From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

David noticed Anson's brief pause. As a veteran who had been in Hollywood for twenty years, he could see through an eighteen-year-old child as if he were crystal; but his emotions didn't waver at all—

A vase. There's nothing wrong with that.

Although Hollywood is never short of vases, the point is that the audience is fickle. They are always looking forward to more fresh vases. Look at Leonardo DiCaprio and Julia Roberts.

Then, Anson spoke.

"My theory is…"

Calm, composed, smiling, nothing special, no change in his eyes, no exaggerated expressions, everything was the same as before, as if it were just a normal conversation.

David smiled without saying a word.

He guessed that Anson would find excuses or theories to defend himself, explaining a bunch of things that ultimately didn't amount to a reliable performance. There were plenty of people in Hollywood who relied on their mouths instead of their skills; and don't underestimate them, they often succeed.

"When parents divorce, they will give a statement."

David: ? ? ?

Something's not quite right.

But David looked at Anson, still smiling, still calm, as if he were just sharing his story.

For a moment, David didn't know if he should interrupt, and then Anson continued.

"When my parents told me they were separating, they told me three things."

"First, it's not your fault."

"Second, it's not your fault."

"Third…"

His eyes were bright, his expression calm, there was no particular change in his tone, and even in the pauses, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up.

However, behind that light and indifferent smile, David could taste a hint of loss and bitterness, easily awakening his own memories.

David watched the words come out of Anson's mouth, opened his mouth slightly trying to speak, but no sound came out, he just stood there stunned.

Anson wasn't in a hurry, but exchanged a look with David, letting thoughts and emotions surge and burn in the quiet air.

"The problem is, I don't believe it."

Anson shook his head gently, sat up straight, and let out a long breath.

"No child would believe it."

"I've seen photos of your wedding ceremony. In the photos, you were so young and beautiful, smiling at each other, your eyes full of happiness."

"But now you don't even want to look at each other."

Heh.

Anson chuckled, his focused gaze slowly blurring in the air, without emotional turbulence, as if he were just lost in his own memories.

Then, he whispered, as if asking himself, or asking David.

"So, what happened all these years?"

"I tried to think, tried to find out, but you weren't willing to give me an answer, so I could only figure it out myself. Finally, I found the answer."

The scattered focus of his eyes re-converged, and then Anson's and David's eyes met like that. David could see a hint of a smile in those clear blue eyes, the shimmering light trembling slightly.

"I."

Anson said.

David was stunned.

"I appeared."

"From the photos to now, the only difference is me. I made a dazzling debut, I made you tired, weird, irritable, and anxious."

A pause.

Anson tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to hide the tremor inadvertently revealed in the tail end of his words, but failed, so he quickly lowered his eyes, took a deep breath, and began to trace the patterns on the desk with his eyes.

"I made you lose your hair, I made you gain thirty pounds, I made you so busy that you were exhausted, and then you lost the ability to continue loving each other."

David was silent—

His gaze couldn't leave Anson at all.

Suddenly, Anson raised his eyes and looked over, their eyes collided again, but David didn't have time to think, he just felt a guilty conscience.

But, why?

Why was he guilty, why was he flustered, why did he look away?

David had no answer, because the memories and emotions in his mind set off a storm. He thought he had forgotten the time long ago, but it was still so clear. He could even see his parents' expressions.

Anson's words seemed to be talking to his father, carefully opening his heart; but also seemed to be talking to his younger self, who had once been hurt, trying to reconcile with himself.

David was a little dazed.

In his ears, came Anson's voice, which had regained its strength after being fragile.

"So, I have my own opinion on this statement."

"Why don't you tell me."

"First, happiness is difficult."

"Second, don't repeat our mistakes."

"Third…"

The voice stopped.

David raised his head reflexively, and immediately saw Anson's blue eyes, as if he could hear the sound of the ocean's surface, the sound of waves and the sound of wind intertwined, forcefully pulling his body, trembling slightly, as if he could disappear into the raging wind at any time.

"…Okay, maybe it really is a little bit your fault."

Calm, light, but fragile.

David opened his mouth, he didn't know what was going on, he just wanted to speak, but the sound reached his mouth and then stopped abruptly, because he saw the strength and resilience in the depths of those eyes.

He said.

"If you want me to be honest?"

"Okay, you do it first, don't treat me like a child, and continue to deceive me with lies."

Frank, sincere, and naked.

At that moment, it was as if he had unloaded all his defenses and armor, carefully showing the truth in his heart. Between the collision of eyes, that pure and simple temperament quietly blended into his words.

The world was silent.

David still quietly stared at Anson, feeling his breath and feeling his heartbeat. The sunlight shining in through the window fell lightly on Anson's shoulders like a butterfly, slightly hot, and the golden halo slowly outlined the hard and clear lines of that face, and his heart couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Time briefly stopped, as if forgetting to continue moving forward.

Then, Anson lowered his eyes, the tight shoulder lines relaxed, faintly revealing a trace of fatigue, but the curve of his mouth slightly raised, as if he could feel the sadness slowly flowing from his fingertips, and he chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"I'm sorry. I think I've been rambling on about myself and must have made you feel annoyed."

Illusory and real, true and false, from reality to performance and back to reality.

A simple sentence, but it pulled David from his thoughts back into reality, and he suddenly raised his eyes, and couldn't help but carefully look at Anson again.

Everything seemed unchanged—

Still calm, still peaceful, still smiling.

However, the quicksand of memories had completely escaped the control of his hands. Like a free fall, David once again felt the weight of gravity, and his thoughts swayed vaguely between the boundaries of reality and illusion.

So, what is real and what is performance?

But David was still experienced after all, and gradually woke up.

Rather than saying that Anson's performance was so outstanding, it was better to say that Anson cleverly grasped his psychology and used his resonance to create such an atmosphere, just like a magic trick, the performance occupied half, and the psychology occupied the other half.

If there were other people present, the effect would probably be greatly reduced; but Anson cleverly seized the opportunity, and from the first sentence he spoke, he let David step into the trap.

This is also a kind of ability.

His gaze always fell on Anson, but this time there was a bit more playful taste—

"Is this your audition performance?"

Dear book friends, the new entertainment author begs for collections! Don't raise books, because the current recommendation slots are directly linked to the number of readers, so raising too many is easy to raise to death! Qimao is here to beg for the support of all book friends! Thank you!