Cassius wasn't made of stone!
Of course he noticed how increasingly casual Kristen's attire had become lately.
That old T-shirt with a neckline so wide it offered a generous view below her collarbones.
Those smooth, bare legs swaying back and forth in front of him.
The curves inadvertently revealed when she occasionally bent over...
He was a healthy young man. To say he felt absolutely nothing would be a lie.
When his guard was down, seeing Kristen so completely relaxed in her own territory—radiating a kind of lazy, seductive allure—certain primal male instincts inevitably bubbled up.
She was a top Hollywood star.
Young and beautiful.
It was a scenario countless men dreamed of.
But just as those romantic thoughts were about to take root, the System Interface suddenly popped up, blocking his view:
Dialogue: Lv1 (12/100)
Body Language: Lv1 (89/100)
Expression: Lv1 (33/100)
Gaze: Lv1 (8/100)
Emotion: Lv1 (47/100)
Rhythm: Lv0 (99/100)
Aura: Lv1 (25/100)
...
His "Rhythm" stat was about to level up!
Cassius had already experienced the transformative boost from leveling up Emotion, Body Language, Expression, and Aura.
He wondered what kind of change would happen when all his attributes reached Level 1.
Would the panel unlock new features?
"Women will only slow down my speed at collecting attribute orbs!"
Cassius told himself fiercely in his heart.
He forcibly tore his eyes away from Kristen's overly breezy outfit and focused on the experience bar in his mind that was about to max out.
Kristen had just finished showering. Wrapped only in a bath towel, her hair still wet, she walked out.
She seemed to pause for a second when she saw Cassius sitting in the living room reading a script.
But she didn't retreat to her room. Instead, she walked naturally to the kitchen to get some water.
The hem of the towel barely covered the tops of her thighs, teasing glimpses of skin with every step.
Cassius felt his blood flow instantly speed up, his throat going a little dry.
He forced himself to stare at the words on the script.
Taking a deep breath, Cassius summoned all his concentration to analyze the rhythm of a complex line of dialogue, trying to extract an absorbable [Rhythm] attribute from it.
Extreme focus allowed him to temporarily block out the visual impact.
Suddenly!
A gray orb dropped beside him!
[Rhythm Attribute — Focus +1]
Perfect timing!
Cassius absorbed it immediately!
The experience bar for [Rhythm] creeped forward one tiny notch.
(99/100) became (100/100)!
Rhythm: Lv1 (0/100)!
Done!
The moment the final attribute, [Rhythm], broke through to Lv1, Cassius felt as if an invisible barrier inside him had shattered.
A stream of energy, far purer than any single upgrade before, swept through his entire body. It washed over his limbs and bones, even touching a deeper level of his consciousness.
Euphoria!
Cassius's body couldn't help but shudder!
He felt his five senses sharpen, and his control over his body reached a new height.
More importantly, the attribute panel in his mind underwent a drastic change.
All the "Lv0" indicators vanished, replaced by a uniform row of "Lv1".
And at the very bottom of this refreshed panel, a line of shimmering golden text slowly emerged:
[Special Skill Unlocked: Favorability Vision]
Effect: Allows you to visually view the current base favorability score of others toward you (Range: -100 to +100).
Cooldown: None.
Note: Favorability only reflects the target's basic attitude and inclination. It is influenced by multiple factors. Please interpret with caution.
...
Cassius was stunned.
Favorability Vision?
Why did the genre suddenly jump from a hardcore acting simulator to a dating sim?!
He subconsciously looked up, scanning his surroundings.
The world didn't look any different.
But when he focused his attention on Kristen, who was walking out of her room...
A semi-transparent tag floated above her head:
[Kristen Stewart — Favorability: 35 (Neutral - Friendly)]
35?
Cassius mulled it over.
That score was higher than he expected.
It seemed that playing the role of the "contract boyfriend" lately had improved their relationship.
Kristen noticed that Cassius had been looking at her with a burning intensity, only to suddenly shudder and instantly regain his composure.
Cassius isn't just gay, he has zero stamina too!
Kristen looked at Cassius with a strange expression.
She frowned, but out of concern for him, she spoke up.
"Are you okay? I actually know quite a few people... if you have time..."
"I'm fine!"
Cassius brushed it off casually. "Just thinking about the script. I zoned out!"
Kristen didn't want to be too blunt, so she just said "Oh" and went to the kitchen.
She thought she should find a chance to have her assistant take Cassius to see a doctor later.
After all, they were going to be living together for a while.
If something was physically wrong with Cassius, who knew what kind of shocking scandal the media would dig up!
Cassius, naturally, had no idea about Kristen's internal monologue.
He was thinking about the practical uses of his new skill.
In the complex, fame-chasing arena of Hollywood, being able to see exactly how much someone liked you was practically a god-tier artifact!
However, it only reflected a "basic attitude."
Maybe a producer's favorability is 60 today, but if you screw something up tomorrow, it drops straight to -20.
Still, it provided an incredibly valuable data reference.
He couldn't wait to test it out.
He took out his phone, found Rob's number, and dialed.
The call connected, and Rob's loud voice boomed through.
"Hey, Gossip Girl! Getting used to life in the Hills? Kristen hasn't eaten you alive yet, has she?"
Cassius exchanged a few pleasantries, then focused his mind on sensing Rob on the other end of the line.
[Rob, Assistant Director — Favorability: 68 (Trusted Partner)]
It works!
It seemed he didn't need to be face-to-face; he could sense it just by focusing on them in his mind!
68!
Trusted Partner!
Cassius felt a warmth in his heart.
Even though Rob was always cracking jokes, he was genuinely helping him.
"It's alright. The paparazzi haven't breached security yet. Any news on your end?" Cassius asked.
"I was just about to tell you!"
Rob's tone grew excited.
"The rough cut of Dark Currents is out. The distributors who've seen it are giving great feedback! Especially your fight scenes!"
"Thanks to your official girlfriend, a lot of projects know your name now. I've got a few audition invites. I'll email them to you later!"
[Rob's Favorability: +1]
It seemed that bringing good news could also slightly increase favorability.
Cassius noted this discovery.
After hanging up, he tried sensing Lee Su-yeon.
[Lee Su-yeon — Favorability: 55 (Close Friend)]
Makes sense!
That girl might be a gossip, but she had a good heart.
He even tried sensing Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron, whom he had only met a few times on set.
[Chris Hemsworth — Favorability: 25 (Slightly Familiar Colleague)]
[Charlize Theron — Favorability: 18 (Peer Known by Name)]
Both very low!
But that was expected.
After all, they hadn't had any deep interactions.
This new skill was too useful!
Cassius felt like he was playing a strategy game with the "fog of war" lifted. Although he couldn't directly control the units, the informational advantage was massive.
He glanced at Kristen drinking water in the kitchen. The number [35] hovered steadily above her head.