Provocation

"Ah Chu, where have you been these past few days?"

After Yang Chu arrived, a middle-aged man holding a camera called out to him from beside a fairly upscale car parked in front of several trucks.

"Brother Quan, I had some personal matters to take care of the other day."

Yang Chu went over and greeted the middle-aged man with the camera. He stuck with Fish Head Xu's excuse for why he hadn't come to the set.

He didn't know the man's name. He only knew that everyone called him Brother Quan. But after spending two days on set, he'd learned that the man was the production's chief cameraman, with a status above the rest. Even Director San Bao spoke to him politely when they discussed shots and camera blocking.

"Hey, looks like you really did have something going on the other day. How did it work out? You seem a lot more at ease today."

The cameraman called Brother Quan looked Yang Chu over. People in his line of work had sharp eyes and were very sensitive to others' moods.

Yang Chu had made quite an impression during the shoot at the docks, but back then he'd seemed distant, a little cold. Today, though, he seemed much more approachable.

"More or less."

Yang Chu smiled as he replied. He'd been more emotional these past few days, so it wasn't strange that someone had noticed.

"Go give them a hand."

The cameraman called Brother Quan waved Yang Chu over, then put the camera he was holding into the small car in front of him.

"I'll come learn from you another time, Brother Quan," Yang Chu said with a smile before leaving.

He wasn't all that interested in the various aspects of filmmaking anymore. Unless something unexpected happened, he probably wouldn't return to the set. In fact, he was already considering leaving for a while after watching Xiahou Wu's match with Fish Head Xu that evening.

Xu Xi had already told him that not only was Chen Guibin from the Serious Crimes Unit watching him, but people from Unit 701 would come looking for him again as well. He wasn't afraid or worried about it, but after what had happened with Uncle Kin, he didn't want to drag too many ordinary people into his affairs.

"Hey, Ah Chu, good timing. Give me a hand here."

When Yang Chu walked over to a small truck, Jia Le, the fight choreographer, spotted him and repeatedly waved him over.

Jia Le and several stuntmen and crew members were working together to load a wire rig onto the truck.

It didn't look all that complicated, but both the iron frame and the rope—dozens of meters long and almost as thick as a wrist—were heavy.

"Jia Le, where are we shooting on location today?"

Yang Chu went over to help and casually asked.

"Out in Sai Kung. Big Brother's rented an abandoned factory there. Most of the scenes are indoors, but we might need the wire rig, so we're taking it along. We'll probably shoot the rest of the film there."

Everyone worked together to load the equipment into the truck. Jia Le let out a breath and patted the coiled rope beside him, which looked like a truck tire. Then he looked Yang Chu up and down.

"Where have you been these past few days? That day, Brother Xu called to say you weren't coming. Big Brother wasn't happy at first. If he hadn't suddenly cheered up later, and someone hadn't introduced a new guy to fill in as the lead actor's double, he would've blown his top."

"Something came up, and I couldn't get away." Yang Chu gave an apologetic smile.

"Ah, forget about it now." Jia Le waved a hand. "Brother Xu came by specially that afternoon to explain, too. Just put your heart into it. Everyone likes you. Working with you is a real pleasure. I've been in the stunt business for ages, and I've never seen anyone who'd been around for less than two days become so popular with everyone."

"It's because everyone's been looking out for me," Yang Chu said with a smile. He glanced around, then asked in puzzlement, "By the way, Jia Le, where's Brother Xu?"

"Brother Xu?"

Jia Le looked around, too. The lean, fierce-looking young man Yang Chu had seen earlier spoke up from beside them. "Brother Xu came to see Master this morning, then left."

Yang Chu had since learned who the young man was: Big Brother's disciple. He worked as a stuntman and acted, too. In this film, he seemed to be playing the second main villain, a role that mostly involved fight scenes.

"Brother Xu isn't here?"

Yang Chu was a little surprised, but didn't ask any further.

"Come on, Big Brother and the others are already at the factory. We're just going over to set things up this afternoon and check the lighting. We won't start filming until tomorrow. Let's get moving and try to wrap early."

Jia Le had already started calling the other stuntmen and crew members to get ready to leave.

