Kapitel 234: Body collision
Hugo raised his right fist, preparing to swing it towards Anthony's cheek. However, Joseph was one step ahead. He extended his right foot behind Anthony's legs and, before Hugo could act, he used both hands to forcefully push Anthony's chest. The tremendous force caused Anthony to fall backward, even though Hugo managed to grab his chest. However, Hugo didn't anticipate that Joseph would apply force with both hands, causing his left hand to loosen its grip. Anthony fell to the ground without any doubt.
Seeing Anthony fall to the ground, Hugo's swung right fist missed its target, causing him to lose his balance and lean forward. It was evident how powerful his punch was. But Hugo's action was still a step behind because Joseph was quicker.
Joseph took a swift step forward and directly punched Anthony's cheek. Punch after punch, the sound of fists colliding with skin was dull and loud. One could even feel the sound of fists striking bones, giving a sense of the intense outburst of blood from beneath the skin.
Each punch vented Joseph's anger. Although he wasn't directly involved, Hugo was his friend, and Joseph was well aware of all the effort Hugo had put in over the past year. Faced with Anthony's slander, Joseph's fury surpassed even Hugo's. If Hugo gave up his efforts, if he fell into despair, Joseph would not only be disappointed but also deeply saddened. He would feel that Hugo's efforts were in vain. Therefore, he absolutely would not allow garbage like Anthony to tarnish Hugo's reputation!
Punch after punch, the collision of fists with flesh sent shivers down one's spine. Joseph was bigger than Hugo in size, and his fists were a size larger. The punches were fueled by his entire body's strength and impulsive force, causing bruises to appear on Anthony's face.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The people around hadn't had time to react when they saw Joseph and Anthony grappling. Many women started screaming and stepping back.
Uma finally woke up and forcefully pulled Hugo, who wanted to continue forward. However, she could clearly feel that Hugo's arms were tense, his fists tightly clenched. He seemed like an unpredictable bomb ready to explode. Uma knew that things would soon spiral out of control, so she had to quickly bring Hugo back to his senses. "Hugo, stop Joseph quickly, hurry!"
Hugo glared fiercely, and this gaze startled Uma. But she immediately realized that Hugo's anger was directed at her, so she had to persist and continue, "This is going to end in disaster! Teach him a lesson, but don't continue fighting! It will end badly! If he ends up in the hospital, you both will suffer!"
Uma's words were incoherent, but Hugo finally regained a shred of rationality that was scattered by anger. From Uma's fragmented words, he realized that if something happened to Anthony, the responsibility would fall on Joseph and himself. It had nothing to do with their careers. Fighting and brawling were already violations of public order and even illegal. And with Joseph's relentless punches, the possibility of someone being killed was not nonexistent. So, Hugo's rationality finally returned to his mind.
"Joe, calm down! Calm down!" Hugo pulled Joseph up directly, but at this moment, Joseph was like a raging bull. It wasn't that simple. "Joe, you want to kill him!" Hugo shouted, then hugged Joseph's waist and forcefully rolled to the side, separating Joseph and Anthony.
Hugo didn't have time to assess Anthony's injuries and could only hold onto the restless Joseph. "Joe! Stop, stop! We can't continue fighting. He'll die! He'll die!"
"Shut that damn mouth of his!" Joseph shouted ferociously, completely devoid of his usual calm and serious demeanor. His bloodshot eyes revealed that he was consumed by rage and impulsiveness.
At this moment, people around them finally gathered. Some dragged Anthony to the side, while others restrained Hugo and Joseph. Hugo struggled to stand up, gesturing to the people beside him that he had calmed down. After making sure Joseph was okay, he looked at Anthony.
Anthony was in a terrible state, his face covered in blood from a broken nose, lacerations around his eyes, and blood from his oral mucosa. He appeared grotesque, with his chest heaving like a bellows. His white shirt was stained with blood and dirt, resembling a soldier returning from a battlefield. Yet, he sat up, showing signs of consciousness, and met Hugo's inquisitive gaze.
When Anthony noticed Hugo's gaze, he actually smiled. Yes, he smiled—a ferocious and eerie smile. The smile blossomed amidst the bloodstains and bruises on his face. His eyes were filled with a triumphant and proud calculation. Although the smile contorted his injuries, causing him to grimace, it quickly returned to his face. Then Hugo clearly saw his lips form the words, "You lost."
