The recording was halfway through.
He Jiong glanced at his cue card and grinned. "Next up is our most popular segment—You Guess, I Guess, Everyone Guesses! This game tests how well the teams really know each other and how in sync they are."
The rules were simple.
The five guests and five hosts split into two teams. Each round, one person from a team wrote an answer on a small whiteboard based on the question on the big screen. The other team's corresponding player had to guess what was written. Correct guess = one point. Wrong or timeout = the other team scores.
"Today we're doing a special Hollywood edition!" Xie Na added. "All the questions are about movies and actors!"
First round: Hollywood team sent Cassius, Happy Family sent He Jiong.
The screen lit up: "Among the female actresses Cassius has worked with in Hollywood, who has the best alcohol tolerance?"
The audience burst out laughing. The question was clearly a trap planted by the writers.
Cassius took the whiteboard marker, wrote two characters without hesitation, and flipped the board facedown so no one could peek.
He Jiong rubbed his chin, thinking out loud. "Female co-stars… Kristen Stewart? Dakota Fanning? Kat Dennings? Or Jennifer from The Hunger Games?"
Every name he said got a bigger reaction from the crowd—each one carried its own gossip baggage.
Cassius kept a straight face, but inside he was cursing the writers. They'd definitely seen those drunk photos from his past.
"I'm guessing Jennifer Lawrence," He Jiong finally decided. "She looks like she can hold her liquor."
He wrote it down.
Cassius shook his head.
"Then… Kat Dennings?"
He erased and rewrote.
Cassius shook his head again.
Ten seconds left.
He Jiong went for it. "Kristen Stewart?"
Cassius smiled and flipped his board.
It read: "Me."
The studio went dead silent for half a second, then exploded with laughter.
"What? Yourself?" Li Weijia slapped his thigh. "The question said female actresses!"
"Exactly," Cassius said innocently. "But it didn't say the answer had to be a female actress. Objectively speaking, my tolerance is better than all of theirs."
(In reality he was dying inside—his alcohol tolerance was famously terrible. But almost all his drunk stories had happened overseas, so he was safe.)
"You're exploiting the loophole!" Xie Na pointed at him, laughing.
"Call it smart use of the rules." Cassius shrugged.
He Jiong threw in the towel. "Fine, you win this round."
The audience clapped. Cassius's fans were especially loud—they loved this clever, slightly cheeky side of him. It was such a fun contrast to the intense characters he played on screen.
Plus, he was the kind of idol who bought fans phones, treated them to milk tea, and sent them home safely. Hard not to love that.
A few more rounds went by, score staying tight.
Then came the highlight: the "Pair Chemistry Challenge."
Rules upgraded—each team sent out a duo. Both wrote their answers at the same time, then revealed to see if they matched.
Hollywood team: Vin and Paul went first.
Question: "During Fast & Furious 5 filming, who sang the most on set?"
Vin wrote "Paul." Paul wrote "Me." Perfect match. Point.
Happy Family sent Xie Na and Li Weijia. They matched too.
The energy kept rising.
Now it was Cassius's turn.
Originally he was supposed to pair with Gal.
But He Jiong suddenly suggested, "Cassius, how about we make it more interesting? Pair up with our segment producer Shen Man for one round. She handled your outdoor shoot, so she should know your team pretty well."
The audience immediately started whooping.
They were way more excited to see Cassius paired with a local than with another Hollywood star.
Cassius glanced toward the side of the stage. Shen Man clearly hadn't expected this—she looked startled.
"How about it, Producer Shen? Want to come up and play one round?" He Jiong waved her over.
Shen Man glanced at the floor director, who gave her a quick "go for it" nod. The live energy was perfect—this last-minute addition was going to pop.
She took a deep breath and walked onto the stage.
The spotlight hit her. She was more nervous than she'd been backstage.
"Don't worry," Cassius whispered . "Just like doing a group project back in school."
Shen Man nodded and took the small whiteboard from the staff.
The big screen lit up: "What is Cassius's favorite restaurant in Los Angeles?"
Tricky question. It tested how well Shen Man actually knew him—and how much chemistry they still had as old classmates.
Cassius picked up his marker and started writing almost immediately.
Shen Man paused. She didn't know his current favorite spot. All she remembered was the cheap Sichuan place near campus they used to go to three years ago.
The countdown started: 10… 9… 8…
Both stopped writing and flipped their boards facedown.
"Alright, reveal your answers!" He Jiong pointed at Shen Man first. "Producer Shen, what did you write?"
