"Sorry, and your names are…?" Hugo's expression was very gentle, wearing the demeanor of someone humbly seeking advice, but this modest attitude only made his words all the more sarcastic. The two people before him were left speechless, their words caught in their throats. Hugo slightly raised his brows, showing a look of sudden realization. "Never mind, once A River Runs Through It is released, we'll find out."
The blond straight-haired man was instantly enraged, his hair even seemed to sway from the heat rising off his head, a vivid image of "bristling with anger," making one wonder if his hair were any shorter, would it puff up like a lion's mane—or perhaps like a peacock fanning its feathers.
"You listen here, my name is George Wood!" The blond man practically roared. If it weren't for the black curly-haired man beside him holding him back, he might have charged forward like a Spanish bull. "Remember this name, because I will definitely be the nightmare of your acting career!"
"You mean the Scottish goalkeeper? Don't worry, I don't play soccer, we won't have any direct clashes." Hugo's retort was so light and casual, it was like a bucket of cold water poured over George's head. The man's fluffed-up hair instantly deflated and returned to normal. Hugo nearly burst out laughing at the sight.
Many people nearby were watching the drama unfold. In fact, not many knew about the minor scuffle during the A River Runs Through It audition, as such rivalry and comparisons were ubiquitous in Hollywood. But among the young men auditioning for Scent of a Woman today, there were indeed some who had witnessed that scene back then, and now all eyes were fixed on them in curiosity.
The issue was, almost no one understood Hugo's previous comment—why did he suddenly bring up soccer? In truth, Hugo was mocking how common the name "George Wood" was in Western circles, akin to how "Xiao Ming" is a generic name in Chinese. Back in the 1970s, there was an obscure Scottish goalkeeper named George Wood who had played for teams like Blackpool, Arsenal FC, and Everton Football Club.
About three seconds later, someone finally got the joke and let out an uncontrollable laugh. Soon others began asking what was going on, and the explanation spread like wildfire. The expressions of the crowd quickly became rather peculiar.
As for George, he had no idea what the joke meant. It felt like Hugo was mocking his intelligence, and the laughter around him was unbearably harsh. He couldn't tolerate it. He broke free from the grip of the black curly-haired man beside him and dashed forward, coming to a stop right in front of Hugo.
But George immediately realized something was off. Hugo stood six feet tall and wasn't skinny either. In contrast, George was only five feet nine (1.75 meters), making him seem shorter in comparison. However, George had more muscle than Hugo and resembled someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger in physique. Realizing his lack of presence, George started waving his massive fists, each nearly two-thirds the size of Hugo's face.
"Fk your mother, fk you, you goddamn idiot, go to hell…" George's bloodshot eyes were wide with rage, his entire body exuding a menacing aura like he was about to explode. He looked as if he could devour Hugo any second. In fact, had Hugo shown even the slightest fear, George might have crushed him then and there.
But Hugo didn't give him the chance. "Shut up!" Hugo's warm smile froze at the corners of his lips, and his gentle eyes suddenly radiated an equally fearsome presence. He took half a step forward, closing the small gap between them, and the two of them bumped directly into each other. The situation was now on the verge of erupting into chaos.
Faced with Hugo's daunting presence, George's feet wobbled as if he might step back, but he gritted his teeth and held his ground. Then Hugo's voice rang out clearly, "If you want to throw hands, come at me. Don't just shout like a sissy." Hugo's fists were already clenched. He wasn't going to back down in the face of a direct provocation. Still, there wasn't a trace of nervousness on his face—on the contrary, his smile returned. "Or are you…" As he said this, Hugo's gaze dropped down, clearly focusing on George's lower half.
That look was far more effective than any insult. The surrounding spectators instantly burst into laughter.
Whatever reason George had left was completely gone. He only knew that he had been humiliated and had to fight back. He raised his fist and swung it at Hugo's face.
Hugo had been in the underground rock scene for ten years, and provocations of this level were practically a daily occurrence. Though he was never one to start trouble, if someone brought it to his door, he wasn't the type to back down either. The moment the veins on George's neck popped, Hugo raised his right arm and successfully blocked George's powerful left hook.
