaking dismissively about her fell silent in unison, turning their attention to her with respect.

The smile at the corners of her lips was faint.

Director Chen wanted to say something else to her but couldn’t think of a topic, so he moved aside to put on the protective gear provided on-site—knee pads, elbow protectors, and fingerless gloves.

The film city, primarily focused on survival variety shows, was built on the outskirts, encompassing a large area.

This setup was intended to ensure that when the guests took breaks from the cabin, there wouldn’t be a significant environmental contrast that could cause psychological discrepancies. After waking up in the cabin, they would still see green mountains and clear waters outside their dormitory windows, accompanied by the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers. The location rented for ‘One Life Survivor’ included a site for artificial off-road challenges, where a warm-up activity would be conducted before filming, allowing the audience to observe the physical fitness levels of the guests in real life.

There was no way to alter the backend data in reality!

Director Chen really dared to go this far.

The crowd couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at Tong Zhao.

After she skillfully donned the protective gear, she began to stretch and warm up in place.

“She looks pretty serious.”

Guest No. 7 muttered.

“Maybe she really has some skills; otherwise, why would she dare to come? If she shows off a bit during the warm-up, it would make sense to alter the data later,” another seasoned guest, often seen on survival variety shows, whispered. Her black knee pads accentuated her long legs, which looked snow-white and delicate, making him swallow hard.

While the other guests quietly gossiped about Tong Zhao, she was completely oblivious.

After all, the noise in her mind was loud enough.

Concubine Chen: “There are so many men here!”

“What’s the matter? Are you happy?”

Lu Yingchen: “I wake up in a place like this…”

Lu Yingchen couldn’t hide his disgust and wanted to clear the place with a single sword stroke.

“Happy my ass! It’s infuriating! I shouldn’t have come to this place; it’s an insult to my eyes,”
Concubine Chen said, fanning herself with a peacock-feather fan, covering half of her beautiful face. “Let me reiterate, I only accept the best men in the world. Not just any good, definitely not mediocre—only the best will do.”

Concubine Chen spoke with an arrogance born from being spoiled.

She wasn’t targeting anyone in particular; she considered all the men present to be trash.

Tong Zhao comforted Lu Yingchen: “Why don’t you rest a bit longer? Duan Ge (brother) will cover for you here.”

They had previously considered who should participate in the survival variety show.

After all, Lu Yingchen’s outdoor survival skills were quite strong; she had lived in the jungle for a long time before restoring her cultivation, much like a monk in training. She had done all sorts of exaggerated things often seen in anime, like meditating under a waterfall and challenging wild black bears—her ethereal aura had come later.

If she lacked capability, how could she remain untarnished?

But later, upon looking up the guests for the survival show, Tong Zhao knew that there would be many men. She was aware that Lu Yingchen didn’t like this kind of environment. Even if she said she could handle it, it didn’t matter; she wouldn’t be willing to.

If she didn’t cherish her own character, who would cherish it for her?

Tong Zhao had always been the one who valued herself the most.

Duan Ge didn’t speak. She had been unhappy ever since the negative comments about Lu Yingchen started circulating online.

One, she felt pity for Concubine Chen being coveted by a group of lowly people.

Thinking about it, the haters who favor Concubine Chen and resist Tong Zhao’s participation in other roles are really trying to sow discord between their different personalities. To put it bluntly, it’s like demanding that a girlfriend or daughter be virtuous and gentle, molding them into what they want like clay, erasing any aspect they dislike.

They love her for being delicate and charming but hate her for being strong and fierce.

And they never consider that both the delicate and the strong sides are just facets of Tong Zhao.

Do they want Tong Zhao to erase some of her traits just to please them?

That’s impossible. Not only will she not give them the satisfaction, but she will also continue to walk her own path.

Additionally, due to being immersed in a war-torn apocalypse, Duan Ge’s hostility is heavier than that of other personalities, and it’s impossible for her to vent her anger at her sisters during this survival variety show. Tong Zhao agreed to change her participation from two days to one episode for this reason—both the production team and she felt they were leveraging each other, achieving a win-win situation.

Tong Zhao: “Well, I’m going to sleep now. Wake me up when you’re done having fun with the body.”

Duan Ge chuckled lightly and replied, “Okay.”

……

“One Life Survivor” is a live-streamed variety show.

Similar to “Countdown 72 Hours,” it has both post-edited versions and 24-hour live broadcasts.

The warm-up activity consists of a four-person group completing an obstacle course challenge.

