A rush in the morning

Hugo rubbed his eyes and yawned, sitting at the table lost in thought. Recently, the frenzy surrounding "A Few Good Men" had been escalating, and his promotional schedule had become increasingly packed. The more invitations he received for TV shows, radio programs, and magazine interviews, the more it indicated his soaring popularity. This had been the busiest period for Hugo in the past year, even more exhausting than during filming. Faint dark circles had formed under his eyes.

"Excuse me." Charlize hurriedly walked over and patted Hugo's shoulder, signaling him to sit up straight. Once Hugo adjusted his posture, she walked into the kitchen. "Hugo, could you please spread butter on the bread for me? I'm running late." While speaking, Charlize started pouring coffee for herself.

Hugo watched Charlize bustling around as he picked up a hard loaf of bread from the table. He tore it open and began spreading butter inside. "Did your alarm clock go off too late?" Charlize joined the "Beverly Hills 90210" production team this week, and her life immediately became busy, revolving around the filming schedule.

"No, I woke up but felt too tired, so I decided to sleep for five more minutes..." Charlize grumbled, annoyed. Those half-awake five minutes in the morning often lasted longer than five minutes. "When I woke up again, it was already twenty minutes later."

"At least you should be grateful that you woke up, instead of an hour later like me." Hugo chuckled. He hadn't slept properly for the past two weeks, to the point that his biological clock had adjusted. Yesterday, he had recorded a late-night radio program and arrived home at 2 a.m., yet he still woke up at 6 a.m. as usual.

"I hate you." Charlize grabbed a piece of hard bread from the table and threw it at Hugo. His laughter echoed as he sat there, and he took a sip of the freshly poured coffee, his face scrunching up. "Hugo Lancaster! You brewed Kilimanjaro again!"

Hugo had recently discovered a type of coffee beans from the Kilimanjaro region in Tanzania at an intellectual coffee shop. These were premium coffee beans with a strong aroma and distinctive acidity. Especially after a deep roast, they acquired a mellow bitterness, making them perfect for blending coffee. However, the problem was that Hugo didn't blend coffee; he preferred pure Kilimanjaro coffee, which resulted in an intense acidity that jolted him with every sip.

"Didn't you see the sugar jar, honey, and milk on the table?" Hugo wasn't a fan of black coffee either. He simply enjoyed the mild bitterness of Kilimanjaro coffee and found it delicate when mixed with honey. "I told you, I need to stay alert lately. Without this cup of coffee, I would probably fall asleep during the recording."

Charlize snatched the bread that Hugo had spread and took a fierce bite. She gulped down the coffee in her mouth and added honey and cream to her own cup, complaining, "But I don't have enough time!" Yet, she couldn't bring herself to pour the coffee away. As Hugo had said, she needed this cup of coffee to stay awake; otherwise, shooting without energy would be disastrous.

"Late, late, late!" Alex rushed out of the room in one breath, as if riding on a whirlwind. He ran to the kitchen, circling around like a headless fly. "Coffee, coffee, coffee! Oh, damn it! I haven't brushed my teeth or washed my face! Breakfast, breakfast... damn it, I'm going to be late!"

Alex didn't expect to hear any response; he just roared by himself. Hugo watched him running over and did nothing, as if he were just spinning aimlessly in the restaurant. "The coffee is in the kitchen, and I prepared the bread for you." It was Hugo, usually the busiest one, who seemed the most relaxed today.

"Charlize, put the coffee down and go freshen up. Remember not to turn on the showerhead; you're out of time." Hugo watched the two busy individuals, accustomed to such chaos. He had been part of the running around without a head or tail for the past few days, so organizing things now was straightforward. "Alex, go change your clothes first. Do you have an interview today?"

Alex still hadn't found a job, but upstairs lived two agents, Joseph and Karl. It was evident that Alex's situation had undergone some changes. Currently, although Alex hadn't signed with Joseph or Karl, they still introduced him to some interview opportunities. If the interviews were successful, Alex would pay a five percent commission; otherwise, they would let it go.

"Yes, yes, Burbank, the TV series for Fox," Alex anxiously ran in the direction of his room, but he bumped into Charlize, who was about to enter the bathroom. However, both of them were accustomed to such encounters. While complaining, their actions remained unaffected. One went left, and the other went right, disappearing down the hallway.

Hugo let out a long sigh, and his weariness slowly dissipated amidst the aroma of coffee. He didn't have any promotional engagements scheduled for today; it was a rare day off. However, watching Charlize and Alex's busyness, he couldn't help but feel a sense of vitality. At least they were more energetic than when they had nothing to do after getting up.

