Starting over

"Hugo... Joseph seemed to have countless words stuck in his throat, making his throat itch incessantly. Hugo lifted his eyes and looked over, as if asking with his gaze, "What?" Joseph hesitated for a long time, hesitantly said, half concealing his face, "How about you apologize..." However, he only managed to utter half a sentence, lacking confidence, and swallowed the rest of his words.

At first, Hugo didn't understand and was about to ask, "Apologize to whom?" But when he saw the hesitation and reluctance in Joseph's eyes, he quickly understood. Joseph was talking about apologizing to Tracey.

Tracey was the mastermind behind all of this. If they apologized to her, perhaps the situation could be resolved. Moreover, the most important thing was that Hugo knew the entanglement between him and Tracey ultimately boiled down to the word emotion. Love could make a woman sink into despair, but it could also drive a woman to madness. If Hugo was willing to lower his head, perhaps he could salvage Tracey. Not to mention this incident, it was likely that Hugo's acting career would become smooth. This was the social order, regardless of right or wrong, but it could make one's life easier.

However, Hugo shook his head with a smile. "Joseph, please don't bring up this matter again. I can't do that." Joseph looked at the faint smile on Hugo's lips. Although it was a shallow curve, his eyes carried an unquestionable determination, shattering all of his justifications and doubts.

Hugo continued, "Do you remember? I said that there are things you can do, things you shouldn't do, and things that you shouldn't stoop to. Apologizing to Tracey is something I disdain to do." He sighed at the thought of his entanglement with Tracey and then continued, "I'd rather struggle for my own future than grovel under the charity of the potentates."

Joseph knew that these words were spoken by the literary master, Victor Hugo. It was the second time he heard Hugo mention them.

Joseph murmured in explanation, "I didn't say Tracey..." But as Hugo's gentle gaze met his, the second half of his sentence disappeared in his throat, and he fell silent.

Hugo stretched and yawned, getting off the bed and standing by his window. The sunlight in Los Angeles was shining brightly, breaking through the clouds and casting a splendid rosy glow over the City of Angels, indescribably beautiful.

Joseph's gaze followed Hugo's movement, and he also stood up and walked to the window, stopping his steps. "So, what do we do now?" Joseph's previously calmed inner restlessness resurfaced. "I've tried everything I could..." This made Joseph feel somewhat disheartened. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't break through the impasse. The sense of defeat was truly unbearable.

"Joseph, why are you so anxious?" Hugo didn't shift his gaze, still looking at the distant horizon outside the window. That expanse of blue, shimmering under the sunlight, seemed like a collection of scattered diamonds. It made Hugo's body, which had been plagued by illness for a long time, gradually relax, dispelling the soreness and weariness.

"You should know better than me that no actor can work on one film after another without breaks. The duration of these breaks can range from a few weeks to years, and there are many reasons for it. One of your concerns is, for example, falling out of favor, with no film company willing to hire you." Hugo's words caused a touch of anxiety to appear on Joseph's serious face, but it was quickly dispelled by Hugo's smile. "Choosing suitable scripts is also one of those reasons. Because an excellent work can make an actor, while a terrible one can ruin an actor. We both understand this very well, don't we?"

Hugo's teasing made Joseph involuntarily reveal a bitter smile.

"In fact, our current situation is just back to square one, there's nothing to worry about. At least this time, there's no turmoil of the Razzie Awards, instead, there are dual nominations for the Golden Globe Awards, and who knows, maybe even an Oscar nomination," Hugo said cheerfully, and the weariness between his eyebrows gradually disappeared in the sunlight, while the familiar sunshine gathered once again.

Joseph looked at Hugo's radiant smile and awkwardly shook his head, which left Hugo momentarily stunned. Only then did Joseph speak up, "There's no Oscar nomination." The official list of the 65th Oscars nominations was announced two days ago, and the name Hugo was completely left out. The leading actor in "A Few Good Men" and the supporting actor in "Scent of a Woman" fell from grace, becoming the hot topic of the day.

Just recently, Hugo had basked in the limelight with dual nominations for the Golden Globe Awards, but it seemed that he still lacked weight in the eyes of the Academy. Whether it was due to the lingering influence of the Razzie Awards on Academy members, the negative impact caused by the recent high-profile controversies, or simply because Hugo's performance was not deserving of an Oscar nomination, the result was the same. Hugo didn't manage to receive his first Oscar nomination of his acting career.

Hugo paused for a moment and then smiled, "But regardless, my acting abilities are still recognized, aren't they? Unlike last year when no one thought I had any acting skills, proving myself was such a hassle." Hugo even wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead, causing Joseph to reluctantly purse his lips.

