Watching Ernst, still irritable but trying to act nonchalant, return to his room, Hugo finally let out a hearty laugh. His mood lifted, the sound of his laughter echoing through the stairwell, causing the already tense Ernst, still inside, to stiffen further in irritation.
Hugo stood, brushed off his pants, and carried the trash downstairs with ease. As Ernst had said earlier, he needed to learn to recognize the meaning behind media commentary. Praise—was it genuine, or just flattery? Criticism—was it constructive, or merely for attention? Clearly, in this case, the media was only stirring up discussion to grab headlines, and most of the content was false. Hugo knew he hadn't acted arrogantly, and that was what mattered most.
There was no reason for him to fear the media. In fact, the paparazzi waiting at his door were only trying to get first-hand news. Viewed another way, they were practically begging him to interact. Hiding away only made him look ridiculous.
When Hugo reached the ground floor, the paparazzi swarmed toward him. His first instinct was to turn and run—the nightmares had left a deep impression but he forced himself to stay calm. He threw away the trash, reminded himself, "They're just a flock of crows," and his nerves settled. Once he escaped their circle, a smile broke across his face.
Seeing the clueless paparazzi behind him, Hugo realized this was at least a start. His steps paused at Ernst's door. Hesitating for a moment, he called out, "Ernst, thank you!" There was no response, but Hugo didn't mind. He returned to the third floor with a lighter step.
Opening his room door, Hugo saw Alex sitting on the sofa, studying a script. Recently, Alex had landed another cameo role, and he was excited, full of energy.
"Hey, Alex, do you know who Ernst on the second floor really is?" Hugo asked.
"What do you mean?" Alex looked up, puzzled. "He's Ernst, isn't he?"
"No, I mean, what did he used to do? You know, he always needs funds to cover basic living expenses. Social assistance alone couldn't keep him living here." Hugo knew Ernst had his own place; unlike the three of them, he didn't split rent.
Alex understood, shrugging. "Oh, I'm not really sure. He was already here when I moved in. I don't really interact with him much." He tilted his shoulders helplessly. "Why? Why are you suddenly curious about him?"
"Nothing, I just… talked to him for a moment, and I felt…" Hugo paused, shaking his head. "Never mind. He just seems really wise."
Alex laughed. "I guess you're the only one brave enough to actually talk to him." Remembering Ernst's bad temper, Hugo agreed silently. Alex added, "Well, living that long and experiencing so much leaves gifts from time, doesn't it?"
"So, what did you say to Ernst just now? I saw you two sitting on the steps when I came downstairs," Joseph's voice called from the dining area.
Hugo turned to see Joseph and Kal in the dining room, and Charlize quickly disappearing into the kitchen—he only caught a glimpse of her back. "Nothing much. Ernst just shared his thoughts about the reporters outside." Hugo walked to the table to pour himself a cup of coffee. Kal handed him the coffee pot from the counter, and Hugo nodded in thanks. "He said all those reporters are just crows…"
Hugo smiled, but his peripheral vision caught Charlize in the kitchen, looking slightly flustered. Initially, Hugo thought she was just tidying the cabinets again, but as he glanced back, he noticed Joseph and Kal's gaze kept flicking toward her, a bit anxious and uneasy. Hugo instinctively turned toward the kitchen.
"Hey, Hugo, what exactly did Ernst say? How did he even think… uh, to talk with you?" Joseph interjected quickly, trying to redirect his attention.
Hugo looked at Joseph, as he had intended, but noticed the tension in Joseph's words. He paused with his coffee cup, frowning slightly.
Although Hugo and Joseph weren't lifelong friends, they'd spent a year together. From initially mocking Joseph's cautious, serious personality to understanding his soft-hearted yet stubborn nature, Hugo quickly realized something was off. "Joe, do you know you hiccupped twice in a row just now?" Joseph tended to hiccup when nervous, though subtly, something only someone close would notice.
Joseph's eyes darted away, avoiding Hugo's gaze.
Hugo immediately turned toward the kitchen. Charlize had turned around, awkwardly adjusting her sleeves, then forced a smile at Hugo. He studied her closely, amber eyes fixed on her face.
Charlize tried to appear calm but quickly failed. She looked up and away, a typical gesture when avoiding a problem. Hugo knew she didn't want to reveal her true feelings, so she avoided eye contact.
