After the recording of the episode that saw a surge in popularity, Hugo and Jay left the studio, but before they even managed to walk out the door, the live audience swarmed toward them, instantly crowding the exit until it was completely blocked. Jay looked at the excited and enthusiastic faces, patted Hugo on the shoulder, and said with a grin, "Your time has come." Then he took the lead and left.
Hugo stayed where he was, watching the surrounding audience slowly move in on him. For a moment, he didn't react, but then the lady standing in front the one holding the "Hugs Here" sign pulled out a marker and a Scent of a Woman poster. Hugo immediately understood, and when the lady added, "Can I get your autograph?" his suspicion was confirmed.
An autograph? That truly caught Hugo off guard. In fact, this is one of the three major benefits when fans meet celebrities the other two being hugs and photos. These are the best chances fans have to get close to their idols. It's just that Hugo had never signed anything for anyone before, neither before nor after his transmigration.
At this moment, Hugo truly felt the surge in popularity brought by the release of Scent of a Woman. You have to know, in the past nine months, Hugo had walked the streets of Los Angeles countless times, and not a single person had ever asked for his autograph. He had almost forgotten such a thing could happen, pouring all his focus instead into studying acting and adjusting to life in early-90s Los Angeles.
And now, it wasn't just one person. There were at least forty or fifty people around him waiting for his autograph. Whether they were genuinely fans or just caught up in the excitement, the lively scene before him made Hugo genuinely feel the heat surging from all directions a pair of shining eyes, one eager shout after another, touches filled with enthusiasm Hugo finally understood what true popularity felt like. From the moment he began recording The Tonight Show, he had felt somewhat weightless, and now that sensation reached a whole new peak. Hugo felt like he could float away at any moment.
But... what did his predecessor's signature look like? Hugo thought hard, but couldn't find any answer in his memory. Back when he was writing lyrics, he had worried his handwriting might be different. But when he showed it to Joseph, there hadn't been any issue. So Hugo guessed that perhaps his body's muscle memory was still working invisibly just like that four-month-long withdrawal reaction.
"Of course," Hugo didn't hesitate any longer. He flashed a radiant smile and took the lady's poster. "Who should I make it out to?"
Hugo placed the poster on his palm, trying to write, but couldn't. He looked around using his height advantage, then walked over to the desk Jay had used during the recording. The entire crowd followed Hugo in a swarm. Once at the desk, Hugo finally signed his name on the poster. He wanted to sign "Chen Hugo," but that was impossible, so he wrote "Hugo Lancaster." The flowing, elegant English cursive was graceful and refined, as if written with a quill on parchment by a literary master, reminding everyone of the origin of the name "Hugo."
"Meredith Morris." The lady's words made Hugo pause. He looked up at her, certain she was a middle-aged woman not the young girl he'd seen at the Scent of a Woman premiere.
Hugo thought for a moment, then asked, "Uh, I met a lovely girl named Meredith Morris at the premiere…" Hugo actually had trouble remembering names; it was always difficult for him. But the girl from the premiere had left such a deep impression that he remembered immediately when the lady mentioned her.
"She's my daughter," the lady said with a smile. "I'm Catherine. I'm getting the autograph for my daughter. She had to go to school today." Hugo suddenly understood. A mother chasing a star for her daughter this was rare. But Catherine added, "I watched your movie too, and I really like you."
Hugo's smile was filled with joy and warmth. He looked down and wrote above the poster, "To the dear Catherine and Meredith Morris, thank you for your support. It is my honor."
Then Hugo handed the poster back to Catherine and said again, "Your support means a lot to me." He expressed his thanks with a smile.
Looking at Hugo's warm, sun-like smile, Catherine's gaze softened too.
Other audience members also eagerly handed over their paper and pens. Hugo took each one patiently, signing autographs for every person, even adding the dedications they requested. After signing for more than ten people, Hugo realized his inexperience. He foolishly changed pens after every autograph, which wasted a lot of time. He should've just held onto one pen and signed continuously. That would've been much faster. Unfortunately, this was Hugo's first time signing autographs, so naturally he lacked such awareness.
By the time Hugo had signed autographs for all forty-one fans, thirty-five minutes had already passed. That was quite a lot of time.
