Brewing right emotions

Actually, Hugo's situation was completely different from Sam's. Sam's wife, Maggie, left this world due to cancer, and they were forcibly separated. On the other hand, Hugo and Uma had differences arising from trust and betrayal, emotions and careers, which eventually led them down different paths.

However, Hugo understood Sam's feelings. Whenever he had a midnight reverie, he involuntarily started to reminisce. Every little detail from the past rushed to his mind vividly, even the details he thought he had forgotten. The clothes she wore when they first met, the perfume she wore, the smile on her lips and the shyness in her eyes during their first date, her sudden accelerated heartbeat and the gentle breeze that surrounded them during their first kiss... Each of these details felt like a sharp blade, causing him immeasurable pain.

Yet, what Hugo feared was that he suddenly became lost and even began to doubt if his trust was unreasonable, to the extent that he put too much pressure on Uma. He even started searching for excuses for Uma, hoping to prove that it was all just a misunderstanding... How pitiful.

On the other hand, Sam was afraid that his life had entered an endless cycle. The days without Maggie seemed to be the same day after day, and he started to question if this was the end of his life, if he was merely existing for the sake of being alive. He doubted if he still possessed the ability to love another person and if he coukd find a woman like Maggie again... How sorrowful.

With these thoughts, Hugo felt his breathing becoming rapid. A suffocating feeling overwhelms his chest, causing his brain to go blank due to asphyxiation. Hugo had to open his mouth and take deep breaths, only then could he feel life flowing in his bloodstream, preventing the pain in his heart from spreading.

The rhythm of his heartbeat pounded incessantly in his ears, causing every muscle in Hugo's body to tense up. The throbbing in his temples felt like a premonition of an impending earthquake. He tightly gripped the balcony railing with his hands, exerting excessive force to the point where his knuckles turn slightly blue. It felt as if the wooden railing could be crushed in the next second.

Joseph watches Hugo, who has fallen into contemplation, with concern. Suddenly, he heard the creaking sound of the floor and turned his head. He saw Nora approaching and so he shook his head lightly, wearing a stern expression. Seeing Joseph's dreadful expression, Nora stopped in her tracks, her face filled with worry as she gazed at Hugo's desolate figure.

Hugo slowly released his grip on the railing, burying the bitterness in his heart. He took a long breath and spoke in a deep voice, "Joseph, tell Nora that I'm ready."

"Hugo..." Joseph looked at the deep loneliness between Hugo's brows and felt like he wanted to say something more. However, he found his words stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

Hugo turned his head and gave Joseph a tired smile, a barely visible tiny arc that could easily be missed in the darkness. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Joseph remained rooted to the spot, not moving. Hugo looked at him like that, without saying a word. Although his amber-colored eyes were tinged with a shade of dark blue due to the night, heavy and weary, the firmness within them was a radiance familiar to Joseph. Finally, Joseph could only sigh helplessly and turn to look at Nora waiting by the balcony's French window, nodding his head.

After Nora received Joseph's affirmative answer, she turned around and snapped her fingers, and the entire crew started bustling.

"The Earth is still spinning, isn't it?" Hugo looked at Joseph, whose face was tense, and let out a light laugh, but there was no smile on his lips. "Life goes on, so don't worry, I can handle it." After saying that, Hugo turned around and walked back into the house, ready to immerse himself in filming again.

Joseph looked at Hugo's thinning shoulders, and his entire figure was covered in a shallow gray in the darkness, as if it could be swallowed at any moment. This was not the Hugo he knew. Thinking about what Uma had done to Hugo, Joseph couldn't help clenching his fists. Even so, it wasn't enough, he gritted his teeth, making his already serious face even more stern.

Hugo returned to the set and apologized to the crew, "I'm sorry for delaying everyone's time. I'm not in a good state, and I'm truly sorry." It was now close to midnight, and Nora had been worried that it would rain in Seattle again tomorrow. So if possible, it would be best to finish this scene in one go tonight. Hugo knew he was holding back the progress of the entire crew, which was why he expressed his apologies.

After going through the incident of the superstar rumors, Hugo's mindset returned to the period before the release of "Scent of a Woman". He hoped to always maintain a humble and polite heart. Only those who are half full will hope to win with momentum, wanting others to know they are superstars. Truly talented actors rely on their performances to earn respect, and that's what Hugo had done in his previous two films, and he intended to continue doing so.

