Exciting chance encounter

Before Hugo rolled in the underground rock scene, he had arrived in various cities. There were top-tier metropolises and quiet secluded small towns. In fact, for many people, the appearance of big cities was all the same, and Hugo initially thought the same way.

The big city was nothing more than skyscrapers, bustling streets, crowded crowds that made people start to doubt if they would suffocate due to agoraphobia. The city sky was always filled with haze, with a lingering sense of heaviness and busyness. For example, New York and Chicago were similar, with countless skyscrapers blocking the line of sight. Shanghai was similar too.

But as Hugo traveled to more places, he changed this perception, especially as a member of a touring performance team. He could see the prosperity of cities, but he could also see their serenity, dirtiness, seclusion, and the side of life. Hugo discovered that every city had its own unique characteristics, not referring to those special attractions, but the charm belonging to the city itself.

For example, the tranquility of Shanghai, the old-style alleys, the soft Wu dialect, and the mottled ancient brick walls. For example, the cheerfulness of Chicago, the white waves, the roaring wind, and the robust Midwestern style. And also, the uniqueness of New York, the hidden surprises between the intersecting streets, the blooming multiculturalism, and the pervasive artistic atmosphere.

Looking at the scenery before him, feeling the magic of this afternoon, the melodies in Hugo's mind danced, just like the golden notes swirling in the sunlight.

[

It's a beautiful day

Sky falls, you feel like

It's a beautiful day

Don't let it get away

]

The inspiration that Hugo received when welcoming the sunrise on the first day of the new year in 1993 reemerged in his mind. This song, temporarily named "Beautiful Day", now had a complete chorus melody. Although Hugo had not thought of corresponding lyrics yet and was just humming the melody, it was still a significant progress. At least, one-third of the song was completed.

If one could slow down their pace and savor the characteristics of each city, they would discover that the streets, buildings, transportation, and people that make up the city fill it with unique features that cannot be imitated by other cities.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the time and mood to slow down their pace because the weight of life often makes people lose themselves. Even Hugo, who had been living in this time and space for over a year, didn't truly appreciate the charm of the city of Los Angeles. Although he occasionally caught glimpses of its splendor, he never took the time to truly feel it. Now, standing in New York, the largest city in the world, Hugo couldn't help but sigh. In reality, he was just an insignificant pebble in the torrent of history.

People walking briskly on the streets and the continuous flow of vehicles in the middle of the road reflected each other. However, no one was willing to stop and show a friendly smile to a stranger. In this aspect, New York was much colder than Los Angeles, making one feel isolated even in the midst of a bustling city, as if they were completely alone.

Just like the commotion nearby, the restlessness in the city air made people lose their rationality, leading to intense arguments and even physical confrontations. Yet pedestrians continued to move forward briskly, and there were only a few scattered individuals willing to stop and watch the spectacle, not even totaling ten people around, just observing the scene in front of them.

Of course, no one was watching the commotion, which was actually a good thing as it avoided traffic chaos. However, it also indirectly indicated that in this busy city, people not only didn't care about their own lives but also had no interest in their neighbors' lives, let alone strangers.

Hugo didn't intend to watch the commotion either because he had no intention of meddling in other people's affairs. At least he wasn't wearing the uniform of the New York Police or the attire of Superman, so these things were not his concern. But unexpectedly, Hugo's footsteps came to a halt because he actually saw a familiar face.

Hugo couldn't help but focus his attention. Joseph, who had been drifting outside since getting Katharine's autograph, seemed to be a bit absent-minded. He didn't know whether he regretted not being able to talk to Katharine face to face or was excited about the thrilling experience this afternoon. "Joe, look at that person, isn't it... Eugene?"

Joseph snapped back to reality and followed Hugo's gaze. In front of them, a group of people was fighting, although it wouldn't be accurate to call it a group since there were only five people involved. Three people were ganging up on two others, and the fight was fierce. Although the three had the advantage in numbers, one of the two seemed to be skilled in fighting, maintaining a delicate balance. Guitars, basses, and other musical instruments were scattered around, and the drum set had been knocked down, creating a scene of utter chaos.

The person Hugo was referring to was the big guy among the two. Due to the ongoing brawl, Joseph couldn't see very clearly, but judging from his build, he did resemble Eugene. "Are you sure?" Joseph asked.

Hugo shook his head. "I just saw the tattoos on his hands and thought they looked a bit similar, that's all."

