Chapter 1341: Meeting Is Fate

Once upon a time, Zhao Fusheng scoffed at the word fate.

In his view, his destiny was his own, not dictated by heaven. How could one's fate be predetermined by the heavens?

But after experiencing rebirth—something utterly inexplicable by science—Zhao Fusheng, though still claiming to be a refined egoist, actually did his best to do good deeds.

Because he knew well that perhaps, in the unseen, there was an eye watching his every move. If he truly acted recklessly, he might, at some moment, lose the hard-won happiness he now possessed.

As someone who had failed too many times, Zhao Fusheng cherished his present wonderful life immensely. Even if it were a beautiful dream, he wished it could continue forever, never to wake.

By the same token, Zhao Fusheng believed that good people should also find happiness.

Take Wu Jing, for example.

He was a tough guy who would keep filming even if every bone in his body were broken, paying the price of having to attend his own wedding on crutches.

To be fair, Zhao Fusheng liked actors like this, because such people were pure.

In this increasingly materialistic society, encountering a pure person was hard, because you were always surrounded by all sorts of oddballs.

They habitually thought everything foreign was good. If a Chinese film had any scientific inconsistency, they called it sloppy writing; but even if an American film was a pile of crap, they still found it fragrant.

Perhaps in their hearts, their American daddy could do no wrong.

To that end, these people would even spread rumors, like the famous passport declaration. Who knew which idiot came up with it? Yet so many people on the internet believed it. Sometimes, thinking about it, one felt sorry for this country.

Lost in these thoughts, Zhao Fusheng was distracted. Fortunately, Jiang Wen coughed beside him, snapping him back. Zhao Fusheng looked at Wu Jing and smiled. “You went to Hong Kong to develop your career?”

As far as he remembered, Wu Jing had indeed spent some time developing in Hong Kong, participating in many Hong Kong films, mostly playing反派 roles. Of course, there were plenty of fight scenes, and he had had on-screen battles with both Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung.

Rumor had it that Wu Jing had been beaten badly by Donnie Yen in *Kill Zone*.

Zhao Fusheng was noncommittal. Knowing that guy, it was entirely possible. In the Hong Kong entertainment circle, paparazzi were heartless, and actors were a mixed bag; few were truly good.

Not everyone was like Louis Koo, who kept a low profile and did things seriously.

In this regard, even Andy Lau fell slightly short.

So Zhao Fusheng believed that Wu Jing’s days in Hong Kong must have been quite unhappy. Otherwise, after becoming famous with the *Wolf Warrior* series, he wouldn’t have refused to mention that period at all.

In a sense, sometimes silence itself was the best explanation.

Just like now, Zhao Fusheng had noticed when he entered that although everyone was waiting for him in the same room, Wu Jing stood in the farthest corner.

In other words, the guy didn’t even have a seat here.

If not for his mainland Chinese identity, Sammo Hung might not have let him join the table at all.

That was why Zhao Fusheng took the initiative to ask Wu Jing if he had gone to Hong Kong to develop.

The question wasn’t the goal; the goal was to let the answerer know that Wu Jing was someone Zhao Fusheng cared about.

Sure enough, hearing Zhao Fusheng’s question, before Wu Jing could speak, Sammo Hung’s eyes lit up, and he smiled. “Mr. Zhao, you know, Ah Jing has great kung fu. I intend to groom him as my successor…”

Heh…

To be fair, if this had been said by Sammo Hung twenty years ago, Zhao Fusheng would have believed it. Back then, Brother Sammo was a man of his word in the Hong Kong entertainment circle, commanding respect.

But now, the former Brother Sammo had turned into a utilitarian fat man.

So Zhao Fusheng just smiled faintly. “Then thank you, Brother Sammo.”

With that, he took out a business card and handed it to Wu Jing. “This is my number. If you run into any trouble, call me. I have some friends in Hong Kong.”

Wu Jing was stunned. Though he didn’t know who this man was, anyone who could make Sammo Hung lower his posture to curry favor must be extraordinary.

There was a matter of relative comparison here.

In front of Sammo Hung, Wu Jing was just a newcomer action actor recommended by a friend to join the Hung Family stunt team. In the team, he even had to call Chow Siu-lung “Brother Lung.”

