Pressure strikes

This was a very enjoyable dinner. Although most of the time was spent with Hugo and Nora in conversation, Rob and Joseph were not idle either. They occasionally chimed in, making the atmosphere of the dinner relaxed and pleasant. Even after finishing the dinner, Nora even ordered dessert, and the meal continued until half past ten.

After Hugo settled into the spacious and comfortable passenger seat of the Renault, Joseph confidently drove the car out of the parking lot and headed back home. With the new car, the ride became noticeably smoother and more comfortable, and Joseph seemed to be fond of this car, insisting on taking it for a spin every day, even when Hugo didn't have any appointments.

However, today Joseph didn't have the mood to enjoy the pleasure of driving. His tense emotions could finally relax. "Wow, Hugo, you know, you really took a risk today. Any mistake could have ruined the atmosphere of the dinner, and I bet Rob would have felt very awkward."

Hugo also felt mentally exhausted. In fact, during the first half of the dinner tonight, Hugo was on high alert because he had to immerse himself in a role, as if constantly acting. This made Hugo experience the difficulties of spies, living every second of their lives in an alternative identity. It was a kind of torment.

Of course, this entire performance was also a different kind of test for Hugo. He had to think about how a widower like Sam would respond to situations that didn't exist in the script. It was not only a further understanding of the character, but also a deep analysis of the character after breaking away from the script. At the same time, it was a higher-level test of Hugo's self-hypnosis and entering the state of acting. Although there were some flaws throughout the process, with a few instances where Hugo broke character and returned to being "Hugo Lancaster", overall, it was very good.

That's also the reason why Hugo was mentally tired. Such conversations were truly exhausting.

"If we don't try like this, you've seen it yourself, it would be over before it even started." Hugo leaned back in his chair, feeling the softness of the leather enveloping the sponge, relaxing his body and his mind. "Every script, every character, they have countless choices. Hollywood has a hundred thousand actors, and no one is irreplaceable."

That's the current state of Hollywood, and it's also the state of society as a whole. No one is irreplaceable, and you must rely on your own efforts to win your own place, or else life will quickly engulf you. Unless you're willing to be like Tao Yuanming and "plucking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, leisurely gazing upon the southern mountains", you must strive. Of course, even becoming Tao Yuanming in modern society requires an economic foundation.

Although Nora didn't make a decision on the spot today, Joseph could sense that her opinion had changed because of Hugo's efforts. That's a huge change, turning the impossible into possible, making the future something to look forward to.

Suddenly, Joseph felt a heavy responsibility on his shoulders. As an agent, all he could do was to secure audition opportunities for Hugo, build good relationships with the production side, and use his negotiation skills to fight for more benefits for Hugo. Apart from that, there wasn't much he could do. But as he looked at Hugo's diligent appearance, Joseph felt that maybe he should do a little more because he believed that Hugo deserved more.

Joseph and Hugo didn't speak any further. The brand-new Renault smoothly traveled on the roads of Los Angeles, with the dense night scenery passing by outside the car windows, filling the car with a serene tranquility and stability as it headed towards home. When they arrived back home, Joseph noticed that Hugo had already fallen asleep. He was truly tired.

Joseph didn't rush to wake up Hugo. Instead, he sat quietly in the car for about twenty minutes, waiting for Hugo to slowly wake up. Then he spoke up, "If you're tired, go upstairs and rest after freshening up."

Hugo rubbed his sleepy eyes and replied absentmindedly. Dragging his heavy steps, he got out of the car. Once he returned to the third floor, Hugo quickly freshened up and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

He slept straight through until the next morning. When Hugo woke up, the house was still empty. Charlize and Alex hadn't returned yet, but Hugo had fully recovered. After all, acting was more of a mental activity than a physical one. After a good night's sleep, he woke up clear-headed. He took a refreshing shower and then started surveying the empty refrigerator, contemplating what he should have for breakfast.

When Joseph arrived on the third floor, he saw Hugo standing in front of the refrigerator, panting, and asked, "Forgot to go to the supermarket?"

During the past few days, Hugo had been alone at home, so he didn't buy many groceries. Now that everything had been consumed, Hugo pouted and said, "I'll go this afternoon. There are still two boxes of cornflakes in the cupboard." He closed the refrigerator door and turned around to see Joseph, who was dressed in workout attire and covered in sweat. Hugo couldn't help but laugh. "Um, do you have a date tonight?"

