By early January 2001, time had flown by.
Lin Yuan had originally expected to finish his cameo appearance in Hong Kong Island within three days, but because his role had expanded, filming ended up taking more than ten days.
That completely disrupted Lin Yuan's schedule:
He could no longer return to New York to spend Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve with Liu Yifei, so he called her apologetically to explain.
But the Celestial Fairy had always been understanding. Not only was she not angry, she even comforted him, telling him to put his career first since they would have plenty of time together in the future.
Of course, she did not forget to ask, "You don't know anyone on Hong Kong Island. Won't you be bored?"
Lin Yuan immediately replied, "When your heart is already racing home, even the best days lose their flavor."
The Celestial Fairy sounded dismissive on the surface, but even through the phone, he could taste the smile in her voice.
But that was not the truth. If he had answered honestly, the answer would naturally have been: Hong Kong Island was actually pretty great.
Although it was Lin Yuan's first time on Hong Kong Island, Zhang Ziyi had thoughtfully taken him around during breaks in filming over the past few days.
Hong Kong Island did not yet have a Disney park. It would not be completed and opened until 2005, so Lin Yuan went to Ocean Park instead.
Zhang Ziyi also took him to Victoria Peak, where they gazed out at Lantau Island and looked down over the entirety of Hong Kong Island.
As night fell, the two continued on a cruise ship, taking in the dazzling lights of Victoria Harbour.
These were all things Lin Yuan had never experienced in his previous life.
Although he had lived until 2024 in his previous life, he had always lived in North America. Worse still, after 2012, he had been bedridden and paralyzed for a long time.
He had never eaten lavish seafood feasts, never lived in luxurious villas, never visited theme parks...
He had had nothing.
To sum it up in one sentence: he had never lived a good life.
Back then, the splendor of the world outside his window belonged to other people, while all he had was a shattered life and a hopeless future.
So when he went out with Zhang Ziyi these past few days, he felt as though the empty spaces in his life were gradually being filled.
Perhaps he did not necessarily like every one of those experiences, but simply trying them felt wonderful.
When Zhang Ziyi smiled and presented him with a carefully prepared gift on Christmas Eve—
Lin Yuan was actually at a loss for what to do.
An Armani suit worth tens of thousands and a Rolex watch worth over six hundred thousand were no small expense even for Zhang Ziyi, who had only just started making money.
Lin Yuan did not care much for material possessions, but the warmth of her feelings soothed his heart.
This trip to Hong Kong Island truly calmed his state of mind.
Before this, he had certainly worked desperately hard, always charging headlong into difficulties without regard for anything else, but it had also been an extreme mindset.
It was an unwillingness to accept his previous life, an instinctive stress response in this one.
That mindset had its advantages and disadvantages, but for the current Lin Yuan, the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.
Slightly correcting his mindset without losing his fighting spirit was the best state he could be in.
After adjusting his mindset, Lin Yuan became even more at ease during the remaining filming, and everything progressed extremely smoothly.
After the script was revised, he had six scenes in Rush Hour 2, three of which were action scenes.
Once those scenes were edited into the eventual film release, their total runtime would probably only be five or six minutes.
Though the screen time was short, all the scenes Jackie Chan had arranged for Lin Yuan were highlights.
He was not worried in the slightest that Lin Yuan would steal his thunder. The scenes arranged for Lin Yuan's character—Inspector Lin—were all standout moments, meant to ensure the audience remembered the role.
And Lin Yuan did not disappoint Jackie Chan's trust. One scene had him climb seven stories with his bare hands, and it turned out spectacularly, even better than Jackie Chan's own performance.
When the film was released, it would definitely leave countless viewers slack-jawed.
Completed C-level dangerous action scene. Received 2 Distributable Attributes.
After all three action scenes were completed, Lin Yuan received the system's reward notification.
Only the climbing scene he had just completed had reached C-level difficulty. The other two scenes were only D-grade.
Because they lacked challenge, the system did not grant attribute rewards for D-grade scenes.
It was getting harder and harder to earn attributes from the system.
Lin Yuan immediately opened his Attribute Panel:
Name: Lin Yuan Age: 18 Strength: 14 Agility: 16 Constitution: 15 Distributable Attributes: 2 Skills: Master Swordsmanship, Master Parkour, Master Flying Daggers
How should he allocate the points?
His Constitution had reached its attribute cap, so it could not be increased further.
Lin Yuan's first instinct was to choose Agility.
He was now very familiar with the effects of attributes. Although it was called Agility, it actually had nothing to do with speed.
If he wanted to run faster, the attribute he should increase was Strength. Only greater muscular strength could give Lin Yuan faster running speed.
The true interpretation of Agility was actually: sharper perception and quicker reactions.
All of that was reflected in Lin Yuan's control over his own body.
The higher his Agility, the better Lin Yuan could command his body.
So understanding Agility as the "technique" of using one's body was extremely fitting.
"Strength" and "technique" always needed to be balanced. Neither could be lacking, nor could either be neglected.
While Lin Yuan valued the "technique" represented by the Agility attribute, he also understood the importance of "Strength."
So he overcame his compulsion to spend every last attribute point.
Strength: 14 → 15 Distributable Attributes: 2 → 1
The Strength increase provided by the system was remarkably magical. It improved Lin Yuan's physical condition without turning him into a muscle freak.
If increasing Strength really turned him into some hulking mass of muscle, Lin Yuan would have to think carefully about it.
He definitely would not be popular with women that way. Even Liu Yifei would make fun of him.
The muscles men built through working out were like women's manicures—they could only earn the appreciation of the same sex.
As his Strength increased once more, Lin Yuan felt himself receive another all-around improvement.
His jumping ability and carrying capacity went without saying, but this increase in Strength was even more evident in his running speed.
Lin Yuan could clearly sense that if he entered a hundred-meter race, he might not be able to outrun Bolt, but breaking ten seconds should not be a problem.
That was already the level of an elite sprinter.
Faster running speed also meant Lin Yuan could jump farther and complete more high-difficulty action scenes.
The host has reached the potential limit for this attribute and cannot increase it further. Complete the mission: Establish an intimate relationship with any non-B-type girl. The host will be rewarded with a breakthrough beyond the potential limit.
As his Strength rose to 15 points, the system popped up another reminder for Lin Yuan: if he wanted to grow stronger, he should promptly embark on the path of the harem king.
Lin Yuan ignored it and instead asked, "Reassess my probability of completing action scenes."
Action Scene Danger Level: C. Host success rate: 80%. Action Scene Danger Level: B. Host success rate: 22%.
So low?
C-level had risen from 77% to 80%.
B-level had risen from 20% to 22%.
What was he supposed to do now?
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