### Chapter 207: Race Arrangement

Vroom vroom vroom~

On the Malibu highway, Richard was driving a red Dodge Viper sports car, speeding like the wind. When he arrived at a racetrack, he gradually brought the car to a stop. The red Dodge Viper was the car of Dominic Toretto, and today, the Fast & Furious crew was filming the first car racing scene. Richard, along with the stunt drivers and cameramen, had been driving on the highway for over five hours, successfully completing more than ten sets of challenging stunts together.

Behind him were Paul Walker and a few other main actors. Everyone was racing together today.

"Hey, Richard, can you pick up the pace next time? I was following behind you, and since you weren't going fast, I couldn't speed up either."

Bang! Paul Walker stopped his car. His character's car in the movie was a Toyota Supra, and he was also involved in the race scene they had just filmed.

"Paul, my speed was the standard speed. If you don't believe me, ask Rob. Hey, Rob, how did we do just now?"

Richard walked over to the director's area and asked director Rob Cohen.

"Very good, keep it up!"

Director Rob Cohen gave a thumbs up.

"No problem!"

Richard smiled slightly.

"Rob, I think going a bit faster would be more exciting, after all, we're racing."

Paul Walker suggested.

Rob Cohen shook his head, "It's already fast enough. If we go any faster, the cameras won't be able to keep up." The highway shots were primarily filmed using fixed surveillance cameras, helicopters for aerial shots, and the director's car filming from the sides. Going too fast could cause problems.

"Paul, don't always think about driving fast. Remember, we're filming a movie."

"Okay, okay, I get it!"

Paul Walker shrugged.

Richard smiled and walked into the crew's lounge.

"Mr. Brad!"

The second female lead, Michelle Rodriguez, put down her script and greeted him.

"Michelle, just call me Richard."

Richard smiled gently.

Michelle was the same age as him. She started working part-time while doing minor roles in the crew in 1995, but her career didn't progress much until last year when she starred in a boxing movie called Girlfight. The film had a budget of less than six million dollars but grossed over twenty million at the box office and won several movie awards, gradually helping her stand out and reach the status of a C-list actress. However, she was still a small role in Hollywood.

Perhaps because of this, Michelle always seemed very reserved around him, not at all like the cool chick she appeared to be.

"Michelle, congratulations on winning the Best Breakthrough Performance Actress award from the Critics Association."

Richard recalled a news piece.

"Thank you, I was quite lucky."

Michelle smiled.

"You played the boxer really well, very cool. You deserved that award."

Richard thought to himself how he hadn't won any awards yet, which made him feel a bit uneasy.

"Thank you. Actually, when I was training for boxing, I often watched your match tapes and learned a lot from you. My coach said you're a miracle in the boxing world, and that you might even be more successful than Tyson in the future."

Michelle said excitedly, clenching her fists.

Richard smiled slightly and was about to say something when Paul Walker walked in from outside.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?"

"Talking about your driving skills, how you drive like you're flying."

Richard laughed.

"Haha, that's no joke. Today, I nailed a flying car stunt in one take, and it felt amazing."

Paul Walker laughed.

"Aren't those stunts supposed to be done by stunt drivers? Why are you guys doing them yourselves?"

Michelle asked.

"Those stunts aren't that difficult, so there's no need for stunt drivers."

Paul explained.

Richard nodded, "We handle the simple ones ourselves, and the more difficult ones are left to the stunt drivers."

Some of the stunts are too dangerous, and even with insurance, the crew wouldn't let the actors perform them. If an actor gets injured or something goes wrong, it would delay the shooting schedule, which would have a significant impact on the crew. It's more cost-effective to let the stunt drivers handle it.

"Richard, one of the shots had too much camera shake. The director says he needs you to run it again."

---

The director’s assistant George walked in.

"Do you need me?" Paul Walker asked.

"Your scene is fine."

"Haha, alright, Richard, good luck with everything," Paul Walker said with a smile.

"Thanks!" Richard smiled, put down the water bottle, and walked out. Filming car chase scenes is challenging and problematic, so this kind of thing happens often.

"Richard, the camera was blocked at the turn just now, let's do it again," Director Rob shouted.

"OK!" Richard got into the car with the cameraman and drove forward with a roar as the director's car slowly followed.

Vroom vroom vroom~

---

After finishing the shoot in the afternoon, Richard had a boxed meal with the crew and took a nap. In the evening, the crew continued filming night scenes.

