The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1841 Heart of Stone
Theo swore.

Julianne smiled. "This is the world we live in now, isn't it?" A hint of mockery and sarcasm crept into her words.

Theo was slightly irritated. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and didn't want to respond to Julian or pay attention to the gloating hidden in Julian's words. It was as if the world in front of him had fallen apart just as she had expected.

He didn't want to admit that Julianne was right.

Theo abruptly changed the subject, interrupting Julianne's attempt to continue the casual conversation, "Why did you bring me here?"

It's an attitude of drawing a clear line.

Julianne didn't mind at all, and without changing her expression, she smoothly changed the subject.

“I need your help. I need a pass.” He got straight to the point, “not for me, but for a girl.”

"refugee."

“We need to get her to the shore, but we need to get her through a security checkpoint.”

Theodore glanced at Julianne, his ambiguous smile unreadable—was it sarcasm or disappointment, or perhaps he didn't want to reveal his emotions? He exhaled a puff of smoke, obscuring his gaze. "We haven't seen each other for so many years, and now you're asking me for a pass?"

Julianne seemed oblivious to the inconsistencies in Theo's words, maintaining a completely businesslike demeanor: "Can you?"

Theo didn't hesitate for a second. "I don't see a solution."

But clearly, Julianne had already figured out a solution for Theo before she even approached him: "You can ask your cousin. There's an official grant for his Ark Art project, and he has a way to get the relevant documents."

Theo glanced at Julianne, his eyes calm and expressionless, devoid of any emotion. He adopted a businesslike demeanor, seemingly responding to Julianne, but compared to Julianne's calm objectivity, there was a hint of venting in his expression. Ultimately, they were different. "Indeed. But he won't agree."

Julianne remained unmoved. "If you ask, he will."

A flicker of surprise crossed Theo's eyes, and he instinctively pulled up the safety line. "No, this is too dangerous."

Julian stopped, looked up at Theo, and scrutinized him closely, seemingly observing and judging him. Although her eyes showed no extra emotion, her silent response revealed her true feelings.

The act of looking at someone up and down speaks volumes.

Theo also stopped, but he seemed to notice Julianne's scrutinizing gaze, took a deep drag of his cigarette, and hid his face in the swirling smoke.

Their eyes met as they went back and forth.

Scarlett watched Anson quietly. Because of her height disadvantage, she had to raise her chin and tilt her head back to see Anson's eyes. But miraculously, in the smoke, she could accurately catch Anson's gaze at a glance, and even the hiding and dodging were so clear.

For a brief moment, she realized that her heart ached not because she sympathized with him, but because she understood what he was suffering from and what he was resisting.

Anson was also watching Scarlett. The conversation was crisp and straightforward, with almost no time to catch his breath or think. She was still the same as he remembered her, yet she seemed completely different. They were arguing, and he was losing again. He was resisting.

More importantly, he is running away.

She said that he was always running away, but he could never escape himself.

At this moment, as he looked down at her, he felt that the vulnerability he had tried so hard to hide was exposed, and his vigilance was raised. He subconsciously wanted to deny and reject everything.

He knew such actions were incredibly humiliating, but the pain and struggle were real, and he didn't think he could be as calm and objective as she was.

Smoke swirled around them. Neither he nor she spoke. In the silence, the two were struggling, seemingly just like before. Not only them, but the camera in Emmanuel's hand also "silent," focusing on the smoke between the two, as if gazing into an abyss, being sucked into a black hole.

However, it was only a fleeting moment, and it was interrupted in an instant—

Julianne interrupted him.

Julianne said, "I can give you five thousand pounds." She paused, then added, "I know you're short of money."

Calm. Objective. Rational.

But it was cruel.

From eye contact to the clash of thoughts to the exposure of wounds, both Theo and Julian inadvertently revealed their past wounds; but Julian didn't even adjust her breathing or pause, smoothly cutting into reality and coldly throwing five thousand pounds in Theo's face.

It appeared to be stained with blood.

Theo was stung and involuntarily raised his voice at the end, as if he had been stepped on. "What are you saying?" He realized his lapse in composure after the words left his mouth and paused slightly to regain his composure. "I don't need your money."

Julianne's gaze briefly met Theo's, and in that single exchange of glances, she seemed to feel an immense tension, as if all her dead memories were resurrected.

Theo even forgot to smoke, simply letting the wisps of smoke from his cigarette linger in front of him, and without needing to say a word, his sadness was revealed.

However, it was only for a brief moment; Theo concealed himself.

Because Theo noticed Julian's composure, observing his disheveled and broken state as if he were a bystander, seemingly mocking his vulnerability.

He felt like a piece of trash.

Or perhaps he was just a piece of trash, a piece of trash who gave up struggling and resisting on the day of the apocalypse and let himself fall apart in sorrow.

But he refused to show any extra emotion in front of Julianne, not just vulnerability and sadness, not even a little bit of emotion; he tried to arm himself.

Julianne smiled, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly, and she looked exceptionally relaxed. "Yes, I'm sorry." Her relaxed and cheerful demeanor made her seem particularly at ease.

Julianne seemed to remember something, as if reminding herself how to forget what had happened. Her gaze swept lightly over Theo.

When their gazes met, it was no longer a resonance or an emotional clash, but rather a sense of wariness and vigilance. Although the two people were still standing in the same spot, they seemed to be able to sense that the psychological distance between them was quietly widening, and the space left by time had returned.

Emmanuel straightened his back and abdomen, his stiff and numb steps came to a stop, and he was no longer supported by the two camera assistants. Two other camera assistants quickly came up, crouched down, dodged the camera, and supported Emmanuel's waist with their hands, ready to pounce.

In Emmanuel's lens, Julian's eyes ultimately droop, severing ties and refusing any form of communication or contact with Theo.

"My fault."

Julian said.

Julian waved her hand, displaying a ruthless and decisive attitude, revealing a tough stance.

The ski mask, which had been closely following Theo and remaining vigilant, quickly stepped forward. Theo, lost in his own thoughts and unable to respond, had both arms restrained, and ash fell from his fingertips. He was not given time to extinguish his cigarette before the conclusion was drawn.

Theo: ?
Without warning or warning, things took a sharp turn for the worse.

(End of this chapter)