If you're enjoying these stories, visit my Pat** on at: belamy20
only for 5$
Friday night.
Cassius drove Kristen's Mustang to USC.
It wasn't time to change cars yet!
This car was sufficient for transportation!
There was still some time before the screening began.
Quite a few students had already gathered outside the School of Cinematic Arts building.
Many held cartoon cutouts of Han Lee from 2 Broke Girls, and there were even a few boys clumsily imitating the coin spinning.
As soon as he appeared, the crowd stirred.
"It's Cassius! He really came!"
"Han Lee oppa! Look here!"
"Can you sign this for me? Right on the coin!"
"OMG! He's even more handsome in person than on TV! Is this scientific?"
...
Phone cameras and flashes clicked and flashed in unison.
School security tried hard to maintain order.
Just then!
Lee So-yeon squeezed out of the crowd.
She was one of the organizers tonight, busy checking the schedule.
When she saw Cassius standing by the car, she froze as if paused, mouth wide open in an 'O' shape, eyes round, the folder in her hand almost slipping to the ground.
"O... Oppa?"
Her voice trembled with disbelief.
She walked up quickly.
Forgetting the surrounding classmates and cameras, she circled Cassius halfway, examining him carefully, as if meeting him for the first time.
"Aigoo, Cassius oppa? Are you really Cassius oppa?"
She spoke in a mix of Korean and English, incoherent due to shock:
"When was the last time we ate stir-fried pork with chili at the shared house?"
"At most half a year ago! How did you become so handsome!"
She leaned very close, almost pressing against him, her fingers pinching Cassius's shoulder:
"You definitely grew taller! I used to come up to here on you!"
"Your shoulder proportions are too perfect!"
"When we ate Korean fried chicken together before, you clearly weren't like this! If I had known back then, I would have..."
Lee So-yeon blushed, covering her mouth with her hand, blocking the words about to come out.
Her face showed an expression of regret for missing a peerless treasure.
Cassius was a bit amused by her exaggerated reaction.
The favorability number above Lee So-yeon's head was also jumping crazily!
Good grief!
Cassius seemed to see a two-digit number spinning wheel!
The favorability was about to break through the 90 mark!
Still no sign of stopping!
Cassius quickly reached out and tapped the shoulder of the star-struck Lee So-yeon:
"Are we going into the screening hall or not?"
"Go! Of course go!"
Lee So-yeon finally reacted.
Only then did the number above her head stop changing.
A massive 96 appeared above her head!
Lee So-yeon quickly signaled the classmates nearby to clear the way, while she followed Cassius like guarding a rare treasure, stealing glances at him as they walked.
The atmosphere in the hall was enthusiastic.
Cassius was seated in the center of the front row.
Next to him sat Professor Martin Anderson from the Cinema & Media Studies department.
He had met him when he came for cameos before and had taken his class.
He smiled and shook hands with Cassius, his voice gentle:
"Cassius, welcome back. You're a big shot at school now!"
"Professor, you flatter me!"
Cassius responded politely and sat down, feeling gazes and sneaky phone cameras from all directions.
The screening began.
The process was that after each short film, the live audience could rate it in real-time using voting devices in their hands, and the score would be displayed instantly on the side of the screen.
The first few films without Cassius were artsy or experimental, slow-paced.
The hall was relatively quiet.
The scores for the initial short films generally hovered between 6 and 7.
Cassius could hear someone yawning quietly in the back row.
Professor Anderson watched intently, occasionally taking notes in his notebook.
Truly an academic!
Cassius watched the film before him.
He noticed that when these films played, the actors who appeared in them would drop attribute orbs when they got excited.
Mostly gray ones!
Cassius naturally wouldn't give up the chance to absorb attribute orbs just by sitting there!
[Plain Narrative +1]
[Experimental Camera Work +1]
[Artsy Dialogue +1]
...
After absorbing these gray light dots, Cassius felt his acting knowledge expand only slightly, the experience bar barely moving.
The next one was a dark comedy about an insomniac courier.
He played a convenience store clerk with a bird's nest hairstyle and huge dark circles under his eyes, taking deliveries late at night.
As soon as the film started, the atmosphere in the venue changed immediately.
When Cassius appeared on screen with his messy hair and dark circles, laughter and applause erupted from the audience.
The score bar instantly soared to 8.9.
Lee So-yeon pinched herself excitedly next to him.
Simultaneously, Cassius saw many gray attribute orbs floating from the audience:
[Comedic Timing +1]
[Character Contrast +1]
[Decadent Feeling Portrayal +1]
...
Although mostly gray, the quantity increased significantly.
The situation was similar for the next few films he participated in.
Whether as the undercover cop in the mid-length drama about police and street thugs, or the self-righteous apprentice in another comedy short.
As long as Cassius's face appeared on screen, cheers and laughter would erupt from the audience, and the scores invariably rushed above 8.5.
In contrast, the reaction to films without him was much more tepid.
Everyone was looking forward to the next short film with a Cassius cameo.
Professor Anderson turned his head, his tone carrying appreciation and teasing:
"See that? Cass, this is the star effect! Your performance brought extra attention to these works."
"Very realistic, but also very effective!"
Cassius looked at his slightly green face on the screen.
He understood in his heart that this wasn't just the star effect.
When he did cameos for these films, although his screen time wasn't much, he treated them seriously, putting in real performance, not just showing his face.
The accumulation of these attribute orbs and the system's assistance gave him expressive power beyond ordinary students in front of the camera.
During intermission, taking advantage of the relative quiet, Professor Anderson chatted with Cassius.
Professor Anderson adjusted his glasses:
"Your recent development momentum is very good! I watched a few episodes of 2 Broke Girls. The character Han Lee is very creative, and you executed it well."
"Compared to when you came for cameos last time, you've improved a lot!"
"It seems practice is indeed the best way to progress!"
Cassius smiled and didn't speak.
Professor Anderson turned back to watch the short films.
After a while, Professor Anderson seemed to think of something suddenly and spoke casually:
"I've always felt it was a pity you dropped out last year!"
"Now the school happens to have a policy providing certain support for alumni who have already achieved significant accomplishments in the industry!"
"And your success is positive publicity for USC itself. In this case, your dropout status is somewhat inappropriate!"
Cassius's heart moved.
Did this mean they were going to reissue his diploma?
"How about this!"
Before Cassius could react, Professor Anderson seemed to have made a decision:
"I'll ask about this for you. I have some old acquaintances on the Student Disciplinary Committee. In your situation, applying to revoke the disciplinary action and strive for graduation through credit transfer shouldn't be a big problem!"
"Professor, thank you so much!"
Cassius responded enthusiastically!
Meat delivered to his mouth, no reason not to eat!
And the USC alumni network was also a considerable resource!
This also solved a worry of his.
USC dropout and USC graduate sounded different after all!
"No need to thank me!"
Professor Anderson waved his hand, revealing a sly smile:
"Consider it an investment by the school to retain an outstanding alumnus. Remember to come back often to share experiences and encourage the younger students!"