Charlie gripped the Colonel's gun tightly, trying to snatch it away, but the Colonel refused to let go. At the same time, he didn't want to hurt Charlie, causing both men to stumble against the cabinets by the wall. The Colonel pinned Charlie against a cabinet and struggled to reclaim the pistol. Finally, the Colonel succeeded; his left hand grabbed Charlie's shirt collar while his right hand pointed the pistol at Charlie's head. Like an enraged lion, he roared, "Get out!""I'm not leaving!" Pointed at by the dark barrel of the pistol, at the moment his life was threatened, Charlie squeezed his eyes shut. However, his clenched teeth, visible through the tension in his facial lines, conveyed his inner anxiety and resolve. He had completely thrown caution to the wind, even risking the danger of the pistol in front of him misfiring at any second, as he bravely confronted the Colonel's fury head-on!"Get out of here!" The Colonel shook Charlie violently, roaring once more.This time, Charlie's eyes flew open. Those clear amber eyes were filled with fear, but his words remained unwavering, firm and resonant: "I'm not leaving!""I'll blow your head off!" The Colonel's right hand brandished the pistol as he continued to shout, though his voice gradually grew quieter.Instead, Charlie's voice grew louder and more certain despite its trembling. "Shoot! If you're going to shoot, then do it! Hurry up!" He was provoking the Colonel in his own way. Although his words said one thing, his rapid breathing betrayed his inner terror. Those beautiful eyes were even more unsettled, shimmering slightly as they scanned back and forth between the Colonel and the pistol. Finally, they landed on the Colonel's angry expression, and he stared back steadfastly into the Colonel's lifeless eyes.Helpless against Charlie's defiance, the Colonel could only shake him in anger, repeating through gritted teeth, "Get out of here!"Charlie saw through the Colonel's internal conflict and rage, and he finally gathered the courage to vent his own anger at the Colonel. "You messed up, so what?" He ignored the dark muzzle of the gun and shouted at the Colonel's aged face, "Everyone makes mistakes. You should move forward, shouldn't you?""Move forward to what!" The Colonel's raspy and fierce voice interrupted Charlie, leaving him momentarily at a loss for words. "I haven't had a life for a long time!" The Colonel stared blankly ahead, roaring in anger, "I live in the dark! Do you understand?" The Colonel's roar, like that of a wounded beast—"I live in the dark!"—caused a faint mist of tears to cloud Charlie's vision.Charlie panted, looking at the dejected Colonel before him. "Then just give up! Fine, wallow in self-despair... because I'm giving up too." Charlie's young face was filled with a fearless light, his eyes more determined than ever. "You're right, I'm finished, we're both finished, there's no hope. So let's just do it! Just... fucking pull the trigger!" As Charlie shouted, he closed his eyes, turning away from the pistol in the Colonel's hand. The fear in his eyes was vivid, yet the words from his mouth were so firm. Such contradiction was woven together on his tender, young face. "You pathetic blind man!"Charlie's words caused the color to drain from the Colonel's face until it was ashen. He couldn't say a word. Charlie delivered the final blow: "Pull the trigger!" His tone wasn't loud; instead, it had settled, but the tremor in his voice was even more moving, touching the softest part of the Colonel's heart."Ready, Charlie!" The Colonel raised the pistol in his right hand.Charlie panted rapidly, but his words remained firmly at odds with his expression. "I'm ready!" However, the fear of death made his lower lip tremble, and the mist in his eyes gradually gathered again, making that clear light brown color seem transparent, allowing one to see right through him.The Colonel's ears keenly picked up on this. "You don't want to die!""Neither do you." Charlie also saw through the Colonel's heart. This was the first time in all their time together that he truly stood on equal footing with the Colonel to have a conversation."Give me a reason." The Colonel was still unwilling to let go."I'll give you two." Charlie thought for a moment, pursing his dry lips. "You can dance the tango, and you drive a Ferrari better than anyone I've ever seen."These words actually made the Colonel let out an unexpected sigh of relief, though he still said, "You haven't seen anyone else do those two things before, have you?""Give me the gun." Even though fear had taken hold of Charlie's heart, his words still refused to yield. It was just like how he faced things at school; even if he knew emotionally that it would be easier to give in, his principles weren't like that. He would still stand firm on his principles, unwilling to change.Charlie's steadfastness finally caused the Colonel to waver. He held the gun unsteadily and whispered, "Oh, what