FADE IN
Act 1
EXT. MTR TRAIN CAR - 12:30
PETER is having screen time.
PETER (V.O.): It's a pleasant surprise that I'm going to a lunch appointment.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Having settled the "buy" and "sell" orders on stocks earlier, I meant to go swimming.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Then, I got a lunch invitation, either today or tomorrow, as a common friend is arriving town.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can't make it tomorrow as my wife and I will travel to Macau.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can be flexible to my routines.
Act 2
INT. ISLAND SHANGRILA - 13:00
Led to a table, Peter greets the FRIEND and a GENTLEMAN warmly.
PETER: It's been three years. The last time we met was in Beijing in 2019.
Having done the orders, they chat and chat.
PETER (V.O.): There're so many topics we can talk about.
Eating.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We share common goals and are entrepreneurial in our special ways.
As desserts are served, the gentleman makes a suggestion.
GENTLEMAN: Would both of you care to visit my office?
Pausing.
GENTLEMAN (Cont'd): I'm now with the Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO).
PETER: Tell me more about AALCO.
GENTLEMAN: It's an intergovernmental organization established in 1956 to promote legal cooperation and exchange between countries in Asia and Africa.
PETER & FRIEND: Yes, we'd like to check it out.
EXT. ADMIRALTY - CENTRAL VIA HONG KONG PARK - 14:15
Walking past a red-brick classical building on a podium, the friend asks a question.
FRIEND: What's this building?
PETER: It's the former French Mission building.
GENTLEMAN: It now houses the Asian Academy of International Law.
PETER (V.O.): In the 1980s, International Law was my pet subject. My two LLMs are in International Law.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, I've come to the conclusion that International Law is just power politics.
INT. HONG KONG REGIONAL ARBITRATION CENTRE, AALCO - 14:30
After visiting the offices, the Gentleman does a presentation. We see on slides the photos of China's former Premiers of Zhou Enlai and Li Keqiang.
GENTLEMAN: The former Premiers attached great importance to AALCO.
FRIEND: Quite.
GENTLEMAN: Now AALCO's arbitration service has a Regional Centre in Hong Kong.
PETER: Is the arbitration service confined to disputes between States?
GENTLEMAN: No, the Centre resolves all kinds of disputes including those between private individuals, anywhere.
PETER (V.O.): Largely due to difference of opinions, conflicts are inevitable. Peace is the ability to cope with them.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But no one can comfort the afflicted without afflicting the comfortable.
Later, the Gentleman lets the friend and Peter discuss between themselves.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We're discussing dispute prevention options on trade marks and copyright, not just in Hong Kong or mainland China, but worldwide.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Needless to say, it's easier said than done.
Act 3
EXT. MTR TRAIN CAR - 18:00
Peter is having screen time.
PETER (V.O.): I feel that chance meetings often lead to more positive outcomes than ones planned in advance.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Actually, we didn't meet by chance. We optimized our window of opportunity to engage willingly.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's always good to be open to new opportunities and unexpected outcomes.
FADE OUT
THE END
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