Tokyo Bubble Life

Chapters 1434 and 1443: Naoki-san has acquaintances everywhere!

Are you going to Hong Kong?

These past few days, because of the casting process, Naoki Nagayama happened to run into Muneo Matsuo who called to report on the progress.

Hearing that this guy is actually going to Hong Kong, I felt a little sentimental; he had originally planned to go there himself.
"Okay, but although Hong Kong is not a big place, the relationships there are very complicated, especially when it comes to the entertainment industry."

Naoki Nagayama said into the phone:
"Give me your address, and I'll call someone to help look after you."

After the call ended, Masataka Komori, who was standing next to him, looked completely astonished.

"Naoki-san, do you still have any acquaintances in Hong Kong?"

"I do have a few acquaintances."

Naoki Nagayama's mind conjured up the image of a certain big-nosed man. He was friends with Jackie Chan, and had even called to congratulate Nagayama Ren on his birth.
"However, there's probably only one who's really successful here in Hong Kong."

If Jackie Chan weren't now pursuing a path of kung fu comedy, which doesn't quite fit the image of a dignified boss, then casting him in "Fast & Furious" would definitely have been very popular.

Naoki Nagayama found Jackie Chan's private number in his contacts, guessing he was probably still awake, and dialed the number directly.
After a long tone, the call was connected. A noisy commotion came from the receiver, followed by a sentence in Cantonese:
"Hey? Lei Hou, where are you?"

"Jackie, I'm Naoki Nagayama!"

Naoki Nagayama spoke in Mandarin, which was very familiar to him.

"How have you been lately?"

"Ah! Nagayama-san!"

The static in the microphone decreased quickly, indicating that Jackie Chan had found another place to take the call.
"My TOEFL score is all good."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Naoki Nagayama stated his request directly:
"I have a small film crew going to Hong Kong to shoot some scenes in nightclubs and stock exchanges for 'Black Monday,' and I'd like to ask you to look after them."

This was the peak of the era of demons and monsters, and Hong Kong was in a state of chaos. Small film crews from outside Hong Kong always had to be careful in case they were extorted for protection money by some kind of powerful organization.

"So this is ah!"

Upon hearing this, Jackie Chan on the other end of the phone repeatedly assured him that there was no problem and that he would definitely arrange for someone to take care of them and even show them around Hong Kong. Only after receiving his assurance did Naoki Nagayama hang up the phone, satisfied.

Meanwhile, Masataka Komori, watching Naoki Nagayama switch freely between Japanese and Mandarin, even managing to find local connections in Hong Kong, felt his respect for his boss grow even stronger.

"Otomo-san"

Komori Masataka asked Yoshimura Otomo in a low voice,
"Does Naoki-san have such a wide network of connections?"

"Haha, Naoki-san knows people everywhere! It seems he has friends in mainland China too, otherwise how could his Mandarin be so fluent?"

Speaking of which, Yoshimura Daitomo has always been very curious about Nagayama Naoki's language ability. In Japan, Nagayama Naoki doesn't often communicate with people who speak Mandarin, so how come he uses Chinese as if it were his native language?

This habit is no longer a matter of learning ability; it requires years of consistent practice to form!
"There aren't any on the mainland."

Naoki Nagayama heard their conversation and replied with a smile.
"However, Tree Friends Capital is already preparing to invest in building a factory in mainland China. They might go there in the future!"

After these two operations, the group of investors has developed a considerable interest in the mainland, and after this wave of small commodity sales, even more people may go to Shanghai to invest.

Next, Yoshimura Daitomo showed Nagayama Naoki the potential actors for the second male lead in "Fast & Furious".

"We're still looking for female celebrities; I've heard that talent scouts have already started looking in the modeling industry."

Yoshimura Otomo retrieved the cast list from Komori Masataka. This is a male-centric film; for female actors, a single photo is sufficient, but for male actors, more is needed.
"Let's come and see the younger generation."

Naoki Nagayama picked up the resume and started flipping through it. Sure enough, many of them were people he knew. For example, male entertainers in their early twenties like Toshihiko Tahara and Shonentai were mostly male idols. After all, male actors in the Japanese entertainment industry usually don't make it big until they are 30.

After looking through it for a while, Naoki Nagayama felt it was still lacking.
"Otomo-san, this 'Fast & Furious' series might be going to last quite a while."

Setting down his resume, Naoki Nagayama explained his concerns.

"These male idols are basically all from Johnny & Associates. Their agency's corrupt practices are well-known in the industry, in case it gets exposed."

The Fast and Furious franchise revolves around male friendship and family ties; it's a purely male-centric film. If a scandal involving the male lead and Johnny Kitagawa were to suddenly surface, would the series still continue?
Naoki Nagayama vaguely remembers that around the 90s, Weekly Bunshun was about to expose this scandal, and the court actually confirmed the accuracy of the facts, but still managed to make Bunshun lose the case.
"."