should I do, Charlie?""If you get tangled up, just tango on." The mist in Charlie's eyes gradually converged into tears, swirling in his eye sockets as his eyes began to redden, but the determination in his tone never changed. This was what the Colonel had said before teaching Donna to dance the tango, and now Charlie was quoting it back to him."Are you asking me to dance, Charlie?" The Colonel said softly, and then began to hum gently, "'You never thought of gliding away, yet your heart yearned to stay'..." His left hand gradually released Charlie's collar.Once freed, the tears in Charlie's eyes finally became too heavy and slid down. They were tears of relief for surviving a disaster, and also because the Colonel had finally regained his senses and truly abandoned the idea of suicide. Charlie didn't want to cry at all, but the tears kept falling, making his eyes look clearer than ever before."Do you like my blue uniform?" The Colonel patted his uniform, bringing up a topic of conversation as if he were relaxed.Tears slowly slid down from Charlie's eyes, and his slightly trembling lips betrayed his current fear. Only now did he allow his inner terror to show its teeth. The crystalline tears made the young, tender Charlie look so fragile. "Yes, it's beautiful!""I wore them... to Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration. Of course, we weren't the most important guests." Tears calmly slid down the Colonel's aged face, but he seemed completely unaware. Only those clouded eyes were now so weary. "But he came over to say hello."Facing the Colonel's memory, Charlie spoke again, "Please give me the pistol." The impact of those crystalline tears, paired with such a fragile gaze and such certain words, was even stronger. The surging emotions in his heart shimmered slightly within the tears, making it impossible not to be moved."You are asking an officer to surrender his weapon," the Colonel asked tiredly, his previous momentum gone."You don't have to surrender it, just put it down." The clear tears in Charlie's eyes continued to fall. "Okay? Just put it down." This youthful face held the fragility of someone under immense pressure, but he used his determination to make the Colonel turn toward the dressing table, preparing to put the gun down."Son, I need a drink, Charlie." The Colonel turned around, his back to Charlie, speaking in a low and weary voice. However, the previous aura of violence or despondency was settling down bit by bit.At this moment, the tearful Charlie didn't look pathetic at all. His eyes gradually regained their spirit, and his expression grew firm. Panting, he resisted the Colonel's request for the first time. "How about a cup of coffee?" Only his still-trembling lips showed that he had just experienced a soul-shaking adventure."That's too big a leap for me right now, Charlie." The Colonel placed the pistol on the dressing table. "Maybe tomorrow, ha!" The Colonel laughed self-deprecatingly. "No, a Jack Daniel's would be a better choice." He began to remove the magazine from the pistol, then turned around and said, "Neat, Charlie!"Charlie shifted his gaze away from the gun in the Colonel's hand and let out a soft breath. He knew he had done it; he had finally persuaded the Colonel not to choose to end his life. But he didn't gloat; those amber eyes held only more determination and the lingering palpitations of having survived a disaster. "Neat.""Thank you," the Colonel said softly. This was the first time he had been so polite."Cut!" Martin's voice came through clearly, sounding very abrupt on the silent set. Then Martin was seen suddenly standing up amidst the frozen crowd. His body language and expression showed a vivid sense of joy. Obviously, the energy Hugo exploded with in this scene just now made him look at him in a new light, and he even wanted to clap in admiration!At this moment, the Staff Members on set were somewhat dumbfounded. Especially those who didn't think highly of Hugo; their slightly open mouths and motionless bodies revealed their inner shock without any disguise. In this scene, Hugo had completely exploded, contributing a jaw-droppingly brilliant scene alongside Al. This level of impact left even the battle-hardened Staff Members speechless and unable to move.With his direct actions, Hugo had set off a psychological storm.But Hugo, who had just completed this feat, had no time to ask Martin how things were. He didn't even have the chance to observe the state of the other Staff Members. He only knew that the filming of this scene had stopped. He could finally enter his own world to converse with the character of Charlie. He was currently completely immersed in the character's state, occupied by a weave of fear, fragility, determination, and fearlessness, unable to think about anything else.Hugo just stood there dazed, his eyes still filled with tears and a mix of infinite sadness and fear swirling within them.
