From the previous three interactions with Uma, it was evident that her personality had a bit of a tomboyish streak. Her boldness, decisiveness, and the way she acted swiftly set her apart from many other girls. This could also be clearly sensed in the way she spoke. However, those expressive eyes of hers carried a misty tenderness, and every smile or frown possessed a delicate, charming femininity as if just one glance from her could stir a man's heart.
Right now, that was exactly how Uma looked. Her misty eyes focused intently on Hugo. She wasn't deliberately sending any signals, but her attentive gaze alone was enough to make one's heartbeat quicken.
"What project are you working on right now?" Hugo finally remembered to ask the most important question.
"Jennifer Eight," Uma answered. "Directed by Bruce Robinson, co-starring Andy Garcia."
"Oh, The Killing Fields and The Godfather Part III," Hugo thought for a second before responding. The former was Bruce's representative work and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The latter was Andy's highlight role, also earning him a Best Supporting Actor nomination. "Then this is definitely a film worth looking forward to. I'll have to make sure I go to the cinema to watch it in person."
"At least I won't have to worry that there won't be a single soul in the theater," Uma's words made Hugo burst out laughing, his expression filled with delight.
As Uma looked at Hugo's radiant smile, her eyes narrowed slightly. She had to admit this Hugo was truly charming: sunny, warm, humorous, and sincere. Since their reunion, Hugo had brought her one surprise after another. At first, she thought the kiss at the premiere was an act of revenge and expected Hugo to lose control but he didn't. Then came that passionate night; she thought it was just a one-night stand, meaningless, but she still found herself thinking about it now and then. Today's set visit turned out completely different from what she'd imagined. Her lips seemed to curl up involuntarily. It was a strange feeling but a beautiful one.
"What's wrong? Did I laugh so hard that I spat all over the place? That would be seriously rude," Hugo started examining himself with a straight face, and that one line made Uma chuckle out loud.
"No, you were perfectly fine just now," Uma finally managed to suppress her laughter, but her eyes looked a bit uneasy. She didn't dare meet Hugo's sparkling gaze. Her rapid heartbeat made her instinctively avert her eyes, which landed on the guitar leaning against the makeup table, giving her the perfect chance to change the subject. "You play guitar on set? That's unexpected."
"Oh no, that's not my guitar it belongs to the makeup artist," Hugo quickly waved his hands to deny.
"That's disappointing," Uma curved her lips in mock regret. "I was thinking you'd play me a love song as payback for letting me visit."
"Are you serious?" Hugo looked genuinely surprised, glancing at Uma's sincere expression and asking in confusion, "You came to visit the set and you expect something in return?" Then he changed his tone and pretended to be offended, "I'm so disappointed. Where's my coffee?"
"Hey, gentleman. I didn't ask for anything over-the-top just a single song," Uma had meant it as a casual remark, but Hugo's counterattack made her take it more seriously. "Or are you planning to visit my set next time? Isn't that how friendships work mutual exchanges?"
"You need me to visit your set? That sounds terrible," Hugo acted as if he was seriously considering it, making Uma burst into laughter in frustration. "Then I'd rather sing a song. That's probably easier."
"You actually play guitar and sing?" Uma was startled by the unexpected surprise, her face full of disbelief.
Hugo really did reach out and grab the guitar, then sat down with it. "No, no, you misunderstood. I said I'd choose to sing a song, not that I'm any good. You know, with the guitar, I at least know the strings make sounds, but that's about it. As for my singing... well, I think you'll get used to it."
"And you still call yourself a gentleman!" Uma immediately started teasing, clearly not holding out much hope for Hugo's musical abilities.
Hugo shrugged, "At least I look like a gentleman while holding the guitar." His confident joke brought another smile to Uma's face.
But when Uma saw Hugo actually starting to tune the strings, she got a little nervous and looked around. "Hugo, maybe let's not. It wouldn't be good if we disturbed the crew." As far as Uma knew, Hugo couldn't sing, much less play the guitar. Otherwise, back when Hugo was chasing her relentlessly, he definitely would've used this trick. Of course, Uma hadn't been interested in Hugo back then no matter how well he sang, she wouldn't have liked him.
