Hugo looked at the small piece of paper tucked inside the script for "dead poets society," staring at the string of numbers—a phone number—without any recognition in his mind. If it weren't for the name "Adam Lancaster (Adam Lancaster)" written above it, Hugo would have thought it was a lottery number. Clearly, this phone number belonging to his predecessor was entirely unfamiliar; he probably hadn't called it more than a few times after getting it.Today was already Tuesday, and Thanksgiving was the day after tomorrow. If Hugo didn't call soon, he might miss the opportunity. In fact, Hugo was subconsciously avoiding the matter, dragging his feet until now. If Joseph hadn't mentioned it, he probably wouldn't have "remembered" until Thanksgiving Day itself.Before transmigrating, the relationship between Hugo and his father had never improved. Although Hugo had spoken to his mother many times on the phone, he had never managed to have a real conversation with his father, which became Hugo's deepest regret. Hugo knew he should call the parents of this body, because he was now Hugo Lancaster, and Chen Hugo's regrets should not be carried over by Lancaster. But for Hugo, he seemed to have forgotten how to communicate with a father, making him hesitant, indecisive, and fearful.After taking several deep breaths, Hugo knew avoidance was not an option. Unless he wanted to ignore this Thanksgiving entirely, making this call was unavoidable. Besides, it had been nearly ten months since Hugo transmigrated, and he had never contacted his parents, which was simply unacceptable. Therefore, Hugo finally picked up the landline receiver, gritted his teeth, and dialed the number.The phone rang clearly just twice before it was answered. The speed startled Hugo. A rough, deep voice came from the other end, its decisive sharpness making the receiver seem to tremble, "Adam Lancaster (Adam Lancaster), speak." This powerful voice at least proved his father was robust."Hey, Dad," Hugo called out after a moment's hesitation. Calling a "stranger" Dad felt quite odd, but after saying it, Hugo was magically not repulsed. Instead, he felt a resonance in his blood. Hugo didn't know if it was because the man resembled his own father, or if this body felt the connection of kinship."Hugo?" Adam's voice on the other end was full of confusion. "It's not Thanksgiving, and it's not Christmas." He seemed very surprised that Hugo would call at this time."Yes, Thanksgiving is in two days," Hugo replied, feeling a bit awkward being questioned by his father. It felt as if Adam wasn't welcoming the call."Yes, I know. That's why I'm confused. Isn't it still two days away?" Adam said gruffly, even with a hint of impatience. "So, why are you calling today? Is something wrong?" Adam asked directly, wasting no time."Oh, no..." Hugo was already finding this call difficult, and facing so much resistance made him feel completely stuck. "I, I just wanted to ask about your Thanksgiving plans.""It's certainly not eating with you." Adam's single sentence stunned Hugo, leaving him unsure how to respond. "Or do you need money? How long has it been since you got a job? For God's sake, if you need money, just be direct. Don't beat around the bush like some damned sissy.""Dad!" Hugo was enraged by Adam's harsh tone. He simply wanted to communicate with his father, but his father twisted his meaning—or rather, his father didn't even give him a chance to explain. This reminded Hugo of his father before he transmigrated; he was exactly the same. "I'm not asking you for money, I have a job...""You mean Actor? Hmph." Adam's voice was full of disdain, and he even curled his lip in contempt. Hugo likely understood this was why they never kept in touch: Adam didn't support Hugo becoming an Actor; he was even hostile toward it. Because of this, their father-son relationship had essentially frozen. This was something Hugo had experienced before, and now he was experiencing it again."Yes, Actor," Hugo's voice involuntarily rose, not only because he was angered by his father but also because of his father's contemptuous tone. "I want to tell you, my current acting career is progressing very smoothly...""That's good, that's your business. