Lonely Christmas

Hugo felt like he couldn't catch his breath. Every time he spoke with his father, it was always like this—either arguing or fighting. Noisy quarrels seemed to become the main theme of their father-son relationship, and this time, because of Christmas, it seemed to have reached a climax.

Adam's words just now revealed too much information. For example, his marriage with Lena was not happy, and Lena seemed to be accustomed to blaming Adam for everything. Their separation afterwards was also unpleasant. However, from Adam's tone, Hugo could vaguely guess that his relationship with Lena was better. After Lena left, the father-son relationship turned sour. But why hadn't Hugo had any contact with Lena?

Another example was the terrible relationship between Hugo and Adam. It seemed that Adam had previously extended an olive branch to Hugo, but the reckless and arrogant Hugo didn't buy it. Of course, judging from Adam's style, the olive branch was probably rough and subtle at the same time. Perhaps Hugo simply didn't understand his father's intentions. So, over the years, Hugo and Adam only had phone conversations, and the number of times he went back home could be counted on one hand.

Why was it like this? They were each other's only family, yet they were unwilling to sit down and have a proper conversation. Instead, they used coldness and confrontation to hurt each other's emotions time and time again. In this world, the people who can hurt you are always the ones you love. Strangers can cause physical wounds, but the emotional scars can only come from those you deeply love.

Perhaps the reason why Hugo and Adam formed such stubborn barriers was because they cared about each other as family members. The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment and the deeper the hurt.

Hugo remembered the situation with his family before he traveled back in time. He was just like that back then, using coldness and confrontation to hurt each other. But now he understood this truth too late. Chen Yuguo no longer had the opportunity to salvage everything, but Hugo Lancaster still did. Thinking of this, Hugo's heart felt empty, like an unfathomable cliff. He tried to land, but he couldn't find the limit. The chilling sensation that surged upward made Hugo shiver again and again.

In the end, Hugo didn't go back home because he knew that if he rashly returned, it would only make things worse. If he wanted to improve his relationship with Adam, he had to take it step by step. This was a long march, and he hadn't even started yet.

On Christmas Day, the whole building was left with Hugo and Ernest on the second floor. Everyone else had gone home to celebrate Christmas. Hugo did greet Ernest proactively, but unfortunately, he was met with a cold reception. Ernest didn't intend to acknowledge him. Nevertheless, Hugo still prepared a Christmas gift for Ernest. It wasn't because he had an abundance of goodwill, but because he was spending Christmas alone without any family or friends. Moreover, Hugo didn't know much about decorating Christmas trees, so besides three red Christmas stockings, there was no Christmas atmosphere at home.

Especially when he thought about his relationship with Adam, Ernest was also alone. Hugo didn't know if Ernest was married or had children because in the year he lived here, he hardly saw Ernest having any visitors. Regardless of Ernest's temper or whether he had family, at least on this Christmas day, he shouldn't be alone. So, Hugo decided to give Ernest a Christmas gift, just to create a bit of festive atmosphere.

When the midnight bell rang, Ernest opened the door and saw the red Christmas stockings placed at the entrance. He muttered, "Annoying guy," followed by a string of curses. After hesitating for a moment, he still took the Christmas stockings inside.

Hugo wrapped himself in a blanket and curled up on the billiard table in the hall, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows. He watched the dazzling lights of the entire city shimmering in the night, gradually extinguishing with the passage of time, and then sinking into a gentle tranquility. The sound of the special program on the TV station in the hall continued to play, but Hugo didn't have the mood to watch those shows.

A year's time passed in the blink of an eye. People often say that during festive occasions, thoughts of loved ones multiply. Although Christmas is not a traditional holiday in China, and Hugo was no longer of Asian descent, he still greatly missed his comrades who died gloriously and his parents whom he hadn't seen in ten years.

Looking back, it seemed like Hugo had a prosperous year. In the year-end box office rankings of 1992, two of Hugo's films made it into the top twenty.

Disney's classic animation "Aladdin", although always overshadowed by "A Few Good Men", had an astonishing long-term box office performance. Ultimately, it became the champion of the year-end box office in 1992, with a total gross of $210 million. "Home Alone 2", although not as well-received as the first installment and with decreased box office earnings, still secured the second place with a total gross of $173 million. And "A Few Good Men", which surprised countless people with its powerful impact, lagged behind by three million dollars, ranking third on the 1992 box office chart.

