Friends

Hugo felt that the world was truly wonderful. The mysterious music student who lived on the fourth floor was actually Hugo's acquaintance from the rock night, the drummer, Eugene.

Eugene's full name was Draupnir Hugin Reinhardt, but he was nicknamed Eugene because of his obscure Nordic-ish names. Obviously, he was German. He had come to Los Angeles just to study music. He was the same age as Hugo and had a background in music education in Germany. However, driven by his passion for his musical dreams, he always wanted to come to the United States, where the music industry was more developed. So he left his hometown without hesitation and came to Los Angeles.

Currently, Eugene had his own band, "Brand New Day", and was somewhat famous in the underground rock music scene. Apart from attending classes at school, he spent most of his time performing or hanging out with friends. As a result, he rarely stayed at home, and he didn't have many opportunities to meet Joseph and Karl. That's why Hugo had only just seen him today.

"So, are you planning to perform tonight?" Eugene had only exchanged a few words with Hugo before he shifted the conversation back to music. From his deep eyes, one could even see the flames burning brightly, easily perceiving his passion for music and the challenge he was issuing to Hugo.

Hugo couldn't help but be amused by Eugene's urgency and laughed sincerely. "Oh no, at least not tonight. Tonight belongs to the New Year, it belongs to everyone, and should not be limited to one special person or moment." After such an exhausting day, Hugo just wanted to relax and unwind completely. "Of course, if you want, you know where I live."

Eugene chuckled at Hugo's humor and patted his shoulder in a hearty manner. "Then I'll look forward to the next time. I hope this anticipation won't disappoint me."

Faced with Eugene's good-natured and spirited challenge, Hugo raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying, "I hope it won't be me who disappoints you." This caused Eugene's smile to overflow between his brows.

Meanwhile, Alex pulled Eugene to play darts again, while Joseph was dragged by Karl to watch the competition. Leonardo and Tobey had already gone to the queue to get beer. Charlize walked over to Hugo, holding a beer and took a big sip. "Where's your beer? It seems like you don't fit in with the party atmosphere at all."

In fact, Hugo had just arrived and hadn't had a chance to get a beer. He looked at Charlize and laughed, "I suppose you haven't reached the legal drinking age yet? What about your driver's license? Show it to me for inspection!"

Charlize was only eighteen years old this year, so she hadn't reached the legal drinking age. But she was not at all flustered and gave Hugo a disdainful look, "Discussing laws at a party, the worst way to ruin a party is this, don't you know?" This made Hugo laugh helplessly. "And by the way, your outfit," Charlize said while shaking her head, "I'm really worried that people won't know you're a fool."

Almost everyone at the party tonight was dressed casually, making Hugo's black suit stand out. For some reason, it reminded Hugo of the scene earlier in the afternoon when he discussed party attire with Uma. Hugo took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing his thoughts, and pointed to his left chest. "Haven't you noticed that this is the highlight of the whole outfit?"

Charlize saw the mistletoe and burst into laughter. "Don't tell me you're wearing that to satisfy your hunger?" This unusual response made Hugo burst into laughter as well. Mistletoe bears red fruits that are edible, which is why Charlize made such a humorous remark.

After they finished laughing, Charlize fell silent for a moment. She noticed that Uma was nowhere to be seen, but she didn't know what had happened and was unsure whether she should ask. After hesitating for a while, she finally spoke up, "So, did everything go smoothly tonight?"

When Alex and Karl saw Hugo earlier, they were mostly surprised and didn't mention "The Firm". Now, hearing Charlize bring it up, Hugo's smile faltered for a moment, and then he casually replied, "No, my part is over." He also pouted and made a funny face, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere, but unfortunately, it didn't have much effect.

Charlize glanced at Hugo with disdain in her eyes and said, "So, are you disappointed? Are you heartbroken?"

Hugo was taken aback by Charlize's words and instantly felt a bit annoyed. Charlize didn't know what had happened today, and there were many reasons why Hugo was disappointed, not just because of "The Firm". Hugo wanted to retort but realized that there were too many things to explain. He ended up standing there powerless.

