Under the mistletoe

Uma watched as Hugo maintained his slow, four-step stance. Due to the prolonged tension in his muscles, they had become somewhat stiff. However, Hugo never called out tiredness and persisted due to his concern for Uma. This made Uma find it somewhat amusing, but also filled her heart with sweetness.

"Shall we take a break outside?" Uma whispered softly in Hugo's ear, tiptoeing. Immediately, she saw a smile blossom on Hugo's lips, eager to agree. Seeing Hugo like this, Uma couldn't help but laugh out loud, letting Hugo lead her hand as they walked towards the backyard.

On Beverly Hills, scattered lights twinkled like countless fireflies nestled in a dark forest, resembling a sparkling and shimmering river flowing gently. As they left the indoors, the cold wind immediately struck them, causing them to shiver involuntarily. Even Hugo, wearing a suit, felt the chill, but Uma, wearing only a white strapless satin lace evening gown, felt even colder. Hugo embraced Uma in his arms, warming her with his body temperature, then turned around, shielding them both from the cold wind.

In the backyard, there were also many guests mingling, no less lively than the hall. A huge bar counter was set up in the garden, and next to it was a DJ booth playing music different from the one in the hall, creating a youthful and lively atmosphere. It seemed that the backyard was filled with young people, and the atmosphere was more casual, while the hall was relatively more formal. It seemed that Hugo and Uma had chosen the wrong place earlier.

Uma gestured to the casual dance moves in the garden. "You're more comfortable here." Most people here just followed the rhythm and danced without any specific style. Even those who couldn't dance could still enjoy themselves by tapping their feet in place.

Hugo knew Uma was teasing him, and he wrinkled his nose, revealing his white and neat teeth, emitting a low growl like a young wolf cub, as if ready to attack at any moment. Then he slowly approached Uma, which made her burst into laughter. Hastily, she lifted her hands and cupped Hugo's cheeks, preventing him from getting any closer. However, when it came to strength, Uma and Hugo were not in the same league. Soon, she felt the warm breath from Hugo's cheek and neck, causing her heartbeat to involuntarily accelerate.

"Stop teasing," Uma bit her lip, trying hard to suppress her laughter. Now that there were people all around, both in the hall behind them and in the garden in front of them, Uma didn't want to embarrass herself here. She quickly surrendered, "My mistake, my mistake." This made Hugo chuckle softly, his eyes full of victorious teasing. Uma glared at Hugo in embarrassment and then whispered, "Are you sure it's okay to come out? I think there's a greater chance Sydney is inside."

Only then did Hugo look up, no longer joking. He looked through Uma's shoulder towards the hall and said, "This is Sydney's house. If he doesn't want to be found, then we definitely won't be able to." While conversing with Tom Cruise and others earlier, Hugo had constantly surveyed the surroundings. Although his attention had to be focused on his dance steps, he had been distracted searching for Sydney's figure, increasing the chances of making mistakes. Unfortunately, Hugo had not seen Sydney's figure but had caught glimpses of Joseph's busy figure twice.

Uma also looked towards the backyard from Hugo's shoulder, searching all around. It had to be said that tonight's New Year's Eve party was truly lively. Within their line of sight, they could see nearly two hundred people, making it difficult to find Sydney in such a surging crowd.

Hugo redirected his attention and said somewhat helplessly, "There's no use rushing. It's his party today, and he'll show up later. Just wait." They had just arrived at the party not long ago, and things needed to unfold step by step.

"However, there are so many directors and producers at the party today. You can get to know them first," Uma's attention was drawn away by the familiar yet unfamiliar figures within her line of sight. She couldn't help but feel excited. This was a place filled with opportunities, and if she could seize one of them, it would have immeasurable impact on her acting career.

Quietly, Hugo took out a twig from his suit pocket and held it above their heads. With his free left hand, he lightly tapped Uma's face, urging her to shift her gaze from the crowd in the garden to his face. "I don't think they are more attractive than me," Hugo said in a seemingly nonsensical manner, which left Uma puzzled. However, a smile curved at the corner of Hugo's mouth. "Take a look at where we are standing right now. You overlooked me, and I'm quite disappointed."

"What?" Uma still couldn't comprehend Hugo's sudden remark. Then she followed Hugo's gaze as it drifted away. She couldn't help but look up along with him and noticed the verdant branch above their heads. It was a brown twig with two branches, some green leaves, and a cluster of red berries.

It was mistletoe.

