Global Film Emperor

Chapter 137 Let's Clap!

"The King of Fighters, Act 5! Scene 1! Begin!"

"Huff. Huff."

Lu Ze sat in the empty cafeteria. Every day after accompanying the boxers to practice on the target, he would train by himself for thirty minutes. Because he could no longer compete, he had no target master or coach and could only rely on himself.

The boxers had all finished eating and gone back for their afternoon nap, leaving only him, drenched in sweat, ladling a bowl of solid noodles that had clumped together. He picked up his chopsticks, stirred it, and stuffed it into his mouth, swallowing large gulps to replenish his carbohydrates.

Seemingly feeling the flavor wasn't quite right, he went to the kitchen to get some vinegar and poured it into the noodles. The cap of the vinegar bottle suddenly fell off while he was pouring the vinegar, and even though he managed to put it back in time, he had poured in far too much.

This scene wasn't intentionally staged. Lu Ze hadn't expected so much to spill out. He frowned, put the vinegar bottle back, picked up his chopsticks, and stirred it a few times. Seeing that Lu Ze wasn't stopping, Liu Ying didn't stop him either.

The filming continues.

After taking a big bite, a sour taste rushed to the top of his head. Lu Ze frowned, picked up another piece of food with his chopsticks and threw it into his mouth, making the staff outside the venue swallow their saliva with envy.

The canteen was connected to the back door of the boxing gym, making it convenient for the chefs to dispose of their swill. It was supposed to be the kitchen's break time, but the door was pushed open.

Lu Ze looked back and saw Guan Yong, who played the second uncle in the play. Without saying hello, he silently took another bite.

As a veteran actor, Guan Yong's acting skills are beyond question. Wearing an old blue undershirt and jeans, and walking on tiptoe, he brought to life a middle-aged man who was very unhappy with his life without saying a word.

He walked to the table opposite Lu Ze, sat down, and watched Lu Ze frown as he continued to swallow large mouthfuls of noodles that smelled pungent. Although his face was expressionless, his eyes were filled with love and heartache.

"Come back with me."

"Huff. Why go back?"

"Whether you sell fish with me or work for someone else, you'll be better off doing whatever you do than what you're doing now."

The middle-aged man's deep voice, accompanied by cigarettes and alcohol, was perfectly captured on the radio. His Mandarin was very standard, and his voice was particularly magnetic and pleasant to the ear.

Lu Ze looked up at him, then lowered his head again, peeled the leftover egg from the boxer's meal, scooped out the yolk, and put the egg white with a little soy sauce into his mouth.

"Forget it, I'm not used to it."

Upon hearing Lu Ze's refusal, his eyebrows slowly furrowed. Those outside the film set could feel the rising emotions, and their hearts were gradually being lifted.

That's what veteran actors are all about; they can move the audience's emotions with just one expression.

"How do you know you won't adapt if you haven't even tried? People can't stay in one place forever, and there's no such thing as being unable to adapt. Otherwise, how would you adapt to the life of boxing?"

"because I like it."

"No, it's not because I like it, it's because I'm used to it."

The dialogue is empty; the actors need to transform it into something concrete and realistic, just like Guan Yong is doing now, taking the egg from Lu Ze's hand, gently peeling it open, scooping out the yolk, and throwing it into the soy sauce dish.

"Who would enjoy such a hard life? Getting up at five every morning to train, just to finish training early so others can have room, being a free sparring partner just to use the equipment for free, cleaning the gym at night just so others can finish training and leave so you can train yourself? Is this the kind of life you like?"

"Then it's a habit, and I can't change it."

“But your life is too hard. Can your mother and I watch you continue to suffer?”

"I'm not afraid of hardship, I'm afraid of living a meaningless life."

Guan Yong's brows furrowed deeper and deeper, his forehead wrinkles deepening, like a tiger about to unleash its fury. His entire aura surged, leaving the onlookers stunned. "Yes, selling fish is meaningless, working is meaningless, but I can support my wife and children! What about you! Can you do that now! People don't live just for themselves! You can't consider me! Because you're not my son, I have my own daughter to take care of me in my old age! What about your mother! You can't even feed yourself now! What about your mother!"

Guan Yong got so excited that he slammed his hand on the table, his emotions reaching a fever pitch. The atmosphere became tense, and even Wang Zixuan, let alone the other staff, obediently put down her milk carton and dared not drink any more.