The first task is a basic 1,000-meter run on grass, followed by climbing an artificial rock wall, a short hurdle race, crossing an artificial lake, completing a rope net climb, and then facing various minor challenges, finishing with a 200-meter swim…

The shorter the time it takes to complete, the better the score.

Of course, if someone can’t finish, there’s no need to force themselves; they can withdraw partway and still participate in subsequent segments of the variety show.

The show itself has decent popularity, and with Tong Zhao joining this episode, the viewership for the warm-up activities has already reached six figures and is continuing to rise. This is also why the show has chosen to have Tong Zhao make her appearance last… They’re worried that once she completes her challenge, the audience will leave, so they’re keeping her as a highlight to hold the viewers’ attention.

[Where’s Tong Zhao? When is she coming out? I came to see her.]

[Why hasn’t she shown up yet?]

[I suggest we fast-forward to Tong Zhao’s appearance!!!]

[Wow, there are really so few female guests, I’m a bit worried about Zhao Zhao QAQ]

The frequency data of keywords in the comments clearly demonstrates Tong Zhao’s commercial value.

Regardless of the evaluations, netizens are simply curious about her.

Actors often repeat the same type of roles, just like an author who only writes one genre. While this can stabilize their fan base and provide a steady income, it can also lead to fatigue—it’s difficult to keep all audiences consistently engaged in the same tone over a long period. However, as long as they handle this well, they can earn significant wealth.

Tong Zhao changes her style with every film she makes; some people criticize her for being too unconventional, but one has to admit that this is also a way to maintain freshness.

……

At this moment, the crew member came over to call her: “Sister Zhao, it’s almost your turn.”

The host smiled at the camera and encouraged Tong Zhao:

“If you feel like you can’t hold on anymore, you can immediately press the emergency button on your watch, and a medical team will come to take you for a rest. Remember to know your limits, okay, miss?”

Prior to this, he had added Tong Zhao on WeChat and greeted her, saying he would make some provocative comments for the sake of the show’s effect.

Tong Zhao understood immediately.

Of course, the production team was racking their brains for explosive moments, and the host was just a worker; she wouldn’t make things difficult for him. She simply replied that she understood and told him to say whatever he wanted, but her fans might go after him, so he had to be careful.

[If the host can’t speak properly, he should just shut up.]

[Tong Zhao’s fans are getting anxious? Advising her to know her limits is for her own good? Got it, some people’s fans are all elementary school kids who don’t understand kind advice.]

[Even though I think what the host said was unpleasant, I also hope the sister knows her limits. There are male guests ahead who are exhausted and can’t complete the tasks; there’s no need to push herself…]

The comments were buzzing, and a debate erupted.

Duan Ge lifted her eyelids and glanced at him.

That dark and silent glance cast a chilling and deadly aura over her beautifully shaped eyes.

The host’s smiling face froze.

Humans are all part of the same species, yet there are a hundred different types. A student standing in front of their teacher will behave obediently under a gaze, while a fugitive will have their heart race at just a glance from someone in a police uniform. There is a theory of mutual suppression between people; herbivores will never get to eat meat in their lifetimes. Just putting on a wolf’s skin won’t change that.

Is Tong Zhao really that intimidating?

The host felt dazed by her gaze, like a noisy sheep being caught by a disgruntled tiger ready to bite into its carotid artery, contemplating whether to give it a quick end.

“No need.”

Duan Ge, a beat behind, flipped through Tong Zhao’s memories to find their WeChat chat records, remembering that this person was only speaking oddly for work purposes…

The fierce aura that seemed to be ready to devour someone suddenly froze.

It was as if the sharp teeth of a wild beast were pressing against her skin but had stopped their advance.

The eyes that had been shrouded in hostility cleared slightly, as if the clouds had parted.

“No need.”

These three words were spoken with the same coldness as “Get lost and stop bothering me.”

“Okay, okay! Good luck, miss!”

The host, who had originally prepared a barrage of strange remarks, dared not utter another word and obediently retreated.

The challenge involved completing the obstacle course in groups of four, and the first five groups had already finished.

The best time was 10 minutes and 07 seconds, achieved by a male guest, number 16, who usually trained in long-distance running and looked like a potential star athlete.

Tong Zhao was the final contestant, and there would be solo camera shots of her throughout.

Several guests who dreamed of standing out in the survival variety show and joining the ranks of celebrities cast envious and jealous glances at her as she stood at the starting line. The various complex gazes seemed to pierce into her, but unfortunately, she stood too far forward for them to look her in the eye—

And Duan Ge would never look back.

“Get in position,”

“Ready—”

[Tong Zhao, go!]

