My teacher is Bruce Lee, who dominated Hollywood.

Chapter 3 Blood and Steel

The two security guards exchanged glances, clearly not expecting this young man with yellow skin to dare to resist.

The white security guard gave him a wink, and the black security guard nodded, then pulled out his baton and started hitting him repeatedly on the head.

Qin Han made a beautiful mistake and trapped him in mid-air.

Just as he was preparing to retaliate, a series of complaints came from the doorway:

"Damn traffic! Los Angeles' urban planning is a complete pile of crap!"

A middle-aged white man with somewhat disheveled hair strode in; clearly, his morning rush hour experience had not been pleasant.

Ted Ashley, the head of Warner Bros., arrived at the company with an angry expression.

Filled with anger and nowhere to vent, he had just entered the door when he saw two security guards besieging a Chinese man, and the whole lobby was in chaos.

"What are you all doing?!" he roared. "I paid you to work, not to perform a circus act in the lobby!"

Jennifer turned pale with fright: "Mr. Ashley, this Chinese man has no appointment and insists on seeing you..."

"Mr. Ashley, Bruce has been waiting for you outside for twenty minutes," Qin Han interrupted the receptionist's explanation.

Upon hearing the name "Bruce," the president instantly calmed down.

"What did you say? Bruce's here?" He looked at Qin Han anxiously. "Where is he? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

As the head of one of Hollywood's seven major film studios, Ashley has an incredibly keen business sense.

Although Bruce Lee has not yet made a name for himself in Hollywood, the box office figures from Hong Kong do not lie.

He was well aware that Hollywood action movies were still stuck in the old-school cowboy brawls of John Wayne.

Whoever signs Bruce Lee first will control the definition of the new genre of "kung fu movies" in Hollywood for the next decade.

This is a man who has the potential to change the history of action movies.

And now, his own receptionist is turning away this potential cash cow?

"Miss Jennifer, Warner doesn't need an employee who treats my VIPs like a deliveryman."

"Pack your personal belongings and go to the finance department to settle your salary."

After dealing with this little incident, Ashley warmly shook Qin Han's hand: "Sir, please, take me to meet the great 'Kung Fu Master'."

……

"Bruce! God, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's nothing, it just seems my apprentice knows the roads in Los Angeles better than your driver," Bruce Lee said casually, not forgetting to crack a joke.

At this moment, the three of them had already taken the VIP elevator to the president's office.

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone took their seats, and Ashley took out a thick brown paper folder from his desk drawer.

"Bruce, this is what you wanted."

"Our screenwriter stayed up several nights to finish the script. To be honest, it's the best action movie script I've seen this year."

Bruce Lee took the document; the cover had several bold English words printed on it—"Blood and Steel".

The office fell silent, with only the rustling of papers turning.

His face visibly darkened.

Ten minutes later, the script was thrown back onto the table: "Ted, is this what you call 'brilliant'?"

Ashley's expression stiffened slightly, clearly puzzled.

"What's wrong? This story has a very tight structure, with elements of an isolated island, martial arts, revenge, espionage... it has all the elements of a blockbuster movie."

"This isn't a kung fu movie at all; it's just a cheap version of 007 with a Chinese protagonist!"

Bruce Lee stood up, about to lash out, but Qin Han pressed down on his shoulder and shook his head slightly at his master.

"Bruce, you need to understand one thing."

Ashley's voice rose with excitement: "007 is the highest-grossing film franchise in the world right now. 'Goldfinger,' 'Thunderball,' which one wasn't a box office smash?"

"American audiences love this kind of thing. They want to see a hero rescuing a damsel in distress, all sorts of quirky gadgets, and simple, direct violence."

"Listen, this is the first time a Hollywood A-list production has invited a Chinese person to play the lead role."

"If you nod your head, you'll be the next Sean Connery."

In this day and age, having an A-list production of their own in Hollywood is something Asian actors can only dream of.

However, Bruce Lee gave a dismissive laugh.

"Without the core of martial arts—the way of martial arts—this film would be meaningless."

Without infusing it with soul, this film is at best a fast food meal, unable to showcase true Chinese kung fu to the world.

The atmosphere in the office became tense.

"Mr. Ashley, if I may be so bold," Qin Han, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.

"If the audience is there to see 007, why don't they wait for Roger Moore's new film instead of watching a Chinese impersonator?"

Ashley frowned. "Go on."

Qin Han understood all too well that the reason "Enter the Dragon" became a classic in film history was precisely because Bruce Lee disregarded objections, modified the script himself, and forcefully injected his personal style and philosophical core.

He pointed to the title on the script cover with his finger:

"American audiences do like 007, but they prefer 'mystery.' First of all, the name is terrible."

Ashley clearly hadn't expected this young man to be so direct: "So, what's your brilliant idea?"

"Enter the Dragon," Qin Han slowly uttered the three words.

In the West, the dragon represents power and terror, but in the East, it is a sacred symbol.

The name itself carries a huge cultural conflict and appeal.

Bruce Lee's eyes suddenly lit up.

Then, Qin Han turned to the first scene of the script: "The opening can't be a rendezvous between spies, that's too cliché."

"It should be a clash about 'Tao,' plus a dialogue between the protagonist and the abbot of Shaolin."

He turned to look at Bruce Lee, mimicking the tone of voice from the movies he remembered:

"The bells of Shaolin Temple toll, monks chant sutras. The protagonist speaks: 'When your opponent attacks you, what do you feel?'"

"All fights are no longer simple clashes of violence, but rather a manifestation of 'anger' and 'punishment'."

"The protagonist's purpose in coming to the island shouldn't be to help the British complete their mission; the real core must be 'cleaning house,' to maintain the purity of martial arts..."

……

Qin Han recounted the entire story in one breath, reconnecting the originally fragmented script with a revised narrative.

The office was completely silent.

Ashley's hand, holding a cigar, froze in mid-air, a long trail of ash accumulated, but he forgot to flick it off.

As a top businessman, he may not understand martial arts, but he does understand what a "selling point" is.

Qin Han's version retains the exhilarating action of a movie while also draping it in a mysterious, profound, and captivating veil of Eastern culture.

This contrast is practically tailor-made for the current American market!

A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes: "Bruce, is your apprentice a professional screenwriter?"

At this moment, no one was more shocked than Bruce Lee himself.

Looking at his eloquent apprentice, a storm raged in his heart.

These are the thoughts he has been pondering and trying to express in his mind these past few days, but has not yet had time to put them into words.

In fact, Qin Han's revision of the film title was even more thorough and perfect than he had thought of it himself!

An unprecedented sense of resonance arose spontaneously.

"Ah Han...when did you learn all this?" Bruce Lee looked at his long-lost apprentice with satisfaction, feeling that this trip back was worthwhile even if they hadn't secured a contract with Warner.

Qin Han smiled slightly, closed the script, and said, concealing his accomplishment: "Master, I've been by your side for so long, and I've just learned by observation."

"I believe these are the ideas that your Jeet Kune Do wants to express!"

"Mr. Ashley, what do you think of this script?"