Shen Man turned her board: "Jin Sichuan."
"And Cassius?"
Cassius flipped his: "Jin Sichuan."
The studio went quiet for a beat, then erupted.
"They wrote the exact same thing!" Wu Xin's eyes widened. "Even the handwriting style matches!"
Du Haitao leaned in. "Look—the character for 'Jin' is written the same way, with that little connected stroke."
He Jiong caught the key detail. "Wait, Producer Shen—how did you know Cassius's favorite restaurant in L.A.? That's supposed to be his go-to spot, right?"
Shen Man opened her mouth, but Cassius jumped in smoothly. "Because that place is right next to our school."
His tone was completely natural. "I went there all the time when I was a student—cheap, huge portions, real Sichuan food. The boss makes killer boiled fish. Shen Man and I were classmates at USC, so of course she knows."
The audience lost it.
"You two are classmates?!"
Xie Na zeroed in on the word.
"Yeah, directing department," Cassius nodded. "She was the real deal. I kind of snuck in through acting. But we haven't seen each other much since I went to Hollywood and she came back to work."
He Jiong, even though he knew it was a show, still turned to Shen Man in genuine surprise. "So you really are old classmates? You never mentioned that before!"
Shen Man had no choice but to own it. "We are. But Cassius went to Hollywood and blew up, I came back home. We hadn't been in touch for years. Running into him backstage today was a total shock for me too."
"This is fate!" Li Weijia summed it up. "So Producer Shen is our secret connection!"
The audience roared with laughter.
Cassius's fans were especially thrilled. A famous idol reuniting with an old classmate on TV? Pure gold.
The game kept rolling.
Second question: "What is Cassius's favorite sport?"
Both wrote "basketball" at the same time. Match.
Third question: "What was Cassius's first proper film role?"
Shen Man hesitated—she wasn't 100% sure. His breakthrough was Fandral in Thor, but that probably wasn't the very first.
At the last second she wrote what she remembered from the early news: "Undercover."
Cassius wrote the same.
When they revealed it, Cassius explained, "I did some extras before, but Undercover was my first role with an actual name."
"Another match!" Du Haitao shouted. "Their chemistry is insane!"
Fifth and final question: "Who is Cassius's idol?"
This one felt personal.
Shen Man remembered him saying in college that he admired Robert De Niro—because the man could play anyone and make every character feel completely real.
She wrote: "Robert De Niro."
Cassius finished writing too.
"Reveal!" He Jiong's voice rose.
Both flipped their boards.
Shen Man: "Robert De Niro."
Cassius: "Jackie Chan."
The studio went quiet for a second. Then Cassius laughed first. "Ah, we might've crossed wires on this one."
Shen Man's eyes flickered, but she smiled. "I wrote what you said back in college."
"Yeah, it was De Niro back then," Cassius explained. "But after I started doing action films, Jackie Chan's movies had a huge impact on me. The way he mixes comedy and action, and how he always does his own stunts—I admire that even more now."
He Jiong wrapped it up perfectly. "So both answers are right! One is the idol from the past, one is the idol of the present!"
Four out of five perfect matches. The chemistry was off the charts.
The audience clapped until their hands hurt. Cassius's fans especially—they'd just seen a brand-new, more personal side of their idol.
Before Shen Man stepped off stage, He Jiong asked her, "Producer Shen, as Cassius's old classmate, how much do you think he's changed?"
Shen Man thought for a second and answered honestly. "His acting has grown tremendously—I can see the improvement in every role. But his personality is still the same: sharp, clever, and incredibly loyal to his friends."
Cassius jumped in beside her. "That's a fair assessment."
The whole studio laughed again.
The game segment wrapped and the recording moved into its final stretch.
He Jiong gave the closing thanks to the Fast & Furious 5 team and the audience.
When the taping officially ended and the crowd started filing out, the backstage control room stayed lit.
A man in a dress shirt and slacks stared at the monitors, deep in thought.
He was one of Hunan TV's vice presidents and had come specifically to watch this key episode's recording.
"That female producer—Shen Man?" he asked the program director beside him.
"Yes. Shen Man, USC directing grad, been with the station three months. Works in variety now. Excellent English, diligent, and her quick thinking today was impressive."
"She and Cassius really are classmates?"
"Looks like it. I checked backstage—they really did go to USC together. Cassius even went back to campus with Spielberg recently for an event."
