Sitting in the back of a movie theater, watching the film while observing the audience's reactions—it's a truly magical process. Seeing the audience gasp, murmur, and cheer as the plot unfolds, especially when my performance stirs their hearts, brings a satisfaction akin to the cream on a rich coffee, blended with sweet, smooth honey, slowly melting on the tongue and flowing into the heart.But at the same time, watching audience members loudly disrupt the film or express disdain with a "tsk-tsk" sound, a surge of irritation boils within me, almost erupting, making me want to confront them directly.As the court trial deepened, the movie was gradually approaching its final climax. At this moment, a man to Hugo's left stood up and slowly walked towards the aisle on the right.This immediately triggered the sensitive nerves of Hugo, Joseph, and the others. Was he leaving early? Was "A Few Good Men" so boring that it would make an audience member leave early? This was truly terrifying!So, when the man reached Joseph's seat, he gestured for Joseph to move, but Joseph sat up directly and said in a low, fierce voice, "Sit back down!" The man was stunned and said, annoyed, "I need to go to the restroom." But Joseph didn't believe him at all, staring intently at the man, gritting his teeth, and squeezing out each word, "I said, sit back down!"Joseph glared at the man, who was frozen in place, and said, "The movie is almost over! This is the best part! Sit back down!"The man looked at Joseph's almost man-eating expression and finally didn't dare to say anything more, meekly sitting back down. Only then did Joseph lean back in his chair, satisfied.Hugo watched, dumbfounded, and whispered, "Joseph?"Joseph pursed his lips tightly, and waved his hand irritably, signaling Hugo to be quiet and continue watching the movie.Hugo looked at Joseph's completely tense face and knew that, although he didn't show it normally, Joseph's inner tension and anxiety were even more severe than his own. This was especially true for the box office of "A Few Good Men."Even though Joseph hadn't shown it or mentioned it from beginning to end, and even seemed calmer than Hugo, the pressure on his shoulders far exceeded imagination.Hugo said nothing more, just lightly patted Joseph's shoulder, and then looked back at the big screen. The box office, this matter truly made people restless."A Few Good Men" quickly ended, and as the credits began to roll, audience members gradually started to stand up and leave. Alex anxiously sat up, pointing at the departing audience in front of him and saying to Hugo, "That's it? How can that be it? Where's the applause? Where are the cheers?""Idiot, this is just a movie theater, not a premiere," Joseph grumbled from the side. Seeing Joseph's tense demeanor, Hugo, on the contrary, felt a sense of release and burst out laughing.At this moment, the gentleman from before walked over again. When he reached Joseph, he stopped, giving an inquiring look, as if to say, "Can I go to the restroom now?" Joseph helplessly patted his thigh, then stood up and moved back, making space.Hugo looked at the many audience members still in their seats ahead, shrugged, and said in a speculative tone, "At least not everyone is rushing to leave immediately. Maybe that's a good sign?"Joseph and the others also followed his gaze and, indeed, at least a third of the audience remained seated, still watching the big screen. This wasn't hard to understand; many movies include easter eggs after the credits to offer the audience a different kind of fun, so many film enthusiasts are willing to stay and watch the credits before leaving. This can also be seen as a certain level of audience interest in the film, as even with an easter egg, audiences wouldn't care if the work was truly terrible."The music," Charlize suddenly said, making all four men look at her. Charlize tilted her chin towards the screen. "They're checking the end credit song's creators and waiting for the song."Indeed, when the movie's final song, "Next Time You See Me," appeared, the remaining audience members let out joyful exclamations, and faint discussions like "That's it!" and "Hugo sang it!" could be heard.A smile spread across Hugo's face. "I think just this alone is enough to put me in a good mood today." Creating the theme song for "A Few Good Men" was an unexpected bonus, and now to receive some recognition for it was another affirmation for Hugo, quickly lifting his spirits.Not only Hugo, but even Joseph, who had been tense, relaxed a little. Hugo let out a long breath, "Alright, we should probably leave. I think the gains so far are quite sufficient. I don't want to stay and hear the audience's feedback firsthand; that would be a tough test."Reading the harsh criticisms of