Rewind With A Superstar System

Chapter 183: Silence Is Better

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Space by NEFFEX>

...

He pulled her into a friendly hug and apologized. "It’s fine. You were great."

"You were really good too. I was left stunned because I didn’t expect you to play it out so well," Chloe whispered while in his arms.

Suddenly, Von’s head lit up with an idea as he pulled out of the hug. The sudden dismissal hurt Chloe because she never wanted to leave him.

Meanwhile, Von didn’t know how she felt as his mind was piecing some things together.

In the original script, Camila would have attempted chasing Aiden at first and would have gotten angry at herself for what she did when Aiden scolded her one more time to stay away.

But now they’ve acted it out, Von felt that this was better.

"Don’t you think it’s better if Camila was left stunned?" Von said, telling Chloe the idea. "I mean, while it’s a lot worse in the novel, no one really liked this part. But sometimes just being silent can hold a lot of emotions, and that’ll further improve the tension of the scene."

Von had thoroughly read the novel while he was waiting for Loki back in the hotel room, and he realized that the script was made to fix many mistakes people hated about it.

Even though Perfect Ruins was a bestseller with millions of readers, it equally had millions of haters amongst those readers because of scenes just like this one.

Chloe held her chin and thought with wide eyes. "You make a really good point and now I’ve thought about it... I think you’re right. I’ll try talking to the director about it. And I didn’t know you’ve read Perfect Ruins before, it makes a lot of sense now."

"Well, I have. It’s a really good book," Von replied casually.

"I haven’t read it. We’re not allowed to read the source material before filming, it’s like an unspoken rule."

Von was surprised to hear this, considering he had read it completely. "Huh? Why is that so?"

His question made Chloe abandon any hopes that he was an actor. A real actor would have known that rule. But she sighed and answered anyway.

"It’s usually because of the director. They want you to understand that their script and the source are entirely different materials, and they wouldn’t want your performance to be tainted or influenced in any manner by consuming the sources."

"Oooh, that makes a lot of sense," Von nodded his head in approval, noting to not voice out he read the novel if he was going to audition later.

"So... Can we do it again?" Chloe walked closer to him and asked, looking up at him hopefully.

"Yes, of course. We rehearse all morning if you like," Von said.

Chloe smiled happily at that and started walking back for them to continue acting.

***

Von wasn’t joking when he said that they could act all morning. He needed it to complete his quest after all.

They ran through the scene multiple times. Each time, Von tested different degrees of committing to an emotion using his [Emote] skill, while Chloe refined her transition from an arrogant rich girl to a stunned, heartbroken friend.

They moved on to a few other small dialogue exchanges in the other parts of the script, building a strong rhythm together.

Every time Von delivered a line, he could feel his affinity with the character of Aiden growing stronger.

When the system finally chimed with a notification window in his vision, Von knew that 12 hours were up.

[Quest Complete: Scenery Resonance]

[Rewards: +1000 EXP, Voided Penalties]

[Congratulations! You’ve rehearsed your script for a long time!]

[You’ve unlocked Character Proficiency!]

[Aiden: 19%]

[Character Proficiency helps you to understand and become a character easier, reducing the effects of [Immersion] and allowing you to become a character naturally. Practice more to increase level!]

Von had a smile on his face seeing the new feature, but what mattered most was that he didn’t need to serve those penalties.

He dismissed the screen with a mental thought, letting out a long sigh of relief.

By the time they were both contented with rehearsing, the sun was already out in the sky.

Soft morning light was filtering through the high windows of the college building, casting long shadows across the tiled floors.

Von looked over at Chloe who had already laid down to sleep on a blanket she brought with her. She looked peaceful after hours of intense acting.

He had successfully completed the Quest. Between the rehearsals, he also got to know her a bit, and found her antics really sweet. She was passionate about her work, and it showed.

Coming here didn’t feel like the wrong choice after all. Now he could return to the hotel, but he felt really sleepy. His body was completely exhausted from the physical strain of the escape and the mental toll of the acting.

Von knew he couldn’t afford to be sloppy while trying to sneak back into the Grand Beverly Hotel.

And he didn’t really have a plan yet, so it was better for him to wait until night before trying out something risky. In broad daylight, climbing a balcony or jumping onto a truck would guarantee he got caught by the hotel security.

With nothing else in mind, Von decided to just join Chloe in sleep as he waited for the night sky to arrive.

He dragged a few tables together, lining them up to make a flat surface. He climbed onto the makeshift bed and laid down. The hard wood wasn’t comfortable, but his fatigue completely took over, and he quickly fell asleep.

***

By around 8 PM, Von felt someone shake his shoulder a few times before he finally opened his eyes from sleeping.

The classroom was fairly dark now and it was illuminated only by the faint moonlight spilling through the windows.

Von looked up to see Chloe facing him. She had her arms crossed and a disappointed expression on her face.