Chapter 135: Acting Advanced!

Chapter 135: Acting Advanced!

A 20-something sad man with dark-blue hair was sitting on a lonely park bench with his face firmly buried in his hands. He seemed utterly frustrated with his existence, projecting the raw aura of a guy whom life had completely abandoned.

I casually walked right up to the man's side, lowering myself onto the cold wood to sit next to him. "Brother, what is wrong, problems at home?" I asked, offering a friendly nod to break the ice.

The sad man slowly looked up at me, offering a frantic nod of his head as he desperately vented his romantic frustrations. "My 1st wife is mad at me for forgetting our anniversary, and My girlfriend is mad at me for missing our date, while I was trying to make it up to my wife, so now both of my lovers are mad, and I am sad!"

I patted the poor guy directly on his back, putting on a highly sympathetic face as I reached into my pocket. "Brother, not too long ago, I was in your same situation, but then, I got this! Harem-Chat!" I explained, pulling out my smartphone to show him the interface. "Now, my two wives are getting along, and have even accepted my two new girlfriends. I never miss a date, or a birthday! Look at this!"

The man leaned over, his eyes widening as he watched me type a quick message onto the glowing digital screen.

[Harem-Fan: My wives, I am at the park, let's go on a date!]

Almost instantly, two stunningly beautiful women walked right up from the sidewalk, sliding onto each side of me to hold their own smartphones with big, sexy smiles.

The sexy beauty on my right side possessed long, flowing brown hair and flawless model proportions. She immediately hugged my right arm tightly, pressing her chest against me as she looked at her display. "Ah~, Boyfriend, look! Take me to this restaurant, they have a Harem-Chat Special from this site we use, fufu. I will be happy if we all go?!"

The white-haired beauty resting on my left side chimed in right on cue, holding up her phone to showcase a glowing coupon grid. "Darling, I just told the other two wives to meet us at the restaurant, and on the way there, pick up flowers, it is your 1st wife's birthday, Ufufu, You were so smart to get us the Harem-Chat, dear!"

I nodded proudly to the now incredibly happy woman, turning my head back to lock eyes with the thoroughly stunned, sad man. "See Brother! Now you too can finally have peace in your home, and by ordering now, you can get one Free Month with access to all the amazing coupons and features! If Harem-Chat cant improve your life in one month then it is free anyway, so You can only win! Be happy like me and my Harem! Order today!"

The man instantly stood up from the bench with newfound light shining in his eyes, rapidly pulling out his own device. "But how do I get Harem-Chat?! Oh no!"

I stood up right alongside the two sexy women, adopting the ultimate guiding posture to lead this lost soul toward salvation. "Just search, Harem-Chat.com, and fill out easy information then invite your harem to Harem-Chat! Good luck, Brother!"

The brown-haired beauty squeezed my arm tightly, looking up at me with a playful, devious glint in eyes. "Don't forget, I scheduled you in to stay with me tonight, fufu, don't miss it!"

The sexy white-haired woman smiled warmly at her, fully validating the prompt schedule as she looked at me. "It really is great we can make plans without fighting, I love you dear!"

Without warning, both women leaned in simultaneously, hugging me tight as they pressed sweet kisses against my cheeks. I could only put on a thoroughly joyful, victorious smile for the camera as the blue-haired guy at the side pumped his fist in the air. "I am convinced, here comes happiness!, Harem-Chat.com!"

Then, out of absolute nowhere, a loud, booming voice echoed from right behind the blindingly bright studio lights.

[CUT THAT'S A WRAP!]

The massive studio lights instantly went dim, allowing my vision to properly readjust to the physical layout of the soundstage.

Ana Zi immediately shook my arm with pure satisfaction, her chest pressing into my side as she offered an incredibly eager compliment. "Rick, that was good! You did it in one go with only a couple of practice runs. No, that is really good."

Kate stood right on my other side, her eyes squinting heavily as she watched Ana's typical boot-licking behavior. She aggressively pulled my other arm tightly against her own frame, completely refusing to let me go as she shot a sharp glare at the rival actress. "Rick has always done well, even in a dangerous situation, humph. Come Rick lets go talk to the crew."

