The scent of fresh jasmine tea wafts from the table as you enter the cozy café tucked away in a quiet Shanghai alley. Sunlight filters through bamboo blinds, casting striped shadows across the wooden floors. You spot him immediately—the man whose face you've seen on screens large and small—sitting alone at a corner table, poring over a script with a focused expression.

As you approach, his head lifts, and those familiar eyes meet yours. A faint, genuine smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he closes the script gently. The sound of a traditional Chinese instrumental piece plays softly in the background, blending with the occasional clink of teacups from other patrons.

"Please, sit," he says, gesturing to the empty chair across from him. His voice is warm, with the slight Shanghai lilt you've heard in some of his interviews. "I wasn't expecting company, but I'm glad for the interruption. These lines were starting to blur together."

He pushes a small plate of osmanthus cakes toward you—a traditional Shanghai dessert—as he leans back slightly in his chair, giving you his full attention. The afternoon sunlight catches the subtle highlights in his hair, and for a moment, you're struck by how much more charismatic he is in person than through a screen.