Chapter Ninety-Six: A French Feast

Forty thousand?

The figure was lower than Yan Xu had expected, perhaps because he already knew what her future value would be. In his imagination, an actress like her—even if she was not yet truly famous, even if she had already appeared in a few films and even played leading roles—ought to have commanded at least several times that amount, perhaps well over one hundred thousand. He had not expected such a number at all; it was the price of a minor supporting actress.

“Fine, forty thousand it is.”

Yan Xu agreed without the slightest attempt to bargain. Of the one million budget, after all the various expenses were deducted, more than three hundred thousand had been set aside for the actors and other personnel. And in this film, apart from the heroine, most of the cast would be making friendly cameos; later, each of them would only need a modest red envelope as a token. As the principal actress, forty thousand was entirely within his budget.

“Welcome, Zhizhi, to our crew. If you have time these next couple of days, come by the company and sign the contract. I hope we’ll work well together.”

Yan Xu extended his hand.

“Then I’ll be relying on Young Master Yan to look after me.”

A sweet smile spread across Guan Zhilin’s face as she also held out her slender hand.

“All right, my mission is complete. Everyone’s happy.” Wong Jing, standing to the side, was also delighted. “Now that the business is settled, shouldn’t we eat? I’m starving. I even skipped breakfast for this meal.”

“Haha, then let’s order.”

Yan Xu made a slight gesture, summoning a waiter.

“What should we choose?” Wong Jing scratched his head over the menu. Though he could not understand the French on it, the photographs beside the descriptions made his appetite surge, and he wanted to taste every single dish.

“You don’t need to look anymore. I’ll decide for you.”

Seeing Wong Jing’s indecision, Yan Xu simply took the menu from his hands and then said to the waiter, “We’ll take the ten-course set menu. That’s the most suitable for him.”

The ten-course set was probably the largest offering here, and it was also the most expensive on the menu, costing more than two thousand dollars per person. That was nearly a month’s salary for an ordinary wage earner, and for Wong Jing—who wanted to have a good meal at Yan Xu’s expense while sampling as many dishes as possible—it was perfect.

“Fine, I’ll have that one.”

Wong Jing nodded. He was fully prepared to eat to his heart’s content.

“Zhizhi, what would you like?”

After settling Wong Jing, Yan Xu turned to Guan Zhilin and asked.

“Pick for me.”

Guan Zhilin closed her menu as well and looked at Yan Xu. This was not the sort of restaurant she would normally have the chance to visit.

“All right.”

Though Yan Xu had never eaten here himself, he had long wanted to come and knew very well what the best dishes were. “For the appetizer, bring this lady a chilled oyster with caviar, and a tomato salad. For the main course, spring chicken with mushroom and pea purée, plus prawn wontons with lobster sauce. For dessert, a chocolate cake and a raspberry sorbet bar.”

“My appetizer will be salmon fillet. For the main course, blue lobster with sauce, and lamb chops with white truffle and diced pumpkin. For dessert, strawberry chocolate and mango sorbet. As for wine, an eighty-three Merlot.”

Although Yan Xu ordered a lot for himself, they were all hearty dishes; even if he were full, he might not finish them all. As for wine, he had no particular taste for it. He liked sweets, and he simply could not get used to this unsweetened drink. To him, it was not even as good as a few dollars’ worth of grape juice. But in a setting like this, with such a fine meal, the occasion would lack atmosphere without wine.

Soon, dish after dish was brought to the table. The salmon appetizer Yan Xu had ordered was smoked according to a secret imperial recipe from the time of the Russian tsars, using the most tender back muscle cut from the center of the salmon’s spine. Paired with excellent Oscietra caviar—lustrous, golden-brown, and carrying a subtle nutty fragrance—along with its accompaniments, it was an exquisitely silky, juicy delicacy, melting on the tongue with even a faint buttery sweetness.

As for the blue lobster in the main course, it came from northwestern France, and was widely regarded as one of the most delicious lobsters in the world. Its flesh was springy and crisp, with an unmistakably sweet freshness. The lamb chop, meanwhile, was shaved with white truffle only moments before serving; the aroma of truffle rose the instant it reached the table. The rosy-red lamb chop yielded softly beneath the knife and fork, and once in the mouth it seemed to dissolve into a boundless tenderness, filling the palate at once with the fragrance of lamb. The diced pumpkin and the nutty purée between the layers of meat further enriched the texture and depth of flavor.

Dessert here was not to be missed, and chocolate was a must. The strawberry chocolate was what one would call strawberry chocolate: on top lay pistachio ice cream, creating a sharp contrast with the dark chocolate mousse in the middle, while below were sweet strawberries and a soft cake base. It was not only adorable in appearance, but rich in flavor and texture as well. The mango sorbet, topped with thin slices of pineapple, carried a fragrant note of pineapple through the sorbet, along with a faint trace of wine. The mango beneath was a little tart, but accompanied by coconut crumble, turning the sourness into sweetness and giving the flavor remarkable layers and definition.

This meal whetted Yan Xu’s appetite thoroughly. The expense of more than ten thousand dollars for three people would certainly have seemed extravagant to anyone else, but to Yan Xu it was well worth it. Setting aside the pleasure of the food itself, simply having beauties by one’s side was a pleasure to the eye, though the plump figure of Wong Fatty in the middle did somewhat spoil the view.

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The Ocean Theatre on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui was one of Golden Harvest’s largest cinemas, as well as one of Hong Kong’s classic, prestigious picture houses. It stood on the ground floor of the Ocean Terminal building on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. Though the theater had only one screening hall, it boasted more than five hundred seats, making it the largest screening room under the Golden Harvest banner.

Tonight, the area outside Ocean Terminal was brightly lit and packed with people, for this was the premiere of Jackie Chan’s new film, Police Story. The pace of film production in Hong Kong was famously swift, and in order to get the movie into theaters as soon as possible, Jackie Chan had worked day and night during filming. In a little over a month, he had not only completed principal photography, but also finished post-production.

As a rule, films released in Hong Kong would first go through a midnight preview before opening across the territory. Unlike Yan Xu’s first film, which had been released directly because no one had much faith in it, Jackie Chan’s films were guaranteed box office successes and needed no preview at all. In fact, to accommodate this release, Golden Harvest had even delayed screenings of some other films, making room and time for him.

Jackie Chan’s Dragon Lord had just ended its run. Although it had grossed more than thirteen million dollars, neither the audience nor Jackie himself was satisfied. The director had failed entirely to seize on Jackie Chan’s strengths, and had made nothing more than a competent, conventional crime film.

But none of that could diminish Jackie Chan’s standing in the hearts of his fans. Moreover, Police Story was the first production of his newly founded Jackie Chan Film Company.

For this film, Jackie Chan had nearly risked his life. News of him losing his breath during stunts and requiring emergency treatment, of spinal injuries and a dislocated pelvis that nearly left him paralyzed, appeared day after day in newspapers and magazines. Many people wanted to see just what kind of picture could drive Jackie Chan to throw himself into his performance with such reckless devotion.