"Cass, what about you?"
The reporter turned to Cassius.
"Do you feel pressure dating a star who is so much in the spotlight like Kristen? Especially now that you are starting to achieve success yourself?"
Cassius took the microphone, his expression calm.
His upgraded Aura made him look composed and reliable.
"Of course there's pressure, but there's even more motivation!"
"Kristen is an actor with extremely high standards for her craft. We often discuss scripts at home, share insights about acting, and she's given me a lot of valuable advice."
He skillfully steered the topic toward their professional lives.
A murmur of ambiguous interest rose from the audience.
[Kristen Stewart Favorability: +2, Current Favorability: 58]
Cassius saw Kristen's favorability rise again!
What's up with this woman?
Cassius could only conclude that his answer satisfied her.
Another reporter threw out a more direct question.
"Can you share a little about your daily dating life? Fans are very curious—what's it like when two actors date?"
This question was crossing the line a bit.
The smile on Kristen's face stiffened slightly.
But Cassius smiled, speaking up before Kristen could, his tone laced with self-deprecation and candor.
"To be honest, our dates might be a bit boring. Most of the time we're either reading scripts together or watching movies and analyzing other people's performances. At most, we'll eat something good at home or hit the gym together."
He shrugged.
"When two drama geeks get together, the conversation always circles back to acting. I guess you could call it an occupational hazard."
This answer was both authentic and humorously grounded, instantly diffusing the awkwardness while creating a positive image of like-minded partners.
Kind laughter came from the audience.
[Kristen Stewart Favorability: +3, Current Favorability: 61]
[James Wan Favorability: +5, Current Favorability: 60]
Cassius turned to look at the director and found James Wan looking at him with admiration, seemingly surprised by how effortlessly he handled the media.
Cassius felt a secret thrill. This favorability farming is going great.
The last roadshow stop ended in San Francisco.
Declining the hotel arranged by the production company, the two decided to drive back to Los Angeles overnight.
Cassius got into the driver's seat. Kristen naturally opened the passenger door, sat in, and buckled up.
After going everywhere together for the past few days, this routine had become a habit.
Traffic on the interstate at night was sparse. Only streetlights flew past, casting flickering shadows inside the car.
Kristen leaned back in her seat, gazing at the blurry nightscape outside the window, not playing with her phone, seemingly just zoning out.
Cassius drove with focus. The car was quiet, save for the steady hum of the engine and the faint sound of the air conditioning.
He habitually glanced at the top of Kristen's head out of the corner of his eye.
[Favorability: 63]
Up another 2 points.
Cassius had no particular reaction and continued driving.
Right now, he had several scripts and roles in his email from Rob. While none were lead roles, they weren't the dispensable bit parts from before either.
Basically, they were all third or fourth male leads.
There were a few audition scripts among them that he was quite interested in and needed to study carefully.
However, this focus and calm from Cassius was interpreted differently in Kristen's eyes.
Kristen quietly turned her head, looking at Cassius's profile, which appeared exceptionally sharp in the dim light.
Cassius drove very steadily.
His hands rested relaxedly on the steering wheel, eyes on the road ahead, expression free of excess emotion. He wasn't like some men who were eager to show off their driving skills, nor did he force awkward conversation.
Kristen had been observing Cassius these past few days.
In front of the media, he was composed and appropriate, always skillfully defusing sharp questions and bringing the focus back to the film itself.
In private, he was humble and polite, maintaining basic respect for the crew, completely lacking the fickleness and arrogance common in those who suddenly find fame.
Especially under the same roof, he maintained perfect boundaries, strictly adhering to their verbal agreement and never making any untoward moves that would make her uncomfortable.
Among the men Kristen had encountered in the industry, he was practically a rare species.
Hollywood was filled with too many men running on excess testosterone or ulterior motives.
Cassius seemed to treat this genuinely as a job, and he did it professionally—perhaps a little too professionally.
Kristen had no idea that Cassius had been too busy farming attribute orbs to level up lately to pay any attention to her.
"Are you tired?"
Kristen suddenly spoke, breaking the silence. "You've been driving for a long time. Want me to take over for a bit?"
She knew the question was redundant. Although the drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles wasn't short, with Cassius's stamina, it was nothing.
She just suddenly wanted to talk to him.
Maybe after spending so long in the entertainment industry, she suddenly realized she didn't even have anyone to talk to.
Thinking about it that way, having Cassius around was actually pretty nice.
Kristen suddenly felt heat rising in her face.
With her carefree personality, this rarely happened.
"I'm okay. If you're tired, sleep for a while. I'll wake you when we arrive."
Cassius replied, his eyes still on the road.
Like this again!
Polite and considerate, but with a clear sense of boundaries.
Kristen hummed an "Mmhmm" in response, stopped talking, and looked out the window again.
But her internal monologue became even more active.
Is he actually interested in me, but holding back because of the agreement or some kind of Eastern reserve?
If he truly felt nothing for me, how could he act so naturally in front of the media?
How could he be the first to bail me out when I was being grilled?
And how could he rush to save someone without a second thought when the accident happened on set?
A series of "evidence" she concocted linked together in Kristen's mind, seeming more reasonable the more she thought about it.
For a man living under the same roof to maintain such gentlemanly conduct and professional attitude... aside from high personal integrity, could it also be because he's carefully protecting something more precious?
Like real feelings?
Is he just unable to express them directly because of this awkward contract situation?
[Kristen Stewart Favorability: +2, Current Favorability: 65]
Cassius had absolutely no idea what kind of convoluted self-persuasion the lady in the passenger seat was undergoing.
He noticed the [63] jump to [65] and felt it was a little strange, but didn't dwell on it.
A woman's heart is a needle in the sea!
"What are your plans after we get back to LA?"
Kristen found another topic.
Cassius answered, "I have a few auditions to look at, and a short film project by some USC students. I promised to go back for some reshoots."
"You're still doing student films?"
Kristen was somewhat surprised.
"I promised them before. Besides, collaborating with students can sometimes spark different ideas!"
Grounded and not flighty!
Didn't forget the people who helped him even after getting famous!
In her heart, Kristen silently gave Cassius another checkmark.
Silence descended in the car again.
This time, the atmosphere seemed subtly different.
Kristen no longer felt Cassius's silence was distant. Instead, she felt that sitting quietly beside him, watching the night slip by, was actually quite nice.
The car exited the freeway and entered a relatively secluded road leading to Beverly Hills.
The surroundings became quiet, streetlights spaced further apart, the lighting dim.
Kristen seemed a bit drowsy, leaning back and closing her eyes to rest.
Cassius maintained a steady speed, mentally calculating the details of the script he would look at tomorrow.
Just then!
Cassius's eyes narrowed slightly.
Through the rearview mirror, he noticed an old Chevrolet sedan without license plates. It had been following them at a constant distance ever since they got off the freeway.