[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-evil-mc-s-ntr-harem":3,"chapter-evil-mc-s-ntr-harem-evil-mc-s-ntr-harem-chapter-797":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Evil MC's NTR Harem",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1832446,2438,"Chapter 797 Audience","evil-mc-s-ntr-harem-chapter-797",797,"\u003Cp>Ross gave a crooked grin behind the mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They tried,\" he said, shrugging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve had my share of flings. Fast and fun. No strings attached. But nothing ever lasted. I never wanted it to. Until now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She narrowed her eyes playfully. \"Let me guess—something about tonight feels different?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned in slightly, elbows on his knees, voice low and deliberate. \"Doesn’t it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cara laughed again, this time tilting her head back, amused but not charmed—not yet, anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nice try. But I’m already immune to guys like you. Especially the ones who sound like they swallow poetry books for breakfast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross smiled, unbothered. \"Then maybe I’m not like the others.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or maybe I’ve just heard every line in the book,\" she countered, lifting a brow. \"And yours just has better delivery.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross looked at her for a moment longer, something unreadable in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he leaned back again, letting the silence settle between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The music from the pool thudded in the background, distant and inconsequential now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let out a slow breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wasn’t lying about the accident,\" he said quietly, tone more grounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It changed things for me. The way people looked at me... the way I looked at myself. I started wearing this mask to hide it at first. But somewhere along the way, it became easier to keep it on than take it off.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cara’s smile faded slightly. She looked at him differently now—not with pity, but with a quiet kind of respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m sorry,\" she said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t be,\" Ross replied with a shrug. \"It’s just skin. And honestly? I think it forced me to grow up. I learned to stop relying on what people saw and start focusing on what I could make them feel.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She held his gaze for a long moment, then gave a small nod. \"That’s a pretty good philosophy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I try,\" Ross said, a faint smirk returning. \"Besides, it makes the mystery more fun, doesn’t it? Makes you wonder what I’m hiding under here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cara chuckled. \"Oh, I already know what’s under there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross raised a brow. \"Do you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yup. A guy who’s too clever for his own good and just a little too used to getting what he wants.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He laughed at that, genuinely. \"You’re not wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I rarely am,\" she said with a wink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a beat of silence, and then Cara looked away, her voice quieter. \"Still... I think it’s brave.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross tilted his head. \"What is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Showing up like this. Not pretending to be perfect. Being honest, even when you’re clearly still guarded.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For once, Ross didn’t have a witty comeback. He just nodded, almost imperceptibly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A light breeze swept across the deck, rustling the leaves of nearby potted palms and lifting strands of Cara’s hair, which she tucked behind her ear almost absentmindedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the background, someone from the crew shouted about resetting lights, but neither of them reacted and just let the film continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross has explicitly said that he would be the one to cut a scene and no other had that ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just the two of them again—alone in a crowded space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe I’m just saying that as a defense mechanism,\" Cara said softly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye, \"but truly? I’m still figuring everything out. Again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross turned to face her fully, his voice barely more than a murmur. \"Then I’ll wait.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled at that, but this one wasn’t playful or teasing. It was gentle. Real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cut!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross gave the signal again, and the crew instantly shifted gears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They changed sets with seamless coordination, moving from the patio to the pool, then to the game room and beyond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a scene of eventual chemistry: Cara and Ross swimming beneath the sun, splashing each other like kids; sitting across from each other at a small table, locked in an intense game of chess, their gazes flirting more than the moves on the board; walking side by side under string lights with bare feet brushing against cool tiles, their casual laughter echoing into the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through each take, the subtle progression of emotion was undeniable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The camera captured it all—the way Cara’s eyes lingered just a little longer on Ross, the slight tremble in her voice when she laughed, the way her body instinctively leaned toward him when they talked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her character, once distant and guarded, was changing. She was falling for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And maybe, just maybe, the line between acting and reality was starting to blur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, the crew moved inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bedroom set had been prepared in advance: dim lights, soft jazz playing low in the background, candles flickering around the room, and a slight breeze from the air conditioner brushing against the curtains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t explicit—just a moment of vulnerability and intimacy. A kiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cara stood on her mark. So did Ross.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were close—almost too close. His presence was magnetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mask only made him more mysterious, more alluring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could feel the tension building in her chest as they stared at each other silently, waiting for the director’s cue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew what the script called for. She’d read it a dozen times. She’d agreed to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just a kiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before anyone could speak, a voice rang out across the set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop! I don’t like this at all!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Corey stepped into the scene, fury radiating off him like a storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face was flushed, and his eyes were wide with disbelief and rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His clenched fists shook at his sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why the hell are you forcing Cara to make a kissing scene with you, D?! You absolute maniac! You’re disgusting!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice cracked as he yelled. A few of the crew looked away awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others simply watched, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cara’s eyes widened, but she didn’t move. Her breath caught in her throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ross didn’t flinch. He stood calm, steady, and still—like he had expected this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice, when it came, was flat and composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s just a kiss, Corey,\" Ross said. \"This is a scripted scene. Everyone here knew what it was going to be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1020,"2026-06-09T06:19:01.022Z",1,"novelbin.me","aa97e3cd3c2d3ea70dc988fc5e8965c3614b7d9f8f5235d74ab019515225b7cc","evil-mc-s-ntr-harem-chapter-798","evil-mc-s-ntr-harem-chapter-796",1212,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fevil-mc-s-ntr-harem-cover.jpg"]