The Best Director

Chapter 174: Thrilling!

Let’s start with the audition!” Wang Yang stood up and moved to the camera. He turned on the machine and, having never observed Daniel Wu’s camera presence and acting while personally controlling the camera, this was effectively a full-fledged new actor audition. He watched Daniel Wu through the camera monitor and issued his request, “Daniel, give me a left profile; um, OK, right profile…”

Daniel Wu complied, turning and making various movements and expressions as instructed; meanwhile, Joshua, standing beside Wang Yang, watched intently, studying every move. Casting auditions naturally fell under the purview of the producer, but at the moment, Wang Yang was the sole decision­maker for the lead roles in the film, while the selection of some supporting roles was delegated to other producers and casting directors.

Hmm, give me an evil, mocking expression. Show me your wild side and let that stiff and wooden image of Chinese men go to hell!” Wang Yang said with a chuckle. Before he had finished speaking, Daniel Wu narrowed his eyes and grinned, revealing only the top row of his teeth, with a fierce and eerie malice across his face, emitting a soft chuckle. Wang Yang observed for a few moments and then suggested, “That’s a bit too much; you look like a bloodthirsty maniac. Tone it down, just an embittered top student!”

Upon hearing this, Daniel Wu relaxed his expression and started pondering. What was he like at that time? What was Jeff Ma’s mindset? Why was he angry and why did he feel that way? He thought of “A Clockwork Orange”; everyone becomes who they are for a reason. Cynicism stems from dissatisfaction, which may be due to selfishness, or possibly a sense of unfairness…

If counting cards for money was Jeff Ma’s well-paying job, he’d have no need for cynicism; if he was angry, it indicated that beyond making money, he also held resentment towards casinos, his mockery driven by disdain and pride in his own intelligence. His anger did not have the aggressiveness of a murderer; he was simply an assertive college student who enjoyed seeing “those high and mighty people in misfortune”.

As these thoughts percolated, Daniel Wu’s calm face began to shift expressions again, his smile brightening, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he tilted his head up with a slight lift of the chin.

Not bad!” Wang Yang immediately expressed his satisfaction. He wasn’t awarding a perfect score for the expression, but rather he was pleased with Daniel Wu’s quick adaptability and the significant change in temperament. Gone was the previously sharp, murderous aura; now, he looked like a somewhat smug big boy, just shy of an adventurous game player’s nonchalance. But this was an audition room, not a film set, let alone a movie without a script, atmosphere, explanation, nor plot embellishments and soundtracks.

Therefore, performances like the current one were already commendable. Wang Yang smiled and said, “I like your smile, keep it! Joshua, hand him those glasses.” He turned to glance at Joshua and, once Daniel Wu had taken the glasses and put them on, he requested, “Now give me a shy, honest man who probably hasn’t even held a girl’s hand before

Jeff Ma and the others had to disguise themselves to enter and exit the casinos. In the movie, if the fast-paced frames flashed by, they would have over 10 different appearances at least, and there would be 5 or 6 for the in-depth shots Therefore, the appeal to the audience’s attention lay in the lead actor’s ability to render various temperaments, which certainly required versatility.

With black-framed glasses, Daniel Wu had a simple, modest smile, his gaze shyly evading direct eye contact with the camera, his right hand habitually adjusting the glasses at the side of his ear.

Hmm, very good.” Wang Yang nodded, pleased that Daniel could switch between moods and expressions effectively, performing well at both extremes Therefore, he surmised that the transitions in between likely wouldn’t fall short. Even with this in mind, he had Daniel Wu continue with various expressions and tried a few more looks, all of which were satisfactory overall. However, one major item had not yet been tested: a performance with lines, acting against an imaginary opponent.

Joshua, hand those pages of the script to Daniel,” Wang Yang instructed again, and Joshua picked up the script from the audition table and handed it to Daniel Wu. Wang Yang said, “Buddy, you probably know what type of person Jeff Ma is. He has a nickname, ‘Intel Chip,’ so the character speaks very fast and reacts very quickly. Now perform the content of the first page, remember to deliver the lines quickly and rhythmically, and make sure others can understand.” He earnestly added, “Daniel, take a look for a while, but I don’t want to dub it in post-production.”

