Meeting new friends

Hugo and Leonardo engaged in a playful banter, drawing each other's attention. Leonardo furrowed his brows and scrutinized Hugo up and down, his once radiant smile gradually fading, indicating a rather precarious situation. This made Ashley and Alex feel uneasy, thinking that Leonardo was angered by Hugo's teasing. The two seemed to be at odds with each other, and as intermediaries, Ashley and Alex found themselves in a difficult position.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, Leonardo lifted his gaze and took a small step forward. Ashley instinctively wanted to step forward and intervene, but then she heard Leonardo ask, "Are you... Hugo? Hugo Lancaster?" This halted Ashley's step midway, and she looked at Hugo with surprise. This name had been mentioned several times in the past two weeks.

"Well, it seems like you've caught me," Hugo admitted with a smiling face.

Initially, Leonardo was somewhat angry because Hugo's words were filled with sarcasm, seemingly dissatisfied with Alex's attire. For the young and spirited Leonardo, it was natural to want to retaliate directly. However, he soon recognized Hugo's voice as something familiar. With this realization, Leonardo carefully observed Hugo and discovered something unusual.

"Hey, buddy, what brings you to our party!" Leonardo directly extended his right hand and spread his fingers in the air. Hugo also smiled and raised his right hand, exchanging a high-five with Leonardo. "Today is our first reunion after the finale of "Growing Pains". I never expected to meet you here." They hadn't been in contact since the audition for "Scent of a Woman", so this encounter was truly unexpected.

Everyone around was astonished by the acquaintance between Hugo and Leonardo. Leonardo had gained quite a following from "Growing Pains", while Hugo had recently made a successful comeback with "Scent of a Woman". The unexpected meeting between these two individuals surprised everyone, including Joseph, who had not noticed that Hugo and Leonardo were enjoying each other's company.

However, at this moment, Hugo exclaimed in surprise, ""Growing Pains" ended? Why?" A flock of crows seemed to fly over everyone's heads, signifying that it wasn't the main point.

Nevertheless, Leonardo, who had tuned into Hugo's conversational pace, chuckled and said, "The series concluded on April 25th. Due to the cast members not being able to gather earlier, there was no wrap party. We all enjoyed the Halloween party, which led to today's gathering. Even Kirk Cameron, who usually doesn't attend parties, showed up." Leonardo glanced around. "But I don't know where he is now. He's probably hiding in some corner with his wife."

Kirk portrayed the eldest son, Michael. He had a lively and outgoing personality on the show but was actually an introverted person in real life. He got married early last year, and his wife was Chelsea Noble, who played his girlfriend Kate on the show.

"As for why the series ended, Hugo, I believe you should know the reason," Leonardo said, retracting his gaze and looking at Hugo with widened eyes.

What other reason could there be? The only reason American TV shows can continue airing is usually based on ratings. Occasionally, there are other exceptional reasons, but the majority of cases involve disputes over actor salaries. "Growing Pains" naturally didn't fall into the latter category; it could only be a matter of ratings.

Hugo suddenly felt regretful. He was in 1992 but missed witnessing the finale of "Growing Pains". Thinking about it, he couldn't help but ponder that "Friends", the TV series that had the most profound impact on Chinese viewers in the history of American shows, hadn't even premiered yet. He would be able to experience the most glorious era of the series firsthand, which was an interesting prospect.

Seeing Hugo starting to daydream, Leonardo looked at the others standing beside him and asked, "Is he always like this?" Surprisingly, Joseph, Karl, Alex, and Charlize simultaneously shrugged their shoulders, displaying perfect synchronization. This caused Leonardo, Ashley, and Jeremy to burst into laughter.

"Hey, buddy." Leonardo patted Hugo's "chest," but it turned out to be empty. The sponge had no tactile sensation, causing Charlize, who was standing nearby, to burst into laughter. Alex and the others also couldn't help but join in, and it seemed like this joke would continue for a long time. However, Leonardo didn't quite understand the humor in it. He simply looked at his hand, then continued, "Let me introduce you to some friends. Let's go."

