Snake out of hideout

As the year drew to a close, it was a time for bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new in every corner of the world. The air was filled with a joyful atmosphere. At the same time, various celebrations made the end of the year the busiest time for artists. However, this busyness was mainly for singers. They were invited to numerous performances, parties, concerts, and shows all over the world, keeping them happily occupied. For actors, although there were invitations for radio shows and programs, most of the time they were spectators enjoying the bustling stage, and parties became occasions for them to relax.

After the recording of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Hugo received invitations to seven shows in the last three days of 1992. In the end, Hugo and Joseph appeared on four of them. The focus of the discussions was similar, revolving around the Golden Globe nominations, the upcoming Oscars, and Hugo's musical talent. However, since Hugo's role as a "singer" was currently just a casual sideline, the year-end festivities had little to do with him. But no one knew what the situation would be like after The Oprah Winfrey Show aired.

After the busy recording of the shows, Hugo could finally relax and await the moment when 1992 would turn into 1993.

On December 31st, the last day of the year, at 10 o'clock in the morning, Hugo accompanied Joseph to ICM.

Every year, ICM held a special luncheon for all its agents, where the company's partners would attend, applaud and console the agents, distribute bonuses, and hold some simple lucky draw activities. The main purpose was to enliven the company's atmosphere, reward the achievements of the past year, and motivate everyone to continue working hard in the new year.

During this luncheon, the agents would bring a few artists with them to some extent. On one hand, it increased the company's influence and showcased their strength to competitors who were trying to gather information about the company. On the other hand, it was also a competition among the agents. The agent whose artist had performed the best in the past year would undoubtedly gain recognition from the partners, which would greatly help the agent's future development.

So, generally speaking, when agents attended such events, they would invite their most outstanding artists in the hope that they would bring them face and honor. However, people like Joseph and Karl were not so lucky. Last year, both Joseph and Karl attended alone. Although Hugo came to the luncheon with Joseph this year, he always followed behind Ron Meyer like a tail, which annoyed Joseph.

This year, Karl still came alone. Charlize was still considered a newcomer in the industry and didn't hold much weight in such occasions. If this were an industry party, Karl would have asked Charlize to come and experience it, as it might help her expand her network. But this was just an internal company luncheon, where the people they would meet were either rival agents or the artists of rival agents, so it didn't hold much significance.

Joseph bringing Hugo along caused quite a stir. Although ICM had achieved remarkable results this year, with artists such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, Eddie Murphy, Julia Roberts, and Paul McCartney under their banner achieving great success, it had to be acknowledged that Hugo Lancaster had also made a name for himself in the star-studded ICM this year. Especially with "A Few Good Men" still holding the top spot in the North American weekend box office rankings, this film had quickly become a hot contender for the Golden Globe Awards and the Oscars.

Therefore, after Hugo appeared, many top agents took the initiative to come forward and greet him. Regardless of their intentions, it was still suitable for the festive atmosphere of the day to mingle and offer congratulations. Not only agents, but Hugo also chatted with Julia for a while and had a pleasant conversation with this popular actress. Then he had half a glass of whisky with Arnold and Mel. Unfortunately, Hugo didn't smoke, so he couldn't join the smoking camp for men.

After meeting so many big-name stars this year, Hugo finally stopped being surprised and amazed. Although he was somewhat surprised when he saw Arnold's almost terrifying muscles, he overall remained calm, which was a significant progress.

However, when he saw Paul McCartney, Hugo seemed a bit impatient. Why? Was there even a need to ask? Because that was Paul McCartney, because that was The Beatles, because he was a legendary figure in the music industry. Although Hugo didn't experience The Beatles' craziest and hottest era, it didn't diminish the positive effect he felt from their music.

Among the four members of The Beatles, there had always been a debate about who the true soul of the band was, John Lennon or Paul McCartney. But there was no doubt that both of them were great songwriters and, together, they propelled The Beatles to the position of the greatest rock band in history.

For Hugo, the fact that he could see Paul, who could be considered a living fossil, up close was something to be excited about. Unfortunately, before Hugo could get closer to Paul, he saw him being led away by Marvin Josephson, the company's co-president. Hugo's path was then blocked by an unexpected guest.

Hugo tried to step aside, but he realized that the other person had also followed him. So Hugo had to divert his gaze from Paul and focus on the obstacle in front of him. "Hey, Hugo, long time no see." The unexpected guest turned out to be Ron Meyer. Although it was somewhat surprising, it wasn't strange since Ron was one of the company's partners and one of the main characters of today's luncheon.

