Fangirls

Sitting in the back of the cinema, watching the movie while observing the audience's reactions, it is a magical process. Watching the audience gasp, whisper, and cheer along with the twists and turns of the plot, especially when my performance touches the hearts of the audience, the satisfaction is like creamy milk on a strong cup of coffee, blended with sweet and smooth honey, slowly melting on the tongue and flowing into the depths of the heart. But at the same time, when I see an audience member making noise that disrupts the movie or expressing disdain with a "tsk tsk" sound, a restless annoyance wells up inside me, almost wanting to confront them directly.

As the trial progresses step by step, the movie gradually approaches its climax. At this moment, a man stood up to the left of Hugo and walked step by step towards the aisle on the right. This immediately triggered the sensitive nerves of Hugo, Joseph, and others. Could he be leaving early? Is "A Few Good Men" so boring that it makes the audience leave early? It's terrifying!

So, when the man reached Joseph's seat, he gestured for Joseph to make way, but Joseph just stood up and said in a low voice, "Sit back down!" The man was taken aback and said in frustration, "I need to go to the bathroom." But Joseph didn't believe him at all. He stared at the man, gritting his teeth, and squeezed out each word from between his teeth, "I said, sit back down!"

Joseph glared at the man dumbfoundedly and said, "The movie is about to end, and the most exciting part is coming up! Sit back down!"

The man glanced at Joseph's almost cannibalistic expression, but ultimately didn't dare to say anything and obediently sat back down. Only then did Joseph sit back contentedly in his seat.

Hugo looked on in astonishment and whispered, "Joseph?"

Joseph tightly pursed his lips, waved his hand irritably, gesturing for Hugo not to speak and to continue watching the movie.

Hugo looked at Joseph's tense face and knew that although he usually didn't show it, Joseph's internal anxiety and restlessness were even more severe than his own. This time, it was even more true for the box office of "A Few Good Men". Even though Joseph had never shown it, never mentioned it, and even seemed calmer than Hugo, the pressure on his shoulders far exceeded imagination.

Hugo didn't say anything more, just lightly patted Joseph's shoulder and then turned his attention back to the big screen. The box office, it was truly unsettling.

The screening of "A Few Good Men" quickly came to an end, and as the credits began to roll, some audience members started to stand up and leave. Alex anxiously stood up, pointing at the departing audience in front of him and said to Hugo, "Is it over? How could it end like this? Where's the applause? The cheers?"

"Fool, this is just a movie theater, not a premiere," Joseph muttered beside him in a muffled voice. Watching Joseph's nervous demeanor, Hugo felt a sense of liberation and burst into laughter.

At this moment, the man from earlier walked over again. When he reached Joseph's side, he stopped and looked inquisitively as if asking, "Can I go to the bathroom now?" Joseph helplessly slapped his own thigh and then stood up, stepping back to make room.

Hugo looked ahead and saw that many audience members were still staying in their seats. He shrugged and speculated, "At least not everyone is rushing to leave immediately. Perhaps this is a good sign?"

Joseph and the others followed the gaze and indeed, at least one-third of the audience in their seats had not stood up and were still looking at the big screen. This was not difficult to understand. Many movies include Easter eggs after the subtitles, providing a different kind of fun for the audience. Therefore, many movie enthusiasts prefer to stay and watch the subtitles before leaving. This can also be seen as a certain level of interest from the audience towards the movie. After all, even if there are Easter eggs, the audience wouldn't care if the movie itself is terrible.

"Music," Charlize suddenly spoke, causing the four men to look in that direction. Charlize raised her chin towards the screen and said, "They are confirming the credits for the end credits song, waiting for the post-credit song." As expected, when the song "Next Time You See Me" started playing at the end of the movie, the remaining audience erupted in joyful exclamations. Faint discussions like "This is it" or "Hugo sang it" could be heard.

A smile appeared on Hugo's face as he said, "I think just relying on this, I'm already in a good mood today." The unexpected outcome of composing the theme song for "A Few Good Men" and now receiving some recognition was another form of affirmation for Hugo. His mood quickly soared.

Not only Hugo, but even Joseph, who had been tense all along, relaxed slightly. Hugo took a deep breath and said, "Alright, we can leave now. I think we've gained enough so far. I don't want to stay and listen to the audience's feedback. That would be a daunting test."

