Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 742 Another English Rose

Haymarket Theatre, West End, London.

A performance had just ended, and the gentlemen in suits and the ladies in elegant attire left in an orderly manner.

The attendance rate for today's performance seems to be much higher than in the past, and the level of the guests has also obviously improved.

If there were someone here who was familiar with London's upper class society, they would have noticed that many of the people walking out of the door had noble titles, and quite a few had official titles.

Even outside, you can see a few media reporters.

Logically speaking, even if today was the day when the Haymarket Theatre launched a new play, it shouldn't have attracted so many people, or even attracted the media.

After all, the decline of stage plays in London's West End is not a one- or two-day phenomenon.

The golden age of stage plays, when new play performances were as good as new movie broadcasts and stage play actors were as good as celebrities, is long gone.

So, there must be a reason for the lively scene at the Haymarket Theatre today.

Extending our gaze into the theater and looking at some of the distinguished guests who have not yet left and are communicating with the musical's creative staff in front of the media, it seems that everything can be explained.

Aren’t the ones who are being the center of attention the talked-about figures in British upper society, the prince and princess?

Although it is no secret that the two have their own gossips, it does not prevent them from pretending to be a harmonious couple in front of others.

The reason why the two of them appeared here today was actually very simple.

It’s not that the two want to watch the opera, but that they are here to do charity again.

The Haymarket Theatre is not only performing a new play today, but is also hosting a charity day celebration, with all proceeds from the performance going to charity events in London.

The charity event was organized by the prince and princess's charitable foundation.

When the royal family comes forward, naturally there will be a bunch of people coming to flatter them.

After all, Great Britain is on the decline, and the royal family only has this tradition that can be used to show off a little.

At the back of the bustling crowd, there was a low-key figure in a black suit.

Look carefully, who else could it be but Hideki Hanyu who just arrived in London.

As if to reduce his presence, not only did his suit look very plain today, but he also changed his usual gold-rimmed glasses into a pair of black-framed glasses.

The whole person looks inexplicably calm, which somewhat weakens his youthful temperament.

The reason for this is that Hideki Hanyu didn't want to come in the first place.

But he had just arrived in London when the prince sent him an invitation, hoping that he could come and attend the event, and he really had to go.

To put it bluntly, he just wants to repay a favor.

After all, the prince and princess agreed to attend the launch of his new picture book two days later.

Of course, most people invited him for his money.

if not?
Could it be that the British, who are arrogant by nature, really want to make friends with him, an Asian?

After all, for a wealthy man like him, how could he have the nerve to come to such an event and not donate a penny except for the ticket money?
Even though Hanyu Hideki guessed this, he had no thoughts at all.

Could it be that he is still getting too excited and wants the British to truly respect him?
Do not make jokes.

Of course there are lofty ideals and great beliefs in this world, and Hideki Hanyu admires such people from the bottom of his heart.

But more often than not, the connections between people are due to those seemingly "dirty" interests that they are unwilling to express openly.

Being profitable is better than being worthless.

Besides, they just get what they want from each other.

Hideki Hanyu doesn't want to change anything at all, so he doesn't care about certain things at all.

If he hadn't traveled through time, he could still fight for his country.

But now that he has traveled through time, let alone working hard for Japan, if it is good for him, he will sell out Japan's interests without even a frown.

Just as Hideki Hanyu was deliberately keeping a low profile, he was daydreaming and waiting for this boring thing to end.

Suddenly, a beautiful girl appeared in front of me.

The girl has smooth brown hair, amber eyes, soft and beautiful facial lines, and looks a bit Asian.

On the surface, the girl looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a graceful and slender figure, giving off a half-mature vibe.

But these British white girls generally mature early and their appearance is relatively mature, so their actual age may be younger.

However, the girl's purpose of appearing in front of Hanyu Hideki was simple, because she was holding a small box in her hand with a booklet on the box.

Obviously, they are here to collect donations.

It was estimated that everyone else had already collected their items, and Hideki Hanyu was the last one to be found while hiding at the back.

"Sir, please give a little help to the charity in London."

The girl's sweet voice, which was inconsistent with her precocious appearance, was enough to prove that she was indeed younger than she looked.

"I am very willing to."