"I'll keep it down," Hugo cleared his throat and chuckled. "Cover your ears, okay?" Uma blinked at the comment and actually covered her ears, making Hugo nearly burst out laughing. He barely managed to keep it together, then thought for a second and picked a song.
Hugo wasn't planning anything too serious just wanted to play a little joke and thank Uma for her visit. So he chose a classic song, lightly modified and reinterpreted. The song, titled "Next Time You See Me," was a jazz piece from 1956 performed by Junior Parker. The original was rich in the style of the 1930s, with saxophone, clarinet, trombone, and piano blending into a nostalgic feel.
The reason Hugo chose this song was because the lyrics were about a man betrayed by a woman, who then swore, "Next time you see me, things will be different." Hugo intended to tweak it a bit, mixing in some blues and pop elements and performing it with a touch of humor on the guitar—a small joke and a small gift.
Hugo pressed down on the strings, letting the crisp guitar tones strip away the original's rich instrumentation. He drew out the melody in a lighter, simpler way.
Watching Hugo skillfully strumming the guitar, Uma's jaw dropped. She hadn't expected that what began as a joke would lead Hugo to actually play and he looked like a pro! Uma's fingers loosened a little, and the clear guitar notes flowed like wisps of smoke before her eyes. Unconsciously, her fingertips wanted to sway with the rhythm. Hugo's performance completely shattered her expectations!
"Next time you see me, things won't be the same," Hugo's warm voice gently wound around the guitar notes, the smile at the corner of his lips blending into the song with a hint of delight, making the listener smile without even noticing. "Next time you see me, things won't be the same, oh…" Hugo gently raised his voice, letting the music ripple outward, while the smile on his face bloomed fully. "If I hurt you, darling, you've only got yourself to blame."
The mischief in Hugo's eyes danced upon each note, each word seeming to come alive, turning into little characters doing tap dances and making silly faces amid the melody. The liveliness of it all was simply magical.
Even Uma herself didn't realize that her body was now leaning slightly forward, her fingers and toes keeping rhythm with Hugo, her chin gently bobbing along. Even the blood in her veins seemed to sway with the rhythm. This complete fusion with music felt so wonderful that she forgot everything else.
A scene vaguely appeared in her mind: a beam of sunlight pierced alone through a skylight and fell onto the stage. In the center of the stage, a dancer wove a natural melody with their feet, stomping on the ground. There was no accompaniment, yet it wasn't dull in the slightest because the drumbeats and rhythm were the most beautiful music. The ground was the instrument, and the dancer's feet were playing it. The sunlight was like a spotlight covering the stage, making everything incredibly magnificent.
When she came back to her senses, she saw Hugo's long fingers dancing lightly over the guitar strings. It was as if countless sprites were dancing around, musical notes leaping from the guitar amp, soaring freely before her eyes, weaving a splendid painting.
"Yes, this is real. This is the truth. Not all sunlight is golden." Hugo's voice was warm and mellow, perfectly blended with the chords. Like velvet, it drifted through her vision and danced upon her eardrums. So beautiful that one had to close their eyes to feel it with hearing and touch to truly experience the power of music. "Yes, this is real. This is the truth. Not all sunlight is golden, yeah! Just like the classic books say—sow melons, reap melons; sow beans, reap beans."
Uma could sense the humor and mockery in Hugo's voice. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel his state of being. The guitar was his face, the music his expression, the song his emotion. Everything was so vivid, even more real than what she might have seen with her eyes open.
"Oh, you lie, you deceive... oh-oh! For so long! Woman, what you did was wrong—there's already another queen on the throne!" Hugo's voice nearly burst with laughter, prompting Uma to open her eyes again. She immediately saw Hugo's amber eyes glowing like golden light just like morning sun reflecting on a tranquil lake, sacred and beautiful. All the gorgeous adjectives became dull in comparison.
So, the guitar could be this beautiful, this romantic, this vivid. So, music could be this brilliant, this moving, this real. So, the so-called "music knows no borders" was true. Even without a single word, even with lyrics so simple, even with just the most basic notes the emotion was undeniably real!
....
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