Midnight dream

"Chen Yuguo! What are you doing? Standing on the stage daydreaming, what is going on with you? Don't you know how long our band has been waiting for this opportunity? A small mistake could ruin everything, and you are still there daydreaming! Damn it!" Su Zinan's expression was extremely bad, his handsome eyes almost popped out, and his height of 1.85 meters pressed down on Chen Yuguo, leaving him with no ability to resist, only standing there blankly.

Yuguo was not unable to move, but unwilling to move. What exactly happened? Wasn't he in Los Angeles in 1992? How did he return to the 2014 Midi Rock Music Festival? The angry expression on Su Zinan's face was so vivid that Yuguo couldn't distinguish whether this was a dream or reality.

"Is this not an important opportunity for us? Have you forgotten? Chen Yuguo, pull yourself together and go on stage to perform proudly, just like all our performances in the past ten years!" Su Zinan grabbed Chen Yuguo's shoulders fiercely, shaking him hard, and spoke earnestly.

But Yuguo's mind was a mess, his eyes unconsciously searching around. Where were the other members of Glory or Death? Li Yiba? Gu Xiaoguai? Lixia? Why could he only see Su Zinan, and why were the surroundings filled with blurry lights and shadows that he couldn't clearly see the faces of? Yuguo wanted to ask, but he found that his voice was completely stuck. Vaguely, he even saw Zhang Xiaoye's figure among the light and shadow, but "Xiaoye, aren't you dead?"

"This is our opportunity. We can't waste another decade. We can't afford to lose. This may be our last chance. Seize it, Yuguo, seize it!" Su Zinan's tough and dominant voice echoed in Yuguo's ears, but his eyes remained fixed on Zhang Xiaoye's figure and could not be moved. Even if he wanted to look at Su Zinan, he couldn't turn his head. Suddenly, Zhang Xiaoye smiled brilliantly, and that smile released an infinite radiance, quickly engulfing everything around, which made Yuguo panic.

When the light faded away again, Yuguo found himself back home, in the home that he hadn't returned to in ten years.

His mother sat quietly on the sofa in the living room, crying with tears on her face, then angrily blaming his father, "It's all your fault. Our son called so many times, but you refused to answer. Why are you so stubborn? He is our son, a piece of flesh that fell off my body."

His father sat quietly in a chair in the study, saying nothing, just looking quietly at the densely packed books on the bookshelf, bearing silently his wife's accusations.

"Did Yuguo really kill someone or start a fire? He was such a well-behaved child and never refused our requests since he was young. It's just that he finally found something he wants to do now, why can't you agree to let him go? How many people now don't even have dreams and just live their lives aimlessly? Yuguo not only has a dream, but he's also willing to chase it, pursue it and fight for it. If we don't support him, who will?"

The mother's eyes were swollen from crying, her face was haggard, and the food on the coffee table was untouched. This made Yuguo feel heartbroken. He wanted to comfort his mother but found that he couldn't say anything. He wanted to hug her but found that he couldn't move. Yuguo could only silently shed tears in his heart, "Mom, it's my fault. I was too stubborn and selfish." If the price of chasing his dream was making his mother suffer, Yuguo didn't know if his choice was right or not.

The father in the study still refused to speak, but his upright and majestic figure appeared so lonely. The shoulders that once could carry the whole family could now see the marks of time. Perhaps deep down, he also regretted his stubbornness, regretted not speaking out his true thoughts earlier. Regardless of whether he agreed or not, at least they should have had the chance to communicate.

Yuguo stood still, suddenly hating himself. The people who truly loved him were right in front of him, but he had hurt them so recklessly. Ten years, a whole decade without coming home. Yuguo once thought it was the price of chasing his dreams, but now he realized it was his selfish choice. There were many ways to communicate with his parents, but he chose to ignore them and act recklessly.

"Dad, Mom, I was wrong." Yuguo struggled to move forward, to apologize to his parents, to hug his frail mother and his lonely father. He knew he was wrong. Chasing his dream was not wrong, but his method of choosing caused irreversible consequences. Yuguo now deeply regretted his actions.

