Revelry

Along Santa Monica Boulevard at the foot of the Beverly Hills, running westward all the way, in just twenty minutes, you arrive at the most charming beach in Los Angeles.

Santa Monica boasts the most enchanting coastline in the City of Angels, bustling bars, laid-back cafes, tranquil wooden paths, well-maintained bike lanes, numerous surf shops, cozy picnic areas, and charming palm trees adorning the pristine beach. The blue waves, mixed with white foams, roll in from the horizon and crash onto the delicate sand, making Santa Monica a landmark vacation destination in Los Angeles. Swimming, surfing, shopping, sunbathing, and various activities on the beach keep people lingering and reluctant to leave.

In the late night, Santa Monica shed the embrace of sunlight and exuded a quiet beauty under the reflection of the serene moonlight. The raging sea breeze added a thrilling touch to this beauty. Joseph drove to the center of Santa Monica, Third Street. Although it's an ordinary name for a street, it gathers street performers, dancers, and wandering artists of all kinds. Unique coffee shops, restaurants, art stores, and bars line both sides of the street, making it the liveliest district in Santa Monica.

Tonight was the moment to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. Although it's not as bustling as Rockefeller Plaza in New York, where a countdown concert is held every year, capturing the attention of the entire United States as everyone joins the New Year celebration through television screens, the liveliness on Third Street has its own charm.

It's not the kind of crowded street where people jostle each other but rather a paradise for all sorts of unique and independent artists. In your line of sight, you could see slender young men with braided hair dancing hip-hop, elderly octogenarians with gray hair lifting their skirts to perform flamenco, and a young and stunning dancer in a red dress with her hair tied up, partnering to passionately interpret the tango. Not to mention the powerful and fiery music filling the ears. Even though the street was only a few hundred yards long, it felt like a carnival, completely isolating the pitch-black night beyond this area.

Although Hugo had just experienced a terrible night, seeing the lively scene before him, his tense and gloomy mood gradually eased with the surrounding rhythm.

Following Joseph, he arrived at a bar called "Barney's Beanery". Stepping inside, he entered a world enveloped in red lights. On the right-hand side, there was a wooden staircase adorned with several worn-out license plates, complemented by stone brick walls and wooden booths, which exuded a style reminiscent of a road trip.

On the left-hand side, there was a row of television screens playing the bustling scene at Rockefeller Plaza. Dick Clark, as always, hosted the countdown celebration. However, the booming music inside the bar completely drowned out the volume of the television, and almost every booth was filled with people, with individuals constantly coming and going with beer cups in hand.

In the center of the bar, four large wooden barrels were neatly placed on a table, reaching the height of a person. Each barrel had a tap underneath, clearly indicating that it was beer. Two or three people were waiting at each tap to pour their drinks, while others laughed and shouted behind them.

"Wow, this is a party, a party I tell ya!" Leonardo exclaimed excitedly, almost jumping up on the spot. Even the shy Toby had an excited expression, with his rosy cheeks turning red. The two of them wanted to rush over and grab a beer, but Hugo immediately grabbed them, saying, "We just arrived here. Shouldn't we greet the host first?"

However, due to the loud noise in the bar, even if Hugo shouted loudly, they couldn't hear him clearly. Leonardo and Tobey looked at each other in confusion, and Hugo could only open his mouth and say, "Alex!" If it was joining a stranger's party, then one could party to their heart's content. But if it was a party with acquaintances, hosted by one's own friend, then it was necessary to greet them as a matter of politeness.

Leonardo also realized his negligence and nodded quickly, but his feet couldn't hold back and he started jumping in place. Tobey, who was standing beside him, also had a big smile on his face, with his eyes almost squinted. Hugo looked at the two eager young men and couldn't help but smile.

Finding the host in the crowded party was not an easy task. However, surprisingly and reasonably, Tobey and Leonardo knew more than a third of the people present. Some of them at least exchanged nods with familiar faces. In fact, this was not unexpected at all. It was originally a gathering of second and third-tier actors in the television circle, and Tobey and his group were definitely more familiar with them than Hugo. So under their guidance, Hugo found Alex, Charlize, and Karl in the dart-playing area.

