Chapter 79: The Chubby Guy

The cool night breeze blew from the west, hitting the three men's faces, cooling down their earlier heated exchange and clearing their alcohol-fueled minds. Standing on the sidewalk outside the bar, James Franco kept a tight eye on the chubby man ten feet away, seemingly ready for another fight. However, his body, which was partially hidden behind Murphy, betrayed his outward bravado.

The chubby man shook his head vigorously, still dazed from Murphy's punch, not fully recovered yet.

Murphy lightly patted James Franco's arm, and Franco, for some reason, felt his tense body relax.

Under the bright streetlights, Murphy noticed the chubby man's cheek, which had swelled where he had punched him. Murphy shook his head. Since leaving prison, he hadn't been in a fight and never thought fighting was a solution to problems. In prison, fighting was only for self-preservation.

If the chubby guy hadn't been about to hit Franco with a bottle, Murphy wouldn't have punched him.

As the man seemed to be recovering, he glanced at Murphy. Unlike his earlier red-faced rage, he now appeared somewhat docile.

Seeing the situation calm down, Murphy nodded at the man.

The chubby man scratched the back of his head awkwardly and took a couple of steps forward. From a respectful distance, he said to Murphy, "I'm sorry about earlier. I was impulsive."

Murphy glanced at James Franco, who seemed taken aback by the unexpected apology and momentarily at a loss for words.

"It's alright," Murphy replied, not one to hold grudges, especially since the man had apologized. "I should also apologize to you."

The chubby man subconsciously touched his swollen cheek.

"Are you okay?" James Franco emerged from behind Murphy. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No, no," the chubby man quickly waved his hand. "It's not hurting anymore."

He looked at Franco. "I drank too much and got carried away."

James Franco, despite his quirks, wasn't a bad person. "I was speaking too loudly."

He turned to glare at Murphy, as if to say it was his fault for making him raise his voice.

There were quite a few people around watching, some having come out of the bar to see the commotion. Seeing that the two sides weren't fighting but rather reconciling, they started to make a fuss.

Seeing Franco and the chubby man awkwardly blaming themselves, Murphy stepped forward and interrupted, "Let's not give them a show. Let's go somewhere else to talk."

He looked at Franco. He hadn't achieved his goal yet and suggested, "Let's go, I'll treat you to a late-night snack."

"Together." He glanced at the chubby man's familiar face and pointed to the nearby Mr. Chow restaurant. "There, at least give me a chance to apologize for earlier."

The chubby man hesitated but, seeing it wasn't some secluded place, finally nodded. "Alright, I'll go."

Five minutes later, the three of them sat at a window-side table in Mr. Chow's.

"My name is James Franco..." Franco introduced himself and then pointed at Murphy. "This is Murphy Stanton."

The chubby man, still without his glasses, squinted at them. "I'm Seth Rogen."

"From your accent," Murphy asked tentatively, "you're Canadian?"

"I just moved from Vancouver to Los Angeles recently," the chubby man awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "To see if there are any opportunities here."

"Opportunities?" Franco was puzzled.

"I'm a comedian."

A waiter brought over some cold towels, and Seth Rogen placed one on his face, continuing in a muffled voice, "I'm here to try my luck in Hollywood."

"I see..." Franco suddenly extended his hand. "Nice to meet you again. I'm James Franco, but you can call me Jim. I'm an actor too, starred in a few low-budget films."

Seth Rogen looked at him in surprise and shook his hand mechanically.

Franco then introduced Murphy. "This is Murphy Stanton, a director and the owner of a..."

He raised his right hand, using his thumb and index finger to indicate something very small, and said with exaggerated emphasis, "He owns a very, very small film company."

"Hello." Murphy extended his hand to Seth Rogen. "Nice to meet you."

Seeming uncomfortable with the formal greeting, Seth Rogen nodded dumbly. "Seth Rogen, from Vancouver. I won second place in an amateur comedy competition there."

The waiter brought their food, which was Western-style Chinese cuisine, served with knives and forks.

"I've been in Los Angeles for a while but haven't found a suitable role."

During their meal, Seth Rogen explained his earlier outburst. "I just had a meeting with an agent today. He made some disgusting demands, and we argued. I was in a bad mood, so..."

He shrugged.

Franco glanced at Murphy. "I was talking loudly because this guy here keeps insisting I join his movie."

"Hey, hey, Jim!" Murphy knocked on the table to remind him. "We didn't start arguing because of that."

He looked at Franco, who, remembering Murphy's earlier words, looked embarrassed.

"You guys..." Seth Rogen was confused.

"Ignore him," Franco said, stuffing a piece of broccoli in his mouth and mumbling, "This guy is really stingy."

"Jim, that's not fair," Murphy put down his utensils and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Did I say I wouldn't pay you? Did I say I'd deliberately underpay you?"

Seth Rogen looked from Murphy to Franco, completely lost.

Murphy picked up his glass, took a sip, and brought up the past again. "You're ungrateful."

Franco stiffened, about to say something, but seeing Seth Rogen and remembering the bar incident, he swallowed his retort. After a long ten seconds, he quietly asked, "Is she... is she also in the crew?"

Murphy raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

"Well... well..." Franco clenched his fist, coughed lightly, and said, "I don't want to act opposite her."