….
"Y-you speak Chinese?" Jackie stammered in his native tongue, completely forgetting his prepared English greetings.
On the other end of the line, sitting in his sunlit office at LIE Studios, Regal Seraphsail let out a soft, genuine chuckle.
["I speak a few languages, Mr. Chan."] Regal replied in flawless Mandarin. ["I hope you don't mind me calling you directly. My team only just informed me that you had been trying to reach me, so please accept my apologies for the late response."]
Jackie gripped the edge of the desk to steady himself, stunned by the realization that the man wasn't merely fluent but genuinely eloquent.
The sheer level of respect it took for a Hollywood billionaire to master the language of a culture he was portraying was staggering.
More importantly, the critics were right. Regal Seraphsail was operating on an entirely different plane of existence.
"Mr. Seraphsail..." Jackie began, his voice heavy with genuine respect. "I just finished watching your film for the third time, and ever since my first viewing, I have wanted to tell you how deeply I admire your understanding of our martial arts and philosophy. [Kung Fu Panda] is a masterpiece, and I have never seen an outsider capture the soul of our culture with such sincerity."
["That means more coming from you than any critic in Hollywood."] Regal said earnestly. ["When we were designing the action choreography for Po and the Furious Five, your early films were our primary reference. The way you blend physical comedy with genuine martial arts discipline was the gold standard we were trying to reach, because quite simply, nobody does it better than you."]
Jackie felt a lump form in his throat, having spent years believing that Hollywood saw him as little more than a dancing monkey, someone who could spin a ladder, take a fall, and make audiences laugh.
But the man who had just revolutionized modern cinema was telling him that his life's work was the foundation for a global masterpiece.
His fingers tightened slightly around the phone.
Jackie paused, searching for the right words. "Sometimes I wonder if they understand why I do it. Kung fu is not just kicking and punching. Comedy is not just making a funny face. There is timing, pain, discipline... many years of training behind one small movement."
A faint smile touched his face.
"So hearing you say that you studied my films..." Jackie shook his head, almost laughing again. "Ah, now you are making this man very emotional."
["Then I will accept responsibility for that, Jackie."] Regal replied with a quiet laugh.
Jackie laughed as well, the heaviness in his chest finally easing.
"Good, good. Then you owe me tea when we meet."
Regal's tone shifted subtly, the warm artist giving way to the razor-sharp visionary who was already moving the pieces on his next massive project.
["Actually, about that tea..."] Regal paused briefly. ["Would you be interested in having it sooner rather than later?"]
Jackie's smile remained frozen on his face.
For several seconds, he said nothing, certain he had misunderstood the Mandarin despite Regal's flawless pronunciation.
"Sorry?"
["The tea."] Regal repeated, amusement slipping into his voice. ["How soon can you come to Los Angeles?"]
Jackie's eyes widened so abruptly that Chen immediately noticed the change in his expression.
For a moment, he remained completely still, wondering if he had somehow misunderstood Regal's flawless Mandarin, before slowly pulling the phone away from his ear and staring at the screen as though the caller ID might offer some explanation.
Chen leaned forward at once, his earlier confusion turning to concern.
Jackie covered the receiver with one hand and lowered his voice to a stunned whisper.
"He... he just asked how soon I can come to Los Angeles."
Chen froze. "What?"
Jackie blinked several times before looking back at the phone. "I think Regal Seraphsail just invited me to Los Angeles for tea."
For several seconds, neither man spoke, then Chen's mouth slowly fell open.
Jackie quickly brought the phone back to his ear. "Mr. Seraphsail, forgive me, but... are you serious?"
["Completely."]
Regal continued. ["I am currently developing a new slate of projects under LIE Studios."]
["And I have a project in mind, a grounded, violent, and emotional live-action film with no cheap jokes or caricatures, just a master finally showing the world exactly what he's capable of when the gloves come off."]
Jackie closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what was happening.
["I want to work with you, Jackie."] Regal stated simply. ["Are you interested?"]
A tear actually slipped down Jackie's cheek, born of decades of frustration finally giving way to a profound, blinding validation.
He didn't need to ask for a script or consult his agents, because when the new king of Hollywood offered him the respect he had spent his entire life fighting to earn, there could only be one answer.
Jackie's grip tightened around the phone as a wide smile slowly spread across his face.
"Then tell me, Regal... where does a Chinese man find a proper cup of tea in Los Angeles?"
There was a brief silence on the other end before Regal laughed.
["I will make sure the tea is worthy of the journey."]
"Then I will be there."
Chen's head snapped toward him, his eyes widening in alarm, but Jackie simply raised a hand before he could interrupt.
["You haven't even asked me what the film is called."] Regal pointed out.