Hanyu Hideki said this and took out the check he had prepared earlier and handed it over.

"Sorry, I still need to check in for you."

The girl held the box with one hand and began to write in the booklet on the box with the other hand.

However, when the girl saw the number written on Hanyu Hideki's check, her mouth opened in surprise, which made Hanyu Hideki couldn't help but smile.

"Sir, are you sure you want to donate 50,000 pounds?" the girl confirmed.

In the late 1980s, fifty thousand pounds was a lot of money.

Although the guests at tonight's party are either rich or noble, Hideki Hanyu's donation is still among the top.

"Of course." Hanyu Hideki replied with a smile.

The lights in the theater were not very bright, and the surprised girl looked at Hanyu Hideki seriously for the first time. Only then did she realize that the man in front of her, who was dressed in a low-key manner, was actually an Asian.

But the other person's angular, three-dimensional and exquisite appearance was so handsome that even she had to admit it.

It completely satisfied her fantasy of elves in bedtime stories.

This made her lose consciousness for a moment, and then she blushed slightly and said, "I'm sorry, I'm rude, thank you very much for your help to London Charity."

After the girl finished speaking, she left with the donation box.

However, Hideki Hanyu suppressed his expression and did not take this little matter to heart.

However, not long after the girl left, the prince and princess finally showed their faces in public and did all the face-saving work, and they remembered their big money sponsor Hideki Hanyu.

The two of them came to see Hideki Hanyu one after another.

The princess arrived alone while the prince was entertaining others.

The other party simply greeted Hanyu Hideki.

Hideki Hanyu kept his distance and dealt with the other party politely.

Hanyu Hideki's cautious look made the princess' eyes flash with a strange look.

Hideki Hanyu noticed it keenly, but his attitude remained unchanged.

After all, the princess in front of him is really not someone who is easy to deal with.

If Hideki Hanyu remembered correctly, he should have ended his extramarital affair with his first secret lover and started hooking up with the equestrian coach.

This kind of celebrity will cause trouble if he gets involved with him. If Hideki Hanyu didn't have to meet the prince because of his cooperation with him, he would definitely stay as far away from him as possible.

After the princess left, the prince followed.

But the prince was not alone, but was accompanied by several men and women.

After exchanging some pleasantries with Hanyu Hideki, the prince pointed at a middle-aged couple and introduced them to Hanyu Hideki in an enthusiastic tone.

"This is Richard, and this is Judy. They are not only famous British actors, but they are also the creative masters behind today's musical."

"It's nice to meet you. Tonight's show is wonderful."

Hanyu Hideki still hadn't figured out what the prince was introducing these two people to him for, so he could only say a few polite words.

Naturally, the two of them greeted Hanyu Hideki politely.

And then, the prince's true colors were revealed.

He seemed enthusiastic, but in fact he had a purpose in mind when he said, "Richard, Judy, you may not know that Mr. Hanyu is not only a wealthy man, but also a shareholder of the Haymarket Theater.

Don't you want to perform this new play in London's West End for a long time and tour it to various places?"

My goodness, even though he didn’t say it explicitly, it was obvious that the prince was being generous to others again.

He wanted to use Hideki Hanyu's hand, but he just wanted to be a middleman. He only needed to move his mouth, but his reputation was not affected at all.

Of course, given the prince’s status, he probably wouldn’t look down upon the favors of the two actors and the creator of the musical.

After all, the prince was able to go to America in the 1970s and meet with the President of America.

To be objective, given the prince's influence in Europe, America, and the traditional British sphere of influence, if Hanyu Hideki was just a simple rich man without titles such as writer or artist, it would be difficult for him to make friends with the prince.

In Hanyu Hideki's opinion, Prince Bashi was probably used to pretending to be cool. When he learned about the needs of the two people during the social event just now, he pretended to be cool and showed off in front of others that he could handle this matter easily.

Upon hearing this, Hanyu Hideki just said modestly, "Prince, you are too kind. I am just a small investor."

With the few shares he bought from the prince, he was no other than a small investor. Since he bought the theater, he not only didn't make a penny, but when he looked at the business documents, he found that the theater had a lot of debts for no reason.

It looks like London's West End will have to wait a long time before it can be reborn.

