Hugo felt as if his entire body was soaking in warm water. The soreness in his muscles left him weak, but the warmth allowed him to begin relaxing. His breathing, which had seemingly stopped, found its rhythm again. Struggling to open his eyes, Hugo was immediately stung by the dazzling light. He quickly closed them again and raised his hand to shield his vision before he could finally open them once more."Awake?" A familiar voice rang out nearby, striking Hugo's eardrums and making him frown involuntarily. It was Joseph's voice."Where am I?" Hugo only remembered getting out of the taxi; his memories after that were very blurry. He didn't even know where he was lying, but he was absolutely certain he hadn't made it home."Home." Joseph's voice carried little emotion. He walked over and handed a glass of water to Hugo. Seeing this through the gaps in his fingers, Hugo sat up and took the glass, only then slowly lowering the right hand that had been shielding his eyes.Joseph looked at Hugo with an inquisitive gaze that made Hugo feel a bit uneasy. In the end, he could only brace himself and ask, "What's wrong? Is something the matter? Or did I do something inappropriate?"Joseph didn't answer immediately, still scrutinizing Hugo carefully. Hugo knew he couldn't show guilt, so he forced himself to look back directly. This indeed caused Joseph to restrain himself slightly. "No, I was just thinking if you should go to a rehab center. You know, Big Harry's control is very strong. If you really want to eradicate it completely, perhaps help from professionals would make it smoother."Actually, Hugo had tried to quit several times before, but he could never last long. He would quickly be defeated by the sweeping pain. Regarding this, while Joseph lamented the power of the drugs, he also gained a new understanding of Hugo's weak willpower. This was also why Joseph had been dismissive when Hugo said he wanted to quit after the Golden Raspberry Awards.But now, Hugo was displaying firm determination. Joseph had seen firsthand how severe the last withdrawal reaction was; even as a bystander, he had found it hard to watch. Yet Hugo had gritted his teeth and endured it, which made Joseph see him in a new light. And today, Hugo had once again overcome the withdrawal reaction. Not only had he relied on his willpower to force himself home, but he had never once called for surrender. This Hugo was a stranger to Joseph, but at the same time, it was very heartening.Hearing Joseph's suggestion, Hugo breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he hadn't let anything slip. Speaking of the withdrawal reaction, it was actually quite mild for Hugo because his spirit didn't bear the imprint of the drugs; it was purely a matter of physical function, which he could overcome with his own willpower.If it were his predecessor, it would have been more than just this. The scene would likely have been ten or a hundred times more tragic. Forget about making it back from the hotel; even walking out of the hotel bathroom would have been difficult. In the predecessor's situation, he would naturally need to enter a rehab center to achieve complete eradication with professional help. But for Hugo, there was no need for such trouble. He had already survived the first two times, and the subsequent withdrawal reactions would only gradually weaken.Having personally experienced the pain of withdrawal, Hugo's resolve to never touch drugs was further strengthened. He didn't want to be addicted to a drunken stupor of the spirit because that was just a means of escaping reality, and he didn't want that.However, Hugo couldn't tell Joseph that. After thinking for a moment, he asked in return, "Do we have money?" This single sentence left Joseph stunned.Entering a rehab center was not cheap, and Hugo's current situation was not suitable for any further association with drugs. Once the media found out, it would be disastrous. Therefore, he would have to enter a high-end rehab center, causing the costs to skyrocket even further.Hugo was currently in an awkward position. The negative impact of the Golden Raspberry Awards hadn't been completely eliminated. Having just received the job offer for "scent of a woman," if negative news broke out, the job might fly away. Not to mention that a month in a rehab center would definitely delay the film's shooting. Conversely, if Hugo wanted to enter rehab, he needed money and work, so he couldn't afford to lose the job for "scent of a woman." This created a contradictory vicious cycle.Joseph opened his mouth, wanting to say "the salary from 'scent of a woman' can pay for it," but then he immediately thought of this vicious cycle. Furthermore, movie salaries were generally paid after filming wrapped. While advance payments weren't unheard of, they weren't suitable for Hugo's current situation. Joseph was suddenly left speechless.Hugo took a sip of water. The temperature was just right, neither hot nor cold; clearly, Joseph had prepared it while waiting for Hugo to wake up. "Joseph, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I won't let myself fall into that situation again. I will stand up again on my own strength."Before the Golden Raspberry Awards, Joseph would have certainly scoffed at these words from Hugo. But now, Joseph wanted to believe Hugo—or perhaps, deep down, he