The charm of a guitar

From the previous three encounters with Uma, it could be seen that her personality carried a bit of boyishness. She was bold, decisive, and straightforward, which set her apart from many other girls. This could be clearly felt in her way of speaking. However, her talking eyes were filled with a misty charm. Every frown and smile carried the delicate and lovely traits of a true woman as if a single glance from her was enough to make a man's heart skip a beat.

At this moment, Uma was exactly like that. Her watery eyes were focused on Hugo, not intentionally conveying any message, but her attentive listening was enough to make one's heartbeat accelerate. "What are you filming now?" Hugo had forgotten about this key point and asked.

""Jennifer 8", directed by Bruce Robinson and starring Andy Garcia," Uma replied.

"Oh, "The Killing Fields" and "The Godfather III"," Hugo pondered for a moment and then realized, the former being Bruce's representative work, nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars, and the latter being Andy's representative work, also nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars. "That's a highly anticipated film. I must personally go to the cinema to watch it."

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about an empty theater," Uma's words made Hugo burst into laughter, looking genuinely joyful.

Uma looked at Hugo, who had a brilliant smile on his face. Her eyes squinted slightly, and she had to admit that Hugo was indeed very attractive—sunny, warm, humorous, and sincere. Since their reunion, Hugo had brought Uma so many surprises. Initially, Uma thought the kiss at the premiere was an act of revenge, but Hugo didn't react that way. Then that passionate night, she thought it was just a one-night stand without any significance, but she would occasionally think about it. Today's set visit was completely different from the images she had imagined, and it seemed like the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upward. This feeling was unfamiliar yet beautiful.

"What's wrong? Did I accidentally spit while laughing? That would be really rude," Hugo started to examine himself seriously, but his words made Uma burst into laughter.

"No, everything was fine with your laughter," Uma finally managed to control her laughter, but her gaze seemed a bit uneasy. She didn't dare to look into Hugo's shiny eyes again, as her rapidly beating heart made her instinctively avert her gaze. Then she noticed the guitar leaning against the makeup table and changed the topic, taking advantage of the situation. "Do you usually play the guitar on set? I didn't expect that."

"Oh, no, that's not my guitar. It belongs to the makeup artist," Hugo quickly waved his hand, denying it.

"That's disappointing," Uma's lips curved, expressing her regret. "I was thinking, as a return for my negotiation, you could play a love song for me."

"Are you serious?" Hugo was clearly surprised, looking at Uma's sincere expression. He then shifted his tone, pretending to be angry. "This is really disappointing. What about my coffee?"

"Hey, gentleman. I didn't make any excessive demands. Just a song," Uma originally mentioned it casually without much thought, but Hugo's counterattack made her take it seriously. "Or should I say, you can visit my set next time? Isn't that how friends interact?"

"Do I have to visit your set too? That's really unfortunate," Hugo earnestly considered it, making Uma unable to help but have a face of both laughter and exasperation. "Then I'd rather choose to sing a song. It should be less exhausting."

"You can really play the guitar and sing?" Uma was taken aback by this unexpected surprise, looking astonished.

Hugo actually stood up, reached for the guitar, and then sat back down. "No, no, you misunderstood. I just said I choose to sing, not that I'm necessarily good at it. You know, I at least know how to produce sound from the guitar strings. Other than that, as for my singing voice, I think you'll adapt to it."

"And you still call yourself a gentleman!" Uma immediately started teasing, clearly not having high hopes for Hugo's singing voice.

Hugo shrugged, "At least I look gentlemanly with a guitar." His confident and playful remark made Uma display her smile once again.

But Uma watched as Hugo actually started tuning the guitar, and she looked around anxiously. "Hugo, let's forget about it. It wouldn't be good to disturb the rest of the crew." As far as Uma knew, Hugo couldn't sing, let alone play the guitar. Otherwise, he would have used that trick when he was relentlessly pursuing her. Of course, Uma wasn't interested in Hugo back then, even if he could sing well. It would have been hard for her to develop any liking for him.