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up." Adam didn't wait for Hugo to continue talking. With a "bang," he abruptly hung up.Hugo stared dumbfounded at the receiver broadcasting the continuous dial tone. This was definitely a situation he hadn't anticipated, but a stubborn streak immediately surged up within him. He looked at the phone number on the desk and dialed it again.When the call connected, Hugo didn't wait for his father to speak and immediately rushed to say, "I called to ask if you would be willing to come to Los Angeles to spend Thanksgiving with me. You know we haven't seen each other in a long time. If you don't want to, just tell me. There's no need to condemn my work.""I also want to tell you that I not only have a job now, but I'm doing very well. My movie 'scent of a woman' just premiered recently, and another one, 'a few good men,' is premiering next month. I'm also preparing for auditions for other projects. I'm fine, I'm really fine. I don't lack money. On the contrary, I'm achieving great results in my work, and many people praise me. So, if you could show some respect for my work, I would be very grateful."Hugo rattled off a huge amount of information, finally stopping to catch his breath after finishing everything in one go."Are you done?" Adam's voice remained lukewarm. After speaking, he scoffed, acting as if he completely disregarded everything Hugo had just said. "So, what do you want? Do you want me to praise you for doing well? You are an adult, not Taylor's pet dog. You don't need that kind of praise, and I won't give it. I told you, I don't care about your job. If you run out of money, I am your father, and I won't let you starve, but beyond that, don't try to convince me." As he continued, Adam's voice grew harder, like a sharp dagger flying mercilessly toward Hugo's shoulder, then accurately piercing the side of Hugo's face."As for Thanksgiving, I'm busy," Adam said simply, taking a breath. "Forget about meeting. It's not like I don't know what you look like; there's no need to meet."Hugo was so blocked by his father's words that he couldn't catch his breath. "What do you mean, there's no need to meet? You're my father, I'm your son. I want to see you, isn't that normal?""But do you want to?" Adam's counter-question left Hugo speechless. A simple "Yes" was stuck in his throat, unable to be uttered. Having missed the initial moment, Adam didn't give Hugo any more time to react. "Anything else? If not..."Sensing his father was about to hang up, Hugo quickly interrupted him. "What about Mom? Do you have any news of her?" Hugo had thoroughly searched the "dead poets society" script inside and out, finding no information about his mother—no phone number, address, or photo. If Hugo wasn't certain that Lena, the mother of this body, hadn't suffered any accident, he would have suspected she was dead.Hugo's question immediately made Adam fall silent, then he suddenly became agitated, grinding his teeth in anger. "I told you, don't mention her in front of me. You better remember that firmly." That definitive tone made Hugo frown involuntarily. Hugo wanted to say something more, "But..."But the sound had barely escaped when Adam roughly cut him off. "A customer just came into the shop. Hanging up." After pausing for about half a second, Adam immediately added gruffly, "Also, since you called today, don't bother calling back on Thanksgiving." After saying that, he decisively hung up the phone.Hugo stared at the receiver in his hand, unsure how to react, and just remained standing there.It seemed Hugo's relationship with his parents was worse than imagined. Regardless of what happened between Adam and Lena, Lena hadn't actively contacted Hugo either, and Hugo hadn't found any indication of his predecessor contacting his mother. This suggested that Hugo's relationship with both his father and mother was poor. In fact, Hugo's connection with his father might even be considered slightly closer.This explained why it wasn't considered abnormal that Hugo hadn't contacted his parents for nearly a year.Hugo couldn't help but rub his ears. Adam's booming shouts made his ears ring, which was an unpleasant feeling. He had originally thought he should proactively contact his family for Thanksgiving, and he was worried about how to deal with them, knowing his transmigrated soul could deceive friends but not family so easily. It turned out all his worries were for naught. Now it seemed even if Hugo actively tried to reconnect with his father, it would likely end badly, and he should be grateful if he wasn't thrown out.Should this be considered good news? At least he didn't have to deal with family relations, since Hugo didn't have genuine feelings for Adam and Lena as parents anyway. But why did Hugo always feel empty inside? Was it because of his predecessor's relationship, or because of the family regrets from before his transmigration?Although the development of his career had seen the light of dawn, the problems surrounding Hugo were still numerous, and none of them were easily solved. Thinking back now, drug addiction, the most serious problem, was ironically the simplest; he overcame the difficulty purely through his own willpower. The hardship, pain, and torture he experienced during the withdrawal period now seemed less difficult in retrospect.
