Chapter 68: Big Mimi's Concern, The Emperor Specialist?

"Could imagination really be that powerful, conjuring up all those details?"

Liu Shishi felt her face burning fiercely.

It wasn't as if she had never dreamt before, but none of them had ever been this vivid, complete with such a clear narrative thread. Having an intimate dream for the very first time—where Zhang Yang married her, confessed his deep love, claimed he had long known she was the Demon Lord's daughter, and vowed to give her a child, a promise he thoroughly fulfilled—left her feeling completely shaken.

She even began to suspect that in her past life, she might truly have been Niche, and Zhang Yang was Yuwen Tuo.

Otherwise, there was no way to explain why, despite not knowing Zhang Yang all that well in reality, she knew him inside and out within the dream.

Surely, she couldn't have simply imagined all of that by herself, could she?

"Maybe it's because Mimi used to drill too many theoretical concepts into my head."

With this thought, Liu Shishi walked toward the bathroom with slightly unsteady steps. She kept splashing cold water onto her face, trying to calm herself down, but when she looked up into the mirror, she was startled.

Did she somehow look more radiant today than ever before?

"Achoo!"

Meanwhile, inside a van, Yang Mi, who was yawning constantly while trying to eat breakfast, suddenly sneezed several times in a row.

She figured it must be some jealous female celebrities talking trash about her behind her back again.

Or perhaps, it was the men secretly in love with her, indulging in fantasies about her.

Ah, her inescapable, overflowing charm~

"Mi Mi, you didn't cover yourself properly with the blanket again last night!" Zhao Ruoyao looked at Yang Mi, her gaze as sharp as a knife.

Until bigger conflicts of interest arose, she remained Yang Mi's highly competent executive manager and assistant.

"Ugh, keeping the blanket on is just too tiring." Yang Mi rolled her shoulders. "The restrictions are too heavy, you have to cut me some slack."

"Stop joking around." Zhao Ruoyao's expression turned serious. "If you catch a cold, you need to take medicine right away."

"Relax, it's not a cold." Yang Mi's large eyes curved into crescents. "It's definitely Ke Hancheng bad-mouthing me behind my back."

Zhao Ruoyao: "..."

Women are naturally vindictive, but Yang Mi was especially so.

The behind-the-scenes political struggle within the crew had finally reached its conclusion: Ke Hancheng was demoted from director to assistant director, left to assist Li Xuming.

He would have to put in more effort, but his power within the production team had been stripped away, and the benefits he would reap in the end would be diminished. His first step into the mainland market had been a dismal failure.

Yet, privately, Yang Mi still refused to let him off the hook with her words.

"We really have to thank A-Yang for this." Yang Mi twirled her phone and suddenly chuckled. "Say, how about we go visit Tang Tang and Zhang Yang on set?"

Zhao Ruoyao's lips twitched, and she said expressionlessly, "If you're willing to give free publicity to Chinese Entertainment, go right ahead."

The bitter feud between Yang Mi and Chinese Entertainment all those years ago was still a favorite topic of gossip both inside and outside the industry, a guaranteed source of media buzz.

If Yang Mi went to the set of *Xuan-Yuan Sword* to visit Tang Yan and Zhang Yang, given the personality of Chinese Entertainment's president, Cai Yi'nong, she would never let slip such a prime marketing opportunity to hitch a ride on Yang Mi's popularity.

Besides, Yang Mi was now a newly minted top-tier star, radiating immense media heat that everyone wanted a piece of.

"Oh, forget it then." Yang Mi instantly abandoned the idea of visiting the set.

If it were just about generating free publicity, she might have let it slide; *Chinese Paladin 3* had been a massive boost to her career, and she was on good terms with both Tang Yan and Liu Shishi, so she wouldn't mind returning the favor.

However, knowing Cai Yi'nong's methods, she would likely buy trending search topics like "Yang Mi Bows Her Head and Apologizes to Chinese Entertainment."

"When I head to Hengdian, I'll just secretly ask Zhang Yang out for dinner," Yang Mi thought to herself.

