Chapter 69

The next day

Edward woke up to the cool morning air, gazing at the ceiling, lost in thought, before getting up to start his daily routine.

He went straight to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, and after a while, he changed into running clothes to prepare for his morning run. 

Then, stepping out of his apartment building, he was greeted by the peace of dawn. Without delay, he headed to a nearby park, ready to start his morning with several laps.

The morning sky displayed soft hues, and the fresh air brought a sense of calmness, with birds chirping and leaves rustling in the gentle morning breeze.

An hour later, after his running session, Edward went to the same stall to buy skewers.

"Good morning, brother," the girl cheerfully greeted him as soon as he came, a bright smile on her face. "Are you going to buy the same as usual?"

"Yeah," he replied with a nod, "20 pieces each. Oh, and add two boiled eggs too."

Ever since last week's incident, he frequently visits its skewer stall after his morning run, and the two of them were already quite familiar with each other... well, except for their names.

Eh.. Now that he thinks about it... Edward realizes he still has not asked for her name... Well, to be fair, he had no intention of becoming a regular at her stalls in the first place.

"By the way, what's your name again?" Edward asked in a casual tone, trying not to sound flirtatious.

After all, she was only fourteen, and he didn't want any misunderstandings that would put him in jail.

"I... you can call me Maxine!" the girl blushed, blushing at the unexpected question about her name and then boldly returning the question to him. "And yours?"

"Just call me Edward, or Ed, anything is fine."

"Oh, then I'm going to call you Ed."

"Oh, so you're not going to call me brother anymore?" Edward said teasingly to her with a playful smile on his face.

However, he immediately regretted it and blamed himself internally. 'Damn, I obviously just wanted to lighten the mood. Why did it sound so flirtatious? '

"I can... do you like to be called brother, Ed?" Maxine blushed, her innocence endearing and her eyes sparkling with a hint of playfulness.

"Ah... you know what? Scratch that. No 'brother' anymore, just call me Ed," Edward said wryly.

The way she called him 'brother' just now was kind of cute, and he couldn't help but feel moved for a moment.

"Oh, then I'm going to call you Ed." Maxined nodded embarrassedly.

"Are you still studying now?" Edward tried to change the subject to forget the embarrassment. "How will you make it to school if you're here watching over the stall?"

"Eh, my class usually starts at around noon, and my mom takes over around 10 a.m. so I can attend school," Maxine explained.

"Oh, that's why..." Edward responded, understanding her schedule.

The two engaged in a pleasant conversation, discussing school and sharing laughs until Maxine finished preparing his orders, and then finally, the two bid farewell to each other.

Time passed.

Around eight o'clock, Edward and Patricia arrived on campus at the usual time, took their seats, and started scrolling through their phones.

A while later, as their classmates arrived one after another, the once serene and quiet room gradually transformed into a lively and bustling space.

"Yo, bro, remember the girl I was telling you about a while ago?" James eagerly approached his friend as soon as he entered the room.

"Who? Be specific. You've mentioned a lot of girls."

"Tsk, I'm talking about G!"

"Oh, the girl with braces?"

"Yeah, guess what?" James' eyes lit up with excitement.

"Didn't you say you were planning to ask her out?"

"I did, and just yesterday, she finally agreed and accepted my invitation!"

"Cool, where are you going to bring her?"

"I plan to take her into a movie theater and then go to KTV, then to a restaurant, then to a hotel!"

"You have that much money?" Edward raised his brows and couldn't help but ask.

"Tsk, haven't I told you that my family is doing well financially?"

Looking at James, Edward thought for a moment and remembered that James had indeed said such a thing before.

At that time, he didn't take it seriously, as no matter how he looked at him, he really looked like a typical commoner kid... however there was this one instance when James was picked up by a high-end car, making Edward wonder about his family background.

"Now that I think about it, I haven't asked you about your family situation."

"Eh? What do you want to know?"

"Do your family do business?"

"Ahh, nope, not really."

"Then what's your family doing?"

"One for all, all for one."

"What the f*ck is that?"

"My dad is a mechanic, my mom is a dentist, my uncle was a doctor, one of my aunts was a psychologist, another aunt of mine was a cook, there was also a teacher, then I also have a police uncle, and there was also an uncle who was into farming... basically, we help each other in times of need," James explained casually, a hint of pride shining in his eyes.

"Oh, that's why." Edward nodded, also feeling amazed. However, he couldn't help but mull it over.

He had once heard of such a family tradition in the previous timeline... It's not rare, but not common either, and there were a lot of rumors about those big families... such as, in order to maintain the bloodline and unity of each family member, they engaged in some kinds of incest rituals.

Shaking his head, Edward pushed away his messy thoughts and decided to change the topic to something lighter. "Oh, are you sure you can take her to the hotel?"

"... well, honestly... I'm not...."

"Hehe, good luck."

They chatted while more students filled the classroom, and when the professor arrived, everyone quickly took their seats, commencing another session of lectures and studies.

 ...

Days passed, and before he knew it, another Saturday arrived.

After his morning routine, Edward eagerly headed to the shooting site to meet up with the group. 

"Yo~" Edward greeted them as usual and then went to chat with them as they waited for others to arrive.

A while later, after everyone gathered, the group went into the venue and began recording as usual.

"By the way, everyone, I have an idea!" Karren raised her arms, making everyone halt their preparation and turn to look at her curiously.

Out of everyone in the group, she usually kept her silence and just did whatever others planned for her... it's kind of unexpected for her to be able to come up with a suggestion.

"What?" Edward asked, also interested.

"Well, I have this idea after I watched a blogged post on Facebook, and I wonder if maybe we can also post pictures and short videos about behind the scenes during our shooting." Karren blushed a little as she said that.

"Eh, but the shooting process is not fun; won't the viewers feel bored?" Alfred pointed out uncertainly, thinking that the behind-the-scenes shooting is not as fun as others thought... And what if the viewers get bored?

"Well, we don't have to post the boring part; we can pick out the interesting part and then post it on our group and fan pages." Danica shakes her head and also goes to state her opinion.

"I think that is fine..." Edward's eyes brightened up. He nodded in accord, then went to ask others what they thought. "What do you guys think?"

"I think it's good!"

"I also think it's fine..."

"Alright, let's do it then.."

Time passed.

The filming ended at around seven in the evening, and after making sure that all the necessary scenes had been shot, the group soon went to wrap up their equipment.

After packing up everything, the group didn't immediately part ways but went to a nearby restaurant and ordered dishes for dinner.

As they savored their meal, everyone engaged in enthusiastic conversation.

The pleasant clinking of spoons and the delicious aroma of food enhanced the dining experience.

"By the way, how's the recruitment of NG's doing?" Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, Edward suddenly remembered and went to ask.

"Well, there are already some people in our area who have sent their application to join our group," H, the one in charge of recruitment, said hesitantly.

"Oh, are there a lot?"

"Yes, there were dozens of people and they are all from the Bulacan area... However, after some basic inspection, we realized that most of them are too far, and it will take several hours of travel to reach us... Um, so far, there are only three individuals that located nearby."

"Three? That's not bad." Edward's eyes brigtened and nodded his head.

Up until now, the team had been taking turns at various responsibilities, with each member shouldering multiple roles and managing a heavy workload, encompassing tasks like being a cameraman, acting, doing extras, handling lighting, and more.

However, the addition of three people could alleviate the group's burden somewhat, making the entire production process simpler.