Trembling in the Skies

Chapter 42: Eat First, Then Hit the Road

“Hey, bro, you okay?” Gao Fei walked up to him and gave Li Teng a light punch in the chest. “Not great. It’s about time. I came over to say goodbye.” Li Teng pursed his lips, his face pale, as if he were struggling to hold back his emotions. “It’s no big deal. Sooner or later, this day comes for all of us,” Gao Fei said, trying to comfort Li Teng. Li Teng said nothing more. He walked over to the coffee machine, poured himself a free cup of coffee, then walked to the table and sat down in his seat. There was another bar stool there—it probably wasn’t the one he’d moved earlier. But that didn’t matter anymore. “Young man, what’s your name? I haven’t asked you yet,” the young woman said, striking up a conversation with Li Teng. The female office worker and the woman in sunglasses also turned to look at Li Teng, their eyes filled with sympathy. “Li Teng—the ‘Li’ from ‘Muzi,’ the ‘Teng’ from ‘Shen Teng,’” Li Teng replied to the young woman. “Your sense of humor does remind me a bit of Shen Teng,” the office worker said with a smile. “Really? I’ve never thought of myself as funny,” Li Teng said, shaking his head. “Brother Li, is the coffee really that good? Did you used to like drinking coffee?” the young woman continued to ask Li Teng; she was clearly curious about him. “No, I never used to drink coffee. There’s only one reason I’ve been drinking so much of it here: it’s free. I came over without eating anything, and I’m still on an empty stomach! At least drinking coffee helps stave off the hunger a little,” Li Teng explained to the young woman. “You came here without eating anything? You must be so hungry! Why didn’t you use your points to get something to eat?” the girl asked. “I’d love to get some food too, but my points balance is zero. Since I’m not a newcomer, I can’t run a tab. How can I buy food without points? The three plates of snacks the production crew provided for free were all eaten by that guy with glasses, so now I’m still starving. Looks like I’m really going to end up starving to death.” Li Teng sighed. The guy with glasses was chatting with the pretty-boy, but he’d caught a bit of what Li Teng had just said out of the corner of his ear, and it really got under his skin. This guy’s practically starving to death, yet he’s still trying to pin the blame on him, claiming he ate all three plates of snacks. How could anyone be so shameless? Oh well, I’ll just be magnanimous and not sweat the small stuff with a dead man. Having come to this conclusion, the guy with glasses resumed speaking obsequiously to the pretty-faced guy. Meanwhile, after hearing what Li Teng had said, Gao Fei quickly got up and ran to a nearby restaurant to buy six steamed buns for Li Teng. He was also short on cash, so he could only survive on steamed buns while on set. Being able to spare two credits to buy Li Teng six steamed buns was already quite generous of him. Of course, he also threw in six sticks of shredded radish. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had any meat,” Li Teng lamented as he looked at the six steamed buns. Although he’d eaten six steamed buns on his way over, they simply didn’t satisfy his hunger. The six buns disappearing into his stomach were like a bottle of water spilled in the desert—his long-starved stomach had already devoured them all. No matter how hungry a person is, they can’t just keep eating steamed buns, right? Can’t a man who’s about to leave have a decent meal? Gao Fei was about to get up again to check if there was any cheap meat at the restaurant, but Li Teng reached out and pulled him back. “Don’t! Bro, I was just saying that off the cuff. Don’t waste your points on me, and besides, I know you can’t afford meat anyway. Steamed buns are just fine—as long as I don’t end up starving to death before I leave.” Accompanied by shredded radish, Li Teng devoured all six steamed buns in no time at all. Rubbing his stomach, Li Teng felt that he wasn’t quite as hungry anymore. “You’re not full yet, are you? Eat your fill before hitting the road!” No one had noticed that the woman in sunglasses had left a moment ago; now she was back, holding a plastic bag. Upon returning to the coffee table, she tossed the bag to Li Teng. When he opened the bag, a delicious aroma wafted out. Inside was—a whole roasted chicken! “This roast chicken… must cost quite a few points, right? I’m about to leave—there’s no point in investing in me now,” Li Teng reminded the woman in sunglasses. “It’s for you—just eat it!” the woman in sunglasses replied casually to Li Teng. Although they’d only interacted twice briefly, Li Teng’s wisdom and cheerful disposition had left a deep impression on her. A whole roasted chicken cost eight points; the woman in sunglasses had spent her own points to buy it for Li Teng—not because she had developed any feelings for him, but simply because she admired him and thought it would be a shame for him to just die like this. “What’s your name?” Li Teng asked the woman in sunglasses. “You don’t need to know. It wouldn’t matter even if you did,” the woman in sunglasses replied, unwilling to answer the question. “You gave me this roast chicken of your own free will! I didn’t trick it out of you! Don’t try to make a big deal out of it after I’ve eaten it!” Li Teng made a few points clear to the woman in sunglasses. “Yes, go ahead and eat it!” the woman in sunglasses replied irritably. “Then I won’t hold back.” Li Teng immediately picked up the grilled chicken and began eating it in big bites. Seeing Gao Fei and the young girl staring at him longingly, Li Teng hesitated for a moment, then tore off two chicken drumsticks and gave one to each of them. Both of them felt too embarrassed to accept them and handed them back to Li Teng. This was Li Teng’s last meal before his execution—and it had been given to him by the woman in sunglasses. How could they possibly bring themselves to eat it? Seeing how polite they were, Li Teng didn’t want to push them any further. In no time at all, he had polished off the entire roasted chicken. “Meat really is delicious!” Li Teng belched contentedly and rubbed his stomach. After being trapped atop the stone pillar for so many days, this was the first time he’d eaten his fill—and meat, no less! It felt absolutely amazing. “Why isn’t that old witch back yet?” the female office worker asked, glancing curiously toward the street corner. “Yeah, the shoot’s already over. What’s she still doing? Is it going to take this long?” The woman in sunglasses was also a bit puzzled. The pretty-boy also seemed to sense that something wasn’t quite right. He got up, walked around the corner, and then returned with a suspicious look on his face. Then everyone turned to look at Li Teng. “Why are you looking at me? I’m not really sure either.” Li Teng shook his head, then picked up his coffee cup and headed over to get his free coffee. “Li Teng!” The female director stepped out of the café and called his name. “Director, I’m here.” Li Teng quickly sat back down. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at the director. This was the first time any of them had heard the director call an extra by name since they’d started acting. “For the next shoot, keep your performances in check—don’t get too violent. Even if you have issues with certain actors, there’s no need to smash her head to smithereens with a barstool until she’s practically flattened into a pancake on the floor! That wastes a huge amount of the crew’s resources, manpower, and time just to collect her pieces and bring her back to life.” The female director scolded Li Teng. “Well… I couldn’t help it. I was afraid she’d accidentally come back to life—she’s a ghost, after all!” Li Teng shrugged. “Cut it out! Don’t you have any idea who the ghost is?”