Rehearsals before a show aren't always useful, and hosts don't always stick to them, but they are a necessary part of the pre-recording process.Although in American shows, bluntness and open provocation are commonplace, and making fun of artists' embarrassing moments is something everyone experiences, there are still bottom lines.For example, the rumors about Tom Cruise's homosexuality can only be alluded to and not openly discussed unless the person involved gives permission for an frank conversation.Alternatively, jokes can be made when Tom Cruise is not present, but direct face-to-face provocation is absolutely out of the question.Therefore, rehearsals become extremely important, as the show's producers must understand the guests' boundaries.Of course, there are always exceptions, and some shows will take risks for ratings, leading to direct confrontations with guests.However, such incidents would obviously not happen on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," as the program itself aims to heal people's wounds, gaining popularity across America with its warm, pleasant, yet humorous and sharp style.Oprah, a smart and wise woman, knows how to maintain boundaries.After Joseph returned, Hugo received a so-called list of questions.Hugo casually flipped through it and said with a chuckle, "Do you think Oprah will ask questions according to this list?""No," Joseph said matter-of-factly, without even turning his head."Me neither," Hugo agreed, but he still opened the question list and briefly looked at it.Although Oprah's show style is relatively approachable, a show always needs highlights to attract viewers.If all of Oprah's questions were known to the guests, who then prepared in advance, the show would lose its effect, which would be very unwise.So, everyone knew that the so-called question list was just for show."Are you planning to go into the city today?"There was still some time before sunset, and the show's recording wouldn't be until tomorrow, so Hugo had plenty of free time, which prompted Joseph's question.Hugo flipped through the question list; it was mostly the same old topics, just a bit more detailed than previous talk shows.What was slightly different was that there seemed to be more questions about Uma, indicating that the scandal generated by the "A Few Good Men" premiere had continued to be hot even after Christmas.It was estimated that Oprah's questions would be more in-depth than those on other talk shows, partly due to Oprah's style and partly due to the show's length."The Oprah Winfrey Show" was a full forty minutes long, and Hugo was the only guest.Hugo placed the two A4 papers on the coffee table, thought for a moment, and said, "Yes, why not? Didn't you say Michigan Avenue is the most beautiful place in Chicago?""Chinatown isn't far from here; how about dinner there?"Joseph also wanted to go for a walk.He had been feeling heavy-hearted since returning home for Christmas recently, and now that he finally had a chance to relax, Joseph naturally didn't want to miss it.The busiest area in Chicago is The Loop, but the most beautiful is Michigan Avenue, known as the "Magnificent Mile," comparable to Paris's Avenue Des Champs Elysees.The Four Seasons Hotel, where Hugo was staying, was located at the northern end of this avenue, offering panoramic views of Lake Michigan and a bird's-eye view of this historically rich city.Michigan Avenue is compared to the Champs-Elysees because it gathers Chicago's most upscale establishments, with luxurious hotels, fashionable shops, and splendid architecture everywhere.Cars flowed endlessly on the avenue, and people came and went like weaving shuttles.When Hugo and Joseph left the hotel, it was sunset, and the lights of the skyscrapers were slowly illuminating.The bodies of the buildings outlined a majestic and spectacular arc against the fiery sky, and the flashing beams of searchlights radiated from the pointed rooftops of a few tall buildings, as if God were surveying the city.Heading south along Michigan Avenue, behind them stood the Chicago Water Tower, a symbol of the city's history.This mere forty-two-meter-tall water tower was completely dwarfed by a cluster of tall buildings, but the water tower, built with yellow stone blocks, possessed a unique classical charm.This structure, built in 1869, witnessed the rise and fall of the entire city.Crossing the street at the intersection, the gaps between the buildings concentrated and intensified the strong winds blowing from Lake Michigan.Almost all pedestrians walked quickly with their heads down, as if they would be blown away by the strong wind if they moved even slightly slower.But if one dared to slow down a bit, they could see sailboats, yachts, and motorboats trailing their wakes on the surface of Lake Michigan, drifting leisurely into the distance, contrasting with the city's hustle and bustle to create a tranquil and beautiful scene that was breathtaking.However, there was no time to stand still and calmly admire, because the strong wind would make your steps involuntarily shift sideways, and your eyes would be so blurred by the wind that you could only see a hazy halo.Helplessly, one could only walk quickly to the part of the street blocked by buildings, where they could finally catch their breath a little.Walking in the Windy City was not walking at all; it was more like