While poor Ya Hui received unwanted attention from two suspicious stalkers when she was in Hengdian, China to film upcoming Mediacorp drama A Quest to Heal, her co-star Bryan Wong also had an unexpected encounter while he was there — albeit a much more pleasant one.

In December last year, Chinese fans of the 49-year-old actor-host travelled to Hengdian from all over the country to meet him when they found out he would be there. Some took flights, while others endured a seven-hour car ride to get there. Seven hours.

According to Bryan, they were reps from a group of ardent long-time fans of his character Ah Qi from the 2005 Chinese TV drama Chinese Paladin, and they came bearing gifts, flowers, and a scrapbook.

Needless to say, he was extremely touched by their gesture and spent a whole hour in the hotel lobby with them chatting and participating in a live broadcast for other supporters who could not be there.

“To think that someone would do that for me… I felt so honoured!” he gushed during his interview with 8days.sg when we were in Hengdian for a set visit. “But at the same time, I was a little bit worried because I didn’t want to disappoint them [with the real me], but fortunately I did not, so that’s a good thing! It’s amazing that this still matters to them after so many years.”

That wasn’t the only time Bryan witnessed just how memorable his character had become. “The first time I went to the gym [in Hengdian], the instructor kept glancing at me and I thought, does he want me to sign a package with them? Please lah, I’m only here for a month,” he chuckled.

The next day, the chap — who looked to be in his mid-20s — finally mustered enough courage to go over to Bryan and greet him by his Chinese name, Wang Lu Jiang, which took the actor by surprise.

“I was like, how do you know my name!? He told me that he watched me [in Chinese Paladin] as Ah Qi and that I was a part of his childhood. Naturally, I should be quite offended, right? (Laughs) But I was very touched!” he smiled. “It really makes you reevaluate your job because you tend to only think of all the s****y things that happen, right? (Laughs)”

Guess fan encounters like these make it all worthwhile.

A Quest to Heal premieres July 20, 9pm on Ch 8.
It will be available on demand for free on meWATCH on the same day.

Photos: Mediacorp, The Celebrity Agency/Instagram, meWATCH screenshots