Chapter 179 - 179 Father and Son Wrestling

"Morning." Uma greeted Charlize politely after waking up and seeing her sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper."Morning." Charlize looked up from her newspaper and gave Uma a friendly smile.Uma noticed Charlize's friendly smile. As a woman, she keenly perceived the genuine and sincere friendliness behind that smile, which was truly strange. Uma had met Charlize a few times before, but Charlize had never shown her any friendliness. So much so that Uma once thought Charlize liked Hugo and was therefore showing jealousy, although she later dismissed that possibility. But this attitude today was something that had never appeared before.Uma wanted to investigate the specific reason, because a woman knows a woman, and Charlize's change couldn't be without reason. But then Uma thought about it and her curiosity was suppressed. Whatever the reason, Charlize being able to show kindness to her now was the best thing. Uma knew Hugo had a good relationship with friends like Charlize and Alex, and she didn't want to be excluded from Hugo's circle of friends. So, the current situation was indeed very good."I'm really sorry about last night, keeping you upstairs for the surprise you prepared for me." Uma's steps paused slightly, and she also expressed her apology kindly.Charlize put down the newspaper and looked at Uma politely, "Haha, it's nothing, just upstairs."Charlize actually still didn't like Uma. It wasn't that Uma had done anything wrong, nor was it because Uma and Hugo's relationship was progressing smoothly. It was simply due to incompatible auras between women. She didn't dislike Uma, but that didn't mean she could coexist peacefully with Uma. However, after last night's incident, Charlize knew that even if Uma and Hugo weren't officially dating, their relationship had definitely progressed beyond just dating. Therefore, she needed to fulfill her duty as a friend.As a friend, especially a friend of the opposite sex, if one cares too much about the other's love life, it can easily cause jealousy in the girlfriend and lead to unnecessary misunderstandings. Similarly, if one makes inappropriate remarks about a friend's girlfriend, it also depends on the occasion. Otherwise, it could trigger a friend's landmine, cause unpleasantness, and result in being a thankless task – neither side happy, and the friendship between friends would also be tested.Now, whether Hugo and Uma's relationship was in a passionate phase or just beginning, it was a positive development. Charlize knew that she didn't need to express too many opinions, especially when Hugo hadn't asked for her advice. Showing appropriate friendliness, not interfering, and not asking too many questions was the wisest choice.Therefore, Charlize put aside her unfriendliness and showed Uma basic respect and appropriate kindness.Uma received Charlize's friendliness. She had originally wanted to talk a few more words, but found she couldn't, because there was still an incompatibility between her and Charlize. This is how it is when girls make friends. So in the end, Uma just smiled and nodded at Charlize, then quickly walked to the kitchen to pour coffee, and then returned to Hugo's room with the coffee.Charlize looked at the corridor leading to Hugo's room, dazed for about a second, then withdrew her attention and resumed reading the newspaper. When Carl came downstairs to call her, she quickly got up and prepared to go to the set to work—Charlize wasn't late today, she had gotten up early and prepared, even having time to read the newspaper.Uma didn't stay much longer either, and soon began to re-do her makeup and get ready to leave. Hugo, clutching his quilt, lay on the bed and said pitifully, "Can't you stay a little longer?"Uma looked back and saw Hugo's pitiful expression, his mouth slightly downturned, and his narrow, almond-shaped eyes watery. His innocent and mournful gaze made it truly unbearable. Uma sat back on the edge of the bed and gently flicked Hugo's nose with her finger, "I have to go home for Christmas, you know."Hugo grumbled twice into his quilt, "You can go back tomorrow."Seeing this man acting like a five-year-old child, Uma couldn't help but chuckle, and leaned down to plant a kiss on his forehead. "Plane tickets to New York aren't that easy to buy, it's Christmas." Uma's father was a professor at Columbia University, and her whole family lived in New York. Uma had only come to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career.Hugo bit his lower lip, muttering something about "driving" in a low voice. Uma couldn't hear clearly, but seeing Hugo's childish yet adorable appearance, her smile blossomed widely. "I'm not not coming back. I'll be back after Christmas. We can ring in the New Year together this year."Hugo then realized that 1992 was almost over, and his first year in Los Angeles was about to turn a new page. Thinking of this, he became much more