This box office ranking was probably unexpected for most people, but it served as a microcosm of Hugo's year. Behind the success of "A Few Good Men", films like "Batman Returns", "Lethal Weapon 3", "Sister Act", "The Bodyguard", "Wayne's World", "Basic Instinct", "A League of Their Own", and "Unforgiven" respectively secured the fourth to eleventh positions. These eleven films were also the ones that grossed over 100 million dollars in North America that year.

Furthermore, "Scent of a Woman", which grossed 80 million dollars, ranked behind "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and secured the sixteenth position.

The standout films of the year included the animated masterpiece "Aladdin", the controversial "Basic Instinct", and "A Few Good Men", which was not expected to make a strong comeback. These three films together shaped the landscape of the 1992 film industry. Meanwhile, a series of sequels, including "Home Alone 2", "Batman Returns", and "Lethal Weapon 3", were not satisfying, further highlighting the exceptional performance of Hugo's two films.

It was easy to imagine that after experiencing three years of decline and the embarrassment of the Golden Raspberry Awards, people were astonished by Hugo's performance when the year-end rankings were released. Just look at his tight and intensive promotional schedule at the end of the year, and the overflowing praise from major news media outlets. The year 1992 could be described as a special year for Hugo, from the Golden Raspberry Awards at the beginning of the year to the triumphant end. Hugo experienced a rollercoaster-like year.

Both "A Few Good Men" and "Scent of a Woman" achieved both critical acclaim and box office success. Especially the third place position on the year-end box office chart for "A Few Good Men", it was an unprecedented height. The continuous surge in the last two months of the year also marked Hugo's official transition from a second-tier actor to a top-tier actor, sweeping away the decadent state of the past three years and raising people's expectations for his future performances.

This victory not only belonged to 1992 but also represented a victory for Hugo Lancaster's ten-year acting career. It was a victory for Chen Yuguo's ten years of hard work and perseverance, and a year of struggle after traversing time. This hard-earned victory made Hugo unable to help but feel deeply moved.

In theory, Hugo should have felt excited about his achievements in the past year, and indeed he was. He was genuinely happy because he had earned these results through his own hard work and dedication. Hugo was well aware of the hardships and perseverance throughout the process, and happiness surged within him. However, on this Christmas night, Hugo was not happy at all because he was alone.

It had nothing to do with Uma, Charlize, Joseph, and his other friends; it was solely related to his family. Christmas should have been a day for family reunions, but Hugo sat alone in his rented house in Los Angeles, gazing at the starry sky outside the window. Chinese takeout was quietly placed on the table. He couldn't sit down with his father for a dinner, and he still had no contact with his mother. Hugo even began to doubt if his speculations were wrong.

Was there a bad relationship between his previous self and his mother, Lena? Or was it his father who forcibly severed the connection between his mother and himself, which led to the deterioration of Hugo's relationship with his father? Perhaps there were some unknown secrets...

Hugo had no clues and could only indulge in wild speculation following the cliché soap opera storyline, which only further confused his already restless mind. Life was already chaotic enough with issues like Ron Meyer, Tracey Jacobs, and countless trivial matters. Now he had to deal with a family relationship that was entangled and impossible to unravel. What was even scarier was that Hugo had no leads at the moment. He found himself standing still, afraid to take any step, fearing to step on an unknown landmine.

Hugo began to miss his life before the time travel. If it were Christmas 2014, what would he do? He would probably continue performing with his comrades who died gloriously at some party or on the road to another performance venue. Then he would hesitate whether to call his family, but ultimately decide against it because their family didn't celebrate Christmas. After that, they might get booed off the stage at a party, but they would defiantly continue singing on the stage. Then they would be in the back of a truck, singing loudly and fighting the freezing cold wind...

When the midnight bell rang, Hugo softly said to himself, "Merry Christmas." Then, silently in his heart, he said in Chinese, "Chen Yuguo, Merry Christmas."

Drowsily, Hugo entered the realm of dreams. He had a very long dream. He dreamt that his comrades from Death or Glory stepped onto the stage of the Midi Rock Music Festival. He dreamt of reuniting with his parents after ten years apart. He dreamt of returning to the embrace of 2014, where there was sunshine, music, laughter, friends, and loved ones...