Meet in embarrassment

The most troublesome thing about buying furniture was transporting it back home. Currently, among Hugo's group of four people, they only had Joseph's Volkswagen Golf, which was not a suitable vehicle for transporting furniture. The secondhand furniture market also did not provide home delivery services, so they could only transport a part of their purchases back home each time and continue to browse at the market.

Hugo was currently sitting at the entrance of the secondhand furniture market, his whole body on a black palm sofa. Beside him were two table lamps, two birch wood chairs, and some miscellaneous small items. He was also holding an old-style gramophone in his arms. He looked like a wandering gypsy who had to carry his belongings with him on the streets because he had nowhere to go.

Earlier, Karl borrowed a pickup truck from a friend, which made transporting furniture much easier. However, he had to go to his friend's place to get the truck, so he took the subway to do so. Alex and Joseph were currently transporting a batch of furniture back home, leaving Hugo alone to watch over their newly purchased furniture.

Hugo was currently studying the gramophone in his arms. In the early 1990s, CDs had already been widely used and gradually replaced vinyl records and tapes as the mainstream carrier in the music market. Vinyl records, which used to dominate the market, disappeared from people's sight, although there was a wave of collecting them in the mid-1990s due to their value and classic status. However, after entering the 21st century, many vinyl records had become increasingly difficult to find, and gramophones had disappeared from people's view.

Before, when Hugo saw a gramophone, it felt like he was looking at an antique. But today, he was holding a gramophone in his arms, feeling very curious. In fact, if we talk about convenience and habits, Hugo was from the digital music generation. He was used to downloading music from the internet to interact with music, and music production also relies more on digital methods such as computers. But for people who were passionate about music, the position of vinyl records was difficult to replace.

The ethereal and live feeling of vinyl records cannot be replaced by CDs or digital music. Compared to the rough digital sound created by CDs, vinyl records have the most authentic sound quality, which is simply presenting music in its most authentic form.

Before he traveled back in time, Hugo had only listened to a vinyl record once. He had never forgotten this type of music medium, so when he encountered a gramophone at the secondhand furniture market today, he did not hesitate to buy it. Joseph originally wanted to persuade him not to, but after remembering Hugo's appearance of being immersed in music last night, he didn't say much more and tacitly agreed with Hugo's behavior.

"You should go to the record store on Sunset Boulevard more often." A slightly hoarse woman's voice sounded not far away and approached Hugo gradually.

As Hugo looked up, he saw Uma Thurman wearing a shirt and jeans. Her back was facing the sun, making it hard for him to see her facial expression, but he could see her golden hair shining in the sunlight. "So, I think I need a bookshelf specifically for storing vinyl records first." she said.

Uma looked at Hugo, who was wearing a simple checkered shirt and straight-leg jeans. His white canvas shoes were already dirty, and there were various pieces of furniture piled around him. He was even holding a phonograph, looking like a down-and-out artist who had been kicked out of his home. Even though he was about to starve on the streets, he still clung onto his treasure without bowing his head. This appearance was so different from the Hugo she remembered, making her can't help but chuckle. "You...look very special today."

After recalling the entanglement between his past self and Uma, as well as the kiss they shared at the premiere of "Final Analysis", Hugo was much calmer when facing her again. Hearing her words, he lowered his head to take a look at himself and then said with a smile, "If I had another pair of gloves, maybe someone would be willing to hire me as a mover. That should be a good part-time job."

"Hehe," Uma was amused by Hugo's words. "I think there will be many people who would like to invite you, as long as you are willing to unbutton a few more buttons on your shirt." Imagine a handsome guy with a solid chest doing the heavy lifting? This is definitely a scenario that many housewives fantasize about, similar to their fantasies of plumbers or firefighters.

Hugo obviously understood what Uma meant by her words. He lowered his head to take a look at his chest and then said with a smirk, "I hope I won't disappoint them."

Their conversation was full of flirtation, making their eyes shine with heat as they exchanged glances. However, Uma was standing in the sunlight, while Hugo was sitting in the shade. As a result, Uma felt that the sunlight was a bit dazzling and couldn't see clearly, while Hugo felt that Uma's expression was somewhat blurry and elusive. So they had to look away from each other to rest their tired eyes.

"Hey, Uma, are you here to buy furniture too?" Hugo looked up again and took the initiative to ask. For some reason, Uma burst into laughter, making Hugo think he said something wrong.

