A Good Experience

1. Act 1

2. 
   

3. INT. TAI HING - 16:00

4. 
   

5. PETER sits at a small table. Before him a bowl of roast goose soup noodles. The broth steams. The goose skin gleams.

6. 
   

7.  He grips chopsticks in one hand. In the other his phone.

8. 
   

9. He slurps a noodle. Chews. Then glances at LinkedIn on the screen. A small smile.

10. 
    

11. PETER (V.O.): I'm pleased that Brian and I are now connected.

12. 
    

13. He puts his phone down. Picks up a piece of roast goose. Eats it slowly. Thoughtfully.

14. 
    

15. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We shook hands. I asked him one real philosophical question. That was the whole thing.

16. 
    

17. He drinks broth directly from the bowl. Wipes his mouth.

18. 
    

19. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Some exchanges are not meant to be leveraged. They're meant to be left alone.

20. 
    

21. He lifts the bowl. Drinks the last of the soup. Sets it down with a soft clink.

22. 
    

23. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A good experience needs no sequel.

24. 
    

25. Act 2

26. 
    

27. FLASHBACK

28. 
    

29. INT. BISTROCITY - 19:00 (30 March 2026)

30. 
    

31. Clinking cutlery. Peter sits across from his WIFE. They eat. Peter glances at the phone time.

32. 
    

33. PETER: Patrick's recital starts at 7:30pm.

34. 
    

35. WIFE: You go to get the free tickets now. I haven't finished my coffee yet.

36. 
    

37. PETER (V.O.): Wagerist logic: eat fast, live longer. No-live as if.

38. 
    

39. He rises.

40. 
    

41. INT. THEATRE FOYER - CONTINUOUS

42. 
    

43. Several GUESTS are at the free ticket counter. Peter joins them. He stares at a WOMAN beside him.

44. 
    

45. PETER: Hi King Chi! It's Peter here!

46. 
    

47. King Chi tilts her head, processing. They collect their tickets.

48. 
    

49. KING CHI: You should meet someone.

50. 
    

51. She turns to a young MAN.

52. 
    

53. KING CHI (Cont'd): He's Brian... educated at Oxford. Brian...Peter was the Director of Intellectual Property...He packed a lot of targets into himself. Worked extra hard...

54. 
    

55. PETER: It's the wager. I don't know how long I'll live. So I live as if the answer is "not long."

56. 
    

57. BRIAN: I'm an Assistant Professor in a University's Department of Philosophy.

58. 
    

59. Peter blinks.

60. 
    

61. PETER: Philosophy? In the mid-1970s, I studied Philosophy externally. With no one to talk to, I only expressed my ideas to the anonymous examiners in my degree exams.

62. 
    

63. Brian extends his hand.

64. 
    

65. PETER (V.O.): He seems to know that I've to be elsewhere...

66. 
    

67. Peter takes his hand. The grip is firm.

68. 
    

69. PETER (Cont'd): Before I go, let me ask you one question. Applied political philosophy.

70. 
    

71. Brian waits.

72. 
    

73. PETER (Cont'd): I studied the Law of War, Law of Peace - old labels for International Law - You know what I learned? It only applies between entities with equal power.

74. 
    

75. BRIAN: Yes, when power is unequal, law becomes theatre. Realistically.

76. 
    

77. PETER: The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must. What happens in the end when the most powerful entity becomes the greatest threat to the less powerful?

78. 
    

79. BRIAN: Power without legitimacy corrodes itself...

80. 
    

81. PETER (V.O.): History isn't kind to empires that forget they're mortal...

82. 
    

83. Peter nods. Turns. Rushes back to BistroCity.

84. 
    

85. RETURN TO PRESENT

86. 
    

87. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My encounter with Brian was brief, but it reignited something decades buried.

88. 
    

89. Pausing.

90. 
    

91. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've watched over a dozen Mini-Philosophy video clips on Facebook today.

92. 
    

93. Recalling.

94. 
    

95. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Back in 1982, when I could still register for more than one university programme, I applied for a master's in Philosophy even though I was in my first year at HKU Law and finishing my Land Administration course at the HKPolytechnic.

96. 
    

97. Daydreaming.

98. 
    

99. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It was a good experience to discuss Philosophy with those who might admit me.

100. 
     

101. Act 3

102. 
     

103. INT. LIVING ROOM - 22:30

104. 
     

105. Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows Mr Kwok Man-ho's artwork "Burnt 1074" which has been on display outside the concert hall of the City Hall since 1975.

106. 
     

107. PETER (V.O.): In 1974, I had the good experience of seeing some of the preparatory materials at the artist's home.

108. 
     

109. Thinking.

110. 
     

111. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A good experience isn't measured in hours. It's measured in how many times I return to it afterwards.

112. 
     

113. Reflecting.

114. 
     

115. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I live as if time is short, I stop postponing joy. A good experience becomes not a reward - but the intellectual effort itself.

116. 
     

117. The END

118. 
     

119. FADE OUT