After chatting for a while, Lin Baicheng and Teresa Teng (Deng Lijun) had grown more familiar with each other.
"Miss Deng, how come you're traveling alone? No bodyguards or assistants with you?" Lin asked curiously. For a superstar like her, traveling alone seemed unusual—someone should at least be accompanying her.
Teresa smiled and replied, "I did bring my assistant. She's in economy class."
"I figured so," Lin nodded. Actually, his own bodyguard wasn't in first class either, but in business class—a bit better than economy, but not quite first class. Once on board, Lin wasn't too worried about his safety. If something like a hijacking happened, having a bodyguard beside him wouldn't make much difference.
"Miss Deng, have you ever thought about developing a career in film and television?" he asked.
"I used to, but I gave up on that idea later."
Teresa shook her head. "I once played the lead in a stage play and considered entering the film industry. But my acting wasn't very good, and acting requires in-depth training. Singing already takes up most of my time, so in the end, I had to let go of that idea. I don't mind doing cameo roles, but as a lead actress—I'm not capable."
"That's such a pity," Lin said with genuine regret. "Compared to singers, film stars are more easily remembered by the audience because people see them on screen all the time. For singers, aside from concerts, they're quite far from the audience. With your popularity, if you were to devote yourself to acting, you'd shine brightly in the film industry. Then you'd be a true triple-threat—music, film, and television—and unquestionably a living legend."
Teresa smiled but shook her head. "People have limited energy. Living like that is too tiring. I don't like it."
"That's true. It's better to live more relaxed and freely. Besides, as long as you reach the peak in any one field, your name will still be remembered decades later," Lin said.
"Oh right, I almost forgot," Lin said suddenly, remembering something. "Miss Deng, could I ask for your autograph? My younger sister really likes you—she's a big fan. If she finds out I met you on the plane and didn't get your autograph, I'll be in big trouble."
"Just an autograph? Sounds like you're not really my fan then," Teresa joked as she took out paper and pen from her bag. It wasn't the first time fans had approached her for autographs, so she always carried stationery with her.
Lin laughed. "More than an autograph—if we have the chance to meet again, I'd rather take a photo with you."
He wasn't someone obsessed with chasing celebrities. As long as an actor's shows were good and a singer's songs pleasant to hear, he liked them.
"Sure, taking a photo with Mr. Lin would be my pleasure too," Teresa replied. Then she asked, "What's your sister's name? How old is she?"
"She's Lin Qin—'Qin' with the 'three dots of water' next to the character for 'heart.' She's fifteen and still in secondary school."
"Wishing Lin Qin academic success, good health, and may all your wishes come true — Teresa Teng (Deng Lijun)!"
She wrote the blessing and signed her name, then tore the page off and handed it to Lin.
"Thank you, Miss Deng. My sister will be over the moon when she sees this," Lin said, then took out one of his business cards. "Here's my card, Miss Deng. It has my contact details—may I have yours too?"
"Of course, though I don't have business cards printed," Teresa said. She accepted his card, then wrote down two phone numbers on the paper—one for Hong Kong and one for Taiwan. For a young and promising businessman like Lin, she was naturally happy to connect.
Lin carefully put away her contact information, thinking that if he wasn't too busy and Teresa happened to be in Hong Kong, he could reach out and perhaps build a friendship.
At this moment, he had no intention of pursuing her romantically.
To be honest, he found Teresa very pretty, but compared to great beauties like Rosamund Kwan, Joey Wong, or Lee Ka-yan, she was still a bit behind. So at this stage, he had no such thoughts about her.
He simply wanted to be friends with Teresa and, if possible in the future, recruit her into his future record company. With a superstar like Teresa, a record company's success would be practically guaranteed.
Although he didn't have a record company yet, it was only a matter of time. A media group couldn't function without one. Not just a record company—he would eventually establish a film company, cinema chain, publishing house, newspaper, and more—once he had enough money.
Time passed unknowingly as they chatted, and soon, after a few hours, the plane prepared to land in Hong Kong.
Before landing, Teresa put her sunglasses and hat back on so she wouldn't be easily recognized.
At the airport, Lin and Teresa went their separate ways. Lin would have liked to see her off, but since she said someone was already coming to pick her up, he didn't insist. After all, they had just met today—they weren't even close enough to be called friends yet. Being overly attentive wouldn't necessarily be appreciated.
Lin's bodyguard, who had stayed in Hong Kong, came to pick him up at the airport, and the first thing Lin did after returning was go home.
His parents were at home, along with a few old neighbors they had invited over to play mahjong. Living in a villa had one drawback—no nearby neighbors—so it could get lonely for the elderly.
Lin thought that if he went to the United States next year, he should bring his parents along to travel around. It would be better than staying at home all the time.
"Brother, you're the best!"
After school that day, Lin Qin was ecstatic when she received Teresa's autograph from her brother. She jumped around with excitement.
"Brother, is Miss Teresa Teng as beautiful as she looks in the posters? Is she nice? Is she easy to talk to? Do you think I'll ever get a chance to meet her one day?"
Her flurry of questions gave Lin quite the headache. He felt he had brought this upon himself. To stop her barrage of questions, he promised he would try to arrange a meeting for her with Teresa someday. Only then did the overjoyed Lin Qin run off happily.
Normally, Lin Qin looked quite gentle and quiet, but this side of her was surprising—she was clearly a hardcore fan, completely unlike Lin, who was just a casual listener.