Daniel Wu nodded and said, “I know,” looking at the densely packed, long strings of dialogue in a speech bubble on the paper, suddenly felt a surge of pressure inside. Wang Yang’s implication was clear: if he couldn’t handle these lines, it would be regrettable no matter how good his acting was! Fortunately, these lines were to be delivered in English, not Cantonese or Mandarin, and didn’t require a “Chinese accent,” which he wouldn’t have been able to produce even if it killed him.

Because of the accent issue, even if he could star in a Wang Yang film, he didn’t fantasize about becoming a big star in Hollywood or getting new film offers afterward. That was an unlikely event—besides Wang Yang, who else would shoot a movie with an Asian lead? Of course, they’d want a martial arts film, and he indeed knew martial arts. Seemed fitting, right?

In fact, it wasn’t. One important reason Hollywood liked Jackie Chan and Jet Li was that they spoke fluent English with an Asian accent; American audiences found it interesting, feeling it had a “Chinese flavor,” which represented real Kung Fu. Thus, despite being a Kung Fu-practicing Asian, his authentic fluent American accent became a barrier instead, making producers hesitant.

A producer had once contacted him to discuss making a martial arts movie, requiring him to use a “Chinese accent.” Eventually, nothing came of it.

For Asians to stand out in this country was much more difficult than for Caucasians. When he worked at the construction company, he didn’t face blatant discrimination, but he never got the important jobs that came with opportunities for promotion—whites looked after whites, blacks looked after blacks, Jews looked after Jews. As for Asians to get wildly hyped in this country, it was as tough as reaching the heavens. There seemed to be an invisible glass ceiling blocking them; only by breaking it would they gain mainstream acceptance.

America is a country that respects and venerates strength, and Wang Yang was an incredible, unprecedented powerhouse who had burst through that glass barrier, winning everyone over. But if Wang Yang had started his career performing on the big screen, it’s not to say he wouldn’t have had any chance, but compared to his current record of 22 years old with five movies and over 2.2 billion in global box office, it would have been a hundred times—no, a thousand times—harder…

Although becoming a big star might be impossible, he was still thrilled about this opportunity—as it was a Wang Yang film! Especially after hearing the director’s words today, “I want to prove that we Asians can do martial arts, and other things too,” he felt touched; he also wanted to prove that, to seize this rare chance!

Besides acting, he hoped to learn something about directing. He liked drawing and only studied architecture for his parents’ peace of mind; but he realized what he actually enjoyed was creating visual compositions, like a director. Now, he often made short films with Feng Delun using a DV camera—of course, they never amounted to ‘Paranormal Activity’. To those who dabble with DV cameras, Wang Yang was like a deity, the “Ancestor Master

These thoughts flashed rapidly through Daniel Wu’s mind. He took a deep breath and focused on memorizing the dialogue in the script intently; it was a scene where Jeff Ma and the MIT group learn card counting… After looking at it for a while, he looked towards the camera and said, “Yang, I’m ready.” Wang Yang on the other side nodded and smiled, “Alright, begin. Don’t worry about malting mistakes. I’m looking for tone and presence, not short-term memory. You can look at the script while performing now.”

OK.” In his mind, Daniel Wu was anything but relaxed. Portraying a deeply absorbed expression of rapid thinking, with slightly raised eyebrows, he began to articulate quickly and softly, “A deck has 52 cards, with 16 ten-point cards; three decks have 156 cards, 4.8 ten-point cards; six decks have 312 cards, 96 ten-point cards; the initial ratio is always 4 to 13, 0.307… oh, sorry

He still had to glance down at the script, continuing with the performance, “The initial ratio is always 4 to 13, with the probability of a ten-point card in the next round being 0.307692. The dealer has the advantage; for each ten- point card removed, the probability decreases by 0.019230, conversely increasing. When the probability is up to 3.666666, the player has the advantage. The Ten Count system, understand?”

He paused to catch his breath. Seeing that Wang Yang didn’t speak, he continued with the next lines, “With different winning probabilities P(i) for different bets B(i), the total sum of winning probabilities ZP(i) is less than 1/2. But by betting large when P(i) is high and betting small when P(i) is low, we can ensure that the total return SR(i)P(i) is greater than SB(i). Understand?”

