This actor has something

Chapter 377 Encounter on the road
"Brother, since you're not filming today, where are you planning to go?" He Daqi wanted to ask Cheng Long what his plans were, since they couldn't just stay home drinking all day, could they?
“Me? I’m fine with anything. I don’t have anything to do during the day, but we’re flying to San Francisco tonight. We’ll both go. We were supposed to shoot a few more scenes here today and then move to another location. We only rented the studio for one day, so we can’t shoot today. We’ll go to the next filming location as planned and shoot there for two days. We’ll reschedule the scenes here later. But I guess we’ll come back after we finish filming in San Francisco.”

It's a good thing I asked, otherwise He Daqi wouldn't have known we'd be filming in a different location tomorrow. He flipped open the map in his hand, glanced at it a few times, and asked, "San Francisco? Is there anything fun to do there?"

This stumped Jackie Chan. When he comes here to film, he doesn't usually wander around. He's only familiar with a few film studios in California, and he often goes to Chinatown in Los Angeles, where he currently lives.

"...The Golden Gate Bridge, right? Foreigners always rave about how it's a world-class bridge."

"I know that, in the movie, this bridge is always broken."

After understanding that He Daqi wanted to go out for a stroll, Cheng Long had someone arrange the nearest flight.

Los Angeles isn't far from San Francisco, only about an hour's flight away.

He Daqi got up very early today, before six o'clock. Cheng Long got up a little later, around seven o'clock. From departure to landing, it took less than an hour and a half for the two of them to arrive in San Francisco with their people.

It's still early, just past nine o'clock, perfect time to try the breakfast here.

San Francisco's Chinatown is located in the city center. It was the first stop for early Chinese immigrants to land in the United States and is considered the oldest Chinatown in the country.

There is supposedly the most authentic Chinese food in the Bald Eagle, but He Daqi is not picky about food and always tries the local cuisine when he comes here, so he did not go to the Chinese restaurant but bought three Mexican burritos from a roadside stall.

Chinatown isn't just full of Chinese people; you can find people from all over Asia here, as well as many immigrants from other countries running shops.

The real Chinese community is in the heart of Chinatown, Huaxia City. Once you come here, you'll find that, apart from the prices, it's practically the same as back in China, especially like a farmers' market. It sells mostly vegetables, fruits, meat, and seafood, as well as many cooked foods, such as roast meats and braised dishes.

Jackie Chan is very influential here. As I walked along, everyone who recognized him greeted him with delight. However, the atmosphere of idol worship here is not as exaggerated as in China. People just say hello or come over to shake hands and hug. They don't linger around him.

Of course, Jackie Chan's influence is not limited to Chinese people; he also has an influence on immigrants from other countries who make a living in Chinatown.

For example, the burrito that He Daqi is currently eating—the old Mexican man wanted to waive the bill because of Cheng Long, but He Daqi didn't take advantage of that and paid the full amount due.

To He Daqi's surprise, quite a few girls recognized him. Unfortunately, his fans weren't very cooperative. Even after He Daqi clearly refused, they persisted for a while, offering to be his tour guide. In the end, seeing that He Daqi didn't need them, they left disappointed.

This also diminished most of He Daqi's initial surprise.

……

……

"Pause!"

Suddenly, He Daqi in the car spoke up. The white driver did not hesitate and immediately found a place to stop on the side of the road. He knew Jackie Chan and thought He Daqi was Jackie Chan's assistant. When he heard He Daqi say to stop, he assumed that He Daqi had discovered that paparazzi were following Jackie Chan and wanted to change cars or check the situation before speeding away.

The white driver was just about to introduce his achievements in the Eight-Star Chase to reassure He Daqi and Cheng Long that they didn't need to worry, when He Daqi pointed to an advertisement on a roadside exhibition hall and asked, "Hey! Friend! Are these phones available for sale in Bald Eagle right now?"

The driver turned his head and glanced around. His eyesight was better than He Daqi's, so he could see all the advertising information around the exhibition hall. He replied, "No, these are concept images. Today is their press conference, which will be held in the exhibition hall."

"I see..." He Daqi looked at the advertisement a few more times, then turned to Cheng Long and asked, "Brother, how about we go to the Golden Gate Bridge this afternoon, and check out the phone launch event first?"

