sinovels Chapters 1239 and 1248: This preview screening must be well prepared!
Chapters 1239 and 1248: This preview screening must be well prepared!
Chapters 1239 and 1248: We must prepare well for this preview screening!
Hiromi Go's wedding livestream was arguably the biggest hot topic of midsummer, reportedly achieving an astonishing 48% viewership rating. Almost half of Japan's audience followed the wedding, even surpassing Seiko Matsuda's rating.
A lavish wedding, a lively banquet, and a packed house of guests took place in the banquet hall of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. It is said that the road in front of the Imperial Hotel was completely blocked by reporters and fans that day, and the police station even dispatched a team of officers to maintain order.
Due to its immense influence, countless sponsoring brands focused on clothing, formal wear, flowers, catering, live streaming, photography, and other aspects, employing over a thousand service personnel. Even among the crowd waiting outside the hotel, there were small vendors selling drinks and fast food.
A single wedding has generated substantial profits for several sectors in Tokyo, even spawning a buzzword – the "wedding economy."
"Akina, you went yesterday."
During breakfast, Naoki Nagayama asked,
"how do you feel?"
"Hmm," Akina thought for a moment and said, "It feels noisy and lively. It's dazzling to watch."
She was just attending as a guest, not a close friend or acquaintance, so of course she could only watch the excitement. At most, she'd be spotted by the cameras and say a few words of blessing.
"But the food at the wedding banquet was quite good!"
"Foodie!"
Naoki Nagayama shook his head, looking at Natsuka, who was struggling with her breakfast beside him.
"And there's another little foodie!"
Akina looked displeased, but since she was still eating, she couldn't speak and could only gesture with her eyes:
"Naoki-san, if you keep talking nonsense, you'll regret it!"
"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore!"
Naoki Nagayama quickly surrendered and continued to ask,
"But did Matsuda Seiko go?"
"I didn't see it!" Akina shook her head. "I probably won't go. Just like if Naoki-san were to marry someone else, I wouldn't either."
Halfway through her sentence, Akina suddenly realized what she was saying and quickly spat out a few times:
"Naoki-san absolutely cannot marry anyone else."
Then he gave Naoki Nagayama a threatening look.
"You said it yourself."
Naoki Nagayama was helpless.
"I didn't say anything."
"If Naoki-san dares to marry someone else, I'll definitely wear a wedding dress and kidnap him during the wedding ceremony!"
She had been quite aggressive at first, but after talking about robbing someone, Akina actually started laughing, seemingly beginning to daydream.
"They snatched the groom away from the wedding in front of everyone, then got into a car heading off into the distance!"
What kind of "Graduate" plot is this!
Naoki Nagayama instantly recalled the ending of this classic movie: after the wedding robbery, the male and female protagonists sat in the car with bewildered expressions on their faces.
After a moment of impulsiveness, what follows will be the daily grind and琐碎 (trivialities).
"Alright. You've already tied me to the car, what are you thinking about now, trying to steal the bride?!"
Naoki Nagayama ate his breakfast in large mouthfuls and then changed the subject.
"Is Akina going to practice English again today?"
"Hi, I still need to prepare for recording a new song."
"The new song is by AL-MAUJ."
"The one with the Egyptian theme?"
"Exotic style, exotic style!" Akina said with a hint of exasperation. "Where's Naoki-san?"
"As for me, I'll be wrapping up some things today, and then preparing for the test screening of 'Departures'."
"Is it already edited?"
"Hmm~"
On a typical morning, Naoki Nagayama would have a brief chat with Akina, while Natsuka, standing nearby, would be fully focused on battling the food on her plate.
Upon arriving at the Tree Friends Building, I greeted the employees as usual, and then went to the editing room.
The editors inside were processing the footage methodically. Upon seeing Naoki Nagayama arrive, Kyon Kijima spoke first:
"Naoki-san, the master tape is ready. Shall we send it to the film processing plant for duplication now?"
"Ah, it's all sorted out now~"
Naoki Nagayama looked at the still-open safe on the table. Inside, there was a securely fixed film case with a label on the outside indicating information about the master tapes of "Departures".
He gently stroked it and sighed:
"It's amazing that billions of assets are condensed into such a small box."
In the future, hundreds of billions of dollars in digital assets will be condensed into a small USB drive, a truly astonishing sight!
"Kijima-kun, you must take good care of this master tape!"
“Of course!” Kijima nodded emphatically. “I will bring a few companions with me, and my eyes will never leave the master tape!”
