Unbelievable

Standing at the intersection of Yonghuo Street, hiding in the shadow of the buildings, Hugo looked back at the chaos of the crowd gathering like bees and ants. He couldn't believe he was just in the center of it moments ago.

In fact, the crowd was not as large as imagined, only about a little over a hundred people. Outside this group, there were scattered onlookers, nearly a hundred of them, which made the scene appear spectacular. However, it was this lineup of a little over a hundred people that completely surrounded Hugo and Joseph, leaving them in a miserable state.

Facing a hundred people alone, Hugo now truly understood the terror within. "A hundred people" may sound like a small number, but one would only realize the true impact after experiencing it firsthand. If a hundred people all descended into madness, the scene would be absolutely terrifying.

Three weeks ago, during the premiere weekend of "A Few Good Men", Hugo was surrounded once, but the situation was still within manageable limits. It allowed Hugo to experience his rising popularity firsthand. Today, three weeks later, Hugo experienced another encirclement in a short period of time. This time, he truly felt what it meant to lose control. Daniel Kaffee, the handsome and charming lead in "A Few Good Men", had practically become the new heartthrob overnight. Coupled with the recent intensive publicity that magnified Hugo's image infinitely, fans had lost their sanity and were willing to go crazy for him.

Popularity seemed to come so easily, like a sudden summer downpour. One moment, the sky was clear, and the next, the dense raindrops obscured the entire sky. Hugo's popularity came just as suddenly. He wasn't even prepared, yet he was greeted with such an explosive reaction. It was truly unbelievable.

However, from this incredible frenzy, one could also see the signs of the box office miracles achieved by "A Few Good Men", Its eight consecutive victories were enough to make everyone take notice. The madness at the intersection of Yonghuo Street was just a trivial beginning.

"What's going on over there?" Suddenly, a voice came from beside them, startling Hugo and Joseph, who were still in shock. They turned around and saw a customer from a nearby store walking out, looking curiously at the chaos before them.

Joseph glanced at Hugo and calmly positioned himself between Hugo and the customer, blocking most of the view. Then he casually said, "Oh, I heard a movie star came out, someone named Hugo or something."

"Hugo Lancaster? You don't know? He's the male lead in "A Few Good Men"! Wow, he actually showed up! Why is he here? No way, I have to go see him. He looks unbelievably handsome on the movie screen. I must see him in person." The customer at the front exclaimed excitedly, smoothly engaging in self-dialogue. Without waiting for Joseph's response, the customer dashed towards the crowd, followed by a group of onlookers who joined in the commotion.

Watching the group rush away, Joseph and Hugo exchanged a glance and burst into laughter, but then they realized that they couldn't expose their location. They quickly covered their mouths, ran out of Yonghuo Street, and continued running until they were far away from the street. They hailed a taxi, got in, and only then did they release their hands and burst into laughter.

Tonight's experience was truly magical. Even though Hugo had personally experienced it, he still felt unreal, as if it were a plot that only appeared in TV dramas or movies. The distorted and screaming faces remained in Hugo's mind, but they were not the faces of real people; they resembled Edward Munch's abstract paintings, which made it even more comical.

"Sir, where are you going?" The taxi driver interrupted their laughter after driving down the street and inquired.

Joseph suddenly realized they hadn't mentioned their destination. "Uh, Four Seasons Hotel on Michigan Avenue," he said, bursting into laughter again. This was perhaps the most lighthearted laughter he had had in the past year.

Hugo finally managed to stop laughing, his stomach aching from the prolonged laughter. His brain began to function again, and he suddenly thought of something. "Joe, they kept asking me for autographs, but I didn't sign a single one. Will they be dissatisfied?"

Joseph seemed oblivious to the fact that Hugo referred to him as Joe instead of Joseph. It all felt so natural, and unconsciously, they had developed a friendship beyond their working relationship. For two people who were always guarded and vigilant, this was not an easy feat.

Joseph looked at the innocent Hugo, who still had a serious look on his face. This left Joseph both amused and exasperated. "Hugo, you know this kind of thinking is foolish, right?" Hugo didn't answer; instead, he gave Joseph a puzzled look, which was his way of providing his own answer. Joseph then had to explain, "You know you can't fulfill everyone's wishes. If a thousand people want your autograph, it's impossible to sign them all. There were hundreds of people on the red carpet, and due to time constraints, you can't interact with everyone. So, you can only satisfy the wishes of a small number of fans. That's a theorem. At the same time, it's a rule to maintain the fans' longing to meet their idols."

