When Koyakawa woke up, the first thing she saw was Kobayashi Tetsu, sleeping peacefully right beside her, his face as serene as a sculpture.
"Ah!"
Her initial reaction was panic, but it vanished in an instant, leaving behind a mix of happiness and embarrassment.
She tried to sense what had happened.
Hmm...
Everything seemed normal.
She was no longer afraid, but she felt a bit embarrassed.
Nothing even happened!
Seeing Kobayashi Tetsu still sleeping deeply, she turned on her side, propped her face on her hand, and gazed at him. For some reason, she found that when he slept, he looked like a bear, with a silly, endearing expression.
After some time, Kobayashi Tetsu gradually opened his eyes. For a moment, they locked gazes in silence.
Finally, Kobayashi Tetsu broke the silence.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't take advantage of someone in distress. But you suddenly started crying and wouldn't let go of my hand, so I had no choice but to book the same room."
Koyakawa: "Stop talking."
"Seeing you cry like a little baby... what could I do? I was helpless."
"Stop talking."
"Relax, I'm not going anywhere. I won't just disappear after leaving you a pile of bread—mm, mmm—"
A deep, wet kiss.
Kobayashi Tetsu sat up straight and watched her jump off the bed, wipe her mouth, and hurry into the bathroom.
He pursed his lips, savoring the aftertaste.
It's... different from Nene.
At the hotel restaurant, Kobayashi Tetsu absentmindedly shoveled his homemade ochazuke into his mouth. He loved this dish.
Others might mistake it for tea-infused rice, but he couldn't be bothered to correct them. The preparation was similar anyway.
The hotel, of course, included breakfast, but it was already nearing noon, and lunch wasn't free.
As they chatted, Kobayashi Tetsu's gaze happened to shift, and he suddenly noticed a familiar back at a nearby table.
The man had rare short hair and a sturdy build, and across from him sat a woman equally well-known.
"Holy crap!"
Kobayashi Tetsu's gossip fire ignited instantly.
Isn't that Jackie Chan?!
He's even dated this actress!
The man's silhouette struck him as unmistakably Jackie Chan.
In 1986, after finishing Armour of God in Yugoslavia, Jackie Chan was hospitalized for a head injury. He went to Japan for a vacation in June and recuperated for a long time. He never expected to run into him here.
In fact, even if he hadn't encountered him by chance, Kobayashi Tetsu would have proactively sought out Jackie Chan in Hong Kong for Street Fighter. Since they'd met here, it saved him a lot of trouble.
Kobayashi Tetsu nudged Koyakawa with his elbow.
"Look across the room."
"Huh?"
"Jackie Chan."
Gasp!
Koyakawa spun around abruptly.
Since Snake Fist, Jackie Chan had become a massive star in Japan, with his films consistently grossing over a billion yen. Men and women alike adored him!
"Should we say hello?"
"No way. A big star like that wouldn't pay attention to us."
Koyakawa was instinctively a little nervous, but Kobayashi Tetsu wasn't worried.
For one thing, he was somewhat of a celebrity himself, not just an ordinary person.
And besides,
Jackie Chan rarely acted like a diva or ignored people.
Kobayashi Tetsu stood up and walked around to the front. He took a look—the broad nose, the wide forehead, the short hair from Armour of God hadn't fully grown back yet. It was definitely Jackie Chan.
In Kobayashi Tetsu's eyes, Jackie Chan was even more dazzling than the equally famous actress sitting opposite him.
Leading Koyakawa forward, Kobayashi Tetsu greeted him, feigning ignorance: "Hello? You're Jacky Chan, right?"
Only when Jackie Chan looked up, showing no signs of rejection, did Kobayashi Tetsu continue: "I'm Kobayashi Tetsu, and this is my girlfriend. We're huge fans of your films, especially Snake Fist."
Jackie Chan's smile widened.
Snake Fist was his first film as director, writer, and star. Though not his highest-grossing, it was the project where he wielded the most creative control.
