Charlize stood by the windowsill, propped her right leg up, and began doing simple leg stretches, one after another. She adjusted her breathing as she moved, each stretch performed with earnest care. Although she had left ballet due to a knee injury, it did not mean she no longer loved it; on the contrary, she still persisted with the habit she had formed at age six every day, not only as a lingering attachment to ballet but also to help sculpt her physique.Just then, the telephone on the wall by the kitchen doorway began to ring, its continuous sound echoing throughout the room. Charlize looked back at the empty living room; clearly, no one was willing to come out to answer it, so she couldn't help but call out, 'Terra! Terra! Answer the phone.'A tall, curvaceous black woman tiptoed out of the bedroom on the right, complaining to Charlize, 'You're right there,' but she still walked briskly to the phone and picked it up. 'Hello, this is Terra Banks. Who am I speaking with?'This woman named Terra had a beautiful face, her features possessing the distinct, sculptural qualities of her African heritage, yet her expressive eyes added a touch of sweetness. She was dressed simply in a set of white lingerie, which clearly showcased the advantages of her figure.Charlize had met Terra after arriving in Los Angeles. Terra was now also a professional model, having entered the industry in 1990. However, for the past two years, Terra's modeling career hadn't seen much improvement. Although her natural attributes were outstanding, very few people in the United States hired black models; the issue of racial discrimination had yet to be resolved, which left Terra quite frustrated.Since neither of their careers had taken off, they could only share an apartment, splitting the rent to alleviate financial pressure. Terra was usually a very bright and playful woman. Although she and Charlize hadn't known each other for long, their relationship was quite good. This was rare, especially when two women in the same industry lived under the same roof; the fact that they didn't engage in backstabbing or vicious competition was truly uncommon.'Uh-huh... Yes, she is... No problem...' Terra communicated with the person on the other end of the line, but as she spoke, she kept glancing at Charlize with a smile. This left Charlize feeling bewildered. She had intended to continue her practice, but being watched by Terra's ambiguous gaze made it impossible to focus, so she glared back, asking with her eyes, 'What?'Terra lowered the receiver. While looking directly at Charlize, she deliberately shouted, 'Sally, Sally, your call, it's from Mr. Hugo Lancaster... Sally!'Charlize felt goosebumps all over from Terra's coquettish tone. She indignantly took her right foot off the windowsill, tiptoed over, and fiercely snatched the receiver from Terra's hand. Unexpectedly, Terra chuckled and said, 'No need to rush, I was just about to give it to you.' She was kicked by Charlize, and while saying 'Ouch, shy,' she ran toward the sofa to get out of range, signaling repeatedly for Charlize to answer the phone.Charlize didn't want to take the call under Terra's surveillance, or else she would have no peace after hanging up. However, she found that Terra was sprawled on the sofa, unwilling to move. Finally, she could only grit her teeth, stomp her foot in resignation, and say into the receiver in a slightly irritable voice, 'This is Charlize speaking.'This authentic tone immediately startled Terra, who was watching the fun from the side. Just imagining the expression on the other end of the line made her roll around on the sofa with laughter. Generally, when girls answer calls from boys, they are a bit more ladylike. If it's someone they like, their tone and rhythm of speech obviously change significantly from their usual self. Charlize's such authentic performance was truly unique.On the other end of the line, Hugo couldn't help but be stunned upon hearing Charlize's tone, and he chuckled, 'It seems I chose the wrong time.'Charlize realized her tone had been a bit off and couldn't help but glare at Terra. However, changing her tone now would seem too fake, so she simply continued in her natural voice. After all, she hadn't tried to hide her true self during her first meeting with Hugo anyway. 