Official filming began.
Inside the Warner Bros. Studio soundstage, it was even livelier than on rehearsal day.
The audience seats were full.
Staff constantly issued adjustment commands.
Cassius stood behind his familiar counter, fingers unconsciously touching the three coins in his pocket acting as his lucky charms.
Director Michael Patrick King held the megaphone for final confirmation.
"Everyone, remember the rhythm, watch the indicator lights. Han Lee, relax, just like in rehearsal!"
Cassius nodded, took a deep breath, and focused his attention.
"Action!"
Scene one: Daily life at the Williamsburg Diner.
Max was lazily wiping a glass, firing her signature toxic barbs at the newcomer Caroline:
"Wearing Chanel to this place? Honey, your outfit could pay a month's rent here!"
Caroline tried hard to straighten her back, attempting to maintain her crumbling socialite dignity.
"This is a classic, and I'm very adaptable!"
At this moment, Cassius's Han Lee popped his head out from behind the counter.
He spoke in a tone that tried to be authoritative but always lacked a bit of presence:
"Max, be friendly to the newcomer. Our Williamsburg Diner is going for the approachable route!"
While speaking, he habitually played with the coin in his hand, flipping it fluidly between his knuckles.
Light chuckles came from the audience.
Han Lee's attempt to establish authority while clearly lacking confidence formed a subtle contrast with the overly skillful coin trick in his hand.
Max retorted immediately, rolling her eyes at Han Lee.
"Approachable route?"
"Boss, your approachable route last week was buy-one-get-one-free, and we nearly got torn apart by hooligans trying to dine and dash!"
"Your route is less reliable than Oleg's underwear style."
[Toxic Counterattack +3] dropped from Kat, and Cassius absorbed it immediately.
It was Cassius's turn to react.
In the script, he was just supposed to shrink his neck.
But Cassius didn't.
His Han Lee heard Max's roast, a flash of appropriate embarrassment crossing his face, but he immediately feigned calm.
He stopped spinning the coin, tapped it gently on the counter, and muttered:
"That was insufficient market research. I recently studied Eastern Feng Shui and re-planned the wealth position. The situation will improve!"
His tone carried a charlatan-like confidence.
The live audience was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter louder than before.
This Eastern Feng Shui punchline came suddenly, combined with Cassius's serious yet slightly bluffing expression, maximizing the comedic effect.
Behind the monitor, the director raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curving slightly.
Next was cook Oleg's scene.
He came out carrying a plate, scanning between Max and Caroline with his heavy Eastern European accent and gaze full of sexual innuendo.
"Two beautiful ladies, need any special service today? My 'sausage' is a signature dish!"
He deliberately thrust his hips.
Max was expressionless.
"Oleg, if your sausage is as soft as your jokes, we might as well declare bankruptcy!"
The audience erupted in laughter and boos.
The camera focused on Cassius.
Cassius's Han Lee showed a disgusted expression and complained:
"Corrupting morals, affecting the Qi field!"
He subconsciously fanned his hand in front of his nose, as if wafting away the foul air brought by Oleg.
This subtle improvisation amused the audience again.
The character Han Lee was no longer just a punching bag; he had his own seemingly absurd logic of behavior and resistance.
Cashier Earl calmly added insult to injury from the side. Looking at Han Lee, he said slowly:
"Han, your face looks like you just found a bug in your paycheck!"
Earl's words rhymed, full of rhythm.
Cassius caught a blue attribute orb dropping from Garrett.
[Rhythmic Sense & Deadpan Humor +3]
Absorbing it, Cassius felt his grasp of this American doggerel rhythm become clearer.
Filming continued.
There was a scene where Han Lee tried to explain to Caroline why she needed to start from basic cleaning.
Cassius didn't use the purely guilty manner from the original script.
Instead, he took out three coins, tossed them solemnly in front of Caroline, then looked at the hexagram and said seriously:
"Caroline, the hexagram indicates your career luck needs to start from the grassroots, getting grounded to flourish like water meeting metal!"
He paused, adding: "Like mopping the floor clean first!"
Caroline, playing the fallen princess, looked bewildered, while Max beside her burst out laughing.
"Flourish like water?"
"Boss, are you trying to get her to mop out our wages too while she's at it?"
This segment combining Eastern mysticism with capitalist exploitation had the live audience laughing uncontrollably.
Cassius's interpretation made Han Lee's stinginess and neurosis interesting and even a bit cute, rather than purely annoying.
Throughout the taping, Cassius found that with the aid of [Favorability Vision], he could capture the audience's reactions more precisely, adjusting his tone and pauses timely.
Max dropped several toxic tongue attribute orbs.
Caroline's tenacity as a fallen socialite also provided many green attribute orbs related to [Aura] and [Emotion].
He even absorbed a purple [Steady Aura +6] from Earl.
This was definitely an unexpected surprise!
When the director shouted "That's a wrap for today!", the live audience gave a warm round of applause.
Many were still laughing and discussing the fortune-telling Asian boss as they left.
Kat Dennings walked over and slapped Cassius on the back hard.
"Nice one, Cass! That fortune-telling trick is becoming your trademark! Teach me next time; I'll go bluff my landlord."
Beth Behrs also smiled.
"Cass, you made Han Lee so interesting. I almost believed your hexagram!"
Director Michael also showed a rare expression of approval.
"Cass, the improvisation today was great. Keep this direction. The character Han Lee is established."
Cassius looked at the friendly gazes from the surrounding crew and actors.
He knew clearly that his first step in the 2 Broke Girls crew was firmly taken.
Boss Han Lee's first day of business was quite good!
Just after removing makeup and returning to the Beverly Hills villa, Cassius heard his phone vibrating non-stop in his pocket.
Taking it out, the screen showed a FaceTime request from Kristen.
He accepted the video call. Kristen's face appeared on the screen, the background looking like a hotel room with dim lighting.
She seemed to have just showered, hair wrapped wet in a towel, makeup-free, face showing a bit of fatigue, but her eyes lit up upon seeing Cassius.
"Hey, Boss Han Lee!"
Her voice was a little raspy, carrying a smile. "How was the first day of business? Didn't get roasted into autism by Max's toxic tongue, did you?"
Cassius propped the phone against the coffee table, collapsing into the sofa himself and loosening his collar.
"Almost! Her aggression is too strong. I almost wanted to use my mysterious Eastern power to put a hex on her!"
Kristen giggled on the other end of the screen.
"I knew you could handle it. How was the audience reaction?"
"Not bad. They laughed at a few improvised points!"
Cassius briefly described the filming situation, including how he bluffed Caroline with Feng Shui.
"You're good, finding the feeling so quickly!"
Kristen's eyes held approval. "Looks like throwing you into a sitcom was right. Much more interesting than running tours with us, right?"
"At least I don't have to answer questions about love every day!"
Cassius roasted, then looked at her. "What about you? Where are you today?"
"Paris! More screams, flashes, and repeated questions!"
Kristen sighed, pulling off the towel and running her fingers through her wet hair messily.
"Exhausted! Robert nearly fell asleep backstage!"
As she complained, she unconsciously licked her slightly dry lips, her gray-green eyes exceptionally clear under the screen light.
Cassius looked at her slightly messy but real appearance, and something moved in his heart.
Separated for a few days, across the screen, that sense of longing became more concrete.