"Roommates?" Hugo still couldn't believe it. He looked at Charlize again to confirm; this whole thing was just too strange.Hugo had first shared a romantic night with Charlize, then caused a misunderstanding due to his withdrawal symptoms. Even though he had clearly explained everything, he had lost contact with her afterward, trying so many times to speak with her again to no avail. And yet, the next time they met, it was because Charlize wanted to move in as his roommate? And this was after she had witnessed Uma leaving his room. This—this was truly too bizarre, wasn't it?Charlize looked at Hugo's eyes, which were filled with confusion, though a faint glimmer of expectation could still be seen within those clear, amber depths. She forced herself to cut through her tangled emotions and suppress them. "Yeah, is there a problem with that? Your place is open for roommates anyway; it's perfectly normal for anyone to move in. Besides, we're friends. Living together is better than having a complete stranger move in, right?"Friends... Hugo heard Charlize's indifferent definition and his expression faltered."As a girl, if I don't mind living with two guys, what are you complaining about?" Charlize had fully recovered her composure by now. She walked to the center of the living room, inspecting the decor and furnishings. "Even if anyone were to protest, it should be me, right? Living under the same roof as two men—surely I'm the one who would be most inconvenienced."Charlize hit the nail on the head, leaving Hugo speechless. "But, didn't you used to live with Terra?""You remember Terra?" Charlize was somewhat surprised. "She went to Paris, so I had to move."Hugo stood where he was, watching Charlize as she looked around the house freely. She didn't speak. At this moment, Charlize was so relaxed and casual—no tension, no panic, no nervousness, no unease, no awkwardness. Everything was so normal, as if nothing had happened between them before.Hugo recalled the past two months. He had first tried to explain the situation of that day as honestly as possible to Charlize through Terra, but after that, Charlize had cut off all communication. Hugo had originally thought there might be some misunderstanding and that Charlize was angry, which was why she refused to answer his calls. But looking at Charlize's behavior today, she simply didn't care about that night at all. Hugo had previously believed they had mutual feelings, but now it seemed that wasn't the case—it had just been wishful thinking on his part.Now that Charlize could calmly treat him as a friend, what about himself? Hugo asked himself. He couldn't refuse. Perhaps he couldn't nurture those feelings into something more, and now all those feelings had been snuffed out, but at least they could be friends. Their previous conversations had always been pleasant—whether it was the first time he'd made a fool of himself or their second dinner. So, perhaps a friendship was the most appropriate relationship.Hugo took a deep breath and picked up the conversation. "She went to Paris? What is going on here? Why did you end up with Carl? Carl, you didn't tell me yesterday that you'd found a tenant for our other room so quickly."Now that Hugo had calmed down, he realized that he hadn't made sense of the chaos from this morning at all; there were just too many questions. Noticing Charlize's eyes intentionally darting away, Hugo realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. He quickly went into his room, threw on a T-shirt, and came back out to help Carl move all of Charlize's luggage into the room on the left side of the dining room.So, that was how it happened.Not long ago, after Terra returned from New York Fashion Week empty-handed, she had been dejected. She realized that, regardless of her looks or skin color, it wasn't easy to make a name for herself in the American modeling industry. However, Terra refused to give up. She firmly believed she could become a top model, so after much consideration, she decided to go to Paris to develop her career.As the fashion capital of the world, Paris had a level of inclusivity and maturity in its modeling industry that was a grade above New York and Los Angeles. The opportunities available to Black people there were far greater than in the United States. Perhaps by going to Paris, Terra could really carve out a path for herself.Terra's experience had actually touched Charlize as well. After her recent experience at New York Fashion Week, she realized that the hardships of the modeling industry were far more profound than she had understood, and most models would never give up an opportunity to transition into acting. This made Charlize realize how precious the second invitation from Carl Earl was.After returning to Los Angeles, Charlize took the initiative to contact Carl and expressed her willingness to sign. Overjoyed, Carl signed Charlize to his agency as quickly as possible, fearing that if he were even a little bit slower, Charlize might change her mind.After signing Charlize, Carl didn't have time to arrange acting training for her, as he himself was at a crossroads. It