Chapter 198: Welcome Banquet

Led by the waiter,

the three of them wandered inside.

Lei Garden was worthy of being a well-known catering brand. The exquisite Cantonese dishes he saw along the way made Li Luo's appetite open wide. The decoration in the restaurant was also quite stylish, giving people a feeling of being both old and new.

It integrated traditional culture without losing the style of the new century.

Arriving at the private room area,

as the door was pushed open, the group of people who had been waiting inside stood up in a hurry, causing chairs to scrape against the floor constantly.

The expressions of each person were quite respectful.

"Hahaha."

The person hadn't entered, but the voice had already arrived.

Wu Dun patted his belly and walked into the private room with a big laugh: "Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting!"

"President Wu."

"Hello, Mr. Wu."

"We just arrived too."

In the private room, sentences of broken Mandarin rang out, and one familiar yet unfamiliar face after another appeared in front of Li Luo. Without a trace of arrogance, everyone had a bright smile on their face.

Even if speaking Mandarin was a relatively difficult thing for them,

they still greeted him enthusiastically.

There was no helping it; in front of Wu Dun's background, showing off one's status in the entertainment industry didn't work.

In the large private room,

three empty seats were left next to the main seat, waiting for them to take their places.

"Bogao."

Wu Dun stepped forward and held the hand of the guy sitting in the main seat, saying with a smile: "It cost you a lot tonight!"

The other party wore tea-colored glasses, and his hair volume was somewhat worrying.

When he laughed, he looked like a little old man.

"Don't mention it."

The little old man waved his hand, indicating it was a small matter.

"Big Brother."

Wu Dun moved his hand again and reached toward the burly, imposing fat man beside him: "How have you been lately?"

"Good."

The big fat man put away his aura in front of him, smiled, held his hand with both hands, and shook it: "Thank you for your concern, Brother Wu. I'm really sorry, I should have invited Brother Wu for a drink earlier. I'll punish myself with three cups later."

"Easy, easy."

Patting the other party's hand, Wu Dun beckoned backward: "Li Luo, come over, I'll introduce you to everyone."

He had seen the people inside during this period.

Tonight,

they were gathering to get to know each other.

After the other party beckoned, Li Luo, who had been silent in the back, walked forward with a smile.

"Huang Bogao."

Wu Dun patted Li Luo on the shoulder and introduced him to the little old man: "The famous gold-medal manager in Hong Kong. The movie *My Lucky Star* released at the beginning of the year was invested in by him. You know the lead actor."

"It's the guy who watched the concert with you last night."

The action of patting the shoulder fell into the eyes of everyone in the private room, and they also perked up a bit toward Li Luo.

It seemed that the two had a very good private friendship.

"Hello, Mr. Huang."

Li Luo had a standard smile and shook hands with the other party: "I've long heard of your name, please take care of me in the future."

"Easy, easy." Huang Bogao smiled and shook his arm, sighing: "Worthy of being a hero among youths. I've seen the video of you before, your skills are quite good!"

As soon as these words came out,

Li Luo could feel a fiery gaze stabbing at him from the side.

He pretended not to notice.

In Wu Dun's introduction, Li Luo continued to shake hands with the burly guy: "Brother Hung, please give me your guidance."

"Li Luo, right?"

Sammo Hung laughed, and the hand he held used a bit of force: "I've also seen *Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* you filmed before. You played Lin Pingzhi well. Bogao said you're a hero among youths, and he really wasn't wrong."

*Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* was broadcast in Hong Kong.

Although it didn't cause much of a reaction, he had indeed seen it.

That's why he had such words.

The reason he was so polite to Li Luo was to a greater extent because of Wu Dun.

Like an actor who had been struggling since the 70s and 80s, he had experienced many falls and bumps, so he knew very clearly when to be arrogant and when to be polite.

Facing these words, Li Luo immediately said he didn't dare to accept them.

Unlike the chubby and cute look of his youth, Sammo Hung looked more fierce as he got older.

Coupled with his skills and burly figure,

he was very suitable for playing the black society boss in the play.

Next was the film's director, Wilson Yip.

His appearance resembled Shawn Yue.

If he remembered correctly, *Ip Man* was also filmed by him; he was a director with a very high level.

Next was the film's action director.

Donnie Yen.

The action design and stunt doubles for the whole film were all the responsibility of his Yen team.

That fiery gaze just now was emitted by this guy. As their palms touched, Donnie Yen raised his eyebrows at Li Luo, and then his five fingers began to exert force.

The move was quite open and aboveboard.

Li Luo felt the calluses on the other party's palm and also tightened the muscles on his arm.

This scene,

was of course noticed by others.

But everyone didn't care; this was an action movie, and there would be no lack of fight scenes later. It wasn't strange to compete now, but Sammo Hung still gave Donnie Yen a look.