But suddenly, Su Zinan's voice rang out from above, "Catch it! Catch it!"

The echoing sound was like a spell, even covering his ears had no effect. Hugo suddenly jumped up, only to find himself sitting straight up. He was gasping for breath, the sticky sweat on his back made him shiver, and the sweat sliding down his forehead caused his heart to beat erratically. The only thing he could see was a hazy light in the darkness, slowly flowing. There was no Su Zinan, no Zhang Xiaoye, no mother, no father, just that ethereal blue light flowing in the pitch-black night.

Hugo threw off the blanket and walked barefoot onto the floor. He pulled back the curtains, and the cool moonlight immediately flooded the room, filling it with light. Outside the window, he could see the familiar Sunset Boulevard. It was Los Angeles, in 1992.

Reality returned to his body, and his mind gradually cleared. Hugo and Joseph had just finished auditioning for "A Few Good Men". When they returned, Hugo didn't have time to buy second-hand furniture, so he borrowed Alex's bedding, made a simple bed, took a shower, and went to bed.

The dim light was like the glow of fireflies in the night, embellishing Sunset Boulevard on both sides. It flowed slowly like a fluorescent river and then converged into a sea of ​​sparkling stars. The bright and dark dots floated on this vast sea, dazzlingly beautiful, but also highlighting the loneliness in the surrounding darkness. The world outside the light was only the hazy halo of moonlight, through which Hugo could vaguely see the waves crashing on the beach. Occasionally, a car would speed by on the road, and people's cheers and screams would travel freely in the sea breeze.

Nighttime was noisy yet lonely.

Hugo sighed deeply. He knew he had just been dreaming. He focused on thinking about what happened to the band, Glory or Death. Did he really exchange souls with Hugo Lancaster, or did he simply replace him? If that was the case, did Chen Yuguo also die in 2014? If so, what would happen to Glory or Death's performance? They had waited, struggled, and worked hard for ten years. Did it all have to be in vain? Not to mention the parents who were waiting for them to come back.

Parents. Hugo remembered his own parents. He hadn't been home for ten years. Although they had always kept in touch, the faces of his parents in Hugo's memory remained unchanged. Now, they should be old. Maybe they had some gray hair. If they knew he was dead, how would they react?

Guilt surged up in Hugo's heart, and tears suddenly welled up, engulfing him. He stood in place, his hands resting on the windowsill, watching tears fall one by one, then his vision became completely blurred, leaving only a halo of light.

After traveling through time, Hugo kept telling himself that this was an opportunity, a chance to fulfill his dreams. So he picked himself up and auditioned for "A River Runs Through It", then rallied and participated in the filming of "Scent of a Woman", and has been auditioning for "A Few Good Men" until today. Everything happened too quickly and beautifully, something he had always dreamed of, even though the process was full of hardships and he had to persevere in his relentless efforts, Hugo still found joy in it.

But tonight, in a midnight dream, Hugo suddenly realized that he wanted to go home. Not his home in Los Angeles, but his true home, where he missed his Glory or Death teammates and his parents. Even if he won a second chance in life through time travel, even if happiness under the spotlight was within reach, his parents and friends were irreplaceable in his life. Even if he reached the pinnacle of his career, it wouldn't be enough without them.

For the first time, Hugo hated this inexplicable time travel. He had to face a poisoned body, a series of negative effects brought by the Golden Raspberry Awards and Tracey, and the struggles of being an actor, but he had no friends or family by his side.

Without friends or family, even if he pursued his dreams, Hugo didn't believe he could persevere alone.

Suddenly, Hugo began to feel scared. He was afraid that his bandmates and parents would suffer because of him, and he was afraid that he would be swallowed up by time in Los Angeles in 1992 and turn into ashes, with no proof that he existed in this world.

At this moment, Hugo was so helpless, more helpless than ever before. He lifted his blurry teary eyes, surrounded by endless halos, yet found nothing. The empty room didn't even have an object that could give Hugo warmth. The black night was quietly melted by the blue moonlight, which covered everything in the room with a cold, bright halo, but made Hugo feel bone-chilling cold. One shiver followed another.