First signs

In the face of the reporters' difficulties, Hugo was obviously well-prepared. These questions had already been repeatedly mentioned during the earlier promotion. Even though both sides had clarified this in front of the media, the reporters who were good at seizing opportunities would certainly not let go of such a sensational point. So Hugo calmly looked towards Daimi and Bruce, smiling as he said, "If you expect Demi to personally come to the intersection to greet my arrival, then obviously my relationship with Demi is very bad."

Hugo's unexpected response stunned the reporters, while Uma, who was beside him, burst into laughter. She had never anticipated that Hugo would answer in such a way, and couldn't help but look at the side profile of Hugo. The gentle curve of his chin, accentuated by the smile at the corner of his mouth, formed a beautiful arc. She could clearly see the amber-colored radiance emanating from Hugo's eyes, more captivating than the North Star, causing Uma's heart to momentarily lose its rhythm.

"After I arrived on the red carpet, you didn't give me a chance to greet my colleagues. I hope there won't be news tomorrow about me being ostracized by the entire crew." Hugo skillfully changed the topic, using this humorous approach to silence the reporters.

The reporters wanted to say that there was no interaction between Hugo and Daimi on the red carpet. Hugo stated that it was because the reporters latched onto rumors and relentlessly pursued them, leaving him with no time to interact with Daimi. More accurately, he hadn't had the chance to interact with any member of the entire crew. This brilliant counterargument shut the mouths of the reporters.

Hugo's bright eyes remained fixed on Nicholas, the one asking the questions. Originally, Hugo thought that Nicholas had a great outlook for "A Few Good Men", thinking that Nicholas had "turned over a new leaf". But now it seemed that wasn't the case at all. Nicholas was still trying his best to dig up news.

At this moment, Nicholas also looked at Hugo with bright eyes, filled with curiosity. He truly hadn't anticipated Hugo's response, and Hugo repeatedly surprised him, making Nicholas find it quite magical. Therefore, Nicholas didn't feel discouraged by the counterargument; instead, he eagerly faced Hugo's scrutiny.

The two engaged in a silent eye battle, but clearly, Hugo didn't have enough time to continue the contest with Nicholas. He calmly withdrew his gaze, then proceeded with large strides towards Demi, accompanied by Uma. He embraced Demi and Bruce separately, using his actions to dispel the suspicions of the reporters. Although it was true that Demi didn't have any good feelings towards Hugo in private, and even more so for Bruce, they still had to put on a good show in front of the media. Therefore, both sides cooperated fully, leaving the reporters with nothing to say.

Although the reporters felt somewhat dissatisfied, they knew that today's harvest was already substantial enough. As for further exploration, they would wait until after the movie's release. After all, the production crew would definitely carry out large-scale promotion, so there was no need to worry about not having opportunities.

The interview part on the red carpet had ended, and the main creative members of the production crew had entered the theater, waiting for the curtain to rise on "A Few Good Men".

Hugo and Uma were chatting casually with Kevin Bacon, but Joseph suddenly appeared and politely said, "I'm sorry, can I borrow Hugo for a while?"

"It seems like I have work again." Hugo chuckled and bid farewell to Uma and Kevin, walking aside with Joseph. "Where did you go just now? I couldn't see you after we finished the red carpet," Joseph, as Hugo's manager, accompanied him on the red carpet. However, during media photography, he would step out of the frame and follow closely after it was over.

"I encountered some unexpected things." Joseph looked around and, after making sure no one was nearby, lowered his voice. "I saw Sidney Pollock." Wasn't he the director of "The Firm"? "I thought he was just here to watch "A Few Good Men", considering his interest in personally assessing your abilities. But then I saw Ron Meyer."

"What?" Hugo's brow furrowed. Ron, being a talent agent, had no artist from his agency in the "A Few Good Men" cast. Why would he be at the premiere?

Joseph nodded. "I think Ron came today because of Sidney." No wonder Joseph was being cautious. Sidney was preparing '"The Firm", and it had already attracted a batch of actors, including Brad Pitt. Now Ron had joined in, like a jackal eying its prey.

"Don't overthink it. Maybe he's not here for me specifically, just because "The Firm" is a good script," Hugo didn't want to jump to conclusions. Hollywood is a small circle, and it was still the early 90s. The number of film projects starting at any given time was not as high as imagined, so the chances of running into each other were relatively high. Just like Hugo and Brad, they would meet three times within a year.

Joseph furrowed his brow. "I thought the same way initially, not to overcomplicate things. But then I saw someone you absolutely didn't expect."