exercise.After walking the entire Magnificent Mile of Michigan Avenue, Hugo and Joseph still hadn't seen the sign for Chinatown.Helplessly, Hugo had to ask a passerby and only then learned that Chinatown was not nearby at all.Chinatown was in the southern part of the city, a full thirty miles away, which would take forty minutes even by car.It was simply a destination that could not be reached on foot."Not far from here? Walking? Are you serious!" Hugo looked at Joseph, asking in a teasing tone.Joseph looked a little embarrassed but didn't want to show it.His eyes darted away from Hugo's gaze, then he looked at the cars coming and going on the road, hummed and hawed for a while, then raised his hand to hail a taxi.He opened the door, ready to get in, and then turned to Hugo with a calm expression, "If we can't walk there, there's always a car, right? America is a country on wheels.So, are you coming?"Hugo was immediately amused by Joseph's ability to change the subject and chuckled.Seeing Hugo's lack of response, Joseph became annoyed and immediately got into the car, looking as if he was about to abandon Hugo.Hugo then suppressed his smile, quickly followed, got into the taxi, and then said, "To Chinatown, please, thank you."After the taxi started, Hugo saw Joseph, who was pretending to be calm, and couldn't help but burst into laughter again, much to Joseph's exasperation.The laughter echoed along the streets of Chicago.The main street of Chinatown is called Wentworth Avenue.Even from a distance, a bright red gate could be seen.Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a grand archway, with a banner reading "All under Heaven are for the public good."It was a traditional four-cornered roof archway, with red lanterns hanging on both sides of the vermilion pillars, and the national flags of China and the United States displayed.A strong sense of home permeated the air, immediately exciting Hugo.Walking into Wentworth Avenue, the restaurants on both sides were dazzling, followed by gift shops and specialty stores.To the left of the grand archway stood a Chinese-style building, inscribed with "Anliang Guild Hall."Upon closer inspection of the annotation below, it turned out to be the chamber of commerce for Chinatown.Next to the Anliang Guild Hall building was the Chinese Cultural Center, and further down was a library.From a rough glance outside, it appeared to be at least close to ten thousand square feet (one thousand square meters), a substantial building, which filled Hugo with curiosity about what was inside.Unfortunately, it was already sunset, and the library was closed.Seeing the familiar square characters, Hugo felt an immense sense of nostalgia.Although after his transmigration, he had no aversion to English, whether in speaking, writing, or reading, deep down, Hugo still missed the square characters of his homeland, not only because it was the script he had been most familiar with since childhood, but also because it proved the origin of his soul.However, most of the characters in his sight were traditional Chinese characters, making Hugo realize that he was in a foreign country."So, what are we having for dinner?"Joseph saw the excitement in Hugo's eyes; he couldn't understand this emotion, nor did he know the source of Hugo's feelings, but he still couldn't help but feel cheerful."Wow, let me see," Hugo blurted out in Chinese, causing Joseph to look at him in surprise.Hugo then realized he was overly excited."Uh, I studied Chinese in college, didn't you know?"Hugo's predecessor was a student of classical literature at Yale University, which was why he only filmed five movies in the eight years from 1982 to 1989.This fact was quite unexpected for Hugo, and when he recovered this memory, he even doubted its authenticity, because his understanding of his predecessor didn't really match someone from a classical literature background.However, Hugo didn't know whether it was Lancaster himself, Ron Meyer, or Adam Lancaster's idea to pursue advanced studies in college, but he was fortunate that his predecessor at least persevered, which was extremely commendable.Presumably, this was one of the important factors why his predecessor performed so well in "Dead Poets Society," because the students in "Dead Poets Society" had a strong interest in poetry from classical literature, using poetry to express their inner desire and yearning for freedom.Joseph nodded blankly, "I really didn't know that."It seemed Joseph believed him.Hugo let out a long sigh of relief and then, with a change of thought, explained, "Actually, I wanted to take East Asian literature at the time, because I've always been very interested in Eastern culture."This also served to explain to Joseph why Hugo had always been particularly obsessed with Chinese culture, and he believed that such situations would only increase in the future, so Hugo took this opportunity to create a fallback for himself."Yes, China is a magical country."Joseph also nodded, not continuing to be suspicious."Look at these characters; it's hard to imagine how they understand such profound writing.And the cuisine, can you imagine?"Watching Joseph's exclamations, Hugo also chuckled, "I completely agree!"But before his words had even faded, a commotion quickly surged towards them, leaving both Hugo and Joseph stunned in place, looking around: What was happening?