was already willing to believe him.In the end, Joseph only let out a long sigh and said nothing more. He just watched as a firm smile appeared on Hugo's tired face—a small but warm smile that bloomed with a faint glow in the morning sunlight.Hugo finally recovered some strength and ate a bunch of junk food to replenish his energy. Only then did he remember that he had actually left Charlize at the hotel without saying goodbye. This was truly too rude.Actually, the development of events last night had exceeded Hugo's expectations. His original intention really was just to ask Charlize out for a meal, but who knew things would eventually roll into bed. Of course, they were both adults, and everything happened with mutual consent, so there was nothing to dwell on. Those heart-pounding sparks were still vivid in his mind. As for whether they would continue to develop in the future or remain friends, that would only be known after further progress.But the problem lay in this sudden withdrawal reaction, which completely disrupted all plans—actually, there was no plan, but at least Hugo wouldn't have left without saying goodbye. Now, the relationship between Hugo and Charlize was in an awkward position; it seemed as if Hugo had become that terrible man who ate his fill and then slipped away. In this way, forget about having a chance for future development with Charlize; he probably wouldn't even be able to remain friends.Hugo's handsome eyebrows couldn't help but bunch together. He thought about it and decided to give Charlize a call to tell her the truth—that he had suddenly felt unwell and left in a hurry—and formally express his apologies. During their chat last night, both of them were quite honest and straightforward. This mode of interaction also created many chemical reactions between them, so choosing this way today was the most appropriate.After dialing the number for Charlize's home, the person who answered was still Terra Banks. Hugo said politely, "Is Charlize there, please?""Sally isn't here. She... she got a job interview and just left." Terra glanced at the bathroom. At this moment, Charlize hadn't actually gone out; she was hiding in the bathroom.Charlize hadn't been in a good state since she returned. Although she still had a smile on her face, she was clearly in low spirits. Terra had originally wanted to tease Charlize about staying out all night and dig for some gossip, but Charlize clearly didn't want to talk. As a result, Charlize went straight to the bathroom to take a shower. Terra secretly listened at the door for a while and guessed that Charlize had just turned on the showerhead; she was likely hiding inside to try and calm down.What else could such a situation be? It must have been an unpleasant encounter with Hugo. Thinking of getting revenge for her good friend, Terra concealed the fact that Charlize was home. She peeked toward the bathroom to confirm that Charlize hadn't noticed her actions."Then could you leave a message for her?" Hugo thought about it; this was the only thing he could do. In this era, there were no mobile phones, and the internet was not well-developed, so landlines were the most convenient means of contacting someone.Terra rolled her eyes and muttered to herself: Men are just like this, thinking about making amends after doing something wrong, and with no sincerity at all. But she said, "Okay, no problem."Since it was a message, Hugo also needed to weigh his words. "It's like this: tell Charlize that I had a severe stomach ache this morning and had no choice but to go to the hospital."Terra was full of question marks. "And then?" Hugo's words were truly nonsensical. He just mysteriously said he went to the hospital, so what? Terra had originally thought Hugo was going to apologize for what happened last night, but it wasn't that at all."Then, then convey my apologies to her. Tell her I'm really sorry." Hugo carefully weighed his words. He hoped Charlize could understand his difficulties and then call him back, so the two of them could communicate directly later. Hugo also believed Charlize could understand; this could be seen from their conversation last night."Okay, I got it. I'll definitely convey it to Charlize," Terra said seriously, and then she hung up the phone.Standing where she was, Terra carefully pondered the meaning of Hugo's words just now, but she couldn't make heads or tails of it. Most importantly, she didn't know what exactly had happened between Charlize and Hugo last night. But one thing was certain: it must have been unpleasant, and the fault was Hugo's; otherwise, he wouldn't have called to apologize, and Charlize wouldn't be staying in the bathroom in such low spirits.Actually, Terra wanted to vent her frustration for Charlize by not telling her the contents of the call and just letting Charlize and Hugo break off cleanly. But after thinking about it carefully, Terra felt that doing so wasn't right. So she walked to the bathroom door and knocked. "Sally, Hugo called."The sound of the showerhead inside indeed stopped. Only then did Terra continue, "Sally, Hugo asked me to convey a message. He said he's really sorry."Sorry? He said he was sorry! That's it... is this what "the end" means? The corners of Charlize's mouth twitched, revealing a bitter smile. She didn't say anything and turned the showerhead back on.
