Hugo felt like he couldn't catch his breath. Every conversation with his father was like this—nothing but arguments. Loud quarrels seemed to have become the recurring theme of their father-son relationship, and with Christmas approaching, it seemed to have reached a peak.
Adam's words earlier had revealed far too much: his marriage with Lina wasn't happy, and Lina seemed accustomed to blaming Adam for everything. Their separation hadn't been pleasant either. Yet from Adam's tone, Hugo could faintly guess that he seemed closer to Lina, and after she left, their father-son relationship had deteriorated. But why hadn't Hugo maintained any contact with Lina?
Moreover, Hugo and Adam's relationship had always been strained. It seemed Adam had once tried to extend an olive branch, but youthful Hugo had refused it outright. Knowing Adam's personality, the gesture was probably clumsy and indirect, leaving Hugo unable to understand his father's intention. Over the years, Hugo and Adam had only maintained brief phone calls, and the number of times Hugo had returned home could probably be counted on one hand.
Why did it have to be this way? They were each other's only family, yet they wouldn't sit down and have a proper conversation. Instead, they relied on coldness and confrontation to wound each other. In life, those who can hurt you most are always the people you love. Strangers might leave physical scars, but the deepest psychological wounds come from the ones you care about.
Perhaps the walls Hugo and Adam had built were so stubborn because they cared too much about each other. The greater the expectations, the deeper the disappointment; the closer the bond, the harsher the hurt.
Hugo remembered his life before crossing over—he had been the same, hurting his family with coldness and confrontation. But back then, it was too late to change anything. Now, though, Hugo Lancaster still had a chance. Thinking of this left his heart hollow, like an unfathomable cliff. He tried to find footing but couldn't locate an end, and the icy chill climbing up his spine made him shiver repeatedly.
In the end, Hugo didn't go home. He knew that rushing back would only make things worse. If he wanted to improve his relationship with Adam, it would have to be a long, gradual process. He hadn't even begun yet.
On Christmas Day, only Hugo and Ernst on the second floor remained in the building. Everyone else had gone home for the holiday. Hugo tried to greet Ernst, but it was like putting a warm face against a cold wall—Ernst had no intention of responding. Even so, Hugo prepared a Christmas gift for him. It wasn't out of excessive kindness; it was just that Hugo was spending Christmas alone, with no family and no friends. He didn't know much about decorating Christmas trees, so besides three red stockings, the house had no festive decorations.
Thinking about his strained relationship with Adam, Hugo realized Ernst might be just as lonely. He didn't know if Ernst had a family or children, because in the year he had lived there, Hugo had barely seen any visitors. Regardless of Ernst's temperament or family situation, Hugo decided that at least on this Christmas, Ernst shouldn't be alone. That was why he gave him a gift—to bring a little holiday spirit.
When the midnight bells rang, Ernst opened his door and saw the red stocking placed outside. He muttered, "Annoying guy," followed by a string of curses. After hesitating, he finally brought the stocking inside.
Hugo wrapped himself in a blanket, curling up on the pool table in the lobby. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he watched the city's lights twinkle in the night and gradually fade with the passage of time, leaving a gentle, serene quiet. The TV played a special Christmas program, but Hugo had no interest in watching.
A year had passed in the blink of an eye. People often say that holidays intensify thoughts of family. Although Christmas wasn't a traditional Chinese holiday, and Hugo's appearance was no longer East Asian, he still deeply missed his loyal companions and his parents, whom he hadn't seen for ten years.
It seemed that Hugo's year had been a busy one. On the 1992 year-end box office chart, two of his films had made it into the top twenty.
Disney's classic animation Aladdin had always been overshadowed by A Few Good Men, but its long-term earning potential was remarkable, eventually earning $217 million in 1992 to claim the year's box office crown. Home Alone 2 didn't match the acclaim of its predecessor, and its earnings had dropped, but it still reached $173 million, taking second place. Relying on strong explosive momentum, A Few Good Men earned just $3 million less, ranking third on the 1992 box office list—an outcome few could have anticipated.
