Can't move an inch

Standing at the intersection of Yonghuo Street, the red lanterns replaced the streetlights, the low brick houses replaced the tall buildings, the Chinese restaurants and tea houses replaced the Western restaurants and cafes, and the Chinese square characters replaced the English letters. It felt like a utopia from the Western world, just a street away, another world altogether.

Hugo and Joseph stood at the street corner and noticed the gathering crowd around them. People whispered and pointed from a distance, and Hugo inexplicably felt like he had traveled back to ancient times or an old society. It was as if he were a widow caught in adultery, a defeated general returning after surviving a lost battle, or a criminal guilty of murder and arson, shouting for justice while covered in blood. When such people walked the streets, pedestrians wouldn't dare to approach them easily, but they would gossip and condemn from afar, exchanging whispered thoughts with expressions of disdain. In short, it was not a pleasant situation.

This feeling was peculiar and absurd. Firstly, this was not ancient times, and he was not a criminal. Secondly, about half of the people around them had Asian faces, and there were also many Caucasian figures. So Hugo didn't understand why he felt this comical sensation. Could it be that the light from the red lanterns gave birth to this strange sense of time and space dislocation?

The tumultuous noise coming from all directions made both Hugo and Joseph uneasy. They frowned and looked around, trying to figure out what was happening.

In fact, Yonghuo Street was exceptionally lively today. There were at least two to three hundred people within their line of sight, and the part of the street that extended beyond their sight was even more densely crowded. But as if in an instant, the commotion seemed to be isolated, forming an arc with Hugo and Joseph at the center, creating two separate worlds. This reminded Hugo of a new TV series that premiered in 2013, "Under the Dome". He and Joseph were enveloped in a force field while others stood outside the force field, pointing and whispering, but unwilling to come close.

"Did I go completely crazy? Did my clothes disappear? Or am I covered in blood all over, and I just don't know it?" Hugo turned his head slightly toward Joseph and whispered. He didn't want to be melodramatic, thinking that he was the center of attention on the entire street or something like that. It was too ridiculous. But the reality was just that. The people outside the "force field" were all looking at him, countless gazes piercing through his body like a multitude of arrows, accurately hitting him. "Or maybe we're planning a street performance, and they're clearing the space for us, but I just haven't realized it yet?"

Hugo's series of absurd humor left Joseph both laughing and crying. He couldn't help but burst into laughter, but when Hugo uttered the next sentence, Joseph couldn't find the humor in it. "Could it be that we've transformed?"

"Transformed..." Joseph felt his mouth twitching. Hugo's imagination was truly boundless.

"You know, I've transformed into a vampire, and you are... a werebear or something like that," Hugo said, playfully assessing Joseph with his eyes.

A vein popped on Joseph's forehead. "Why a werebear? Why not a werewolf?" he asked, regretting it the moment the words left his mouth. He shouldn't have asked.

"Because you look more like a bear. When have you ever seen such a chubby wolf?" Hugo replied. Well, Joseph admitted that he spoke out of turn. And now, he wanted to strangle Hugo! He clenched his fists!

If it had been a month ago, Hugo and Joseph would never have made such jokes. But now, it was evident that the two had become quite familiar with each other, considering themselves very close friends. Joseph began to regret: perhaps he shouldn't have told Hugo about his family issues. Or maybe he shouldn't have given Hugo advice about father-son relationships... Damn it!

However, before Hugo and Joseph could further understand their confusion, the situation around them changed. Initially, everyone remained in place and gradually retreated, forming an empty force field around Hugo and Joseph. But now, people began to move forward, as if a circle was closing in on them. The center point pushed inward, causing the sides of the circle to cave in, triggering a chain reaction that resulted in the entire circle shrinking.

At this moment, a spectator approached Hugo's direction, followed by others gradually moving closer. Hugo managed to ask, "Are they planning to fight?" before Joseph rolled his eyes at him. But before Joseph could react, someone shouted, "Hugo, is it Hugo Lancaster?"

Hugo didn't know whether he should answer or not because the crowd didn't give him a chance to respond. "Yes, it's Hugo! It's Hugo!" Then, a series of screams followed, "A superstar! A superstar is here!"

Suddenly, the surrounding crowd rushed toward them. Hugo estimated that there were only about thirty people, but the scene seemed like a massive army... well, maybe it really was a massive army. With the exclamation of "superstar", everyone around started bustling. Hugo and Joseph became the center of attention, as if they were a gigantic magnet rapidly attracting the surrounding crowd. Fifty people, a hundred people, two hundred people... Soon, Hugo found himself surrounded by countless fans, like bees swarming around a honeycomb. If someone with a fear of crowds were to look down from above, they would definitely faint.

