Jinling City.
Yuffie was sitting in front of her computer at home, absentmindedly scrolling through the latest news on a major web portal.
Back in those days, people called browsing the internet "surfing the web." Google was still the go-to search engine, and the vibrant spirit of the new millennium hadn't yet faded.
She had already received her admission letter from Yanying (the National Academy of Theatre Arts) and had also passed the audition for The Family of Gold Fans, landing the role of the second female lead, Bai Xiuzhu, the daughter of the Bai family.
Since the new semester was still months away, she came to Jinling with her mother early—both to soak in the city's culture and to get a better feel for the setting of the show.
At this time, housing in China was still relatively cheap. Instead of staying at a hotel, her mother decided to buy a small villa. She never expected that this casual decision would multiply in value dozens of times over in the years to come.
The internet was full of fascinating stories, but Yuffie wasn't in the mood at all—because she had just been stood up.
Luke had promised that after finishing his trip to Japan, he would come to Jinling to see her. But he had just called to say his schedule in Japan had been delayed, and now he had to fly straight back to New York.
After all, Hero was hitting theaters in just two days, and as the lead actor, he had a mountain of work waiting for him.
Ugh, so annoying!
What bothered her wasn't the "thief who stole her heart." What really upset her was that they hadn't seen each other for months.
Yuffie lifted her jade-like hand and gazed at the charm bracelet on her wrist. She'd looked at it countless times, but never grew tired of it.
Seeing this is like seeing him. This bracelet carries my longing.
Through the glint of the bracelet, Yuffie suddenly noticed something on her computer screen—a news ticker seemed to flash Luke's face.
No way… was she missing him so much that she was hallucinating?
She quickly clicked her mouse twice, and sure enough, Luke's handsome face appeared on the cover of a news article:
"The Sword God: The Man Who Made Japan's Kendo Masters Kneel and Admit Defeat."
Luke? The " Sword God"? Kneeling and admitting defeat?
On the phone earlier, Luke hadn't gone into detail about his time in Japan.
She had assumed he was just filming some sort of tourism promo. But defeating Japan's top kendo masters? What was that all about?
Curious, she opened the article.
The very first image showed three of Japan's most respected kendo masters bowing deeply in a formal apprentice's salute to Luke.
Luke, calm as ever, returned the gesture with a polite nod.
The report went on to explain how Luke demonstrated a swordsmanship philosophy based on "Swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce as fire, steady as the mountain." His performance had completely stunned the three masters.
Then, in a three-on-one match, he soundly defeated them, earning their full respect.
Despite the difference in age and seniority, the three masters sincerely pledged to follow him—even if it meant holding his horse's reins or carrying his gear.
Yuffie had always known Luke was strong—but this strong?
She wasn't an expert in swordsmanship, but judging from how the Japanese media hailed him as surpassing every swordsman in history, worthy of the title "Sword God," it was clear he had truly won them over with undeniable strength.
Even though the article wasn't about her, Yuffie couldn't help but feel proud—as if his glory reflected on her too.
The story was already the hottest news online, topping all recent rankings.
The flood of comments tempted her to click them open:
She just wanted to see people praising Luke—it made her happier than when others praised her beauty.
> "He's bringing honor to our nation! A true hero! I swear I'll be his fan for life!" one excited commenter wrote.
> "Did you notice? Luke beat Japan's kendo masters using their own techniques. That's not just a victory—it's rubbing salt in the wound. So satisfying!"
> "I once taught kendo in Japan… haha! This feels as good as when I taught Kato a lesson with my 'golden finger' cheat moves!" (Yuffie raised an eyebrow at this one—something about it seemed off.)
> "I scored 720 on the national exams this year. That feeling of standing at the very peak… it must be exactly how Luke felt."
> "Whoa, we've got a genius here!" another replied.
> "Genius? Not anymore."
> "Hahaha!"
Reading this playful banter, Yuffie burst out laughing.
In her mind flashed the memory of Luke last time, cosplaying in Central Park, joking around with Vin Diesel. This guy really was the king of showing off.
Sword Saint? Please. I'm already past that stage.
Call me Sword God!
"Hahahaha!" Yuffie couldn't stop laughing out loud again.
But soon her curiosity returned—just how exactly had Luke managed to defeat three Japanese kendo masters at once?
Luckily, the article included a video clip:
"A Battle to Seal His Legend—No One Else Like Him in This World!"
The title was both cringe and awesome.
She clicked play. On screen, Luke stood surrounded by three Japanese sword masters.
Just looking at that scene made her break into a cold sweat for him.
But in the very next second, he struck decisively—throwing his wooden sword to take out one opponent, then executing a flawless "bare-handed disarm" to snatch another's weapon, while simultaneously blocking the last master's attack angle.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
> "So slick! That combo was insane. But honestly, I couldn't even keep up with my eyes. I've replayed it several times and still don't know how he pulled it off."
> "So how do you think Luke compares to those traditional martial arts masters here at home?"
> "Come on, have you ever seen one of those so-called traditional masters actually fight? And Luke just beat three top swordsmen in a real match!"
> "People always talk about disarming a blade bare-handed. I never had a mental picture of what that looked like—until now!"
> "By the way, you think Luke's ever disarmed a 'white guy' bare-handed in Hollywood?"
> "You typed it wrong—it's white blade, not white guy!"
> "Haha, everyone come look—we've found someone adorably clueless!"
Reading that last exchange, Yuffie couldn't help blurting out a few "pffts," her cheeks turning pink.
A memory flashed in her mind—Luke's on-screen kiss with Anne Hathaway during the filming of Timeline Part II.
> "Wait—Hollywood? Luke's in Hollywood?"
> "You didn't know? He started out as an action actor in Hollywood! He's been in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Jurassic Park III, Fast & Furious, and a bunch of others!"
> "What?! I need to watch those movies. But I don't think they ever hit theaters here. Anyone got a download link?"
> "Use FlashGet! And remember to buy a ticket afterward—his new movie Hero is about to hit theaters."
> "Hero? The one starring Jet Li?"
> "Luke's starring too. Didn't you see the posters? They're co-leads—both billed as male leads."
> "Interesting. I'm definitely watching that one."
Reading these comments, Yuffie's smile grew wider.
Even though Luke had already been in several movies, he hadn't been that well-known in China until now.
But with more and more people discovering him, his path was only going to get brighter and broader.
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