A conference room in a hotel near the Snow White and the Huntsman set had been temporarily converted into a press conference venue.
The room was packed with reporters from major media outlets, their cameras and microphones at the ready.
The focus, naturally, was last night's armed robbery, as well as Kristen and Cassius, who were at the center of the storm.
A police spokesperson first gave a brief briefing on the case.
Confirming one suspect dead and one injured, preliminary investigations supported Cassius's claim of self-defense.
It was time for Kristen and Cassius to take questions.
The initial questions were relatively restrained.
Revolving around the level of shock, their feelings afterward, and their views on the police handling of the situation.
Following the outline prepared by Emma, Kristen answered gracefully, thanking everyone for their concern and emphasizing her fear, but expressing even more gratitude for Cassius and his calm response.
Cassius was concise, attributing the credit to instinct and luck, avoiding over-dramatizing personal heroism.
However, there's always someone looking to make big news.
A male reporter from an online media outlet known for its caustic tone and manufacturing controversy got the microphone.
As soon as he opened his mouth, Kristen and Cassius felt the full force of his malice.
"Miss Stewart, Mr. Cass, first of all, I'm glad you're both safe. But we've noticed that regarding your relationship, another voice has always existed."
He paused deliberately to build suspense.
"Quite a number of people believe that your romantic relationship is still an elaborately planned PR performance to cover up Miss Stewart's true sexual orientation."
"Did last night's incident just happen to provide more realistic material for this performance?"
"How do you respond to these accusations of 'bearding'?"
The venue instantly went quiet. All lenses were trained on the couple on stage, capturing every shift in their expressions.
Emma, sitting nearby, felt her heart tighten, but then she thought of the scene this morning and breathed a sigh of relief.
What a coincidence!
If he had asked this yesterday or the day before, Cassius might have had to rely on acting to bluff his way through, inevitably feeling a bit guilty.
But after last night's late-night noodle talk and this morning's... "in-depth exchange," this question was basically begging for a slap in the face.
A trace of a smile flashed across Kristen's face. She didn't answer immediately but turned her head to look at Cassius beside her.
Cassius happened to look at her at the same time. Their eyes met—unrehearsed, yet full of tacit understanding.
Cassius's eyes asked: "You want this, or should I take it?"
Kristen signaled with her eyes: "Together!"
This small interaction was accurately captured by the cameras, looking too natural to be acting.
Kristen turned back to face the reporter.
Instead of getting angry, she wore an expression of helplessness mixed with amusement.
Kristen shook her head.
"Wow..."
She picked up the microphone, her tone relaxed and teasing.
"Seriously, people still believe that?"
"After what we went through last night, nearly losing our lives, sitting here now, you're telling me this is still a performance?"
She leaned sideways and very naturally placed her hand over Cassius's hand on the table, gripping it tightly.
"Look at this man who didn't hesitate to rush a gun to protect me!"
"Tell me, what kind of contract can buy a boyfriend like this?"
Cassius felt the warmth of her palm and her firm grip. He turned his hand over to hold hers, interlacing his fingers with hers tightly.
The movement was fluid and intimate.
Taking over the conversation, he looked at the reporter who asked the question. His tone was calm but carried an undeniable power.
"Sir, I don't know what you've been through to harbor such doubt about the most basic emotions and trust between people."
Cassius paused, raising their tightly clasped hands to show all the cameras.
"Do you think any acting could produce this kind of... heat?"
The word carried a double entendre, yet stayed perfectly within bounds.
It instantly drew a round of ambiguous chuckles and whistles from the other reporters.
Kristen felt a little shy, a blush rising on her cheeks. She bumped Cassius's shoulder gently, feigning annoyance.
Their series of interactions showed zero trace of performance.
The unique intimacy between lovers practically spilled out through the screen.
The male reporter who asked the question, watching the couple radiating pink bubbles on stage and the looks of amusement from his peers, turned red then pale.
The follow-up difficult questions he had prepared were all stuck in his throat; he couldn't get a single word out.
For the subsequent questions, the wind changed completely.
Reporters started asking about their future plans, Cassius's development after the success of Insidious, and someone even jokingly asked if they would consider collaborating on an action-romance movie.
The press conference ended in an unexpectedly harmonious atmosphere.
When Cassius and Kristen left the stage hand in hand, Emma let out a long sigh of relief backstage.
Then she couldn't help but smile victoriously at her tablet.
Not only was the crisis averted, but they also gained fans from it!
Back in the car, Kristen immediately dropped Cassius's hand and reverted to her cool demeanor, though her ears were still a bit red.
"What nonsense were you spouting on stage about 'heat'!"
Cassius buckled his seatbelt, looking innocent.
"Just stating facts. How else to prove we're not a contract couple?"
He paused, then added, "Besides, didn't it work pretty well?"
Kristen glared at him but didn't retort. She turned her head to look out the window, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help curving upward.
[Extremely satisfied and moved by the public defense, tacit cooperation, and direct counterattack.]
[Kristen Favorability +3, Current Favorability: 94]
Cassius looked at the favorability score nearing the 95 mark and silently gave a thumbs-up to that brave male reporter in his heart.
Thanks, bro. That was a god-tier assist!
...
Filming for Snow White and the Huntsman officially wrapped.
The wrap party was held in the banquet hall of a high-end hotel in Burbank.
Lights blazed, champagne flowed, and the air was filled with the joy of a successful conclusion and a hint of relief.
As the official boyfriend of the lead actress, Cassius was naturally on the invite list and attended with Kristen.
As soon as he entered the banquet hall.
Cassius felt his attribute radar go off like he'd walked into a high-end buffet.
It was about to overload!
Looking around, walking attribute orb generators were everywhere!
Not only was the entire main cast and crew present, but many big-shot entertainers, producers, and directors who had heard the news also showed up. It was practically a mini vanity fair.
Kristen was quickly surrounded by Director Rupert and several producers for small talk.
Happy to be free, Cassius grabbed a glass of champagne, found an inconspicuous spot with a great view, and started his suction mode.
His gaze first locked onto the tall figure of Chris Hemsworth, who was laughing and chatting with a few models.
Chris was clearly in a great mood, radiating sunshine and hormones with every move.
When he made an exaggerated, funny gesture to show off his biceps, a purple orb dropped:
[Aura Attribute — Star Charisma +5]!
Purple! Rare!
Cassius's heart skipped a beat, and he absorbed it immediately.
An understanding of how to naturally radiate affinity and a powerful presence flooded into his body.