professional film critics was already difficult enough; if an actor had to personally pay attention to every audience member's feedback, they might as well not work at all. Hugo understood this well.The main reason was also due to the characteristics of the 21st-century internet era. Developed social networks allowed every ordinary person to freely express their opinions, and the mystery hidden behind the internet also made every ordinary person's remarks become reckless. If one were to truly contend with netizens, it would be like making trouble for oneself.The group of five quietly exited the screening room. Alex was excitedly discussing what to have for dinner. Today's official premiere had been very smooth, worthy of a good celebration. Hugo's first thought was naturally Chinese cuisine; the longer he stayed in Los Angeles, the more he missed his hometown food, and the Universal Cinema was not far from Chinatown, so having dinner there was clearly a good choice."Oh, Hugo, we almost always order Chinese takeout. To celebrate today, can we try something different?" Alex's understanding of Chinese cuisine clearly stopped at takeout dishes like Kung Pao Chicken and Moo Shu Pork, unable to grasp Hugo's inner thoughts."Alex, if you go to Chinatown, the food will definitely be different. Chinese cuisine is much, much richer than you imagine." Hugo was still arguing, and although he hadn't been to Los Angeles's Chinatown, he could anticipate that the Chinese food there would definitely be modified to suit local tastes and wouldn't be as diverse as in China, but Hugo still wanted to go and see."Hugo! You're Hugo!" A voice, however, interrupted Hugo's continued introduction to the profoundness of Chinese cuisine, making Hugo and the others instinctively look in the direction of the voice. It was a girl of sixteen or seventeen, her face beaming with excitement, her clear eyes sparkling, thrilled beyond words. "Oh, God, it really is Hugo."Such situations had gradually become more frequent after the release of "Scent of a Woman," so Hugo wasn't as surprised as before. He immediately smiled and waved at the girl in front of him, "Hey, girl.""Hugo, your movie was truly brilliant, absolutely perfect!" The girl took two large strides and stood before Hugo, staring at him intently, the excitement in her eyes, brows, and the corners of her mouth radiating clearly. "Do you know? Your courtroom debate was so cool! Seeing you render that damned Jessup speechless, it was truly fantastic!"Feeling the girl's enthusiasm, and more importantly, hearing the audience's positive feedback on "A Few Good Men," the joy in Hugo's brows began to dance lightly. "If you liked it, then that's wonderful."Carl looked at the bustling crowd at the cinema entrance, originally intending to subtly suggest Hugo leave quickly. When encountering fans, a greeting, a hug, and a photo are usually enough; there's no need to stop and chat for a long time as if they were close friends. Especially in such a noisy public place, it's easy for other curious onlookers to gather, which could become troublesome.But when Carl patted Joseph, he saw Joseph's look that signaled "don't rush." Carl realized that perhaps today was special, and letting Hugo have a brief exchange with an audience member was a good choice; they needed fan support to alleviate the box office pressure on their shoulders.The girl looked at Hugo's sunny smile, and her voice lost control, starting to climb higher and higher, almost turning into a scream. "Oh, God, you are really, truly so handsome! Do you know? When you appeared in court wearing that navy uniform, I almost stopped breathing! God must have spent a lot of time creating you; you are perfect, you are truly so perfect! Hugo, I... I love you!" The girl's voice finally lost control, and the scream burst out.Hugo was a bit flustered by the girl's sudden scream. The few times he had encountered screaming fans before, he had been working, so he quickly left. All Hugo had to do was wave and smile. But now, the girl was right in front of him, stomping her feet, cupping her cheeks, and screaming wildly, and Hugo immediately felt a bit constrained.Hugo looked around awkwardly. Charlize rolled her eyes helplessly and raised her hands in a hugging gesture. Hugo immediately understood and quickly gave the girl a big hug. But Hugo had no experience, so it wasn't a light embrace; he gave her a full bear hug.The girl only felt Hugo's scorching breath instantly envelop her. She felt as if she had ascended to heaven, and her emotions completely spiraled out of control. "Hugo, I love you, I love you, I love you! Ah ah ah...""Sizzle, sizzle..." Hugo felt his eardrums were like window paper trembling in a tornado, rustling, on the verge of tearing apart at any moment.
