From the three previous encounters with Uma, it was evident that her personality had a bit of a tomboyish streak. Her straightforward, decisive nature—always charging ahead and acting on impulse—was different from many other girls, something clearly perceptible when she spoke. Yet, her expressive eyes held a lingering mist, and every smile and frown carried a delicate, charming femininity, as if a single glance was enough to make a man's heart race.At this moment, Uma was exactly like that; her water-like eyes rested earnestly on Hugo. She wasn't intentionally conveying any message, but the focus with which she listened was enough to make one's heart beat faster."What project are you filming right now?" Hugo had forgotten this important point and finally asked."'Jennifer Eight'," Uma replied. "Directed by Bruce Robinson, and I'm working with Andy Garcia.""Oh, 'The Killing Fields' and 'the godfather part iii'." Hugo thought for a moment before realizing. The former was Bruce's masterpiece, which had been nominated for an Oscar for best adapted screenplay; the latter was Andy's masterpiece, which had also won a nomination for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. "Then this is definitely a work worth looking forward to. I must go to the movie theater to watch it in person when it comes out.""Then at least I won't have to worry about the theater being completely empty." Uma's words made Hugo burst into laughter, his expression clearly cheerful.Uma looked at Hugo, who had a brilliant smile in front of her, and her eyes couldn't help but narrow slightly. She had to admit that this version of Hugo was truly attractive—sunny, warm, humorous, and sincere. Since they had met again, Hugo had brought Uma too many surprises.At first, Uma thought the kiss at the premiere was an act of revenge; she thought Hugo would go crazy over it, but he didn't. Later, that passionate night—she thought it was just one night, devoid of any meaning, yet she occasionally found herself thinking about it. Today's visit to the set was completely different from the scenes she had imagined, and it seemed the curve of her lips couldn't help but turn upward. This feeling was strange, yet very wonderful."What's wrong? Did I spray spit while laughing? That would be truly rude." Hugo began to examine himself with a straight face, but his words made Uma unable to hold back, and she burst into laughter."No, everything you did just now was fine." Uma finally managed to control her smile, but her eyes felt a bit uncomfortable, not daring to rest on Hugo's sparkling eyes. Her racing heart made her subconsciously look away, and she saw the guitar leaning against the makeup table, so she took the opportunity to change the subject. "You play the guitar on set? I didn't expect that.""Oh, no, that's not my guitar. It belongs to the makeup artist." Hugo quickly waved his hands, denying it."That's disappointing." Uma curved her lips, expressing her regret. "I was originally thinking that as a reward for my negotiation, you would play a love song for me.""Are you serious?" Hugo was clearly surprised. Looking at Uma's sincere expression, he asked in confusion, "You came to visit the set, and you're asking for a reward?" Then, he changed his tone and said, pretending to be angry, "This is truly disappointing! Where is my coffee?""Hey, gentleman. I'm not asking for anything excessive, just a song." Uma had only said it casually and didn't really have many thoughts about it, but Hugo's counterattack made her take it seriously. "Or are you saying you'll visit my set next time? Isn't that how friends interact?""You need me to visit your set? That sounds terrible." Hugo began to consider it seriously, which left Uma laughing and crying at the same time at this retort. "Then I'd rather choose to sing; that should be less effort.""You can really play the guitar and sing?" Uma was startled by this unexpected surprise, her face full of astonishment.Hugo actually stood up, reached for the guitar, and sat back down. "No, no, you misunderstood. I just said I chose to sing, not that I necessarily sing well. You know, for the guitar, I at least know that these strings can make a sound, and that's about it. As for my singing, I think you'll get used to it.""And you call yourself a gentleman!" Uma immediately retorted, clearly not holding out hope for Hugo's singing voice.Hugo shrugged. "At least I look like a gentleman holding the guitar." A confident, joking remark made Uma break into a smile again.However, as Uma watched Hugo actually start tuning the strings, she looked around in a panic. "Hugo, let's just forget it. It wouldn't be good if it bothered others on set." As far as Uma knew, Hugo couldn't sing, let alone play the guitar; otherwise, he would have definitely used this trick when he was aggressively pursuing her. Of course, at that time, Uma wasn't interested in Hugo, so even if he sang beautifully, it would have been hard for her to develop a good impression."I'll keep it quiet." Hugo cleared