Guan Yong pointed at Lu Ze's nose, his hand trembling noticeably, his eyes wide like copper bells.

"What's the point of you still hanging around the gym? You've been abandoned! If you weren't my older brother's son, if your dad hadn't been holding my hand before he died and telling me to help you two when you were down on your luck, would I care about you? I'm barely managing to get by on my own, why would I care about you? You haven't fought in six years! You're twenty-four! You're not young anymore!"

Lu Ze was so scolded that he couldn't lift his head. His head was almost stuck in the bowl of noodles. He picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth. However, his right hand was so tight that it turned white from gripping the chopsticks, which showed that his heart was not as calm as it appeared.

"It's possible to hit it."

"Snapped!"

A slap landed on Lu Ze's head with considerable force, causing the unprepared Lu Ze to fall backward. A stool overturned, pushing other tables and chairs aside, and a loud crash echoed through the room.

"When! When! Tell me! When can you get to fight in any of those matches! Yes! There are boxers in their thirties and forties, you're only twenty-four, you can wait! But what about your mother! What about her? Look at yourself! Open your eyes and look! Your mother is in the hospital for a check-up right now, do you know that?! Do you know what the worst possible outcome is? Cancer!"

Lu Ze tried to get up from the ground, but upon hearing this, whether he was dazed from being slapped or so frightened that he was in a daze, he fell to the ground again. He picked up the medical record, glanced at it, looked up at his second uncle, got up again, picked up the stool, and sat down, but this time his eyes were red.
He picked up the chopsticks from the ground, unsure of what to do with them, and absentmindedly used them to scoop out a few noodles soaking in soup and vinegar.

A tear fell into the bowl of noodles. He didn't speak or cry. He just scooped up the noodles aimlessly, picked up a strand, put it in his mouth, and suddenly grabbed the chopsticks, lowering his head even further.

“You were young when your father passed away, and I don’t blame you for not being able to fulfill your filial duties. Although he is my brother, you are also my nephew, so I don’t blame you. But your mother said something unpleasant, like what if, what if she is diagnosed with COVID-19? She needs a son by her side, right? It’s not that she doesn’t have a son, she does. Even if her son doesn’t have money to pay for her medical treatment, he still needs to be with her, right?”

The chopsticks were placed on the table. Lu Ze rested his elbows on his lap, covered his face, and still didn't cry, only made a faint sniffling sound. Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere became silent.

"I'll pack my things and leave in a bit."

"Let me help you. I drove here anyway, so I'll take you straight to the hospital. She's a woman, and she'll definitely be scared waiting for the results alone at the hospital."

Guan Yong didn't mock Lu Ze by saying anything like "You regret it now?" or encourage him by saying "It's not too late to regret it now." He just patted Lu Ze's muscular body and went to help Lu Ze pack his things. As an uncle, as long as Lu Ze could turn back, it didn't matter what he did in the future, as long as he didn't break the law or continue boxing.

In fact, everyone knows that Lu Ze's dream died six years ago, but Lu Ze just doesn't believe it and is determined to revive it.

"Mmm."

Lu Ze agreed, sniffed, wiped his tears and the area below his nostrils with the back of his hand, got up and took Guan Yong upstairs. He stopped punching and dreaming.

"Pass! Awesome! Perfect!"

Lu Ze and Guan Yong stopped in their tracks. Lu Ze's face was still streaked with tears, and his eyes were red. For Lu Ze, crying on cue was not a problem at all.

"Did it hurt? I hit too hard. Are you alright, Xiao Lu?"

"It's alright, I'm a tough person."

The two chatted for a bit with smiles, and Guan Yong's attitude towards Lu Ze improved even more. Over the years, among the young actors he had worked with, he felt that Lu Ze's skills were the best.

Even with other actors who had solid basic skills, he could still find some flaws. But Lu Ze, judging from this scene alone, was flawless. Moreover, this was a very difficult scene to film. He could only say that the young people of today are truly remarkable.

As the two walked off the set, everyone was watching them. The impact of the scene they had just witnessed had shocked everyone, especially Lu Ze, who had held his own against veteran actors. They were speechless except for how awesome he was.

What can the two do after they leave the film set?
Let's clap!
That's all for today.
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(End of this chapter)