Jackie Chan was filming Rush Hour 2 on Hong Kong Island, a film that carried his ambition to make another run at Hollywood box office success.
If his 1980 film The Big Brawl marked the beginning, it had already been twenty years since he first entered Hollywood.
The passage of time had turned him from a twenty-six-year-old young man into a forty-six-year-old middle-aged man.
Over the years, quite a few of his films had found success in Hollywood, such as Rumble in the Bronx and Rush Hour.
The box office results of those films could only be called very good for Chinese-language movies, but they still fell far short of Hollywood's top blockbusters.
Jackie Chan longed to have a film that could truly be considered a massive hit.
When he was young, he lacked influence and had no say in many matters, leaving him no choice but to compromise.
Now, he had achieved both fame and success. Though his physical condition had passed its peak, the resources at his command far surpassed those of the past.
If he wanted results and to push himself to the top, now was the best time—and his last chance.
Jackie Chan would never allow such a precious opportunity to slip through his fingers.
Rush Hour 2 carried all his hopes and effort. Whether he could join the ranks of Hollywood's highest-grossing films depended on this movie.
For that reason, he would seize every possibility tightly, including the guest he was waiting for now.
He was waiting for Lin Yuan, who was flying in from New York.
At first, he had merely wanted to look after a junior and give him a boost, letting him make a cameo in his film and gain some exposure.
Yet in just a few months, Lin Yuan had risen continuously, looking as though he was about to soar into the heavens.
Not only had Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, in which he starred, become a huge hit, but it was said that his successful marketing had pushed what was originally an obscure film straight to the top of the box office charts.
To be honest, the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had stirred Jackie Chan.
That film had achieved what Jackie Chan had always wanted but could never attain, and Lin Yuan's contribution had been a crucial part of it.
And Lin Yuan's dazzling achievements did not stop there. Recently, he had even become the lead actor in a top Hollywood blockbuster.
He was only eighteen years old, and he was Chinese.
Jackie Chan knew only too well how deep Hollywood's prejudice against Chinese people ran, and how difficult it was to gain a foothold there. Back then, he had suffered no shortage of hardships himself.
Jackie Chan felt neither jealousy nor envy toward all of Lin Yuan's brilliant accomplishments.
He was more than happy to see that after him, there was still a Chinese person capable of carrying the banner of action films.
Combined with the assessment of Lin Yuan from Meng Tao, an overseas member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team, Jackie Chan had completely begun to take this rising star seriously.
Thus, Jackie Chan showed his regard by personally coming to the airport to pick him up.
"Isn't this Brother Jackie Chan? What distinguished guest is worth you coming to welcome in person? Must be a great beauty, right?"
At that moment, a fat man with a fake smile entered the reception room and greeted him in a mocking tone.
Director Wong Jing was also one of the iconic figures of Hong Kong Island's golden age of cinema, with representative works including God of Gamblers, God of Gamblers, and Hail the Judge.
The two had known each other for a long time and had collaborated on several films.
City Hunter in 1993 had been a classic, but it was also their final collaboration.
After that, the two had completely fallen out for various reasons.
Director Wong Jing had even made a film called The Saint of Gamblers to take veiled shots at Jackie Chan.
That brought their conflict directly into the open.
Faced with this sleazy fat man, Jackie Chan did not look pleased either.
"Your mind is filled with women, so you think everyone is like you," Jackie Chan retorted.
"It would be one thing if someone else said that, but do you have the right to?" Wong Jing looked even more disdainful.
"Why wouldn't I? Women have never been important to me. I value brothers more. Brothers can truly help me; women can't."
"So you really came to pick up a man?" Wong Jing froze.
"What does it have to do with you? Just mind your own business."
"Hey!"
"What?" Jackie Chan asked impatiently.
"I heard quite a few gangs have their eyes on your crew. If you don't give them a taste of the profits, they won't let you off easily. Watch yourself!"
"Got it!"
This was also one of the things troubling Jackie Chan lately, and he had not expected Wong Jing to bring it up again.
Jackie Chan could not help feeling exhausted inside. Why was it still so hard to get anything done, even at his position?
At that moment, the plane Lin Yuan was on was steadily descending and was about to land.
Looking at the dazzling night view of Hong Kong Island outside the window, he could not help feeling deeply moved.
Even counting his previous life, this was his first time coming to Hong Kong Island.
Yet Hong Kong Island was not unfamiliar to him. TVB, Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest... all had left indelible marks on his childhood.
Lin Yuan had watched plenty of Hong Kong films and listened to plenty of cantonese songs while growing up.
The Four Heavenly Kings, Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, Stephen Chow, Vivian Chow, Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin... these stars had also been idols he followed in his childhood.
Now that he was finally about to set foot on this land, would he cross paths with them?
Lin Yuan's trip to Hong Kong Island had been a last-minute decision after he received a call from Zhang Ziyi the day before yesterday.
When he borrowed Meng Tao and the other Jackie Chan Stunt Team action directors from Jackie Chan, he had promised to come make a cameo in Rush Hour 2.
Now, it was time for him to fulfill that promise.
Before long, The Fast and the Furious and Jurassic Park 3 would be released. By then, he would be even busier and have even less time to get away.
At that time, Lin Yuan's scenes in Jurassic Park 3 had already wrapped. Meng Tao and the other Jackie Chan Stunt Team martial artists remained with the crew, assisting Director Johnston in completing the remaining scenes.
Since he was temporarily free, Lin Yuan simply took the opportunity to visit Hong Kong Island and finish his cameo role.
With a mild tremor, the plane finally completed its landing and slowly taxied down the runway.
The sixteen-hour flight had left many passengers physically and mentally exhausted. They eagerly rose to collect their luggage, hoping to get off the plane sooner.
Lin Yuan remained seated without any hurry. He had bought an economy-class ticket, and his seat was near the back. Even if he wanted to squeeze forward, he could not get to the front.
At that moment, a flight attendant walked over to Lin Yuan's seat, crouched down, and asked softly, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Lin Yuan?"
There was some confusion in her eyes. She had just received notice from the airport leadership to take special care of this passenger.
But why would such an important guest be sitting in economy class?
"I'm Lin Yuan. May I ask what this is about?"
Lin Yuan smiled brightly, and his handsome face made the flight attendant's heart skip a few beats.
Mr. Lin was so handsome. Why had she not prepared a note to slip him?
The flight attendant could not help regretting it.
"Miss Flight Attendant, may I ask what you need?"
Lin Yuan had no idea that he had truly stunned her with his looks. Seeing her stare blankly at him, he asked again.
"Ah! Sorry, Mr. Lin. Please take your carry-on luggage with you. We have arranged for you to leave through the VIP passage." The flight attendant smiled sweetly.
"Hm?"
Completely confused, Lin Yuan followed the flight attendant to the front of the cabin. His disembarkation order was actually ahead of even the first-class passengers.
After getting off the plane, a private car was waiting for him, and then he was whisked through without a single delay.
Only when he reached the VIP waiting room did he see a middle-aged man waiting for him.
Brother Jackie Chan. Lin Yuan recognized him at a glance.
Though somewhat puzzled, he still walked over with a smile.
The moment Jackie Chan saw him, he rose from the sofa and hurried over to greet him.
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