The crew of "Sleepless in Seattle" had no rejection towards Hugo. The rumors of him being a superstar were clear to them through the process of cooperation. They all knew whether Hugo was a superstar or not. So when they saw Hugo proactively apologize, the crew members quickly made jokes to liven up the atmosphere. One person shouted loudly, "You're in charge of the midnight snack!"

Hugo's heavy mouth gently curved, "No problem, it's my pleasure." Then he turned his head to Joseph, who was still standing on the balcony, and made a phone gesture with his right hand next to his ear. He said, "Food." Joseph immediately understood what Hugo meant, nodded, took a deep breath, and walked into the house. "Anyone who wants a midnight snack, come and order."

The crew members immediately became lively. Seeing everyone becoming active, Nora wore a helpless smile and raised her voice sternly, "Quiet! Quiet! Discuss what you want to eat among yourselves. Don't make a sound. We still need to watch Hugo's performance for the next scene. By disrupting Hugo's acting rhythm like this, it seems like we're planning to stay up all night?"

Someone among the crew immediately shouted, "For the sake of the midnight snack, let's be quiet now!" This caused everyone to burst into laughter.

After the laughter subsided, everyone finally quieted down. However, no one immediately started ordering the midnight snack. Everyone focused on their work first, preparing for the next filming. Joseph looked at Hugo, who was walking towards the camera, took a deep breath, and then went to the production department to discuss the midnight snack arrangements for a while.

After being disturbed, Ross, who had already fallen asleep, sat on the bench rubbing his eyes. Hugo walked over and sat down on the bench, gently patting Rosse's shoulder. "Go back to sleep," he said.

"Is the filming not finished yet?" the little one asked again, lying on Hugo's thigh, mumbling.

Hugo gently stroked the little one's head. "Almost done," he replied. He looked at Ross, whose breathing gradually became steady, and lowered his head as if he were his own child. He slowly immersed himself in the character of Sam, letting his emotions flow.

Nora didn't rush him either. She stood next to the camera, watching Hugo build up his emotions. When Hugo picked up the telephone receiver again, Nora knew he was ready and looked back at the script supervisor. The script supervisor walked up to the camera with the slate, stated the scene and the number of takes, and clapped the slate. Then Nora's voice came through again, "If I could ask you a question."

Sam, with the phone in his left hand, leaned back on the chair backrest and lightly caressed Jonah's small head, who was sleeping on his lap. He smiled and said, "Go ahead." Perhaps he couldn't bear to refuse the radio host, or maybe it was for Jonah's Christmas wish, or maybe he was truly lonely, having had little communication with others for too long, so he persisted in holding the microphone and continuing this absurd conversation.

"People who truly loved are likely to love again. Sam, could you love anybody as much as you loved your wife?" the doctor asked.

This question made Sam's resigned smile slowly fade, and sadness welled up in his eyes. "Well... that's hard to imagine." Speaking felt so difficult for Sam as if each word weighed heavily.

"What are you going to do?" the doctor continued asking.

Sam's gaze gradually lost focus, seemingly lost in his own memories. His expression was so calm, with no frown or smile, but the loneliness and sadness between his brows slowly seeped out from his eyes, lingering at the corners of his mouth, dissipating even the last trace of a curve.

"Well... get out of bed every morning and breathe in and out all day. And after a while... I won't have to remind myself to do it." Sam's voice seemed to emanate from the depths of his throat, trembling slightly, but he struggled to maintain a calm tone. The faint glimmer in his eyes flickered like starlight. "And then after a while... I won't remember how perfect things were."

Sam was so weary, and his words sounded so mundane, simply hoping to live day after day, remembering to get up, remembering to breathe. Yet, the weight of his words seemed to drain his remaining energy. Just from these plain words, one could imagine how difficult every day was for Sam, and how the burden of profound sadness pressed upon people's chests, making it hard to breathe.

The entire film crew fell into silence, silently watching Hugo. The sound of the film rolling could even be heard.

Everyone was moved by Hugo's simple words. There were no desperate cries proclaiming, "I truly miss her", no solemn vows stating, "I will never forget her", and no sweet words declaring, "She is the love of my life forever". There were only the words, "Breathe in and out, and after a while, I won't have to remind myself to do it" which seemed like the simplest actions for an ordinary person, yet they expressed the deepest pain in the most unassuming way.

The heart couldn't help but ache.