serious, looked up, and gently bit Uma's lips, "Stay home a few more days, spend time with your family.""Now you're not telling me to come back early anymore?" Uma chuckled."Wait until you come back and I'll deal with you then," Hugo whispered softly."What about you, aren't you going home for Christmas?" Uma said with a smile on her lips.Hugo's movements paused, and then he brushed it off with an ambiguous statement, "My home isn't in New York, so there's no rush." After saying that, Hugo directly kissed Uma's lips, swallowing the rest of his words.Soon, both of them felt their breathing quicken. Uma quickly stopped Hugo, "We can't go on, or I'll really be late."This time, Hugo didn't stop her. He released his grip, allowing Uma to straighten her clothes, then escorted her out. Looking at the empty living room, his eyes widened; the Christmas holiday spirit had finally arrived.Over the next two days, Alex, Carl, and Joseph all went home one after another. Hugo's newly made friends, Neil and Pedro, also went home. Los Angeles seemed to have become an empty city overnight, which reminded Hugo of what it was like to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Shanghai.After careful consideration, Hugo decided to call his father again. Although his idea of going home for Thanksgiving had been rejected, this was Christmas, and maybe it would be different, right?The phone rang twice before it was picked up. Adam's irritable and hoarse voice came through, "Adam Lancaster, speak.""Hey, Dad, it's me, Hugo." Hugo tried to make his voice sound lighthearted. "How have you been lately? Is everything okay?""Not dead yet." After only one sentence, Adam was already impatient. "What is it? Speak quickly. Didn't you say last time that your job was going well? What, is there another problem?"At least he still remembered what Hugo had said when he called him last time. This gave Hugo a little more confidence, "Oh, no, it's not about work...""So?" Adam rudely interrupted Hugo, but Hugo was already used to it; that was Adam's style. "Tomorrow is Christmas, and I'd like to come back and see you.""You want to come back? For what? There's nothing here." Adam's hoarse voice was like a bellows by a furnace, roughly pulling and creaking.Facing Adam's words, Hugo suddenly felt a wave of powerlessness. He was certain that his father didn't want him to come home, perhaps worried that father and son would have nothing to say to each other. Communication was already so difficult over the phone, and he estimated that a real meeting would be even more unbearable. "You're my father. I just want to spend Christmas with you. Is there something wrong with that?"This time, Adam fell silent, not answering immediately, just breathing heavily. His heavy breathing clearly transmitted through the phone receiver. Just as Hugo was about to say something more, Adam's voice came through, "You're an adult. You have the right to make your own decisions. If you want to come back, can I stop you? Of course not. I just think there's no need for you to come back, it's completely meaningless."Adam's way of speaking was truly irritating. Hugo wasn't usually one to get angry easily, but whether it was Adam's hurtful words or because he had already stepped into the role of a son, family members often spoke without restraint. So Hugo also got angry, "What do you mean, 'completely meaningless'? Christmas, it's Christmas!""Don't yell at me, I can hear you!" Adam roared back, making Hugo's ears ring. "Our family doesn't have a tradition of celebrating Christmas. If you want to celebrate holidays, you can be like your mother and celebrate Jewish holidays. Christmas? I won't cook for you, and I won't prepare gifts for you, so what?"This was the first time Hugo had heard Adam proactively mention his mother, and it was a fact Hugo didn't know: his mother was Jewish? Or had Jewish heritage?However, Hugo had no time for further thought and could only follow Adam's words. "So, according to you, we shouldn't see each other anymore? Not for Thanksgiving, not for Christmas? So, what are you planning? To cut ties with me?""Don't put all the blame on me! Don't!" Adam's voice was full of anger. "You know this is all your choice. You chose to leave me and leave home to go to that damn Los Angeles. You chose to become some kind of actor instead of doing something practical. You don't want to come home, not even for holidays, you don't even want to call. You know all this! So, don't come and get angry with me just because you've achieved a little bit of success. Don't be like your mother, weak and incompetent, yet holding onto useless grand dreams, doing nothing but blaming others. Don't!"Hugo was so overwhelmed by Adam's barrage of words that he couldn't catch his breath, but Adam still wasn't finished. "So, if you want to come back, that's your freedom, but I won't go out of my way to entertain you; so, so... damn Christmas, damn hell!"Slam! Beep... beep... beep...