Underground circle

In front of him, a group of young people lifted their instruments and happily boarded the bus. Looking in the direction, they were heading west towards the city. Hugo couldn't help but feel a restless excitement. He also wanted to return to this kind of life, to overcome the initial uneasiness and anxiety of his journey. Now that life had gradually stabilized, Hugo increasingly missed the days of performing on stage.

However, Hugo was alone now, without the support of a band. Even if he wanted to perform on stage, he felt incapable. Although there were countless solo singers, including Hugo himself, who had independently performed the theme song for "A Few Good Men", Hugo still preferred being in a band. Not only because he was always more enthusiastic about rock music, but also because the support from bandmates on stage was unparalleled.

"Hugo... Hugo!" A call came from behind, and Hugo turned around to see Joseph beckoning him to come inside. Hugo quickly walked back, knowing that he must be asked to sign some documents or something. Joseph noticed the flyer in Hugo's hand and said, "Strip dance club?"

"Black and white?" Hugo countered with a question, actually denying it. Where would a strip dance club have black and white printed flyers?

Hugo handed the flyer to Joseph, who took a quick look at it. "Music?" Hugo nodded, and Joseph asked casually, "Are you planning to attend?"

"Attend what?" Alfonso happened to join them, not thinking much about it, and just unconsciously chimed in. Then he saw Joseph looking at Hugo, and Alfonso realized that he might have been too nosy. So he quickly changed his words and said, "You just need to finish signing the rest of these documents."

But Hugo didn't mind at all. "No, it's a party, a rock party." Hugo took a seat. "Which documents do I need to sign?" Alfonso immediately walked over and flipped through the papers in front of Hugo, pointing out where he needed to sign.

As Hugo began signing, Alfonso stood up straight and then noticed the flyer in Joseph's hand. "So it's a Rock Night, planned a month ago." Alfonso paused for a moment and carefully looked at the band names on the flyer. "Wow, this event is much bigger than I imagined."

"Do you know about this party?" Hugo looked at Alfonso with surprise. The well-dressed Alfonso didn't seem like someone involved in rock music, and Joseph had never mentioned it before.

"Of course," Alfonso nodded and casually provided a lot of information. "The Al's Bar organizes such large-scale events every few months. Actually, it's a place where many underground rock bands hang out. The owner, Glen Hill, is said to come from a wealthy family with military connections, but... who knows, anyway, Al's Bar is quite famous in this circle. Every Rock Night, they invite many underground bands from the scene to gather together for performances, competitions, and battles. It's really lively."

Hugo couldn't help but pause his pen and looked at Alfonso eagerly. It seemed that he knew quite a lot, which brought Hugo's curiosity to Joseph. Alfonso was Joseph's closest friend, yet Joseph had never mentioned his knowledge of underground rock music. It was quite surprising.

Joseph shrugged lightly. "He used to be in a band, but it's been many years since he played. Just look at him..." Joseph pointed to Alfonso's well-tailored suit and the slight bulge of his belly. It was the most direct evidence. Hugo couldn't help but laugh.

Alfonso also chuckled. "That's true. Work is much more important than music. Although Alfonso didn't say much, this sentence indicated that he had chosen life over dreams. However, Alfonso was currently living a very good life, and not having dreams didn't necessarily mean there was no hope in life. As for Alfonso's true feelings, whether it was regret or contentment, only he knew.

"Do you still go to Rock Night?" Hugo continued asking. From Alfonso's tone just now, it was evident that he hadn't been out of touch with the trend for too long and still knew some latest news.

"I went once in February this year, but haven't been since then." Alfonso stated directly and then gave Hugo a helpless smile. "Life, you know. But I still know some news from the scene, to some extent, because I still have friends who are playing in bands."

Alfonso paused for a moment, suddenly looked at Hugo curiously, and said, "It sounds like you're also very interested in this. Are you in a band too?"

"Lead guitar." Hugo put down the pen in his hand and extended his right hand.

"Me too, lead guitar!" Alfonso also reached out his right hand, shaking hands with Hugo. Both of their faces showed a smile. "Wow, this is something the Los Angeles Times interview missed. It seems "Next Time You See Me" wasn't just a coincidence."

