Chapter 73: Tangtang: Is This What It Feels Like to Have a Cheat?

“I’m at an age now…”

Am I experiencing love for the first time?!

Liu Shishi slipped out of her nightgown, her alluring figure exposed to the air as she gracefully descended from her bed and made her way to the bathroom.

Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, her heart swelled with self-admiration. Twenty-five is not too old, she thought, not too old at all.

Chuckling softly, she murmured to herself, “Who knew playing the Method acting role of Dugu Ningke would take me so seriously?”

As she allowed herself to daydream about Zhang Yang, her heart rate quickened whether she pictured him in golden armor or in his customary black robes.

She couldn’t quite tell if her feelings towards Zhang Yang were genuine affection or merely an overflow of emotions intended for Yu Wento of C_flash—the love interest of Dugu Ningke.

Her suspicion leaned towards the latter; after all, she had known Zhang Yang since they were young, having watched him grow from a boy into a handsome man in front of her own eyes.

“I wouldn’t normally be attracted to someone younger than me…”

Still pondering her feelings, Liu Shishi hastily finished her shower and headed towards the buffet restaurant.

With a quick scan of the area, her gaze fell upon Tang Yan and Nazha, both lost in thought at a nearby table.

The scene echoed their case five days ago.

“Daydreaming again, Nazha? Had another dream last night?” Liu Shishi casually grabbed some breakfast items before taking a seat beside Tang Yan.

Upon realizing someone was speaking to her, Nazha snapped back to reality, her ears turning crimson. “Po Shi-jie, you guessed it right—I dreamed about becoming Xiaoxue again last night.”

“Last time, I dreamt of the tumultuous relationship between Excel and Sword Fervor, but this time, it was about the entanglements between Yu Wento and me.”

Nazha increasingly felt that Xiaoxue might also have been her alter ego from her previous life, much like Zhao Jingniang had been.

She viewed Zhang Yang through a lens tinted by Zhao Kuangyin, Yu Wento, and Sword Fervor, yet she knew unmistakably that her heart belonged to Zhang Yang alone.

“I had a dream too,” Tang Yan couldn’t resist chipping in, having overheard their conversation. “I think I’ve gained a deeper understanding of Tapar Yuer’s character now.”

“You did too?” Liu Shishi’s curiosity was piqued.

Did Zhang Yang possess some magnetic quality? Thought Liu Shishi, Was he casting all the women who co-starred with him under his spell?

“And you?” Tang Yan stared at Liu Shishi, her tone a little accusatory.

“Since Nazha had a dream, and now you’re saying you did too, doesn’t that make it ‘and’?” Liu Shishi’s face remained impassive, her voice a model of composure.

Unfazed, Tang Yan smiled sweetly. “I bet it’s because we’ve been working ourselves too hard rehearsing. The stress must have carried over into our dreams.”

“That sounds about right,” agreed Nazha and Liu Shishi. “Worries during the day turn into dreams at night, I suppose…”

The three actors continued their low-key conversation, their gazes flickering towards the restaurant entrance as they eagerly awaited a certain someone’s arrival.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yang was enjoying breakfast at a nearby steam-fried bun shop, courtesy of Lin Gou’s wallet.

He was in high spirits; upon waking up that morning, he found his inherited abilities from Yu Wento to be quite impressive.

The Leader’s Aura ability was clearly an advanced version of the Emperor’s Presence.

Emperor’s Presence was exclusive to various types of rulers, making them appear as natural-born sovereigns. It evoked an aura of lofty detachment, commanding respect and drawing all attention towards them.

However, if one needed to portray a mafia boss, a special forces team captain, or a general commanding large-scale battles, using Emperor’s Presence would be inappropriate.

An air of authority was suitable for leaders at all levels, from group leaders and basketball captains to company chairmen, military commanders, and emperors.

Such an aura often took a great deal of time to cultivate. For instance, Wang Yaoqing was known as the “King of Rich Characters,” making it clear from the moment he appeared that the wealthiest person in the drama had arrived.

Zhang Yang, having activated his cheat, could now effortlessly adopt any demeanor with no sense of incongruity.

But what truly delighted him was his “Dream Realm Divination” ability.

Enhancing his sixth sense went without saying; it would help him avoid danger and improve his chances of survival.

Knowing major events in the entertainment industry for the next year—although passively triggered and limited to once a year—was still incredibly powerful.

Already possessing memories of the future, coupled with foresight, would make it even easier for him to succeed in the entertainment industry.

Most importantly, after 24 years, when his memories from the previous life lost their effect, he would still know which projects were profitable and who to support, never fearing the lack of good works or experiencing failure.

As for his ability to focus on three tasks simultaneously, any additional talent was always welcome.

“You’re in quite a good mood today,” Lin Gengxin suddenly remarked.

“Eating breakfast without spending a cent? Of course I’m cheerful,” Zhang Yang replied with a smile.

Absolutely can’t reveal my cheat to anyone, he thought.

“Shallow,” Lin Gengxin spat out.

Zhang Yang, in a good mood, didn’t bother arguing with him.

After breakfast, the two returned to the set together.

Upon seeing Zhang Yang, Tang Yan and her companions, who were engaged in conversation, all simultaneously rolled their eyes.

Zhang Yang looked on, puzzled.

“Teacher Zhang Yang, teach me how to act.”

Tang Yan had the young assistant fetch Zhang Yang and even thoughtfully brought him a small cake.

Zhang Yang, true to his word, took the script and earnestly began explaining the scenes to Tang Yan.

When shooting commenced in the morning, Tang Yan’s performance was surprisingly strong. Apart from her scenes with Jiang Jinfu, she consistently nailed her lines within three takes.

Due to his ability to enter dreams, Zhang Yang’s ability to articulate his vision to the three leads produced twice the results in half the time. The directors were left feeling distinctly inferior.

“A-Yang has real skills,” Li Guoli mused sincerely. “Make A-Yang an assistant director. Let him handle the three leads’ scenes, and I’ll oversee the rest of the cast.” Li Guoli approached Cai Yinning with his proposal.

Cai Yining hesitated.

While Zhang Yang had been exceptional before, it was only relative to his peers. How could two years at the Shanghai Theatre Academy have transformed him so completely?

“I’ll go observe the set first before making a decision,” she replied.

Cai Yining, the producer, spent a few days at the set.

Before returning to the company, she arranged for Zhang Yang to serve as an assistant director.

There was no pay, but once the drama aired, his name would appear in the director credits—perfect for adding to his resume.

The days ahead brimmed with activity for Zhang Yang. He dashed between the production set and hotel, acting and coaching the three lead actresses.

Still relatively unknown, he didn’t face the same distractions as Liu Shishi and Tang Yan, who occasionally left for appearances—photo shoots and interviews.

Time flew like the swift steed across a crevice, and before he knew it, three months had passed. Sword and Cloud was nearing completion.

During this period, Zhang Yang seized opportunities to step away on various pretexts, accomplishing five fortuitous events.

Among these eight chances, he successfully claimed five opportunity points, including two that required preemptively using character points to unlock the fortuitous guide.

These experiences offered Zhang Yang a backstage pass to life’s drama. He gorged on juicy gossip, amassed incriminating information about certain individuals, and cemented himself as a savior to others.

“I wonder what this opportunity entails.”

“It’d be great if it’s dirt on Yu Zhen.”