America is known as a nation on wheels, and car dealerships are an indispensable part of urban development.It's safe to say that buying a car in the U.S. is not uncommon at all; at the same time, competition among car dealership agents is fierce.When Hugo and Joseph walked into the dealership, they could see five people actively approaching them.Two of the closer ones even had a slight physical brush, but they didn't escalate further to maintain a good image in front of the customers.Seeing this rare lively scene, Hugo suppressed a smile and tilted his head slightly towards Joseph, "Is this the dealership you're familiar with?"After getting in the car earlier, Joseph didn't ask any questions and drove straight to this dealership.This single action showed Joseph's eagerness to buy a car, even if it was a minivan and not a sports car.Joseph's mouth twitched slightly, not responding to Hugo's teasing.Instead, he said to the first dealership agent who walked up to him, "I'm here to see Afonso."As soon as he said this, he could clearly feel all five people's steps falter.Two of them turned and walked in different directions, while the other two paused, then quickly came forward, their faces filled with pleasant surprise.The person who was originally at the very front stood disappointed and called out, "Afonso, someone's looking for you."But then he saw the other two people approaching, speaking one after another, "Hugo!"The person standing at the very front was stunned, then immediately reacted and blurted out, "Hugo?"Now, the chances of Hugo being recognized on the street had increased again, especially with "A Few Good Men" currently in theaters.People always enthusiastically greeted him and expressed their admiration for Hugo.It was like this at the Motorola branch earlier, and now it was the same at the car dealership.Hugo smiled and greeted the three car dealership agents in front of him, shaking hands, hugging them, and even chatting a bit about Demi Moore.Then, a burly man, similar in age to Joseph, interrupted their conversation.Joseph's face broke into a wide smile, and he immediately gave the man a hug.The two men even pounded each other's backs forcefully, expressing their happiness in this violent way.The man who had just walked over was similar in height and build to Joseph, with a fluffy curly hair and a thick beard, full of rich Spanish flair.His expressive eyes held infinite charm.Joseph turned to Hugo and introduced him with a smile, "Afonso Lopez, a friend I've played with since childhood.""You can call me Afonso," Afonso said, beaming with a warm smile, giving Hugo a big smile.Hugo, however, looked at Joseph and said with a chuckle, "I'm not so sure, Joseph?"But before Joseph could answer, Afonso directly said, "Joe, you can call him Joe, or Joey."Afonso patted Joseph's shoulder, a hint of mischief in his smile.It was clear that Afonso and Joseph had completely different personalities.Compared to Joseph's somewhat cautious and careful nature, the enthusiastic Afonso brought a friendly message right from their first meeting.Hugo glanced at Joseph, who stood beside him, appearing a bit reserved and awkward.Although he had known Joseph for almost a year, their relationship had evolved from tense to relaxed, then to familiar, and finally they became good friends.However, they still couldn't be considered best friends.This was partly due to Joseph's personality and partly because Hugo had been cautious after his transmigration."Are you Spanish?" Hugo smiled, not taking Afonso's bait.Afonso nodded, "Spanish-American.""Then how did you two meet?" Hugo had never noticed any Spanish traits in Joseph, but Joseph's hometown of Houston did have many Hispanic and Mexican residents."Didn't you know Joe is half-Spanish?" Afonso pointed at Joseph, "We've known each other since we were kids, we lived on the next street.You can ask me anything about him, I'll definitely not keep any secrets."Hugo wasn't sure if it was psychological, but when he looked at Joseph, he did see a hint of Spanish style, especially in those deep, ice-blue eyes.Joseph knew that if he let Afonso continue chatting, all his secrets would probably be exposed—which was also why Afonso was able to become a car dealership agent.So he quickly interjected, "We want to buy a multi-purpose SUV, any recommendations?""Oh, right, buying a car," Afonso finally realized that Joseph brought Hugo to the dealership not just to introduce a friend."Do you have any specific models in mind?"Joseph glanced at Hugo, and after receiving a negative reply, said, "No, you recommend."Afonso nodded, walked ahead to lead the way, and turned back to ask, "Do you have a price range in mind?"Then he pointed to a row of minivans not far away, "The demand for minivans has been steadily increasing, and the price difference isn't actually that big.You can get a very good car for fifteen to thirty."Fifteen to thirty, that's between fifteen thousand and