A rare smile appeared on Nicholas Tse's usually cool and restrained face.
"Hey, Hotdog," he said as he stepped closer, "I just got back from the U.S."
Yao Zhongren grinned at the sight of him.
As Edison Chen's close friend and classmate, and with both of them having once shared the same manager, Nicholas was naturally no stranger to this place or the people around Edison.
Their circles had overlapped for years.
"Then why are you still standing outside?" Yao asked, slightly confused. "Didn't Edison let you in?"
Nicholas shook his head.
"No one answered."
Yao frowned, then shrugged.
"He's probably asleep again."
While speaking, he took out a key from his pocket and unlocked the apartment door.
The moment the door opened, both of them froze.
A thick wave of stale alcohol, cigarette smoke, and rotting food smell rushed out like a physical force.
"Damn!"
The curse escaped both of them at the exact same moment.
They instinctively stepped back.
After letting the smell disperse a little, the two pinched their noses and entered the room.
The sight inside was even worse.
Beer cans were scattered across the floor.
Half-empty liquor bottles rolled beneath the sofa.
Ashtrays overflowed with cigarette butts.
Clothes, magazines, and food containers were thrown everywhere.
The once decent apartment now looked more like a garbage dump.
Yao walked forward and finally found Edison buried beneath a pile of blankets and empty cans on the couch.
He bent down and shook him hard.
"Edison, wake up!"
"Ting-fung is here to see you."
After several rough shakes, Edison finally opened his eyes.
His vision was still blurry, but slowly the two figures before him became clear.
"Ting-fung…"
His voice was dry and hoarse.
"You're back from America."
Nicholas stepped forward, concern visible in his expression.
"Yeah. I heard you were hurt, so I came to check on you."
As he spoke, he took out a bank card and quietly placed it on the television cabinet.
"Take it away!"
Edison suddenly shouted.
The sudden outburst startled both Nicholas and Yao.
His eyes were bloodshot, filled with anger and bitterness.
"I don't need your pity!"
Yao immediately tried to calm him down.
"Edison, what's wrong with you? Ting-fung came because he's worried about you."
But Edison had already stood up unsteadily.
He pointed directly at Nicholas.
"I don't want his fake kindness!"
His voice grew louder with every word.
"If you really think of me as your brother, then stay away from that pretty boy Luo Zheng!"
"He ruined me!"
"He ruined everything I had!"
Nicholas's brows slowly furrowed.
Still, he remained silent.
That silence only made Edison even more emotional.
He staggered forward and grabbed Nicholas by the shoulders.
"He took Ah Sa and Ah Jiao."
"He took Sister Wenxi."
"And now you're acting in his movie?"
His voice was almost a roar.
"Are you even a man?"
The room fell silent.
The two men stared into each other's eyes.
Neither one looked away.
After a few long seconds, Nicholas glanced down at Edison's arm, still trapped in a cast.
Then his voice turned cold.
"Take care of yourself."
He forcibly pulled Edison's hand away and turned toward the door.
"Take your dirty money with you!"
The bank card suddenly flew past him and hit the corridor railing before falling onto the floor.
Nicholas stopped.
For a brief moment, something in his eyes changed.
Then he bent down, calmly picked up the card, slipped it back into his pocket, and walked away without another word.
This time, there was no hesitation.
No attachment.
Inside the room, Edison stood breathing heavily.
Yao looked at him helplessly.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Ting-fung can't even decide what films he gets cast in."
Before he could finish—
"Get out!"
Edison roared.
"You get out too!"
Yao sighed deeply.
At this point, there was nothing more to say.
Meanwhile, in Beijing.
Inside Blue Whale Entertainment's chairman office, Luo Zheng was "training" his new little secretary.
Liu Yan stood in high heels beside the desk, trying hard to maintain a straight posture.
The phone suddenly rang.
She immediately let out a relieved breath.
For the first time in her life, she had met a boss who made his secretary stand at attention like a soldier.
And in heels no less.
This man truly had some unusual habits.
Luo Zheng picked up the receiver.