"What on earth is happening?" Hugo felt his thoughts couldn't keep up. Just a moment ago, he and Joseph were strolling happily on Yonghuo Street, contemplating what to have for dinner, overwhelmed by the multitude of choices. And now, they had become sandwich cookies, with people almost crushing them like red bean paste.

"Fans," Joseph managed to utter the only words he could say, but he was also overwhelmed.

What? That was Hugo's initial reaction. The last time he was surrounded like this was during the premiere weekend of "A Few Good Men", and that seemed like just three weeks ago. The enthusiasm and politeness of the fans left a deep impression on Hugo, and of course, the intense popularity was still lingering in his mind. But why was today's situation so exaggerated? Has this world gone mad?

Indeed, this world had gone mad.

The people surrounding Hugo seemed to number in the thousands. Hugo felt countless hands waving towards him, and these hands were anything but well-behaved. Some grabbed his chest, some grabbed his crotch, and it wasn't just a touch—it was a firm grip, as if they held deep grudges against him. They didn't control their strength, fiercely squeezing him. Hugo was certain that his chest and back were covered in bloody marks, and the burning pain made him grimace.

Joseph's first reaction was to stand in front of Hugo. This kind of work should be done by assistants and managers, but since Hugo only had Joseph, Joseph had to shoulder this important responsibility: protecting his artist. Although Joseph had a larger physique than Hugo, unfortunately, their height difference was not significant. Hugo was also a tall person, so Joseph could only cover a limited area.

At this moment, Joseph was even more miserable than Hugo. Most of the attacks were directed towards him. Some people even swung their fists and gave Joseph a heavy blow to the stomach. He almost vomited, making Joseph suspect that these were not fans, but enemies. Moreover, many palms directly lunged towards Joseph's head. It should be noted that Joseph was six feet two inches tall, a height that was not considered towering, but still taller than most people. Yet there were people waving their hands at Joseph's head. It was truly insane.

The surrounding people kept screaming, "Hugo! Ah! Hugo!" However, as these voices evolved, they all turned into "Celebrity! Ah! Celebrity!"

Hugo couldn't hear these shouts clearly. He felt his eardrums buzzing, and he was trapped in place by the pushing force from all sides. He couldn't move at all. Countless trivial screams and shouts penetrated Hugo's mind, making him feel like he was about to explode.

The situation had completely spiraled out of control. The shouts were mixed with the surging crowd and turned into screams. Hugo strongly suspected that someone had lost their balance and fallen. But at this moment, Hugo couldn't pay attention to these circumstances at all. His field of vision was filled with distorted faces, shouting "autograph, autograph" at him, as if Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" was distorting and extending in front of his eyes. It was a terrifying feeling, as if volcanoes were erupting right before him.

Individual power was so insignificant in the face of a collective. Joseph and Hugo had no defense against the overwhelming crowd. Joseph quickly turned around and shouted in Hugo's ear, "Let's go!" Then he protected Hugo's shoulders, and the two of them tried to find a gap in the crowd to escape. But now the scene was completely congested, making it impossible to move even an inch.

As the surrounding people saw Hugo wanting to leave, they frantically shouted, "Autograph! Autograph!" as if there was no way Hugo could leave if he didn't fulfill their wishes. But at this moment, Hugo didn't have the energy to give autographs to anyone. He could only pray that he could escape safely, which would be fortunate enough.

Relying on their own strength, Joseph and Hugo, the two men, struggled to move forward in the torrent. Initially, the crowd followed their movements, but as the two of them picked up speed, many people started losing track of their position and ended up spinning in place like headless flies.

Hugo pulled Joseph's arm, bent down, and concealed his height in the dense crowd. Then he imitated the posture of a football player, using his shoulder to clear a path forcefully. In the gaze of the onlookers, they successfully escaped.

If there were fewer people, everyone could still focus on Hugo. However, as the crowd grew larger and Hugo intentionally hid himself, the focus quickly became blurry and eventually lost. So, both Hugo and Joseph managed to escape, while the surging crowd behind them continued to encircle, searching for Hugo's figure. Now those shouts became clear, "Hugo" "autograph" "I love you" their voices intertwined with the screams, rising and falling.