On Set

Yang Chu stopped with a chess piece in his hand and turned to glance in the direction of the voice.

Only then did he notice that two people had appeared behind him at some point.

One was a tall, dark-skinned man with thick eyebrows and large eyes. He had an air of righteousness about him, mixed with a hint of irreverence, and was staring intently at the chessboard, looking quite interested.

Behind the tall, dark-skinned man stood a young man with a straight, slender build.

When he saw Yang Chu looking at him, the young man gave an awkward smile and lightly nudged the tall, dark-skinned man with his elbow. "Sir, a true gentleman doesn't comment while watching a game."

"Quiet!"

The tall, dark-skinned man ignored the young man's gesture. His eyes fixed on the board, he wore a thoughtful expression and pointed at the pieces as he explained, "If I don't move the knight, he'll take my rook. If I do, I can fork two pieces here. If he dares take it, I'll checkmate him on the next move."

Yang Chu looked at the tall, dark-skinned man, then glanced at Xu Xi, who was sitting across from him and trying not to laugh. "You know him?"

"Mm." Xu Xi smiled with pursed lips and nodded.

"Why don't you take over, then?"

Seeing that the tall, dark-skinned man knew Xu Xi and was even more engrossed in the game than he was, Yang Chu simply stood up and gave him the seat.

"Perfect. I've come up with a brilliant move."

When the tall, dark-skinned man saw Yang Chu give up his seat, he sat down without hesitation, picked up a chess piece, and made his move. "Knight takes. Let's see you get out of that."

"Then you'd better watch out."

Xu Xi smiled as the tall, dark-skinned man made his move, then promptly moved a piece of his own.

Once the two men were absorbed in the game again, the slender young man seemed concerned about how Yang Chu might take it. "Sir Chen's just like that. When he gets caught up in something, he becomes rather... well..."

The young man trailed off, apparently unable to find the right words.

"Rather straightforward?"

Yang Chu smiled and finished the sentence for him.

Neither man had introduced himself, but from their bearing and the young man's use of "Sir Chen," Yang Chu had guessed who they were.

Police officers.

Here on Hong Kong Island, "sir" and "madam" had more or less become terms specifically used to refer to police officers.

"Exactly."

The slender young man thought Yang Chu's word choice was accurate and nodded emphatically.

"Checkmate! That's game!"

The position on the board seemed to have shifted again. Xu Xi put down his piece and sat up straight, looking at the tall, dark-skinned man with a faintly amused expression.

"Aw, this game doesn't count. I was at too much of a disadvantage from the start. I wouldn't have played it like that. Let's go again."

The dark-skinned man scratched his head, looking frustrated and a little reluctant to admit defeat.

Seeing him try to wriggle out of it, Xu Xi and the slender young man standing nearby both laughed.

Yang Chu gave a faint smile from the side as well.

"A new friend of yours?"

The tall, dark-skinned man reset the pieces and glanced at Yang Chu, his eyes seeming to scrutinize him for a moment, before turning to ask Xu Xi.

Hearing this, Xu Xi looked up at Yang Chu and smiled as he nodded. "That's right."

"I'm Chen Guibin, with the West Kowloon Major Crimes Unit. Everyone calls me Stone. This is He Jia'an—An Zai. What should we call you?"

After arranging the pieces, the tall, dark-skinned man rose and extended his right hand to Yang Chu.

"Yang Chu. I'm here to read at the library."

Yang Chu shook his hand, then turned to the slender young man. "Pleased to meet you."

"Just call me An Zai." The slender young man gave Yang Chu a light handshake and spoke casually.

"Xu Xi, looks like everyone who can be your friend comes here to read."

As they started another game, Chen Guibin moved a piece and spoke to Xu Xi.

"Reading's good. You can find answers to all sorts of questions." Xu Xi moved a piece in turn, his slightly shy smile still on his face.

"Yeah. Last time, the department's psychologist said I showed signs of schizophrenia and told me to get some rest. I've been reading here for months, trying to figure out whether I'm the one with a problem or that psychologist is."

Chen Guibin grumbled offhandedly, then turned to the others. "Take a look at me. Do I look like I have schizophrenia? I really don't know what kind of people the department hires as psychologists."

"Chu-zai—"

A voice called from outside the library as the group played chess and chatted.

"Sorry, I have to go."

Yang Chu saw that it was Fish Head Xu who had arrived. He turned to say goodbye to Xu Xi, then nodded to Chen Guibin and He Jia'an before walking out of the library.

Chen Guibin glanced after Yang Chu as he continued playing, then turned to Xu Xi and jerked his chin toward the door. "Your new friend seems a bit strange."

"What, does everyone look like a criminal to you?" Xu Xi joked casually.

He Jia'an immediately tensed at that and hurriedly followed Yang Chu with his eyes as he left.

"Relax, An Zai. You're not going to run into that many criminals."

Chen Guibin shot He Jia'an a sidelong glance, a peculiar look on his dark face. "I just thought he didn't seem very human."

"You figured that out too? I think you really ought to get yourself checked out at the hospital." Xu Xi smiled and pointed to his temple. "Schizophrenia, huh—"

"Get lost! Look, I'm about to take your cannon!"

Outside the library.

When Fish Head Xu saw Yang Chu come out, he quickly waved him over. "Chu-zai, come with me. You've got work this afternoon."

"Already?"

Yang Chu walked over to Fish Head Xu, surprised at how quickly he'd arranged things.

"Of course. I went to the set and talked to Big Brother, and he told me to bring you over this afternoon."

Fish Head Xu looked pleased with himself. He grabbed Yang Chu and hurried off. "Hurry up. The big shots are all coming today. We've got our hands full."

After leaving the library, they took Fish Head Xu's beat-up Toyota again and drove at breakneck speed for over ten minutes, arriving at a hill along Fu Shan Road.

A sloping tract of land lay at the foot of the hill, with rows of buildings stretching across it. Across the road was the somewhat run-down Diamond Hill, and Clear Water Bay Road ran not far away.

After getting out of the car, Yang Chu followed Fish Head Xu up the steps along the slope.

People were everywhere. Some wore all kinds of costumes, while others carried a wide variety of equipment, hurrying along the different stairways and roads.

They made their way to a set that had already been built. Before they could even catch their breath, a man rushing past with a battery-powered light called out to Fish Head Xu, "Fish Head Xu, where have you been? Big Brother's waiting up there. Hurry up!"

"I'm here now. Big Brother's always in such a rush."

Fish Head Xu muttered with a pout. Seeing the bustle all around them, he hurriedly pulled Yang Chu toward the set.