"Whatever." Cheng Long nodded indifferently. He was just accompanying He Daqi on a casual stroll, so he didn't mind if He Daqi wanted to change his plans.

A row of taxis stopped at the entrance of the exhibition hall, and He Daqi and Cheng Long led the people out of the car.

The exhibition hall was called Moscone Center. He Daqi stood at the entrance, carefully reading the press conference introduction, pursing his lips and remaining silent.

"You brag! Who are you trying to scare?! If you're so tough, come to Macau and talk to me face to face!" Yan Jiu shouted as he got out of the taxi behind him, talking on the phone in Korean as he walked over to He Daqi.

After dating Li Yixin for so long, the couple has both learned the language quite well. At least Yan Jiu speaks Korean fluently now. If you didn't know him, you would think he was a foreigner who had lived in South Korea for over ten years.

Listening to Yan Jiu hurling insults at each other on the phone, He Daqi turned around with a smile and asked, "What's going on? Did you run into some irritable Korean netizens?"

"No, this is my father-in-law. He probably got my phone number from Xin Xin and is now calling to threaten me. Does he think I'm easily scared?"

"How dare you talk to your father-in-law like that?" He Daqi chuckled.

"Xin Xin and I are already married, and he still wants to break us up. Why should I give him a nice look?"

"No problem, bro!" He Daqi gave a thumbs up.

Even Jackie Chan chuckled and said, "Qi Zai, your assistant has quite a personality."

Distracted by this, He Daqi lost interest in watching the press conference in detail. He turned to look at the entrance of the exhibition hall, wondering if he could go in and have a look around.

As if seeing through his thoughts, Cheng Long smiled and said, "Don't worry, there are usually no restrictions on people coming and going when holding press conferences here. The security guards will only check if you are carrying dangerous items or if you are a homeless person. If you really want to go in, they won't stop you. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people causing trouble at press conferences."

"Let's go in and take a look."

He Daqi led the way into the exhibition hall.

Cheng Long wasn't lying. The security guards saw that this group of Chinese people were dressed quite well, so they didn't ask too many questions. They even politely pointed out the way to He Daqi and told him exactly where the press conference hall was.

Following the signs, the group quickly entered the venue. It was a little past 10:30, and the press conference had just begun.

"I waited two years and six months for this day. Every now and then, a new revolutionary product appears in the world, overturning all previous understandings. A person is satisfied with having one golden invention in their lifetime, but I don't want to stop. Just like we changed computers in 1984, we released the iPod in 2001, which changed the entire music industry."

"Today, we are launching three revolutionary products. First, the iPod with a wide touchscreen; second, a revolutionary handheld phone; and third, a groundbreaking mobile internet communicator. All three of these functions are integrated into one product: the mobile phone!"

"This is a groundbreaking product! You can tell how different it is just by looking at its appearance. That's right! This phone has no buttons!"

On the stage, a man with a buzz cut, a stubble, and glasses was giving a presentation. His speech was very engaging, drawing applause from the audience from time to time.

The crowd, who had initially followed He Daqi in absentmindedly to join the fun, were gradually drawn in by the man's introduction and began to listen attentively. "This guy is a real braggart," Yan Jiu muttered under his breath.

“I’m afraid he’s not just bragging…” He Daqi was unsure whether he was responding to Yan Jiu or talking to himself, his expression somewhat complicated.

The latter half of the press conference focused on introducing the uses of some minor apps on the phone, which wasn't as interesting as the earlier parts.

Hearing this, He Daqi understood the situation. He glanced at the people around him, who were also getting a little bored, and said in a low voice, "Let's go. This is getting boring. Let's continue to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Didn't those people in Chinatown just say that there's no traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge at noon? We can make several trips back and forth."

The group quietly rose and left the press conference.

Once outside the lobby, Cheng Long said with a smile, "Qi Zai, didn't you just say that this phone will officially launch on June 29th? When it's finished, I'll buy a few more and give them to you. They're $499 each. If it really has all the features he mentioned, it's not that expensive."

"Let's see, brother. We're not even sure if he's telling the truth. But this company's stock is likely to skyrocket for a long time, so it's definitely worth buying," He Daqi said dismissively.

"He Sheng, are you serious?" Yan Jiu asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Yeah, but I'm afraid that even if I wanted to buy it now, I wouldn't be able to."