And the very Zhang Yang who occupied Yang Mi's thoughts suddenly opened his eyes at that exact moment.

[Successfully entered the dream of *Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of the Sky* as Yuwen Tuo / Sword Obsession. Character compatibility: fifty-five percent.]

[Imperial Aura (A weakened version of the Earth Emperor's destiny, ninety-nine point nine-nine percent... a special aura accumulated over time by ancient monarchs.)]

"Imperial aura."

Zhang Yang knew this was a reward similar to "scholarly air."

In the future, if he played roles related to emperors, he would receive a permanent buff.

He could become a specialized emperor actor, just like veteran star Chen Daoming!

"Why is the compatibility so low..." Zhang Yang sat up, frowning deeply.

The bad news was that his compatibility with the role he played in the dream was too low, allowing him to inherit only a single ability.

The moderately good news was that whenever character compatibility fell below sixty, it counted as a failing grade, giving him the option to consume an opportunity point to re-enter the dream.

In other words, he had the chance to acquire more abilities and talents, and he could return to the dream to help the three women further improve their "acting skills"—since, after all, they were all method actors.

Still, unless he figured out why the compatibility was so low, no amount of dream-diving would yield any decent rewards. He couldn't just treat his opportunity points like escort fees, could he?

"It's probably because of the character Sword Obsession."

After a brief moment of analysis, Zhang Yang found the most likely culprit.

The character Yuwen Tuo wasn't a pure villain; much like Erlang Shen portrayed by Jiao Enjun in *Lotus Lantern*, he was someone who endured humiliation, acting the villain on the surface while secretly orchestrating various plans to guide Chen Jingchou through the demon-slaying mission.

During his dream role-play last night, he had only displayed Yuwen Tuo's overbearing arrogance, completely overlooking the "strategy" behind his bravery.

Furthermore, in order to use the Nüwa Stone to seal his own malicious soul, Yuwen Tuo approached the Nüwa descendant "Xiaoxue" in his guise as Sword Obsession. For the most part, he had been romancing Nazha, completely neglecting to showcase his exceptional swordsmanship.

Playing two distinct roles at once, he had failed to switch between identities smoothly.

"Tonight, when I enter the dream again, I need to focus on portraying Yuwen Tuo's endurance and forbearance, as well as the purity of the Sword Obsession persona."

With that thought, Zhang Yang got out of bed, got dressed, and headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Once finished, he walked alone to the buffet restaurant. As soon as he stepped through the doors, he spotted Tang Yan, Liu Shishi, and Nazha sitting at the same table, looking utterly lost in thought.

"This is getting interesting."

Zhang Yang's eyes flickered. He picked up a plate, casually piled on some breakfast food, and walked straight toward their table.

"Yang-ge!"

Jiang Jinfu, who had just finished a boiled egg, looked up and happened to see Zhang Yang walking his way, immediately raising a hand in greeting.

At the same time, he proactively pushed his tray aside, scooting all the way to the inner seat to free up the spot on the outside.

Having witnessed Zhang Yang's acting firsthand yesterday, he realized he was far behind and his mindset had completely shifted.

Since Zhang Yang was clearly a valuable connection, why bother picking a fight and burning bridges?

He, Jiang Jinfu, as Zhang Yang's classmate and dormmate, was going to mend fences!

And it would all start with this morning's breakfast.

Yet, the next second, the mild smile on his face froze completely.

Acting as if he hadn't even noticed him, Zhang Yang bypassed his table entirely, walked over to the empty seat beside Nazha, sat down, and set his tray on the table.

Liu Shishi and Nazha didn't react, but Tang Yan noticed someone new sitting opposite them. Her attention snapped back to reality, and she locked eyes with the unforgettable face of Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang smiled at Tang Yan, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the other two women. "Sugar Sister, Shishi Sister, Nazha, why aren't you eating breakfast? Just sitting here zoning out?"

Tang Yan stood up abruptly, blurting out, "And whose fault do you think that is?!"

Liu Shishi: "..."

Nazha: "..."