Wang Yang quietly watched Daniel Wu, who was not far away reciting his lines. His diction was clear, his breath controlled—a benefit of his years of training in Kung Fu, no doubt. He also had a good sense of rhythm and that intelligent sensation of “writing a program in the brain”. Wang Yang couldn’t help but smile. This scene was supposed to be set in a MIT classroom, where Natalie and others were teaching Jeff Ma to count cards. It seemed he’d grasped it after only a brief explanation, able to repeat it and assert his understanding.

2, 3, 4, 5, 6 count as plus one point; 7, 8, 9 count as zero points; 10, J, Q, K, A count as minus one point. At zero points, the dealer has a 0.5% advantage; at one point, it’s even; at two points, the player has a 0.5% advantage; at seven points, the player has a 3% advantage.” Daniel Wu paused, then said the last line of the page with mild, proud assurance, “The high-low system, I understand.”

In the complete script Wang Yang held, what followed was a scene where Natalie and the others burst into applause and laughter, then played a few rounds with a novice Jeff Ma using three decks of cards—and indeed, he won quite a lot. But just as Jeff Ma began to think it was no big deal, the others laughed again; they increased the number of decks to eight, simulating the dealing conditions in a casino. They took a box of eight decks (416 cards) and removed an unknown large stack, perhaps 80-90 cards, but possibly as many as 180-190, with no knowledge of the remaining cards’ points.

During the game, the dealer Natalie occasionally shuffled the cards, and Jeff Ma was suddenly unable to keep up with the count at all, losing all his earlier winnings. Natalie simply laughed, “If you played like that in a casino, always betting big when the count is high and opting out when it’s low, why not just pick up a megaphone and shout ‘I’m here to count cards’? The casino might even think you’re an idiot and not notice anything unusual.”

A sweat broke out on Jeff Ma’s forehead, and he realized he still had much to learn.

Not bad!” Wang Yang said with a smile, clapping his hands. Daniel Wu’s tone and demeanor were very good, capturing the essence of a confident college student; there are many other things to learn from the script, and the actor would understand them after the director’s explanation and guidance on set. At that moment, Joshua, who was beside him, exclaimed with a wow, “So much to say in one breath, man, you’ve got great lung capacity!”

Wang Yang laughed and preempted, “That’s the benefit of Kung Fu.” Such strong lung capacity and steady breath indicated Daniel’s significant skill and strength… he thought about this point, with excitement shining in his eyes. Meanwhile, Daniel Wu, pleased with the praise, nodded and smiled, “Yes, the health benefits of Kung Fu are great.”

They tried several more scenes; then, Wang Yang had a casual conversation with Daniel Wu, who was stepping into the role of Jeff Ma. Joshua also gave his input. After over 45 minutes, this audition officially ended. Daniel Wu was a good fit in every aspect before the audition and his performance during it was satisfactory and surprising. Although not perfect, Wang Yang was almost certain it would be Daniel Wu.

Who else could it be? He did not expect to “open call” and discover a Chinese actor with outstanding acting talent but yet unrecognized in America. Perhaps there was such a person, but they apparently weren’t interested in acting and would not attend such auditions; and what about the Greater China region? He had inquired in detail through agents, and the recommended candidates were those he had looked up online, and that was it.

Let’s call it a day for now,” Wang Yang said, shutting off the camera. He walked towards Daniel Wu, who had a flicker of tension on his face, and extended his hand with a smile, “Daniel, welcome to ‘MIT-21-TEAM’.” Joshua laughed and exclaimed, “Congratulations, man! Kung Fu Jack Ma!” Daniel Wu’s eyes widened as his heart raced with excitement. He gasped in disbelief, “Wow, thank you!”

A movie by Wang Yang!? The male lead!? Breathless and biting his lower lip, Daniel Wu reached out for a firm handshake, “This is insane, unimaginable! This wasn’t something I expected yesterday at all.” Wang Yang gripped his hand tightly, his attention not on Daniel Wu’s excited words but on thinking excitedly to himself, “Really rough and lots of calluses, haha, feels so good, the more calluses the better…”

Of course, if it were a girl holding hands with one of them, she wouldn’t feel comfortable either. Wang Yang, completely oblivious, gazed at Daniel Wu with sparkling eyes, licked his lips as if he were about to savor a delicious feast, and with excitement barely contained, he chuckled deeply, “Daniel, how about we have a match? Let’s fight!”