He Daqi's mind was no longer on sightseeing. After a casual stroll across the Golden Gate Bridge, he excused himself by saying he was tired, so the group found a hotel closer to the filming location the next day.

……

……

Jingle Bell!
The ringing of his cell phone woke He Daqi, who was studying in the simulation training space. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was still dark outside, probably in the early hours of the morning.

"Daqi, are you awake yet?"

"Brother Rui, you've miscalculated the time difference. It's only four in the morning here."

"Ah? Tsk! My bad! I mistook subtraction for addition!" Wang Rui smiled slightly and said gently.

"Brother Rui, did you check what I told you yesterday?"

"Yes, I checked. You guessed right. Apple stock is rarely traded on the market; you hardly ever see it."

"It's a pity. This stock is definitely worth holding for the long term, at least for the next five years. I was even thinking of asking Sister Zhou to lend me some money so you could help me buy some," He Daqi said with some regret.

"How much can you buy? It's only a few hundred million. There are still some available on the market. I want to buy more, but it's not easy. After you mentioned it yesterday, I had someone check the information overnight. This company is indeed worth buying. Alright, since it's only four o'clock there, let's stop talking now. You can continue to rest."

Wang Rui actually called to ask He Daqi to help him check the stocks in Baitouying, but halfway through the call he realized that it was unreliable to ask He Daqi to do this, so he made an excuse to hang up.

Without much thought, He Daqi closed his eyes and entered the simulation training space again.

At 7:15 in the morning, Yan Jiu came over and woke He Daqi up.

The first thing He Daqi said when he opened the door was a complaint: "Sigh! Mr. He, you're right, those stocks are really hard to buy."

"Buy it if you can, it's pretty reliable." He Daqi smiled and replied casually.

"Mr. He, do you think that once this phone is released, it will destroy the current mobile phone market?"

Hearing this, He Daqi looked at Yan Jiu with some surprise. Seeing that Yan Jiu was asking seriously, He thought for a moment and replied, "I don't know about overseas, but it shouldn't happen in China for a while, because our consumption level is not high yet. The market for low-end mobile phones will not fluctuate much, but the high-end mobile phone market is doomed. Oh! It's hard to say! To be honest, the impact on China in the next year or two is probably limited."

What was said in jest was taken to heart by Yan Jiu, who was now scratching his chin, lost in thought.

It was almost eight o'clock when He Daqi and Cheng Long arrived at the film set by car.

He met Brett Ratner, the director of Rush Hour 3, for the second time.

Foreigners generally have thick hair, and this guy also has a full beard. We often see people with full beards here.

Speaking of this director, he is quite well-known in Hollywood. Regardless of his character, he has many famous works.

Besides the Rush Hour series, he also directed Red Dragon and X-Men: The Last Stand, as well as the hit TV series Prison Break from last year, which he was both the director and producer of.

The guy looked miserable, and a black guy next to him was rapping to comfort him.

This black man is Chris Tucker, another lead actor in Rush Hour 3.

With his sharp eyesight, he spotted He Daqi and Cheng Long from afar and waved cheerfully, "Hey! Look who's here! My good brother Jack, and his little brother He!"

Jackie Chan knew him very well, and laughed heartily as he bumped shoulders with him. Then, he winked at the director and whispered, "Bright, cheer up and think of something happy. I saw you taking a blonde girl upstairs the other day. You can try to recall the details of that day."

Brett Ratner sighed: "...Don't even mention it. That girl wouldn't let me use the back door. I argued with her for ages, and then the police came and found a bunch of stuff in her bag."

Judging from his tone, he seemed quite regretful, though it was unclear what he was regretting.

When the topic came up, Jackie Chan stopped talking, and surprisingly, Chris Tucker also stopped talking, which surprised He Daqi, who thought the black guy would go deeper into the conversation and make a joke.

Brett Ratner probably didn't want to continue discussing sad things, so he looked around and saw He Daqi. He forced a smile and said, "Hey He, hello. We didn't have a proper chat the day before yesterday, but I heard from Jack that you're very good at kung fu. You've read the script, right? You know what role you're playing, right?"

"I know, a top-tier, cold-blooded killer from the Triads."

"OK, just so you know. Most of your scenes are related to Jack, and he'll be in charge of the action sequences. He'll guide you through the filming process."

(End of this chapter)