Chapter 3

Summer waved his hand and said earnestly, "Brother Bing, look at the situation now. You are the butcher, and I am the fish on the chopping block. Do I have the guts to play tricks on you?"

"What do you mean, then?" Bao Ya Bing glared at Summer with a nasty look. If this brat didn’t give a satisfactory answer, he would make him pay today.

"Brother Bing, have you forgotten what my father does?" Summer smiled slightly, ignoring Bao Ya Bing’s murderous intent.

Reminded of this, Bao Ya Bing’s eyes lit up instantly.

Xia Shuliang was once a famous "million-dollar director" who directed over a dozen critically acclaimed films. As the saying goes, a dragon begets a dragon, a phoenix begets a phoenix, and a rat’s son knows how to dig holes. If Summer had even half of his father’s talent, he would be more than capable of directing a B-movie.

"But can you really do it? Don’t be bluffing me, right?" Bao Ya Bing asked with some concern. If Summer hadn’t learned even a fraction of his father’s skills, he wouldn’t feel confident entrusting the film to him.

After all, he had invested 100,000 Hong Kong dollars (which he exaggerated to 150,000) in this film, making it a major production in the low-budget B-movie industry.

"Of course I can. Since I could run at the age of two, I’ve been playing around on the Shaw Brothers Studio set. Growing up in such an environment, and with my father’s personal guidance, I’m not boasting, but I’ve learned at least 70-80% of his skills," Summer said confidently.

Hearing him boast so much, Xia Xue and Chen Yixin, who were standing beside him, looked somewhat strange. They knew that although Summer was the son of the famous director Xia Shuliang, he hadn’t inherited his father’s skills.

Summer’s childhood dream wasn’t to be a director but to be a righteous hero. So, he had learned martial arts from a young age under the renowned Shaw Brothers action choreographer Tang Jia, and never learned how to direct films from his father.

Of course, they wouldn’t expose Summer’s bluff. The more they could fool Bao Ya Bing, the better.

"But just talking won’t convince you. Let’s put it to the test. If I can do it, please entrust the film to me. If I can’t, I’ll accept any punishment without complaint," Summer said, thumping his chest.

Seeing his confidence, Bao Ya Bing nodded. Rather than worry about not finding a successor, he might as well let Summer try. It was like treating a dead horse as if it were alive.

"Alright, you can give it a try. But if you can’t do it, don’t blame me for being ruthless," Bao Ya Bing said coldly, giving Xia Xue’s still somewhat immature body a fierce look, making his threat clear.

Although Summer felt very uncomfortable, he knew he had to save the situation, so he had to endure it. "Alright, Brother Bing, just watch my skills."

"Ahua, bring him the camera," Bao Ya Bing ordered.

The man named Ahua, who had a pale face, nodded and turned to fetch the handheld camera. A moment later, he returned with it.

In B-movie production, to save costs, they usually only had one camera. The person whose hand Summer had just crippled with a steel pipe was the crew’s cameraman and director.

"Here, catch it!" Ahua shouted, throwing the camera forcefully at Summer.

Summer’s expression turned serious, knowing this was Ahua’s way of giving him a hard time.

A handheld camera weighs about 7-8 kilograms without film, and with the film, it’s at least 10 kilograms. Thrown with such force, the impact would be significant.

Moreover, cameras are delicate and easily damaged. If he didn’t catch it and it fell to the ground, it would be a disaster.

For a moment, not only was Summer facing a tough challenge, but everyone present was also shocked by Ahua’s reckless action. Bao Ya Bing, in particular, jumped up.

This handheld camera, though second-hand, was worth 90,000 Hong Kong dollars. More importantly, it contained the film shot today. If Summer didn’t catch it and the camera broke, the loss would be enormous.

Thinking of this, Bao Ya Bing was both anxious and angry, giving Ahua a fierce glare, wishing he could kick him to death. This guy was good for nothing and only caused trouble, his brain filled with crap.

Ahua, seeing his boss’s glare, realized his mistake and felt deeply regretful. He shouldn’t have played such a trick. But the damage was done, and now he could only hope Summer would catch the precious camera.

Just as everyone was on edge, the camera flew right in front of Summer.

He remained calm, reaching out to grab the handle, then smoothly pulling it into his chest, using his abdominal muscles to absorb the impact.

"Be careful, Ahua! This is a Sony F25 from last year, worth over 100,000 Hong Kong dollars. If it breaks, Brother Bing will suffer a huge loss."