Following The A Few Good Men, Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon 3, Sister Act 2, The Bodyguard, Dennis the Menace, Basic Instinct, A League of Their Own, and Unforgiven occupied fourth through eleventh places. These eleven films all surpassed $100 million in North American box office revenue that year.
Additionally, Scent of a Woman, earning $80 million, ranked behind Bram Stoker's Dracula: The 400-Year Night, taking the sixteenth spot.
The most talked-about films of the year included the animated masterpiece Aladdin, the controversial thriller Basic Instinct, and the underdog hit A Few Good Men, these three films shaped the cinematic landscape of 1992. In contrast, many sequels, including Home Alone 2, Batman Returns, and Lethal Weapon 3, were underwhelming, which only highlighted the exceptional quality of Hugo's two films.
It's easy to imagine how surprising this must have been for audiences after three consecutive years of career lows and Golden Raspberry Award humiliation. Looking at Hugo's packed year-end promotional schedule and the glowing praise from the media, the scale of his comeback was evident. 1992 could truly be called a defining year for Hugo—a rollercoaster from the shame of the Razzies at the start of the year to triumph by the end.
Both A Few Good Men and Scent of a Woman achieved the rare combination of critical acclaim and box office success. In particular, A Few Good Men's third-place finish on the year-end box office chart was unprecedented. Hugo's concentrated efforts in the last two months of the year marked his official rise from a second-tier actor to a first-tier star, shaking off three years of decline and sparking renewed anticipation for his future work.
This victory was not only for 1992—it represented a decade of achievement in Hugo Lancaster's acting career, as well as a year of hard-fought success for Chen Hugo after his journey of struggle and self-discovery. The hard-won triumph left Hugo deeply moved.
Logically, he should have felt elated by this year's accomplishments—and in a way, he did. He knew that every bit of success had been earned through his own effort and persistence, and a profound happiness welled up inside him. Yet on Christmas night, Hugo was not happy at all. He was utterly alone.
It wasn't about Uma, Charlize, or Joseph—it was about family. Christmas was supposed to be a time for reunion, yet Hugo sat alone in his Los Angeles apartment, staring at the stars. A takeout Chinese meal sat quietly on the table. He could not share dinner with his father, nor had he had any contact with his mother. Doubts gnawed at him: had his previous self had a bad relationship with Lina? Or had his father forcibly cut ties between him and his mother, causing the deterioration of their relationship? Perhaps there were other secrets he didn't yet know…
With no clues, Hugo's mind spiraled into soap-opera-style speculation, making his already restless thoughts even more confused. Life had already been chaotic, with endless trivial issues involving people like Ron Meyer and Tracy Jacobs. Now tangled family relationships were added on top. The scariest part was that Hugo had no idea how to navigate them, leaving him frozen in place, afraid that any step might trigger an unknown disaster.
He began to long for life before crossing over. If it were Christmas 2014, what would he be doing? Likely performing at a party with his loyal companions, Glory Or Death, or traveling to another venue. He might hesitate to call home, then ultimately decide against it, since his family didn't celebrate Christmas. Perhaps they would be booed off a stage at a party, yet continue singing passionately. Maybe he'd be riding in the back of a truck, singing loudly into the biting wind to drive away the cold…
When the midnight bells rang, Hugo whispered to himself, "Merry Christmas." Then, silently in his heart, he said in Chinese, "Chen Hugo, Merry Christmas."
Drowsy and weary, Hugo drifted into sleep, slipping into a long, vivid dream. He dreamt of stepping onto the stage of the Midi Rock Festival with his companions of Glory Or Death. He dreamt of reuniting with his parents after ten years. He dreamt of returning to 2014, surrounded by sunlight, music, laughter, friends, and family…
....
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