Zheng Weiwei deeply understands the issues actors face in getting immersed in their roles.
She patiently looked at William, then pondered slightly and said, "Why don’t we call Sheng Tang over, and face this together? What do you think?"
William was taken aback.
He dared not talk to Sheng Tang, the reason being quite simple — he couldn’t articulate his feelings.
Honestly, he hadn’t fallen for Sheng Tang, but for Zhao Beibei.
William had always had a bit of a strong woman complex since childhood, probably influenced by his mother.
Sheng Tang portrays Zhao Beibei: assertive, capable, meticulous about her work, showcasing strong professionalism, perfectly fitting William’s fantasy of a powerful woman.
When she acted with him, she would maintain her distinctive characteristics. After several instances of watching her act and acting opposite her, William gradually found himself deeply immersed.
Facing her, he instinctively couldn’t control himself.
However, he was very clear that he hadn’t fallen for Sheng Tang, as Sheng Tang and Zhao Beibei were entirely different people.
William debuted as a singer at seventeen, now with the music industry in a downturn, he used his connections to return to develop his career back home. Given his outstanding appearance, his agent suggested he pursue acting.
He had studied acting for three months and was not entirely clueless.
Nonetheless, he didn’t understand actors, at least not an actor like Sheng Tang.
When acting with Wen Yu, he could clearly feel that Wen Yu was portraying Qi Qi using her own essence. While acting, he knew the woman in front of him was Wen Yu.
But Sheng Tang was different.
Watching Sheng Tang act, and in their scenes together, William felt she had another personality at play. From Zhao Beibei, he couldn’t find a trace of Sheng Tang.
Zhao Beibei’s beauty and boldness were absent in Sheng Tang. Even Zhao Beibei’s subtle lip-tilting action, William had never seen Sheng Tang do it.
Zhao Beibei was entirely another person.
Privately, Sheng Tang was somewhat reserved. She didn’t speak much; when William talked too much, it was apparent she found it a bit annoying.
William couldn’t say he was infatuated with Sheng Tang; what he liked were qualities Zhao Beibei possessed, which Sheng Tang did not. Sheng Tang seemed like Zhao Beibei’s twin sister — similar in appearance but entirely different in temperament.
So he was falling apart.
He couldn’t free himself from Zhao Beibei’s influence. He even hesitated to interact with Sheng Tang privately, unwilling to see her quiet demeanor.
She would ruin Zhao Beibei.
He had fallen for Zhao Beibei and greedily absorbed everything about her, wanting to see her.
This was William’s first film, and he didn’t know how to solve this issue.
Sheng Tang planned to do some acting training at night and then go to sleep.
Suddenly, she received Zheng Weiwei’s WeChat message, which surprised her.
Arriving at Zheng Weiwei’s room, she saw the director and William also present. After understanding the context, Sheng Tang’s face became slightly grave.
She knew the severity of the problem.
"William, we still have three weeks of filming ahead. Your current state is beneficial for the crew. However, once filming ends, I can’t guarantee you’ll come out of it," Sheng Tang said.
Sheng Tang had a friend in her past life, similarly unable to escape a role for their entire life.
Like William, they had fallen for a fictional character, while the actor wasn’t that person.
That kind of intangible pain couldn’t be alleviated, and mutual understanding couldn’t make the secret love fade.
"What should I do?" William asked her.
"Find a girlfriend," Sheng Tang replied, "Use a relationship to replace this feeling so you can escape and return to the real world."
William let out a painful wail.