Leaving in a hurry

Hugo looked at the handset in his hand, feeling somewhat at a loss. In fact, he didn't have many memories of his family in his mind. The fragmented bits and pieces were hard to evoke more information, and today's conversation confirmed it—the relationship within the Lancaster family was very bad. He should have felt relieved, but for some reason, Hugo felt a hollow feeling in his heart.

"Hugo, Hugo!" Alex's voice came from his ear, and only then did Hugo snap out of his daze and look over in a daze. Alex repeated, "I'm asking if you still need to use the phone?"

"Oh, no, I don't need it." Hugo handed the handset to Alex, looked around, and finally walked towards the door, leaving the house. He then walked to the staircase landing between the third and fourth floors and sat down.

In fact, Hugo had always felt like an unfilial child. Not to mention how much effort his parents had put into raising him, they opposed his decision to form a rock band not only because they considered it an improper occupation, but also because they worried about his future ability to make a living. And the reality was just as they feared—struggling at the lowest levels of society for ten years, Death or Glory had always fought to survive. The dream of music was beautiful in theory, but the harsh reality never showed any mercy.

However, Hugo had never regretted choosing the path of music because it was what he wanted to do. Even if it took ten years, that was youth—a youth that went all-in, that persevered even in the face of adversity. The only regret was that he had chosen youth at the cost of hurting his parents.

Now, it seemed like history was repeating itself. Hugo couldn't help but smile bitterly. No wonder he had transmigrated into the body of Lancaster—perhaps it was fate. Maybe Lancaster had also fallen out with his family due to his acting dreams, leading to a rapid deterioration of family relations and cutting off contact with both parents.

But thinking carefully, it didn't make sense. Lancaster might have run away from home, but from Adam's words earlier, it was evident that he and Adam had sporadic contact. On the contrary, it was the mother, Lena, who was a forbidden topic at home. So, did that mean Lena and Adam got divorced? That wouldn't be surprising in the United States, and the reasons for divorce could be terrible, even potentially harming Lancaster, which would explain the tense family relations.

Hugo rubbed his head. He really had no clue about the situation of the Lancaster family. Even if he wanted to make some changes, he didn't know where to start. Hugo let out a long sigh. At this moment, he felt somewhat lonely. The joy, restlessness, and hard work after transmigrating had now turned into a heart full of emptiness. He began to miss his Death or Glory teammates.

The sound of footsteps came from behind—Joseph's hesitant footsteps. When their gazes met, Joseph awkwardly pulled the corners of his mouth and turned to leave. But after hesitating for a moment, he still walked down the stairs and sat next to Hugo.

"So, what happened?" Joseph asked, his tone heavy, though he seemed distracted.

Hugo glanced at Joseph. Joseph's state of mind wasn't any better; the lingering conflict between his eyebrows was easily discernible. "I called my dad, and he hung up on me directly."

Although Hugo didn't say much, just that one sentence was enough to depict the difficult progress of the conversation. This made Joseph chuckle dryly. "Not surprising."

With no communication for a year, even an intimate family relationship would become distant. It was hard to imagine that a phone call at this moment would bring about significant improvements. Joseph also knew that Hugo's family situation wasn't good, but before, he had merely been an observer and had no intention of intervening—of course, he still didn't have any plans to interfere now. He would advise Hugo to call home on Thanksgiving, but from a friend's standpoint, he believed that continuing to stalemate like this wasn't a good idea. However, it seemed that even if they had a conversation, it wouldn't bring about much improvement.

"What about Thanksgiving?" Joseph continued to ask.

"I would define Thanksgiving as a holiday for friends to express gratitude to each other," Hugo said solemnly. Since he couldn't spend it with his family, friends were the best choice. "Perhaps you are the one I should be thankful for. You wouldn't refuse my invitation, would you?"

Joseph looked at Hugo's smiling face, but his own lips couldn't seem to form a smile. He felt weighed down and somewhat discouraged. "Hugo..." Joseph started to speak but hesitated, calling out Hugo's name before falling silent. Hugo didn't rush him and simply looked at Joseph quietly. After a few seconds, Joseph spoke with difficulty, "I need to ask you for a favor."

"Other than taking fruit photos, no problem," Hugo joked casually, causing the corners of Joseph's mouth to twitch involuntarily.

It was clear that Joseph had something on his mind, and it seemed to be serious. He considered his words for a moment before speaking, "Can you lend me one million dollars?" As soon as he said it, Joseph hurriedly added, "I will pay you back as soon as possible, I'm serious. If it wasn't for the urgency of the situation..."

