Chapter 122 - 122 Female Companion Candidates

"Premiere?" Hugo hadn't expected Uma to bring this up, which took him quite by surprise."Yeah, I thought you might need a date, so I wanted to offer a little help." Uma had a faint smile on her face, as if she were chatting about the simplest topic, without any awkwardness or urgency."Or have you already found a date? That would be embarrassing for me." After saying this, Uma chuckled softly, as if she were truly feeling quite shy.Hugo subconsciously let his gaze drift toward the back of the sofa, where he saw Charlize standing in place. However, because Hugo didn't turn his head completely, he couldn't discern Charlize's true emotions; he only saw her stand there for a moment before turning and walking back to her room.Seeing Charlize return to her room, Alex also quietly closed his bedroom door, leaving the living room space to Hugo and Uma.Hugo waited until Charlize had completely disappeared from view before turning his gaze back to Uma and saying, "No."In fact, Uma had also noticed Hugo's shift in gaze. Although she didn't see it clearly, as a woman, she was very sensitive and had sensed Charlize's pause. But since Charlize went back to her room quickly and Hugo gave her the answer she wanted, Uma didn't dwell on it, simply locking her gaze onto Hugo as if she hadn't noticed anything at all."Whew, I do need a date." Hugo let out a long breath, pulling his thoughts back and looking at the focused Uma in front of him. "But you know, a premiere date means a date."Although Hugo and Uma had shared two nights of intimacy and had two pleasant encounters—especially the visit to the set, which went very well—the two of them had never really discussed anything substantial, let alone love or romance. Therefore, Hugo and Uma couldn't really be considered "dating," or at least, it didn't count as a committed relationship.Faced with Hugo's question, Uma smiled, her full lips curling into a beautiful shape. "Aren't we?"Hugo's lips also curled into a smile. "I mean, a 'dating' partner." They hadn't officially gone on a date yet, not even once. In fact, when the two met for the second time at the second-hand furniture store, Uma had invited Hugo to dinner. If that had happened, it would have counted as a date, but unfortunately, Hugo had declined because he needed to move."A date? I thought last night was one." Uma said with a smile, completely unflustered, which immediately made Hugo recall the madness of last night, and a soft chuckle escaped his throat.Hugo shrugged. Since Uma had given a positive answer and had taken the initiative to make the invitation, he naturally didn't refuse. "Alright then, December 9th, I'll come to your place to pick you up." Although Uma's house was only three streets away, a premiere was a formal occasion, and since it was a formal date request, it was gentlemanly etiquette for a man to pick up a lady at her door.The smile on Uma's face bloomed instantly. She raised her right finger and slowly slid it down Hugo's cheek, pursing her lips provocatively. "Then I'll have to prepare well." After saying that, Uma pressed a kiss onto Hugo's cheek, then slowly stood up. Her long, beautiful legs traced a wonderful curve in his vision as she rose from the sofa, stepped onto the floor, and walked step by step toward Hugo's room on tiptoe—a seductive posture that was an absolute feast for the eyes.Uma went back to her room and put on a pair of overalls paired with a white shirt. The entire outfit belonged to Hugo, so it was naturally too big and loose on her. However, Uma rolled up the pant legs and shirt cuffs, then put on the red soft boots from last night. The mismatched outfit was somehow worn with a unique charm by Uma."I'll get all dressed up. I expect this premiere to be extra special." Uma didn't walk over; instead, she stood at the corner of the hallway, winked at Hugo, and then cat-walked out of Hugo's home.After hearing the door close, Alex immediately darted out of his room, clutching his crotch, and rushed straight to the bathroom; it seemed he had been holding it for a long time. Shortly after, Charlize opened her door and peeked out. After confirming that Uma was gone, she let out a heavy sigh of relief and walked out, muttering, "Breakfast? Are Alex and I not supposed to eat breakfast? Are Joseph and Carl not supposed to eat either?"As soon as Hugo turned around, he saw Charlize standing in front of the dining table with a clearly dissatisfied expression; it was evident that she really didn't have a good impression of Uma. Hugo chuckled and said, "Do you need me to make a new batch for you now?""Pfft, forget it. Uma would be heartbroken if she knew." Charlize's sarcastic expression made Hugo burst into laughter. Charlize didn't intend to stop there, continuing to mimic Uma's voice, "You know, Hugo has a hangover, it's not good for him to skip breakfast."Hugo lay on the