As long as the person lives, the mother's womb exists; even if the person dies, the mother's womb must not die!
When copying the master tape at the film studio, although there is an obligation to maintain confidentiality and ensure that the master tape is not damaged, the production company certainly cannot be completely at ease, so they will send someone to accompany them throughout the process.
"There's no need to be so stubborn. Kijima-kun, you must live!"
You have to live to work your ass off and spend your whole life making up for your losses!
"."
After Kijima Kyō left, Nagayama Naoki returned to his office on the top floor and made a phone call to the publicity department.
A short while later, Eiichiro Watanabe came up with a document.
How are the preparations for the preview screening on the 5th going?
"The venue has been arranged; it's still the artsy spot in Ikebukuro."
Eiichiro Watanabe also spoke without hesitation.
"The promotional materials and backdrop have been completed and will be set up on the same day. The invitations have also been sent out."
"Naoki-san, this is the list of invitees for the preview screening in a week."
"Are all the friends from the political and government sectors that I mentioned before, whom Shuichi-san invited, inside?"
Naoki Nagayama casually flipped through the invitation list, which included media representatives, film critics, film enthusiasts, and others, all categorized and listed.
"Shuichi-san only told us to reserve the seats in the first row, saying that they were for our friends."
"That's it"
Naoki Nagayama was somewhat surprised, and after casually inquiring about the details of the preview screening, he let Eiichiro Watanabe leave.
Then he stood up and went to the Tokyo Film Industry Association office on the fourth floor.
This place is already quite famous in the entertainment industry. Many members who want to join the association come here to register, and some members come to report problems, apply for assistance, etc. It's no longer the deserted place it used to be.
Naoki Nagayama's appearance caused a stir, with everyone vying to curry favor with him.
"Naoki-san, this is me!" "Director Nagayama's here too!" "Please go first."
Naoki Nagayama could only smile and walk through the crowd to Shuichi Itō's chairman's office.
"Xiu Yisang."
Naoki Nagayama sighed as he entered the somewhat cramped office.
"This place is much smaller than the office on the top floor, but I think you prefer it here."
“It’s more fulfilling here,” Itō Shuichi said with a smile. “Upstairs, sometimes the office feels empty and there’s nothing to do.”
"Haha. A big office isn't a bad thing?"
"It's a personal preference, but I still prefer the days when we were in the photography studio, with the three of us sharing an office. It was lively back then."
"really."
After laughing for a while, Naoki Nagayama finally got to the point:
How many people did you invite to the preview screening of "Departures"?
"Well"
Shuichi Itō flipped through the small booklet he carried with him.
"The Minister, Vice Minister, and Division Chiefs of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; the Commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs; it would be even better if the Minister of Education could come."
"Socialist Party members, staff members of the U.S. Embassy in Japan, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
"Quite a few people came!" Naoki Nagayama chuckled. "Did Hamada-san invite them?"
This preview screening of "Departures" can also be seen as a gathering of supporters of the "Film Industry Professionals Protection Proposal," as most of the attendees were supporters.
"Hamada-san did extend an invitation, but he hasn't replied yet."
"I see."
Naoki Nagayama wasn't worried about Koichi Hamada not going, because he was sure that Genta Nakai would handle things properly.
"After the test screening, let's invite all these people to a dinner party, a reception in the name of the film association!"
"I had the same thought!"
"The hearing will be held soon after the test screening, hopefully there won't be any more surprises!"
"Ok!"
In his villa in Setagaya Ward, Hamada Koichi finally finished his social engagements and returned home in the evening.
"Arigato. Thank you for your hard work."
Mrs. Hamada thanked the driver and bodyguard who brought her drunk husband in, and then hurried to heat up some hangover soup and get a towel. Over the years, she had become very experienced in taking care of her drunk husband.
When I was wiping Hamada Koichi's face with a towel, Hamada Koichi opened his eyes and started wiping his own face with the towel.
"Honey, you're not drunk?!"
"I'm drinking with a bunch of old foxes today, I dare not get drunk."
Hamada Koichi shook his head. If he were to get drunk, it would be with friends. One has to be careful with these kinds of social engagements.
If you're not careful, someone might dig a hole for you, and then they'll have your embarrassing past exposed!
A shrewd person like him would naturally feign drunkenness and put on an act.
"The hangover soup?"
"Have a drink, you'll feel better tomorrow."
