"Mom, I'm ho."
Open the door, close the door, dash upstairs—Gloria moved with lightning speed, her footsteps didn't even pause, and in the blink of an eye, she had already disappeared.
Mrs. Preston, full of confusion, stood in the kitchen and peeked out, "Gloria?"
She called out, but there was no response.
"Gloria!"
She called out again, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea.
Mrs. Preston simply went to the bottom of the stairs and asked patiently, "Gloria, did everything go well today? You were so eager to attend the filming of 'Friends,' and I even called the school to get you excused. You promised you'd prepare well for the upcoming exams. And now this? Hey, girl, you wouldn't want to get angry."
One second, two seconds—
Gloria reappeared at the top of the stairs, looking exasperated. She honestly didn't understand—next sester, she'd be in twelfth grade, practically an adult, yet her mom still treated her like a naive middle schooler. When would her mom finally understand that she could make her own decisions now?
But, this was her mom—what else could she do?
Hehe.
Gloria forced a smile and obediently replied, "Everything's fine."
Mrs. Preston's tone lifted slightly at the end, clearly skeptical. "Just fine?"
Gloria couldn't contain her excitent. All she could think about was getting online and searching for information about that actor. But her mom was holding her back from her fan-girling, and in her impatience, her words ca out in a rush. Once she started, she couldn't stop.
"Fine, very fine."
"To be precise, it was perfect."
"I saw Rachel, and I also saw Monica, Chandler, Ross, Phoebe—ah, ah, ah! And Gunther! But that's not all."
"I saw Paul."
Mrs. Preston was also a 'Friends' viewer, tuning in every week, but clearly, this was a new na to her. "Paul?"
Gloria couldn't hold back any longer. "Ah, yes, Paul! Ahhh! Sorry, Mom, you know I signed a non-disclosure agreent, so I can't give spoilers. But anyway, Paul—he's a perfect man."
"Actually, his na is Anson Wood. Oh, God, I really like him."
Watching her daughter scream uncontrollably, Mrs. Preston wasn't the least bit surprised. After all, the objects of her daughter's affection changed every few weeks. Last month, she was swooning over so singer; this month, it was a novel. She even had a new na to ntion every week—it was all the internet's fault.
Mrs. Preston smiled, "Do you like him as much as Nick Carter or Harry Potter?"
It had been a while since Gloria had ntioned those nas.
Gloria didn't even catch the sarcasm in her mother's voice. "I like him even more than them. He—oh, Jesus Christ—he's really different."
Mrs. Preston nodded repeatedly. "Alright, alright. You haven't forgotten about Mrs. Jones's book report tomorrow, have you? If you haven't finished it…"
Gloria quickly nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, of course! How could I forget? Mom, you need to trust —I finally understand what love at first sight is all about. Reading those novels is going to be a breeze now. I already know exactly how to write the book report."
Mrs. Preston didn't say anything more. Though her daughter was playful and often neglectful, she had one redeeming quality: when she made a promise, she always kept it. She had been that way since she was little, always keeping her word.
This wasn't the first ti Gloria had "skipped" to attend a concert or go on a trip, but her grades had never suffered. In fact, she had always excelled. Otherwise, Mrs. Preston wouldn't have helped her daughter lie to get out of school.
So.
Mrs. Preston didn't say anything more and turned back to the kitchen.
Thud, thud, thud.
A series of hurried footsteps ca from upstairs, and Mrs. Preston sighed helplessly. That little girl was running around again, unable to stay still.
**Chapter 43: Your Na (Continued)**
Thud.
Gloria plopped down into her chair, quickly opening her laptop and getting to work. She was so happy that she couldn't help but hum an unfamiliar tune.
La la la, la la la.
But—
Anson Wood—no search results.
How could that be?!
Gloria thought she might have mistyped the na, so she tried a few different spellings, then browsed so news articles related to "Friends" as a keyword.
Usually, despite the tight security and strict confidentiality of the "Friends" production team, in a small place like Los Angeles, reporters and paparazzi were everywhere, and news about guest stars would always leak out in advance.
However—
There was nothing.
Absolutely nothing. Gloria couldn't hide her disappointnt.
Seriously?!
Suddenly, her head felt heavy as lead and slamd onto the keyboard, and she let out a wail of frustration.
Buzz.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Her mind went blank, and she couldn't help but replay that face, that figure—every smile, every gesture—vividly in her mind.
It was like a film reel.
Before she knew it, ti started to rewind, taking her back to the wonderful monts at Stage 24.
Then, a thought popped into Gloria's head—an idea, a possibility.
Maybe she was the first person to discover this hidden gem?
Maybe that's why, when she asked the man for his na, she saw a look of surprise and joy in his eyes, a gentle ripple like the first ray of dawn breaking through the treetops and spilling into a deep forest, making her heart race uncontrollably. That sense of happiness and excitent—it was mutual.
No way!
No way, no way, no way!
If that's true, it's absolutely amazing.
Suddenly, Gloria sat up straight, her posture rigid. She opened IMDb—the Internet Movie Database, created by Amazon, an online database for information on actors, movies, TV shows, directors, production teams, and more.
Initially, IMDb functioned solely as a database, but with the introduction of a rating system, it evolved into a secret haven for movie enthusiasts. Not only did the ratings for each movie beco a reference point for the public, but the top 250 movies list, based on those ratings, also beca an authoritative ranking.
Without a doubt, in the year 2000, IMDb was a brand-new product of the entertainnt industry's expansion onto the internet.
Everything converged here.
After so quick searches, Gloria confird it—there was still no information on Anson. The cast and crew list for "Friends" Season 6, Episode 21 hadn't been released yet either.
But Gloria had expected that.
So, she decided to take action.
She imdiately created a new page—
Na: Anson Wood.
Birthday: ?
Height: ?
Weight: ?
Filmography: ...
After so thought, Gloria decided to leave the "Filmography" section blank for now. She didn't want to cause trouble for herself or for Anson by violating the non-disclosure agreent she had signed.
Anyway, once the official information from the "Friends" production team was updated, she could add it in then.
And so—
Question marks. A series of question marks, all over the page—except for his na, she knew nothing else.
But Gloria wasn't discouraged; in fact, she felt an uncontrollable excitent.
Before her was a blank canvas, waiting to be filled in. She knew she would be there with Anson, gradually replacing those question marks one by one. A new, future full of endless possibilities was unfolding before her, and this was just the beginning.
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