Koyakawa watched the two men nervously. She couldn't understand their conversation, but Kobayashi Tetsu's fluent Chinese made him seem incredibly cool.
As expected, Jackie Chan showed no displeasure. He extended his hand to shake Kobayashi Tetsu's.
"I didn't realize Mr. Kobayashi spoke such good Chinese. Where will you be sitting? The bill's on me."
Kobayashi Tetsu thought, Great, I'm being taken for a ride. He'd barely met the guy and he was already paying for everything. If he orders a kilogram of matsutake, will Jackie Chan even be able to leave this restaurant today? He might end up like Bu Jingyun and have to leave his name as collateral at the hotel.
After the initial greetings, they settled in. Kobayashi Tetsu first asked for two autographs. Once Jackie Chan had finished signing, he spoke.
"Mr. Jackie Chan, do you have any availability recently? I'm planning to invite you to star in a film. Here's my business card."
Jackie Chan glanced down at the card, then looked up at Kobayashi Tetsu.
On one hand, he couldn't understand the Japanese on the business card. On the other hand...
He was a little surprised.
Kobayashi Tetsu looked far too young to be someone who could afford to make a movie. When he was this age, he was still struggling in the Pear Garden!
Of course, Jackie Chan wouldn't voice these doubts to his face. Instead, he smiled, pressed his palms together, casually accepted the business card, and said he'd consider it.
After a few more minutes of small talk, Kobayashi Tetsu made a timely departure. After all, they were strangers, and staying too long would become tiresome.
After Kobayashi Tetsu left, Jackie Chan glanced at the business card. All the text was in Japanese, which he couldn't read, but it looked quite formal.
"All this foreign text... I'll ask someone to look into it when I have time."
Even if he didn't believe it, it was worth asking. What if it was true?
Back in his room, Jackie Chan casually called a friend, mentioned the business card, and roughly described the text on it. He asked his friend to make some inquiries before hanging up.
Jackie Chan was in Chiba Prefecture to visit Disney. Hong Kong Disneyland hadn't opened yet, so to experience it in Asia, he had to come to Japan.
After a full day of fun, Jackie Chan returned to his room in the evening and learned that his friend had already called back. Estimating that his friend was likely still awake, he called him back.
"Hello? It's A Long. How's that thing you were asking about? Is there an Atlas Film Company?"
"There's no Atlas Film Company, but I did find an Atlas Game Company. The name matches, and the person you described fits perfectly: young, striking looks, streaked hair, and his name is Kobayashi Tetsu. The Atlas Company is also on vacation right now, so it seems like it's really him."
His friend added a special warning: "Don't underestimate him just because he's young. He's achieved a lot! Does he play arcade games? Does he have a Nintendo at home? Sega! Nintendo! All the major companies work with him."
Jackie Chan was stunned.
So such a person actually exists!
Now it was his turn to hesitate.
"Do you think it's appropriate for a company executive to suddenly approach me about making a movie?"
He couldn't just say any rich guy could throw millions of dollars at him and he'd make a movie.
Unlike the later days of churned-out blockbusters, Jackie Chan was very selective about his films, deeply concerned about his reputation and critical acclaim. If some wealthy boss tried to force him into making a bad movie, he wouldn't do it.
This remark drew a chuckle from his friend.
"I can't speak for just anyone, but as far as I know, this Kobayashi Tetsu is different. If it's him, there's definitely no problem.
This guy is quite unconventional. He made animated films before getting into games, and they sold like hotcakes. If he's approaching you for a movie, it's probably related to a new game. He wouldn't risk his own reputation!"
Jackie Chan slapped his thigh.
"What's there to hesitate about? A boss willing to fund it, a good reputation—as long as the terms aren't ridiculous, like making him play a German Shepherd named Danny or some gay role where he'd only half count as part of the team, he should absolutely say yes!"
His female companion silently removed Jackie Chan's hand from his thigh.
Anytime, anywhere.
Slap your own leg.
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