Daniel Wu was slightly taken aback before he caught on; it was something he had expected. He knew full well that Wang Yang had been practicing Bajiquan since childhood and was a seasoned fighter. However, he couldn’t gauge the director’s skill level, though he was certain Wang Yang was an expert. His taller figure suggested even greater strength, and with 16 years of fierce Bajiquan expertise, this was going to be a tough fight…

The thrill from passing the audition also stirred in him a long-lost desire to battle. The wish to test himself against a stronger opponent and the director’s direct challenge made it impossible for him to refuse! He turned his neck from side to side and said with a barely contained grin, “Hmm, I’m looking forward to this spar.” Joshua seemed even more excited and quickly asked, “A Kung Fu match? When? When?!”

Right now! I can’t wait any longer!” Wang Yang felt all his pores shrink as his blood surged near boiling. His last fulfilling spar was with his senior brother last year, but even fighting within his own style wasn’t quite satisfying; not to mention sparring with Michelle and Bradley— the former, a woman who knew only the barebones of boxing, and the latter, pretty much the same, with plenty of strength but no real combat skills to speak of, amounted to the kind of opponents you’d finish off in two moves.

He looked excitedly at the two, asking, “Do you guys know any martial arts gyms around Santa Monica?” Joshua and Daniel Wu just shrugged, clueless. Wang Yang furrowed his brow in thought, then with a suddenly inspired smile said excitedly, “How about we just fight on the beach? You know, I’ve never fought by the sea before. I’ve always wanted to fight near the Golden Gate Bridge.”

Sure!” Daniel Wu nodded with interest, “I’ve thought about it for a long time too, just like in the comics.”

The three of them laughed as they exited the audition room. Wang Yang said, “No gloves, no protective gear, in principle no rules, but let’s not go overboard. No head strikes, and obviously no groin kicks or eye gouging. At most, we get a few minor injuries…” Joshua exclaimed in surprise, “You could get hurt?” Daniel Wu, already familiar with the rules, said, “This is real combat fighting. It’s normal to get a concussion or sprain a joint.” Wang Yang chuckled, “Daniel, you can change your pants; I’ve got some ready for you…” Joshua, a bit frightened, said, “Should I call an ambulance just in case?”

Joshua exclaimed in surprise, “You could get hurt?

They had just left the headquarters of Fire Flame Films when they saw a blond girl dressed in bright clothes and carrying a handbag approaching. She pressed a few buttons on her phone, and a ringtone started to play from ahead.

Hey, Rachel!” Wang Yang greeted the girl with a smile while holding his vibrating and ringing phone, only then did he remember in his fervor, “Oh my god, Rachel came for an audition!” He hurried over to Rachel’s side and playfully punched her shoulder, laughing, “Rachel, we’ll do your audition later! Right now, I’m going to spar with Daniel—that old pal—by the beach. Mind waiting for a bit? Come and watch, will you?”

He blurted out a rush of words and then, furrowing his brow in thought, he threw his hands with full force in an outward motion and exclaimed, “Wow! You’ve passed the audition! Rachel, I knew it was you the moment I saw you. Thank you so much!” With that, he ran towards the beach, looking back and calling, “GO, GO, GO!”

Rachel, rubbing her shoulder, looked utterly bewildered, as Joshua, passing by rapidly, chuckled, “That’s how Yang is when he’s drunk; I remember!” Daniel Wu briefly introduced himself with a smile as “Daniel Wu” and then picked up the pace, running after them—as a warm-up before the spar.

What just happened?” Rachel burst out laughing, her dimples showing as she rolled her eyes, wondering what had just occurred. Was her audition over? Had she won the part of Beverly Griffin? All because the big director was in a rush to go fight? Well then! The guy was always bursting with passion and vigor, that’s the nice way to put it; the less flattering term would be impulsive. But she liked it!

Sparring in kung fu? Lucky I wore sneakers today! She smiled and started running too, her shoulder-length, soft golden hair lifting in the wind.

Under the azure sky, above the clear, deep sea, flocks of seagulls freely soared, occasionally letting out “aao-aao” calls. On this warm and pleasant afternoon, there weren’t many tourists on the pale golden beach, and in a particularly quiet area, Wang Yang and Daniel Wu, both dressed in T-shirts, loose shorts, and bare feet, stood facing each other, three meters apart.

