Face to Face
One morning, Yutou Xu was once again woken up by the tantalizing aroma of food.
"Chu, you've bought all this food so early again? Do you ever sleep?"
Still half-asleep, Yutou Xu yawned, pulled out a chair, and sat at the table, eyeing the spread.
"I woke up early, went for a swim, and grabbed breakfast afterward," Yang Chu replied. After Yutou Xu sat down, Yang Chu handed him a pair of disposable chopsticks, opened his own chopsticks, and started unpacking his takeaway box.
Though there wasn't as much variety as yesterday, the breakfast was still substantial, with some added fruit.
Yutou Xu took the chopsticks, opened a box, and the rich smell of stir-fried beef noodles instantly wiped away his drowsiness. Taking a few bites, he casually asked, "Where'd you go swimming so early in the morning? Don't tell me you went to the beach. Be careful, the waves can be rough."
Yang Chu had already mentioned his morning swimming habit yesterday, explaining that a day without swimming left him feeling sluggish. People have their habits—some need a shower in the morning, others prefer a bath at night. Yutou Xu had seen all sorts of quirks, so he wasn't too bothered, but he was curious about where Yang Chu went swimming.
"I didn't go to the beach. There's a pool near Victoria Bay. I swam a few laps there," Yang Chu responded casually.
In reality, he hadn't gone to swim but to sleep. A half-hour or hour's nap in the water was enough to keep him alert for the whole day. Originally, he had planned to go to the Sham Shui Po park pool, which wasn't far from Tongzhou Street Park. However, by the time he finished his workout, it was only 4 AM, and the park pool hadn't opened yet.
He could have snuck in, but knowing that Uncle Jian, who managed the pool, would likely arrive at 5 AM to open up and clean, Yang Chu didn't want to risk being caught sleeping. So, on his way back, he passed by a high-end residential complex near Victoria Bay, spotted a private pool sign, and snuck in. He slept for over an hour in the pool before sneaking out, grabbing breakfast on his way home.
"You really love swimming, huh? You should make some good money and buy a big house with a pool. Then you can swim all day long," Yutou Xu said between bites of his stir-fried noodles. He glanced up at Yang Chu and suddenly stopped mid-bite, surprised. "Chu, you look different today... almost like—"
"Like I've gained weight?" Yang Chu grinned, swallowing a dumpling.
"Exactly!" Yutou Xu nodded, staring at him in surprise, his crossed eyes narrowing as he looked Yang Chu up and down.
"I eat so much every day; it's only natural I'd put on some weight." Yang Chu shrugged off Yutou Xu's surprise, speaking calmly.
"True," Yutou Xu said after a moment, not finding anything unusual. After all, the change wasn't drastic—only someone who'd spent the whole day with Yang Chu would have noticed.
After breakfast, they headed out together.
Yang Chu first had Yutou Xu make a detour to the public library on Po On Road. Due to a shift change or something, Xu Xi wasn't there in the morning, so Yang Chu used a fake ID to borrow three books before heading with Yutou Xu to the set on Hammer Hill Road.
There was a night shoot planned for the day, so the filming was likely to last a while. Yang Chu didn't want to waste time, and his growing interest in reading helped him understand himself better.
When they arrived at the set, filming hadn't started yet, but many people were already there.
"Big brother, Ah Lok!"
Yutou Xu led Yang Chu to meet the burly director and the martial arts choreographer, Ah Lok.
The two were standing in the middle of a group of people around the camera, discussing something that looked like action sequences. When the director saw them approach, a faint smile appeared on his face. "Xu, Chu, you're here early."
"You asked us to, big brother. We can't be late and hold you up," Yutou Xu chuckled, pointing at Yang Chu. "Chu's a quiet one. He doesn't talk much in front of you, but he kept rushing me on the way here."
"I can tell. You know me—I don't care about that stuff," the director said, waving it off. He had already noticed Yang Chu didn't talk much and kept a subtle distance from everyone, not the kind of guy who sucked up to people.
But he didn't mind. In this industry, skill mattered more than words—if you couldn't perform, talking wouldn't save you.
"Master, Heipi Sha and the others are here," a tall, rugged young man said quietly, approaching the director from the crowd.
"I know. Ah Lok, take the team to the location. Tonight's scenes are all outdoors," the director's smile vanished, replaced with a look of irritation. He patted Yutou Xu on the shoulder, then turned to Yang Chu. "You guys go with Ah Lok to the location and help out."
"Brother Sambo!"
A voice with a hint of arrogance came from afar.
Five or six men in suits and sunglasses walked in, exuding an air of boldness. The one leading them, a man in his thirties with a silver earring and stubble, saw the director and took off his sunglasses, arms wide open, as if ready to hug him.
The burly director subtly stepped aside, avoiding the hug. "Ah Sha, your scene isn't until tonight. Why are you here so early?"
"Oh, come on, Sambo! What kind of diva do you take me for?" Ah Sha didn't mind being dodged. He casually threw an arm around the director's shoulder. "We've got a stake in this movie, so of course I need to be more hands-on. Back in the day, Big Mouth Wai used to hang around your set to learn about filmmaking. He's gone now, so I'm doing the same."
"Fine, just keep your guys out of the crew's way," the director, called Sambo, said, shaking off Ah Sha's arm with a sigh of resignation.
"Of course, of course. My guys can even help if needed," Ah Sha said with a big grin.
While they talked, Yang Chu stole a few glances from a distance before following Ah Lok and the stunt team to start moving equipment to the night shoot location.
A few trucks left the set, with Yutou Xu's beat-up Toyota following behind.
"Is the director's name Sambo?" Yang Chu asked as they drove, recalling how the burly man was called that on set.
"That's his nickname. He used to perform Peking opera as a female lead, and his master called him that. When opera went out of style, he switched to working as a stuntman, and the name stuck," Yutou Xu explained casually, keeping his eyes on the road.
"And those other guys?" Yang Chu asked, thinking about the men in suits.
"Gangsters," Yutou Xu scoffed. "Don't be fooled by their slick suits—they run drug rings, collect protection money, and aren't afraid to use violence. Honestly, plenty of people in our crew have run with gangs at some point, though most of them quit later on."
He paused, his tone growing somber. "This movie probably has their money behind it. Sambo doesn't have the clout he used to. We just need to do our job and stay out of trouble."
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