Joseph was flipping through the "Vanity Fair" in his hands, but he was somewhat absent-minded; not even the explosive news of Woody Allen betraying his wife Mia Farrow to have an affair with their Korean-American adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn could capture his attention.Soon-Yi was the daughter adopted by Mia Farrow and her ex-husband, and she had come to be with Woody Allen along with Mia when she was not yet ten years old.Throughout her upbringing, the sixty-something Woody had always played the role of a father figure, but unexpectedly, the sixty-five-year-old Woody had fallen in love with the nineteen-year-old Soon-Yi in 1990, which immediately plunged him into an extremely awkward situation.Last week, when Mia was tidying up in the living room, she accidentally found a box and discovered it was full of nude photos of her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi, thus discovering the terrible affair between her husband and her adopted daughter, which almost caused Mia to break down.After this immoral affair was exposed this week, it caused a huge uproar throughout the United States, not only because of the huge age gap between Woody and Soon-Yi, but also because of their legal father-daughter relationship, which was truly shocking.Thanks to the Allen family scandal, almost everyone focused their attention on the gossip, and for several consecutive days, the front pages of major news media were occupied by Woody Allen.Under such circumstances, even the 49th Golden Globe Awards were pushed aside, not to mention Hugo's embarrassment at the Golden Raspberry Awards.Originally, Joseph wanted to check the follow-up reports about the Golden Raspberry Awards and the audition for "a river runs through it," but his mind was clearly not on the magazine now.His peripheral vision kept drifting to the side involuntarily.At this moment, Hugo was sitting at the only desk in the room, his head lowered as he scribbled randomly on a magazine, his expression very focused, looking exceptionally gentle in the room's poor lighting.Just after they drove home earlier, Hugo had found a pen and looked around for paper, claiming he wanted to record his creative inspiration, but unfortunately, he couldn't find any blank paper, so in the end, Hugo took a magazine and started writing and drawing on the blank spaces.Joseph felt that his eyes had truly been opened; Hugo could actually compose music.On one hand, he found it incredible and didn't want to believe it, showing an attitude that he didn't care at all; but on the other hand, he was very curious about what Hugo would come up with.Although he had just heard Hugo hum a few lines and thought it was a really good song, that didn't mean Hugo could compose a complete song, so Joseph was really curious about what kind of piece Hugo would write."Aha!" Hugo hummed to himself for a long time, then revealed a big smile.Seen from the side, the joy at the corners of his mouth and eyes seemed to flow down like creamy yellow light, forming a handsome profile in the light and shadow, which was indescribably wonderful.Joseph guessed, was this a sign of smooth progress or was the composition finished?Hugo suddenly stretched, and Joseph immediately retracted his gaze, looking back at the "Vanity Fair" in his hands, appearing as if he were fully immersed in reading the magazine.But after pretending for a while, Joseph didn't hear any movement, so he couldn't help but quietly move his gaze to the right again.His peripheral vision quickly saw that Hugo was studying the old magazine again, which made Joseph let out a sigh of relief, slowly straightening his neck, wanting to see how Hugo's progress was going.Suddenly, Hugo turned his head, and Joseph didn't manage to turn back in time, meeting Hugo's gaze.This immediately made Joseph feel a bit awkward, almost choking on his own saliva, but he forced himself to hold it in, then looked back at the magazine as if nothing had happened, though the trembling of his back betrayed his secret.Seeing Joseph's attempt to act tough, the smile on Hugo's face blossomed without any concealment, and then he turned around with the magazine, sat facing Joseph, and said, "I've finished composing. How about it, do you want to see?"Joseph's gaze remained on the magazine, but he couldn't see whether the person in front of him was Woody Allen or Mia Farrow.Only then did he find an opportunity to cough lightly and said, "I don't understand music, why would you show it to me?""It's finished, let's exchange some thoughts. If you can't read the musical notation, you can look at the lyrics."Hugo actually knew that Joseph was very curious, after all, his predecessor had never shown any musical talent, and since he had suddenly started composing, as his agent, Joseph naturally had curiosity.So Hugo thought, rather than hiding and dodging, it was better to communicate with Joseph openly and honestly. Besides, the meaning of music lies in sharing; if it's just one person admiring it alone, then music cannot reflect its value.Joseph still didn't move his gaze away from the magazine in front of him, but pondered for a while, as if thinking about it, and then said, "You can sing it once so I can listen."Only then did Joseph "naturally" lift his head, looking at Hugo calmly, "A song must be sung to know the effect; just