his throat and said with a chuckle, "Cover your ears." Hearing this, Uma paused, and she actually covered her ears, which almost made Hugo burst into laughter. But Hugo managed to control himself, thought for a moment, and selected a song.In truth, Hugo wasn't being too serious; he just intended to play a little joke on Uma as a way to thank her for visiting the set. Therefore, Hugo chose a classic song, made some minor modifications, and reinterpreted it. This song, called "Next Time You See Me," was a jazz track performed by Little Walter in 1957. The original song was full of the classic jazz flavor of the 1930s, and the use of saxophone, clarinet, trombone, and piano gave the whole song a vintage feel.The reason Hugo chose this song was that the lyrics described a man who had been betrayed by a woman, so he made up his mind, saying, "The next time you see me, I'll be different." Hugo intended to change the song slightly, incorporating some blues and pop styles, performing it with the guitar, and adding a humorous touch—both as a little joke and a small gift.Hugo pressed the strings, using the crisp sound of the guitar to set aside the song's colorful instrumentation, outlining the musical notes one by one in a lighter, simpler way.Watching Hugo play the guitar with ease, Uma's mouth opened involuntarily. She hadn't expected that what was just a joke earlier would turn into Hugo actually playing the guitar, and, moreover, he looked like a master! Uma's fingers loosened slightly, and then she heard the clear, stringed sounds winding up before her like wisps of smoke. Unconsciously, her fingertips wanted to sway up and down to the rhythm of the music. Hugo's performance was completely beyond Uma's expectations!"The next time you see me, things won't be the same." Hugo's warm voice slowly entwined with the guitar strings, the smile on his lips blending into his singing, carrying a faint sense of joy that made the listener's mouth curl up unconsciously. "The next time you see me, things won't be the same, oh..." Hugo raised his voice slightly, causing the music to vibrate in ripples, his smile blooming completely. "If I hurt you, darling, you can only blame yourself."The mischief in Hugo's eyes danced upon the notes. Each word seemed to independently transform into a living character, dancing tap, making funny faces amidst the musical notes. This vivid, lifelike feeling was truly magical.Even Uma herself didn't notice that her body was leaning slightly forward, her fingers and toes tapping along with Hugo. Even her chin was nodding gently, and the blood in her body was swaying to the rhythm. This feeling of being completely merged with the music was so wonderful that it made her forget everything else.A scene flashed through her mind in a daze: a solitary ray of sunlight passed through a skylight and projected onto a stage. In the middle of the stage, a dancer used their feet to tread on the ground, weaving a natural melody. There was no accompaniment, yet it wasn't boring at all, because the drumbeats and rhythm were the most beautiful music; the ground was the instrument, and the dancer's feet were playing it. The sunlight, like a spotlight, enveloped the stage, making everything look magnificent.When her consciousness returned, she could see Hugo's long, slender fingers dancing lightly on the guitar strings. It was as if countless elves were dancing around, and musical notes leaped out from the guitar's soundbox, soaring freely before her eyes, weaving a magnificent picture."Yes, it's true, it's a fact, not all sunshine is golden." Hugo's voice was warm and mellow, perfectly combined with the string sounds. Like velvet, it wove through her vision and danced on her eardrums with the strings, so wonderful that one had to close their eyes to truly feel the power of the music with their hearing and touch. "Yes, it's true, it's a fact, not all sunshine is golden, yeah! Just like the classic books say, you reap what you sow."Uma could feel the humor and teasing in Hugo's voice. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel Hugo's state. The guitar was his face, the music was his expression, and his singing was his emotion. Everything was so vivid, even more real than if she had opened her eyes to witness it all."Oh, you lie, you cheat... oh whoa! For so long! Woman, you shouldn't do that; another queen has already ascended the throne!" The smile in Hugo's voice was about to spill out, which made Uma open her eyes again. She immediately saw Hugo's amber eyes shining with golden light, just like the morning sun at eight o'clock covering a quiet lake—sacred and beautiful. All flowery language became dull and tasteless at this moment.So, the guitar could be this beautiful, this romantic, this vivid. Music could be this brilliant, this moving, this real. It turned out that the so-called "music has no borders" was true. Even without a single word, even if the lyrics were so simple, even if there were only the simplest notes, the emotion was so real!