"Oh, no, I just wanted to start exercising," Joseph replied, slightly out of breath. He would never admit that he hadn't slept well last night due to stress and had woken up early in the morning. Finally, he decided to embrace the upcoming year of 1993 with a new attitude, and exercising seemed like a good start, plus it could help him lose weight.

Hugo found Joseph's words amusing and burst into laughter. "Are you serious? Don't joke with me." Joseph had always been on the chubby side, especially in the past six months, it had become more noticeable. At six feet two inches tall, he now weighed at least 220 pounds. Hugo had teased Joseph before, saying that while others were losing weight due to their busy schedules at the end of the year, Joseph had gained weight due to excessive stress.

As an actor, Hugo couldn't allow significant changes in his physique unless it was required for a role. Even though Hugo didn't need to maintain a muscular build like Arnold Schwarzenegger, he couldn't indulge in excessive eating and let his body deviate too much. Especially for the then-upcoming projects "A Few Good Men" and "Scent of a Woman", Hugo needed to maintain his physique. Moreover, his previous drug use had severely affected his physical condition, so Hugo had always been consistent with exercise to maintain his overall health.

Joseph had once tried exercising with Hugo, although it couldn't be called proper fitness training. They would simply jog for half an hour before bedtime. However, Joseph gave up after only two days, claiming, "I'm not an actor".

Therefore, when Hugo saw Joseph starting to exercise again today, his immediate reaction was laughter. But when he noticed Joseph's gloomy expression, Hugo quickly suppressed his laughter and said, "At least it's a good start. I've said it before, a healthy weight for your height is below 180 pounds. Now that you're willing to put in the effort, it's definitely a good thing."

The Western diet is filled with high-calorie junk food, which has led to many Westerners being overweight. Particularly after the 21st century, there has been a rapid increase in the percentage of obese children, causing great concern among Western health professionals. Therefore, from Hugo's perspective, changing eating habits might be challenging, but at the very least, maintaining basic exercise and overall physical health was necessary.

Joseph looked at Hugo's half-smiling expression and knew that Hugo had more to say. That was, "As for how long you can stick with it, who knows?" Joseph glared at Hugo with resentment, then walked to the dining table with the newspaper in his hand. "Here, this is today's Los Angeles Times. There's good news in it."

Hugo didn't bother to look at the newspaper and quickly spoke up, "How about this? From now on, when I go for a run, you can join me too? At least we'll have one more companion, and maybe we can stick with it longer."

Joseph recalled how Hugo had diligently gone for runs and performed basic exercises during his free time without any filming work. That level of determination was truly admirable but also added pressure to Joseph. He couldn't help but hesitate, "Forget it, I can't handle your running pace and duration."

A smile spread across Hugo's face once again. He knew Joseph was backing down, so his smile became a little teasing. "You can adjust it according to your own condition, or consult a professional. You know, I'm not a fitness trainer."

Seeing through Joseph's thoughts, Hugo's teasing made Joseph's cheeks flush with heat. He said somewhat annoyed, "Fine, I'll exercise with you. It's not bad to have someone to motivate each other." He finished speaking and tilted his head towards Hugo, expressing his determination.

Since he had decided to embrace the new year with a fresh mindset, adding some pressure and motivation seemed appropriate. Moreover, Hugo would undoubtedly be busy in January, so the frequency of exercise would likely not be as high. Thinking this way, Joseph felt slightly relieved.

Hugo wasn't surprised by Joseph's answer and nodded with a half-smile. "Okay, let's start tonight then." He paused for a moment and continued, "Or should I say you start tomorrow since you went for a morning run today?"

"Tonight!" Joseph almost rolled his eyes and said firmly. Now that Joseph and Hugo were more comfortable with each other, compared to January when there were fewer expressions and more seriousness, Joseph had become "livelier."

Hugo nodded approvingly, although it was clearly an affirmative expression, it felt awkward in Joseph's eyes, causing his gaze to shift uncomfortably.

Hugo decided to stop teasing Joseph and picked up the Los Angeles Times from the dining table. "So, what news is there today? You mentioned good news just now?"

"Oh, right, the Golden Globe nominations are out," Joseph quickly regained his composure and said to Hugo.