The back-and-forth banter between Hugo and Leonardo drew the attention of both, causing Leonardo to frown slightly as he scrutinized Hugo up and down. His initially sunny smile gradually faded, and he looked as though the situation was taking a turn for the worse. This made Ashley and Alex somewhat uneasy; they assumed Leonardo had been angered by Hugo's joke. With the two of them seemingly at odds, it was difficult for them to act as intermediaries.Just then, as if realizing something, Leonardo's eyes lit up and he took half a step forward. Ashley instinctively wanted to step out to intervene, but then she heard Leonardo ask, "You are... Hugo? Hugo Lancaster?" This forced Ashley to stop her half-step, and she looked at Hugo with surprise. That name had been mentioned frequently over the past two weeks."Looks like you've caught me," Hugo admitted with a chuckle.In truth, Leonardo had been a bit annoyed initially because Hugo's words were filled with gunpowder, as if he were very dissatisfied with his teasing of Alex's outfit. For the hot-blooded young Leonardo, his natural instinct was to retort, but then he noticed that Hugo's voice sounded very familiar. With that hint in mind, he took a closer look at Hugo and realized the anomaly."Hey, man, how did you end up at our party?" Leonardo extended his right hand with his fingers spread in the air. Hugo smiled, raised his right hand, and high-fived Leonardo. "Today is the first get-together after 'growing pains' wrapped up. I really didn't expect to run into you here." Since their audition for 'scent of a woman', the two hadn't been in touch, so today's meeting was indeed quite unexpected.Everyone around them was surprised by the acquaintance between Hugo and Leonardo. Leonardo had gained considerable popularity thanks to 'growing pains', while Hugo had just recently turned his life around with 'scent of a woman'. The fact that the two knew each other was truly surprising, including to Joseph—he hadn't noticed that Hugo and Leonardo were getting along so well earlier.Just then, Hugo asked in surprise, "'growing pains' wrapped up? Why?" Everyone around them could practically feel a flock of crows flying over their heads: Seriously, that's not the point, is it?But Leonardo happened to match Hugo's conversational rhythm and replied with a laugh, "The finale aired on April 25th, it's over. Because the cast members hadn't been together, we didn't hold a wrap party. Only because everyone likes parties for Halloween did we have this gathering today. Even Kirk Cameron, who usually never attends parties, came." Leonardo looked around, "But I don't know where he is now; he's probably hiding in some corner with his wife again."Kirk played the eldest son, Mike, in 'growing pains'. He had a lively and outgoing personality, but in real life, he was actually an introverted wallflower. He had also married early last year; his wife was Chelsea Noble, who played his girlfriend, Kate, in the show."As for why the show ended, Hugo, I think you should know why," Leonardo retracted his gaze and looked at Hugo with wide eyes.What other reason could there be? The reasons why American TV shows continue to air are basically limited to one: ratings. Occasionally, other exceptions occur, but the largest proportion is due to failed contract negotiations regarding Actor salaries. 'growing pains' certainly wasn't the latter, so it could only be a ratings issue.Hugo felt a sudden sense of regret. He was here in 1992, yet he hadn't been able to witness the conclusion of 'growing pains'. Thinking of this, Hugo couldn't help but wonder: 'friends', the show that would have the most profound impact on Chinese audiences in the history of American television, hadn't started airing yet. It would be quite interesting to personally experience the golden age of that show when the time came.Seeing that Hugo had actually started daydreaming, Leonardo looked at the others standing nearby. "Is he always like this?" Surprisingly, Joseph, Carl, Alex, and Charlize all shrugged at the same time. The synchronization of their actions was perfect, making Leonardo, Ashley, and Jeremy burst into laughter."Hey, man." Leonardo patted Hugo's chest, but it was just empty space; the foam had absolutely no feel to it, which made Charlize, standing nearby, burst into laughter again. Alex and the others were no better off. This joke would probably last for a long time. Leonardo, however, didn't understand the punchline, just looked at his own hand, and continued, "I'll take you to meet some friends. Let's go."Coming to a party was all about meeting new friends and experiencing new things. Not to mention Hugo, even Charlize and Alex couldn't wait to join the revelry, and for Joseph and Carl, relaxing a bit was also a good choice.The cast members of 'growing pains' were all household names now, but Hugo knew that their future career developments wouldn't go very well. Only Leonardo would achieve success, while 'growing pains' would become everyone else's biggest career achievement. This was actually the limitation of television Actors; it was difficult for them to break through the constraints brought about by a successful show. 