To the onlookers, the situation was actually quite simple: the young man had accidentally tripped over the homeless person's arm, and nothing had really happened. However, the homeless person took the opportunity to extort him and even went as far as slander. With so many witnesses at the scene, there shouldn't have been any surprises. Therefore, when the Patrol Officer arrived, many people dispersed because they knew the outcome was already set, and those bystanders who didn't want to serve as witnesses naturally scattered.However, the small group that remained was stunned because, after examining the homeless person's arm, the Patrol Officer said something shocking: "Her arm is indeed fractured." How was that possible? The onlookers were all shocked. The Patrol Officer said to the young man, who was on the verge of tears, "If she decides to press charges against you, you will have to come with us."What kind of miraculous turn of events was this?The onlookers couldn't help but feel sorry for the young man, as the homeless person was clearly planning to extort a tidy sum—no one even knew if she had been injured beforehand. After all, her earlier accusations that the young man had intentionally broken her arm and molested her were blatant lies that everyone had seen through. Therefore, if the young man couldn't prove that he had no direct connection to the fracture, it seemed there would be no room for maneuver regarding this extortion.At this moment, everyone focused on the homeless person. Sure enough, her murky eyes revealed a smug smile that made people grit their teeth in frustration. "I'll drop the charges if you're willing to cough up five hundred dollars."Five hundred dollars was a significant amount of money in the early nineties, especially since the young man looked like a student; his worn-out guitar and faded jeans made it clear that he wasn't well-off. So, what was the young man to do?However, sympathy was one thing; five hundred dollars was not a sum one could just pull out on a whim, especially for a total stranger. On the contrary, the crowd of onlookers, which had just shrunk, had unknowingly grown again, with at least twenty people standing by to watch."Five hundred dollars? I don't have that..." The young man's reply was not surprising."You don't? Then we'll see each other in court!" The homeless person had clearly made up her mind, speaking with absolute certainty without a moment's hesitation.Faced with the homeless person's relentless pressure, the young man looked around in confusion. His lost eyes were so helpless, and the homeless person's look of triumph made people even more furious. But what good was anger? No one could help him, and even many soft-hearted people avoided the young man's gaze, fearing they would feel guilty because of the light slowly fading from his eyes."Then... what should I do... I have a bus to catch to go home... Thanksgiving... Mom..." The young man's voice was intermittent, sounding like a mutter. One could only catch a few words, but it was enough for the listeners to piece together a complete picture.Perhaps this young man was a broke student on his way to the station to go home for Thanksgiving, only to encounter such an unexpected disaster. If the homeless person kept pestering him, the young man might be stuck in a detention center for the next few days. Never mind going home for the holiday; it was very likely that his parents would have to rush to Los Angeles to deal with this terrible situation.This image made the homeless person seem even more detestable. When the onlookers looked at her, they found that she had started playing dead again, leaning against the lamppost, gasping for air, having lost all of her earlier overbearing attitude. But the problem was, the homeless person was still slightly opening her eyes to gauge the crowd's reaction, which only confirmed that she was trying to extort money while avoiding public outrage, hence the deliberate display of weakness. It was despicable.The crowd began to murmur, discussing the young man's pitiable state, the homeless person's wickedness, the Patrol Officer's incompetence, and the madness of this city.Amidst the noise, the young man suddenly remembered something and picked up his guitar. "I, I'll give you this guitar—no, I'll leave it with you as collateral. Once I've worked and saved up enough money to pay for your medical expenses, you can return the guitar to me, okay?""I don't need a broken guitar." The homeless person looked weak, but her voice was full of vigor. Without the shrillness of her high-pitched shrieking, this gruff voice made it impossible to tell her gender again. More importantly, the homeless person's disdainful look was truly infuriating.The young man's fingertips tightened around the guitar, turning a pale white. One could sense his inner struggle and reluctance; to him, this guitar must have been very important. He had finally made up his mind, only to be heartlessly rejected by the homeless person. Now, it seemed the young man was trapped in an unsolvable dilemma: he would either have to go back with the Patrol Officer to assist in the investigation, hoping the officer would clear his name, or pay up to end it. But..."Oh, boy." An elderly lady walked out from the crowd, patted the boy on the shoulder, and took ten dollars out of her pocket. "I know this isn't much, but I hope it can be of some help to you.""No..." The boy's first reaction was to