Summer fiddled with the camera, recognizing it as a Sony model from 1982. Fortunately, he had used it before, so he felt more confident. He lightly scolded Ahua.

Seeing his skilled handling of the camera, Bao Ya Bing’s confidence in Summer grew. Hearing him scold Ahua, he felt a thorn in his heart.

"Even outsiders know to protect my interests, and you, who have been with me for so long, just cause trouble." Thinking of this, Bao Ya Bing gave Ahua another fierce glare.

Ahua, having been glared at twice by his boss, knew he was in trouble. He quickly stepped back, lowering his head, and dared not cause any more trouble.

"Alright, since you can handle the camera, let’s not waste any more time. Let’s start shooting as soon as possible," Bao Ya Bing urged.

His film, "Midnight Werewolf," was set to premiere in three days. With one day needed for post-production, they only had two days left. The film was only half-finished, so they needed to speed up.

"Alright," Summer nodded. "But let my sister and my friend go back first. I’ll stay here alone."

"Huh?!" Bao Ya Bing’s face darkened, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Summer suspiciously.

"Brother Bing, my sister doesn’t understand filmmaking, and keeping her here is useless. Besides, I’m still here, and you have so many people watching me. Do you really think I’ll run away?" Summer met Bao Ya Bing’s gaze, speaking sincerely.

Bao Ya Bing hesitated, then nodded. "Kid, don’t try to fool me. Remember, in Hong Kong, you can run, but you can’t hide."

"Of course," Summer smiled, feeling a weight lifted off his chest. "Thank you, Brother Bing!" He turned to Chen Yixin. "Yixin, take Aixue to your place and hide for a few days."

"What about you, big brother?" Xia Xue asked quickly.

"I’ll finish this film and come back to find you," Summer smiled. "Yixin, remember to ask Master for a two-day leave for me."

"Brother Tian, are you really going to stay and shoot the film?" Chen Yixin asked in a low voice. "Don’t joke around, you don’t know how to direct a film."

"Don’t worry, I’ve seen pigs run even if I haven’t eaten pork. After spending so many years at the Shaw Brothers Studio, I’ve picked up a lot. You don’t need to worry about me. There will be plenty of opportunities to show my skills in the future."

Summer smiled. In this timeline, he didn’t know how to direct, but in another timeline, he was a high-achieving graduate of the Beijing Film Academy’s directing program. His professional knowledge was on par with the famous Hong Kong directors of the time.

Seeing his confidence, Chen Yixin was also inspired. "Alright, I’ll take my sister home first, and then I’ll come to help you."

Summer knew Chen Yixin was an assistant lighting technician at the Shaw Brothers Studio. Although he wasn’t fully trained yet, he already had the ability to work independently.

Filmmaking, after all, is an art of light and shadow, and the importance of a lighting technician is evident. They are even respectfully called "Light Master" in the industry, and even the biggest stars dare not offend them.

With his good friend’s help, Summer felt more confident about completing the film.

"Alright," Summer patted Chen Yixin’s shoulder and nodded firmly.

...

After Chen Yixin and Xia Xue left, Summer began to familiarize himself with the film.

A few sheets of A4 paper, loosely stapled together, served as the script.

Summer carefully read through it and immediately frowned.

The plot of "Midnight Werewolf" was shockingly simple.

It tells the story of a sexually voracious werewolf who enjoys raping women returning home late at night. However, the more he walks the night, the more likely he is to meet his end. Eventually, he falls into a trap set by the victims’ families and is brutally dismembered by the angry mob.

The story could be told in less than ten minutes, so the remaining eighty minutes of the film were filled with sex scenes and violent sequences. It was a typical "if the plot is weak, add more sex" B-movie.

Summer rubbed his temples in frustration. He never imagined that his first film after returning to this timeline would be such a trashy and disgusting B-movie. This was far from what he had envisioned.

"How could I, a time traveler, end up in such a dire situation, with no benefits at all?" he lamented to himself.

"Well, let’s consider this a test from fate. As the saying goes, 'Heaven will bestow a great mission upon a person, but first, it will test his resolve, tire his muscles, starve his body, and frustrate his actions, to strengthen his heart and increase his capabilities.' Even if it’s a B-movie, it’s still filmmaking. I’ll use it to hone my skills."

During the new book period, I need all kinds of support. I hope everyone will help as much as possible! Old Bai thanks you!

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