Meng Jingwei couldn't help but smile and replied in fluent English, "Hello, my name is Meng Jingwei."
She extended her hand and they shook. "I've seen your movies. You're a very talented actor, with excellent skills and exciting fight scenes."
"Wow, your English is really good."
Steve Arthur shrugged in surprise, holding her hand. He leaned in and kissed the back of her hand.
Meng Jingwei was somewhat unaccustomed to this foreign etiquette.
Ji Lanfeng patted Steve Arthur's shoulder, clenched his right fist, and pointed at Meng Jingwei with his thumb. "Let me tell you, her skills are definitely on par with yours. You two should spar."
He had a proud and smug look, as if he himself possessed such great skills.
"Why are you saying this?"
Meng Jingwei shot him a glare.
"Steve really loves Chinese kung fu and is always looking for someone to spar with. Isn't this fulfilling one of his dreams?" Ji Lanfeng spoke to Meng Jingwei in the Xuancheng dialect again.
"Are you an idiot? He's strong, 1.85 meters tall, with a body full of muscle. Are you trying to get him to beat me to death?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Even if another one like him came, he couldn't beat you."
As the two of them bickered, Steve Arthur looked utterly confused. He raised his hand and interjected, "Excuse me, could you please… speak English? I can't understand."
Ji Lanfeng grinned cheekily, winked at Steve Arthur, and fanned the flames. "Meng Jingwei said that in your movies, you're all just flashy moves and empty posturing…" Ow!
Before he could finish, Meng Jingwei kicked him. She quickly explained to Steve Arthur in English, "Don't listen to his nonsense. I said you're tall and strong, with a body full of muscle, and you could knock me down with one punch."
"Ji Lanfeng rarely praises anyone. I'm very interested in…" He paused, then pointed with his finger and said in broken Mandarin, "In your words, it's called… wuchou… oh, no, it's cuoshan, spar."
The word "wuchou" sent Ji Lanfeng into fits of laughter. "Hahaha, yes, yes, wuchou. Hahaha, I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts…"
"Ji Lanfeng, have some dignity!"
Meng Jingwei pointed at the fans not far away. "Your fangirls are all watching you."
"Miss Meng Jingwei, it's very spacious over there. Shall we go spar there?" Steve Arthur, a martial arts enthusiast, was eager to compete with her.
"Uh… this…"
Meng Jingwei awkwardly touched her nose and looked at Ji Lanfeng, whispering, "Is he usually like this?"
"Yes. He's obsessed with martial arts." Ji Lanfeng, always eager to stir up trouble, said, "Why not give it a try?"
"Let's have a match. I'll take leave from the director at noon, and I'll treat you to a meal."
Steve Arthur was in his thirties, with tanned skin and a beard. He was the muscular type often seen in foreign blockbusters. He had a charming and healing smile.
As it was a foreign film, although shot in mainland China, the crew was largely made up of foreigners.
Hearing Steve Arthur's words, they gathered around and egged them on:
"Have a match!"
"Wow, what a stunning beauty, I like her."
"This… she looks so delicate, can she really do it?"
"Come on, have a fight, hahaha."
…
Meng Jingwei knew that some people among them were not pleased with her, especially seeing two handsome men lavishing attention on her. Those women shot her jealous glances, as if they could flay her alive.
With no way out, Meng Jingwei had to bite the bullet and agree. "Steve, I'm just a show-off, not very skilled. Please go easy on me."
"To a beautiful lady, I will definitely be careful," he said, throwing his head back with a smile that was exceptionally approachable.
Steve Arthur was naturally fair-skinned but disliked playing effeminate roles. Therefore, he loved basking in the sun and had even undergone tanning treatments. Although his skin was darker, he was undeniably handsome.
A person's attractiveness wasn't determined by their skin color.
Meng Jingwei took off her shoulder bag and sunglasses, threw them to Ji Lanfeng, and said in Mandarin, "Crazy, you're such a dog. You screw me over every time I see you. Just you wait, I'm keeping track of all these scores."
Ji Lanfeng burst into laughter.
Steve Arthur, on the other hand, took off his costume and led Meng Jingwei to a clear space inside. "Let's spar here, it's quite spacious."
He and Ji Lanfeng approached, and a crowd of onlookers followed. Only the interior shooting set continued normally.
The originally empty space suddenly filled with twenty to thirty people. Many of them were still in costume, standing aside, which made Meng Jingwei feel very awkward.
"Mother Yaksha, go for it! Don't disgrace me."
Ji Lanfeng, who maintained a cool persona on screen, was actually a complete goofball in reality. But it had to be said, he was a genuinely good person. It was rare for someone to remain untainted after entering the entertainment industry.
Only those who were familiar with him truly understood Ji Lanfeng's personality.
"Miss Meng Jingwei, are you ready?" Steve Arthur clenched his fists, assuming a ready-to-attack stance, poised for action.
"Ready."
Meng Jingwei stretched her wrists. Then, she saw Steve Arthur lunge forward, a gust of wind from his punch hitting her. Her brow twitched, and she silently admitted she had underestimated him; his speed was astonishing.
She sidestepped, raised her wrist to block, and simultaneously lifted her knee to strike his abdomen.
Caught off guard, Steve Arthur stumbled back several steps before regaining his balance.
He rotated his neck, his joints cracking audibly. He nodded repeatedly in admiration. "Wow, what impressive skills."
As a man obsessed with martial arts, it was rare for him to meet a woman with good skills. A girl like Meng Jingwei, who was both skilled and beautiful, was one in ten thousand.
Steve was thoroughly intrigued.
He then advanced again, throwing a punch at Meng Jingwei's face. However, his hand stopped just before it reached her. It was a feint, and then he suddenly threw a kick.
Although Meng Jingwei was taken by surprise, her reaction was incredibly swift. She performed a front flip, landing directly behind Steve, and spun around to kick him, causing Steve to stagger several steps.
Clap, clap, clap—
Enthusiastic applause suddenly erupted from the surroundings.
"Awesome!"
"My God, Chinese kung fu is so powerful."
"So cool, I want to become your disciple."
"Love it, love it, this girl is too divor— no, amazing!"
"With such great skills, her husband would get beaten up!"
…
Later, Meng Jingwei exchanged a few more blows with Steve. From Steve's initial carelessness and underestimation to his all-out effort, he realized he was truly no match for Meng Jingwei.
Finally, he conceded defeat. "No more. No more. Miss Meng Jingwei is incredibly formidable."
Steve ran over with a grin. He wasn't angry about losing to Meng Jingwei; instead, he was overjoyed. "Would you be willing to take me as a disciple?"