Resolving the embarassment

Following the solid figure's contour, one could see the wide shorts covering the man's mysterious parts. Charlize seemed startled and quickly averted her gaze upward, finally settling on Hugo's taut neck line. She noticed Hugo's Adam's apple move slightly, indicating that he had just swallowed his saliva due to dryness.

This thought immediately made Charlize's cheeks flush. She quickly released her hands and took a step back, avoiding Hugo's gaze. However, she didn't know where to look because it seemed like every corner revealed Hugo's wheat-colored and even skin tone. She could only grit her teeth and pretended to be calm, saying, "You have a good figure. It seems like you've been maintaining it well recently."

Hugo felt a small flame ignite in his chest. After the intimate contact, Charlize had proven with her "actions" that she was a woman and possessed a captivating femininity that made one blush and one's heart race. But the problem was that Hugo's current attire was not suitable for the chaotic thoughts running through his mind. He couldn't control the reflexive reactions triggered by his brain, so he could only maintain composure and turn around to find his exercise pants and put them on. "That's natural. The premiere is not far away."

Once he had put on his pants, Hugo regained his composure. However, his slightly blushing cheeks still revealed his inner turmoil. Although Hugo and Charlize had been intimate once before, it was just a night under the influence of alcohol. They had decided to maintain a friendship when they became roommates, so the current situation was somewhat awkward.

"Let's order takeout for dinner tonight, Chinese cuisine. How about that?" Charlize tried to make her footsteps sound less hurried as she turned and left Hugo's room. However, her feet felt weak, as if stepping on cotton.

"Sure," Hugo breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed Charlize's departure. He quickly grabbed a t-shirt and put it on. "You should give Karl a call and ask him to come back and celebrate with us." Having Karl around would help ease the atmosphere at home, especially since Alex would be returning home for two days.

"Great idea!" Charlize immediately agreed. She stood outside Hugo's room, leaning against the wall, took a couple of breaths to calm herself, and then walked towards the phone to call Karl again.

After hanging up the phone, Hugo and Charlize sat in the living room, but suddenly they seemed to lose the rhythm of their conversation. Their faces showed varying degrees of awkwardness. Thankfully, Hugo was the first to remember a topic. "Aren't you going to wash off your makeup from your face?"

Only then did Charlize realize that she had been wearing the rugged outfit and hadn't removed her makeup since she came back. In this state, she had hugged and made eye contact with Hugo. The scene just now, which made one's face blush and heart race, suddenly became amusing. Charlize lowered her head to look at the dirt on her body, then recalled that she had dirtied Hugo as well. All the awkwardness vanished in an instant.

Clearly, Hugo also realized this. In the midst of his confusion, he completely forgot about it. When he made eye contact with Charlize, his attention was completely drawn to her thrilling eyes, almost completely ignoring the terrible makeup. But upon recollection, Hugo was certain that there must be a stain on his forehead and even more on his body. When he connected the mental image with the ambiguous situation, it became quite ridiculous.

Hugo and Charlize exchanged glances. Charlize saw the gray stain on Hugo's forehead and couldn't help but burst into laughter, which in turn made Hugo feel absurd. They both couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably, and once they started, they couldn't stop. They laughed so much that they were practically rolling on the floor.

In the midst of this hearty laughter, all the awkwardness disappeared unnoticed. Both of them couldn't stand up straight from laughing. After the laughter subsided, they both stopped and stared at each other, seeing a similar spark in each other's eyes. Clearly, they were both thinking the same thing: taking a shower!

Almost simultaneously, Hugo and Charlize turned around and rushed towards the bathroom. As a result, both of them got stuck at the bathroom "door". Frustrated, Charlize shouted, "Hey, ladies first, haven't you heard?"

"Aren't you advocating for feminism?" Hugo retorted without backing down. He had once shouted for gender equality but was treated like an alien. Later, Hugo learned that the era of women's rights consciousness was just on the rise, and the slogan of "gender equality" wouldn't truly emerge until 1995, let alone be widely accepted for a long time. So, Hugo quietly assimilated into the society of 1992.

"But my makeup is dirty!" Charlize struggled to squeeze into the bathroom, but Hugo's arm blocked her way and refused to budge.

"That's exactly why I should go first. I'll be quick, just five minutes," Hugo shouted loudly. He wanted to go in directly, but Charlize was blocking the door, so he could only enter with one leg.

