Hugo's move wasn't difficult; even combining all of his and Joseph's luggage, it only took one trip. However, since the new place only had a mattress belonging to Hugo, and not even a clothes hanger, purchasing basic necessities was the most troublesome part."I thought you'd continue to share an apartment with me. Wouldn't that make work more convenient?" Hugo had initially thought Joseph rented a three-bedroom, two-living room apartment with the intention of continuing to share, especially since Joseph's situation was worse than Hugo's, and Hugo knew exactly how much commission he was getting.But unexpectedly, Joseph wasn't living with Hugo; he rented another apartment on the fourth floor, above Hugo's, also a three-bedroom, two-living room unit, which seemed a bit puzzling. "Or are you planning to move in with your girlfriend?" Hugo suddenly thought of this possibility and asked directly.Joseph was amused and exasperated by Hugo's words. "It's not that complicated. Carl's situation isn't good, you know, and no one at the company is willing to help him. He can't afford next month's rent. Since I was moving anyway, he moved with me. Coming here, he can barely afford the first two months' rent. If that's not enough, I'll cover it for now, and he can pay me back later."Because there was no furniture in this apartment, the monthly rent was $1,500, which meant $500 per person if split among three. However, on the third floor where Hugo was, he was currently only the second tenant, so he temporarily had to pay $750 in rent until a third person moved in. Joseph's fourth-floor apartment, on the other hand, could be fully occupied by three people, which somewhat eased Carl's burden.Carl Earl, Hugo remembered him sitting idly at his desk when he went to the company last time, and couldn't help but sigh. Carl wasn't lazy; on the contrary, he was an excellent agent, he just hadn't found the right opportunity. If he could, Carl wouldn't want to just sit around at the company; he'd rather go out and seek opportunities.Hugo immediately thought of Charlize again. He hadn't called her these past few days. Since he had called at least eight times without reaching her, perhaps it wasn't meant to be, and there was no need to force it, after all, this was Hollywood. Although Hugo had a good impression of Charlize, it was only a good impression, not love or even strong liking, because they hadn't had enough time to communicate and develop.If Charlize could sign with Carl, it might be a good collaboration. Hugo thought this purely from a friend's perspective."Also, when this apartment was rented out, it was stated that the co-tenants must be Actors, because the person already living here is an Actor. The landlord felt that it would be easier to manage a group of peers living together and reduce disputes," Joseph added, which wasn't unusual.Los Angeles has no shortage of Actors, but it's not just Actors; there are people from all other professions. Due to the special nature of their profession, Actors have unstable working hours and irregular routines. If they co-rent with people from other professions—especially those with nine-to-five jobs—it affects both parties. Therefore, if Actors co-rent together, it can reduce many problems. Peaceful co-existence among co-tenants is naturally good news for the landlord.It was precisely for these reasons that Joseph didn't co-rent with Hugo but moved upstairs instead. Anyway, the distance was so close that work wouldn't be too troublesome.Hugo looked at the first room on his left; the door was still wide open, and he still didn't see anyone. "It seems he either has work or went for an audition, otherwise, how could I not have seen him twice?" Hugo still hadn't met his future roommate before moving in, and he wondered what kind of person he was. It was hard to judge based solely on the gorilla boxing shorts."Anyway, we'll meet eventually..." Hugo carried his box and walked towards the inner room on the left. But after only two steps, a wave of dizziness struck his head again. Hugo swayed in place twice, and the box in his hand dropped directly, causing Hugo to start dry heaving.Joseph, who was standing behind him pulling a suitcase, heard the sound of the box falling and turned around to see Hugo bending over. He immediately hurried over and slowly helped Hugo to the sofa, looking at him with concern.Joseph knew this was still the withdrawal symptoms acting up. In fact, during the filming of "scent of a woman," Hugo had endured four episodes of withdrawal symptoms, but fortunately, three of them occurred at night in his room, and only one was on set, forcing a temporary halt to filming. Luckily, withdrawal symptoms gradually weaken as the time away from drugs lengthens. When Hugo had a reaction on set that time, it wasn't severe and didn't affect the crew's progress; he quickly overcame the difficulty.The most important reason Joseph respected Hugo was Hugo's determination and perseverance in dealing with withdrawal symptoms, which showed Hugo's unwavering resolve to fight drugs. Hugo, with his persistence, gradually moved away from drugs step by step, and the withdrawal