Uma seemed to realize her rudeness and quickly suppressed her smile. "No, I just think your pronunciation of my name is very strange."

"Uma?" Hugo didn't quite understand and repeated her name again.

Uma couldn't help but chuckle at Hugo's words, her sexy lips blossoming in the sunlight like a blooming tulip, emitting a charming fragrance. As she laughed and waved her hand, she kept saying, "It's not your fault, it's not your fault," making Hugo confused and his lips involuntarily curved into a smile.

"It's like this, don't you think my name is strange?" Uma quickly explained with a smile on her face that had not completely disappeared. "All along, other people have been making fun of my name, thinking that it's too absurd. So, many times, I use common girl names like Linda or Kelly to introduce myself to new friends. But when you call my name, it unexpectedly sounds nice."

"Nice?" Hugo raised his eyebrows, which made Uma feel a little shy and she couldn't help but avoid Hugo's smiling eyes. She realized that she had probably boasted too much about her name. But Hugo continued, "Is it because I called your name through singing?"

The name Uma had a full sound and a simple rhythm when spoken.

Hugo's explanation made Uma laugh out loud. "Your name is really nice. At least, compared to those common names like Linda, it's distinctive, which makes you unique, isn't it?" Hugo continued in a gentle and warm tone that was not loud and it made Uma feel very comfortable and easy to relax with. "Does your name have any special meaning?"

"You're the first person to say my name sounds nice," Uma stood still, her beautiful blue eyes looking at Hugo seriously.

Hugo shrugged indifferently and said, "I hope your parents won't be sad when they hear that."

"No, they won't. This name represents their love and hopes for me. It's a name of a god in Hinduism." Uma revealed her smile again.

"Although I'm not a follower of Hinduism, this name really suits you." Hugo's words were simple but didn't feel awkward or formal, making people feel very comfortable, especially the faint smile on his lips, which was so warm and comfortable.

Uma finally confirmed her inner thoughts. The Hugo in front of her was different from before. Although he used to be sunny and cheerful, he seemed more sharp-edged, like the sun shining too brightly that it was hard to look straight at him. But now, he was still sunny, but more gentle, and even looking at him directly didn't cause any harm. Instead, one could feel the warm temperature.

In short, the previous Hugo was more dangerous and thrilling, while the current Hugo was more attractive, almost intoxicatingly warm.

"I think I will gradually adapt to my own name." Uma had not been able to overcome the shadow brought by the uniqueness of her name until now, but in Hugo's gentle words, she felt that perhaps the name wasn't so bad after all, at least it sounded good coming from Hugo's mouth.

Hugo lightly laughed and nodded, then continued to ask, "You haven't told me, what are you here for? Are you here to buy furniture?"

"Oh, no, I'm here to have dinner." Uma pointed to a nearby restaurant, then hesitated for a moment and took the initiative to invite him, "How about it, would you like to join me? I'm alone tonight." Actually, Uma wanted to invite Hugo after the premiere of "Final Analysis", but she didn't speak up in the end because Hugo always invited her and she had to decline, which made things awkward. Today, she finally took the initiative to ask.

Hugo raised his eyebrows, seeming a bit surprised, but he didn't keep Uma waiting for too long and just smiled and said, "I just moved into a new house, there are still a lot of things to do today, and friends are waiting for me at home, so I'm afraid I can't. I'm really sorry, maybe next time."

Although she was rejected, Hugo's tone didn't make her feel rejected. Uma buried her disappointment in her heart and smiled, "It's okay." Then she changed the subject, "You moved into a new house today?"

"Yes, just moved in." After Hugo finished speaking, he thought for a moment and said warmly, "If there's a chance in the future, you can come over as a guest. I live behind Sunset Square." Hugo then gave Uma the address of his new home.

"On that little hill?" Uma naturally knew that area. "I also live nearby, it seems like it's only three streets away from your house."

"Hehe, that's really a coincidence. We can come out and sit together in the future." Hugo's words were full of sunshine and sincerity, making Uma momentarily stunned, but she quickly reacted and deeply looked at Hugo. "Then I won't disturb you anymore. My stomach is already calling for food, so I'll go and take care of this first big thing."

"You can leave quickly, because my stomach has also been awakened by you, and that's not a good thing." Hugo's joking made Uma burst into laughter. She didn't say anything else and waved to Hugo before turning and leaving. Her slender and graceful figure reflected a beautiful light in the sunshine.