"Not that long, right?" Hugo knew that the other person must have come prepared, so he simply stopped and looked at Ron. As for Paul, there might be another chance later. Hugo's response was actually meaningful. He was implying that he had seen Ron at the premiere of "A Few Good Men" but deliberately didn't bring it up directly. It would be interesting to see how Ron would respond.

After the premiere, Hugo wanted to approach Ron Meyer and ask why they couldn't get along. But firstly, he had no evidence, and secondly, it wouldn't serve any purpose. Even if Ron admitted the wrongs, what would it change? Hugo even wanted to go up to Ron and give him a good beating. However, after discussing it with Joseph, he realized that Ron's appearance at the premiere of "A Few Good Men" was to find Sidney Pollack, which meant that Ron still had some tricks up his sleeve. On the other hand, Ron and Tracey were scheming something behind the scenes, whether it was aimed at Hugo or not. Currently, Ron was in the dark, while Hugo was in the light. Therefore, after careful consideration, Hugo decided to remain motionless.

Ron squinted his eyes and looked deeply into Hugo's eyes, seemingly pondering the underlying meaning of Hugo's words. But then his words surprised Hugo, "You're talking about the premiere of A Few Good Men, right? I didn't come forward to greet you that day, and I'm truly sorry about that. It was mainly because I had some urgent matters and had to leave."

Hugo didn't expect that Ron would directly bring up the matter. This further confirmed Hugo's thoughts that Ron had a plan in place. Therefore, Hugo became even more cautious and couldn't afford to be impatient. However, in front of this cunning fox, Ron, despite Hugo's ten years of experience in society, he still appeared somewhat naive. He directly revealed a part of his cards, saying, "It's nothing, I just accidentally mentioned it while chatting with Sidney. After all, work is important."

Hugo didn't realize that he had leaked information about his casual conversation with Sidney regarding "The Firm". It was Ron's knowing smile that made Hugo suddenly aware. "I heard about your collaboration with Sidney. I believe you will deliver a brilliant performance. In "A Few Good Men", you were on par with Nicholson, absolutely no problem."

Normally, Hugo wouldn't be so easily negligent, but facing someone like Ron, who was intentionally plotting against him, the 25-year-old Hugo revealed his lack of experience. However, Hugo's ability to quickly understand the situation was also a result of his long-term exposure to society. "Before a movie is released, everything is uncertain, isn't it?"

This time, Hugo learned to be clever and didn't reveal any details about the audition process for "The Firm". Although these pieces of information could be obtained through careful inquiries, unless the production company kept it confidential, it wouldn't be too difficult. However, Hugo knew that it was one thing for Ron to find out, but it was another for him to voluntarily disclose it to Ron. Hugo still didn't know what game Ron was playing, so he couldn't let his guard down.

Hugo's gaze subconsciously searched for Joseph's figure among the crowd. Joseph had gone to get fruits with Karl a moment ago, but they hadn't returned yet, and Hugo didn't see them near the buffet table.

"I heard that Brad Pitt's agent, Martin, has been very active lately, and Robert also thinks Brad is perfect for the role in "Honey Trap". I wonder how Sidney will choose." Ron's expression seemed to suggest that he was revealing a huge secret to Hugo, but he lowered his voice as if to convey it discreetly.

This kind of expression made Hugo feel uncomfortable as if Ron had control over the situation while Hugo was trapped within it, only able to see a corner of the chessboard, unable to confront Ron directly. Hugo realized that although he and Joseph had risen quickly, their foundation was still too shallow. In this networking-driven circle, they were always at a disadvantage.

Just like the invitation for "The Firm", if Rick Rosen hadn't reminded them, they would probably be several steps behind Brad. Robert Redford and Sidney Polak had a close friendship since "Out of Africa", and Brad's agent, Martin Baum, was exceptionally powerful. It indeed put Brad in an advantageous position.

When Ron spoke those words just now, it seemed like he was hinting at Hugo: Sidney hasn't been calling you for auditions lately, and the reason is exactly what you think!

After understanding Ron's implication, Hugo didn't feel happy or nervous. Instead, he became more vigilant or even more cautious: "When it comes to offering excessive kindness, there's likely an ulterior motive." His relationship with Ron Meyer had always been tense. Not to forget, Ron was the one behind Algric's incident. So, why was Ron being friendly now?

And where is Joseph? Damn Joseph!