Chapter 20 - 020 Green plum

"Joseph, I have a very serious question to ask you." Hugo stopped in his tracks and looked at Joseph with a frown.Joseph looked into Hugo's earnest eyes and nodded slightly. Only then did Hugo continue, "Did I steal George's girlfriend? Or perhaps, did I have some conflict with one of his relatives in the past?"Hugo asking such a hilarious question so seriously caused Joseph's expressionless face to twitch involuntarily."No, you don't know him, and you two have no connection." After saying this, Joseph thought for a moment and added, "That's as far as I know. As for anything you haven't told me, I wouldn't know."Joseph and Hugo's relationship could only be described as working partners; they weren't even friends. However, ever since Hugo was kicked out of Tracy's house and moved into Joseph's terrible apartment, their relationship had improved significantly.Hugo pouted slightly, tapped his chin, and then pointed to his own head. "Then I'm quite certain that he isn't fully developed up here.""He's jealous," Joseph said simply. Although Hugo had gone down in history at the Golden Raspberry Awards, the media's attention on Hugo was indeed something many newcomer Actors envied. Even though Hugo was the recipient of the Worst Actor award, he could still remain active in newspapers and magazines due to the buzz, which was something newcomers dreamed of.For newcomers, they wanted opportunities, they wanted exposure, and they would do anything to get it. If sleeping with a magazine editor could get them on the cover, countless newcomers would surely be willing to shed their clothes.Hugo pondered for a few seconds, then revealed a smile and said, "If they want it, I wouldn't mind swapping." Although Hugo said this with a smile, the faint bitterness in his words rose slowly like the steam from hot afternoon coffee.If he had a choice, Hugo would rather have transmigrated into a nobody like George or William; perhaps he would face fewer difficulties. Of course, if he really had a choice, Hugo wouldn't want to have transmigrated at all; he began to miss his Bandmates in Glory to Death.Joseph sensed something unusual in Hugo's words, but he didn't understand, because Hugo's current predicament was entirely of his own making. Although Ron had reviewed and approved the filming of "fatal moment", "rock", and "hudson hawk", the one who truly held the decision-making power was Tracy; in other words, it was Hugo's own decision. Therefore, Joseph could only interpret it as Hugo regretting his past actions; there was no other explanation.Hugo's thoughts were in disarray for only a moment before he quickly pulled himself together. Looking at the increasingly bustling crowd around him, he said, "There are quite a lot of people participating in the auditions today." In the vast sea of people before them, whether it was George, William, or Hugo himself, they were just one of many, so insignificant they were hardly worth mentioning. "So, when does my audition start?"Hugo brought the topic back to the core issue, and Joseph's attention shifted back as well. "There's a reception room ahead. We can go over there now and just wait inside."Due to the specific nature of the character Charlie in this audition for "scent of a woman", the production team held an open audition. The goal was to attract more young people without much acting experience, hoping to find an Actor who fit Charlie's temperament. This made the number of newcomer Actors participating in the auditions today exceptionally high. Even so, many second- and third-tier young Actors with acting experience like Hugo also came to the scene; after all, the opportunity to act opposite Al Pacino was not something that came around often.Compared to the newcomer Actors, the convenience of having an agent was an unreachable advantage for Hugo; at least he didn't need to keep waiting here and could enter the reception room first to audition ahead of others.It was called a reception room, but it was actually just a shed, a space made of three walls built with plywood. The empty front side offered a clear view of the bustling scene inside the studio. When Hugo walked into the reception room and sat on the sofa, he had the illusion that he had stepped onto a stage; he was an Actor performing a skit or a musical, and those people outside were the audience. Fortunately, there were no spotlights here, otherwise, Hugo wouldn't know what he should say.There were less than ten people sitting in the reception room at the moment; it seemed these were the first batch of Actors to start auditioning. Hugo politely nodded to the others. Although these were faces he hadn't seen, who knew if he had seen them before he transmigrated? Besides, in the entertainment industry, having one more friend was always better than having one more enemy.Hugo's gaze finally rested on the young boy to his right. The boy had long blonde hair, delicate eyebrows, azure blue eyes, rosy lips, playful freckles, and slender shoulders—he was the spitting image of a fair-skinned, handsome young boy, looking exactly like the clever and mischievous teenager from "growing pains". Although the boy still