[That figure is incredible! When she crouches in the starting position, her legs have muscle! How come I never noticed this before? She looks so good; I want to be squeezed to death by her thighs.] After this comment was posted, the fan who clicked on it angrily found out it was from a girl, so it was all good.

As the gun fired, her slender figure shot out like an arrow.

This body was a bit more delicate than the one Duan Ge used during the apocalypse, but Tong Zhao had consistently practiced her cultivation techniques since returning, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This not only made her skin and overall condition nearly perfect but also strengthened her physique. She didn’t pursue a fragile “ideal body”; she had all the muscles she needed, and now was the time to put them to use.

If it came down to physical ability, Tong Zhao’s body was not much worse than that of a male athlete.

Duan Ge was also a good runner.

She understood exactly when to sprint in a kilometer, when to pace herself, and how to regulate her breathing.

This wasn’t something learned from a gym teacher.

It was experience gained from being chased by zombies; different paths led to the same destination.

…

The production team could be considered humane.

The afternoon sun was abundant, not scorching enough to make one feel dizzy. The light fell on Duan Ge as she ran on the track, like a layer of golden powder laid over her fair skin, dazzling to the eyes. This scene put many of her fans at ease.

A strong sister is certainly impressive.

However, beauty fans are quite real; they love that face and hope their idol looks beautiful in everything she does. They fear seeing her unflattering moments and unfollowing her—this group is common and is like those online who shout, “You can trick me with a fake photo, but please don’t scare me with a real selfie.”

Seeing Tong Zhao looking so beautiful during high-intensity exercise reassured her beauty fans!

[Mom asked why my screen is wet.]

[? GHS?]

[It’s because I couldn’t help but lick the screen when I saw the beautiful sister!]

Duan Ge didn’t think about the effect of the show.

She had never been a star; at most, she would remember that she was an artist now and should pay attention to her image. But deliberately running beautifully? That was impossible. Her thinking was very practical; the reason she looked good was simply that she was too comfortable and effortless.

This cross-country challenge was not just a test of physical ability but also the difficulty of switching between various activities.

One moment she had to run, the next she had to climb a wall, then hurdle, and then swim…

But for someone who had survived in the apocalypse, wasn’t this quite normal?

She didn’t even have to turn back to shoot zombies.

Watching Duan Ge complete the challenge, it was hard for not just the onlookers but even her fans to feel anxious.

They had initially been quite worried about her.

As a result, after watching for a while, they completely forgot their nerves and started admiring her beauty.

A significant portion of her fans had a strong admiration for strength. Tong Zhao’s fanbase mainly consisted of career-oriented supporters, which was even more of a group that idolized strength. Watching their sister complete the challenge effortlessly and gracefully filled them with pride.

“Whoosh!”

When Duan Ge reached the finish line, the recorded completion time on screen was 10 minutes and 17 seconds.

That was only 10 seconds slower than the first place.

That was already incredible.

After all, the physical differences between men and women are objective and not discriminatory. Sports exams have different standards for men and women; if a unified standard were applied, it would be a form of invisible discrimination.

After swimming the two hundred meters, Duan Ge pressed her hands against the edge of the pool, pushing her upper body out of the water.

To facilitate movement, she had her hair tied up in a high ponytail today, which now hung down her back, wet and resembling a soft whip. Duan Ge was dressed quite conservatively and knew she would be entering the water, so she wore materials that wouldn’t become transparent when wet, showcasing the elegant lines of her shoulder blades. She looked like a dragon leaping from the surface of the water, embodying the cold and noble dragon maiden imagined by the people of China.

[…I’m dead. Thank you, production team, for arranging the wet segment!]

[Someone is desperately requesting Tong Zhao to play the princess of the Dragon Palace in the East Sea.]

[Princess? This is clearly a queen!]

This was the beauty fans expressing their admiration.

Onlookers, especially those who loved survival variety shows, were shocked by Tong Zhao’s performance.

[Does looks matter? The real issue is that Tong Zhao’s speed is incredible!]

[Is this a river raccoon? This is clearly not a river raccoon! Can her muscle mass support such intense exercise?]

[…Shocking my entire gym.]

Some stubborn individuals insisted on recording this segment to time it with their own stopwatch, refusing to believe that Tong Zhao was that fast. Those less adamant began to make jokes—previously, Tong Zhao had been jokingly suggested by netizens to get her brain checked due to her unique subconscious; this time, it seemed like she needed a full physical examination as well.

What others thought didn’t concern Duan Ge, nor did she have any interest in knowing.

After leaving the swimming pool, an assistant immediately draped a towel over her shoulders and handed her a hot drink.

