Chapter 354: Two Leading Ladies

At around 7 pm, Link and Chris Liu arrived at an Italian-owned seafood restaurant on the Bund in Huangpu District.

The restaurant was upscale, decorated in a luxurious style, and the people coming and going were mostly dressed elegantly. There were also many foreigners with blond hair and blue eyes.

Seeing that Wendi Deng had arranged the dinner here, Link secretly praised her for being thoughtful, as she had inquired about his dietary preferences beforehand.

Upon entering the restaurant, a violin band was playing in the lobby, the music was melodious, and the atmosphere was excellent.

Guided by the waiter, he held Chris's hand and walked to the seating area in the middle.

"Hi, Link!"

Ms. Wendi Deng and the others had already arrived. She waved at Link, gave him a warm hug, and introduced the three guests beside her.

Sitting in the middle was the elder director Wayne Wang, in his sixties.

Director Wang was originally a Hong Kong director who moved to Hollywood in the 1990s. He had directed famous films such as "The Joy Luck Club," "Maid in Manhattan," "Last Holiday," and "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers." He was a well-known Chinese-American director in Hollywood, and his wife was the famous Hong Kong actress Cora Miao, Chow Yun-fat's ex-girlfriend.

The other two were the female leads of "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan."

Li Bingbing, also known as Alice Li, was 37 years old and a top actress in China, with representative works such as "Young Justice Bao," "Taiji Prodigy," "A World Without Thieves," and "The Forbidden Kingdom."

She was also the female lead with the most scenes in this female-centric film. It was said that when Wendi Deng approached her, she agreed to participate without even reading the script, as she was eager to enter the international film market.

The second was Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun, 29 years old and 173 centimeters tall. She was wearing a moon-white dress, her long black hair draped over her shoulders, revealing her sexy collarbones. Her makeup was exquisite, her appearance pure and beautiful, and she had a straightforward and independent aura, deeply loved by many fans.

She debuted as a model in the 1990s and became famous in Asia in 2001 with the movie "My Sassy Girl." She then starred in several successful films such as "Daisy" and "Windstruck," but the competition in the Korean entertainment industry was fierce. As she got older, her career entered a bottleneck period, and she was trying to transform.

Last year, she entered Hollywood and starred in an international co-production, "Blood: The Last Vampire," but the box office performance was average.

After receiving the script for "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" from Fox Searchlight Pictures, she also readily agreed.

In this film, the two also had an intimate scene.

Link also introduced Chris and chatted with everyone after taking their seats. Among them, he was the youngest but the focus of the conversation.

Wendi Deng praised him as a man with magic.

No matter where he went, he would cause a sensation. It was the same in the US, the UK, and France. Now in China, he had become a prominent figure in the Chinese entertainment industry. His reports had been frequently seen in the news recently, overshadowing the news of several top domestic stars.

Wendi Deng asked him if he had any secrets.

Link smiled and said, "I know the wife of a media tycoon. Does that count as a secret?"

Wendi Deng laughed.

The others also smiled, looking at him in surprise. There were recent rumors in the industry that Link was a talented but arrogant and rude person.

It was said that after he came to mainland China for his concert tour, he rejected many private, business, or government invitations.

Even when leaders of the Music Association wanted to meet him and discuss the development of Eastern and Western music, he refused.

Link conveyed through his assistant that the purpose of his visit to mainland China was to hold concerts, and his identity was that of a singer. He wouldn't deal with anything other than singing and performing.

If anyone had any serious matters, they could submit documents to his agency, and he would handle them based on the situation. He hoped everyone would cooperate.

This lack of respect was one of the reasons why there had been more negative news about him in the media recently.

Based on these rumors, Link should have been a cold and difficult person to deal with, but he was now very humorous and approachable, not at all arrogant and rude as the rumors suggested.

"Yifei, Mr. Baker seems very easy to talk to and humorous."

Li Bingbing said to Chris in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft.

"Link is always like this. He's very easy to talk to and doesn't have any airs of a big star. We often joke around and say whatever we want."