had been difficult for Carl to get Joseph's help to move in together. Only after Carl had settled his own affairs did he learn that Charlize was also facing a dilemma of needing a new place to live.Besides Alex and Hugo, there was an empty room on the third floor, which provided convenience for Carl. Whether it was about looking after her nearby, splitting the rent, or the issue of roommates, Carl couldn't find a better option, so he discussed it with the landlord and quickly made the decision.This had been decided the day before yesterday, but Carl had kept forgetting to tell Hugo. Even the matter of signing Charlize had been forgotten until now because he was too busy, and he hadn't even told Joseph yet. That was what caused today's misunderstanding.After hearing the full story, Hugo couldn't help but sigh. Both his first meeting with Charlize and their reunion today were filled with countless surprises that caught him off guard."Charlize, sorry, I forgot to tell you that Hugo lives here. You don't mind, right?" Although Carl had mentioned Charlize to Hugo twice before, the information he had indicated that Hugo and Charlize were only acquaintances, not friends at all. Therefore, Carl hadn't remembered to tell Charlize about this, and naturally, he hadn't told Hugo either.Charlize glanced at Hugo. Their gazes met, but both of them awkwardly looked away. "It's fine. You told me the roommates were both men, so I was already mentally prepared." In fact, although it was a shared living arrangement, she still had her own private space; it was just a shared bathroom. This type of living arrangement was very common in Los Angeles and wasn't a problem for Charlize. As for Hugo, it shouldn't have any special meaning.Hugo then remembered, "Where are Alex and Joseph?" He hadn't seen either of them since he got up this morning."Joseph went to the company. I don't know if the audition results are out yet." Carl knew this much. "As for Alex, I don't know. I got up early this morning to help Charlize move.""Audition?" Since she had decided to be friends with Hugo, and they would be living under the same roof, Charlize didn't want to keep being awkward, so she took the initiative to ask, "You auditioned again?""Yes." Hugo looked up at Charlize. Seeing the clear and open expression in her eyes, he didn't dodge anymore and smiled back. "But the competition is Tom Cruise, so it won't be that easy.""Who?" Charlize's words made Hugo and Carl look at each other, and then they burst into loud laughter. The famous Tom Cruise had to admit defeat in front of Charlize, who had limited interest in movies. Charlize also realized she had probably made a mistake. Looking at Hugo's bright, radiant smile, she couldn't help but laugh too. "Even if he's famous, it doesn't mean everyone on this planet has to know him.""That's true, that's true," Carl said repeatedly, appearing to be in a very bright mood. His struggling career was finally starting to pick up, so naturally, he was in high spirits. "Charlize, if you were making the choice, who would you want to star in this movie?""Are you talking about the movie I'm investing in?" Charlize knew nothing about the so-called audition, so naturally, she didn't understand the situation. "If it were me, of course I'd choose Hugo." Her crisp and decisive answer made Hugo's smile bloom even more. "Hugo is standing right in front of me; if I don't choose him, wouldn't that be awkward?"The smile on Hugo's face immediately stiffened; he had been teased by Charlize. Carl laughed gleefully, mocking Hugo, "If Tom were here, she probably wouldn't choose you." After saying that, Carl walked out of the room with a light step to move the last box.Hugo glanced at Carl's retreating figure and then turned back to look at Charlize. Neither of them spoke at first, and there was a bit of silence. This was the first time they had been alone together since today, and both seemed a bit reserved. Finally, Hugo gathered his courage and took the initiative to extend his right hand. "Welcome to sharing our rent pressure. From now on, please bear with us; the living environment with two men will probably be quite stressful."Charlize looked at Hugo's slender fingers in front of her; the strong, powerful knuckles had a breathtaking beauty in the sunlight. She withdrew her gaze, took Hugo's hand, and revealed a bold, hearty smile. "Don't underestimate a woman's ability; maybe you'll be the ones under pressure. Besides, I'm half a man, didn't you know?"Charlize's teasing made Hugo burst into laughter. "I hope I never have to learn the truth about that part, otherwise I'd be worried about my personal safety."Facing Hugo's words, Charlize didn't say anything more but walked to the side with a chuckle. Under Hugo's gaze, she directly picked up a huge box. Can you imagine the scene? Charlize, who looked slender and well-proportioned, actually erupted with freakish strength, lifting a huge box without any effort. This really surprised Hugo: she really was half a man."You know what?" Hugo said, dumbfounded. "You look a lot like King Kong playing with dice."... "Hugo Lancaster!"