He was young compared with the stuntmen and other crew members, but he had plenty of experience and was skilled. He'd also been appointed fight choreographer for this production, so no one dragged their feet when it came to following his directions.

Once everyone had mostly finished packing up, Jia Le pulled Yang Chu into the back of the small truck he was riding in, and they set off with the rest of the crew.

After the truck left Fu Shan Road, Jia Le leaned close to Yang Chu's ear in the back seat and whispered, "Ah Chu, there were too many people around earlier, so I couldn't tell you properly. You probably won't be able to double for Wu Zai anymore. Big Brother's already got the new guy, Hong Ye, lined up to take your place. I suggested him, too. Don't take it personally. We had to make a quick decision."

"Why would I?" Yang Chu smiled calmly. He didn't mind at all. He was the one who'd let them down first, so there was nothing to say.

"Good." Jia Le looked at Yang Chu's expression, nodded, then smiled. "We haven't known each other long, but I think you've really got talent. Whether you work as a stuntman or do something else, you're bound to become a big star."

"Thanks, Jia Le," Yang Chu said softly.

He didn't particularly care about any of that, but he could still appreciate the kindness behind it.

The truck drove on, and before long they reached an abandoned factory in Sai Kung.

As soon as he got out, Yang Chu saw the film's director, San Bao, standing in a crowd of crew members. They seemed to be watching something, and every now and then, cheers rose from the group.

"Come on, let's go take a look."

Hearing the commotion, fight choreographer Jia Le called to Yang Chu and headed toward the crowd.

Yang Chu followed him. Once they reached the edge of the crowd, he saw the crew watching a young man in his twenties practicing with a sword.

It was an unsharpened prop steel sword from the production. In the young man's hands, it moved as naturally as an extension of his arm, almost as if it were alive. Paired with his nimble, leaping movements, the flashing blade and swift, flowing strokes made for a truly pleasing sight.

Director San Bao, a large, broad man standing among the crowd, couldn't help applauding once the young man finished and stood with his sword at his side. He beamed. "Excellent! With Hong Ye's looks and martial arts foundation, if he gets the chance to lead a film someday, he'll definitely become a star."

"What a promising young man. The way he handles that sword really does look like the sword dance described in that poem."

"Big Brother, we've had two skilled newcomers join our crew one after the other. That'll open up all sorts of possibilities for our next projects."

"It's been ages since we had any newcomers, and now we've got two at once. Hong Ye and Yang Chu—they're both skilled enough to fill in."

Many of the stuntmen and crew members joined in with their praise after watching Hong Ye's performance.

A few of them spotted Yang Chu approaching from farther away and praised him, too.

Yang Chu hadn't been with the production long, but his performance during the location shoot at the docks had left a deep impression. He was the sort who picked things up at once, and whatever task he was given, he did it better than expected.

"Yang Chu's here?"

Hearing them mention him, Director San Bao glanced at Yang Chu as he walked over. There wasn't the slightest trace of anger on his face. Instead, he greeted him magnanimously. "Ah Chu, have you taken care of your business?"

"More or less."

Yang Chu didn't say outright, in front of so many people, that he wouldn't be coming back to the set. He just gave a vague answer.

"Good."

Director San Bao patted Yang Chu on the shoulder. Over the past few years, not many of the newcomers or disciples he'd worked with had made it big.

Someone like Yang Chu, who was not only skilled but could also help out with all sorts of jobs across the crew, was even harder to come by.

"By the way, Ah Chu, this is Hong Ye."

Director San Bao called the young man who'd just been practicing with the sword over to them. "You weren't here that day, so he filled in for you as Wu Zai's double."

The young man called Hong Ye tucked the steel sword behind his arm and walked over. He fixed Yang Chu with a bright-eyed gaze and a smile. But there was an air of arrogance behind it as he said, "Ever since I joined the production, everyone's been telling me about this stuntman named Yang Chu who came before me, someone whose skills are supposedly out of this world. I wonder if I could see them for myself?"

Thanks to the three readers "Changqing1040," "Book Friend 20210520165558742," and "Chaoyang Tianshi" for the generous rewards of 10,000 coins each. Thanks to all the big spenders for your support, and thank you all for voting! There's been so much support—I'll make a separate thank-you post when I have time!

I'll keep working hard on the chapters~~~