'No, it's just that when you called, my roommate started making a fuss, thinking there's something between us, and she's been winking and nudging me.'Faced with Charlize's frankness, Hugo chuckled, 'Perhaps in her view, there is no pure friendship between men and women.''Perhaps there are other reasons; for instance, our daily life is just too boring, so any minor detail gets spun into countless versions.' A smile tugged at the corner of Charlize's mouth. However, Terra, lying on the sofa with a lovesick expression, was truly an eyesore. Charlize had to take the phone cord and walk into the kitchen to get out of sight. As a result, Terra's hearty laughter from the sofa made Charlize's cheeks burn inexplicably: even if there was nothing going on, Terra's interference made it seem like there was.'Do you have any work on hand right now?' Hugo picked up the landline and walked from the nightstand to sit by the only window in the room.It was still the early nineties. Although mobile phones had long been on the market, their penetration rate was not high. Not only because phones back then were the classic brick-sized models, with a single phone costing over four thousand five hundred dollars—not something an average person could afford—but also because mobile phones were constrained by signal issues, and the communication quality was poor, so they hadn't been widely popularized.Hugo had been very uncomfortable during his first week after transmigrating. Computers and the internet were not developed here, and there were no mobile phones either, making Hugo feel as if he had returned to a primitive society. For people from the twenty-first century who were almost all addicted to computers or mobile phones, it was definitely a torment.But human adaptability is always astonishing. In less than ten days, Hugo had already adapted. After getting used to life without computers or mobile phones, Hugo now felt it was actually quite convenient. In particular, the landline had no radiation issues and didn't make his ears hot, which made Hugo very satisfied.Charlize also leaned against the kitchen counter. 'No. Not just today; I don't have work tomorrow or the day after either. Life in Los Angeles is so leisurely, which is something I hadn't expected before I left New York.' This tone, slightly teasing and self-deprecating, made Hugo laugh out loud involuntarily.'That's great then. I'd like to invite you to dinner; you won't have any excuses to decline, right?' Hugo said with a smile.Charlize couldn't help but purse her lips, a playful smile on her face. 'Hugo, is, is this a date?' In fact, when they met last time, Charlize had been mentally prepared when she gave Hugo her phone number. But for about a week, Hugo hadn't had any news, and Charlize thought she had guessed wrong. Just at the end of her disappointment, Hugo's call came, which surprised Charlize quite a bit.Faced with Charlize's directness, Hugo realized that in Western culture, a dinner date was very formal. But he hadn't felt that way at all; he had simply wanted to ask Charlize out to dinner under the pretext of the agent matter, but it had ended up leading to this point.'If I said yes, would you agree?' Hugo's mellow voice came through the receiver. This sentence made Charlize's heartbeat a bit erratic, and the smile on her lips betrayed her happy mood at the moment. Hugo then continued, 'Of course, if you wish it weren't, then it isn't, because I think the fact that you are willing to come out and have dinner with me is what matters most.'Charlize was amused by Hugo's teasing directness and laughed out loud. Perhaps because they had a misunderstanding during their first meeting, they were always relaxed and comfortable when talking, lacking the usual caution between men and women.'As long as I'm not the one paying.' Charlize said with a smile, a flash of playfulness in her eyes. As soon as she said this, the sound of stomping came from the doorway. Charlize looked up and saw Terra pacing anxiously for her, clearly dissatisfied with her reply, silently shouting: How can you talk about money with a date!But at the same time, Hugo's warm laughter came through the receiver, mixed with the sunset streaming into the kitchen, like a cup of mellow coffee with steam rising. 'Don't worry, I'll save going Dutch for the second date.' This joke made Charlize chuckle out loud, her silvery laughter scattering countless rays of light in the sunshine.'So, Pacific Dining Car, eight o'clock tonight, is that okay?' Hugo continued immediately. From the other side of the phone, Charlize's confirmation came quickly, 'No problem, see you tonight.' Then Hugo heard a burst of girlish laughter and playfulness on the phone, which made Hugo laugh as well.Hugo currently had no friends in Los Angeles; apart from Joseph, he didn't know anyone. He couldn't share the joy of his successful 'scent of a woman' audition with anyone. Although he had only met Charlize once, she was at least better than a stranger, and their first meeting had been very pleasant, so Hugo had used the matter of Carl Earl to invite Charlize to dinner, which counted as a simple celebration.On the other end of the line, as soon as Charlize hung up, Terra pounced on her. 'Sally! You're going out to dinner with Hugo, that super handsome guy! Sally, take him down, take him down!'Charlize couldn't handle Terra's enthusiasm and said, laughing and crying, 'Terra, are you sure the person eating with the handsome guy is me, and not you?'