Eugene had extensive tattoos on both arms, starting from the chest and extending to the arms, covering the entire biceps like a suit of armor. His tattoos had a distinctive Eastern style. The chest featured a large skull, while the arm portion resembled the body of a dragon, as if soaring through the clouds and causing upheaval, exuding a combination of dominance and eeriness. According to Eugene, he had spent three weeks getting these tattoos, and one can imagine the pain endured during the process. However, the final result was undoubtedly an artwork that left people in awe.

Joseph also followed the line of sight and looked over. The person who appeared to be Eugene was wearing a white T-shirt, with one sleeve rolled up, revealing half of the tattoo. The placement was the same as Eugene's, but due to the movement, the details of the design couldn't be seen clearly.

Just as Hugo and Joseph hesitated, one of the three individuals suddenly disengaged from the battle and picked up a nearby guitar, intending to use it as a weapon. This made the scattered onlookers instinctively take two steps back.

The big guy, now alone against one opponent, immediately gained the upper hand. He ruthlessly kicked his opponent, causing him to fall awkwardly to the ground. Then the big guy fiercely shouted at the person who picked up the guitar, "How dare you!" As he spoke, his fist, the size of a bowl, clenched tightly and was raised halfway in the air.

At this moment, Hugo and Joseph finally got a clear view of the appearance of this big guy, although his face was disheveled due to the nosebleed, it was indeed Eugene. This unexpectedly caused Hugo and Joseph to exchange a glance. Although Hugo hadn't seen Eugene for a long time, mainly because he was filming "Sleepless in Seattle", he never expected that Eugene would also leave Los Angeles and come to New York.

Just as Hugo was about to step forward, he heard Eugene rushing towards the guy holding the guitar, like a fierce tiger descending from the mountain. As a result, the guy was so scared that he turned around and ran, still holding the guitar. With the first one fleeing, the other person who was still fighting stumbled back and helped the one lying on the ground up. One was holding a bass guitar, and the other was holding a keyboard as they fled.

The guy who was with Eugene took two steps forward and shouted angrily, "That's my keyboard! Damn it!"

They thought the farce would end there, but unexpectedly, this guy turned around and pointed his gun at Eugene. "I told you not to come to New York. Look at what's happening now! Everything is ruined. Are you going to take responsibility?"

Hugo and Joseph's footsteps paused for a moment as they walked forward. What was going on? They had originally thought of going to support Eugene, but they didn't expect that Eugene would scare off his opponent, and then his companion started arguing among themselves. Since Hugo and Joseph had no idea about the whole situation, they didn't know if it was too impulsive to step forward at this moment, so their footsteps remained still, neither moving forward nor retreating.

In the face of his companion's accusations, Eugene did not back down. He shouted back loudly, "So what do you plan to do? Spend your whole life performing in that bar? Don't tell me you don't want to make something of yourselves. Don't blame me for everything. Coming to New York was my idea, but you all agreed to it. I didn't force you to come."

"Damn it! It's because you've been pressuring us all along. Who would want to leave?" The companion glared angrily at Eugene and expressed his anger through actions. "You knew Brown is a guzzler, but you didn't keep an eye on him last night. Look at the mess today! We're out of money. What do you want? What do you want?" The companion pushed and shoved Eugene, confronting him aggressively. "What do you want?"

"I want..." Eugene took a step back as he was pushed by his companion, and he shouted loudly in return. But as he opened his mouth, he realized that the fire burning in his chest made it impossible for him to vent. He could only growl lowly like a wild wolf and ultimately gave up.

The companion, seeing Eugene's frustrated expression, suddenly lost interest. He spat to the side and stood there scratching his head in frustration. After looking around at the mess on the ground for a moment, he hesitated and finally kicked another guitar on the floor before quickly leaving the scene, leaving Eugene standing alone in the midst of the scattered drum set, at a loss.

Hugo and Joseph exchanged glances.

If Hugo's guess was correct, those companions were probably members of Eugene's band, but they didn't know the internal conflicts and arguments that led to the fight they witnessed on the street. Although it started as a three-on-two confrontation, there were conflicts between Eugene and his companions as well.

But these were internal matters of Eugene's band, and as outsiders, Hugo and Joseph naturally couldn't say much. After all, they knew nothing and had no right to speak. However, on the other hand, they were just standing there. If they turned and left now without even saying hello, it seemed inappropriate.

After hesitating for a moment, Hugo gathered his courage and walked up, "Hey, Eugene, do you need help?"

By now, the commotion had already subsided. The few onlookers dispersed slowly, leaving Eugene standing there, still stunned. When he heard the voice next to him, he suddenly looked up and directed a fierce gaze towards the person calling him, and before he even raised his head, the words "get lost" had already been blurted out of his mouth.