By the time Luke checked into the hotel, it was past ten at night.
After flying nonstop from New York to Yanjing, he had immediately gone to meet Director Zhang Mou.
He had successfully persuaded Zhang Mou on two major points—casting and the script—achieving exactly what he set out to do.
Luke felt a few solid steps forward in his progress.
If Director Zhang wanted to use Hero to make his mark internationally,
then Luke's goal was the opposite: he wanted to use Hero to break into the domestic market.
This was why he had to convince Zhang Mou; he didn't want his first starring role to be mired in domestic controversy.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Just as Luke was about to take a shower, there was a knock at the door.
When he opened it, Zhang Ziyu, dressed in a rather "scanty" set of pajamas, wheeled a suitcase into the room.
"Sis, you're dressed way too casually."
"I'm only casual because you're my little brother," she replied.
"Even so, I'm an adult little brother."
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't ogle, okay? Come on, check these out and see if you like them."
Zhang Ziyu set the suitcase down and squatted to unzip it.
"Huh? These are for me?"
Luke was surprised to see several sets of men's clothing inside—formal blazers, casual sports jackets, even a trench coat.
Although he couldn't see the brands, the material alone screamed expensive.
Zhang Ziyu had spent at least six figures on these outfits.
This wasn't the first time she had looked after him; ever since they had clarified their relationship in Hong Kong,
Zhang Ziyu had treated him like a proper younger brother without ever crossing boundaries.
Luke found this incredibly comfortable.
"Of course. Look at what you're wearing now. You're a star, so you need to pay more attention to your clothes. When you get back, you should build your own styling team. For now, I'll help you with some outfits," Zhang Ziyu said with a smile.
Looking down at his T-shirt and jeans, Luke didn't feel anything was wrong; handsome guys look good in anything.
But he could still feel her genuine concern.
"Got it. Thanks, sis," he said.
"Thanks for what? You helped me land that role today, didn't you? Did I ever thank you?" Zhang Ziyu's eyes curved like crescent moons, softening her usually stubborn demeanor.
Because Luke took the role of Canjian, Zhang Ziyu got a more substantial part: Feixue.
They would be playing lovers again, but in Hero, Canjian and Feixue weren't a blissful couple—they were tangled in love and hate.
Their scenes were more "love-hate" than romantic.
"No need to be so formal; acting with you is more relaxed," Luke said.
"Relaxed? That's why you pushed me to another role," she teased.
"Huh?"
"Pretending not to understand? That role, Kisaragi, has bed scenes. You picked one you liked instead."
Women always had a knack for gossip—Zhang Ziyu couldn't resist teasing him.
"Gao Yuanyuan? She looks great in photos. You two know each other?"
"Impossible. I've never met her," Luke replied, exasperated but smiling.
"So you gave her such a golden opportunity? With a favor like that, she must be worshipping you at home."
"Worshiping her? No, I chose her because she was just right for the role."
"I don't believe you! Men's words!" Zhang Ziyu didn't buy it.
"Sigh, why doesn't anyone believe me when I'm telling the truth?"
He really was telling the truth—female actors with type A blood around his age were rare.
But system-related tasks were secret, so he couldn't reveal the real reason; women's attention always drifted elsewhere.
Men were just as curious, though.
"I…"
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Luke was about to respond when another knock came.
Could it be Mr. Eisen?
To his surprise, a man in his forties was at the door.
Though wearing sunglasses, Luke immediately recognized him: Li Ranjie, known as the "Kung Fu Emperor."
If there were any action stars in the industry who could even approach Chen Long's caliber, it was Li Ranjie.
Debuting in Shaolin Temple, his fight scenes were graceful and distinctive.
Any director wanting a visually stunning, perfectly balanced action scene would pick Li Ranjie without hesitation.
Now, however, there was another option—Luke.
"May I come in?" Li Ranjie asked with a smile.
"Of course, come in."
Li Ranjie stepped in and paused when he saw Zhang Ziyu in her pajamas.
"Luke is my little brother. We've finished our business, so I'll head back to my room," Zhang Ziyu said with a smile.
If it weren't for her attire, she might have stayed to chat.
Once Zhang Ziyu left, Luke asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Mr. Li?"
"Mr. Li feels too formal. I'm a few years older than you, so just call me Brother Li. I'll call you Little Brother Luke."
Li Ranjie's words were friendly, and Luke roughly understood his purpose.
"Alright, Brother Li."
"I'm here to express my thanks."
"Thanks for what?" Luke asked, pretending ignorance.
"For not cutting me out during casting today."
After meeting with Zhang Mou, the details had quickly reached Li Ranjie—important news about funding and casting changes.
His career was at a bottleneck. With Hero, he had a chance to climb to a new level.
Theoretically, Luke choosing the role of Wuming made the most sense—the role had the most screen time and tied the story together.
Yet he chose Canjian instead.
Learning this, Li Ranjie was relieved he hadn't been cut.
Even someone of his stature in the industry could not fully resist the influence of strong capital.
It was the sad reality for actors: no matter how skilled, if you're not in control of the production, you can only wait to be cast.
"Brother Li, don't be so formal. I never intended to play Wuming, so there's no question of cutting anyone or thanks owed."
"You may not choose it, but I still must thank you—I owe you one."
"We won't dwell on that. Brother Li, you're a master of martial arts cinema. I have a lot I want to learn from you."
"Oh, not at all. Your swordplay in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon surpassed mine, and I saw your recent fight with Tyson. You really did Martial Artist proud."
Both eager to connect, they naturally fell into an engaging conversation.
Luke learned valuable filmmaking experience from Li Ranjie—a treasure from decades of his career.
They talked late into the night before Li Ranjie finally left.