"Hugo!" Charlize shouted fiercely, but she saw that Hugo was relentless. So, she quickly came up with a plan.

Charlize clenched her teeth, exerted force, and made Hugo lose his balance without checking his center of gravity. He nearly fell and, with Charlize intentionally stomping on the back of his left foot, he cried out in pain and hopped on one foot. Then Charlize swiftly rushed in, closed the bathroom door, and stood inside with her hands on her hips, bursting into loud laughter, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Outside the door, Hugo let his foot down and continued to protest, deliberately cursing at the door. "You're cheating! I won't let you do this next time!" This provoked Charlize's response from inside, "When did you ever let me go first, hm? In any case, I won, oh yeah!"

A smile appeared on Hugo's lips. He deliberately lost his balance earlier, knowing that it wouldn't be a big problem for Charlize to go in first. However, after the fuss they just had, the awkwardness between them had clearly disappeared. They had returned to their previous mode of friendship, and that was the most important thing. Hugo then turned and returned to the living room, sinking heavily into the sofa, taking a deep breath.

Inside the bathroom, after Charlize finished shouting, she also revealed a smile and let out a sigh of relief. Although Hugo's acting was good, they had been living together for half a year, and this kind of competition for the bathroom was not the first or second time. How could Charlize not know whether Hugo was truly fooled or pretending to lose? But it was fine this way. The ambiguity and awkwardness from before were no longer important.

Taking a deep breath, Charlize walked to the washbasin, turned on the tap, and the rushing water sound separated the world inside and outside the bathroom.

Charlize spent a long time cleaning her makeup, even after Karl returned and didn't come out. It really took a long time, whether it was genuinely necessary or partly to wait for Karl to return and alleviate the awkwardness between her and Hugo when they were alone.

Meanwhile, Hugo and Karl discussed and ordered takeout. Finally, Hugo had the time to ask Karl about the details.

"I met a producer at the Halloween party, and he happened to be one of the producers of "Beverly Hills, 90210". I introduced Charlize to him. Later, the show needed a guest role, and he thought of Charlize, so he called me. We had a brief conversation, and it was settled in the end," Karl explained, simplifying the complex process as much as possible.

Hugo raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Halloween party?" He remembered that Charlize had worn a Wonder Woman costume that day. He couldn't believe that the producer noticed her. "Could they be asking Charlize to play Wonder Woman?"

Karl seemed to be in a good mood and was amused by Hugo's reaction. "No, it's a regular role."

Hugo nodded and thought of an important point. "Beverly Hills, 90210" is a soap opera, known for its attractive men and women. If Charlize were to play a role in it, she would become a mere decoration. That wouldn't be a good choice for her future career. However, Hugo hesitated for a moment but decided not to voice his thoughts. It wasn't because he was afraid to speak up, but because he didn't want to ruin the good day they were having.

Karl was genuinely excited. His excitement was so overwhelming that it filled the entire third floor with joy. For Karl, this was his first job in twelve months. It meant that he would no longer have to rely on Joseph's support. As a talent agent, they could only survive if their artists had work. Otherwise, it would be a disaster.

But the reason Karl had been out of work for so long was his stubbornness. He never backed down even during prolonged hardships. Seeing the hesitation and worry in Hugo's expression, he immediately understood. "Hugo, I know. "Beverly Hills, 90210" is a soap opera, and Charlize is already easily judged by her appearance alone. This platform is even more disadvantageous."

Despite his excitement, Karl maintained a calm mindset. "So, I agreed to a guest appearance in three episodes, just to give Charlize a chance to be seen and gain more possibilities. As for this soap opera, even if the producer invites Charlize to continue, I won't agree."

Hugo's gaze towards Karl changed immediately. It wasn't easy for a talent agent to maintain such a calm mindset. After all, Karl had been facing financial troubles for a year, and the talent agency industry was all about prioritizing interests.

"I'm done. It's your turn," Charlize said as she opened the door and walked out. When she saw Karl, a bright smile appeared on her face. "Hey, my agent, thank you for bringing me good news." Charlize immediately walked up to Karl and gave him a big hug. Her expression when she looked at Hugo also became much more relaxed. Thanks to Karl, any lingering awkwardness between Hugo and Charlize had completely disappeared, especially with Thanksgiving approaching, erasing the remaining traces of uneasiness.