Both of them stood sideways, a stance that is nearly universal in all styles of kung fu because it protects the groin area, with the forward foot ready to attack or defend and the rear foot ready to retreat or stabilize; otherwise, it’s like leaving the door wide open, making it easy to be kicked down with one blow, even though groin attacks were not allowed.

We have to fight seriously and give it our all. Don’t hold back just because I’m the director. I can tell if you’re not trying your hardest.” Wang Yang’s eyes blazed with a fiery intensity as he gave a fist salute to Daniel Wu, saying solemnly, “Buddy, let’s not do anything that would make us angry.” Daniel Wu returned the salute with a fist, his fists positioned one in front and the other behind, replying, “I’ve never thought that way. It would be an insult to everyone and to kung fu.” Wang Yang instantly smiled and said, “Pal, let’s get started!”

Their eyes locked, they keenly observed one another’s movements and intentions, slowly circling on the sandy beach, drawing a large circle, Bajiquan VS Northern Long Fist.

Rachel and Joshua, standing a few meters away watching the scene, had tense expressions on their faces; Joshua kept taking photos with his phone. Naturally, they supported Wang Yang; on one hand, they hoped no one would get injured, but on the other, they hoped to witness an exciting match. Far off, some tourists walked around—had they been film fans or knew that the amazing Yang was showcasing kung fu, they would have surged over.

Heeya!” Wang Yang initiated the attack, suddenly bouncing on his legs and swinging a punch towards Daniel Wu, his fist sounding a resounding crack through the sea breeze.

The style of Bajiquan is close-quarters combat, bear-like and tiger-like, never waiting for the enemy to make a move!

So fast! The speed of his fist left Daniel Wu no chance to retreat, but he was no punching bag like Michelle or Bradley. He stepped forward with his left foot and bent his right leg into a half horse stance, ready with his defending left hand, which quickly blocked Wang Yang’s right fist with a “pom” using his forearm, while his own right fist, already at his waist, thrust out powerfully. With the force from his right heel skimming the sand and a twist of his waist and shoulder, in the blink of an eye, he smashed his fist towards Wang Yang’s abdomen! Bow stance, punch!

Damn, this is interesting! Wang Yang fiercely bit down on his teeth, his left hand not wasted; he arched his body backward, not using his arm to block but to directly seize the wrist of the punch that nearly hit his stomach, grabbing the wrist and turning with a twist of his body, his foot kicking away Daniel Wu’s advancing foot; as he turned his body, he suddenly released that hand, his entire left shoulder and body sinking.

With a roar, he slammed directly into the side body of Daniel Wu, his left elbow swinging fiercely, a “pom” sound only they could feel, as his iron elbow mercilessly jabbed Daniel Wu’s lower abdomen, shoulder sinking, elbow dropping, sticking and pressing like a mountain!

Last time he fought with Michelle and those other rookies, he never used his elbow because the elbow is a highly lethal weapon in the Eight Extremities Fist, capable of knocking someone without abdominal muscles senseless on the ground, writhing in pain until they passed out.

Ugh…” Daniel Wu suddenly stumbled back several steps, leaving more deep footprints in the sand. A look of indescribable pain swept across his face. His chest felt tight, his lower abdomen was in throbbing pain, and it seemed like the strength from his entire body was scattered by that punch! What ferocious boxing technique! It was only then that he seemed to understand why the Eight Extremities Fist was known to be as fierce as a tiger! Before he could catch his breath, another punch from Wang Yang was already tearing through the air towards him.

He hurriedly used his arms and legs to block continuously, enduring the numb ache in his lower abdomen, no longer recklessly launching attacks but waiting for an opportunity; while Wang Yang kept pressing forward, the constant sound of blocking resounded, whooshing through the air, as they engaged in a fierce bout of attack and defense!

Wow, wow—” Joshua was stunned, even forgetting to press the confirmation key on his phone. He thought he had already seen Wang Yang’s martial arts last time at the beach, but… this was truly martial arts, wasn’t it! Last time was just playing around, wow! This fight was even cooler than a movie! Watching Wang Yang forcefully pressing towards Daniel Wu for a collision, he couldn’t help but wonder, “Could I still stand if I were hit like that?”