had a childish air and the "creaminess" between his brows hadn't faded, Hugo was absolutely certain he wouldn't mistake this man: Leonardo DiCaprio.This heartthrob who became world-famous for "titanic" was still just an eighteen-year-old teenager, having gained considerable popularity through his performance in "growing pains", and was starting to gradually seek his place on the movie screen. Clearly, Leonardo was also here today to participate in the "scent of a woman" audition. Although his temperament was closer to that of an adolescent rather than a college student, and his age didn't seem to fit perfectly, wasn't that the point of an audition? To find the most suitable candidate among all kinds of Actors.Hugo knew his expression must look very stupid right now. After meeting Brad Pitt and Charlize Theron, he had warned himself not to act foolishly like a crazed fan when seeing top superstars again, but even so, when he saw Leonardo, an incredible sense of absurdity welled up in the bottom of his heart.Imagine the lead Actor of "titanic" and "Inception"—films he had watched several times—walking right up to him; this feeling was truly too magical. If the lead actress of "avatar" appeared, Hugo probably wouldn't have any special thoughts—because her makeup was too thick to recognize her—but the person in front of him was Leonardo DiCaprio, and the unspeakable sense of absurdity was just too real.Just a moment ago, Hugo was thinking that if he hadn't transmigrated, he could have continued to strive with his Glory to Death Band members, but the next moment, Hugo deeply felt how interesting life could be.Thinking of this, the corners of Hugo's mouth couldn't help but curl into a smile, not only because of his own loss of composure, but also because of all this incredibility. Even though he had transmigrated for over a week, this magical feeling still continuously impacted his brain."What's wrong?" As soon as Leonardo looked up, he saw the self-deprecating smile on Hugo's face and couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth upward. "Is there something wrong with me?""Oh, no." Hugo's smile blossomed, and he waved his hand lightly. He couldn't very well say, "Hey, I've really watched your 'titanic' and 'Inception' many, many times." "I was just thinking that the competition today is really too fierce, and winning this role won't be easy.""Exactly, so many people came; this is really crazy." Leonardo cast his gaze toward the surging crowd outside the reception room and chimed in. However, there was no worry between his brows; instead, they were filled with youthful excitement and confidence. "I just hope the audition ends quickly so I can leave here early." After speaking, Leonardo even rolled his eyes dramatically to express his impatience.Compared to the middle-aged Leonardo that Hugo was familiar with, the green youth in front of him was clearly much more lively. This vivid and lively expression made Hugo find it quite amusing."I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you wouldn't be willing to take anything unless it was a lead role." Leonardo expressed his view very directly without worrying about Hugo's feelings, but his tone was very sincere, without any mockery, making it sound more like banter between friends.Hugo shrugged. "I'm about to be unable to pay my rent, so I have to compromise, don't I?" This ambiguous joke made Leonardo burst into hearty laughter.Then Leonardo extended his right hand. "Leonardo DiCaprio, nice to meet you.""I know, 'growing pains'." Hugo also extended his right hand, and the two shook hands firmly, revealing bright smiles. "Hugo Lancaster.""Yes, 'hudson hawk' plus the Golden Raspberry Awards." Leonardo didn't shy away from it at all and said it directly. There was a hint of teasing in his lively tone, which made Hugo laugh out loud too. "You know, my name comes from Leonardo Da Vinci. Are you the same?""The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is my mother's favorite novel." He was referring to the novel by the great writer Victor Hugo, which was also the name decided upon after Chen Hugo's parents discussed it in depth—as for where the name Hugo Lancaster came from, he didn't know. "I must be thankful that my name isn't Quasimodo." This was the name of the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, and this part was clearly Hugo's joke.Leonardo couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Then what if I was named Mona Lisa?" Now both of them couldn't help but hold their stomachs and laugh hysterically.Perhaps because the two of them were laughing too exaggeratedly, a voice came from the side, "Shh! Please be quiet, I'm reading the script!"This made both Hugo and Leonardo purse their lips. But just at this moment, a series of clapping and laughter came from outside the reception room, even echoing through the studio. Clearly, this open-concept reception room couldn't stop the noise throughout the entire studio. In an instant, Hugo could see the face of the man who had spoken just now turn black. "Pfft..." Hugo and Leonardo looked at each other and smiled again, but this time they remembered to cover their mouths.