Hugo didn't continue speaking but fell into silence. Joseph thought that Hugo was still concerned about the Oscar nomination, and he didn't know what to say. He couldn't simply say, "There will always be nominations in the future" as it sounded strange. If he said, "You'll eventually get a little golden statue", it would make more sense, but making a big deal out of just a nomination seemed unnecessary.

"Joseph, do you know? I actually think those claims about being a big shot have some truth to them," Hugo's words surprised Joseph, who couldn't understand why. He found those claims utterly ridiculous. As Hugo's closest partner in their work, Joseph was well aware of whether Hugo was being arrogant or not, so he dismissed the remarks made by newspapers and magazines. However, he didn't expect Hugo to say something like that.

Hugo interrupted Joseph's questioning and continued, "I feel like I did get a bit carried away." Hugo recalled the bits and pieces of the past few months. Since the success of "Scent of a Woman", his popularity had been soaring, and the smooth sailing in his career and love life had made him somewhat floaty. The advantage of being a time traveler allowed him to be invincible in whatever he pursued, and this idea silently took root in his mind. Even though he didn't realize it himself, nor did he consciously think so, his actions still showed it.

"Hearing the cheers of those fans, I almost believed I was becoming a god. Listening to the praise from the media, I thought I was an absolute genius," Hugo said with a mocking smile, speaking softly. Seeing Joseph seemingly wanting to refute him, Hugo shook his head. "I'm serious, I really thought I was standing at the pinnacle, that everything would come to me with just a wave of my hand. I spent money lavishly, earned so easily, and I even had a three-week vacation in Malibu. I guess I don't have much money left in my bank account now, right?"

Joseph had nothing to say; he simply opened his mouth and murmured, "There's still over six hundred thousand."

Hugo looked bewildered and then chuckled, "I thought there was at least one million or more." No wonder they say it's easy to slip from frugality into extravagance but difficult to go back. He didn't even realize he had spent so much money, and now, as he carefully recalled, he couldn't remember where he had spent it.

Joseph looked up at Hugo and said, "I still owe you one million."

Hugo smiled and replied, "I remember. Maybe in the future, that will become a lifesaver." The relaxed tone made Joseph feel helpless. "I mean, I'm not used to spending so freely. Even if I wanted to splurge, I would have a plan."

Joseph originally wanted to mention that the Malibu incident was because of Uma, but then he remembered that Hugo had just broken up with Uma, so it wouldn't be appropriate to rub salt in Hugo's wound. He decided to keep quiet again.

"Not only that, but I have indeed neglected the original novel of "The Firm". I didn't put in the same effort as I did when I fought for the "A Few Good Men" script. I didn't try hard enough in the auditions for "Sleepless in Seattle"... It's not about specific efforts, but most importantly, it's about my attitude. My attitude has become lax. I thought that with outstanding performances in two films, I would win everyone's approval, so I relaxed. But after the vacation in Malibu, I became impatient because there were no scripts coming to me. When "A Few Good Men" ended half a year ago, I wasn't impatient, but now I am. The main reason is that I have become arrogant. I thought scripts should come to me proactively."

Hugo spoke in a somewhat confused manner, and it didn't seem to have a clear structure when listened to roughly. But Hugo knew what he was saying. He hadn't realized his inner restlessness until now because everything had seemed so natural. The support of fans was so, as well as the favor of the film company. In silence, he had already started enjoying those extravagant praises, losing himself in the process.

"This... This is confidence!" Joseph was dumbfounded by what Hugo said. He hadn't realized that Hugo had been thinking so much during this time.

"Confidence and arrogance are actually only a fine line apart," Hugo chuckled. "Joe, haven't you noticed my changes, as well as your own changes?" Hugo unexpectedly redirected the conversation back to Joseph, leaving him stunned. "After my conversation with Ernest, I understood that I should treat the media's accusations rationally, but I neglected the fact that I should also view their praises by sifting through the flowery language. Maybe I'm not that great; maybe I'm not a genius; maybe I need to work harder; maybe I'm still far from true success..."

At this point, Hugo paused for a moment and smiled. "And I'm quite sure I'm not God." Lost in the flowers and applause, there was a time when Hugo genuinely believed he was a god. But now, the dream had ended, and rationality had returned. "So perhaps this incident is a good wake-up call. It can at least make me see my position clearly, not reach too high, and stay grounded, which is the most important thing."

Being in the entertainment industry, Hugo was merely a rookie, and he had so much to learn. Maintaining the right attitude and not losing oneself were essential. Fortunately, before Hugo truly became arrogant, started throwing tantrums, started looking down on others, and started thinking he was a god, this incident happened. There was still time for everything.

"We are standing here now. How much worse can the situation get? So, how about it? Are you interested in working hard with me once again?"

Joseph lifted his head and saw the dazzling smile on Hugo's lips, even the sunlight outside the window paled in comparison.