ABT Chapter 0020: Unexpected Joy
Today was the final two stunt scenes, and Li Fanyu hurriedly bought two fried dough sticks and rushed to the shooting location.
According to Mara's plan, the last two scenes were too big to be shot in one go and had to be split into two separate shoots. However, Li Fanyu was eager to complete the Xapp task. After some persuasion, he volunteered to work overtime to finish it all in one day.
At this point, the absence of the male lead didn't matter to the crew. They could manage with previously shot footage, but Li Fanyu was indispensable. After consulting with the crew, Mara decided to go with Li Fanyu's suggestion.
From 6 in the morning until after 11 at night, they finally completed all the stunts. Mara officially announced the completion of the reshoots, doubling the salary of all participating crew members plus a bonus.
Despite their exhaustion, everyone was delighted with the generous compensation.
As they were leaving, Mara called Li Fanyu over. "You, why did you leave without saying anything?"
Li Fanyu hadn't rested all day, only eating a bag of bread for lunch, and was physically and mentally exhausted. He looked tired as he replied, "Isn't the work finished? I thought you must still have things to deal with, so I didn't want to bother you."
Seeing his appearance, Mara patted his shoulder. "You're a good kid, very hardworking. If I ever need stunt work again, I'll come to you. I won't say any more unnecessary words. Here's a check for 4 million. Take it and don't lose it."
Li Fanyu was surprised and hurriedly declined. "Director Ma, didn't we agree on 3 million? I can't accept this money."
Since he was young, Li Fanyu had always been paid for his help around the house. His mother never failed to pay him, but she never gave him more than what he deserved. Each time, she would accurately price his work based on the amount of labor, fair and square.
Mara truly admired the young man before him. He faintly remembered his own youth, stubborn, daring, and principled.
He took Li Fanyu's hand and said, "The check can't be folded. Don't refuse, this money is rightfully yours. You're a bit of a celebrity now. I'll talk to the producers about creating a Weibo account for you and promoting it to help with the movie's publicity. The extra 1 million is for advertising."
Li Fanyu accepted the check gratefully.
In the taxi, the driver was chatty, but Li Fanyu wasn't in the mood to listen. He repeatedly touched the pocket of his jacket, his head still spinning.
Four million, my God, it was like winning the lottery.
I, Li Fanyu, no, King Li, have never seen so much money in my life. He couldn't wait to get back to his dormitory and count the string of zeros on the check again.
As he was lost in thought, the car jerked and came to a stop.
"What the hell! This crappy car!" The driver cursed, banging the steering wheel.
"What's wrong, sir?" Li Fanyu asked, snapping out of his daze.
"I don't know, just wait a moment. I'll go check." With that, the driver got out of the car.
Li Fanyu sat in the car, activating his expertise in troubleshooting, scanning the engine compartment.
Hmm, this crappy car.
While it wasn't as bad as a waterlogged car with problems all over, the engine and transmission, the two most frequently used parts, were riddled with issues.
He dismantled the structure and soon found the root cause of the problem.
At that moment, the driver had just opened the hood, bending over to inspect the engine.
Li Fanyu got out of the car and approached him. "The engine suddenly stalled. Could it be a problem with the fuel system?"
The driver exclaimed, "Wow, little brother, you really know your stuff about cars!" He pushed aside some wires and, upon inspection, indeed found a cracked fuel line. The fuel line, enveloped in black grime and oil stains, was spraying gasoline outward continuously. The ruptured fuel line caused the engine to starve of fuel, resulting in the engine stalling.
"Little brother, you're amazing!" the driver exclaimed in delight, giving him a thumbs-up.
Seeing that the driver was about to start rambling, Li Fanyu quickly suggested, "Master, why don't you use some duct tape and a cloth to wrap it up for now? It's late at night, and there's nowhere to get it fixed."
"Okay!"
With Li Fanyu's guidance, the driver quickly repaired the fuel line. He started the car, and it roared to life.
This time, Li Fanyu sat in the passenger seat and listened to the driver's complaints, curious. "Master, your car seems to be in really bad shape. Why don't you fix it up?"
The driver sighed, "Our cars, they're all hand-me-downs from the graveyard shift. Two drivers share one car for their shifts. Everyone knows the cars have problems, but whoever fixes them loses out on earning money. So as long as they can still run, we just make do. For us taxi drivers, we put on over a hundred kilometers a day. Whether it's external or internal damage, as long as it doesn't affect work, we don't bother fixing it."
WTF! Over a hundred kilometers? Why didn't I think of this before? Li Fanyu's eyes lit up. If he fixed ten taxis, wouldn't he complete the Xapp task in a day?
Haha, it's like someone handing you a pillow when you want to sleep!
His drowsiness vanished, and he excitedly said to the driver, "Master, I'm a student at the university. I recently invented a tool for repairing bodywork and car paint. If you trust me, bring your car tomorrow, and I'll fix the bodywork and paint for free."
The driver looked at him incredulously, "Really?"
Li Fanyu slapped his thigh. "Why would I lie to you? I don't want your money."
"Alright! With your skills just now, I trust you. I'll come by before the end of my shift tomorrow morning. If you can really fix it, I'll introduce you to our fleet!"
Li Fanyu patted his chest. "Just you wait!"
Li Fanyu and the driver exchanged numbers. Back at the dormitory, he carefully tucked away the check and fell into a deep sleep.
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Li Fanyu was awakened by a phone call, which turned out to be from the driver from last night.
They agreed to meet behind the university dormitory building. Li Fanyu took out the suction cups and spray gun from the bathroom, and with both hands full, he went over.
Why did they choose to meet behind the dormitory building? Because it was sparsely populated.
Behind the university dormitory building was originally a small park. However, after it was built, the school authorities found that some couples were shamelessly taking advantage of the dense trees in the park to engage in indecent behavior at night.
So, after a meeting and discussion, the park was closed off. Since those shameless activities had no place to go, and those with ulterior motives had nothing to see, the street behind the dormitory building became deserted.
The driver was worried about meeting in such a remote location, fearing he might encounter a robbery. When he saw Li Fanyu approaching with two strange-looking objects, he finally felt relieved and greeted him.
Of course, Li Fanyu couldn't use his black technology in front of him, so he lied and said these were test products and needed to be kept confidential, sending him away.
The driver watched from a distance, and after about ten minutes, Li Fanyu waved to him.
When he returned to the car, the driver was completely astonished. He immediately grabbed the walkie-talkie.
"All units, attention, all units, attention. I'm 6984, I'm 6984. Let me introduce a talented individual to everyone. He can repair bodywork and car paint for us for free. After my personal test, he's absolutely reliable! If you need bodywork and paint repairs, please write down the number 186XXXXXXXX. 186XXXXXXXX!"