"Sure," Hugo interrupted Joseph's words and nodded decisively. Not long ago, the first installment of one million dollars from the movie "A Few Good Men" had already been deposited, and the remaining payments would come after the film's release.

Joseph was well aware of this, but Hugo didn't suspect that Joseph was calculating his money. After spending a year together, Hugo knew Joseph wasn't that kind of person, and he was willing to trust him. Besides, if Joseph did have ulterior motives, it would be worth using one million dollars to see the true face of a friend.

Hugo's straightforwardness left Joseph momentarily speechless. He could only stare at Hugo in astonishment. In fact, Joseph had countless thoughts swirling in his mind, a myriad of words piled up at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't find a way to express them. He could only dumbly look at Hugo.

Hugo smiled and said, "Give me your bank account, and I'll transfer the money to you. Or do you prefer cash?" Not long ago, Hugo was still in debt, so he didn't have the qualification to write a check and could only use a bank transfer or cash.

It was only at this moment that Joseph reacted, swallowing a mouthful of saliva, allowing his dry throat to regain its voice. "I'll give you the account later." After saying that, Joseph took a deep breath, calming his rapid heartbeat. He then explained, "Here's what happened: there's an emergency at home, and I need this money, but I don't know who else to turn to." Joseph realized that his words were jumbled and he hadn't properly explained the situation. He could only take another deep breath and helplessly say, "Hugo, I'll pay you back as soon as possible."

"Joseph, I understand," Hugo said without any formalities, patting Joseph's shoulder. Everyone could encounter emergencies, and no one wished for such situations, but when they did arise, the helping hand of a friend became especially important. "I happen to have the means right now, or I wouldn't have been so straightforward. Besides, this money isn't given to you for nothing. Remember to repay me. I was planning to use this money to buy a car."

In fact, for Hugo, the one million dollars that had been deposited hadn't been fully grasped yet. It still felt like a mere string of numbers. Now, after lending it to Joseph, he didn't feel like it was such a large sum of money. He just thought that being able to help a friend was a great thing.

Hugo's words didn't relax Joseph much because he knew that Hugo was just comforting himself. However, Joseph didn't say anything more because he knew that expressing excessive gratitude at this moment would be unnecessary. "I need to go back to Houston today. I wasn't planning to go for Thanksgiving, but now..."

Joseph didn't say anything, but Hugo knew that the sudden situation at home required him to go back to Houston. Hugo nodded and asked, "Did you buy the plane ticket?"

"I made the decision right after receiving the call," Joseph shook his head. "I've decided to drive back."

"Are you crazy?" Hugo exclaimed in surprise. "That's fifteen hundred miles, at least twenty-two hours." If it were a road trip, it would be a different story, but Joseph was driving alone in a rush to get home because of an urgent matter. "You should go to the airport, it's only Tuesday, there should be plenty of flights available."

Joseph didn't say anything. Obviously, burdened with Hugo's one million debt, it would be difficult for him to casually spend money on a flight back home. Hugo, however, sensed Joseph's hesitation and said, "Hey, buddy, compared to one million, a $700 plane ticket is nothing. The interest alone is more than that." Hugo's half-joking remark caused Joseph's lips to twitch.

Upon careful consideration, it was indeed the case. When you owe too much, the fleas won't bite. Joseph no longer hesitated, got up, and went back to his room to pack his luggage. He said "to pack", but in reality, he only grabbed his wallet and a jacket. Then he walked out quickly, pausing slightly when he saw Hugo sitting on the steps. He hurriedly walked down, but when he reached the third floor, he stopped and turned back. "Hugo."

"What?" Hugo asked.

"Aren't you afraid I'll run off with the money?" Joseph knew that his actions today were too unusual.

In fact, this was the first time Joseph had ever mentioned his family matters to Hugo, and the key point was that he was unprepared, so he didn't say anything substantial. It lacked persuasiveness. But Hugo didn't inquire about the purpose of borrowing money, nor did he ask for a written guarantee or IOU, or even verify any interest-related matters. He simply expressed his support in this way. Joseph felt somewhat uneasy.

Hugo's light laughter reached Joseph's ears. "That's your freedom." Without any explanation, clarification, or accusation, just this casually spoken sentence weighed heavily on Joseph.

If someone were to ask Hugo the value of his trust, he would answer that at least one million dollars couldn't buy it.