refuse, his face showing a hint of surprise. But the old lady simply placed the money on the guitar case. "It's Thanksgiving, your family is waiting for you to come home. It wouldn't be worth it to be delayed by some disgusting matter." After saying this, the old lady glared fiercely at the homeless person, clearly disgusted by her behavior.The young man called out to the old lady, who was just about to turn and leave. "Ma'am, th... thank you." He said it with some shyness and timidity, which made the old lady show a gratified smile. The boy continued, "However, I cannot just accept your money. This is a mess I got myself into, and I need to solve it myself." Although the boy's voice was trembling, it was full of determination. "I think, I think..." The young man seemed hesitant, but quickly made up his mind. "I think I can perform a little here to show my gratitude. Perhaps, after you watch the performance, you can decide whether you are willing to offer some help."This was Hollywood Boulevard, where there were countless street performers. Pedestrians could give the performers tips according to their own wishes after watching, which was also a way to earn money with one's own hands. The young man didn't want to get something for nothing; at the very least, he wanted to show some respect through a simple performance.The young man's action quickly won everyone's favor. Faced with adversity, he still held fast to his principles. His clear eyes, though soft, were full of determination. Even with limited strength, he refused to give up. Compared to the terrible, wretched homeless person, the young man easily won the support of the onlookers.The young man did as he said. He quickly took out his guitar. It was a very worn-out guitar, but it was well-kept; one could tell that the owner usually took great care of it. The young man sat cross-legged on the concrete ground and looked at the Patrol Officer. "Please, allow me to finish singing a song, okay?""No! Absolutely not!" The homeless person screamed immediately. The weakness from just a moment ago had completely vanished. She shrieked viciously, "What about my hand? What am I supposed to do about my hand? I want to go to the hospital, the hospital!""Shut up!" The homeless person's disgusting behavior finally angered some people. Someone in the crowd shouted angrily, which made the homeless person shut up immediately.The two Patrol Officers looked at each other and exchanged a glance before saying to Hugo, "We have already called an ambulance; the time before the vehicle arrives is yours.""Thank you." The young man looked up at the two Patrol Officers with gratitude. Although his clear eyes were clouded with mist, the tears never fell. This strength was admirable, and the smile he curled at the corner of his mouth shone brilliantly in the setting sun, catching everyone's attention.From the accident just now to the street performance now, what kind of turn of events was this? Everything seemed to happen too quickly and was too unbelievable.The young man lowered his head to tune the strings. The collision earlier had clearly caused the pitch of the strings to deviate slightly. The boy listened carefully to the sound of the strings, checking every note's accuracy. The light cast upon the boy's profile, and the hazy shadows made his features appear deeper and more three-dimensional, while his facial lines became softer. His dark golden hair turned transparent gold in the sunlight, emitting a thin halo of light. Beneath the projection of his eyelashes, his eyes were focused and earnest, pouring all his attention into it.At this moment, the young man had a charm that made people forget the homeless person's terrible and wretched nature, and also forget the disgusting and contemptible nature of the previous incident. They couldn't help but cast their gaze on the boy's slender fingers as he tuned the strings, as if this were the most exquisite, delicate, and beautiful work in the world.Someone in the crowd finally realized something was wrong. Before, everyone's attention had been on the incident itself, and they hadn't carefully observed the appearance of the homeless person or the young man; even if they had seen them, it was just a vague impression, as the development of the event was more gripping. But now that everyone had focused their attention on the young man, his appearance suddenly became clear.This... could it be Hugo Lancaster?Someone began to suspect, but still couldn't be sure, because the young man was looking down, and only a profile was visible, making it impossible to be completely certain. However, this temperament and this facial structure were just too similar to Hugo, who had recently become a topic of discussion again due to "scent of a woman". But... if it was fake, then it was a case of mistaken identity; after all, the streets and alleys of Hollywood never lacked handsome men and beautiful women. But if it really was Hugo, then what was going on? Did Hugo encounter an accident, or was it... all deliberately arranged?However, the young man didn't leave more time for thinking. He quickly tuned the strings and plucked them a few times. The fresh and pleasant sound of the guitar stirred up a cloud of dust in the sunset, causing the surrounding noise to gradually settle down.The young man didn't hesitate any longer. His fingers began to strum the strings, and a melody, like a clear spring, flowed slowly down into the red sunset.
