Chapter 160: The Date

Mid-Levels is one of the ultimate symbols of wealth in Hong Kong. Housing prices in Hong Kong are already astonishingly high, but here, the prices multiply severalfold.

Backed by Victoria Peak and facing Victoria Harbour, the location embodies the principles of traditional geomancy. As the classic text states: "A clear view ahead and solid backing behind—this is a treasured site of supreme feng shui."

Moreover, it is adjacent to commercial districts like Sheung Wan, Central, and Admiralty, offering exceptional convenience. Luxury mansions are nestled amidst nature, surrounded by lush trees and abundant foliage, providing a breath of fresh air that is hard to find anywhere else in urban Hong Kong.

Since it was not yet the peak period of high-rise construction, many renowned luxury residences had not yet been built, leaving the Mid-Levels feeling particularly spacious—a stark contrast to the crowded Central district or the barren, concrete-heavy landscapes of Tsim Sha Tsui and Yau Ma Tei.

"Ring... ring... ring..." A harsh telephone bell pierced through a room decorated in a stylish, modern aesthetic.

The room spanned over twenty square meters, which could be considered massive in land-scarce Hong Kong; a single bedroom of this size rivaled the entire living space of an average family estate.

The phone rang persistently for a long while before a bare arm reached out from beneath the piled-up quilts on the beige king-sized bed in the middle of the room. Groping across the bedside table, the hand snatched the telephone and dragged it directly onto the bed, where the person buried underneath finally poked their head out.

This was Yan Xu's luxury residence in the Mid-Levels. A space of over one hundred and fifty square meters might not sound like much on the mainland, but in Hong Kong, it was the ultimate status symbol of luxury living—especially given its location in the Mid-Levels.

Yan Xu was extremely satisfied with the property. The savings he had accumulated over the years since graduating from school previously wouldn't even have been enough for a down payment on an ordinary apartment in a standard city. Yet now, a 150-square-meter apartment in the Mid-Levels of Hong Kong felt insignificant to him, and a property like this would easily be worth upwards of twenty-five million in a decade's time.

"Hello!" Yan Xu clearly hadn't fully woken up, lazily speaking into the receiver. Tomorrow was Christmas, and the production of *A Chinese Ghost Story* was not running on an aggressive schedule, so the crew had started their holiday break yesterday. Last night, Yan Xu had even treated the core members of the crew out for entertainment; after dinner, they went to a karaoke bar and didn't disperse until past one in the morning.

"Don't tell me you're still sleeping? It's almost ten o'clock," Fat Wong's voice came through the phone.

"I went out for karaoke with the crew last night and didn't get back until past one, alright?" Yan Xu slowly sat up, his fingers scratching his messy hair.

"Didn't you take a fancy to Miss Fanna? Tomorrow is Christmas, and you aren't busy preparing? How do you have time to call me?" Yan Xu asked.

"You think my head is filled only with chasing women? I've been busy tallying up the box office numbers for *The Romancing Star* these past few days. Unlike you, who can't even be bothered to show your face at the company, even though you own most of it," Wong Fat answered in a rapid-fire manner.

"I recall that compiling the box office figures is Ah De's job. What on earth are you doing?" Yan Xu smiled faintly, sensing that Wong Jing cared about the box office of his film far more than usual.

"Of course I've been helping out. I'm calling to tell you that yesterday's box office numbers are out. Care to guess how much?" Wong Jing's voice brimmed with excitement.

"How much? Judging by your tone, you're about to laugh out loud. It must be quite a lot!" Yan Xu replied. He was also deeply invested in the box office performance of *The Romancing Star*, and Wong Jing's excited tone immediately piqued his curiosity.

Although the film's premiere was on the twenty-second, it started at eight in the evening, screening only the eight o'clock and ten o'clock shows, which couldn't truly count as a full day's run. Therefore, the box office figures for the twenty-third were the ones that truly mattered.

"We had twenty-eight cinemas screening it this time. Based on last night's tallies up to midnight, the total box office reached 1.53 million! And this is just the first day. Furthermore, I've learned from the theaters that tickets for tonight's screenings are already more than half sold out. The figures for tonight and tomorrow might even surpass this number. There should be no problem at all for this film to gross over fifteen million in total!" Caught up in his elation, Wong Jing's voice grew louder and louder, forcing Yan Xu to hold the receiver away from his ear to hear clearly.

1.53 million across twenty-eight theaters translated to an occupancy rate of over eighty-five percent. For a film, such a turnout was already exceptionally impressive. During the Christmas season, this occupancy rate was bound to climb even higher, and even if it began to taper off gradually after the holidays, surpassing ten million at the box office would be effortless, while fifteen million was by no means a distant dream.

