The Film Set

Yang Chu paused his hand, the chess piece hovering, and turned his head to glance in the direction of the sound.

Only then did he notice that two people had been standing behind him for some time.

One was a tall man with dark skin, thick brows, and large eyes. His expression held a sense of uprightness, yet it was tempered with a touch of cynicism. He was staring at the chessboard, completely absorbed, looking quite intrigued.

Behind this tall, dark-skinned man stood a young man with a straight, upright posture.

Seeing Yang Chu's gaze fall upon them, the young man offered a slightly embarrassed smile. He gently nudged the tall man with his elbow and whispered, "Chen Sir, a true gentleman watches a game in silence."

"Don't bother me!"

The tall, dark-skinned man ignored the young man's gesture. His eyes remained fixed on the board, deep in thought, as he pointed and gestured, "If he doesn't jump the horse, he'll take my rook. If he does jump, he can fork both pieces from this position. If he dares to come for them, the next move will be checkmate."

Yang Chu looked at the tall man, then glanced at Xu Xi, who was sitting opposite him with his head bowed, suppressing a laugh. "You know him?"

"Mm." Xu Xi pursed his lips in a faint smile and nodded.

"Then why don't you play?"

Seeing that Xu Xi knew the man and that the stranger was even more invested in the board than he was, Yang Chu simply stood up and offered his seat.

"That works out perfectly; I've thought of a brilliant move."

Seeing Yang Chu vacate the seat, the tall, dark-skinned man didn't stand on ceremony. He plopped down, grabbed a piece, and made a move. "Jump the horse. Let's see how you handle that."

"Then you'd better be careful."

Seeing the tall man make his move, Xu Xi smiled and followed suit, shifting his own piece.

As the two became re-immersed in the game, the young man with the upright posture seemed concerned about Yang Chu's feelings and said to him, "Chen Sir has that kind of personality. Once he gets invested in something, he becomes a bit... well..."

The young man paused slightly, as if struggling to find the right adjective.

"A bit direct?"

Yang Chu smiled and finished the sentence for him.

Although the two hadn't declared their identities, he had guessed who they were based on their demeanor and the young man's use of "Chen Sir."

Police.

In Hong Kong, the terms "Sir" and "Madam" had effectively evolved into titles used exclusively for police officers.

"Exactly."

The young man felt that the word Yang Chu used was quite accurate and nodded heavily.

"Check! Checkmate!"

As they spoke, the situation on the board shifted once more. Xu Xi set down his piece and sat up straight, looking at the tall, dark-skinned man with a playful, enigmatic smile.

"Sigh, this round doesn't count. The disadvantage from earlier was too obvious. If I had been playing from the start, it wouldn't have ended like this. Let's go again."

The dark-skinned man scratched his head, his expression a mix of annoyance and lingering reluctance.

Seeing him act like a sore loser, both Xu Xi and the young man standing nearby couldn't help but laugh.

Yang Chu, standing to the side, also offered a faint smile.

"So, a new friend you've made?"

As the tall, dark-skinned man reset the board, he tilted his head to size up Yang Chu. His gaze held a hint of scrutiny before he turned to ask Xu Xi.

Hearing this, Xu Xi looked up at Yang Chu and nodded with a smile. "That's right."

"Chen Guibin, West Kowloon Major Crimes Unit. Everyone calls me Stone. This is He Jia'an, An Zai. How should I address you?"

After setting the pieces, the tall, dark-skinned man stood up and extended his right hand toward Yang Chu.

"Yang Chu. Just here reading in the library."

Yang Chu reached out to shake his hand, then turned to the young man with the upright posture. "Nice to meet you."

"Just call me An Zai," the young man said casually as he gave Yang Chu a light handshake.

"Xu Xi, it seems that anyone who can be friends with you must be here to read books."

As they began the game again, Chen Guibin moved a piece while speaking to Xu Xi.

"Reading is quite good. You can find the answers to many problems," Xu Xi replied, moving his own piece while maintaining his slightly shy smile.

"True. Last time, the psychologist at the station said I had tendencies toward schizophrenia and told me to get some rest. I've been reading here for months, just trying to see if it's me who has the problem, or if it's that psychologist."

Chen Guibin made the remark casually before turning to the others. "Look at me—do I look like I have schizophrenia? I really don't know what kind of people the station is hiring as psychologists."

"Chu Zai—"

Just as the group was chatting over their game, a voice rang out from outside the library doors.

"Excuse me, I have something to attend to."

Seeing that it was Fish Head Xu, Yang Chu turned to greet Xu Xi, nodded to Chen Guibin and He Jia'an, and walked out of the library.

Chen Guibin, still playing, glanced at Yang Chu's retreating back, then tilted his chin toward Xu Xi. "This new friend of yours seems a bit strange!"

"What? Does everyone look like a criminal to you?" Xu Xi said with a casual laugh.

Hearing this, He Jia'an immediately grew tense, his eyes darting toward Yang Chu's departing figure.

"Don't be nervous, An Zai. It's not like you're going to run into that many criminals."

Chen Guibin cast a sidelong glance at He Jia'an, a strange expression appearing on his dark, swarthy face. "I just feel like there's no human scent here."

"You can even tell that? I think you really need to go to the hospital for a checkup." Xu Xi laughed and pointed at his own temple. "Schizophrenia, man—"

"Screw you! See that? I'm about to take your cannon."

Outside the library.

Fish Head Xu saw Yang Chu come out and hurriedly waved him over. "Chu Zai, come with me. You've got work this afternoon."

"So soon?"

Yang Chu walked over to Fish Head Xu, somewhat surprised by the man's efficiency.

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

Fish Head Xu's face was full of pride as he pulled Yang Chu along and hurried outside. "Hurry up, there are big shots coming today; we're going to be busy."

After leaving the library, they got into Fish Head Xu's beat-up Toyota as usual. They drove at breakneck speed for over ten minutes until they reached a hillside on Fu Shan Road.

In front of the hill was a sloping plot of land with rows of buildings, while the somewhat dilapidated Diamond Hill sat opposite. Not far across Fu Shan Road lay Clear Water Bay Road.

Getting out of the car, Yang Chu followed behind Fish Head Xu up the steps of the slope.

The path was crowded with people coming and going, some wearing various costumes and others carrying a wide array of equipment, all weaving between the different stairs and roads.

The two of them reached a set-up film location, and before they could even catch their breath, they saw a man carrying a battery-powered light run past in a hurry. He shouted at Fish Head Xu, "Fish Head Xu, where have you been? Big Brother is rushing us from up there, hurry up!"

"I'm here, aren't I? Big Brother just has a short temper."

Fish Head Xu curled his lip and muttered under his breath. Looking at the busy scene around them, he hurriedly pulled Yang Chu and ran into the film set.