Before Hugo could make his next move, he caught a blur from the corner of his eye—someone darted in and pushed hard against George's chest with both hands, sending him sprawling backward. Only then did Hugo see clearly—it was Joseph!
Joseph gave George no time to react. Shielding Hugo behind him, he snarled, "If you still want a chance to pass your audition, you better calm down. Cause making a scene here means you'll be disqualified the next second!" Joseph's resolute and stern words froze the rage on George's face, and the crowd quickly averted their eyes and shuffled away.
Joseph's words reminded everyone that this was Universal Studios' open audition site for "Scent of a Woman." Causing trouble here would be equivalent to destroying their future with their own hands. No one wanted to face such a consequence.
Watching George sit back down, his expression flickering, even the black-haired, curly-headed William didn't want to help him up, fearing he'd get dragged into it. Only then did Joseph turn around, his icy blue eyes sharply staring at Hugo. "You better behave and stop causing trouble!"
Hugo originally wanted to thank Joseph for stepping in, but before he could even speak, Joseph scolded him right away. Hugo wanted to explain, but after hesitating, he swallowed his words. Although today's incident wasn't his fault, Joseph, as his agent, was only scolding him out of concern, so there was no need to argue. Besides, Hugo realized that Joseph was probably worried that Hugo Lancaster would relapse and cause more trouble, which explained the urgency. That made it even less necessary to explain.
"I got it." Hugo's response left Joseph speechless for a moment. He was about to continue yelling, but then realized that Hugo had just admitted his mistake like that, which caught him off guard. Seeing Joseph's stunned expression, Hugo showed a faint smile. "Joseph, I said I got it."
But that wasn't the end. After a pause, Hugo added, "But I have to make it clear: he was the one who provoked me. He already swung his fist at my face. I don't have a masochistic tendency." That one sentence left Joseph both amused and exasperated.
"Hugo Lancaster!" An angry low growl from behind made Joseph turn his head again and see George standing back up. Actually, Joseph had only pushed George slightly earlier to create some distance, so George wasn't that embarrassed. But George felt as if he had been gravely humiliated, and his face turned as dark as a burnt pan.
George took two steps forward, but the moment Joseph's large frame slightly leaned forward, George's footsteps halted in place. "Do you dare to bet with me on who will win the audition?"
Hugo really couldn't understand George's logic. What kind of theory was that? Did he think they were the only two people auditioning today? Were all the others just invisible?
"Who are you?" Hugo asked directly, the subtext being, "Who the hell do you think you are?" That immediately made George clench his fists again. "And who do you think that Stone guy next to you is? Isn't he a competitor? Oh, sorry, that's just a rock." Hugo's offhand remark immediately dragged William Stone into the line of fire, but Hugo didn't give them time to respond. "So let me get this straight. Do you think all the competitors behind you don't exist?"
But George didn't care. He just barreled forward, continuing to say, "I don't care. I just want to ask, do you dare to bet with me?" The sparse onlookers around all showed disdainful expressions. Everyone here today clearly hoped to stand out in the audition, so who would agree with such a meaningless bet?
"I refuse." Hugo's answer made George suck in a breath, almost choking on his own saliva. By all logic, when someone issues a direct challenge, any man would accept. But Hugo declined so cleanly and decisively—it was bizarre.
However, Hugo's next words immediately changed the atmosphere. "If a dog tries to bite me, and I bite it back, all I get is a mouthful of dog hair. So what if I win?" This sentence held two meanings: on the surface, it was a direct insult to George's worthlessness; but beneath that, it also showed Hugo's confidence in winning the audition.
As soon as he said that, Joseph looked at Hugo with new eyes. This Hugo was definitely much more interesting. But to George, the words were like a bomb exploding right by his ears. Yet he couldn't refute them, because Hugo hadn't named anyone specifically. If George answered, he'd be admitting he was the dog, and George wasn't that stupid.
So George stood there like a wooden stake ready to explode at any moment, watching as Hugo and Joseph turned around and walked away.
....
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