The vice president nodded slowly. "Keep that relationship warm. Cassius is the hottest actor in Hollywood right now. He'll definitely keep coming back for co-productions. Having Shen Man as our bridge will make things much smoother."
He paused. "Give her a bit more responsibility. Let her take a bigger role in the upcoming recordings."
"Understood!"
Backstage, Shen Man was organizing props.
She had no idea about the leadership conversation, but she could feel her colleagues looking at her differently—more curious, more friendly than before.
Cassius walked over and handed her a bottle of water. "You did great today. Handled the surprise pairing like a pro."
"You made it easy," Shen Man said, twisting the cap open. "I was worried you'd write something completely different for the restaurant question."
"Nah, that place means something to me," Cassius said, leaning against the wall. "The day I got my first role with actual lines, you and I went there and split a boiled-fish dinner. I still remember it."
Shen Man nodded, quiet.
"Oh, right!" Cassius remembered something. "You mentioned wanting to create your own variety show. Got any solid ideas yet?"
"I have a rough outline, but it's not ready."
"If you need help, hit me up anytime. I've done a ton of variety shows and seen the full production process from the back end. I'll have Rob send you everything."
Cassius checked the time. "I've got a flight to catch soon. Next stop on the promo tour. Not sure when I'll be back ."
"Safe travels," Shen Man said.
Cassius turned to go, then looked back. "Shen Man."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for saying those nice things about me on stage today."
Shen Man smiled. "I just told the truth."
Cassius grinned, gave her a wave, and left with the rest of the cast.
Shen Man watched his back disappear around the corner, then looked down at the prop list in her hands and up at the dusty warehouse full of old gear.
Her phone buzzed. It was Sister Wang: "Xiao Shen, come to my office tomorrow at 9 a.m. Let's talk about that variety show proposal you mentioned earlier."
Shen Man stared at the message, remembering how the station VP had nodded and smiled at her earlier.
She suddenly realized today's recording might have been more than just another day on the job.
Outside, the Changsha night sky was dark, but the lights of the TV building glowed bright against it.
Shen Man packed her things and headed toward the bus stop.
The late-spring breeze carried the familiar damp scent of the Xiang River.
She pulled out her phone and sent Cassius a quick WeChat: "Thank you for today. Keep killing it!"
A few minutes later he replied: "You too. When your show is ready, I'll be your first guest!"
He added a fist-bump emoji.
Shen Man smiled at the message, tucked her phone away, and kept walking.
Changsha to Seoul flight.
Cassius sat by the window, eyes closed like he was resting.
In reality he was checking his system panel.
This month of global promo—constant flights, constant appearances—he'd been absorbing attribute orbs nonstop.
It had basically become instinct now. The second an orb dropped, it was his.
He was getting close to being able to snatch them before they even hit the ground.
He opened the panel and his eyes widened.
[Acting Realm]
Level: Standout Performer
Progress: 87%
[Skill List]
Practical Action Performance Essence (Gold): 72%
Street Vehicle Offense & Defense Instinct (Purple): 68%
"87% already?!"
It was rising faster than he'd expected.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
Every single day of this tour he'd been under massive exposure—interviews, events, fan interactions, variety show recordings.
Every moment was performance.
And the orbs kept dropping—mostly purple now, with the occasional gold.
Before this tour, gold orbs had been rare. Now they were showing up regularly.
At this rate, he might actually level up again before the tour ended.
A small smile crept across Cassius's face.
The panel hadn't upgraded in a long time.
"Cass, what are you smiling about?" Paul turned from the next seat. "You looked like you were asleep."
Cassius opened his eyes. "Just thinking about the next stop in Korea. Heard the fans there are pretty intense."
"How intense can they be?" Tyrese leaned over from the aisle. "Bigger than the eight-thousand-person crowd ?"
"Different kind of intense," Cassius said, remembering everything he knew from his past life about Korean fandom culture. "fans are passionate but organized. Korean fans are like one giant, super-coordinated army."
Four hours later, Incheon International Airport.
The plane hadn't even landed when the crew came through with a warning: "Attention passengers, we've been informed there is a very large crowd of fans waiting at arrivals. VIP passengers, please prepare yourselves."
Cassius looked out the window. Even from the tarmac he could see the dense sea of people holding banners and light sticks.
"Whoa…" Vin leaned over to look. "That is definitely a lot."
The second the cabin door opened, the Korean handlers boarded, faces serious. "Everyone, security is in place, but the crowd is over five thousand. Please stay close to us, no stopping, no accepting gifts, no signing autographs."