He knew how strong Donnie Yen's strength was, and he was also a guy who exercised often.

Just do it a little bit.

Guests are guests; you have to look at the Buddha's face if not the monk's.

It was said that Li Luo was quite good at fighting, but who knew if that was something blown out of proportion? Anyway, he looked gentle and scholarly like a college student now, and he estimated that no matter how good he was at fighting, it was limited.

Sammo Hung thought so.

But Donnie Yen couldn't hold on anymore!

As Li Luo's smile gradually disappeared, the force added to his hand became greater and greater.

He had snatched the other party's role.

He definitely wasn't convinced.

Donnie Yen's personality was also a bit unruly, and coming up to compete with him was proof of that. Moreover, the other party's strength was quite large. Li Luo simply didn't hold back anymore and wanted to make the other party submit once.

This meal today, besides getting to know the crew members,

Wu Dun also had the intention of supporting him, but no matter how much he supported him, he had to earn some face himself!

As he bit his back teeth hard,

the hands they held together turned red and were even trembling slightly.

Anyone could see

how much force they were using to compete.

Donnie Yen's expression became a bit ferocious, gradually moving toward losing his composure.

"Hiss."

Just as he was struggling to hold on, the opposite side took a cold breath, and then the strength dissipated like a tide.

"Brother Zi-Qiu."

Li Luo's expression looked somewhat conflicted; he squeezed out a smile and said, "How about we wait until I've practiced more? Your strength is a bit frightening!"

Zhen Ziqiu is arrogant, and his temper is straightforward.

But he is not stupid.

When there is a step provided, one must quickly take it.

"You're not bad either." Zhen Ziqiu quickly dissipated his strength and smiled, putting his arms behind his back: "I have more confidence in the action choreography I've designed for later; you will definitely be able to complete it beautifully."

This guy named Li Luo does things very thoroughly; he himself cannot be tactless.

That sense of provocation also dissipated a lot.

As for the fact that the role he originally had his eye on is gone, there's nothing to be done about that; besides, there's an action director position anyway, so settling for second best is not bad at all!

By barely managing to save some face here, he simply began to comfort himself.

He couldn't possibly go head-to-head with Wu Dun.

Zhen Ziqiu grinned at Li Luo, his fingers trembling slightly.

He hadn't expected the other party's strength to be so great.

"Oh."

The next person raised his hands, his expression somewhat exaggerated: "Li Luo, I'm not a martial artist, I'll admit defeat first!"

This gesture completely dissolved the slightly tense atmosphere from just a moment ago.

Laughter erupted inside the private room.

"Good for nothing."

Hong Jinbao shook his head, looking as if he were disappointed that his son hadn't lived up to expectations.

This person is his son, Hong Tianming, who plays the gun dealer in the movie who is beaten into an idiot by Ma Jun with one punch; the role is not heavy, but it is very critical, as it allows the protagonist's character to become richer.

Li Luo also shook hands with him, and both sides tacitly agreed not to use any strength.

From that sentence just now, it can be seen that Hong Tianming's personality is relatively easygoing, and since the other party is only a supporting role, there is no need to compete over anything.

After getting to know a few people in succession, it was finally the turn of the last person.

"Hello, Li Luo."

Wu Jing stepped forward and extended his hand very politely.

At this time, he still had a baby face, and there was still a long way to go before the complete version of *Wolf Warrior*.

Wu Jing is an artist signed to Huang Bogao, and originally the role of Ma Jun was meant for him.

But there was no help for it; the creative team held a negative attitude.

Huang Bogao is indeed a gold-medal agent, but he had only just begun to dabble in the film industry, and he lacked the confidence to force Wu Jing into the position; now that Wu Dun has entered the game strongly, it has completely changed the direction of things.

Although he signed with a big-name agent, Wu Jing's current situation is also somewhat awkward.

One can see a glimpse of this from the fact that he was the last to stand up.

"Brother Jing."

Li Luo ignored his extended hand and, amidst the other party's stunned expression, unceremoniously pulled him in.

He patted his back with a loud *thump-thump*.

Wu Jing also responded in a daze.

Everyone is from the mainland, but there's no need to be this enthusiastic!

"Didn't know, did you?"

Seeing this expression, Li Luo smiled and held up his palm: "Kou Zhanwu and I are friends; he has mentioned your name to me several times. By that calculation, we should also be friends."

"Good man."

Grabbing his palm firmly, Wu Jing shook it in surprise: "I didn't expect you to know him too."

Wu Jing, Kou Zhanwu, and Li Lianjie all came out of the Beijing Wushu Team.

Outside, that makes them fellow disciples.

Moreover, he has collaborated with Kou Zhanwu several times, and their relationship is quite good; when he heard that Li Luo was friends with his senior brother, a sense of closeness immediately arose in his heart.