For Wong Jing, this film's performance was a monumental success. While it might not necessarily surpass *The Frog Prince*, it definitively broke the slump of four consecutive underperforming films following that hit. One had to remember that among those four movies, his lowest-grossing project, *The Legend of Wisdom and Virtue*, had only brought in a little over two million at the box office, and only *The Ghost Informers*—backed by a massive ensemble of major stars and a rare, hefty investment from Shaw Brothers—had managed to barely scrape past the ten-million mark.

***

"Beep... beep... beep..."

"Hello, who is this?"

Standing downstairs at Joey Wong's aunt's apartment building, Yan Xu used his mobile phone to dial their home number. After a series of busy tones, the call connected, and a soft, enchanting female voice came through.

"Who else? I'm looking for you, of course. Hurry and come down, I'm right downstairs at your building," Yan Xu said hastily upon recognizing Joey Wong's voice.

"Why are you here so early? Didn't we agree you'd pick me up in the afternoon?" Joey Wong whispered into the phone.

"I missed you and wanted to see you sooner." Yan Xu spoke knowing full well that someone in Joey Wong's family must have been nearby; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so cautious.

"Didn't we just see each other last night?" Joey Wong said, a hint of sweet warmth blooming in her heart.

"You said it yourself—that was last night. It's been several hours already. Even if we're apart for a single second, I miss you unbearably," Yan Xu continued with his sweet talk. "Didn't you miss me?"

"Mmm!" A heavy nasal sound came from the other end of the line.

"What is that 'mmm' supposed to mean? Did you miss me or not?" Yan Xu never tired of such playful teasing.

"I missed you," Joey Wong murmured shyly, covering her mouth and the receiver.

"Then give me a kiss!" Hearing Joey Wong's admission, Yan Xu felt a surge of sweetness and immediately pushed his luck.

"My aunt and the others are at home," Joey Wong whispered.

"Hsiao-hsien, whose phone call is that?" As if to validate Joey Wong's warning, shortly after she spoke, Yan Xu heard another voice echoing through the mobile phone.

"Oh, Auntie, it's a friend of mine." Joey Wong's reply was completely unflustered—a skill honed from her acting experience.

"A friend? A guy or a girl?" Joey Wong's aunt was intensely protective regarding her social life.

"It's Sister Gigi. Didn't I mention to you this morning that Sister Gigi and I agreed to go out together this afternoon? She just called to ask me to join her for lunch, and I told her we were almost ready to eat at home..." Though Joey Wong had only known Carina Lau for two days, the single night of the premiere had been enough for them to become close friends, and she smoothly used her as a shield.

"Ah, Miss Lau. That's fine, go on and enjoy yourselves. Lunch has only just begun cooking anyway. You shouldn't spend all your time cooped up at home—go out and have fun, and learn a bit from Miss Lau." Hearing that the caller was Carina Lau, Joey Wong's aunt immediately relented. In the entertainment industry, hard work alone wasn't enough; connections and popularity were essential. Carina Lau's status and family background were invaluable resources.

"Mmm!" Joey Wong nodded, speaking back into the phone, "Sister Gigi, wait for me a moment, I'll be right down."

Yan Xu hung up the phone and waited for a little over ten minutes before he saw a tall woman emerge from the building's entrance. She wore a cap, a modest athletic tracksuit, and a ponytail. Although Joey Wong was not yet a massive household name in the industry, she still needed a slight disguise to avoid trouble. Yan Xu carefully scanned his surroundings, ensuring no paparazzi or overly curious onlookers were paying attention to him, before walking toward her.

Just like Joey Wong, Yan Xu had also meticulously disguised himself. Given that his profile in the industry was significantly higher than hers, if he were caught escorting a woman out on the street—even without capturing Joey Wong's face clearly—it would make the front page of the newspapers the next morning. He wore a similar peaked cap pulled low, paired with somewhat old-fashioned thick-rimmed plain-glass spectacles, and matched her with a similarly loose-fitting tracksuit, transforming his overall appearance into that of an ordinary college student.

"It looks like we're wearing couple outfits," Yan Xu said as he walked up to Joey Wong. He hadn't expected their outfits to match so closely, save for the contrasting black and white of their track jackets, which only served to make them look even more like a pair of campus lovers.

"Mmm!" Joey Wong looked at Yan Xu and nodded sweetly. She kept a slight, careful distance between their bodies; despite the disguises, she still didn't dare make any overtly intimate gestures on the bustling street.

"What are you afraid of? Dressed like this, nobody would recognize us. Even if they noticed, they'd just think we're a pair of student sweethearts." Yan Xu stepped closer to Joey Wong and slid his arm around her slender waist.

"You..." Joey Wong glanced around nervously. Seeing that the passersby weren't paying them any special attention, her tension melted away, and a sweet smile bloomed across her face as she leaned contentedly against Yan Xu.

For public figures, being able to stroll down the street holding hands like this was a rare and precious form of happiness.