"Five thousand?" Gal looked shocked. "Our movie hasn't even released in Korea yet."
"Most of them are here for Mr. Cassius," the handler explained. "He's extremely popular here. Green Lantern and 2 Broke Girls both aired, and The Hunger Games was a huge hit."
Cassius: "…"
They stepped into the terminal and were instantly swallowed by the roar.
"Cassius! Cassius!"
"I love you!"
The screams were even sharper and more concentrated .
Fans wore matching colored T-shirts, held perfectly made banners and light sticks, and chanted in perfect unison.
The front row had professional cameras, shutters clicking nonstop.
Security formed a human wall, but the crowd still pushed forward.
A few fans tried to break through to hand over gifts. When they were stopped, some started crying right there.
"This…" Paul stared wide-eyed. "Why are they crying?"
"They're probably upset they couldn't give the gifts," Cassius said quietly. "Korean fan culture is intense. They put everything into their support and their emotions run deep."
Tyrese muttered, "The way some of them are looking at you… it's like they want to stuff you in a bag and take you home."
"Stop talking and keep moving," Cassius said.
With security escorting them, the group slowly pushed through the arrivals hall.
Fans followed the whole way—photographing, screaming, crying. It was chaotic and electric.
Some shouted "Cassius oppa!". Others held signs that read "Please look at me." A few even knelt down to take photos—that was how Korean fans showed extreme admiration.
To Cassius it felt a little much.
They finally made it to the van and closed the doors. The world went quiet again.
"My god," Paul wiped sweat from his forehead. "When I did promo for Fast & Furious 1 in Japan, I thought that was crazy. Today just reset the bar."
Vin stayed calm. "Means the movie's gonna do well."
The Seoul premiere was at the Lotte Cinema in Myeongdong that night.
By seven p.m. the red-carpet area outside was completely packed—not just fans, but wall-to-wall media.
Korean entertainment reporters moved fast, cameras and mics ready, questions sharper than anywhere else.
"Mr. Cassius, how does it feel to be in Korea?"
"Is there a difference between fans and Korean fans?"
"Do you have plans to work with Korean actors in your next project?"
Cassius answered in English, the translator keeping up in real time.
His replies stayed polished and safe.
Happy to be here, fans are amazing, cooperation depends on the right opportunity.
But the reporters clearly wanted more.
During the post-red-carpet media scrum the questions got direct: "We heard your relationship with Kristen Stewart is a PR arrangement—is that true?"
"Some Korean media reported you have a close relationship with a female producer . Care to comment?"
"As an Asian actor in Hollywood, do you think the situation is improving?"
Cassius kept smiling, but inside he was thinking: These Korean reporters dig for dirt just as hard as TMZ back home.
The premiere wrapped.
On the ride back to the hotel, Cassius checked his system panel.
Progress had jumped from 83% to 84%.
He noticed that the bigger his fame grew, the higher the quality and frequency of the orbs.
Before the tour it had mostly been blue and purple. Now it was almost all purple, with gold orbs showing up regularly.
And gold was currently the highest tier he'd seen.
The next three days in Korea were nonstop—four events and two variety shows.
Korean variety was completely different from Happy Camp.
The humor was bigger, louder, and sometimes over-the-top.
The hosts had huge performance energy and weren't afraid to go wild.
On one show called Running Man, Cassius was thrown into the "name-tag ripping" game.
He thought it would be casual fun, but the hosts came at him like it was war—surrounding him with coordinated tactics.
Cassius had planned to hold back, but seeing how serious they were, he got competitive.
Using his upgraded body stats and Practical Action Performance Essence skill, he moved with insane speed and precision in the tight space.
In the end he took down three hosts—including the so-called "powerhouse" Kim Jong-kook.
The floor director was stunned.
This guy didn't move like an actor—he moved like special forces.
After recording, the hosts crowded around him. "Cassius, are you sure you're just an actor?"
"Lots of action scenes," Cassius laughed. "You pick up some habits."
The clip went viral in Korea the moment it aired.
Their strongest member, Kim Jong-kook, had been beaten.
Fans made highlight videos titled "Hollywood Actor Destroys Running Man" that racked up millions of views.
When the team left Korea, the panel progress had reached 85%.
"Korea really is a nation of actors," Cassius thought. That saying wasn't a joke.
Next stops: Tokyo, Singapore, then back to Los Angeles.
By the time Cassius's plane landed at LAX, the panel had hit 87%.