Feeling the rhythm coursing through his blood, the drumbeats pounding on his eardrums, the restlessness dancing in his feet, the heat swirling on his skin, the emotions churning in his mind… Every oxygen molecule in the bar seemed to be afflicted with mania, driven by the powerful musical notes from the stage, like dragons and snakes wildly dancing, a riot of colors, and silver fireworks.Everyone in Al's Bar was like this, caught in an indescribable state, simply following the music instinctively, enjoying every moment of madness. This was a true carnival for music lovers, just like those large rock music festivals where all rock fanatics gather to enjoy top-tier professional performances, freely unleashing their inner energy, and allowing themselves to reach one peak after another with the rhythm of the music.Hugo felt like he was suffocating several times, not only because the air inside the bar was almost boiling, leaving little oxygen, but also because his wildly beating heart in his chest was squeezing every bit of oxygen, making his breathing rapid. Yet, Hugo still didn't want to leave, because this was his world.One band followed another, with each band having an average of fifteen minutes of performance time. By the time all the bands had finished, it was already ten-thirty at night. Al's Bar's Rock Night was actually a small-scale rock music festival, smaller in overall size, and the guests' fame was limited to the West Coast underground rock music scene, but this did not diminish the beauty of the night in the slightest. The performances ended at ten-thirty primarily because the remaining time was left for all enthusiasts and performers to freely mingle; a bottle of beer and a glass of whiskey in the bar could lead to plenty of happy hours.Although accompanied by the bar owner, Green, approaching tonight's performing guests was not an easy task. At least thirty people were gathered around Green Day, making it impossible to squeeze in. Relatively, the crowd around The Cranberries was smaller, but a dozen people was still a considerable number. After weighing his options, Hugo decided to approach The Cranberries first.Hugo, clutching his guitar and holding a marker pen he had just borrowed from Green, stood excitedly and nervously outside the small circle, waiting for his opportunity. Hugo's expectant look was met with interest by the others. Pedro was fine; he didn't know Hugo was an actor and was just curious why Hugo was so excited. But Green and Neil both clearly knew that Hugo was the actor currently making waves, and Hugo, who had been promoting his movie on various TV shows not long ago, now looked like an ordinary young fan, anxiously awaiting a meeting with his idols."Hugo, are you sure you want an autograph?" Neil looked at Hugo, puzzled. He could understand Hugo's love for the band but couldn't understand the act of asking for an autograph."Of course!" Hugo didn't turn his head, still looking expectantly at Dolores, the lead singer of The Cranberries. Dolores wasn't a stunning beauty; her petite and adorable figure possessed a surprisingly powerful and high-pitched voice, and her big-eyed, round-faced doll-like appearance had a hazy, dreamlike quality, topped off with short hair less than an inch long, giving her a cool edge.It wasn't until this moment that Hugo confirmed his suspicions with his own eyes. He was standing in front of The Cranberries, in front of Dolores. This feeling was truly wonderful. Although Hugo had always told himself not to make a fuss every time he saw a "celebrity," and had been quite successful in the past year, at least not making a fool of himself on the "A Few Good Men" set; at this moment, seeing the band he had loved for ten years of his rock music life, Hugo still couldn't contain himself.Seeing Hugo like this, Green couldn't help but laugh, "I thought you also believed that autographs were actually worthless, because it's just an ordinary person writing their name on a piece of paper. The so-called 'autograph,' aside from a check, has no other meaning than what people imagine, doesn't it?""Of course, that's exactly what I think. Autographs are one of the most foolish souvenirs in the world." Hugo's straightforward answer stunned the three people nearby. Pedro couldn't hold back and was the first to laugh. "You see, often, artists just sign their name on a piece of paper, which we might just toss away later, or they sign it in some meaningless place. Compared to a hug or a photo, those unreadable signatures are completely worthless.""Then you came here full of anticipation, asking for an autograph." Pedro mercilessly mocked him, laughing uncontrollably. It was the first time he found Hugo so amusing; not even seeing Hugo's broken belt earlier had been this funny.Hugo shrugged, "That's our life trajectory, isn't it? Maybe ten, twenty years from now, we'll look at these silly autographs and laughingly tell friends, family, and future generations about all the stupid things I did to get this autograph. This is a record of our lives. I plan to collect signatures on this guitar, gathering as many signatures from my favorite bands as