Living alone

Although the pace slowed down, the way home was not far, and it would only take about ten minutes to get there. Hugo went upstairs and looked at Ernest's footsteps behind him, couldn't help but sigh: what a stubborn old man.

It had been some time since they started walking, and although Hugo slowed down his pace, Ernest was unwilling to give up. He maintained a certain speed, and now he was climbing the stairs. He would definitely be out of breath, but Ernest refused to admit it, pushing himself to continue. Hugo could clearly see the sweat on Ernest's forehead again.

However, Hugo didn't say anything special because he knew Ernest didn't like others provoking him. If Hugo showed concern, Ernest would get angry and think that Hugo looked down on him. Moreover, Hugo and Ernest were not that familiar, and too much care would only make Ernest more resistant.

After Ernest went upstairs, he leaned against the staircase railing, panting, but he didn't show any signs of fatigue on the surface. He handed the potatoes to Hugo, stretching out his hands straight, and even the slight trembling of his arms could be seen.

Hugo quickly took the paper bag and said, "Thank you."

Ernest didn't look at Hugo, but took out the keys from his pocket and said fiercely, "Move aside." Hugo realized that he was standing at the door and quickly stepped aside, leaning against the wall.

After Ernest opened the door to his house, he walked in without looking back. He had no intention of stopping. When Ernest started to close the door, Hugo finally realized: Ernest didn't actually intend to take his potatoes. Was this old man sulking?

Hugo didn't have time to think too much and quickly walked forward, using his right foot to stop the door. "Hey, Ernest, your potatoes." As he spoke, he handed the paper bag to Ernest.

"This isn't mine," Ernest muttered, then tried to close the door. However, his strength couldn't match that of the young Hugo. He raised his head and gave Hugo a fierce look, then extended his foot to kick Hugo's shin. "What are you doing? Don't enter my territory! Who allowed you to step into my space!"

Hugo noticed that his foot had indeed entered Ernest's house by half a step, but he couldn't pull it back.

"But these are your potatoes, Ernest. I just helped out a little and didn't mean anything else. Don't take it so seriously."

Looking through the crack of the door, Hugo couldn't see much, only a worn-out ginger-colored sofa that seemed to have a long history. The surrounding area was filled with stacks of paper documents and books, almost occupying a third of the window's light, making the room appear somewhat dim. The room was filled with the dry smell of books, and there were no signs of anyone else. It was clear that it belonged to a bachelor, and an older one at that.

But Ernest quickly interrupted Hugo's gaze. "I don't need it!" Then he kicked Hugo again, this time with great force, hitting Hugo's shin hard. Hugo recoiled in pain, and Ernest didn't hesitate. He forcefully closed the door.

With a loud bang, the door slammed shut, raising a cloud of dust that made Hugo blink repeatedly. It's easy to imagine that if Hugo hadn't pulled his foot back, it would have been bruised by now. At that moment, Hugo truly felt Ernest's youthful, stubborn, and never-give-up spirit, as well as Ernest's irritable, stubborn, and terrible temper.

Hugo thought for a moment and decided to place the paper bag containing the potatoes at the doorstep. He took out the potatoes from his own bag, attempting to fit them all into one bag, but it was clearly impossible. Helpless, Hugo had no choice but to leave the potatoes that couldn't fit around the area. Then he picked up his paper bag and headed up to the third floor.

When he reached the third floor, Hugo tried to search for his keys in his pocket, only to realize that he still had three potatoes in there. He quickly placed the paper bag on the floor and prepared to go downstairs again. However, halfway through, Hugo heard the sound of the door opening. He stopped in his tracks and lowered his head, peering through the crack in the staircase.

He saw Ernest looking at the potatoes on the ground, glancing around. Afraid of being seen, Hugo quickly pulled his head back, and then he heard Ernest muttering complaints. Although he couldn't make out the exact words, he could hear the intermittent curses. It was evident that Ernest had countless dissatisfactions with Hugo and completely disregarded his meddling.

Nevertheless, when Hugo peeked again, he saw Ernest picking up each potato and holding them in his arms as he walked into the house. This time, Ernest's door-closing action was noticeably gentler, but the crisp sound could still be heard.

Hugo looked at the empty doorway and smiled. He walked back up to the third floor, took out the potatoes from his pocket, and placed them in his own paper bag. Then he took out the keys and opened the door.