Richard's character, Dominic Toretto, drove to the racetrack, ready to gamble with the street racers, and Paul Walker's character, Brian, was also participating, betting his newly modified car. They made a bet, and in the end, Dominic won the race.

This scene happened at night and involved a lot of car chases, taking about a week to shoot.

"Richard, how much longer do you have to shoot?" Andy asked in the bar.

"I'm the lead, so I have a lot of scenes, probably more than a month," Richard said, putting down his glass.

"The WBC challenge is on June 17th, so prepare yourself in advance," Andy said.

"Okay!" Richard nodded.

Andy looked at him, "You've been filming every day, can you still fight when you get in the ring?"

Richard smiled slightly, "Don't worry, I haven't stopped training. Since I've been shooting night scenes lately, I actually have more time to train."

"Alright, when you have time, you can come here to train. I'll arrange a sparring partner for you in advance," Andy said.

"Sure!"

"Hey, Richard, how do you have time to come to the bar?" Paul walked in with his girlfriend, Venus.

"Just stopping by." After greeting Venus, Richard looked at Paul. This guy was glowing, carrying shopping bags, clearly having been out shopping.

"Paul, you have a match next week, are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm confident I can beat James Toney, that little guy," Paul said with a grin, clenching his fist.

Richard shook his head, "Paul, don't be careless. James Toney is a very formidable boxer. His punches are powerful, his speed is great, and his offense and defense skills are excellent. His overall strength is comparable to Hasim Rahman."

James Toney is a very special boxer. He originally started in the middleweight class, and won titles in IBF middleweight, IBF super middleweight, WBU light heavyweight, and IBF cruiserweight divisions. Now, he has moved up to fight in the heavyweight division.

Since entering the professional scene in 1988, he has fought 66 times, with 5 losses and 2 draws, an impressive record.

In 1998, in the WBC light heavyweight semifinals, Richard fought him. His boxing technique was superb, and among the boxers Richard had fought, James Toney’s technique ranked in the top three.

So seeing Paul’s nonchalant attitude, Richard couldn’t help but be a little worried, "Paul, James Toney has fought 66 times and only lost 5. From that alone, you should take him more seriously."

"Haha, I get it. Even though I’ve been shopping, I haven’t slacked off on my training. Coach Holmes has given me a rigorous training schedule and watches over me every day. I couldn't slack off even if I wanted to. You can ask Andy if you don't believe me."

Andy nodded slightly, "Yes, Paul has been very diligent in training lately."

"Haha, that's right. After finally winning the championship belt, I don’t want it to be taken away so easily," Paul said, grinning.

"That’s good. When you have time, we can practice together. I’ve fought James Toney, so I’m familiar with his strength. I can mimic his style and be your opponent," Richard suggested.

"That sounds great! Let’s go practice now," Paul said, pulling him along.

"Now? I’ve been filming all day, I don’t feel like it. Let’s do it tomorrow."

"Alright!"

After walking around the bar for a while, Richard drove back to his hillside villa.

"You're back, wash up and eat," Mrs. Bündchen said, putting down a magazine and walking into the kitchen.

"Okay!" Richard walked into the dining room and saw a few home-cooked dishes on the table—black pepper steak, fruit pizza, New Orleans-style wings. Simple yet delicate, they looked great.

"It smells so good. With you here, this place really feels like home," Richard said, hugging her with a smile.

Mrs. Bündchen smiled slightly and put down the plate, "Do you want me to stay at home as a chef?"

"No, I'm just really happy to see you every day when I get home," Richard shrugged.

"Then how about I stay here with you from now on?" Mrs. Bündchen asked.

"Really? That would be wonderful!"

"Do you really want me to stay home and be a full-time housewife?" Mrs. Bündchen asked with a frown.

Richard shook his head, "I respect your decision. If you want to stay home, I fully support it. If you don’t, you don’t have to force yourself. You don’t need to delay your work for me; after all, your dreams are important."

"Hmph, didn't you say you liked my hardworking nature? Now you want me to stay home? Men really don't have any truth in them."

"But I'm often home alone, and it doesn’t feel good," Richard said, shaking his head as he served her a bowl of fish soup.

"I’ll try to stay here more often in the future," Mrs. Bündchen said after some thought.

"Alright, it's settled then!" Richard said, raising his glass with a smile.

"Men are all liars," Mrs. Bündchen said, rolling her eyes at him.

(End of chapter)