Charlize continued, "Is it your fault that you missed this project?" Hugo stood still, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head. Charlize nodded, "That's right. Some idiot once told me that there are many things in this world that we can't control, like earthquakes or hurricanes. It's the same in life. So, give it your all, work hard, and that's enough. As for the results, let them come naturally. Especially for failures that aren't your fault, there's no need to be disappointed. If it's your own mistake, you have to correct it and bounce back. But if it's not, learn from it and face it with a smile."

As Hugo looked at Charlize's contemptuous expression, his anger dissipated and he couldn't help but smile. The "idiot" Charlize referred to was himself. Not long ago, Hugo had advised Charlize in the same way when she couldn't find a job for half a year. It was a frustrating situation, and he encouraged her to focus on her acting studies and training, waiting for the opportunity to arise. Sure enough, shortly after that, Charlize got her first job.

Unexpectedly, today Charlize used the same words to comfort him, which Hugo found amusing.

"Did that idiot tell you that many times we know the right thing, but when faced with a situation, we can't handle it correctly?" Hugo said with a chuckle. "It's like knowing that pursuing certain music dreams is foolish, that we might never become Michael Jackson or reach the heights of The Beatles, but many people still persist."

Charlize smacked her lips, took another sip of beer, and said, "That's why we need friends. We need friends by our side to remind us, to warn us, so that we can find the right direction in the bewildering life."

Hugo laughed heartily, genuinely from the heart.

After seeing Hugo's smile, Charlize also understood. She and Hugo were friends, and if she deliberately avoided Uma, that wouldn't be normal. Just like when Uma appeared this afternoon, there was no need for her to avoid or be nervous because she and Hugo were open and honest with each other, without any hidden agenda.

"So, where's your girl?" After figuring everything out, Charlize asked directly.

Hugo still had a smile on his face and shrugged. "She stayed there."

"Hey, man, she definitely wants you to stay with her," Charlize complained. "You're not considerate at all, not a gentleman."

Hugo chuckled in frustration. "If I'm not mistaken, you're my friend, right?"

"But I'm a girl!" Charlize shrugged.

"But I need a friend!" Hugo gritted his teeth and looked at Charlize with resentment.

Charlize sighed in resignation. "Alright, alright. Poor giant, why did you leave her alone there?"

"Because I believe my friends need me, not those... directors, producers," Hugo paused and sighed. "And I also need my friends, not the hypocrisy and scheming for personal gain."

Charlize looked at Hugo in surprise and said, "You're not a good boyfriend." This immediately made Hugo angry, and Charlize quickly added, "But you're a good friend and a loyal man." This made Hugo widen his eyes, not jumping up this time, but still looking unwilling. Charlize chuckled, "Let's put aside other matters for now and welcome the new year with friends. How about having a drink?"

Hugo looked around and said, "I'm waiting for my first beer."

Just as they were talking, Leonardo and Tobey excitedly approached each person with four beers in hand, distributing them to those who didn't have any. Hugo was the first to receive his own glass, and he lifted it, shouting loudly, "To the new year, to friends!"

The small circle of people around, whether they knew each other or not, upon hearing these words, raised their glasses and shouted happily, "To the new year, to friends!" Then everyone tilted their heads back and started drinking.

Hugo felt the cold beer slide down his throat, the refreshing sensation causing him to shudder involuntarily. He tilted his head back and ended up chugging the entire glass of beer. Due to chugging it too quickly, a lot of it spilled and flowed down his neck, wetting his clean shirt. When Hugo finished the whole glass of beer, he noticed several people looking at him. He slammed the beer glass onto the table with a loud "thud" and swiftly took off his suit, tossing it onto the table. "What, you guys can't handle more than a sip? Pathetic!"

Under Hugo's provocation, Leonardo couldn't help but exclaim, "Who said that!" Then he tilted his head back and started chugging the beer. The rest of the people naturally refused to be outdone, and one by one, they tilted their heads back and started chugging the beer. Even Charlize, not one to back down, finished her glass of beer in one go.

Hugo's smile blossomed fully on his face as he raised his right hand. "Who wants another round?"