Chapter 99: A Chance Encounter While Waiting
After seeing Jacques Saunière off, William put on a mask and walked toward the Champs-Élysées. Having come all the way to Paris, he couldn't leave without visiting the famous avenue. Besides, he still hadn't bought a gift for his mother.
He strolled past the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, taking a leisurely twenty minutes to reach the Champs-Élysées.
With plenty of time on his hands, William wandered from one store to the next, skipping only the women's clothing shops. He ended up at Patek Philippe, where he bought a sky-blue watch for himself for over one million US dollars and a diamond-encrusted watch for his mother for over three million.
After paying with his Swiss National Bank Black Gold Card under the manager's respectful gaze, William placed the new Patek Philippe, his old Vacheron Constantin, and the watch for his mother into his storage space.
By the time he left the Patek Philippe store, it was after five in the afternoon, and the sky was already growing dark. The street was bathed in the bright glow of city lights. Touching the new watch on his wrist, William savored the feeling. Spending four million dollars so freely felt incredible.
He walked down the street, which was crowded with tourists from all over the world, and crossed back toward the Arc de Triomphe. The Eiffel Tower wasn't far, and it looked spectacular under the evening lights. It would be a shame to be here and not take a closer look.
Near the tower, William saw many people lining up at a roadside stall for Mexican crepes. Curious, he bought one, but after two bites, the intense spice had him gasping for air, his eyes tearing up. He quickly bought an iced fruit juice to cool his mouth.
He sat down on a chair at an open-air cafe, comfortably sipping his drink, when he suddenly heard Cantonese being spoken nearby. Turning, he saw a beautiful Chinese woman sitting at a table not far away, drinking coffee and eating snacks while talking to a middle-aged man.
"Brother Hua, look at that handsome mixed-race guy! Haha, it's killing me. Look at his reaction to the spice… ah, did he see us? Brother Hua, let's go, he's coming over."
The man called Brother Hua looked at his companion, speechless. She really had a big mouth. He never expected to run into the actress Li Zi while on a trip to France to look at red wine. They had just settled down at this cafe when they saw a handsome mixed-race man practically suffocating on a Mexican crepe. Li Zi hadn't been able to stop laughing, and now the man was walking right toward them.
Seeing William approach, Hua quickly stood up and apologized in broken English, the pronunciation of which made William frown.
William simply switched to fluent Mandarin. "Hello, Mr. Liu. I speak Mandarin, and I also understand Cantonese."
The moment Brother Hua heard William's perfect Mandarin, he knew they were in trouble. The young man really had understood everything. "I'm very sorry," he said apologetically. "I apologize on behalf of my companion."
William looked at the man with a smile. He had seemed familiar from a distance, and up close, he was certain: it was Heavenly King Andy Lau. He recognized the beautiful woman at his side as well.
Seeing the apologetic look on Andy Lau's face, William chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not here to lay blame. Besides, beautiful women have certain privileges. Let me introduce myself. My name is William Devonshire. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Liu."
Andy Lau looked at William in surprise. This foreigner's Mandarin was remarkably fluent, and he even used idioms correctly. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. De… Devon… Hill," he replied, stumbling over the name in his slightly accented Mandarin.
*Is that really Mandarin?* William thought. *Comrade Liu's Mandarin isn't very good at this point in time.*
"It's alright, Mr. Liu, let's just speak Cantonese," William suggested. "My God, you're a native speaker, yet your Mandarin is worse than a foreigner's. And please, call me William."
Andy Lau looked helpless about his Mandarin. Hearing William's teasing, he said with self-deprecating humor, "Well, I never expected to be ridiculed for my Mandarin by a foreigner in France. How embarrassing." With that, he invited William to sit down.
William laughed at his remark. The Heavenly King truly was the Heavenly King, resolving the awkward situation in an instant. He then turned to the beautiful woman, who was looking rather embarrassed. "Hello, Miss Li. I've seen one of your movies. I didn't realize you were even more beautiful in person."
"Really?" Li Zi asked, surprised. "But that was a movie from five years ago. Was it even shown in France?"
William smiled at the young actress. "I forgot to mention, I'm Anglo-Chinese. My father is from Shanghai, and my mother is English. So although I grew up in England, I'm very familiar with Chinese culture. I've read the Four Great Classical Novels and all the works of Jin Yong and Gu Long."
Hearing this, Li Zi was even more astonished. "You grew up in England and you've read Jin Yong and Gu Long? I haven't even read all of their masterpieces. You can actually understand them?"
William laughed heartily and proceeded to recount a few famous tales from *Journey to the West* and *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, leaving both Andy Lau and Li Zi stunned. The three of them chatted casually over coffee for half an hour before William finally revealed his reason for approaching them.
Piece by piece, following the scenes in his memory, William laid out the entire plot of the movie *Infernal Affairs*. His storytelling was excellent, and both Andy Lau and Li Zi were quickly captivated. When he finished, William looked at Andy Lau, who was still lost in thought. "Brother Liu, what do you think of the story?"
"It's incredible," Andy Lau said. "It makes me want to act in it right now. William, did you really come up with this story yourself?"
*Of course I didn't,* William thought. But this was the year 2000; the script for *Infernal Affairs* certainly didn't exist in this world yet. "Of course," he said shamelessly. "Do I need to lie to you? I've already registered the script."
He was lying through his teeth. He hadn't registered anything; the idea had only occurred to him upon meeting Andy Lau today. But he was definitely going to register it first thing.
Because he had to meet Jacques Saunière at 8 o'clock, they chatted for a little while longer before William exchanged phone numbers with the two of them, shook their hands, and said goodbye.
On the way back to Café Monique, William wondered if he could start a film company. He could shoot action movies from his past life, or even movies based on events he had experienced in this world. The Earl of Devonshire's battle against the Royal Casino, for instance, was something he had personally experienced, so there would be no risk of leaking secrets. He wasn't sure if it would succeed, but it was an interesting thought.
It took him about ten minutes to walk the two blocks back to the cafe. He ordered dinner, and by the time he had finished his meal and a cup of coffee, it was already 8:40 PM, but Jacques Saunière still hadn't arrived. The Louvre closed at 6 PM on Mondays, which meant nearly three hours had passed.
He took out his phone and dialed Jacques Saunière's number. The call connected after nearly thirty seconds.
"Who is this?" a voice answered in French.
William had picked up some conversational German, French, and Italian from Swiss traders during his free time in Switzerland, so he could manage a basic exchange.
"Hello," he said in French. "This is William Devonshire. I'm looking for Professor Jacques Saunière. I had an appointment to meet him at Café Monique at eight o'clock, but he hasn't arrived yet. Is the professor there?"
"William Devonshire… initials W.D.S.?"
"Yes, sir," William said. "Could you please let the professor answer the phone? We were supposed to meet almost an hour ago."
"William Devonshire, are you at Café Monique, the one outside the Louvre?" the person on the phone asked, ignoring William's question.
*Who is this person?* William thought, irritated by his rudeness and arrogant tone.
"Yes. Sir, please let the professor answer the phone," William repeated, his anger rising. *I'm not looking for you.*
"Very good. I understand. Please remain in the cafe and do not move. I will find you." With that, the man hung up with a sharp click.
William stared at his phone, fuming. What an arrogant bastard.
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