'friends' was like this, 'Prison Break' was like this, and many other classic shows were the same.Even so, Hugo was full of anticipation about meeting these Actors, as they represented the memories of a generation. Watching the characters from the old scenes in his memory appear in front of him in reality, Hugo couldn't help but call out their names from the show, a sense of familiarity welling up.Tracey Gold, who had just recovered her health, still looked a bit frail. This actress, who played the eldest daughter, Carol, in the show, had suffered from anorexia in 1989. The symptoms had become increasingly severe, and by the beginning of this year, she had dropped to just eighty pounds (thirty-six kilograms), causing her to miss the filming of three of the last four episodes."No wonder I was wondering why I didn't see you at the end," Hugo said, referring to his memories of watching the show. He had missed the live broadcast this year. "It's a real pity. So, how is your health now?""I'm completely better," Tracey flashed her signature pursed-lip smile. "Not being the focus of everyone's attention has been a huge help to me. Everyone knew me, leaving me with no private life. It's not like that anymore, so the symptoms are gradually subsiding."Hugo didn't know too much about the situation Tracey described. Not every Actor knew before entering the industry that this was a profession lived under the spotlight, and the transparency of one's private life was a collateral damage of the job. So why would one put themselves under such immense pressure?Hugo hadn't experienced it, so he couldn't understand. But that didn't stop him from amusing Tracey in his own way. "Alright, next time I see you on the street, I'll resist the urge to say hello to you." Hugo expressed this in a very serious manner, and because he was so earnest, it was impossible to tell if he was joking or not, which left Tracey somewhat bewildered.In the end, it was Leonardo who burst into laughter, making Tracey realize that Hugo was joking. A smile then appeared on her face. "I got it. As long as you don't mind, I'll be the one to say hello to you. As long as you don't ask about my relationship status.""Oh, that would be impolite for a gentleman to do." If a man were to ask a woman about her relationship status, the greatest possibility was that he had a crush on her, which was why Hugo said that. Sure enough, it made Tracey giggle non-stop: no woman would refuse such a compliment.When they met Kirk, Hugo almost didn't recognize this Michael who was so active on the small screen. He was just about to leave the venue with his wife. Even though Leonardo called out to him, he only stopped to exchange a few brief pleasantries with Hugo before leaving.Only then did Hugo truly realize how severe Kirk's so-called "introversion" was; the gap between him and his on-screen persona was too great. Of course, this could also indirectly show that Kirk was truly a good Actor.However, with Tracey first and then Kirk, it was clear that neither of them had been able to handle the pressure that came with fame well. Beyond lamenting this, Hugo was more curious: was life after fame really that complicated? His life over the past two weeks had indeed become much busier, but there was nothing wrong with it."So, what's the plan?" Leonardo looked around listlessly. He had tried to sneak a drink earlier, but the adult supervision at the venue today was very strict, and Leonardo, who hadn't reached the legal age, had no way to steal any alcohol. In the end, Hugo had ordered a beer, and after drinking half of it, Leonardo drank the other half, but that wasn't satisfying at all. No alcohol meant no party atmosphere, which was a real downer."What?" Hugo had been lost in thought, so he was a bit distracted and didn't understand what Leonardo meant.Leonardo stretched, "Today is Halloween. It's either 'trick or treat' or pranks. Do you have any plans?""No, do you?" Excitement shone in Hugo's eyes. The Halloween atmosphere back home hadn't been this intense. Who knew what new surprises might be in store here?"The residential area is just a short distance away. We can go over and pull some pranks now, otherwise, someone else will beat us to it." Thinking of pranks, Leonardo became active too. "I'm going to find Jeremy." In the cast, he had the best relationship with Jeremy, so he naturally thought of his good friend first."What?" Hugo's train of thought was clearly a beat slower than Leonardo's, mainly because Hugo didn't know that much about Halloween customs."Toilet paper rolls." Leonardo said just one word, then excitedly led Hugo back toward the venue.