symptoms had become weaker and weaker. Now, two months had passed, and Hugo hadn't had a reaction for over a week, who knew it would suddenly strike again today.Thinking carefully, Joseph then remembered that even after completely abstaining from drugs, withdrawal symptoms would last at least three months, and severe cases could last up to six months. Hugo clearly had a long way to go to completely defeat drugs.Hugo overcame the stomach cramps and cold sweats, finally recovering gradually. The withdrawal symptoms were not as severe now; he just needed to sit down and rest for a while to get through it, though he would feel weak all over afterward. Hugo leaned weakly against the back of the sofa, exhaling slowly. No matter how hard it was, he would persevere; he would absolutely not touch drugs!Joseph looked at the glistening sweat on Hugo's forehead, silently stood up, and poured a glass of purified water. But after thinking about it, warm water seemed more appropriate at this time, so he poured out the water and rummaged through the kitchen. He finally found a kettle in the cupboard, quickly cleaned it, filled it with water, and placed it on the stove."Are you sure you're okay?" Joseph couldn't help but ask, raising his voice from the kitchen.Hugo, sitting in the living room, chuckled softly, his lips curving in a tired smile. Suddenly hearing Joseph's voice echo, the feeling was very strange, and only then did he feel the reality of moving into a new home. "I've made it this far, what else could be wrong?" After enduring the three most severe times, everything else wasn't so difficult. Even during the filming of "scent of a woman," Hugo always persevered.Hearing Hugo's weak yet sunny voice, Joseph stood in the kitchen, watching the flames lick the kettle, and let out a long breath."Hey, buddy, you're here." A strange voice came from the living room, tired but full of energy, with a slightly high-pitched tone even carrying a hint of excitement. "Oh, God, you're Hugo Lancaster! The landlord didn't tell me you were the one renting the place!"Joseph walked out of the kitchen and saw a young man jumping around beside the sofa, while Hugo still leaned weakly on the sofa, watching the young man as if he were watching a circus performance. The young man was tall and slender, not six feet tall, but at least five feet ten inches (1.78 meters). His features were very defined but slightly rounded, and with his flowing curly hair, though not handsome and dashing, he had a certain French elegance."Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God..." The young man couldn't suppress his excitement, his rapid breathing even made one wonder if he was about to faint. This appearance could only be most reasonably explained if a fan met their idol, otherwise, it would be rivals meeting. "Jesus, my new roommate is Hugo Lancaster, this is truly incredible, oh, God!""If I'm not mistaken, you're Alexander!" Hugo felt the situation was getting a bit out of control, so he frowned, a smile playing on his lips, and asked loudly. Hugo had learned from the landlord that his roommate's name was Alexander Lorrain, a twenty-year-old."Please call me Alex, please!" Alexander clasped his hands together, still looking flustered and excited. Hugo seemed to see glistening tears in his eyes, which made Hugo a bit confused: Was something wrong here?Joseph quickly walked over at this moment. "Hello, I'm Joseph, Hugo's agent."Alex nodded repeatedly, tears indeed almost falling from his eyes. "This is really great, really great." He looked excitedly at Hugo with his tear-filled eyes. "Dear Hugo, I really, really like you. I've seen all the works you've appeared in: 'the little diner,' 'Dune,' 'dead poets society,' 'hudson hawk'... I really love your performances. I think you're a genius Actor. You've given excellent performances in every movie, believe me, I'm serious. Even in 'hudson hawk,' you were just as outstanding. If it weren't for the terrible script and terrible director, the movie would definitely have been a huge hit."So that was it; Hugo had encountered one of his devoted fans, which was quite unexpected. First, the other party was a male, second, he was an Actor, and third, he was his new roommate. This situation was indeed intriguing."Including 'Quicksilver'?" Joseph also seemed a bit unconvinced and still asked."Yes, including 'Quicksilver'! And 'The Chocolate War'," Alex said without any hesitation, which surprised Joseph.Joseph looked at Hugo, pursed his lips, and nodded, as if saying:Hugo also felt it, because even he himself didn't know what works his predecessor had appeared in, and Alex could list them off as if they were his treasured possessions, which was no easy feat. Especially Alex's unwavering belief in "hudson hawk" further showed his admiration."Uh, what should I say? If only you were a film critic?" Hugo's slightly rising tone was full of uncertainty, but this slightly teasing tone indeed made both Joseph and Alex chuckle.Alex also seemed to realize his gaffe and quickly shook his head. "Oh, Hugo, I like girls, you don't have to worry, it's true.""Hahahaha..." This time, Hugo was genuinely happy.