Fortunately, he had spent the money in the first place just to open up new connections, so he was not in a hurry to make money from investments in London's West End in the short term.

Besides, after getting in touch with the prince, the benefits that Hanyu Hideki has gained have far outweighed his initial efforts.

For example, Lamborghini Automobile Group acquired brands such as Land Rover, MINI, MG, and Triumph by relying on the prince's relationship.

When he bought Manchester United, although he donated some money to the prince and princess's fund, the prince did mediate and played a big role in the process.

Considering the future market value of Manchester United, the money he donated is just a drop in the bucket.

Of course, the one that makes the most money is the Vigorous membership store, which is not only booming in the UK, but is also gradually spreading across Asia.

According to Hideki Hanyu's calculations, if Vigorous continues to develop for a few more years, its business will expand from Asia to Europe and the United States, and it will find an opportunity to be listed in London, and a market value of tens of billions of pounds will be a piece of cake.

If we look further into the future, think about Sam's Club, the high-end membership store under Walmart, it goes without saying how exaggerated the profits will be.

The development of Vigorous membership store is absolutely inseparable from the name of Prince. After all, although Vigorous did not say it explicitly during the promotion, it was secretly making contact.

Even when the prince visited Hong Kong, he went to the Vigorous membership store in person to show his support, which is also an important reason why Vigorous was able to quickly gain a reputation in Asia.

I have to say that the reputation of the British royal family is still very useful today.

With this kind of help alone, Hanyu Hideki would have been able to help the two men get their stage play performed in London's West End, not to mention giving face to the prince. Even funding their global tour would have been a piece of cake.

After all, in Hanyu Hideki's opinion, it is actually quite easy to make friends with the prince.

The other party comes from a royal family and cares about wealth, but not as much as ordinary people.

What he cares about most is the word "name".

So when the prince said to Hanyu Hideki, "Hanyu, why are you so humble in front of me? Don't I know your strength?"

Hanyu Hideki decisively responded, "Since the prince has said so, leave the matters of the two of you to me. I guarantee there will be no problems."

Seeing that Hanyu Hideki had helped him save face, the prince smiled and said, "Then I'll leave their affairs to you. I have other parties to attend later, so I'll excuse myself first."

After saying goodbye to everyone, the prince said to Hanyu Hideki alone, "Hanyu, see you the day after tomorrow."

"See you the day after tomorrow." Hanyu Hideki said to the prince.

After seeing the prince off, Hanyu Hideki turned around and found that the man Richard, who had just been introduced to him by the prince, and the woman Judy, were still staring at him eagerly.

It was obvious that the two of them wanted to wait for an answer from him.

It’s just a small matter. Since he has already promised the prince, Hanyu Hideki will naturally not go back on his word.

At this time, Richard seemed to want to get close to him, and pretended to be curious and asked, "Mr. Hanyu, are you going to meet the prince in two days?"

"Yes, I will hold a new picture book launch ceremony the day after tomorrow for some charity purposes. The British Writers Association, the Library Association, and the prince will all attend."

Hideki Hanyu did not hide anything about the fact that he had already started promoting.

When Richard and Judy heard what Hideki Hanyu said, they couldn't help but look at each other, realizing that the relationship between the super rich Hideki Hanyu and the prince was obviously very special.

To be honest, they had no contact with the prince before today.

It was just good luck that the new musical created by my team was selected by the Haymarket Theater and performed today, and then I was asked a few questions by the prince who loves drama.

They then said that although the drama was very popular, there were still many difficulties in performing it in public.

Then the prince brought them to see Hideki Hanyu.

"About our stage play..."

Richard couldn't wait to ask.

But Hanyu Hideki raised his hand to interrupt, "Regarding the stage play, I think it would be better if we talk about it somewhere else."

Richard and Judy heard this, looked around, and realized that it was indeed inappropriate to discuss things here.

At this time, most of the audience in the theater had left, and the staff had begun to clean up after the curtain call. It was really a bit awkward for them to stand here.

Richard hurriedly said, "I know there's a quiet bar nearby, how about we go there?"

Hanyu Hideki said, "Okay, please lead the way."

In fact, if he had not promised the prince and was not worried about problems in the process, it would have been enough to let his subordinates handle this small matter of helping the other party.