Hugo stared blankly at Joseph. There were many people he didn't anticipate, and he hadn't fully pieced together many things from his past. Knowing people and events he was unaware of was definitely more than one or two. So Hugo wisely kept his mouth shut and didn't respond.

Joseph didn't intend for Hugo to answer and went straight to the point. "Algric." That was truly an unexpected answer. "I saw Algric approaching Ron, and it was only after Ron managed to calm him down that Algric settled down."

Suddenly, all the clues connected. Algric, targeting Hugo on the "A Few Good Men" set, and later spewing those easily misconstrued words when he was punished. Shortly after Tracey's meeting with Ron, she made those suggestive remarks to Hugo. It turned out Tracey's implications were about this: Algric would cause a scene at the premiere.

Algric's appearance was probably to settle the score with Ron. Joseph had heard that Algric hadn't found work since leaving the "A Few Good Men" set, so he wanted to find justice from the person behind the scenes, Ron. Maybe he even threatened Ron that if he didn't arrange work for him, he would expose him at the premiere.

But why did Tracey know about this? Did Ron tell her? How does this relate to the Universal Pictures project they were planning? Furthermore, why did Tracey want Hugo to know? Was it a reminder of their past relationship, or did she have ulterior motives?

"But..." Hugo wanted to ask why Ron would do such a thing. And why did Tracey imply it to him? However, before Hugo could speak, Joseph used his gaze to signal Hugo to stop. Following Joseph's line of sight, Hugo turned around and saw Bruce Willis with his wife, Demi, approaching.

This was another trouble.

Actually, Hugo quite liked Bruce. He enjoyed the "Die Hard" series in which Bruce starred, but more importantly, he admired Bruce's attitude towards life. Although Bruce was a real troublemaker when he was young, as he grew older, he acquired a rare tolerance and magnanimity. Later, Bruce and Demi divorced in 1998, but they remained very good friends after the divorce. They would often travel together and cheer each other on. Such a gift from time is not something that everyone can have.

However, it seemed that Hugo and Bruce had already established an awkward relationship before they met in person in this lifetime.

Compared to Demi's reluctant indifference, Bruce's smile appeared much more sincere. One could sense that, compared to Bruce himself, Demi cared more about losing the role in "Hudson Hawk".

Bruce shook Hugo's hand and gave it a firm squeeze. The strength of this tough guy immediately transmitted through his palm. Although Hugo was not as strong as Bruce, he was no pushover either. With a smile on his face, he pushed back against the pressure. He didn't gain the upper hand, but he wasn't completely subdued either, which surprised Bruce.

The two exchanged glances for a moment and then released their grip. Bruce's smile towards Hugo became even more genuine. "Buddy, I heard your performance this time was outstanding. Congratulations! The negative impact of "Hudson Hawk" has finally dissipated, and I don't have to feel sorry anymore. After all, that script was adapted from my original novel."

This was a fact that Hugo didn't know. "Hudson Hawk" was actually Bruce's work of fiction. The relationship between them became even more complicated. One could say that Hugo had taken away a role that Bruce had set his sights on. However, the work encountered a huge failure, which made their relationship more delicate.

Various thoughts flashed through Hugo's mind, and then he smiled. "Every work is a fresh start, isn't it?" This sentence contained a lot of meaning. It was comforting Bruce, acknowledging the incident with "Hudson Hawk", and expressing gratitude for Bruce coming to congratulate him.

Bruce clearly agreed with this statement, nodding with a smile. "You don't need to keep worrying about Tracey's matter. Although she was wrong at the beginning, you got your revenge, didn't you? Look forward, that's what matters most. Every day is a fresh start, just like in our works."

Bruce was obviously straightforward. He revealed these secrets in such a public setting, leaving Demi and Joseph stunned. But for Hugo, it was a tremendous shock. Tracey had done something that hurt his past self, and then his past self had retaliated, which led to their complete separation.

The clues about the past started to emerge. On one hand, Tracey seemed cold and even angry towards Hugo, repeatedly obstructing his career. But on the other hand, Tracey seemed internally conflicted. Whether it was the complicated look in her eyes when they met during the "A River Runs Through It" audition or the insinuations she made about Ron and Algric, it was evident.

However, what exactly did Tracey do wrong? How did his past self retaliate? And what happened when the two of them completely broke up? Hugo was still in the dark.

Suddenly, Hugo speculated that perhaps his cold, calm, and even silent attitude after crossing over had angered Tracey. She might have thought that he had completely severed ties, so she gradually pushed Tracy to the opposite side step by step.

If that was truly the case, Hugo couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated.