Chapter 63: Chance Encounter

She had flown to the capital specifically, planning to travel onward from there.

However, her nephew's wedding was three days away, so time was not pressing.

Lin Jianlu made a phone call right on the spot, asking old Xue to purchase a sleeper train ticket to Zhengshi for two days later. Afterwards, she immediately called her older sister to inform her of the train's arrival time, and her sister replied that she would come to the station to pick her up.

With everything settled, the two of them drank tea and chatted for a long time before Lin Jianlu took her out for a meal.

Since she had come to the capital and could be considered a compatriot from Taiwan—though she had already acquired Hong Kong residency—he still wanted to take her to taste roast duck. They didn't go to Quanjude because she mentioned she had already tried it during a previous trip to the mainland, so they went to Bianyifang instead.

Coincidentally, as the two of them were eating, chatting, and had already finished a bottle of baijiu while preparing to open a second one, she persistently blocked him from opening it, acting all spoiled and stubborn. Suddenly, someone walked over. "Jianlu..."

Lin Jianlu turned his head. "Oh, hello!"

He didn't stand up, but his tone was very polite. "Qingxia, this is a famous actress from our mainland, named Xu Jinglei! Teacher Xu, this is my girlfriend, Brigitte Lin."

Brigitte Lin burst into laughter and instead took the initiative to stand up and shake hands with Xu Jinglei. The expression on Xu Jinglei's face was nothing short of dramatic—upon entering the restaurant, she had felt the woman looked familiar, and then she even confirmed that the woman dining alone with Lin Jianlu was actually Brigitte Lin, leaving her utterly astonished.

Many mainland gossip newspapers and magazines had reported on the romantic scandals between Lin Jianlu and Brigitte Lin or Rosamund Kwan. However, true insiders hardly believed such stories—who was Brigitte Lin? One of Hong Kong's legendary beauties alongside Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Cherie Chung, she was among the four great leading actresses of her era, holding an immensely high status in the industry. And who was Rosamund Kwan? Almost universally acknowledged as the pinnacle of beauty in Hong Kong. In terms of fame and influence, this breathtakingly gorgeous screen beauty was not the least bit inferior to the four legendary divas. Most importantly, the two women were actresses—seasoned veterans who had navigated the entertainment world for years and achieved monumental success. How could they possibly date Lin Jianlu, a green, newly risen young man?

Yet, seeing it with her own eyes, one could not help but be flabbergasted. Brigitte Lin had somehow arrived in the capital, and the two were clearly sharing a clandestine date, dining and drinking face to face. Lin Jianlu would occasionally crack jokes that made the great beauty burst into laughter, and the great beauty Brigitte Lin would even act playfully spoiled with him from time to time.

Zhang Yibai, the director accompanying her, had tried to hold her back and keep her from disturbing them, but consumed by curiosity, she insisted on walking over to interrupt them on the spot to test whether it was true or false. Unexpectedly, Lin Jianlu opened with, "Teacher Xu," and introduced her as a "famous mainland actress," choking her so hard that the words caught in her throat and left her thoroughly uncomfortable. To top it all off, he then introduced Brigitte Lin as his girlfriend!

And Brigitte Lin didn't even refute it!

"Hello, Miss Lin! I'm no famous actress; I'm just a minor one."

Facing Brigitte Lin, no matter how conceited or arrogant Xu Jinglei usually fancied herself, she instantly transformed into an obedient, well-behaved schoolgirl. There was simply no helping it—she had grown up watching her films and worshipping her beauty. As for achievements and influence, she privately conceded that she would likely never catch up to her in this lifetime. Who could have imagined that in just a decade or two, the mainland entertainment industry would completely integrate Hong Kong and Taiwan showbiz, eventually becoming the sole orthodox center of Chinese entertainment?

A seasoned veteran like Brigitte Lin naturally handled the situation with ease and grace. "Not at all. Jianlu says you're a famous actress; even if you aren't right now, you certainly will be in the future."

Just as Lin Jianlu wanted to steer the conversation elsewhere, he suddenly turned his head. "Oh, old Zhang? Why are you here too?"

Catching sight of Zhang Yibai walking over as well, he finally stood up to shake hands. From what Zhang Yibai explained, he and a few others had come here together to eat roast duck and discuss business. Zhang Yibai was on closer terms with Zhang Yang and was also quite familiar with Gu Changwei, having shared a few meals together. He had even directed several music videos for Lin Jianlu.