possible. Then, years later, perhaps when I'm a lawyer or an accountant, sitting in my office, looking at this guitar will bring back memories of these years."Life itself has no absolute right or wrong; autographs are like tattoos. Many people, in the throes of passionate love, impulsively leave their lover's name on their body. But when love fades and feelings cool, or even when they part ways unhappily, the pain brought by that tattoo is deeply etched. However, after time passes, when recalling these moments, one realizes how much hesitation and upheaval their life has gone through.Perhaps even tattoos will one day be washed away, and autographs certainly cannot last forever. The idol's autograph and the lover's tattoo, once cherished as life itself, will be nothing more than a name years later. But this "name" no longer represents that person, but rather that memory.Hugo's understated words, tinged with a touch of humor, made people's first reaction want to retort: a lawyer or an accountant? That really doesn't fit, but they were also moved by his words."Then why don't you ask me for an autograph?" Pedro, being blunt, said directly.Hugo pursed his lips and scrutinized Pedro up and down, his critical gaze making Pedro quite uncomfortable. Fortunately, Hugo didn't prolong it and quickly said, "Perform for me in front of me, conquer me, and then I will ask you for an autograph." As soon as he finished speaking, Green and Neil chuckled, and Pedro looked utterly deflated.Today, it was Hugo who had conquered them. As for their skills, at least for now, they weren't enough to earn Hugo's admiration.Just then, Hugo saw his chance and immediately stepped forward, saying to Dolores, "Hey, Dolores, I really, really love you guys. 'Dreams' and 'Linger' are my absolute favorites."An expert can distinguish a true fan with just one sentence. Hugo clearly knew The Cranberries very well. Although he didn't say much, his words immediately made Dolores's eyes light up. "It's wonderful that you like them. How was our performance tonight?""I could tell from the first song that you were still quite nervous, especially in the first half. That wasn't up to your usual standard. But believe me, you're excellent, and staying true to yourself is the most important thing." Hugo didn't just flatter her but also offered his opinion, and a smile immediately bloomed on Dolores's face.Indeed, Dolores's singing style was too unconventional, unique even in the underground rock scene. This meant Dolores had to bear immense pressure, worrying that her singing wouldn't be accepted by the audience and thus affect the band's development. So, even though she didn't know Hugo, receiving recognition from such a fan who genuinely loved their music was incredibly important to her."Oh! Thank you, thank you, you don't know what you just said means to me." Dolores's face curved into a faint smile, which, against her apple-round face, had a touch of sweetness. Dolores wasn't a singer who smiled much in public; more often, she was understated and cool, contrary to her appearance. Yet, today Dolores smiled, indicating her heightened emotions."May I ask you to sign for me? Just on this guitar." Hugo quickly handed over the marker pen, then held up his guitar, his eyes full of anticipation as he looked at Dolores.Dolores looked at Hugo with some surprise, as most of the people present tonight were insiders, primarily there to network, and requests for autographs were uncommon. But seeing Hugo's brilliant smile, Dolores nodded, "No problem." She then took the pen and signed the first name on Hugo's guitar case.The same situation then occurred during Hugo's conversation with Green Day's lead singer, Billie Joe. He also didn't quite understand Hugo's act of asking for an autograph. The spirited young man's first words were, "****, what the hell do I sign for? I'm not Kurt Cobain, for chrissake!" This made Hugo burst into laughter, but in the end, Billie Joe still signed Hugo's guitar, making Hugo's rock night complete.Hugo chatted with many of the performing bands. Of course, many people recognized Hugo and came up to discuss guitars or "Kill Your Heroes." Such joyful times quickly slipped away through his fingers, and by the time Hugo realized it, it was already a quarter past eleven.Neil and Pedro were planning to leave, as the main events of the night were over, and what followed was a time for drinking and revelry. Knowing they couldn't hold their liquor, there was no need for them to stay."Please allow my car to escort you back," Green said with a friendly smile. "As the host tonight, I wanted to provide some convenience, but unfortunately, besides the music, I'm useless. So, please don't let me miss this opportunity.""Music trumps everything, doesn't it?" Hugo's words made everyone laugh."It's not so easy to get a taxi at this hour, so let my car be of some use." Taxis in Los Angeles aren't hailed on the street; you have to call a taxi company to book one, so Green's help was indeed timely.Hugo, Neil, and Pedro exchanged glances, then smiled, "Why not? This way, I won't have to worry about these awful jeans constantly falling down."