Hugo's gaze swept over Charlize, Kal, and Joseph. "So, are you going to tell me yourselves, or should I find out? I know Charlize hid something in the cabinet." Charlize had obsessive tendencies. Earlier, she had carelessly stuffed a pile of things into the cabinet—clearly suspicious.
Alex walked over. Hugo noticed him and turned. "You're in on this too?"
Alex gave an awkward smile, shrugging helplessly at Joseph and the others. "I said Hugo would find out eventually." He felt Hugo's calm yet penetrating gaze. Though there was no sharpness or anger in Hugo's eyes, Alex couldn't hold his gaze. "Heh, just didn't expect it to be so soon." Alex let out two dry laughs.
Charlize gave up, relaxing her tense shoulders. "Fine." She walked into the kitchen, grabbed a newspaper from the cabinet.
"Charlize!" Joseph called out, worry written across his face, stopping short mid-sentence.
Charlize held the newspaper firmly. "Joe, Hugo isn't a child. He's going to have to face this himself. It's not something we can do for him." Though she appeared concerned, she still stared firmly at Joseph. Sitting in the middle, Kal sighed. "Joe, Charlize is right. Hugo deserves to know."
Faced with this outcome, Joseph looked at Hugo, his eyes filled with helplessness and confusion. Finally, he slumped and nodded.
"What?" Hugo was completely puzzled. His gaze fell on the newspaper in Charlize's hands—it was the San Francisco Chronicle. "Is there some new development?" He thought about the chaos over the past week in the papers and reflected on his own recent slump. Probably, he reasoned, his friends were just worried about him.
Hugo took the newspaper and smiled. "Don't worry, I've sorted things out. Joe has already pulled every string he could over the past few days. The situation isn't as bad as it seems, right? At least there's no unanimous criticism, and I can see plenty of people speaking in my favor." Hugo tried to relax, attempting to lighten the mood, but his four friends still wore uneasy expressions.
Kal glanced around and said, "On page six."
Hugo lowered his eyes, opened the newspaper, and flipped to page six. There was no article about him. The bolded name "Hugo Lancaster" was familiar to him, but he didn't see it. Just as he was about to ask, his gaze fell on a news item in the top left corner, and his expression froze, his body rigid.
The headline read: "Uma Thurman Teams Up with Sydney Pollack?" Hugo's eyes moved down as he quickly read the short article. It reported that the stalled lead actress selection for The Firm had made breakthrough progress—Uma was very likely to team up with Sydney to become the film's female lead. At the end, it noted that Brad Pitt was currently the most promising candidate for the male lead. Negotiations were already at the contract stage, and if confirmed, the Brad-Uma pairing would undoubtedly add significant appeal to this cinematic epic.
From any perspective, this was just a standard entertainment news piece. Compared to the recent A-List Controversy, it was minor, occupying very little space. Yet, this small section became the most crucial information in this issue of the San Francisco Chronicle.
No wonder everyone had been worried about Hugo seeing it. This news wasn't just about Uma becoming the lead in The Firm—it connected all the threads together.
It probably all started on New Year's Eve, or from when the The Firm invitation was first interfered with—it didn't really matter. From Anthony provoking Hugo and triggering the assault incident, it was a chain of traps.
The invitation to The Fugitive caused Joseph and Arnold to stand in the corner and talk. Even if Hugo hadn't gone, there would have been other ways to get him there—like Uma. Hugo vaguely remembered it was Uma who had mentioned Joseph, prompting Hugo to think he should reach out to Joseph. Then Arnold left, Anthony appeared, and conveniently, Arnold scheduled the audition for 10 a.m. the next day, knowing Anthony's press conference was at 9:30. Even if Hugo wasn't late for the Fugitive audition, Arnold would have had sufficient reason to reject him. Afterwards, the A-list Controversy rumors put Hugo in a precarious situation.
If Hugo hadn't taken the initiative to disrupt the plan, the subsequent plagiarism scandal would have awaited him, a bottomless pit. The final nail in the coffin of this entire scheme would have been Uma's "betrayal." Career failure, emotional alienation—this would have put Hugo in an even worse, scarier situation than a year ago.
At this moment, Tracy was probably gloating somewhere, eagerly awaiting the spectacular sight of Hugo's breakdown.
.....
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