Recently, with the popularity of "A Few Good Men", the topic of Hugo's "first-time" singing performance had consistently maintained a high level of interest. People were amazed that Hugo not only made a strong comeback as an actor but also had an excellent singing voice hidden within him. It was indeed a huge highlight.

"Everyone needs some hobbies, don't they?" Hugo casually brushed it off with these words. Then he looked at Alfonso and asked, "Are you planning to go tonight?"

"Rock Night? Oh, no, I'm planning to drive back home this afternoon." Alfonso shook his head and then looked at Joseph. "You know, I didn't go back for Christmas last year, and I've been nagged about it for the past year. How about you? Are you going back?"

After saying that, Alfonso glanced at Hugo subconsciously. He knew Joseph was not someone who liked to share personal matters with others. Originally, he was just asking casually, but he didn't expect Joseph to sigh and say, "I plan to go back and see Peter. I don't know how things are going with him. But Hugo still has some work left these two days, so I'll take the flight back the day after tomorrow."

Christmas, which is New Year in the United States, has a normal holiday period of three days. Most film and television crews also take a break during this time, so almost everyone goes back home. It's not just Joseph, but also Karl, Charlize, Alex, and others. Hugo had considered whether he should go back home as well, but he made two phone calls to his father Adam, and both times he was hung up on directly. It seems that Adam had no intention of letting Hugo go back.

"By that time, the whole city will be empty, and I'll be home alone for real," Hugo joked with a smile, making Joseph curl his lips involuntarily. "I hope you don't break all the furniture." He was borrowing Hugo's joke, sarcastically suggesting that Hugo shouldn't turn the house upside down like Kevin did in "Home Alone" just to deal with burglars.

"Maybe Hugo will find like-minded companions at the Rock Night, so this Christmas won't be lonely," Alfonso took over the conversation with a smile on his face.

Alfonso was implying that Hugo might meet "female" companions, but Hugo didn't mind at all. Compared to romantic encounters, the focus of such a rock party was clearly the music. "By the way, I think I should go home and get ready. What do I need to prepare for such a party?"

Alfonso looked Hugo up and down and pursed his lips. "Besides this shirt?"

Hugo couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Yes, yes, it seems like I picked the wrong outfit today." This shirt was indeed heavily criticized. But that was the truth. This casual-style shirt was relatively conservative in terms of design and it was white, making it look like something a businessperson would wear.

"It seems that not everyone can handle the classics of The Beatles," Hugo added self-deprecatingly. As a result, Alfonso burst into laughter. "If you choose three more companions, it will be much better."

Hugo and Joseph soon drove home, while Alfonso followed in their new car. After arriving home, Joseph drove Alfonso back in his car.

Hugo excitedly ran upstairs, thinking about what clothes to wear tonight and imagining the scene of the party. Suddenly, a strong man appeared in front of him wearing a tight white T-shirt, with large tattoos on his arms and a black leather jacket wrapped around his right hand. He spoke in a deep voice, "Sorry," and then walked quickly downstairs. Hugo instinctively moved aside and watched the man walk downstairs with his black military boots, the heavy sound of his footsteps echoing in the stairwell until he disappeared from Hugo's sight.

Hugo had been living here for more than half a year, but he had never seen this man before. He couldn't help but wonder who this visitor could be. Suddenly, a thought jumped into his mind. Could it be the elusive third resident on the fourth floor?

Thinking of this, Hugo quickly walked to the window in the stairwell and looked out, but unfortunately, he only saw the fading figure. This made Hugo pout. Putting aside whether the man just now was the resident on the fourth floor or not, the fact that he had never seen that mysterious person was already quite strange. It almost felt like there was a Voldemort-like figure living upstairs.

"Squeak!" The door of the second-floor room opened, and Hugo saw the old man Ernest coming out, carrying a bag of garbage. Their eyes met, and Hugo politely smiled, while Ernest snorted and gave Hugo a fierce stare, but he didn't curse at him again. He just went downstairs with the garbage.

After watching Ernest go downstairs, Hugo returned to his apartment with light steps, thinking about what clothes in his wardrobe would be suitable for the party tonight. However, Hugo hadn't bought many clothes in the past year, and his aesthetic taste was quite different from the previous occupant. Hugo felt that this was a serious problem. At least, he couldn't attend the party wearing a shirt.