"Hugo, what should I wear? Formal attire or jeans?" Alex rushed out again, wearing shorts. In his left hand was a black suit, and in his right hand was a checkered shirt paired with jeans, as he asked for Hugo's opinion.

"Um... which series?" Hugo rubbed his forehead, trying to get his slightly dull brain to work.

"A sci-fi TV series, a three-million-dollar investment! It's called "The X-Files"." Alex quickly replied.

Hugo paused for a moment. He hadn't expected Alex to be auditioning for the classic sci-fi series "The X-Files", which held a significant position in the history of American television. It had created an almost insurmountable iconic status and was still a subject of discussion even in 2014, having run for nine seasons. If Alex could secure a recurring role in this series, it would be fantastic.

"Hey, Hugo!" Not getting the answer he wanted, Alex couldn't help but call out.

"What role are you auditioning for?" Hugo knew that shows like "The X-Files" could be divided into two types. If it was an investigator-type role, it would usually have a regular cast, and a black suit would be suitable. If it involved individuals related to the cases, then the roles would be more varied.

"I don't know," Alex shrugged. "That's why I'm asking you."

"Go with the suit," Hugo said decisively. "Pair it with a black tie." Alex promptly tossed the jeans toward the bed and began putting on the suit. Hugo scratched his head. "Hey, Alex, don't you have a black backpack with an alien print? Remember to bring it."

"Bang!" A muffled sound came from Alex's room, and although Hugo didn't know what happened, he could sense the pain because the sound was really loud. His face creased involuntarily. "I'm fine, I'm fine," Alex quickly reassured, followed by a series of rustling sounds. Alex walked out with a black tie hanging over his shoulder, while he hastily fastened his pants. "What did you say? Which backpack?"

Hugo stood up and pointed to the table where he had spread butter on the hard bread. "Let me find it." Hugo walked into Alex's room. He remembered Alex had stuffed all those superhero stuff into a box and placed it on top of the cabinet. After grabbing a chair and standing on it, he indeed found it.

Hugo rummaged through his memory and found the black alien print backpack. In fact, the craftsmanship was quite poor, and the quality didn't seem to be great either. It didn't match Alex's suit at all, and Hugo wasn't sure if it would be helpful. Although Hugo had achieved some success recently, he had only attended three auditions, so his experience was not extensive. However, today Alex was auditioning for "The X-Files", and at least this backpack could start a conversation between the interviewer and Alex, which would be good.

So Hugo walked out with the backpack and waved at Alex, who was tying his tie. "Remember to take it with you. You can talk to the interviewer about your views on aliens." Alex nodded, indicating his understanding. Then Hugo shouted towards the bathroom, "Charlize, come out! You're running late!"

"Coming!" Charlize responded, and about twenty seconds later, she rushed out in a fluster and headed straight to the dining room. Alex didn't need a reminder and ran towards the bathroom.

While Charlize changed her clothes, biting into the hard bread and preparing to leave, Hugo stopped her. "You have coffee stains at the corners of your mouth." Hugo grabbed two napkins, raised his hand, and cleaned the corners of Charlize's mouth. Then he handed her another napkin and said, "Remember to clean up after eating the bread." He briefly ran his fingers through Charlize's messy hair, waved his left hand, and said, "Let's go."

At the same time, Alex had finished preparing as well. He casually picked up the black backpack, took a big sip of coffee, grimacing at its bitterness, grabbed two bread rolls, and ran out. Hugo didn't have time to ascertain Alex's situation and could only shout from behind, "Remember to check the rearview mirror when getting in the car."

Joseph walked through the entrance and saw Charlize and Alex rushing down the stairs in a panic. The sound of Alex's "Got it" echoed in the hallway. Hugo looked at Joseph and asked loudly, "Is Karl waiting downstairs?" Both Charlize and Alex were going to Burbank today, and Karl would probably give them a ride along the way. The greatest advantage of living here was its proximity to many studios, so even if they were late, they still had some leeway.

"He's waiting downstairs," Joseph nodded, looking at the chaotic dining table. Coffee stains were everywhere, crumbs scattered all over, and a few tissue papers were floating around. In addition, there was a comb, a hairdryer, and one of Alex's t-shirts on the table—it was quite a sight. "What about you? Why did you wake up so early today?"

Joseph also knew that Hugo had been severely sleep-deprived lately and thought he would catch up on sleep.

Hugo shook his head. "I woke up on time." He looked back at the mess in the house. In fact, it had been like this every day recently, and whoever stayed at home was responsible for cleaning up. Most of the time it was Alex's task, but today it was Hugo's turn. "By the way, let's go shopping today. Many things need to be replaced."

"Like what?" Joseph didn't realize it yet.

A big smile formed on Hugo's lips. He had been looking forward to this day for a long time.