Back home, it was already late at night.
Kristen wasn't asleep yet, curled up on the sofa reading a script.
"How was it? Did they give you a hard time on The Ellen Show?"
She put down the script and asked with a smile.
"Ellen's questions were quite sharp, almost asking me what color underwear I was wearing!"
Cassius loosened his collar and sat down next to her, feeling the day's tension slowly dissipate.
Kristen laughed at his words.
The two chatted for a while about funny things during the recording.
Midnight passed quietly.
[Today's Random Halo Attribute: Emotion]
[Emotion attribute temporarily boosted, lasts until 24:00 today]
Inside Warner Bros.' largest screening room.
Almost all executives who could decide the fate of the Green Lantern project were present, sitting in several rows.
Greg Silverman, Martin Campbell, and COO Richard sat in the center of the front row.
Cassius and Rob sat towards the back. Not far away were Ryan Reynolds and his team, also waiting for the verdict.
Ryan wore a casual suit today, trying hard to maintain his composure, but his tightly pursed lips and fingers occasionally tapping the armrest unconsciously revealed his nervousness.
Seeing Cassius, he managed a smile and nodded.
Cassius nodded back. He could clearly feel the anxiety and unease emanating from Ryan.
The [Emotion] halo made him abnormally sensitive to the emotional states of people around him.
"Gentlemen!"
Greg stood up, facing everyone, his voice steady: "After the team worked overtime, the test footage for both versions has been preliminarily completed. Due to limited time, special effects and compositing are rough, mainly to look at the overall concept, performance, and narrative potential."
"Let's watch Ryan Reynolds' version of the Green Lantern footage first!"
Lights dimmed, screen lit up.
The footage started with Hal Jordan showing off skills in a fighter jet, then being chosen, entering Oa for training, and finally battling Parallax—
The segment captured core plots, but due to compressed runtime, it felt like the fast-forward button was pressed.
The most fatal part was the special effects!
Under rushed work, the various weapons constructed by the Green Lantern ring, flight trajectories, and the fantastic landscape of Oa all exuded a cheap plastic feel. Edges were even a bit rough, and lighting rendering was not in place.
Parallax, that lump of yellowish energy, looked more like a glowing, indescribable sticky blob.
Cassius heard an executive nearby cough quietly, seemingly masking awkwardness.
Plot problems were further highlighted under the magnification of rough special effects.
Hal's transformation remained stiff, supporting characters were obviously tools, and the final battle had almost zero emotional impact besides flashing lights.
When the footage ended, the screening room fell silent.
No one spoke, only the faint sound of the air conditioning system operating.
Ryan Reynolds' own face had turned a bit pale.
He knew better than anyone how disastrous what they just saw was.
This wasn't just slightly lacking; this was practically a pile of visual garbage barely pieced together.
He could even imagine how social media would nail him and this thing to the pillar of shame for a carnival if this finished film was released.
Ryan felt Cassius appeared too timely!
Simply his great savior!
[Ryan Reynolds Favorability +10, Current Favorability 45]
Greg's voice broke the silence, emotion indistinguishable: "Five minutes break, then watch Cassius's version of the Green Lantern footage."
Lights on. Some people got up to go to the restroom or get coffee, whispering, mostly shaking their heads.
Ryan sat stiffly in place, eyes a bit blank.
Cassius could feel the entire room filled with disappointment.
The [Emotion] halo made him feel as if he was in an ocean of negative emotions.
Rob leaned over nervously, voice dry: "Situation doesn't seem good, Ryan's was too—"
"Watch ours!"
Cassius interrupted him, tone calm.
A firm emotional core operated within him, dispelling the negative impact from the surrounding environment!
He not only steadied himself but also invisibly influenced Rob standing next to him, calming this anxious male mother figure down a bit.
Five minutes passed quickly.
Lights dimmed again.
Title appeared on screen: Green Lantern: Rise of the Azure Dragon Test Footage.