At this point, Yoshimura Otomo and Komori Masataka both became serious, because this risk did indeed exist!
"A while ago, there was something going on in the publishing industry: Kita Kōji, a former member of the Clover group, was going to publish an autobiographical novel."

Naoki Nagayama continued, recounting what Kuniharu Morikawa of Shogakukan had told him during their conversation.

"It seems to involve Kitagawa's sexual abuse of his artists. It was already widely known in the publishing industry when the first draft was published!"

The literary world and the entertainment world are not the same. In Japan, the literary world is superior to the entertainment world, so Kitagawa's influence cannot be controlled too much, which is why his autobiography had the opportunity to be published.

"Such a thing actually happened?!"

Yoshimura Daitomo had never heard of him. The literary world was an arrogant and exclusive circle, and he didn't have much contact with people in the literary world.

"Yes, it might get even more troublesome later!"

The Japanese entertainment industry is a melting pot, and Naoki Nagayama never intended to be a chivalrous hero upholding justice. Besides, some entertainers are indeed willing to sacrifice their integrity and chastity for fame; even decades later, after Kitagawa's death, people still spoke highly of him.
"In that case..."

Yoshimura Hirotomo put away the male entertainers' resumes.
"Let's look for that young male actor again. Maybe we should look in other parts of Asia."

Just as Yoshimura Otomo said those words, Naoki Nagayama suddenly thought of Hong Kong, which he had mentioned earlier. It seemed that the Four Heavenly Kings—Andy Lau, Leon Lai, Aaron Kwok, and Jacky Cheung—had already debuted by then, right?
There are also many emerging male actors.
Matsuo Muneo happened to be over there.
"Or, how about we just give Matsuo-kun a little more responsibility?"

"By the way, how about we pick out an actor for the second male lead for the company?"

“Ahhh!!”

Matsuo Muneo had just stepped out of the taxi when the evening breeze from Victoria Harbour made him sneeze. He turned to look at Takeda Tomoaki, who was as rigid and robotic as a robot:
“Takeda-san, did you stay at this Peninsula Hotel last time you came?”

"Yes, this hotel has a long history and is very famous!"

Tomoaki Takeda was there to pick up the film crew. He had actually arrived in Hong Kong a day early to contact the office building property management in Victoria Harbour and make preparations for filming.

"I see."

Matsuo Muneo nodded, and once the other crew members who had taken taxis arrived, they prepared to go to the hotel together.

He even joked with Tomoaki Takeda on the way:

"Takeda-san, you can't have such a blank expression during filming. You can't always have that serious face."

"."

Tomoaki Takeda stared at Muneaki Matsuo with dead fish eyes.

"I'm just not naturally inclined to smile!"

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Matsuo Muneo immediately spoke:
"Uh... never mind!"

"."

Having once again experienced the aloofness of the chief analyst at Tree Friends Capital, Matsuo Muneo just wanted to finish filming with the crew as quickly as possible and then get back to Tokyo.
Just then, several strong and burly Hong Kong men suddenly rushed out of the hotel lobby. After looking around, they walked directly toward Matsuo Muneo and his group, surrounding them in a few seconds, creating a sense of oppression!

"!!!??"

Matsuo Muneo was stunned, and even Takeda Tomoaki, who was standing next to him, stiffened for a moment.
"How is this going?"

Matsuo Muneo asked softly,

"Did Takeda-san offend the yakuza?"

"No."

Tomoaki Takeda subconsciously shook his head. He was considered very law-abiding in Hong Kong, rarely going to nightclubs or similar establishments except for hotels and stock exchanges.
If I had to say I'd offend someone, would it be by competing with other developers when buying office space and offending the local real estate developers?

Just as the group was getting nervous and even about to call hotel security, one of the leaders stepped out:
"What are you bunch of losers doing, crowding around someone like that?!"

"Isn't it because our brother is in a hurry to find that person?"

"I didn't tell you to surround them!"

He walked up to Matsuo Muneo and greeted him in Japanese:

"Hello, are you Director Muneo Matsuo and Mr. Tomoaki Takeda? My name is Wu Qiwen, and I am a business assistant."

"Mr. Jackie Chan received a request from Mr. Naoki Nagayama and sent me to assist you with filming in Hong Kong."

"."

Wu Qiwen was actually Naoki Nagayama's translator when he first came to Hong Kong. In those days, translation was a rare profession. After Nagayama Nagayama was casting in Hong Kong, Wu Qiwen came into contact with many things in the entertainment industry and got to know Jackie Chan and others. Gradually, Wu Qiwen opened up opportunities in the entertainment industry.
Today, we serve a large number of entertainment companies aspiring to succeed in the Japanese market!