looking at the lyrics doesn't show anything."Hugo didn't answer, just chuckled, which made Joseph feel a bit embarrassed, but his expression remained calm, "What are you laughing at?"Hugo shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly, "Nothing, nothing at all, just a little nervous because it's the first time I'm singing a song I composed myself."Previously in the Glory to Death Band, Hugo was the rhythm guitarist, not the lead singer, and although he occasionally guest-starred as a backing vocalist, it wasn't his main job, so Hugo's words were strictly speaking not a problem."My vision is incredibly broad, I enjoy every day walking on the path forward, appreciating the world outside the window, which means saying goodbye to the past, starting the journey from today."Hugo's voice was so warm, carrying a faint light blue melancholy, like a firefly dancing slowly in the messy little space, gradually gathering the moving melody into the bottom of his heart.But suddenly, Hugo burst out with huge energy, the power in his voice gradually releasing along with the rising melody, different from the hoarseness of a Rock smoke voice, it was more like a rich velvet texture, constantly pulling in the turbulent waves, extremely gorgeous."I once heard Mr. Halley's Comet whispering to me, 'Why do you always stand still?' Even those who land on the moon will soon disappear somewhere in the stratosphere."Then Hugo couldn't help but close his eyes, all energy released at this moment."Please tell my parents, I have tried my best, let them know this is my own life, I hope to get their understanding."Listening carefully to the emotions in the lyrics, the sunshine amidst the sourness and guilt was like sunlight piercing through the dark clouds, plating the heavy clouds with a faint layer of gold, so beautiful it left people speechless.Hugo's profound interpretation of the lyrics allowed the emotions of the melody to be released vividly and thoroughly.Joseph was a bit stunned; he guessed it was a very good song, but in reality, it far exceeded his imagination; he also guessed that Hugo had a good voice, and although his singing technique was still a bit raw, the explosion of emotion covered up these flaws, making this song radiate infinite charm.Joseph could clearly feel Hugo's inner struggle; on one hand, the bonds of family, and on the other, the pull of dreams, which was also a story that almost everyone would experience—whether to succumb to the pressure of life or to break free from the shackles and bravely pursue one's dreams.In this song of Hugo's, he gave his answer: "I'm not sulking, but calming down to tell my story: sometimes leaving means a second chance. Please don't let them shed tears for me, I am not afraid of what I said, this is my unique voice, so please listen carefully, just for today."Hugo poured all his inner entanglement, hesitation, pain, and reminiscence into the song, and wove it into the melody, singing it in a cathartic way, as if standing on the edge of a cliff and shouting loudly at the empty valley, letting the emotions explode wantonly."Sometimes leaving means a second chance," this was Hugo's answer, simple, plain, yet true and moving.Joseph looked at Hugo, who was singing with all his might, and a corner of his heart could not help but be touched. Although Hugo had been working hard with a positive attitude since the Golden Raspberry Awards, this moment was so different because Joseph saw the power of dreams in Hugo."This is my chance, my own chance!" Hugo's voice expressed his inner emotions completely.The anxiety and nervousness after crossing over vanished at this moment, regardless of whether the audition for "scent of a woman" was successful, just because Hugo knew that this was his chance, and if he didn't grasp it, he would not only fail the arrangement of heaven but also regret it for the rest of his life.So, he didn't intend to hesitate any longer, he didn't intend to worry or be uneasy anymore, he would firmly grasp this opportunity, chase his own dreams, because he didn't want to miss it."second chance," this was Hugo's voice at this very moment!Joseph looked at Hugo's emotional face, and sighs of admiration could not help but bubble up from the bottom of his heart; he wanted to say something, but could not find the accurate expression.In Joseph's view, Hugo was saying that after experiencing the life-and-death struggle on the night of the Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony and finally surviving, this was the second chance God gave him, and he would hold onto it firmly.This persistence touched Joseph.But a series of sharp phone rings interrupted this beautiful moment, not only ending Hugo's singing but also interrupting the surging in Joseph's heart.Joseph stood up somewhat awkwardly, walked to the bedside table, and picked up the landline receiver, "Yes, I am Joseph Gibbs, Hugo Lancaster's agent."Joseph looked back at Hugo, then continued, "Yes... no problem, of course... okay, I know... about this matter, we will call you back later to discuss it, okay?... Okay, okay. Thank you, thank you for your call."After hanging up the phone, Joseph turned to face Hugo's gaze, which was filled with confusion and a hint of expectation, then took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his voice, "You got the role of Charlie!"