“Thank you.”

Duan Ge turned and smiled at the young assistant.

She was as fierce with the male host as she was gentle with the female assistant.

“You’re too polite, Sister Zhao.”

The assistant quickly waved her hand, blushing as she stayed by Duan Ge’s side, waiting for her to finish drinking before collecting the thermos cup. She didn’t understand what was happening; despite working with Tong Zhao every day, she found her especially charming at that moment. Just a simple thank-you made her heart race.

What’s going on?!

She was straight!

The assistant strongly reminded herself.

The assistant’s racing heart wasn’t an isolated phenomenon; nearly 70% of the comments in the live chat mentioned that they were charmed, with the remaining 30% being male viewers who were drawn in. Some had even started researching how to work alongside Tong Zhao, thinking that they could also fetch water and hand over towels! They wanted to hear their sister say thank you in person!

The other guests at the event had long since collapsed from exhaustion after completing the challenge.

Even if they couldn’t lie down to rest immediately, most were doing gentle exercises to bring their heart rate and blood pressure back to normal levels.

The performance of other competitors during the guests’ commentary was also a major highlight of the show, so there was a huge screen on site displaying the live footage.

The contestants, who had originally been chatting aimlessly, all raised their heads to look at the big screen as Tong Zhao began her challenge.

At first, their curiosity was mixed with malice.

But the more they watched, the more they couldn’t believe it.

Tong Zhao might not be the fastest, but she definitely ran the most gracefully.

Everyone found it hard to believe that she could run so effortlessly, especially since they had all just completed challenges that they knew were exhausting—while they had anticipated that the tests would challenge their stamina, they had not expected to feel completely spent afterward.

And Tong Zhao was even able to manage her expressions!?

What incredible professionalism!

“Wow, is she even human?”

“Hey, Lao Song, stop drinking water and look at the screen…”

In the rest area, all the guests instinctively started talking about the same person, their eyes glued to the screen showing the final challenger. When she completed her challenge, the time record flashed on the screen in exaggerated effects, accompanied by sound effects, and they all fell silent.

When the host asked the other guests for their thoughts, surprisingly, there were very few malicious comments.

They were stunned.

Host: “Now that you’ve seen Tong Zhao’s preliminary challenge, do you feel confident about being her opponent?”

The male guest answered instantly: “No.”

“Ah? Why not?”

“I feel like she could take me out without any expression.”

The host also asked the female guest who had given up midway and slowly completed the challenge. She replied in a standard manner, “Tong Zhao is much better than me. It’s a pity that she’s in the hunter role; otherwise, I would really want to be her teammate.”

This sentiment echoed the thoughts of most people.

After all, the winning team would receive extra bonuses, and they would have a greater chance of being favored by the production team for future survival variety shows.

No one mentioned the idea of manipulating the data anymore.

With Tong Zhao’s current abilities, if they were to manipulate it again, she would have to be a Super Saiyan, right?

The preliminary event came to a successful conclusion, and the top three would receive a mysterious reward to aid in their survival on the show.

The first-place male guest looked at Duan Ge with a complex expression.

He was only ten seconds behind the young lady, and suddenly, the first-place spot didn’t seem so appealing.

“What did you say???”

After the modeling team leader ran over to Director Chen and said a few words, Director Chen’s expression changed dramatically.

Duan Ge was sitting close enough to hear their conversation clearly.

The map for each episode of ‘One Life Survivor’ would change, and the planned deserted island map had a bug that couldn’t be fixed quickly: “How could it not be fixable? If there’s a bug, just fix it!”

“No, that bug is a special kind; identifying it will take a lot of time.”

Duan Ge was stretching when Han Zhi’s sigh echoed in her mind: [Why does something go wrong every time we do a variety show?]

Last time during ‘Sea King Killer’, there was an unexpected incident that forced him to step in at the last minute.

It was impossible to delay the shoot, and killing the director wouldn’t solve anything.

After thinking for a while, Director Chen decided to change the map: “How many maps do we have that aren’t past their copyright?”

The popular wilderness themes were gone, leaving only an urban map and a Western fantasy castle.

Director Chen pressed his forehead and made a decisive call:

“Then let’s go with the urban map. Don’t bother fixing the bug; just identify it and report it to the uploading party, asking them to compensate for the filming costs!”

“Okay!”

Duan Ge quietly finished her stretching exercises.

In her mind, the Concubine Chen was puzzled, thinking: [Isn’t the urban map your strong suit? You should be happy!]

[No…]

Duan Ge: [I’m just wondering if this might be a bit too unfair for others.]