This time, they encountered a company related to Naoki Nagayama again, so Jackie Chan sent him and a few of his underlings over!

"what?"

Matsuo Sosei was stunned.
"You were sent by Naoki-san?"

“It’s Jackie Chan,” Wu Qiwen tried to explain, then shook his head. “Never mind, it’s all the same anyway. I’m here to assist you with the filming!”

"There are many rules to follow when filming in Hong Kong."

"."

Matsuo Muneo and Takeda Tomoaki exchanged a glance. Although Naoki-san hadn't mentioned who it was, he had indeed said he would find someone to take care of them.
Looking at the strong guy next to me, I suddenly felt incredibly safe!

"Thank you very much."

"Alright, let's check in together!"

Wu Qiwen led Matsuo Muneo towards the hotel, reminiscing as they walked.
"The last time Naoki Nagayama came to Hong Kong, he stayed at this same place!"

"But he's just like a local. He speaks fluent Cantonese and Mandarin and goes out by himself."

"."

At this moment, in the Yamazakura-in, Nagayama Naoki and Akina were already in their bedroom preparing to rest.

Naoki Nagayama gave the still energetic Natsuka a bath and was using a hairdryer to dry her soft hair. The hair gradually dried in Naoki's hands, looking as fluffy as a disheveled puppy.
"Hua Jiang," she said, combing the little one's hair, "would you like short hair or long hair?"

Xia Hua glanced at her father, then looked through the door at her mother breastfeeding the baby by the bedside. She was torn between two options.

"I want them all!!"

"Hana-chan is a girl, so she will definitely grow her hair long in the future."

Hearing the childish words, Naoki Nagayama didn't refute them, but instead explained,
"But they're still just kids, so it's okay."

"The weather will get hot in another month. Short hair will keep you cool a lot."

"Then I'll have short hair!"

Naoki Nagayama nodded in agreement.
"Okay, then I'll go get a haircut with Dad tomorrow!"

At this moment, Akina also heard it and quickly interjected:

"If Naoki-san needs a haircut, I'll take Hana-chan to get it done! Besides, Oka-san is at home, she can cut hair too!"

"Well"

I think I heard Akina mention that Chieko used to cut her hair when she was little, and she kept cutting it for a long time even after she debuted, and Naoki Nagayama never objected.
Naoki Nagayama led the little one, who had just had a bath, into the bedroom:
"Then let Chieko-san cut it, but I'll pass!"

"Why?!"

Akina looked over, somewhat puzzled.
"Because it would be more awkward for a man."

Naoki Nagayama returned to the washroom while speaking.

"I'm going to take a shower now~"

"."

Akina didn't understand why a man would feel embarrassed. But when she thought of her two older brothers, who stopped letting their mother come to cut their hair after high school, she suddenly understood.

Perhaps boys become more sensitive as they grow older.
Thinking this to myself, I looked at the little boy who was diligently drinking his milk:
"Will Lianjiang be like this when she grows up?"

Akina is no longer shy about breastfeeding Ren in front of Naoki Nagayama. They've had two kids, they're practically an old married couple, what haven't they seen before?!
However, at some point, Xiao Xiahua ran to the side and stared blankly at her mother breastfeeding her younger brother, her lips unconsciously pursing slightly.
Hua Jiang is almost two years old now. She's been weaned for over half a year and is gradually eating like an adult. However, she still needs occasional supplemental formula in addition to regular meals.
"Flower Jam. Is it craving milk?!"

Seeing the little guy's blank expression, Akina was both amused and exasperated.
After the second breastfeeding, Akina's breasts enlarged significantly in one area.
However, seeing Hua Jiang's appearance, I remembered that Hua Jiang would usually have a little milk before bed.
Akina patted the baby's back to help him burp, put the baby aside, and then picked up Hana-chan again.

When Naoki Nagayama came out to get a towel, he witnessed this scene and was greatly shocked:

"...Um...why is there flower sauce?"

Akina shook her head.

"Perfect timing, the flower sauce will help."

".All right"

Naoki Nagayama glanced at it, grabbed a towel, and went back to the washroom.
At night, each of them put Xiaoxia Hua and Ren to sleep, so that Naoki Nagayama and Akina could finally go to sleep.

In the dimly lit bedroom, the two adults made the bed and crawled under the covers. The faint moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the figures of the two adults embracing each other on the bed.

However, he was just holding her, and since she was still in her postpartum period, Naoki Nagayama naturally wouldn't do anything!
The dark figure on the bed shifted a few times, and faint laughter could be heard coming from it.
The Yama-oka-in Temple was completely silent.
Nothing more was said that night.