Gretta, the female Director, and the three talent managers were currently crowding around the recording monitor, thoroughly analyzing the raw video footage to see if we needed any more attempts. Lucy was sitting comfortably nearby in a classic director's chair, her high-end laptop resting on her lap as she occasionally flashed a knowing smile at me having fun.

Gretta Yang waved us over to show us the playback, pointing directly at the specific screen sequence containing the advertising tactic I had previously told them to implement. "Rick, even better job than last time. Also, now that you told us about the 7 rule, I can see how it subconsciously makes the consumer remember the product! Can I use it on makeup commercials as well?"

I smiled at the sheer effectiveness of this incredibly simple advertising method derived entirely from my past world. "Use it all you want, it is simple business modelling. Just say the product or company name at least 7 times during the advertisement. It works for printed media as well."

Jean Jia nodded her head in complete agreement, looking at me with newfound professional respect. "That is right, Victoria Long said you were talented in business."

Gretta admitted with a soft chuckle, checking the demographic data on her clipboard. "Actually the test group and initial users of Harem-Chat have seen viable results at home thanks to the App. My husband has not neglected me or his other wives since using it, so I need to thank the owner of Harem-Chat, fufu."

Ana, having absolutely no earthly idea that I was the actual secret mastermind and creator behind the application, crossed her arms and let out a light whine. "It is still unfair that only men can create core-accounts though, so I cant use it and get the specials."

I adopted a calm, philosophical expression, deciding to give her an example utilizing the raw nature of a lion's pride. "The owner of the company probably based it on a Lion's Pride. Only one male for the lionesses. If the lionesses could be their own King, then the Pride would break down and the King would be excluded from eating and procreating, causing the lion society to crumble. In short reverse-harems lower the population of humans."

Kate, thoroughly annoyed with Ana's presence, quickly chimed in to aggressively highlight the actress's chaotic romantic history. "Yup, just like in our Vampire movie, you dated Sam, the Director, and Jake the main male lead, so the three men fought and killed Jake's character, so Sun could swoop into the role. The Director was more than happy to change the script trying to remove just one competitor. So giving you a Harem-Chat account would make many real Harems crumble!"

Ana, absolutely hating the fact that her dirty laundry was being aired out in front of me, flushed red and desperately tried to salvage her image. "Rick, most of those are rumors, so don't think bad of me, alright?!"

At that exact moment, I could feel that my internal ability to completely fool others with a fake face was rapidly improving. I maintained a perfectly neutral smile, consoling her smoothly without committing to her whatsoever. "Don't worry Ana, the only one of the three that brags to everyone in your love life is Sam. He really described things to me to leave you alone. So he is the one really making your reputation drop. He was very specific in what he had done, cough."

No, I was so incredibly lying right straight to her face. I did thoroughly see the hidden security video footage though, so he technically had shown me exactly what he did to her. Because of that inside knowledge, my active Acting skill completely broke through from Basic straight into Advanced, working flawlessly to manipulate her emotions.

Pure, unadulterated rage instantly manifested deep inside Ana's eyes as the weight of my words sank in. I could easily tell that she is going to get revenge on Sam very soon!

Too bad she didn't see Lucy currently holding her stomach in the background, desperately holding in her heavy laughter at the thought of how she and I were both making him miserable. Ana's jaw clenched tightly as she mumbled under her breath. "That little pencil dick! He can't even last 2 minutes and he wants to brag about being a Playboy!"

She mumbled the words incredibly quietly, ensuring that only Kate and I were close enough to hear the raw venom in her voice.

The female Director clapped her hands together, calling out to the rest of the cast and crew who were waiting on standby. "The lighting, positions, and all of your acting was spot on, so I think we can run with this and call it, thanks everyone. It is nice to get experienced actors."

The male actor who had played the sad blue-haired guy walked over, shaking my hand warmly. "For only your second commercial, you did really well, Mr Tang, hope we can work together in the future, I will apply for that movie and maybe I can see you then, bye, and thanks for the autographs, Miss Kong and Zi."