sofa, beaming. "Girl, I've already invited her to attend the 'a few good men' premiere. She's my date.""So what? She's your date, not mine. I don't need to have a good impression of her." Charlize said sharply, leaving Hugo speechless."So, what do you think of Uma?" Hugo was actually curious about what kind of evaluation Charlize would have for Uma.Charlize raised her hands in surrender. "We're friends. I don't want to ruin our friendship by talking about your date. You know, a lot of the time, it's not necessarily a good thing when friends talk trash about who you're dating.""So that means you're going to say something bad, then." Hugo immediately seized on Charlize's words.Charlize curled her lip. "Isn't it obvious? If you want to hear nice things, you can ask Alex." After a few months of living together, although Charlize couldn't be called Hugo's best friend, they knew each other relatively well, so there were naturally fewer inhibitions when speaking. Her blunt words made Hugo chuckle.Charlize looked at the smiling Hugo, thought for a moment, and pretended to turn back to grab some toast as she asked, "Do you have feelings for her now? Choosing her as your premiere date."Feelings? This should have been a simple question, but it stumped Hugo. Hugo was actually quite sure that he had feelings for Uma; the time spent visiting the set, the comfort of chatting last night—all of this was true. If he didn't have feelings for her, Hugo certainly wouldn't have felt that comfort. But the problem was, Hugo still couldn't clearly distinguish whether his feelings for Uma came from himself or his predecessor. This feeling was a bit blurry and a bit ambiguous, which left Hugo feeling puzzled.Hugo paused for a moment and said hesitantly, "I guess so."This answer clearly didn't satisfy Charlize. She turned around holding the toast. "What kind of answer is that? No girl would like to hear such a 'confession.' I'm not asking if you love her, just if you have feelings for her, and you actually answered 'I guess so.' That's a terrible answer."Faced with Charlize's complaints, Hugo laughed instead. "I thought you didn't like Uma.""That's a fact." Charlize had to admit. "But I'm also a girl. I'm just addressing your answer, not anyone else."Hugo pursed his lips, biting his lower lip, not knowing how to reply. At this moment, Alex came out of the bathroom and shouted, "Hugo, do you like Uma? The way you two interacted last night was really sparking. I felt my heart racing just watching you play Truth or Dare."Alex's words left Hugo with a head full of question marks. What did "sparking" mean? And Truth or Dare? Yet he had absolutely no memory of it in his mind. Could it be that he had time-traveled last night too? It seems the principle that alcohol ruins things holds true everywhere.During the time Hugo was pondering this, Alex hopped right over to Hugo's side and leaned on the back of the sofa just like Hugo. "When Joseph and I came looking for you, Uma had already brought you back first. That forced Charlize and me to stay on the fourth floor for half an hour, trying our best not to disturb your two-person world."Hugo looked up at Charlize and caught her rolling her eyes. He muttered, "It's a good thing you didn't bring Aileen Wuornos home."Aileen Wuornos was a highway serial killer who had caused a huge stir over the past two years. She was a prostitute who would seduce men on the interstate highways, rob them, and then kill them. She killed seven men in total, including one police officer. This caused a huge sensation across the United States, and she was even hailed as America's first female serial killer. The sensational effect can be imagined. She was finally arrested last year. The subsequent year-long trial had yet to end. Just last week, Aileen was sentenced to death for the fifth time. In fact, Aileen had already pleaded guilty, but she insisted that it was self-defense, so she repeatedly requested retrials against the sentencing. After the fifth sentencing, Aileen filed for another retrial, forcing the court to continue the trial.Hearing Charlize describe Uma as Aileen, Hugo immediately found it funny and chuckled. Charlize's attitude made Hugo convinced that what Alex said was true. Hugo couldn't help but let out a long breath. "Yes, I do have feelings for her, which is why I was willing to invite her to the premiere."Hugo was thinking that, whether it was his own feelings or his predecessor's, his fondness for Uma was definitely real. Since he couldn't distinguish the difference, there was no need to dwell on it; he would just let things develop naturally."Just 'fondness'?" Alex immediately wailed. "Poor Uma."Charlize joined in from the side. "Hugo doesn't love Uma; that's a heartbreaking fact."Hugo was instantly helpless. He spread his hands. "Come on, it's not that scary, okay? I'm not Casanova." The remark immediately made Alex and Charlize laugh.