Rachel’s eyes were wide, her hands covering her mouth, how cool! Her heart raced, feeling as if she couldn’t catch her breath. She had never seen him fight using martial arts before—it was so “solid,” his presence as if he feared nothing in the world, so impressive…

Bang, bang—pang—”Hey, aah,” … “Watch out!” “My God, is he okay?!” Amid the sounds of punches, the wind, and various shouts, the two of them displayed their skills, unaware that they had already exchanged dozens of rounds.

Hey, aah,

Wang Yang grabbed Daniel Wu by his shoulders and twisted, forcefully taking a punch to the chest, then with a rush of power, he slammed his whole body into the sand, with a loud bang like thunder! At the moment Daniel was buried in the sand, Wang Yang let out a “ha” roar and plunged his elbow down toward his chest! Of course, he couldn’t use his foot to stamp down; if he got caught, he would lose his balance.

It was a boxing technique without regard for one’s own life! Daniel Wu quickly rolled over at the last moment, barely evading the deadly elbow strike, but his breathing was already erratic. The relentless and “unreasonable” Eight Extremities fistfighting meant that every punch he received was sure to bring even greater damage, leaving him no chance to defend! Seeing Wang Yang’s elbow smash into the sandy surface, he quickly counterattacked with a sweeping kick to Wang Yang’s leg!

FUCK!” Wang Yang swiftly rolled over and leaped up, narrowly avoiding being swept off his feet. He ferociously charged at Daniel Wu, who had also jumped up, taking advantage of his opponent’s unsteady horse stance. He used his left fist to distract while his right fist, with a cracking sound, swung from below in an uppercut, the Cannon Punch!

Another bang rang out, and just as Daniel Wu blocked the opponent’s left fist, he felt a tremendous pain, as his left shoulder uncontrollably flung backward, and then his whole body was once again thrown onto the sand! He knew he had taken a heavy hit. If the punch had landed on his lower abdomen or chest, he wouldn’t have been able to speak.

I lost!” He panted heavily, speaking in a disjointed breath, “I lost, my God, thanks for the lesson…”

Should I call 911? You guys seem even stronger than Bruce Lee…” Joshua said blankly, holding up his smartphone; Rachel seemed to finally be able to breathe, drawing in a long breath of sea-scented air, her pretty face filled with astonishment, whispering, “I can’t believe my eyes, I want to learn martial arts now…”

Phew!” Wang Yang, already panting from the fight, heard the battle was over. He casually retracted his step, slowly pulling his elbows back, and adjusted his breathing before excitedly laughing and exclaiming, “Thrilling! FUCK, that was really fucking thrilling!” Although he hadn’t gone all out—doing so would have turned minor injuries into serious ones—he hadn’t had such an exhilarating and enjoyable fight in a long time!

It was a thoroughly satisfying thrill! His practical fighting abilities allowed him to take on five men with a certain level of combat skill at once. Daniel Wu could handle about three. The gap in strength wasn’t too overwhelming. Their rich combat experience meant they were fully engaged in this sparring session, which was why it was so thrilling!

Hahaha, guys! Do you know what I’m thinking?” Wang Yang looked at Rachel and then at Joshua, and then turned his gleaming eyes to Daniel Wu, chuckling with excitement, “Next year, when we shoot ‘MIT-21-TEAM’, we can fight for half an hour every day! Wow, just thinking about it feels amazing, unbelievable!”

We can’t fight like this every time, or else, honestly, I won’t be able to act, Daniel Wu still lying on the sand, chuckled through the pain. He didn’t want to move or stand up for a while. His left side that took a heavy blow, the muscles in his chest and stomach, were achingly numb. It seemed like a little rest would do the trick, but with his experience, it was hard to say how it would feel by evening. He was already thinking about which dit da jow to use for the recovery…

Wang Yang’s face beamed with a radiant smile, gently swinging his overused fists, saying, “Of course, if we fought like this every day, I could forget being a director. But this time, it really was exhilarating. Kung fu, haha!” An idea suddenly burst forth in his heart, and he laughed, “Buddy, if I ever make a martial arts movie, I’ll cast you! Then we can have a bout on the big screen

Wow, a martial arts movie? Another one?” Joshua’s eyes widened with excitement. He had already witnessed how two Las Vegas movies came to be, and now he was going to see a martial arts film come to life? Rachel chimed in with interest, “Yang, are you also planning to act in it?” Wang Yang shrugged and smiled, “No, I’ll just do a cameo fight scene!”