He was also a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, Class of '86, making him a classmate and close friend of Zhang Yang. However, later on, Zhang Yang entered the Xi'an Film Studio while Zhang Yibai was assigned to the south. After spending an unsatisfactory year down south, he returned to Beijing on his own and began his life as a drifter in the capital, initially taking on gigs shooting music videos for mainland singers and filming commercials.

Gaoyuanyuan had been recommended to Zhang Yang by Zhang Yibai for her role in Spicy Love Soup.

With Xu Jinglei having rushed over to make introductions, the atmosphere relaxed, and Zhang Yibai enthusiastically invited, "Why don't we merge tables? Together? We happen to be putting together a project right now, let's chat about it!"

Yet Lin Jianlu directly waved his hand. "Forget it! Can't you see we're on a date here? Go on, go on, each to their own table!"

Brigitte Lin burst into laughter, and Zhang Yibai smiled helplessly along with her.

Only Xu Jinglei wore a look of utter amazement, glancing back and forth between Lin Jianlu and Brigitte Lin.

They finally managed to send them on their way, and the second bottle was uncapped at last. Brigitte Lin playfully complained, "If you get me drunk, you'll have to take responsibility! When I'm drunk, I throw tantrums!"

"When you throw drunken tantrums, do you actively take off your clothes?"

She laughed out loud. "I do!"

Lin Jianlu replied, "That works out perfectly!"

With that, the two of them looked at each other and laughed.

However, tonight's drinking session seemed destined not to go smoothly. Zhang Yibai and his group had apparently rented a private room, but soon enough, Lin Jianlu welcomed yet another group of acquaintances.

"Oh, if it isn't Jianlu!"

Lin Jianlu turned his head to look. Well, what do you know—it was Feng Xiaogang and his wife, Xu Fan.

It was Xu Fan who had spoken.

He pulled back his chair, stood up, and opened his arms wide. "Come here, Sister-in-law, give us a hug!"

Xu Fan laughed heartily, while Feng Xiaogang grinned to reveal a mouthful of bad teeth, raising an arm to push him away in mock annoyance. "Get out of here!"

A round of introductions followed.

To their surprise, the couple appeared to be hosting guests: one named Han Sanping, and the other named Zhang Heping.

Everyone shook hands and exchanged introductions.

Since there were strangers present this time, the atmosphere felt a bit more formal, making casual banter inappropriate. He simply introduced Brigitte Lin as a good friend of his. Of course, no introduction was truly necessary; even among those in China who had nothing to do with filmmaking, plenty of people recognized Brigitte Lin's face, to say nothing of these two men who worked in the film and television industry.

The guests were extremely polite. Both Han Sanping and Zhang Heping proactively handed out business cards.

As it turned out, one of them was the head of the Beijing Film Studio, and the other was the deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture.

Goodness!

These were both figures in official circles.

After a few polite pleasantries, Han Sanping said, "I'm not sure how many film offers Miss Lin has received in the past couple of years, but if the opportunity arises, I would genuinely love to collaborate with you once. Of course, Jianlu, I know you're a Beijinger—we should definitely visit each other more often in the future! You're the most popular star in our country, and I hope we'll have the chance to work together down the line!"

Zhang Heping chimed in, "Isn't Jianlu currently working on a project with the Xi'an Film Studio? That film by Zhang Yang, right? I heard you even made a cameo appearance? If there's a chance... Old Han, you organize it, and the rest of us will get together for a sit-down! Let's chat!"

Acting as a smooth bridge without a hint of hesitation, Han Sanping immediately picked up the thread. "Absolutely! Jianlu, Miss Lin, do us the honor of sitting down together for a chat? How about tomorrow? We won't disturb the two of you any further today."

"Sounds good!"

Brigitte Lin remained silent, and Lin Jianlu didn't look at her either, making the executive decision on the spot to accept the invitation.

No matter how reclusive he might be in private, outwardly he was always exceptionally eager to make friends—despite harboring an inherent wariness toward figures in official circles.

Then again, no matter the era, anyone who climbed to a certain level in society could hardly avoid dealing with officials entirely. Since such interactions were inevitable, one might as well be proactive about them.

And so, they smoothly settled the arrangement: tea and casual chat tomorrow morning, followed by drinks at noon.

Once they too had departed, Lin Jianlu sighed. "Ah, if I'd known, I would have booked a small private room. Look at all this commotion—it completely ruins the mood for flirting!"

Brigitte Lin burst into laughter once again.