Opening with a night view of San Francisco Chinatown, the camera swept past red lanterns and signs, carrying a life atmosphere completely different from Oa.
Coder Cassius walked out dragging his tired body after overtime, holding an unfinished sandwich.
When the robbery happened, Cassius's reaction fully displayed the real panic and hesitation of an ordinary person.
Extremely strong immersion!
Until energy lost control, manifesting not cool weapons, but a sky full of coins pouring down, knocking out the thugs with crackling sounds.
This scene fully displayed the ultimate fantasy of a modern corporate slave!
Someone in the originally depressed screening room started laughing.
Accompanied by the sound of many people exhaling lightly.
Although the exhaling sound wasn't loud, many people exhaling together still startled those around them!
Rob also breathed a sigh of relief.
His body finally began to relax, and he started immersing himself in the plot.
The coin rain also dumbfounded the protagonist Cassius in the footage.
Energy aftershocks washed him into the hot pot restaurant next door. Boiling soup base splashed all over him, wretched and funny.
No expensive special effects; the coin rain and energy ripples were even a bit crude.
Cassius's performance gave it a soul!
Next was the training conflict with female instructor Sierra.
The green screen background was fake, but Cassius getting beaten heavily by militarized combat skills, then trying to resist with metaphysical methods like "meditation" and "feeling the Qi," his clumsiness and stubbornness were full of laughs from East-West collision.
His body language and expressions vividly portrayed the insignificance and unwillingness of a small character in front of huge power.
Finally, the herbal shop scene.
No special effects, only simple lighting and Cassius's scene with the elderly actor.
When grandma said "When the heat is right, the flavor is naturally correct," the camera gave Cassius a close-up.
From confusion in Cassius's eyes to sudden realization after being awakened, and then gradually condensing firmness.
Performance layers were distinct, emotions accurately transmitted to the bottom of the audience's hearts.
Restrained yet powerful emotional infectiousness made the entire screening room quiet enough to hear breathing.
No need for flowery words or exaggerated movements; a warm and firm sense of power quietly reversed the disappointment and dull atmosphere brought by Ryan's version through the screen.
Footage ended.
Lights on.
This time, the silence was different from before.
Not awkwardness and disappointment, but aftertaste and contemplation after being shocked.
Seconds later, don't know who started clapping first, then applause gradually expanded, becoming enthusiastic.
Many executives showed excitement and discussion on their faces, whispering to each other.
"Wow!"
Director Martin was the first to speak.
He turned to Greg and Richard, eyes shining: "This is what I want! Character established! Core of the story grasped!"
Greg Silverman exhaled heavily, a smile of relief and extreme satisfaction on his face.
He looked at Richard, whose face was still not great but whose eyes were thoroughly shaken: "The answer is clear!"
Ryan sat in his seat, looking at Cassius's face with firm eyes frozen on the screen.
Feeling the almost one-sided positive emotions around him, the last bit of luck in his heart extinguished.
Ryan smiled bitterly and whispered to his agent beside him: "We lost! Lost convincingly!"
He stood up, adjusted his suit, and walked towards Cassius.
"Congratulations, Cassius!"
Ryan extended his hand, smile much more sincere this time: "You won without suspense. This role is yours. Honestly, I'm even looking forward to seeing it in the cinema!"
Cassius shook hands firmly with him, clearly feeling the relief and a trace of envy in Ryan's emotions.
"Thanks, Ryan. You gave me a lot of pressure too!"
"Pressure my ass!"
Ryan laughed self-deprecatingly: "I was hit by a dimensionality reduction strike!"
He patted Cassius's shoulder, turned and left the screening room, his back view quite dashing.
Rob was so excited he was almost incoherent, grabbing Cassius's arm: "Bro! Did you hear that? We won! Really won!"
"DC! Green Lantern! Lead! A-list production!"
"Fuck! We're taking off!"