Chương 76: December Rewards

December 1st, early morning.

When Arthur woke up, it was still a gray haze outside the window. Winter comes early in New York; the sun doesn't rise until after seven o'clock.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, remembering that it was the first day of December, and that monthly event was happening again.

He closed his eyes and silently repeated in his mind, "Sign in."

A familiar voice rang out.

[Check-in successful. Congratulations, host, on completing your December check-in. Drawing your monthly reward...] Arthur waited, remembering how the [Free Fighting Techniques (Master Level)] had saved his life last time. What would it be this time?

[Rewards have been drawn. Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Micro-expression Interpretation (Proficient Level) + Psychological Profiling (Advanced Level)] Arthur paused for a moment.

Micro-expression analysis? Psychological profiling?

【Micro-expression Interpretation (Advanced Level)】: Capable of capturing and analyzing subtle changes in a target's micro-expressions, including minute twitches of facial muscles, pupil changes, and breathing rhythm, thereby determining their true emotions and thoughts. Accuracy rate is approximately 80-85%.

[Psychological Profiling (Advanced)]: By observing the target's behavioral patterns, language habits, decision-making methods, etc., a psychological profile is constructed to predict their possible behaviors and reactions. It is more effective for targets with obvious personality traits or large emotional fluctuations.

Arthur read the instructions carefully, lost in thought.

These two abilities may seem unrelated to literary creation on the surface, but upon closer examination, they are actually quite useful.

Micro-expression analysis helps him better understand a character's true emotions. When writing, he can more accurately depict the inner world of his characters.

Psychological profiling can help him build a more three-dimensional character. Every character has their own behavioral patterns and psychological characteristics, and if these can be accurately grasped, the character will be more realistic.

Moreover, these two abilities are also very useful in real life.

For example, he could observe Walker and his staff to judge their true thoughts, and he could also observe the audience's reactions to understand their true feelings about the play.

With that in mind, Arthur decided to try out this ability.

He looked at Sean, who was standing by the door.

Sean was standing there, looking out at the street. His expression was calm, but Arthur noticed that his brows were slightly furrowed, his lips were a little tight, and the fingers of his right hand were unconsciously tapping his thigh.

[Micro-expression interpretation] Initiated.

Some information immediately flashed through Arthur's mind: A slight furrow in the brow indicates mild anxiety.

A tight smile indicates suppressed emotions.

Tapping with your fingers – releasing tension.

Overall assessment: Sean is in a state of tension, but is trying to control himself.

Arthur then used psychological profiling to analyze Sean.

Sean is a very responsible person, and he considers protecting Arthur an important task. But he is also a little uneasy because he has no experience as a bodyguard and doesn't know if he can do it well.

Arthur nodded. This analysis was largely consistent with his observations of Sean.

It seems this ability is indeed useful.

He called out, "Sean."

Sean immediately turned around and replied, "Yes, Mr. Kennedy?"

Arthur said, "You don't need to be so tense, relax a little."

Sean paused for a moment, then denied it, saying, "I... I wasn't nervous."

"Your fingers are tapping your thigh; that's a sign of tension."

Sean looked down at his hands, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kennedy. I just... I just wanted to do my job well."

Arthur comforted him, saying, "You've done very well. But protecting me doesn't mean turning you into a statue. You can sit, you can walk, just be mindful of your surroundings."

Just then, Isabella walked in, carrying a stack of documents.

She placed the file on the table and said, "Arthur, here's today's draft. Take a look."

Arthur took the document, but his attention was drawn to Isabella's expression.

[Micro-expression interpretation] Automatically activated.

Isabella's lips curled up in a smile, her eyes shone, and her breathing was steady.

Overall assessment: She is in a good mood and has good news to share.

Arthur said, "You seem to be in a good mood. Is there some good news?"

Isabella paused for a moment, then laughed: "How did you know?"

Arthur replied, "Your expression tells me."

Isabella said, "Well, there's definitely good news. Sales of the New York Herald have gone up again. Last month, we sold 3 copies!"

Arthur was somewhat surprised: "So many?"

Isabella said, "Yes, it's increased several times over. And many people have started buying our newspaper regularly."

Arthur said, "This is good news."

Isabella continued, "Also, we've received many letters from readers. They're all asking when your play will premiere."

Arthur said, "It seems everyone is really looking forward to it."

Isabella said, "Yes, so we need to determine the time and place for the premiere as soon as possible."

Just then, the phone rang.

Arthur picked up the receiver, and Dos Passos' excited voice came from the other end of the line:

"Arthur, it's me, Passos, I have good news!"

After Arthur could no longer use the AFL-CIO's auditorium, Hemingway's friend traveled all over New York looking for a suitable performance venue.

Hearing this, Arthur roughly guessed what was going on and continued, "What good news?"

Dos Passos exclaimed, "I've found the theater! The perfect theater!"

Arthur's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Where?"

Dos Passos said, "Greenwich Village, Providencetown Theatre. Are you free now? We can go check it out right now."

Arthur immediately agreed, and after hanging up the phone, he said to Isabella, "Passos has found the theater; I'm going to check it out now."

Isabella immediately said she wanted to go too, and Sean also stood up to continue protecting Arthur.

The three men left the newspaper office and got into a car heading towards Greenwich Village.

Greenwich Village is New York's arts district, home to a large number of artists, writers, and actors.

The streets are lined with various small theaters, galleries, and cafes. The walls are covered with posters for various performances and art exhibitions.

Arthur looked out the window and felt a pang of emotion.

This is the cultural heart of New York, the cradle of art. Many great works of art were born here.

The car was parked in front of an inconspicuous building.

This is a three-story brick building with somewhat mottled exterior walls. A wooden sign hangs at the entrance: "Provinstown Theatre".

Dos Passos was already waiting there. Seeing Arthur and the others get out of the car, he quickly stepped forward and introduced them to Arthur:

"This is it. Don't let its unassuming exterior fool you; it's steeped in history. Many of Eugene O'Neill's early works premiered here."

Eugene O'Neill, the undisputed founder of modern American drama, had already established his absolute position in the American theater world by 1929 with works such as "Beyond the Horizon".

In seven years, he will also receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, officially being crowned the father of American drama.

Sean's eyes widened: "Eugene O'Neill? The playwright who wrote 'Beyond the Horizon'?"

Dos Passos seemed surprised: "You know Eugene O'Neal?"

Sean replied, "My father took me to see his play, and it was very moving."

Arthur was somewhat surprised, and praised, "Uncle Patrick has excellent taste."

Sean continued, "My father said that even workers should know how to appreciate art. Art is not the exclusive domain of the wealthy."

"Well said."

Dos Passos agreed and invited everyone to go inside and take a look.