The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 2101 Heartbreaking
Johnny was adrift in the darkness, completely out of control.

He not only brought Vivian to the awards ceremony to ambush Joan Carter and mock her second marriage, but also chased after her in public and cornered her when she turned to flee, ignoring Vivian's desperate pleas.

Alcohol—and it wasn't just alcohol that clouded his mind, causing him to recklessly cross boundaries and break limits.

He knew that Joan Carter was not living a good life and was not happy in her marriage, but she had to struggle to maintain it for fear of gossip and raise her two daughters at home; her career had hit rock bottom and no one appreciated her musical talent, so she had to perform in short comedy sketches on television to make a living.

Joan Carter's chaotic life was laid bare before Johnny, leaving her nowhere to escape. Her vulnerability and confusion, her shame and sorrow were thus exposed by Johnny.

Johnny invited Joan Carter to tour with him, which would only take a week a month, allowing Joan Carter to start singing again and for him to be by her side.

Joan Carter tried to refuse, but she had no room for maneuver and no position to take.

So she agreed to return to the stage she loved, but even during the performance, a hint of confusion and vulnerability would inadvertently show in her eyes, because she knew that the audience was not there for her, and that her so-called talent could not shine under the spotlight.

Especially when she saw the look in Vivian's and the three children's eyes below the stage—disdain, contempt, and indifference.

Although Joan Carter knew that nothing had happened between her and Johnny, she could neither defend herself nor refute it; she had no grounds to stand.

After the performance, Johnny tried to introduce Joan Carter to the children, but Vivian refused with a fierce gesture, drawing a clear line.

Joan Carter forced a smile, turned and left; she couldn't even blame Vivian.

Johnny was aggressive and relentless, while Joan Carter's own life was mired in trouble. The two worlds of real life and stage performances intertwined and surged. The music and the performances did not lie; the passion from the heart could not be suppressed in the end and broke through that bottom line.

Confused and infatuated, like moths drawn to a flame.

They finally took that step.

Happiness, joy, sweetness, and happiness filled my heart, but were interrupted by a phone call—

Joan Carter's youngest daughter misses her mother.

Joan Carter panicked. She was struck hard, feeling frustrated, guilty, and utterly disheveled. But when she turned around and saw Johnny, she realized that men are still men, completely unaware that their actions were hurting their families and children.

Joan Carter was consumed by guilt; she turned Johnny away and told him it was a mistake.

Johnny completely broke down. He didn't understand what was happening, and he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried. He was even willing to kneel down and beg outside Joan Carter's room, but he still couldn't get the door open again. This drove him into madness, and he uncontrollably slid into the darkness, that bottomless abyss.

He swallowed handfuls of pills mixed with alcohol, his mind clouded and confused, and staggered onto the stage.

It was as if he had gone mad with desire.

Sweating profusely, with glazed eyes and trembling all over, he was like a puppet freed from its strings for the first time, and even his singing voice revealed a kind of arrogance.

however--

Roger Albert, however, heard sadness in his voice, as if he could hear the sound of a heart breaking, bitter and desperate, the pain turning into madness and bursting into laughter.

Music has truly come to life.

There was not a sound in the Lumière Hall; everyone was staring intently. It wasn't Anson or Johnny, but a real being with flesh and blood, a soul, pain, and the capacity for hurt and confusion.

His confusion and bewilderment transformed into an obsession. He searched in the endless darkness, trying to find Jack's eyes, but he couldn't find them no matter what he did. He frantically and fearfully groped around until he finally saw Joan Carter's eyes. He ran forward recklessly, but tripped and fell, the world spinning around him, and he was thrown into freefall. He shattered into pieces.

Roger stared silently at the screen. The sadness and pain he felt were not an act, but a scar hidden deep in his soul. He had always concealed it perfectly, but it had never disappeared and could never be forgotten. It had been lurking in the darkness, waiting for the right moment to launch a fatal attack.

Like everyone else, he had never seen Anson like this before. Beneath his glamorous, carefree, and dashing exterior lay a scarred soul.

Just like Johnny.

At this moment, all traces of the performance had completely disappeared, and Roger could clearly feel the overwhelming chaos and pain, his eyes stinging.

He thought he was crying, so he closed his eyes tightly, only to find that his eyes were terribly dry, without a trace of moisture. In the darkness, a heart-wrenching pain swept over him like a tidal wave, making it hard to breathe.

When I opened my eyes again, the whole world spun around and transformed into a halo of light, which then exploded and disintegrated.

Johnny just collapsed.

He stared blankly, trying to search, his eyes already unfocused. Finally, through the chaos, he saw Joan Carter's eyes filled with worry. He raised his hand, wanting to touch them, but he couldn't reach them no matter what he did. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, but they were swallowed up by sadness and bitterness, and then he disappeared into endless darkness.

*Snap*, the entire screen went black.

The Lumière Hall remained silent. One by one, people were caught up in the storm, briefly losing their ability to react and think.

When Anson and Reese Witherspoon took on the role in "Walk the Line," their ulterior motives were obvious to everyone, drawing ridicule from Hollywood. When Thierry invited "Walk the Line" to the main competition at Cannes, his obsequious attitude seemed undisguised, drawing disdain and contempt from his industry peers.

However, now that the shock of that scene has just left us, how many people will still be able to remain rational and continue to despise this work?

Johnny woke up, thankfully without causing any major trouble, but Marshall and Luther could no longer tolerate it and booked Johnny's flight home, ending the tour early.

But Johnny didn't care; he didn't bother to respond at all.

He just stared blankly at Joan Carter, his clear eyes like glass beads soaking in spring water, and said stubbornly and innocently, "Tell me you don't love me."

Joan Carter looked back quietly, her face expressionless, a hint of weariness and sadness in her eyes. After a moment, she gently shook her head. "I don't love you."

Johnny didn't believe him. "You're lying."

Joan Carter's lips curled into a slight sneer. "Then I think you should be fine, right?"

Joan Carter ignored Johnny and turned to leave.

Johnny started rummaging through the bedside table, only to find all his medicine bottles empty. In an instant, he panicked, "Where are my medicines?"

“I poured it all down the toilet and flushed it away,” Joan Carter said.

Johnny panicked completely, then snapped back to reality. "Joan, don't say that." He started rummaging through his duffel bag and dressing table. "Wait, I...I...I need those, I need those medications, listen, they're just...baby...they're just...doctor's prescriptions, understand?"

"I, I need, I need those..."

(End of this chapter)