"I'll sing softly," Hugo cleared his throat and then smiled, saying, "Cover your ears, okay." When Uma heard this, she hesitated for a moment, but she actually covered her ears, causing Hugo to almost burst into laughter. However, Hugo managed to control himself and then made his song selection.

In fact, Hugo wasn't taking it too seriously. He just wanted to play a little prank on Uma as a way to thank her for visiting the set. So Hugo chose a classic song and made some modifications to give it a new interpretation. The song he chose was called "Next Time You See Me", originally sung by Junior Parker in 1956, a jazz piece with a classic jazz flavor from the 1930s. The use of saxophone, clarinet, trombone, and piano in the original song gave it a vintage feel.

Hugo chose this song because its lyrics described a man's encounter with betrayal from a woman, and he was determined to say, "Next time you see me, things won't be the same." Hugo planned to make some changes to the song, infusing it with blues and pop elements, and performing it on the guitar with a touch of humor. It was meant to be a little joke and a small gift.

Hugo pressed the guitar strings and used the guitar's clear tone to set aside the colorful instrument sounds of the song, outlining each note in a more lively and simple manner.

Watching Hugo play the guitar so effortlessly, Uma's mouth involuntarily fell open. She hadn't expected that what was just a joke would turn into Hugo actually playing the guitar, and he seemed to be skilled at it! Uma's fingers relaxed slightly, and then she heard the crisp sound of the strings, like wisps of smoke swirling in front of her. Unconsciously, her fingertips wanted to sway along with the rhythm of the music. Hugo's performance completely exceeded Uma's expectations!

"Next time you see me, things won't be the same," Hugo's warm voice intertwined with the guitar strings. The smile on his lips blended into the song, carrying a hint of joy, causing the listener's own lips to unconsciously curl up. "Next time you see me, things won't be the same, oh..." Hugo slightly raised his voice, causing the music to ripple like concentric circles. The smile on his lips fully bloomed. "And if it hurts you, my darlin', you only have yourself to blame."

Hugo's mischievous inserts danced on each musical note, where each word seemed to transform into a vivid character, tap-dancing and making funny expressions within the music. This lively feeling was truly magical.

Even Uma herself didn't realize it. She found herself leaning slightly forward, her fingers and toes keeping beat with Hugo. Even her chin was lightly tapping along. Even the blood in her body was swaying to the rhythm. This feeling of being completely immersed in the music was so beautiful that it made her forget everything else.

In her mind, a scene appeared as if in a trance. A ray of sunlight pierced through the skylight and cast itself onto the stage. In the middle of the stage, a dancer weaved a natural melody with their feet, without any accompaniment, yet it wasn't dull at all. Because those beats and rhythms were the most beautiful music. The ground became an instrument, and the dancer's feet played it. Sunlight shone on the stage like a spotlight, making everything magnificent.

When she came back to her senses, Uma could see Hugo's slender fingers gracefully dancing on the guitar strings. It seemed like there were countless spirits dancing around. The musical notes leaped out of the guitar's soundbox, freely soaring before her eyes, weaving a magnificent painting.

"Like a true true said, all that shines is not gold." Hugo's warm and mellow voice merged perfectly with the chords, like velvet, traversing through the vision and dancing upon the eardrums. It was so beautiful that one had to close their eyes and rely on hearing and touch to truly feel the power of the music. "Like a true true said, all that shines is not gold. Yeah! And like the good book said, you got to reap just what you sow"

Uma could feel the humor and banter in Hugo's voice. Even with her eyes closed, she could sense Hugo's state. The guitar was his face, the music was his expression, and the singing was his emotion. Everything was so vivid, even more real than witnessing it with her eyes open.

"Well you lied, cheated... Oh, for so long! Woman, what you did is wrong. You just a wrong darn woman, another queen is on your throne" The amusement in Hugo's voice was on the verge of bursting out, which made Uma open her eyes again. In an instant, she saw Hugo's amber eyes gleaming like the morning sun on a serene lake, sacred and beautiful. All the flowery words became dull in that instance.

The guitar could be so beautiful, so romantic, so vivid. Music could be so splendid, so moving, so real. The so-called universal language of music was indeed true. Even without any words, even with such simple lyrics, even with the simplest notes, the emotions conveyed were so genuine!