He seemed like a genuinely cool dude, so I sincerely hoped he would land a solid role in the future production.

Kate watched him walk away before turning to me with a brilliant smile. "Rick, we got done so early, want to go and hangout and see a movie or something?"

Just as I was about to open my mouth to tell her all about my previous plans, Jean Jia stepped forward and completely rained on her parade, perfectly saving me from having to play the role of the party-pooper. "Sorry Kate, but you have a new show you are hosting on Saturday nights, so you need to get downtown for it."

Kate instantly made a dramatic, crying expression, though my Advanced Acting skill allowed me to easily tell she was just playing for sympathy from Jean. She turned back to me, aggressively shaking my arm like a stubborn child who had just been told no. "Rick, SEG has just made a new show called Entertainment Tonight,or ET for short, so watch or at least record it, okay?! I will need viewers to support me."

Lucy, who had already neatly packed up her high-tech briefcase, stepped up to my side to brief me on the corporate landscape. "Pam Sun created a new show starting this year with Kate and Sam as the new younger generation hosts. The show is like a news show talking about the gossip in all entertainment world events. So they even report on the other entertainment giants of Star Entertainment Group, NBC, Tiger's Gate Entertainment, or 21st Century Lang Entertainment."

I listened carefully, finding that I seemed to remember an exceptionally popular broadcast in my last world with the exact same name. I wasn't entirely sure how different this specific version would turn out to be, but hosting a single show once a week sounded completely doable, especially for busy University students. I simply nodded my head in understanding.

Kate quickly picked up on my gesture, turning her body fully toward me with an eager expression. "So this next second week of January are your finals, then the next week you start the Drama Club with me and Sam, right?"

I offered her a firm nod, smoothly confirming the schedule. "I made a deal with Coach so I only have to come in once a week to Kung-Fu Club due to me already being good enough. I will train select students one time a week, and I will participate in the National Tournament. I will still get my full credit. I will do Drama Club Monday to Thursdays after lunch."

Kate let out a pleased hum, turning directly around to face her personal manager with a triumphant smile. "Jean, then schedule me for those four Drama Classes, and I will do the other courses in the morning. Plus I am going to train Rick more so he can beat that stinky Sam."

Ana Zi, who was just casually listening to our conversation from a few paces away, sauntered over with a playful grin that instantly ruined Kate's mood. "That is good, we can both help Rick get the part, fufu. I too had signed up for university while we waited for the film to start Production. Rick, looking forward to acting with you."

Seeing Kate's utterly shocked, jaw-dropping expression at the sudden news, I reached over to gently push her mouth closed before addressing the rival actress. "Great, I think with both you and Kate there, the Sun is going to dim. See you then."

Kate immediately pouted, looking at me with a betrayed expression as if I were openly cheating on her with Ana right under her nose. I reached out to pat her soft shoulder, speaking in a thoroughly soothing tone to calm her rising jealousy. "Kate, I know you two don't get along, but we are only working as a team on the stage. So when the camera is rolling, we can put our differences aside. I will even be nice to Sam when the camera is rolling. It is just acting."

Kate blinked her large eyes, her tense shoulders relaxing under my touch. "It is just acting, okay, I got it!"

This silly, dense idol woman really was incredibly easy for me to convince.

Lucy checked the sleek digital interface on her wrist, her eyes narrowing slightly as she cut in. "Rick also has other engagements he must attend, so let us go, Rick."

I gave a polite wave to the remaining production crew and the other actors as the two of us smoothly exited the soundstage. Once we were out of earshot, I turned my head to look at my hacker wife. "What do I have? I thought I was free till I had to be home for dinner?"

Lucy flashed a thoroughly satisfied smile, looking up at me with absolute honesty written across her face. "First, we are going to work on upgrading Baby, then about a half-hour before you have to leave, we will make-out to recharge my Rick-batteries, Ufufu."

I just smiled dryly at her delightfully creepy honesty. Well, it was honestly much better that she was completely upfront about her desires so I wasn't constantly caught off guard by her advances. "Alright, I can live with that, let's go."