Upon opening the door, Hugo placed the keys in a tea-colored glass bowl by the door and headed straight for the kitchen. He placed the paper bag on the dining table and poured himself a glass of water. At that moment, Charlize emerged from her room, glanced at the kitchen, confirmed that it was Hugo who had returned, and asked, "How was the recording today?"

Since signing with Karl, Charlize had been attending acting classes, which presented a new challenge for her.

The modeling industry, although requiring training in body posture, photography skills, runway techniques, and more, ultimately relied on physical appearance for success. While there was a certain level of skill involved, it wasn't particularly high. As someone who had trained in ballet since childhood, Charlize easily mastered those aspects.

However, acting was different. Although it also relied on talent, not everyone could excel in it. Some people froze in front of the camera and couldn't even move or speak. Acting training encompassed a range of topics even in basic courses, including cultivating attention, harnessing imagination, emotional memory, body language, character analysis, developing a sense for the camera, interacting with scene partners, positioning, and blocking, not to mention fundamental training in pronunciation, facial expressions, and emotional expression.

Charlize had been busy and fulfilled with his studies in recent months, even busier than Hugo after wrapping up filming.

The interaction between Charlize and Hugo was quite pleasant now. Although their relationship hadn't developed into a romance, as friends and roommates, the time they spent together was always relaxed and enjoyable. Adding the lively Alex to the mix on the third floor, the atmosphere was always vibrant. Even Joseph and Karl on the fourth floor spent most of their time on the third floor.

During this period, after finishing his classes, Charlize would practice acting with Hugo or Alex. This was where the advantage of actors living together came into play. A group of actors discussing their craft and practicing together made life enjoyable. Of course, their loudness also angered Ernest downstairs a few times.

"Great, everything went smoothly, and I even... signed autographs for fans," Hugo was about to say "for the first time", but realizing that it wouldn't make sense, he abruptly stopped. "There was also a group of fans blocking the entrance to the radio station for me," Hugo joyfully bragged to Charlize.

Eventually, Charlize came in and said, "Really? How many people?" That left Hugo speechless. "Around thirty," he replied. Charlize rolled her eyes and said, "From the way you were talking, I thought it was three thousand." Hugo could only chuckle awkwardly.

"What's this?" Charlize took out the potatoes and looked at them with a puzzled expression. "You bought three potatoes. Are you planning to eat them raw, one by one, like lemons?"

Hugo walked over to the dining table and sat on a high stool. "No, these are gifts from Ernest."

"What? Am I hearing this correctly?" Alex's voice came from the 'door' as he walked in, holding a set of red costumes. He excitedly entered the room and headed straight for the kitchen. "Are you saying Ernest gave you these gifts?"

Hugo raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that's right!" Then he briefly explained what had happened earlier. "I took these three potatoes as the gift he gave me."

Alex smirked. "Who knows if he'll come upstairs later and ask for them back." Alex had been living here a bit longer and naturally knew more about Ernest.

Curious, Hugo asked, "Does Ernest really live alone?" The United States is a country that values family, and although children become independent after reaching adulthood, the concept of family is still highly important in the minds of Americans. Many welfare policies in the US revolve around families. So, it's uncommon for someone of Ernst's age to live alone without the company of children or without entering a retirement home.

"Yes," Alex nodded without hesitation. "To be precise, since the day I arrived here, I haven't seen anyone visit him, let alone family or friends."

"How do you know? You don't stand guard at his door every day," Charlize interjected, even though she didn't have a favorable impression of the stubborn and irritable old man. But she spoke a fair statement.

Alex chuckled sheepishly. "Well, I haven't noticed anyone when I've been around. I think he's like Quasimodo, eccentric and reclusive, and easily gets angry."

"Are you sure you've read "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame"?" Hugo smiled and said. Quasimodo is the name of the bell-ringer in "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame". In reality, although Quasimodo is extremely ugly, he has a kind and timid heart and has never intentionally harmed anyone. He is rejected because of his appearance. So Alex's comparison isn't entirely accurate.

Alex scratched his head apologetically. "You know what I mean." He was actually trying to say that Ernest is like Joseph in "Wuthering Heights", unwelcoming to strangers.

"Then you should use "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte to describe him more accurately." Hugo smiled.

"Who's calling me?" Joseph's voice came from behind the door. The three people in the dining room looked at each other, and then Hugo hesitated for a moment and looked at Joseph approaching. "Emily Bronte?"