Chris held Link's hand, a happy smile on her delicate face, as if she was happier hearing others praise Link than herself.

Li Bingbing looked at Link, who was talking to Wendi Deng, through Chris, and secretly regretted it.

If she had known this guy would become so successful, she should have been more enthusiastic towards him on the plane. If she had been more enthusiastic, maybe... But then she thought about herself being 37 years old and Link only 21, and she had to dismiss that thought.

Chapter 354: Two Leading Ladies

At around 7 pm, Link and Chris Liu arrived at an Italian-owned seafood restaurant on the Bund in Huangpu District.

The restaurant was upscale, decorated in a luxurious style, and the people coming and going were mostly dressed elegantly. There were also many foreigners with blond hair and blue eyes.

Seeing that Wendi Deng had arranged the dinner here, Link secretly praised her for being thoughtful, as she had inquired about his dietary preferences beforehand.

Upon entering the restaurant, a violin band was playing in the lobby, the music was melodious, and the atmosphere was excellent.

Guided by the waiter, he held Chris's hand and walked to the seating area in the middle.

"Hi, Link!"

Ms. Wendi Deng and the others had already arrived. She waved at Link, gave him a warm hug, and introduced the three guests beside her.

Sitting in the middle was the elder director Wayne Wang, in his sixties.

Director Wang was originally a Hong Kong director who moved to Hollywood in the 1990s. He had directed famous films such as "The Joy Luck Club," "Maid in Manhattan," "Last Holiday," and "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers." He was a well-known Chinese-American director in Hollywood, and his wife was the famous Hong Kong actress Cora Miao, Chow Yun-fat's ex-girlfriend.

The other two were the female leads of "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan."

Li Bingbing, also known as Alice Li, was 37 years old and a top actress in China, with representative works such as "Young Justice Bao," "Taiji Prodigy," "A World Without Thieves," and "The Forbidden Kingdom."

She was also the female lead with the most scenes in this female-centric film. It was said that when Wendi Deng approached her, she agreed to participate without even reading the script, as she was eager to enter the international film market.

The second was Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun, 29 years old and 173 centimeters tall. She was wearing a moon-white dress, her long black hair draped over her shoulders, revealing her sexy collarbones. Her makeup was exquisite, her appearance pure and beautiful, and she had a straightforward and independent aura, deeply loved by many fans.

She debuted as a model in the 1990s and became famous in Asia in 2001 with the movie "My Sassy Girl." She then starred in several successful films such as "Daisy" and "Windstruck," but the competition in the Korean entertainment industry was fierce. As she got older, her career entered a bottleneck period, and she was trying to transform.

Last year, she entered Hollywood and starred in an international co-production, "Blood: The Last Vampire," but the box office performance was average.

After receiving the script for "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" from Fox Searchlight Pictures, she also readily agreed.

In this film, the two also had an intimate scene.

Link also introduced Chris and chatted with everyone after taking their seats. Among them, he was the youngest but the focus of the conversation.

Wendi Deng praised him as a man with magic.

No matter where he went, he would cause a sensation. It was the same in the US, the UK, and France. Now in China, he had become a prominent figure in the Chinese entertainment industry. His reports had been frequently seen in the news recently, overshadowing the news of several top domestic stars.

Wendi Deng asked him if he had any secrets.

Link smiled and said, "I know the wife of a media tycoon. Does that count as a secret?"

Wendi Deng laughed.

The others also smiled, looking at him in surprise. There were recent rumors in the industry that Link was a talented but arrogant and rude person.

It was said that after he came to mainland China for his concert tour, he rejected many private, business, or government invitations.

Even when leaders of the Music Association wanted to meet him and discuss the development of Eastern and Western music, he refused.

Link conveyed through his assistant that the purpose of his visit to mainland China was to hold concerts, and his identity was that of a singer. He wouldn't deal with anything other than singing and performing.

If anyone had any serious matters, they could submit documents to his agency, and he would handle them based on the situation. He hoped everyone would cooperate.

This lack of respect was one of the reasons why there had been more negative news about him in the media recently.