Later that night, I sat down to enjoy a massive dinner with my family, and Lucy kept strictly to her word as the two of us only shared some intense kissing and hugging in private. She was entirely right about her own personality; she might be deeply obsessed with me, but she wasn't completely insane, which was a massive plus in my personal book. Some of those wild yandere web-novels I used to read from James's collection honestly scared the absolute pants off me!

So, to do a fast mental recap of the chaotic timeline, what exactly happened after I bought my two amazing new Dodge vehicles?!

Jenifer and I went out on our highly anticipated private date, and she aggressively pulled me straight into the clothing store changing room so we could thoroughly find out my exact personal preferences on her body. She possessed a beautifully balanced, incredibly soft physical build accompanied by gorgeous C-cups, and the two of us quickly agreed that the absolute best two colors on her skin tone seemed to be a sleek red-black combo, or pure white with white outfits.

She had secretly been wearing a stunning garter belt to hold up her stockings, and I thoroughly liked how it looked on her alongside her standard maid uniforms and sharp corporate lady suits. She also completely got over her bright red, embarrassed face after the first ten minutes of us being enclosed together.

As we were finishing up our session, right before fully changing back into her regular clothes, she tightly wrapped her arms around me, demanding that I hold her and kiss her deeply for a bit. I can easily tell that just like Mercy, she is deeply shy underneath her professional exterior. But I am in absolutely no rush to push her down onto a bed just yet. Still, I can clearly see a deep, burning desire pooling in Jenifer's eyes lately, so I don't think we are very far off from the real deal.

Another major reason I haven't aggressively pushed her down yet is that she is currently cramming around the clock for a massive test this week, so perhaps we will celebrate the moment her final exams are done?

From Wednesday to Friday, Victoria and I were easily the absolute hottest topic of gossip across the entire university campus! Yes, the massive student body was in total disbelief that the icy Goddess Business Teacher Long had actually willingly married a guy like me of all people. Outrageous blackmail rumors were running completely rampant through the forums, and easily half of the entire male student population was now giving me aggressive dirty looks in the hallways.

That thoroughly covers all the notable background events of the week, leading me directly to my current situation.

I was walking down the quiet hallway of the mansion when Mercy suddenly stepped out of the shadows, her voice dropping into a soft, nervous whisper. "Master, before you go to bed with Mary, may we talk?"

I silently followed Mercy straight into her private bedroom, taking a moment to look around the space. I had only actually been inside her room a couple of times before. Just like Tina, she thoroughly enjoys keeping a perfectly tidy, neat environment. I immediately noticed that mounted directly over her headboard was her legendary Family Chinese Dao Sword, its single-edged blade looking incredibly sharp and lethal.

Mercy moved across the rug, lowering herself onto the small couch placed right at the foot of her bed before softly patting the empty cushion next to her. I sat down beside her, immediately reaching out to hold her trembling, nervous hands.

"Rick... Tomorrow night, Hana is working the overnight shift to do a full inventory check at the store, so... Would you be willing to stay with me tomorrow night?" Mercy paused, her cheeks turning a beautiful shade of pink as she looked up through her lashes.

I reached up, gently cupping the sides of her face to pull her leaning form into a deep, tender kiss. A minute later, I pulled back slightly, nodding my head with a warm smile. "Nothing in this world would make me happier than to sleep in your arms, Mercy. I want to thoroughly prove to you that I want you in my life forever. Do you also want to try for a family?"

She smiled softly, her eyes filling with genuine affection as she answered me with absolute honesty. "I think we should just love one another, and let the chips lay where they fall. If I get pregnant, terrific, if I don't, we will still try."

I gently stroked her cheek, looking into her blue eyes as I laid out my true thoughts. "You are an incredibly brave and caring woman. Then tomorrow, I am entirely yours. Go ahead and get some good rest tonight, Mercy. Lastly... I love you."

"Rick, I love you too," she whispered back, her face glowing.

And after another deep, standing kiss that lasted for a few intense minutes, she finally saw me off at the door. I honestly really like it when she calls me Rick instead of Master.