Anything That's Legal

1. FADE IN

2. 
   

3. Act 1

4. 
   

5. EXT. ROADS - 17:00

6. 
   

7. A 1989 signal red Nissan rolls towards NT. PETER, with an bandaid on his wrist, drives with one hand on the wheel. The other rests near the radio.

8. 
   

9. RADIO ANCHOR (V.O.): ...President Trump speaking to reporters earlier today outside the White House -

10. 
    

11. A brief pause, then, Trump's voice, clear and familiar:

12. 
    

13. TRUMP (V.O.):Iran is not able to do much now. And we could, if we wanted to, just to take all of the oil. We could take the whole country. And as you know, the Hormuz Strait is totally ours. And that's the way we'll keep it.

14. 
    

15. Peter's expression shifts. He leans forward slightly, frowning.

16. 
    

17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I got two LLMs in International Law.

18. 
    

19. Recalling.

20. 
    

21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): UN Charter 2(4) prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State. The justifications are self-defence or authorized by the UN Security Council.

22. 
    

23.  Recalling.

24. 
    

25. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): A State has permanant sovereignity over its natural resources. Foreign forces can't lawfully appropriate the oil, minerals and other resources of a State simply because they have the military power to do so.

26. 
    

27. Act 2

28. 
    

29. INT. PETER'S NT HOME - 18:00

30. 
    

31. Silent. Air still. Peter sits on a sofa, his eyes staring at a framed photo in a corner shelf. It features his forever-young Sharon with a warm smile.

32. 
    

33. PETER (V.O.): Car stored.

34. 
    

35. He pulls his phone from his handbag and taps a message to their son: Space is free for you tomorrow. He sends it.

36. 
    

37. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Tomorrow, our son, daughter-in-law and our grandchild will come to our urban home for dinner as usual.

38. 
    

39. Recalling.

40. 
    

41. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Mr Wong stared at her photo too.

42. 
    

43. FLASHBACK

44. 
    

45. INT. PETER'S NT HOME - 15:30 (23 May, 2025)

46. 
    

47. MR WONG (60), a capable man with intelligent eyes, is on a small ladder, fixing a lamp on the staircase landing.

48. 
    

49. PETER: Appreciate this, Mr Wong.

50. 
    

51. MR WONG: I'll check the socket in the study after this.

52. 
    

53. Later, in the living room, Peter pays Mr Wong in cash. Mr Wong stares at Sharon's photo a bit longer than necessary. Peter notices.

54. 
    

55. PETER (V.O.): He doesn't ask. He says nothing. His silence is a profound understanding statement. He sees me alone.

56. 
    

57. MR WONG: Thank you.

58. 
    

59. PETER:  You've been fixing my house problems.

60. 
    

61. Mr Wong smiles modestly.

62. 
    

63. MR WONG: It's a job. Mr Cheung. But I do it right. My principle is simple. I do anything that's legal.

64. 
    

65. PETER (V.O.): It's such a simple, sturdy, uncompromising code.

66. 
    

67. PETER: Anything that's legal.

68. 
    

69. MR WONG: Yep.

70. 
    

71. PETER (V.O.): He has quiet, unwavering integrity.

72. 
    

73. Peter looks in the direction of the kitchen.

74. 
    

75.  PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There're large ceiling cracks and the gas supply was cut due to leakage...

76. 
    

77. He looks back at Mr Wong.

78. 
    

79. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): There're many other items that need his service, only that I don't have the time to stay in the house to see them done...but I can leave the house to him as he wouldn't do anything illegal.

80. 
    

81. PETER: Mr Wong, I want you to fix the kitchen ceiling and its gas piping etc whenever you're available. I've been putting them off for years. I'll leave the house key to you.

82. 
    

83. Mr Wong raises his eyebrows, a slow smile spreads across his face.

84. 
    

85. END FLASHBACK

86. 
    

87. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Around 50 items more. Mr Wong fixed them all.

88. 
    

89. Peter checks his phone photo app.

90. 
    

91. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): By August 19, 2025, the house was...reborn. And we're both happy men.

92. 
    

93. Peter takes a deep breath.

94. 
    

95. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In Spring, 2026, I was thinking of asking Mr Wong to install another new air-conditioner.

96. 
    

97. He looks down at the bandaid on his wrist.

98. 
    

99. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): That's when my gardener told me. Mr Wong had passed away late last year. Dropped dead from the roof of a garage. A heart condition. He told me he had been seeing a specialist. But still...

100. 
     

101. Act 3

102. 
     

103. INT. BEDROOM -22:00

104. 
     

105. Peter uploads a photo to a draft on his laptop. It shows a 1983-style instantaneous water heater and its top oval indicator is glowing with a reddish-blue light.

106. 
     

107.  PETER (V.O.): Some people live by what they can get away with. Mr Wong lived by what he could stand behind. The difference is the width of a conscience.

108. 
     

109. Thinking.

110. 
     

111. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Anything that's legal - he said it like it was nothing. But it was everything. And now he's gone, and it's still everything.

112. 
     

113. Reflecting.

115. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The law couldn't save him. But it shaped him. And the shape of Mr Wong that's what I'll remember.

116. 
     

117. The END

118. 
     

119. FADE OUT