Jackie smiled. "You watched my films closely enough to understand what I spent my whole life trying to do, Mr. Seraphsail. I think I can trust you for one cup of tea."
Regal laughed. ["Fair enough. I will have my assistant Samantha arrange everything and send the details to you, Big Brother."]
The sudden familiarity of the title caught Jackie slightly off guard, but strangely, he found that he didn't mind it at all.
"Good. I will see you soon."
The call ended.
For several seconds, Jackie remained standing with the phone pressed to his ear, listening to the empty line as though Regal might suddenly speak again before finally lowering it and meeting Chen's expectant stare across the desk.
Neither man spoke until Chen finally broke the silence.
"Big Brother... what just happened?"
Jackie glanced at the phone in his hand, a strange smile slowly spreading across his face. "I think... I just agreed to fly to Los Angeles and have tea with the most powerful young director in Hollywood."
"Tea?" Chen asked, blinking in confusion.
"Tea." Jackie confirmed solemnly.
"And the film?"
Jackie's smile immediately froze as his gaze shifted from Chen to the phone in his hand.
"...I forgot to ask."
Chen stared at him in utter disbelief. "You agreed to a Hollywood film without asking for the title, the script, your role, the salary, or even the shooting dates?"
Jackie remained silent for a moment before turning toward the window, a faint smile returning to his face.
"We might have to cancel all my schedule for next year, Chen." he said softly.
Chen's mouth fell open, but Jackie offered no further explanation, and that was how they met.
….
[Back to Regal]
For exactly three seconds, Regal Seraphsail maintained his posture, spine straight, expression perfectly composed, the picture of a visionary billionaire who had just effortlessly closed a historic deal.
Then, the straight face completely evaporated.
Regal shot up from his leather executive chair like a six-year-old on Christmas morning.
He pumped both fists into the air, a massive, uninhibited grin breaking across his face as he let out a muffled, ecstatic "Yes!" and practically bounced on his heels.
He had been waiting for this exact moment for what felt like an eternity.
To his side, Samantha, Simon, and Rock just stared at him, completely dumbfounded.
It wasn't that seeing Regal fanboy over someone else was rare.
In fact, the man was a notorious, unapologetic fanboy of dozens of industry legends.
But no matter how many times they witnessed it, the sheer whiplash of seeing the formidable mind of Hollywood turn into an excited kid never lessened the surprise factor.
"Did he... did he just do a little victory dance?" Simon muttered, adjusting his glasses, his eyes wide.
Samantha just sighed, though a fond smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Don't look at him directly, Simon. You will only encourage him."
While Regal was outwardly radiating pure excitement, his mind was actually running a mile a minute, the gears spinning furiously behind his eyes.
The truth was, according to the original system data and script he possessed for [Kung Fu Panda], the character of Master Monkey was indeed voiced by Jackie Chan. It was a brilliant marketing move, seamlessly incorporating the martial arts legend into the film's star-studded ensemble cast.
However, Regal knew the glaring flaw in that reality: Jackie Chan had almost no dialogue in the first movie.
Across the entire runtime, he had a measly 20 to 40 seconds of actual lines.
There is absolutely no way, Regal thought, his excitement grounding into fierce determination, that I am bringing that man all the way from Hong Kong just to give him a blink-and-miss-it voice cameo.
If I am bringing Jackie Chan to Hollywood, I am bringing him to redefine his entire global legacy.
Regal paced behind his desk, his mind flipping through the massive archive of scripts and concepts he had prepared.
Three specific scripts immediately crystallized in Regal's mind, each tailored to unleash a different facet of the master:
First was a grounded, brutal, and emotionally shattering action-thriller:
[Rumble in the Bronx]: A gritty, high-octane urban brawl blending brilliant environmental combat, fighting with grocery carts and shattering warehouses, with that iconic, death-defying leap from a parking garage to a balcony.
[Drunken Master II]: A historical epic showcasing the jaw-dropping rhythm and lightning-fast acrobatics of "Drunken Boxing," culminating in a grueling, masterclass factory finale.
[Police Story Trilogy]: A massive, multi-film narrative arc blending hilarious physical comedy with the most dangerous stunts ever put on celluloid, from shattering a multi-story mall to dangling from helicopters.
Regal stopped pacing, a sharp, brilliant spark in his eyes as he looked over at his team. The excitement was still there, but it was now laced with the absolute certainty of a director who knew exactly how he was going to shock the world.
"Samantha." Regal said, his voice snapping back to its crisp, authoritative tone, though his eyes still danced with energy–
"Clear my schedule for the day he lands. I don't care if the President calls. And source the absolute best, authentic Chinese tea leaves you can find in California. We have a legend to welcome."
.
….
[To be continued…]
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