Daniel Wu couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. He didn’t dislike martial arts films; on the contrary, he had always longed to be in his own ‘Shaolin Temple’. He was just afraid to be typecast and unable to play other roles. But now, Wang Yang inviting him to two movies in a row?! Although it seemed like an offhand remark, he was extremely delighted and couldn’t help but ask, “It won’t require a Chinese accent, will it?”

What? What do you mean?” Wang Yang frowned in confusion, but after thinking, he didn’t need Daniel Wu to explain. He suddenly burst into hearty laughter, throwing a forceful punch and laughing, “Either it’s in Chinese; or the actors use whatever accent they have. Who watches martial arts movies for the accents? Anyone who does is stupid!”

He insisted on Jeff Ma with an American accent for ‘authenticity’ and market considerations; but actually, he was quite unclear about the market’s stance on Asian accents, as Asian actors were usually cast in comedic sidekick roles or martial arts films.

But why did it seem like they were about to start shooting a martial arts movie immediately? Wang Yang smiled, bent down toofferahandtoDanielWu lying on the sand, and said, “I think this is a long-term plan, right now it’s just an idea without a story. Who knows? But it will happen!” Wang Yang pulled Daniel Wu to his feet, gently tapping his left shoulder, and smiled, “We’ll definitely make it before we’re too old to fight!”

If he ever made a martial arts film, he thought he would create something very, very textured… not the fancy style of Jackie Chan, not Jet Li, not Donnie Yen, not Bruce Lee, not Tsui Mark’s swordplay kung fu… He didn’t yet know what he wanted; sometimes, being in the thick of it can make it difficult to clear your head…

Oh my god, 1 hit the jackpot this time!” Watching the group laughing and talking as they departed in the distance, Anderson, hiding behind a beach umbrella, had an expression of excitement, surprise, and elation, his lips trembling slightly with excitement. He had struck gold!

He thought the unique street shot he got of Wang Yang punching Rachel McAdams’ s shoulder was a blessing from Lady Luck. But now, capturing these treasures… Everyone had heard about Wang Yang’s kung fu, but no one had seen it… now he had struck gold!

As night fell over Los Angeles, in an apartment hotel, Daniel Wu lay on a spacious bed, his upper body covered with several large ice packs. His shoulders and chest muscles were inflamed and tight, causing some dull pain with every small movement. It felt like his pleura had been torn from the beating.

He breathed softly, speaking to Lisa on the speakerphone, “I might need to see a doctor. Wang Yang’s strength is too formidable! I’ve fought with some practitioners of Bajiquan before, but only today did I learn what Bajiquan really is… Coiling, charging, crashing, butting, throwing, those techniques and fighting styles aren’t something ordinary masters can teach—terrifying

I gave it my all, and he must have used about 70 percent, 1 was nearly killed by him!” Daniel Wu lamented, pressing his hand against his neck where the muscles had also been strained by Wang Yang’s throws. He laughed and sighed, “Wang Yang even said we’d fight every day when filming; I’m honestly a bit scared! Oh, by the way, he mentioned wanting to cast me in a martial arts movie, I wonder if he was just talking nonsense.”

Lisa asked, puzzled, “Why? Isn’t it normal for him to make a martial arts film?

It is normal,” Daniel Wu grimaced as hemassaged the sore spots, reflecting on what was said earlier that day, “But he said, ‘If we do it, we’il make the coolest film that surpasses all martial arts movies! If we can’t achieve that, better not to touch it at all, that’s the determination we need!’ I can’t imagine what kind of martial arts film that could be?” Lisa laughed, “Daniel, leave those problems to Wang Yang, right?”

Daniel Wu’s face brimmed with audacious enthusiasm, “Hmm, no matter what, I need to start researching Jeff Ma. We want to prove Aslans are good with kung fu and can do more too.”

In Beverly Hills, inside a country-style house, a Labrador Retriever with its pink tongue sticking out, ran around the living room in high spirits.

Jessica, get another ice pack for me! Thanks!