Based on these rumors, Link should have been a cold and difficult person to deal with, but he was now very humorous and approachable, not at all arrogant and rude as the rumors suggested.

"Yifei, Mr. Baker seems very easy to talk to and humorous."

Li Bingbing said to Chris in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft.

"Link is always like this. He's very easy to talk to and doesn't have any airs of a big star. We often joke around and say whatever we want."

Chris held Link's hand, a happy smile on her delicate face, as if she was happier hearing others praise Link than herself.

Li Bingbing looked at Link, who was talking to Wendi Deng, through Chris, and secretly regretted it.

If she had known this guy would become so successful, she should have been more enthusiastic towards him on the plane. If she had been more enthusiastic, maybe... But then she thought about herself being 37 years old and Link only 21, and she had to dismiss that thought.

The guests were all present, and the restaurant staff served a table of delicious dishes: Australian lobster, Japanese abalone, Spanish oysters, Canadian geoduck, and several Chinese seafood and river delicacies, such as Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs, splendid lobster, and sea cucumber.

The rest were Chinese-style stir-fried dishes and fruit desserts, all looking, smelling, and tasting delicious.

Wendi Deng pointed to several dishes on the table and told Link that in China, food was sometimes not just food but also considered medicinal cuisine or supplements. Eating these foods regularly could strengthen the body, beautify the skin, and prolong life.

She also told him that in ancient Chinese books, oysters, geoduck, and sea cucumber were all recorded as being able to nourish the kidneys and generate yin and yang energy.

Wendi Deng also explained what yin and yang were.

Director Wang Ying, being older, obviously had more research on this aspect. He took over the topic and used his knowledge of health preservation to comment on the delicacies on the table one by one, talking about nourishing the kidneys and liver, harmonizing yin and yang, and achieving yin-yang balance.

He spoke in a mysterious and profound way.

Link wanted to laugh. If he weren't Chinese, he might really be fooled by their words. But seeing their enthusiasm, he ate more oysters and geoduck sashimi.

At the dinner table, Link chatted with Director Wang Ying about movies. He said he had seen his "Last Holiday" and "Chinese Box," found them very interesting, and was happy to collaborate with him. He hoped to get his guidance during filming.

Director Wang Ying was also a seasoned veteran, speaking politely and respectfully, without relying on his seniority. He occasionally told some slightly suggestive jokes to bridge the age gap between them.

Link felt that working with him should be smooth.

He also chatted with Li Bingbing and Jun Ji-hyun.

He had known Li Bingbing for a long time, as she was also on the plane when he came to China in 2008. But at that time, she was busy chatting with Jackie Chan and wasn't as enthusiastic towards him as Chris was.

This time, Li Bingbing was obviously more enthusiastic, saying she loved his songs and often fell asleep listening to them recently.

Wendi Deng jokingly interrupted and asked if she dreamed of Link, saying that Link had the title of "dream lover of a billion young women worldwide."

Li Bingbing shyly said she was also one of those billion women.

Wendi Deng patted Link's shoulder and asked him with a laugh if he could make Alice's dream come true.

Li Bingbing glanced at Link shyly and lowered her head, blushing.

Link smiled slightly. Seeing that the 37-year-old woman could still blush, he secretly marveled at the differences between Eastern and Western bodies. There were significant differences in skin, blood circulation, body odor, and even endurance.

When he used to have sex with Taylor, if he moved a little too roughly and hurt her, she would fight back without hesitation, hitting or biting him, a bit wild.

Marion Cotillard and Beyoncé would also directly say "you're hurting me."

But during his dates with Shu Chang, no matter how intense the action was, there was no negative feedback.

This kind of performance gave him a strong sense of psychological and physical satisfaction.

While thinking about these messy things, the seafood he had just eaten turned into a burst of heat, rushing through his body.

Finally, it gathered below his abdomen.

His body also felt hot and dry.

The smell he smelled in his nose was not the aroma of seafood, but the fragrance of the women around him.

It inevitably caused him to have some physical reactions.

(End of Chapter)