Uma finally realized what it meant. Unable to contain her excitement, her smile bloomed fully. Then Uma saw Hugo purse his lips slightly, half-closing his eyes, and say, "Now you should know what to do, right?"

Listening to Hugo's deep voice tinged with a hint of childishness, Uma couldn't resist and burst into laughter. But faced with the anticipation in Hugo's eyes, she tiptoed and leaned closer to Hugo, leaving a kiss on his lips. The warmth of their lips mingled, gradually dispelling the coldness of the outdoors.

At that moment, the surrounding noise seemed to fade away, as if the whole world had narrowed down to just Uma and Hugo. The faintly trembling heartbeat adorned everything with a hazy halo, so beautiful that it felt unreal.

Uma slowly parted her lips from Hugo's, gently biting her own, placing her hands on Hugo's chest, and whispered softly, "It's not Christmas today. Why did you prepare mistletoe? Really..." From the corner of her eye, she saw that Hugo's right hand was still holding the mistletoe above their heads. It must have been tiring to hold it up for so long. Uma couldn't help but laugh out loud. "The kiss is over. You can put down the mistletoe now."

Hugo lifted the corners of his mouth and said, "I always hope for a proper ending." With that, he put down his right hand, placing the mistletoe in his left suit pocket, just like he was fastening a bouquet of roses. This action made Uma burst into laughter once again.

After the kiss, Hugo wrapped his hands around Uma's waist. "This is to make up for missing Christmas," he said, pulling Uma into his embrace. "Do you know why two people kiss under the mistletoe during Christmas?"

Uma raised an eyebrow. "Why? I'm not really familiar with it. Isn't it just a tradition?"

"Even traditions have origins," Hugo said with a smile. "Throughout history, mistletoe has been called the 'golden bough' of life. But in Norse mythology, mistletoe is the only thing that could harm Balder, the son of the gods Odin and Frigg, who represents beauty and love. At the instigation of the dark god Hodur, Balder was killed by a dart made from mistletoe. When Frigg learned of this, she was devastated and sought to save her son. Her tears of sorrow transformed the evil of mistletoe, and Balder was revived. As a result, Frigg made a promise that whoever stands under the mistletoe would receive a kiss."

Listening to Hugo's storytelling in his gentle voice, Uma felt a wave of warmth. She couldn't help but curl up in Hugo's embrace and asked, "So?"

Hugo chuckled. "Frigg is the goddess of love. Therefore, standing under the mistletoe and kissing symbolizes receiving the blessing of the goddess of love, which eventually evolved into the tradition of Christmas."

Now Uma understood what Hugo meant. She lifted her head and rested her chin on Hugo's chest. "So, you want to receive Frigg's blessing?"

This question made Hugo blush slightly, but he chuckled and said, "No, I mean, even if it's not Christmas, it's still okay to kiss under the mistletoe."

In fact, what Hugo didn't say was that in Norse mythology, Frigg is the goddess in charge of marriage. The most widespread belief about mistletoe is that if an unmarried woman passes under it during Christmas and fails to receive a kiss from a man, it means she won't be able to get married in the following year. Hugo thought of this part, which made it somewhat difficult to speak. After all, he and Uma were far from discussing the topic of "marriage".

Hugo's explanation earned Uma a teasing look, making Hugo somewhat helpless. Fortunately, Joseph's arrival saved Hugo. "There you are! Let's go meet Sydney." Accompanying Joseph was good news. "He specifically set aside ten minutes for you."

"So, does that mean the audition is tonight?" Hugo also snapped out of his thoughts, releasing Uma and asking nervously. Although the main purpose of tonight was this, unexpected changes were still somewhat surprising. Sydney had never mentioned the audition before, and within one day, so many things had happened—the olive branch from Ron in the morning, Joseph's relentless pursuit in the afternoon, and now Sydney's official meeting in the evening. Everything was happening too quickly.

Joseph nodded. "I think so."

Hugo took a deep breath, then turned to look at Uma. From now on, it would be work, and he wouldn't be able to accompany Uma. Since Uma wasn't the one auditioning, she remained calm. "You should go. I'll be fine on my own."

Hugo kissed Uma's cheek and then turned to quickly leave with Joseph. Uma watched Hugo's figure as he walked away, standing for a while. Soon, she couldn't see Hugo anymore, but instead, she was surrounded by countless actors, directors, and producers. Uma's heartbeat accelerated at this moment, and nervousness swept over her. Because Uma knew that before her were countless opportunities, and whether she could seize them would depend on herself.