Chapter 124
{“Water flies straight down three thousand feet—Has the silver stream of our galaxy plunged from highest heaven?”}
These verses from Li Bai’s seven-character quatrain vividly depict the grandeur of a waterfall, and, at this moment, the dazzling explosion of camera flashes truly brought the magnificence of those poetic lines to life before Renly. The overwhelming burst of light erupted unreasonably before his eyes, leaving him no time to react before plunging his vision into darkness. It was merely a blink of an eye from extreme brightness to absolute darkness. In that fleeting instant, Renly felt as though he had been transported back to the coffin in ‘Buried’.
The glaring light pricked at his eyes like needles as fine as ox hair, causing him a faint ache. Without thinking, and driven purely by reflex, Renly raised his right hand, his fingertips lightly tracing the contour of his brow bone. He attempted to shield his eyes with his palm to ease the discomfort. Almost immediately, he could feel the faint heat radiating onto the back of his hand, vividly conveying the intensity of the camera flashes.
The initial moment of being caught off guard, and the instant tension and oppression, quickly dissolved into a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
Renly found it somewhat absurd, even a bit contrived. At last, he understood why celebrities, when caught in paparazzi’s lenses, would either bow their heads, cover their faces, or carry sunglasses wherever they went. Sure, maintaining an image was one thing, but protecting their eyes and avoiding the flashes was the real reason.
Unconsciously, he too had raised his right hand to shield his eyes. At that moment, he had become one of those dishevelled—or pretentious—celebrities he’d seen on computer screens before. Suddenly, Renly no longer felt so tense.
Daisy Lucas, on the other hand, felt as though her long-dormant girlish heart was about to explode. Watching Renly awkwardly and clumsily shield his eyes, yet allowing a faint smile to curve his lips, she saw in him a blend of mischief and nonchalance, elegance and youthful energy, composure and a touch of nervousness. That fleeting beauty made her heart skip a beat.
The last time “Vanity Fair” did an exclusive interview with the cast of ‘The Pacific’, Daisy had already been deeply impressed by Renly—not so much for his appearance, but for the wit and sharpness he displayed during the interview. Later, when editing the interview and selecting photos, she noticed something odd: Renly in the photos seemed to lack the same vitality. It wasn’t that he wasn’t photogenic, but rather that the real-life Renly left a stronger impression.
Only today did Daisy finally understand why—it was his eyes, that smile, and the way his features carried a unique blend of boyish charm and mature masculinity. This distinct aura simply couldn’t be captured by a camera. In his every movement, Renly exuded a charisma that made Daisy’s heart tremble slightly. She couldn’t stop herself from furiously pressing the shutter button, even though she knew it was futile; she could never freeze this moment in time. But the fireworks in her mind wouldn’t stop, blooming like a Fourth of July celebration.