"Hi"
Mrs. Hamada went to the kitchen and brought out some hangover soup. After serving it to Hamada Koichi, she took out a report from her bag.
"Dear customer, this is the first investment performance report from Tree Friends Capital, along with their upcoming investment strategy."
Mrs. Hamada said,
"Do you have time to take a look?"
"Oh?" The keywords related to Tree Friends Capital piqued Hamada Koichi's interest. He took the report and asked, "How much did you earn?"
"The annualized rate of return is 8%. If we invest 10 million, that's 800,000."
When Hamada Koichi first came into contact with Tree Friends Capital, he naturally couldn't invest a large sum; taking ten million was just a trial run.
"80 a year?!"
Hamada Koichi was slightly surprised; this was already a year-end bonus for an office worker.
Mrs. Hamada nodded, somewhat tempted:
"Should we invest more? This investment bank has a very high profit margin!"
"Well"
Koichi Hamada is part-time yakuza. He doesn't know much about the stock market, but he knows more about real estate and nightclubs, and he owns quite a few properties.
How much savings do we have now?
"In total, it's around 150 million."
Mrs. Hamada, as a housewife, manages all the family's savings accounts.
"If we include real estate, we can probably raise around 3 million. If we can maintain an 8% profit margin, that's 2400 million annually."
Mrs. Hamada's voice became somewhat excited when she mentioned this number!
This kind of earning speed is about the same as a high-level white-collar worker working for you for free without eating or drinking.
"How could that be!" Hamada Koichi, being more experienced, said, "When the amount is large, we're lucky if we can get 5%."
"That's over 1 million."
Mrs. Hamada was still very happy; this was a perfectly legitimate asset.
"Let's skip the real estate and use working capital!"
Koichi Hamada said,
"We can't put all our eggs in one basket."
"All right."
Mrs. Hamada nodded, then said softly,
"The investment advisor also told me that he could provide us with leverage, up to 10 times. He also guaranteed that we wouldn't lose money."
"."
If there's no risk of loss, that's hundreds of millions in revenue every year!
Such gains are even greater than bribes!
"let me consider it."
Hamada Koichi's tone became serious. Having been in politics for so long, he knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch.
Having received such high returns, it's only natural that they need to give back properly.
"Do we even need to think about it?" Mrs. Hamada urged. "An income of over 100 million a year! In just a few years, we'll be millionaires!"
"That's why we need to consider it! You short-sighted woman!"
Hamada Koichi scolded his wife.
"Did they give it to you for free?!"
"Then," Mrs. Hamada asked, puzzled, "is there anything Tree Friends Capital can do to help?"
"First, they need me to coordinate the hearing."
Hamada Koichi sighed.
"If we accept leveraged investment, we'll have to be the vanguard for our fellow investors!"
"."
After getting down to business, Mrs. Hamada didn't say much more. She took another envelope from the entryway:
"This is an invitation from the Tokyo Film Industry Association for a preview screening of Naoki Nagayama's film 'Departures'."
"A preview screening?"
Hamada Koichi pondered silently for a while before looking up at his wife.
"I remember you really like Tomokazu Miura, right?"
It's easy to understand why middle-aged women like younger men!
"..." Mrs. Hamada retorted stubbornly, "I like Momoe Yamaguchi."
"Alright. Come with me this time!"
"together?"
"Well, then we can consider this a personal relationship."
Hamada Yuki nodded.
"There might be a reception or something later, so dress a little more formally!"
"Hi!"
Mrs. Hamada smiled and then went upstairs with great pleasure to search for a formal kimono.
Since kimonos need to be washed and ironed in advance, it's best to prepare them as early as possible.
Left alone in the living room, Hamada Koichi rubbed his temples, quietly pondering the potential consequences of his growing closer to Kiyomi.
The Takeshita faction wasn't particularly close to him to begin with; they were just protecting a film company without any partisan affiliation, so they wouldn't say much.
The film industry association has close ties with the Ministry of Education and has some connections with the Tanaka faction, but it's not a big problem.
I heard they have some connections with the Socialist Party? No problem, every big company is adept at navigating social situations.
Social celebrities have even less to say.
Thinking about it this way, the Tree Friends Group really is a clean and innocent entity with no vested interests!
This is quite rare in Japanese society!
Which large company or conglomerate doesn't have intricate connections with the political arena?
Maybe I've snagged a bargain?
If he can build a good relationship with the Shuyu Group and form an alliance, then his son, Hamada Seiichi, will have a stable source of income to support his future political career!
(End of this chapter)