The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1822 Soul Wandering in the Heavens
Gentle yet fragile, vast and profound, those azure eyes are like an endless, unfathomable ocean. Beneath the calm blue surface lies a sea of ​​wounds, almost overflowing, yet they still strive to maintain a serene exterior, basking in the golden sunlight, slowly shattering.

Inadvertently, in a brief moment of distraction, a few glimpses of his previous comical, carefree, and absent-minded behavior were revealed. Those images poured down like a torrential rain, rushing towards him like lightning. The stark contrast and huge difference instantly struck Emmanuel, who was hiding behind the camera.

Imbalance. Weightlessness. Free fall.

The heart stops beating, and one even forgets to breathe.

The camera lens captured that moment perfectly, and then... that moment froze into eternity.

Theo seemed to notice the gaze—

He glanced up at the camera, then looked directly at it.

Emmanuel froze in place. Anson looked at the camera and met his gaze through the lens. He thought Anson should be looking at Michael Caine, and Theo should be looking at Jasper.

Because actors should not look directly at the camera.

The basic mistake of film actors looking directly into the camera and breaking the fourth wall usually only happens to newcomers who have just entered the industry, and it shouldn't be Anson.

However, Anson did indeed do so.

Look directly into the camera, look directly into Emmanuel.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the lens, colliding boldly with Emmanuel, Alfonso behind the lens, and everyone behind the monitor.

That gaze was calm and unfathomable, devoid of any particular emotion, sadness, pain, or struggle—nothing at all, just a profound depth. Yet, that deep darkness and abyss were filled with intricate patterns; looking into it was like gazing into an abyss, where breath and heartbeat were completely forgotten.

At a glance.

It was just a glance, a brief glimpse.

Then, Theo lowered his eyelids again, hiding all the emotions and thoughts deep in his eyes, his expressionless face revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Quietly, quietly lower your head, immerse yourself in your own thoughts, and completely empty your mind.

That glance, fleeting and brief, seemed to freeze time and space, just a second? To be precise, it was a light glance, less than a second, but all the noise inside and outside the room fell silent.

The huge film set was bustling with so many people, yet at this moment, no breathing or heartbeat could be heard; only the pattering rain outside the window and the chirping of crickets and larks came from the distant horizon.

Just now... was Anson doing this on purpose? Deliberately making eye contact with the camera, deliberately breaking the fourth wall, deliberately exchanging glances with Emmanuel and the audience that Emmanuel represents?
This?
A torrent of thoughts surged through my mind, causing me to temporarily forget everything else.

This is especially true of Emmanuel.

He knew that Anson was looking at him, seemingly unintentionally revealing his true emotions, constantly on guard and observing his surroundings, afraid that his brief vulnerability would be discovered by others; that look was to confirm that he had not been discovered, and then he fell back into his own thoughts.

To be more precise, Anson was indeed looking at him, but not at him. He was looking at the ghost hidden deep in his memory, the wound buried beneath the dust of time. That look was a confirmation that the pain and struggle he had secretly concealed had not been discovered, not discovered by Jasper and others, and not discovered by himself.

Self-deception.

Theo was deceiving himself, and Theo knew it perfectly well. So, after that glance, Theo fell into a black hole of his own thoughts, pausing, not even daring to gaze into the darkness deep within his soul.

In that brief instant, Emmanuel understood Theo, and the camera lens in his hand also understood Theo.

In the silence, perhaps there is only one exception:
Michael Kane.

Not only because Michael Caine was off-camera, which allowed him to remain relaxed; but also because Michael Caine had extensive stage experience, he knew how to stay alert while maintaining his character, and he knew how to control the entire performance without losing his rhythm.

Those fleeting emotions, those unspoken silences—less is more, leaving room for imagination, allowing others to fill in those imaginings.

Seeing this, a bitter taste and a sense of melancholy slowly spread across Michael Caine's tongue.

An excellent actor can often infuse their performance with soul, driving the performances of other actors and truly immersing themselves in the situation and character. Their emotions and performances flow naturally, creating a perfect collaborative state that is more infectious and immersive than the script itself.

Quietly watching Theo, Michael Caine slowly entered Jasper's world, and vivid memories of Janice resurfaced in his mind.

Janice was once so vibrant and rebellious; Janice was once full of hope for the world; Janice once pursued her ideals with all her might... However, all those memories have become the past, replaced by reality binding, crushing, and being thrown into a corner to be forgotten.

Standing behind the camera with his back to the crew, no one noticed Michael Caine's eyes and expression. At that moment, all attention was on Anson, and Michael Caine was no longer in the frame, essentially a behind-the-scenes staff member.

However, Michael Caine found his rhythm and got into character in the background, where no one was paying attention.

Jasper stared at Theo, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and briefly escaped his own pain, savoring the sensation of the smoke swirling in his lungs. His nerves were slightly numb, which allowed him to temporarily forget his suffering. He seemed contentedly immersed in the perfect product he had cultivated.

At this moment, Jasper's gaze returned to Theo, seemingly oblivious to Theo's emotions. He exhaled a long puff of smoke, his face and eyes hidden within, making them difficult to see clearly, and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Dude, I just wanted to tell a joke."

Theo was stunned.

Theo looked up at Jasper, his expression and eyes freezing slightly.

In that brief instant, a mix of emotions—astonishment, frustration, confusion, and regret—was intertwined, yet just as Emmanuel tried to capture it, he closed his eyes, shutting out all his exploration.

Emmanuel was stunned. The actor had closed his eyes. What should he do? What the hell should he do?
In a mere half-second, or even just a fleeting moment, the camera clearly shows Theo's lips curving slightly upwards, forming a faint arc.

It's a sense of relief, a cover-up, and also a polite greeting.

A smile that wasn't a smile, yet it conveyed a complex mix of emotions, leaving Emmanuel stunned.

Then, Theo opened his eyes again.

In those clear, azure eyes, no superfluous emotions could be seen; there was nothing but a faint smile. Though it was a smile, it carried a sense of wariness and distance. It was a habitual way of using a smile as a mask to indicate that everything was fine and that there was no need to worry.

But that smile was heartbreaking.

(End of this chapter)