thirty thousand dollars.If you were buying a car in China, the price would at least go up by twenty percent, or even double; but in other countries, especially the U.S., the prices are much more affordable."Recommend a few models for us," Joseph didn't say much, clearly trusting Afonso a great deal.Afonso wasn't a hesitant person either, and he promptly introduced three or four models to Joseph.One of them, the Renault Espace series, greatly satisfied Hugo.With a front-engine, front-wheel drive, and unibody construction, it was less prone to fishtailing and losing control, had better stability, more flexible space arrangements, and sufficiently wide visibility, along with many special features.This was also currently the best-selling model in Europe."Don't you want to take it for a test drive?" After Joseph returned from two test laps, Afonso, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to Hugo in the second row and asked.Hugo was still marveling at the comfort and coziness of this multi-purpose SUV when he heard Afonso's words and was stunned, "Uh, no, I don't want to."But after saying that, he felt it seemed inappropriate, so he continued, "I don't think it's necessary.If this car is used for work, I won't be the one driving it."Joseph, sitting in the driver's seat, suddenly remembered an important point, "Hugo, haven't you driven since your car accident...?"Hugo mumbled hesitantly, giving an ambiguous reply, and then Joseph and Afonso also realized that there was no need to continue this topic, so the car instantly fell silent.Hugo's previous body had been in a car accident last year, injuring his left knee.After that, he developed a psychological barrier.Several attempts to sit in the driver's seat failed to overcome his inner demons; his left knee would ache continuously, and he eventually had to give up.As for Hugo himself, he had also been in a car accident before transmigrating.Although that accident didn't cause serious injuries, he was left hanging on a cliff, trembling as if he could fall at any moment.After that, every time Hugo drove, he felt his breathing tighten, and his hands would sweat profusely.Over time, he stopped driving altogether.Joseph glanced at Hugo in the rearview mirror, seeing Hugo's eyes darting around in a somewhat flustered manner.He knew his guess was correct; Hugo still had psychological pressure from the car accident, so he couldn't bring himself to sit in the driver's seat again.This made Joseph sigh softly, and his initial excitement about buying a new car diminished considerably.As an excellent car dealership agent, Afonso's ability to read people was naturally not weak.He withdrew his gaze from the rearview mirror and cheerfully asked, "Joe, are you going home for Christmas?""No, I don't want to go back this year," Joseph shook his head, then gave Afonso a deep look, seemingly conveying some message.Afonso and Joseph grew up together, so he naturally understood very well.He immediately realized: it seemed the Thanksgiving matter hadn't been resolved yet.Although Joseph hadn't discussed it with him, the family knew all about these situations.Afonso said casually, "I'm planning to go back.Do you need me to take anything back for you?""Tell the family his cell phone number," Hugo had recovered his composure.After all, he wasn't sitting in the driver's seat, so the fear of that memory wasn't as profound, and he said in a relaxed tone.Indeed, with Hugo's interjection, the atmosphere livened up.Afonso said in surprise, "You bought that brick?""It's not a brick anymore, it's less than six ounces now," Hugo enthusiastically discussed with Afonso, while Joseph focused on continuing the test drive, heading back towards the dealership.Upon reaching the dealership, Hugo decided to purchase the car.At thirty-one thousand nine hundred ninety-five dollars, it was much cheaper than he expected, and Hugo increasingly felt the positive aspects of being an actor.Two months ago, he was a penniless unemployed person, but the successive successes of "Scent of a Woman" and "A Few Good Men" had brought immense changes to Hugo's life.If Hugo wanted to, he could even buy a house now—though not a luxury villa.After Hugo signed a pile of contracts, Joseph was discussing insurance with Afonso.Hugo, knowing nothing about these matters, walked out to the dealership entrance.He looked at the colorful cars neatly arranged in the parking lot, the scorching morning sun casting down, making the chill of winter feel warm.Looking to the right along the main road, he saw a group of people lingering in front of a graffiti wall.Their attire was very casual, some simple, some extravagant, some flamboyant, but they all had one thing in common: the musical instruments in their hands.Within Hugo's line of sight, there were four guitars, two basses, and two drum kits, all neatly laid out.They stood there chatting, their faces filled with excitement, seemingly waiting for someone.