When Hugo and the others arrived, Charlize was playing darts. Charlize had neatly tied her golden long hair into a ponytail, and the golden color she dyed in the afternoon appeared smooth like a Persian carpet under the red light of the bar. However, it was ruined by being roughly tied into a ponytail, which destroyed most of its beauty. The ponytail exposed Charlize's slightly chubby chin and slender neck, and a simple white round-collar t-shirt outlined her beautiful collarbone under the lights. The hem of her clothes was tied with a simple knot, accentuating her slender waist that was wrapped in jeans and her long legs that were tightly wrapped in them. Lastly, she even paired it with a pair of black military boots, exuding a heroic and yet feminine charm, making Charlize look breathtakingly beautiful.

However, Charlize didn't pay any attention to the gazes of others. She picked up a dart in her hand, focused her attention on the target, and one by one, she shot four darts directly into the red center. Everyone was anticipating Charlize's final dart, and the surrounding noise suddenly settled down, as if the noise from the bar was blocked outside the dart area. Charlize didn't hesitate at all. She squinted her left eye and then lightly flicked her right wrist. The dart flew out gracefully and quickly.

With a crisp sound, the dart accurately pierced the deep blue area in the center of the target. Everyone immediately cheered, and applause mixed with the clinking of beer glasses filled the air. Charlize jumped up right where she stood, excitedly shouting twice in a row. Her unrestrained smile was so dazzling that everything around her lost its color.

After jumping a few times in place, Charlize unexpectedly saw Hugo and Joseph. To be honest, it was not easy to ignore the two of them. Both were tall, and Joseph was particularly large in size, occupying a significant space within the field of vision. Charlize's gaze met Hugo's eyes in mid-air, and she showed a hint of surprise. Apparently, she didn't expect Hugo to actually show up, but then she smiled brightly and welcomed Hugo.

No exploration, no hesitation, just the purest welcome. This made the smile on Hugo's face finally let go of its burden and reappeared, especially when he heard Alex's surprised exclamation, "Oh, shit! You really did it, you really made it!" Seeing Alex's unguarded genuine expression, Hugo's smile became even brighter. He knew he had made the right choice. These were the friends he should spend time with tonight.

Alex excitedly rushed over and gave Hugo a big hug, then warmly welcomed Leonardo and Tobey, "Latecomers get rewarded, you must drink three big glasses of beer first." There was no hiding Alex's happiness in his eyes and brows. "We've already had two barrels of beer. It would be lame if you don't contribute a little."

Alex's words immediately made Leonardo shout, "Me first, me first!" He was the first to respond, and although Tobey standing beside him didn't say anything, he raised his hand with a smile, joining the beer application queue.

"Haha, only three glasses? Alex, you're being stingy," Hugo said with a laugh, causing Alex to raise an eyebrow. "Hugo Lancaster, are you challenging my alcohol tolerance?"

"No, I'm challenging your wallet's bottom line," Hugo replied wittily, causing everyone around to burst into laughter, and Alex was both embarrassed and amused.

"Oh, this is..." Hugo saw the strong man who was with Alex earlier walking towards him. In the red light, two-thirds of the man's face was covered by shadows cast by the poster above his head, making it difficult to see clearly, but Hugo couldn't help but feel that this figure was very familiar.

"Hey, Draupnir," Joseph greeted him first, then turned to Hugo. "He's mine and Karl's roommate."

Karl, who was standing behind, immediately shouted, "I told you he really exists, right!"

Hugo suddenly realized. This figure must be the man he saw at the staircase at home last time. No wonder the character looked familiar. It was indeed Karl and Joseph's roommate, "One of the top ten mysterious events in 1992!"

Hugo's words made Alex, Joseph, Charlize, Karl, and others laugh heartily, but Draupnir was completely confused. Nevertheless, he took a step forward, extending his large hand like a fan, "Finally, we meet. Happy New Year."

Hugo shook the other person's hand, but when he saw the face emerging from the shadows, he was stunned for a moment and hesitated for two seconds before saying, "Eugene?!"