As for Sammo Hung, honestly, aside from meeting him once at the beginning and exchanging a few words, Wu Jing had little interaction with him. Even during filming, he would respectfully greet him and get only a nod in return.

That was normal; it happened often in the mainland too.

The hierarchy in the entertainment industry was that stark.

Later, some novelists liked to depict certain big shots in the Hong Kong or mainland entertainment circles as approachable, but that was just wishful thinking by outsiders.

With no connection, why would anyone treat you specially?

Even Zhao Fusheng, who admired Wu Jing, at most gave him a card to forge a good connection.

So Wu Jing was really confused now, wondering what was going on. Could it be that he had actually met a fan?

Even Sammo Hung was a bit surprised, not expecting Zhao Fusheng to give his card to Wu Jing.

After all, a tycoon of this level valued his privacy highly. Hadn’t everyone noticed that when Zhao Fusheng entered, several people followed him? As a tough guy who had made his way in the entertainment circle with fists and feet, Sammo Hung had seen the so-called “double-flower red clubs” of Hong Kong gangs. But in his view, those red clubs were nothing compared to Zhao Fusheng’s bodyguards. It seemed only the legendary “Big Circle Boys” could match them.

What were Big Circle Boys?

Big Circle Boys referred to people and groups from mainland China who engaged in criminal activities in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, or overseas. These groups were collectively called the “Big Circle Gang.” In fact, the Big Circle Gang was never a strictly unified gang organization; it was just a generic term. The term was widely used to distinguish them from the traditional old gangs on唐人街, which were mainly composed of locals or people from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

There were several theories about the origin of the term “Big Circle.” According to Hong Kong newspapers and magazines, during the massive wave of illegal immigration in the last century, mainland immigrants used round floating objects like tires to cross the river, so they were called “Big Circle Boys.” Later, some of these immigrants turned to crime out of necessity, and “Big Circle” evolved into a synonym for “mainland cross-border criminal forces.” The various criminal groups formed by these mainland criminals were collectively called the “Big Circle Gang.”

Another theory said that “Big Circle” originated from old Hongmen jargon. In gang slang, “city” was called “circle,” so “big circle” meant “big city.” Later, cities with a population of over a million, marked by three concentric circles on maps, were called “Big Circles.”

Though the origins of these theories were now untraceable, influenced by films and TV, “Big Circle” as a synonym for “mainland cross-border criminal forces” had become deeply ingrained.

In the minds of many in Hong Kong and overseas, Big Circle Boys were the toughest and most ruthless, because every one of them had blood on their hands.

In Sammo Hung’s view, Zhao Fusheng’s four bodyguards were exactly that kind of people.

…

…

Although Jiang Wen was also surprised by Zhao Fusheng’s move, he quickly recovered and smiled. “Come, come, let’s sit down and talk.”

“Right, right, I got too excited. Let’s sit and chat.” Zhao Fusheng also realized he had been a bit too excited and smiled at everyone.

Though a bit puzzled, everyone sat down as told.

Next, Sammo Hung introduced the main members of the Hung Family stunt team to Zhao Fusheng—all faces Zhao Fusheng recognized from the screen in his previous life. Zhao Fusheng greeted them politely.

Given his status, he didn’t need to act overly warm; even a nod would make them feel flattered.

Throughout, Zhao Fusheng sat there, speaking little, only occasionally exchanging a few words with Sammo Hung and others. Yet even so, everyone at the table could feel his presence.

As for Wu Jing, after giving him the card, Zhao Fusheng didn’t talk to him again.

Some things were better not overdone. For Wu Jing, life in Hong Kong was a training process, where his understanding of action films deepened.

This was no joke. Although Hong Kong cinema had declined, in action films, it was still far ahead of the mainland. At least they had genuine action actors. On the mainland, when an action actor like Wu Jing filmed, he could only fight with stunt doubles. That was why he had taken the initiative to develop in Hong Kong.

Because he knew that if he continued like this, over time, he would be finished.

Zhao Fusheng never intended to change that experience. However, to prevent Wu Jing from being bullied again in Hong Kong, Zhao Fusheng gave him a card as a talisman.

After all, with this card, it was like telling others: this man is under my protection.