Joseph escorted Hugo back to the backstage area. They hurriedly said goodbye to Jay and didn't even have time for a proper chat before they had to rush off to a radio interview. The unexpected success of Scent of a Woman had made the entire promotional schedule much tighter. Originally, Universal Pictures hadn't arranged that much publicity, but after the movie's successful opening week, the new promotional campaign was immediately packed.
Sitting in the car, Hugo immediately noticed more than a dozen fans gathered at the studio entrance. He asked in surprise, "Have they been waiting here the whole time?" He vaguely recognized a few familiar faces ones he had seen when arriving earlier.
Joseph wasn't surprised this time. He kept his eyes on the road and said, "This is nothing. You haven't seen those fans who camp overnight just to meet their idol. That's real loyalty." The subtext was: waiting for just ninety minutes of showtime was nothing.
Though that was what he said, Hugo still leaned against the car window, eyes fixed on the fans jogging alongside the vehicle. His face showed a curious and satisfied smile as he waved to them continuously. Scent of a Woman wasn't exactly the kind of film that typically builds a fanbase, so the warm reaction they received after launching the promotions truly thrilled Hugo. The dark cloud of the Golden Raspberry nomination that had been hanging over his head seemed to have finally lifted clear skies after a storm.
But Hugo's excitement didn't last long. An even bigger surprise awaited him at the radio station's entrance. This time, it wasn't just a dozen fans more than thirty people were gathered at the door. As soon as Hugo's car came into view, the entire group surged forward, and Hugo couldn't even open the car door.
Hugo had never seen anything like this before. Along with his joy, he was a bit dumbfounded. "Then how am I supposed to get out of the car?" He used to see news reports of celebrities being surrounded by passionate fans, trapped in their cars or houses, unable to move. He never really understood what "unable to move" meant—he always thought that was exaggerated. But today, Hugo personally experienced what it meant to be besieged.
Hugo tried to open the door, but the fans outside kept pressing in, pinning the car door shut so tightly that it couldn't be pushed open. How could one man's strength compete with the force of a crowd? It was completely impossible. And Hugo didn't have any bodyguards—he hadn't anticipated this situation at all and hadn't yet reached the level where hiring bodyguards was necessary. So now Hugo was truly stuck.
The fans not only blocked the doors but also kept banging on the windows and rocking the car, making Hugo feel as if he wasn't in a car but on a small boat being tossed by waves. Their enthusiasm was on a whole other level compared to "The Tonight Show" earlier.
Joseph was also frustrated, pushing at the door repeatedly to no avail. "We're already almost late for the radio station, and now this…" At this moment, Joseph was more concerned about whether they would make it on time. Being late was no small matter. The autograph signing delay after "The Tonight Show" was already unexpected, and now they were blocked at the radio station entrance. Joseph realized that from now on, they would have to leave earlier, because fans and paparazzi were unexpected factors that needed to be accounted for.
Luckily, at that moment, the security guards at the radio station made their way through the crowd to the driver's side of the car and cleared a path. Fortunately, there were only about thirty people not too many so the security guards were able to open the car door, letting Joseph out first. Standing at the car door, Joseph held back the crowd behind him and shouted inside, "Hugo, hurry, quick!"
Hugo crawled over from the passenger seat. His feet had barely touched the ground, and before he could even stand upright, several hands reached out toward him. The enthusiasm was almost too much for him. Joseph quickly shielded Hugo, and with four security guards surrounding them, they briskly moved toward the radio building. But the fans were like cotton candy wrapped around a lollipop impossible to shake off following closely behind, accompanied by buzzing voices like a swarm of bees, making each step for Hugo incredibly difficult.
Hugo felt like he was about to suffocate. The heat, the shouting, the touching it all wrapped around him tightly. Though there were only thirty people, it felt like three hundred. It was as if he had fallen into a swamp, every movement met with resistance. This sweet trouble came so suddenly and so fiercely, it caught him completely off guard.
Finally making it inside the building, with the fans blocked outside, Hugo had a moment to turn around and glance back. Thirty fans were still waving at him, their faces full of joy and happiness. The sight completely filled his field of vision, making the corners of Hugo's mouth curl into a smile. He let out a long breath. "Now that is a beautiful sight."
"We're late!" But Joseph wasn't about to let Hugo continue being sentimental. He immediately pulled Hugo and ran deeper into the building.
....
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