"Hello, President Yang."
On the other side came Albert Yeung's hearty laugh.
"Little Brother Luo, congratulations."
"Twenty-three million dollars."
"I'm honestly envious."
Luo Zheng naturally understood what he truly envied.
It wasn't the total box office.
It was the profit margin.
A film with such a tiny production cost had earned an outrageous return.
Any studio boss would be jealous.
Albert Yeung's voice softened.
"Little Brother Luo, I hope what happened before won't affect our future cooperation."
"As for Edison…"
Before he could continue, Luo Zheng interrupted him calmly.
"President Yang, let's not bring that matter up again."
The meaning was clear.
He was still dissatisfied.
Albert Yeung naturally understood.
But he didn't explain much.
After a few polite words, the call ended.
Soon after, Lin Jianyue called as well.
First came congratulations.
Then came questions about Infernal Affairs.
Eventually, the conversation shifted toward the mainland release.
Luo Zheng gave him a simple answer.
"As long as it passes mainland censorship, there shouldn't be major issues."
Lin Jianyue immediately relaxed.
"That's good."
"When you come back to Hong Kong, I'll show you something even more exciting."
Luo Zheng almost laughed.
For someone who had seen far worse in his previous life, that kind of bait meant nothing.
Still, he simply replied politely.
"Then I'll look forward to it."
For the rest of the day, his phone barely stopped ringing.
Ah Sa.
Ah Jiao.
Li Jiaxin.
Wang Jing.
Tsui Hark and his wife.
Even people he had only met once at cocktail parties were calling to congratulate him.
The one that surprised him the most was Shu Qi.
Her words carried a teasing undertone that almost sounded deliberate.
Like a hunter testing her prey.
Luo Zheng smiled but didn't overthink it.
Once everything at the company had stabilized, he finally found time to visit the set of The Story of a Noble Family.
The crew was currently filming in Tianjin, not too far from Beijing.
Early the next morning, he left with Liu Yan.
On the way, his mind remained occupied with work.
Kevin had already informed him that Saw had finished shooting and entered post-production.
Marvel's second independent project was now moving into its most critical stage.
At the same time, Getting Home in Beijing was also progressing smoothly.
Still, Luo Zheng's real thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
Marvel.
Iron Man.
Blade.
The Punisher.
Ghost Rider.
Those were the true future.
For now, the budget was still too limited.
Even The Punisher required more than 30 million dollars.
Marvel simply wasn't ready.
For the moment, the best option was still to move forward with Iron Man ahead of schedule.
Lost in thought, Luo Zheng didn't continue bothering Liu Yan.
The little secretary quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Two hours later, the car finally stopped.
Luo Zheng remained seated.
He simply glanced sideways.
Liu Yan immediately understood.
She hurried out of the car and opened the door for him from the other side.
Luo Zheng stepped out slowly.
"I hope I don't need to remind you again next time."
His tone was calm but carried pressure.
Liu Yan quickly lowered her head.
"I'll remember, Boss."
Luo Zheng gave a small nod.
He wasn't in a rush.
Training a capable secretary took time.
And honestly—
he quite enjoyed watching her slowly adapt.
Before he could walk more than a few steps, the sound of firecrackers suddenly erupted nearby.
The loud crackling noise echoed through the area.
Then Director Li Dawei appeared, leading several crew members forward with a smile.
"President Luo, welcome to the set."
The handshake was warm.
Very warm.
Luo Zheng knew exactly why.
Without Han Sanping standing behind him, this kind of reception would never happen.
Still, he smiled politely.
"Director Li, I've heard your name for a long time."
"I've watched Hero Zheng Chenggong more than once."
Li Dawei's eyes immediately lit up.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Luo Zheng to know one of his earlier works.
For a brief moment, genuine warmth replaced formal politeness.
But before the conversation could continue, hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind.
Luo Zheng turned.
A smile finally appeared on his face.
He opened his arms.
A soft figure rushed toward him like the wind.
"Cousin!"
"I missed you so much!"