Attending parties was all about making new friends and experiencing new things. Not to mention Hugo, even Charlize and Alex couldn't wait to join the festivities. As for Joseph and Karl, relaxing and unwinding seemed like a good choice.

The cast members of "Growing Pains" were all well-known names, but Hugo knew that their future career paths hadn't been as successful. Only Leonardo had achieved success, while "Growing Pains" became the defining work for the rest of them. This was the limitation faced by TV actors; it was challenging to break free from the constraints of a successful series. The same was true for "Friends" and "Prison Break", as well as many other classic shows.

Even so, Hugo was still excited to meet these actors because they represented a generation's memories. Seeing the characters from those old scenes in his mind appearing before him in real life, Hugo couldn't help but involuntarily call them by their character names, feeling a sense of familiarity.

Tracey Gold, who had recently recovered her health, still looked a bit weak. The actress who played Carol Seaver, the eldest daughter, had developed anorexia in 1989. Her condition worsened over time, and at the beginning of this year, she had become so thin that she weighed only 80 pounds (36 kilograms). As a result, she missed filming three out of the final four episodes.

"No wonder I didn't see you in the last episodes," Hugo referred to his memories from watching the show in the past. This year, he missed the live broadcast, which was a regret. "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm completely fine," Tracey revealed her trademark pursed smile. "No longer the center of attention, and it's been a great help to me. Everyone knows me, and I had no personal life. But now, it's different, and the symptoms are gradually improving." Hugo didn't fully understand the situation Tracey described. Not all actors realize before entering the industry that it entails living under the spotlight. The lack of privacy itself is a side effect of the profession. So why would they subject themselves to such pressure?

Since Hugo hadn't experienced it, he couldn't understand fully. However, that didn't stop him from amusing Tracey in his own way. "Well, next time I see you on the street, I'll resist the urge to say hello to you." Hugo expressed it with such seriousness that it became difficult to distinguish whether he was joking or not, leaving Tracey a bit bewildered.

In the end, it was Leonardo who burst into laughter, making Tracey realize that Hugo was joking. She smiled and said, "I understand. I'll make sure to say hello to you first, as long as you don't ask about my love life."

"Oh, that would be impolite to a lady." When a man asks a woman about her love life, it most likely means he's interested in her. That's why Hugo made that remark, which made Tracey laugh even more. No woman would refuse such a compliment.

When they saw Kirk, Hugo almost didn't recognize him. The energetic Mike on the small screen was now preparing to leave with his wife. Even when Leonardo called out to him, he only stopped briefly to exchange a few words with Hugo before leaving.

At this moment, Hugo truly understood how severe Kirk's "introversion" was and how different it was from his on-screen persona. Of course, this also indirectly showed that Kirk was indeed a talented actor.

However, with Tracey in front and Kirk in the back, it was clear that neither of them had been able to handle the pressure that comes with fame very well. This made Hugo sigh, but more than that, he was curious: Is life really that complicated after becoming famous? His life had indeed become livelier in the past two weeks, but there was nothing inappropriate about it.

"So, what's your plan?" Leonardo looked around bored. Earlier, he had tried to sneak a drink, but the adults on set were closely monitoring today, so underage Leonardo had no way of getting his hands on alcohol. In the end, Hugo ordered a beer and drank half of it before Leonardo finished the rest, but it wasn't satisfying at all. Without alcohol, there was no party atmosphere, and it was indeed disappointing.

"What?" Hugo had been lost in thought, so he didn't understand Leonardo's meaning.

Leonardo stretched lazily. "Today is Halloween, either 'trick or treat' or pranks. Do you have any plans?"

"No, do you?" Excitement gleamed in Hugo's eyes. Halloween in his home country wasn't as popular, so who knew if there would be any new surprises here.

"The residential area is nearby. We can go there now and play pranks before others beat us to it." When Leonardo thought of pranks, he became enthusiastic. "I'll go find Jeremy." Jeremy was his closest friend on set, so he naturally thought of him first.

"What?" Hugo's train of thought was obviously slower than Leonardo's, mainly because he didn't know much about Halloween customs.

"Toilet paper rolls." Leonardo only said a phrase before excitedly leading Hugo back to the event venue.