After introducing each other, everyone took their seats.

And under Huang Bogao's invitation.

They all picked up their chopsticks.

Everyone sipped some wine from time to time and started various discussions about the content of the movie.

It was equivalent to a process of getting familiar.

As the youngest and least experienced newcomer, Li Luo naturally raised his glass frequently to toast the big shots.

Wu Jing is actually not ambiguous either.

But Li Luo could feel that others' attitudes toward him were much colder.

Although he started very high, coming in as a lead actor.

Back then, *Taiji Master* was a hit across the country, making countless people sit around the television set, unable to take their eyes off it.

But unlike the ruggedness of later generations.

At this time, with his baby face, he really couldn't quite hold up the stature of a lead actor, which led to the TV dramas he acted in over the past few years being lukewarm, and he could only go to Hong Kong to develop, attempting to expand a second path.

If one wants to mingle in a new circle, some things must be endured.

After all, Wu Jing is not like his "Kung Fu Emperor" senior brother, who staged a fierce "Dragon Crossing the River"!

But even for Li Lianjie.

He suffered quite a few setbacks back then.

Seeing Wu Jing like this, Li Luo took a slow sip of white liquor; who could have guessed that this guy sitting at the end of the table would, in a dozen years, have a momentum no less than anyone present.

After eating and drinking their fill.

The group moved to a nearby nightclub.

Heading to such an occasion, no one felt uncomfortable; making a living in the entertainment industry, such scenes of revelry are always commonplace.

They arrived at a large private room and sat down.

Various drinks were quickly brought up, filling the tabletop completely.

After everyone finished a glass of wine, they scattered.

Wu Jing took a cocktail and sat down beside Li Luo, wrapping an arm around his shoulder: "It's fate to meet you in Hong Kong; what we had just now is far from enough, we two brothers have to keep drinking."

"Of course."

Li Luo smiled and clinked glasses with him.

Wu Jing was not ambiguous at all when it came to drinking, and he downed the wine in his glass in one go.

"It's hard."

Amidst the noisy music, he exhaled a heavy breath of alcohol, his expression filled with emotion: "People like us who have left our hometowns have it really hard; you have to be prepared to adapt to a new environment."

"The way Hong Kong people do things is completely different from us; they pay more attention to efficiency."

"Not to mention anything else."

Pouring himself a drink, Wu Jing shook his head and said: "The language barrier is a big problem; how is your Cantonese practice going?"

"I've summarized some experience, and I'll talk to you in detail another day."

"To save you from taking some detours."

"And diet, all sorts of problems."

This guy rattled off a whole bunch; it looked like he wanted to help him get through the adjustment period.

I have to say, this was definitely out of good intentions.

Many mainland actors encounter all sorts of bumps and bruises when they start in Hong Kong, and facing mockery and sarcasm is a daily occurrence; even without the connection to Kou Zhanwu, as long as Wu Jing knew Li Luo was from the mainland.

Psychologically, he would feel closer to him.

"Thank you, Brother Jing."

Li Luo chuckled and raised the glass in his hand: "Actually, I'm from the southeast of Guixi."

"So?"

Wu Jing felt quite puzzled.

"It's closer to Guangdong Province."

Li Luo showed his white teeth and said with a smile: "It's just that the accent is a bit different, but normal communication is absolutely no problem; I just need to pay attention to the differences in the Hong Kong accent."

"Damn!"

Wu Jing couldn't help but curse and slapped his thigh hard.

Thinking of how he had been struggling with his thick tongue all day, he drank the wine he had just poured in frustration.

This appearance made Li Luo burst into laughter.

However, Wu Jing's frustrated mood soon dissipated.

"Good evening, Boss."

Amidst the sweet calls, girls dressed in flashy outfits wiggled into the room in tight-fitting skirts; a dozen people lined up and bowed deeply to the people sitting on the sofa.

The tight skirts were as short as they could be, and the V-necks were as deep as they could go.

A row of fair-skinned beauties.

Li Luo felt energized instantly.

No need to pick or fight; the big shots had come tonight, and the high-quality girls in the nightclub had all been brought over by the madam.

There was no need to even call for them.

Pairs of beauties, carrying fragrance, threw themselves onto the sofa, squeezing the arms of these revelers.

Interestingly, the Wu father and son sitting opposite also each hugged a girl.

Li Luo couldn't help but laugh.

He shifted his gaze again and met Wu Jing's eyes.

Both of their expressions looked very serious, but soon they caught something in each other's eyes, and smiles gradually appeared at the corners of their mouths.

"Drink."

Li Luo fiercely despised this guy who was pretending to be serious, and happily hugged the beautiful girl beside him.

"Drink!!!"

Wu Jing also chuckled, holding the girl beside him and clinking his glass hard against his.