"Sorry, I think I also have plans that day," Mike declined.
Although he didn't have concrete plans for Halloween yet, with Cady and the other girls around, he knew he wouldn't be idle that day.
"Please, Mike. On Halloween, the church's activities only last until midnight. After that, you'll have plenty of personal time," Mary still didn't want to let go of Mike, her "trump card."
Compared to the others in the family, Mike's importance to Mary's activity was significantly higher.
Who told him he was a "face genius"?
Looking at Mary's expectant expression, Mike thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll go back and think about it, and then I'll give you an answer."
Mike actually wanted to discuss it with Cady and the other girls first, to see if they could arrange their activities for after midnight.
After all, Christmas had an entire night.
Seeing Mike relent, Mary didn't push too hard. She smiled and said, "I'll wait for your good news."
Afterward, Mary's plan for the church's Christmas activities was basically finalized. So, everyone began to enjoy dinner.
It was then that Missy raised her small hand and said discontentedly, "Mom, you haven't asked for my opinion yet?"
Indeed, the little girl had been overlooked during the discussion.
Mary looked at her youngest daughter amusedly, then asked ingratiatingly, "So, Missy. Are you willing to help Mommy?"
"Of course!" Missy, feeling sufficiently important, said contentedly, "I can dress up as a little angel and follow Mike."
The little girl's straightforward remark caused a burst of good-natured laughter.
After dinner, Mike called Cady and the others to discuss how to spend Halloween.
Unexpectedly, the girls from The Plastics seemed to have already made plans. They told Mike to meet at Karen's house later on Halloween for a surprise.
As for what the surprise was, no matter how Mike asked, the girls from The Plastics refused to reveal a single detail.
Surprise?
Mike, unable to guess what the girls from The Plastics were thinking, shook his head and then called Lina.
According to Lina, she needed to spend Halloween with her parents.
Counting it this way, Mike's time on Halloween could be staggered perfectly. He could help out at the House of Angels first, and then go to Karen's house for the surprise.
The next day, when Mike told Mary he agreed to help, he was immediately pulled to the church by her.
The church had a very large space that could be used for Halloween activities. And because of previous years' activities, there was already a very large House of Hell here, and outside of it was a large exhibition hall that could be used for church fundraising.
So now, Mary only needed to change the name of the House of Hell and then build a House of Angels next to it, and her plan would be complete.
Mike's work today was mainly to take his measurements, and then have someone specially design an exclusive angel costume for him.
Yes, Mary, who already regarded Mike as her "trump card," placed great importance on this step.
Moreover, the expenses for this event would all be reimbursed by the church, so Mary had no major burden in carrying out her plans.
Just as Mike had finished his measurements and Mary was discussing costume design with the designer, Mr. Lundy came over.
"Mary, I don't think 'The House of the Possessed' sounds as good as 'House of Hell.' I strongly demand that the name there be changed back," Mr. Lundy was clearly someone with artistic aspirations.
And relatively speaking, the old name was indeed more intuitive and appealing.
"No, I am the chief planner of this event, and I am responsible for it…" Mary said firmly, giving off an air that she would replace anyone who couldn't handle it.
"Alright, you're the boss." Mr. Lundy surrendered. But soon, he excitedly added, "I plan to divide the activities there into seven units, following the pattern of the Seven Deadly Sins…"
The Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust.
It must be said that Mr. Lundy was indeed worthy of being an artist; his mind was just brilliant.
In his plan, the most realistic scenes of the Seven Deadly Sins would be used to allow visitors to personally experience the horror of these sins.
"Your idea is very good…" After listening to his overall plan, Mary was convinced. However, she still suggested in the end, "Actually, the scenes don't need to be so realistic."
The Seven Deadly Sins sounded terrifying, and if they were too realistic, Mary was afraid they would scare the children again.
"Why?" Mr. Lundy, who had strong artistic pursuits, did not understand Mary's idea at all.
"Let me put it this way…" Mary explained, "I heard that in previous Halloween events, some participating ladies became pregnant from performing lust. So, I don't want this to happen in an event I organize."
Hearing such explosive news, Mr. Lundy was also greatly surprised. Then, he said, "Alright, your reason has convinced me. I will make sure this year's actors are a bit more restrained."
After making his promise, Mr. Lundy was about to leave when he suddenly saw the handsome Mike nearby.
As the drama club's instructor at school, Mr. Lundy also knew Mike, a popular figure in the school. So, he enthusiastically invited, "Mike, are you interested in participating in the performance over there? I have a role that is very suitable for you."
From his demeanor, it was very likely he wanted Mike to perform lust there.
With Mike's face, he would only need a little performance to definitely ignite the ladies' imaginations.
Here, before Mike could refuse, Mary spoke first, "Mr. Lundy, don't even think about it. Mike is the person I specially invited to play the angel."
"That's a shame..." Mr. Lundy looked disappointed. Then he added, "However, him playing an angel is indeed quite suitable. How about I design a few movements for him…"
This time, Mike and Mary did not refuse his kind offer.
And Mr. Lundy was indeed worthy of being a drama club teacher; he comprehensively explained the cultivation needed by an actor to Mike, from expressions and demeanor to body movements.
[Acting + 66]… [Acting + 55]…
Mike crushed the skill light clusters he picked up from Mr. Lundy. This made him look at the drama club teacher, who didn't look particularly impressive, with newfound respect.
The other party was indeed a capable person. Mike had to admit, the last time he picked up so many skill light clusters was from a Chameleon Alien.
Coincidentally, Mike also gained a lot of performance experience that time.
As a result, his performance skill had now reached the mid-second level, a standard suitable for stage performance.
On the other side, Mr. Lundy was also surprised by Mike's performance talent. His eyes burning, he asked, "Mike, have you studied performance before?"
"No, but I've looked into it a bit…" Mike casually made an excuse.
"It's okay if you haven't, it's not too late now." Mr. Lundy looked at him like an unpolished gem and invited again, "Are you willing to join my drama club at school? Trust me, with just a little effort, you will definitely become a great performance artist."
Drama performance?
This couldn't help but remind Mike of Mr. Lundy's cringeworthy performance on the drama stage last time.
Moreover, even without that experience, Mike had little interest in specifically studying performance. So, he refused, "Thank you for your invitation, Mr. Lundy. However, I haven't thought about specializing in performance."
"Alas, what a pity." Seeing the unpolished gem before him, yet unable to sculpt it, Mr. Lundy couldn't help but sigh heavily.
The last time he felt such regret was when Sheldon left the drama club.