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Cassius felt that his art of expression had been insulted.
The only real human he had seen in the past two days was Rob.
Facing this burly agent who worried like an old mother, Cassius really couldn't muster the interest to use the [Expression] halo to perform any complex inner drama.
[Today's Random Halo Attribute: Rhythm]
[Rhythm attribute temporarily boosted, lasts until 24:00 today]
Looking at the newly refreshed Rhythm halo, Cassius didn't actually hold much expectation in his heart.
"Is it speech rhythm, or walking rhythm? Surely it can't be disco dancing rhythm?"
The moment the halo took effect.
Cassius felt as if an invisible metronome had been added to the entire world.
The frequency of the air conditioner blowing air, the changing distance of car engine sounds occasionally passing outside the window, and even the intervals of his own heartbeat and breathing became clearly distinguishable.
Cassius sat up from the bed and tried moving a bit.
He reached out to grab the water cup on the bedside table.
The speed of his arm extending and the timing of his fingers closing naturally harmonized with his breathing. The movement was smooth without a trace of redundancy or lag, completely natural.
"Interesting!"
Cassius raised an eyebrow, got out of bed, and walked into the kitchen, preparing to make some breakfast.
Fried eggs.
Turn on the fire, pour oil, crack the egg into the pan.
Under the perception of the [Rhythm] halo, he seemed to be able to feel the "sizzle" of the hot oil contacting the egg liquid and the frequency of the stove temperature changes!
With a slight shake of his wrist, the pan tilted and returned to the upright position at just the right amplitude. The edges of the egg white curled up slightly, and the yolk tremblingly maintained a runny state.
The entire process flowed like moving clouds and flowing water; the heat control was precise as if possessed by a three-star Michelin chef.
"So frying eggs has a golden rhythm too!"
Looking at the perfect sunny-side-up egg on the plate, Cassius couldn't help but comment.
After breakfast, he decided to go to the gym for some exercise.
Usually, his workouts were very planned, but today, under the influence of the [Rhythm] halo, everything was different.
On the treadmill, his stride frequency and breathing automatically adjusted to the most energy-efficient state. His heart rate rose steadily, and he didn't feel the usual boredom and reluctance at all.
During strength training, every lift, release, muscle contraction, and relaxation strictly followed the rhythm that best fit the physiological force curve.
After finishing a set, what he felt was not simple fatigue, but a hearty sense of satisfaction.
"If this halo had come earlier, I might have passed the 800-meter physical test back then!"
Cassius thought while wiping his sweat.
Returning from the gym, he turned on his computer, preparing to continue communicating remotely with the screenwriting team about script revisions.
Today they were discussing a dialogue scene before the final battle in the third act. It was the last deep conversation between the protagonist Cassius and Lindsey before the crisis, and the foreshadowing of emotions and information was crucial.
When a screenwriter proposed a revision plan via voice conference and read a section of newly written lines, Cassius frowned almost subconsciously.
"Wait!"
He interrupted the other party. "The emotional transition here is too rushed. The protagonist just returned from Oa frustrated; he should be carrying exhaustion and self-doubt. Lindsey's questioning should pierce his defenses bit by bit, not bombard him like a rapid-fire cannon like it is now!"
"If the rhythm of the dialogue is wrong, the emotion can't pile up, and his outburst later will seem abrupt!"
He quickly marked several nodes in the document: "After Lindsey says 'Do you really believe those aliens', leave at least two seconds of silence here!"
"When the protagonist answers, the first half can be slightly faster, like he's anxious to defend himself, but when he says 'But I'm more afraid—' here, he must pause, slow down the rhythm, and let the character's fear be fully expressed!"
The screenwriter's side was quiet for a few seconds, then came an excited voice: "Cass! You're right! God, that's exactly the feeling! I always felt something was missing here before; turns out it was a rhythm issue! I'll adjust it according to what you said right away!"
The subsequent discussion was incredibly efficient.
Cassius offered extremely precise opinions on the transition of every scene in the script, the pause intervals between lines, and the timing points for emotional accumulation and release.
He could keenly capture where a dragging rhythm would make the audience lose focus, where a too-fast rhythm would lose emotional depth, and where a sudden change in speed was needed to create dramatic tension.
The meeting originally planned for two hours was completed efficiently in just over an hour!
The screenwriting team gained a lot and was amazed by Cassius.
After hanging up, Cassius was a bit surprised himself.
The application of the [Rhythm] halo in script creation and performance design was unexpectedly so powerful and practical.
This wasn't just about speaking fast or slow, but a comprehensive control of the entire narrative flow, emotional flow, and time flow.
In the afternoon, Rob came over as usual to report work and mooch coffee.
He blabbered about the progress of contract negotiations with Keira Knightley's team, the confirmation of Gina Carano's schedule, and the pre-production schedule preliminarily set by Warner—
Cassius listened while unconsciously tapping the table lightly with his finger.
Under the perception of the [Rhythm] halo, Rob's speaking speed, the vocabulary he emphasized, and even his slightly accelerated breathing due to excitement all constituted a unique Rob reporting rhythm.
When Rob talked about a complex issue regarding insurance clauses, his speaking speed slowed down unconsciously.
Cassius could almost foresee that he was about to get bogged down.
"Rob!"
Cassius spoke at the right time, his voice steady, inserting perfectly into the gap where Rob took a breath. "Leave the wording of that insurance clause to professional lawyers. You just need to tell me what the other party's core objection is and what our bottom line is!"
"Don't waste energy on other details at this stage!"
His interruption and guidance were timed precisely but didn't seem rude, directly cutting off the entanglement Rob was about to start and pulling the topic back to the decision-making level.
Rob was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Right! You're right! The core is—"
He quickly extracted the key points, and the report became clear and efficient again.
"You seem particularly good at grasping the main points today!"
After finishing the report, Rob drank coffee and looked at Cassius suspiciously. "You can catch the point immediately whatever I say. Just when I was about to go off track, you pulled me back. Meetings with you feel super efficient!"
Cassius smiled and didn't explain about the halo, only saying, "Maybe I'm in good condition today!"
Seeing Rob off, Cassius stood on the balcony, looking at the Los Angeles sky gradually dyed with twilight.
He suddenly realized that [Rhythm] might be the halo with the widest range of application and the most subtle influence among all halos.
It exists in every breath, every step, every conversation, every story, and even every heartbeat and decision.
Mastering rhythm, to some extent, is mastering the key to making everything run efficiently.
Acting needs rhythm, narrative needs rhythm, getting along with people needs rhythm, and even life itself needs rhythm.
The Rhythm halo is truly great value!