Those words sent a chill down Hugo's spine. Anger gradually subsided, rationality returned, and a flurry of thoughts filled Hugo's mind. He finally realized that something was amiss with everything that had just transpired.
Anthony had fabricated everything from start to finish, intentionally provoking Hugo and repeatedly violating his limits. His camera, footsteps, and gaze had all relentlessly pressed Hugo, challenging his boundaries step by step, until Hugo's anger was stirred and he prepared to take action. It was just that Joseph, deviating from Anthony's expected trajectory, intervened instead of Hugo. However, the actual effect was the same because Joseph, as Hugo's manager, was an extension of him.
Faced with Joseph's heavy punches, Anthony didn't fight back. Did he lack the ability to fight back? Definitely not. Even someone who couldn't fight back would protect themselves or seek opportunities to counterattack when faced with such heavy blows. But Anthony didn't. He not only made no attempt to resist, but also calmly accepted Joseph's beating, punch after punch, until someone came to "rescue" him.
This was Anthony's scheme from beginning to end. He wanted to provoke Hugo into hitting him, thereby achieving his own plan. One could imagine that tomorrow's headline would read, "Joseph Gibbs, Hugo's manager, violently assaults a reporter," and the storm it would cause was unpredictable.
Hugo suddenly recalled the reports he had seen about Hong Kong paparazzi when he was doing extra work. It mentioned how these paparazzi would go to great lengths to provoke artists, including using cameras to press and collide with them, making it impossible for the artists to see their way, and even causing accidental injuries. They would also rummage through the artists' garbage, and infiltrate their homes to gather information... all ultimately to provoke the artists into attacking the paparazzi. Meanwhile, their colleagues would quickly come to help, controlling the damage caused by the "assault" and creating explosive news: a certain artist assaulting a reporter.
When Hugo saw these news reports, on the one hand, he despised the ruthless methods of these paparazzi; on the other hand, he mocked the lack of intelligence of the celebrities who fell into the trap so easily. However, today, when Hugo personally experienced it, he realized how difficult it was in reality, and without any hesitation, he jumped into this trap, just like a prey that had been targeted by a hunter for a long time and then willingly entered the snare according to the hunter's will.
However, just thinking about Anthony's ruthlessness and viciousness, Hugo still felt a chill down his spine. Joseph had definitely struck with full force just now, and the excruciating pain was unbearable even just to witness. Yet Anthony endured it like this, and what was even more terrifying was that after enduring the beating, he even had the leisure to congratulate himself on his achievements, revealing a triumphant smile towards Hugo. It was all too terrifying.
If Anthony could go to such lengths, then were there countless traps awaiting Hugo in the future? Hugo felt the terrifying and cruel nature of the entertainment industry for the first time, and he was still too naive. Although he had been rolling in the underground rock scene for ten years and had been in society for ten years, he was only twenty-five years old, and he had only been in the entertainment industry for just one year. He was truly too naive and inexperienced.
Even now, Hugo understood Anthony's scheme, but when he recalled Anthony's accusations, Hugo felt that he couldn't bear it, couldn't stay calm. Even if the accusations of plagiarism were repeated, Hugo still couldn't maintain his composure because it was an insult to his character. So perhaps the situation would repeat itself.
Perhaps when Hugo turned thirty, or after he had been in the entertainment industry for a few more years and become accustomed to everything, he would be able to face this slander calmly. By then, he should also know that baseless defamation like this would never disappear, but instead would continue to accompany his rise in achievements. The best way to deal with such slander is not to confront it head-on but to ignore it with a smile. Maybe by then, Hugo would know all this, but definitely not now.
Anthony looked at the frozen expression on Hugo's face and laughed again. That sense of pride and composure didn't resemble that of an injured person who had just been beaten up but rather that of a victorious boxer after a heavyweight boxing match. This smile sent shivers down Hugo's spine.
After achieving his goal, Anthony wiped away his smile, lowered his eyelids, and played the role of an injured person convincingly. He kept groaning and moaning, using this method to announce his vulnerability and accuse Joseph and Hugo of their misconduct. This reignited the anger that Hugo hadn't completely calmed down yet.
Hugo knew that tonight's defamation was only the beginning. He would have to face Anthony's continuous attacks, and what was even more terrifying was that he didn't know when it would end, just like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike at any moment. This made Hugo angry, causing him to clench his fists again and bite his teeth tightly: no matter what, he would never back down, absolutely not!
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein