Jackie Chan's Enthusiasm

Although they had spoken on the phone before, this was their first time meeting in person.

Jackie Chan, who had always been quick to warm up to people, would not give Lin Yuan any chance to feel awkward.

Ignoring Lin Yuan's outstretched right hand, Jackie Chan pulled him into a warm embrace.

Lin Yuan immediately remembered Jackie Chan's signature one-two move of hugging and kissing cheeks. It was how he showed affection.

And he did not only kiss women. Men were not spared either.

To keep a man's saliva from ending up on his face, Lin Yuan casually returned the hug, then quickly stepped back.

Jackie Chan paused in surprise, but quickly smiled. "Welcome to Hong Kong Island. I finally get to meet you."

Lin Yuan smiled as well. "I'm happy to meet you too. Where's Ziyi? Why did I have to trouble you to pick me up personally?"

"She had a scene to shoot tonight, so I told her not to worry. I'd come pick you up."

"Sorry for the trouble."

"If it were anyone else, I'd say something polite like, 'What trouble?' But for you, I have to say, you should trouble me. I hope you'll trouble me more. If you don't, I'll be unhappy instead."

Lin Yuan was somewhat baffled by Jackie Chan's enthusiasm.

Although he had been rising quickly lately, Jackie Chan was his senior in terms of experience. In status and influence, the gap between them was even wider than heaven and earth.

Lin Yuan did not know how long it would take before he could attain Jackie Chan's level of status and influence.

This was not Lin Yuan putting himself down. Jackie Chan had once said something incredibly bold: "Point anywhere in the world, and I can find someone to take care of you."

He really was not boasting. Later, while filming Kung Fu Yoga, Jackie Chan had once been troubled by a lack of luxury cars.

Upon hearing the news, the Dubai Prince immediately lent dozens of his own luxury cars to him for filming, free of charge.

When one of them was accidentally damaged during filming, he not only did not ask for compensation, but immediately bought an identical one for Jackie Chan to use, so changing cars would not create a continuity error in the shots.

By comparison, even though The Fast and the Furious had reached its seventh installment and was already a famous major IP—

when its director went to borrow luxury cars from that Dubai Prince, he was rejected on the spot.

There were not just one or two stories like this about Jackie Chan. There were too many to count.

Did a superstar beloved around the world really need to be so enthusiastic toward him?

"Since you're being so welcoming, Jackie Chan, then I'll gladly accept," Lin Yuan replied.

"That's more like it. I thought Ziyi had booked your plane ticket, but I didn't expect you to buy an economy-class ticket yourself. I already felt I hadn't treated you well enough.

How about this? During filming in Hong Kong, stay at my place. I have a house in Kowloon Tong that's vacant right now. You can stay there." Jackie Chan smiled and patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder.

Upon hearing Jackie Chan's words, Lin Yuan's first thought was that the arrangements were incredibly thorough and considerate.

In ordinary business dealings, people generally arranged hotel accommodations. Booking a presidential suite at a top luxury hotel for over a hundred thousand a night was already enough to show importance.

But Jackie Chan had directly arranged for him to stay in his own home. It was a gesture of closeness.

And that was not all. Having Lin Yuan stay at his luxury residence in Kowloon Tong had clearly been carefully considered as well.

A top figure like Jackie Chan surely owned multiple residences on Hong Kong Island.

He had not arranged for Lin Yuan to stay in a Mid-Levels villa. That sort of area, where the powerful and wealthy gathered, could easily make someone feel pressured and uncomfortable.

Instead, he had chosen Kowloon Tong, where the atmosphere was relatively more relaxed. Everything had been carefully thought through.

This undeserved kindness weighed heavily on Lin Yuan.

But goodwill could not be casually refused. Deliberately keeping one's distance meant creating distance.

So Lin Yuan smiled and replied, "I'll do as you say."

"That's right. It's already very late, so I'll take you over to settle in. Tomorrow, I'll arrange a welcome dinner for you.

Oh, right. Are there any Hong Kong Island actresses you'd like to meet? I'll call them over for you."

Jackie Chan wore a smile that any man would understand.

"I appreciate the thought, but let's forget it. The film's shooting schedule is more important."

Although Lin Yuan knew such things were commonplace in the entertainment industry, he neither liked them nor intended to get involved.

Jackie Chan nodded and said nothing more, leading Lin Yuan outside.

The night passed without incident.

"Because love is love, feelings need not be given so generously, and no one needs to give me a beautiful era..."

That alarm ringtone... it really was so year 2000, so Hong Kong Island.

Lin Yuan reached out and slapped off the bedside alarm. Without lingering in bed for even a second, he swiftly sat up.

It was seven in the morning. Although he had slept for less than six hours, his energy had already fully recovered.

He had come to Hong Kong Island to work. This morning, he needed to join the Rush Hour 2 production and formally discuss his cameo role with Jackie Chan. Being late would be rude.

The minor injuries he had suffered a few days ago had basically healed.

So whether Jackie Chan merely wanted him to show his face or perform a short action scene, it did not matter.

Lin Yuan's room was on the second floor of the villa. When he pulled open the curtains, he saw a lush bamboo grove in the courtyard, beautiful while also shielding the house from prying eyes.

On Hong Kong Island, where land was worth its weight in gold, an ordinary person owning a ninety-square-meter home was considered to have a thousand-foot luxury residence.

People at the bottom of society could only squeeze into apartments no larger than pigeonholes.

Yet Jackie Chan's luxury residence occupied several acres, and it was in a prime location. Truly, some died in drought while others drowned in abundance.

When Lin Yuan came downstairs, breakfast had already been laid out in the first-floor dining room.

There were Western-style bread, bacon, and milk, as well as Hong Kong-style rice noodle rolls, shrimp dumplings, and boat congee.

The butler had made meticulous arrangements. Unsure whether this Chinese man preferred Western or Chinese food, he had prepared a little of everything.

Lin Yuan still preferred Chinese food. Although both his parents had passed away, he had developed a Chinese stomach from childhood.

After eating Western food for several meals in a row, his stomach could not take it anymore.

The breakfast was delicious, and Lin Yuan quickly swept all the food into his stomach.

Then...

He picked up two table knives from the dining table and slipped them into the inner pockets of his coat.

Hong Kong Island's public safety was not as bad as it was portrayed in movies and television dramas, but that did not stop Lin Yuan from taking some precautions.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

As the sound of high heels drew near, the dining room door was pushed open, and a beautiful woman in a black business suit walked in.

She had a pair of bright, peach-blossom eyes that curved like crescent moons when she smiled.

Her beauty was not limited to her eyes. Her slender figure and exquisite features were merely the basics.

What truly made her unforgettable at first glance was the unyielding quality within her soft, graceful aura.

This was a face born for the big screen, carrying an inherently cool, refined air.

"You don't blame me for not coming to pick you up last night, do you?"

"Of course not, Ziyi. You've always cared about and helped me," Lin Yuan replied with a smile.

"Those words make me sound old, as though I'm one of your elders." Zhang Ziyi furrowed her brows slightly, though she was clearly not truly angry.

"You always looked after me when we were filming before, and recently you enthusiastically helped connect me with Jackie Chan. I'm sincerely grateful."

"So you know I care about you? Then why do you never stop making people worry! Look at you, all grown up, yet you don't even know to clean your face after eating."

Zhang Ziyi pulled a tissue from the table, naturally raised her hand, and gently wiped the corner of Lin Yuan's mouth.

As for whether there were really any crumbs there, Lin Yuan was not in a position to ask, nor did he need to know.

The intimate gesture was right there. Did anything else matter?