As they were about to leave, Judy, who had not spoken much, said, "Sir, please wait a moment. I need to take our daughter with me."

After saying that, the woman walked towards the side door of the dance theater.

Hanyu Hideki asked casually, "Are you two husband and wife?"

Richard, who was walking out the door with Hanyu Hideki, said, "Yes, our daughter came with us today, but she just helped collect charity donations."

As soon as Richard said this, Hanyu Hideki immediately thought of the girl holding the donation box before, and thought it couldn't be such a coincidence.

Then, the facts told him that it was just a coincidence.

The girl that Judy brought back was the brown-haired girl who was holding the donation box just now.

And this is not the only coincidence.

Because after the girl was brought in, Richard introduced her like this, "Mr. Hanyu, this is our daughter, her name is Kate, Kate Beckinsale."

(Kate Beckinsale Photo)

"Nice to meet you, Miss Kate."

Hideki Hanyu greeted with a smile.

He really didn't expect to meet another future English rose here.

If I remember correctly, this girl should have been born in 1973.

Although she developed early, she was only sixteen years old. No wonder he thought she was beautiful but couldn't recognize who she was.

But think about a piece of news in later generations. When Harvey Weinstein fell, Kate Beckinsale said that when she was seventeen years old, she was called to the Savoy Hotel by Harvey Weinstein and harassed.

Calculating the time, it will be next year, and I don’t know whether it is true or not.

However, Yunshang Pictures has cooperated a lot with Harvey's Miramax in the past two years, and his subordinates have also reported on that guy's behavior, letting him know that Harvey does like to hook up with female artists in private.

But in Hollywood, this is actually not a big deal.

Compared to many producers, Harvey is not the most extreme.

In many cases, it was the women who asked for it.

So one thing must be made clear, that is, Harvey was finally liquidated because of these things and was overthrown by the ME TOO movement, not because of these things themselves, but because he fell first.

There is something wrong with his behavior and he has lost his value in Hollywood.

Harvey's fall came first, because these things will be settled later.

Otherwise, Harvey started messing around in the 1980s, so why did something go wrong decades later?

You have to know that the red sofa in Hollywood was not invented by Harvey.

Putting aside the messy thoughts about the future in his mind, Hideki Hanyu has already arrived at the bar that the other party mentioned with Richard and his wife, and Kate Beckinsale.

There were not many people in the bar, and the environment was just as the other party had said, quiet.

After they found a chair by the window and sat down, Hanyu Hideki wasted no time asking them if they needed any help.

After just a few words, the waiter had just brought the food to the table, and Hanyu Hideki had easily solved the other party's problem.

Many of the things that seemed difficult to the two of them could be solved by Hideki Hanyu by spending a little money.

So when the wine was served, Hideki Hanyu raised his glass directly and spoke to Richard and his wife, as well as Kate Beckinsale who glanced at him from time to time.

"I wish you a successful musical performance."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Hanyu."

Several people clinked glasses and drank together.

Putting down the cup, Hanyu Hideki stood up and said, "Now that the problem has been solved, I have other things to do next, so I'll excuse myself for now."

Although the English roses in front of me are fresh and tender, they are too fresh and not yet ready to be picked.

So after completing what he promised the prince, he was too lazy to deal with it any further.

But at this moment, Richard on the other side said, "Mr. Hanyu, I have something to ask of you."

Hanyu Hideki stopped and asked, "Please go ahead."

Richard glanced at his daughter next to him and said, "Mr. Hanyu's new book launch ceremony will be held the day after tomorrow. Can I take my daughter to attend?
My daughter actually loves writing very much and also wants to pursue a career in writing. She started writing at the age of thirteen and has won an award in a young writers competition for her writing.

In fact, Kate was reading your work "Brigitte" before. If she can attend your new book launch ceremony, it will be a great honor for her and will be a great encouragement to her. "

Hearing this, Hanyu Hideki turned to look at Kate Beckinsale who was full of expectation. On the surface, he began to show a hesitant expression, but he was thinking in his heart.

If I hadn't traveled through time and knew that your daughter became an actress, I would have believed what you said.

But in the end, he pretended to hesitate and then answered with a gentle smile.

"I'll have my assistant contact you."

(End of this chapter)