Dealing with harsh criticism from professional film critics was already challenging, let alone personally paying attention to every audience member's feedback. If they were to take the opinions of internet users seriously, they might as well give up on their acting careers. Hugo understood this very well.

One of the main reasons was the nature of the 21st century's internet era. The developed social networks allowed every ordinary person to express their opinions freely, and the anonymity provided by the internet made everyone's remarks become increasingly audacious. If they were to seriously engage with netizens, it would only lead to trouble for themselves.

The five of them quietly walked out of the theater. Alex was excitedly discussing what they should have for dinner. Today's official premiere could be considered a great success, worthy of a celebration. Hugo's first thought naturally went to Chinese cuisine. The longer he stayed in Los Angeles, the more he missed the food from his hometown. Since Chinatown was not far from Universal Studios, going there for dinner seemed like a good choice.

"Oh, Hugo, we almost always order Chinese food for takeout. Can we try something different to celebrate today?" Alex's understanding of Chinese cuisine seemed to be limited to dishes like Kung Pao Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork. He couldn't comprehend Hugo's inner thoughts.

"Alex, if we go to Chinatown, the cuisine will be completely different. Chinese food is much more diverse than you can imagine. It's far richer and varied," Hugo insisted. Although he had never been to Chinatown in Los Angeles, he could anticipate that the Chinese cuisine there would have been adapted to suit the local tastes and might not compare to the variety available in China. Nevertheless, Hugo still wanted to go and see for himself.

"Hugo! It's really you!" A voice interrupted Hugo's explanation of the vast and profound world of Chinese cuisine. The group involuntarily turned towards the direction of the voice, and there stood a girl around sixteen or seventeen years old, her face brimming with excitement. Her sparkling eyes were shining brightly, filled with uncontrollable joy. "Oh, my God, it's really Hugo!"

The situation began to happen more frequently after the release of "Scent of a Woman", so Hugo was not as surprised as before. He immediately smiled and waved at the girl in front of him. "Hey, girl."

"Hugo, your movie is really amazing, perfect," the girl took two big steps and walked up to Hugo, staring at him without blinking. The excitement in her eyes, eyebrows, and corners of her mouth emitted a clear radiance. "Do you know? Your arguments in the courtroom were really cool. When you silenced that damn Jessep, it was fantastic."

Feeling the girl's enthusiasm and hearing the audience's praise for "A Few Good Men", Hugo's joy began to dance lightly between his brows. "If you like it, then that's great."

Karl looked at the bustling crowd coming and going at the cinema entrance. He originally wanted to hint for Hugo to leave quickly. When encountering fans, greetings, hugs, and photos were enough. There was no need to spend a long time communicating as if they were close friends. Especially in such a noisy public place, it was easy to attract a crowd of onlookers, which could be troublesome.

But Karl patted Joseph and saw Joseph's eyes signaling him to "take it easy". Karl realized that perhaps today was special, and it wouldn't hurt for Hugo to have a brief interaction with the audience. They needed the support of fans to alleviate the pressure of box office sales.

The girl looked at Hugo's sunny smile on his face and lost control of her voice. It gradually rose, almost reaching the point of screaming. "Oh, my God, you are so handsome! Do you know? When you appeared in the courtroom wearing the naval uniform, I almost stopped breathing. God must have spent a lot of time creating you. You're perfect, truly perfect. Hugo, I... I love you!" The girl's voice finally lost control, and the screams were released.

Hugo felt a bit at a loss facing the sudden screams of the girl. In the past, when he encountered screaming fans, he had work to attend to, so he quickly left. All Hugo had to do was wave and smile. But now, the girl was right in front of him, stomping her feet, cupping her cheeks, and screaming madly. Hugo immediately became a little awkward.

Hugo looked around in embarrassment, and Charlize rolled her eyes helplessly. She raised her hands and made a hugging gesture. Hugo quickly understood and gave the girl a big hug. However, Hugo lacked experience, so it wasn't a light embrace. He gave her a bear hug directly.

The girl only felt Hugo's warm breath instantly enveloping her. It was as if she had ascended to heaven, and her emotions completely lost control. "Hugo, I love you, I love you, I love you! Ahhh..."

"Sizzle sizzle..." Hugo felt his eardrums trembling like window paper in a tornado, making a rustling sound. It felt like they could shatter at any moment.