After hearing the first half, Hugo knew he had pulled a "Granny Liu" once again. Back when his band, Death or Glory, had fans, they weren't many. Actually, Hugo could remember almost every face, even though he had face blindness. There were always about twenty or thirty people that he recognized and interacted with, and he enjoyed that experience.

But now, Hugo was clearly facing a different level of situation. If he still wanted to satisfy every fan's wish, he might as well give up eating and sleeping. Moreover, if everything goes well, the number of fans will gradually increase in the future, making it even more difficult to cater to everyone. So, after Joseph's reminder, Hugo realized he was being unrealistic.

"And besides, in that situation just now, if you stayed to sign autographs, I suspect your clothes would have been torn off in no time," Joseph pointed to Hugo's T-shirt, which had already been pulled and deformed, as a reminder.

Hugo looked down and saw that his beloved T-shirt was practically ruined. He couldn't help but feel annoyed. "Ah, I really liked this T-shirt." Suddenly, Hugo remembered something and looked back at the rear of the taxi. However, it was evident that they had long left the area of Yonghuo Street. "What about dinner? What should we do about dinner?"

"Pizza?" Joseph could only recommend helplessly.

Hugo patted his forehead in regret. He knew it wouldn't be practical to go back to Yonghuo Street at this point. "I was looking forward to Chinese cuisine."

"You can order takeout," Joseph suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not the same eating in the restaurant," Hugo waved his hand in frustration. "Forget it, let's have pizza." He had been excited about a hometown cuisine feast, but now it was all ruined. Hugo didn't have the mood to order Chinese takeout anymore. It was truly disappointing. "So this is what those celebrities meant when they said going out is troublesome!"

Hugo finally experienced the feeling of being a celebrity in the truest sense. Many A-list stars faced difficulties when going out because they became the center of attention, attracting crowds and unwanted attention. It was an invasion of their private lives, with their personal time becoming subject to scrutiny. Hugo was gradually stepping onto the path of stardom and experiencing various aspects of celebrity life, both good and bad.

"Does that mean I can't go out anymore in the future?" Hugo said worriedly.

Joseph made a dismissive sound and showed a disdainful expression. "Even Tom Cruise doesn't face any issues when he goes out. You? Going out is absolutely not a problem. Today on Yonghuo Street was just an accident."

Although Joseph's words lacked any sense of sympathy, it made Hugo chuckle. However, Hugo realized that he was in the United States. The level of fan frenzy in Asia and Western countries was worlds apart. What the Western countries considered as frenzy would be considered small-scale in Asia. It was simply not enough to compare.

In Asia, a top artist could easily be mobbed on the streets, making it impossible for them to even go shopping. Fans would wait outside their homes day and night, impacting their private lives. It was a common occurrence.

But in Western countries, artists could go out on the streets without any problems. At most, they would attract more attention. Especially in cities like Los Angeles or New York, where actors were constantly seen by people, encountering a celebrity was seen as a normal occurrence. The real adoration in Western countries was mostly seen during premieres, red carpets, TV show recordings, and concerts, in other words, during their work.

Of course, Western countries also had their share of crazy fans, and their extremes were beyond imagination, making Asian fan frenzy seem like child's play. However, in terms of numbers, they simply couldn't be compared.

After being awakened by Joseph's words, Hugo also realized that today's incident could indeed be called an accident. Perhaps, on one hand, it was due to the recent success of "A Few Good Men", which was dominating December with great momentum. On the other hand, the environment of Yonghuo Street, belonging to a Chinese city, might have had some influence, although there were also many white people among the crowd that surrounded them earlier.

Back at the intersection of Yonghuo Street, after about fifteen minutes of busyness, the crowd finally realized that the protagonist had disappeared. They wanted to mob Hugo, but the problem was that Hugo was long gone. They were spinning in circles like clowns. After realizing this, rationality returned to their minds, and many people found it amusing and laughed as they dispersed.

However, there were still a small number of people complaining about Hugo's rudeness. He didn't give autographs, hugs, greetings, or even a hello. He fled as if he was being coerced. It left a bitter taste.

"He's not even fully famous yet and already acting like a big shot. Tsk, tsk..." Such comments quietly began to spread.