Traveling Through the Tokyo Bubble Era

Chapter 1051 Women's Competition

Kensaku Naito's rise to prominence within the Naito family surprised not only those within the family but also sparked much discussion outside the family.

At this point, no one cared about how the defeated person felt; everyone was very curious about how Naito Kensaku would inherit the Naito family's rights in Itochū Corporation.

However, at this seemingly crucial moment, Haruko Naito, a member of the Naito family, chose to withdraw and no longer pay attention to the subsequent developments.

After all, for Haruko Naito, her biggest goal was to get revenge on her father in this matter.

As for her uncle, Kensaku Naito, whether he was ultimately elected chairman of Itochu Corporation was of little significance to her, and she didn't care at all.

His remarks at the family meeting were merely to express his stance on behalf of Hideki Hanyu.

Haruko Naito, who now personally oversees New Moon Trading, no longer values ​​the family business as much.

Therefore, after the family meeting ended and she vented her emotions by talking about the scumbag, Haruko Naito threw herself into her work at Shingetsu Trading the next day.

Now at Crescent Trading, he not only has to worry about the development of his original business, but recently he has been extremely busy with the energy business.

In addition, the task that Hideki Yuzuru had just arranged for her, to go to South America with the Origin Group to intercept the Aso family's investment, also involved the mining and natural gas sectors.

At this point, Haruko Naito was so busy that she didn't want to sleep at all, spending all her time in the office. She had no time to care about other people's futures.

However, Haruko Naito didn't care, but Hideki Hanyu couldn't.

Having already placed his bet on Kensaku Naito, he had to help Naito succeed, otherwise his previous investment would be wasted.

Moreover, after the change in political strategy, Hideki Habu no longer merely watched as Itochu Corporation connected with Mr. Hatoyama, but actively participated in the process.

In this situation, he still has many things to worry about after saying goodbye to Haruko Naito.

After all, there were some detailed operations that he was really reluctant to entrust to his subordinates.

However, at that moment, news from America forced him to temporarily put aside his work in Japan and head to America to promote the movie "Home Alone".

To be precise, it's simultaneously promoting his new picture book and his movie.

Because in a phone call from Hollywood, Universal Pictures president Alan Horn almost pleaded with him.

"Boss, whether Universal Pictures can become the highest-grossing film company in Hollywood this year depends on whether Home Alone can succeed, so we need you."

With such a heavy responsibility looming over him, even though Hideki Hanyu didn't care about his picture book sales at all and knew very well that the "Home Alone" movie would definitely be a success, he still had to act like a boss.

Otherwise, if the entire company, from top to bottom, is working hard, but the boss acts indifferent, it will have an immeasurable impact on the morale of the entire enterprise.

Therefore, Hideki Hanyu had to make a last-minute trip to North America.

December 6th, Thursday, North American time.

After a flight of more than ten hours, Hideki Hanyu's private jet, "Cloud Top," finally landed safely at Los Angeles International Airport.

However, although this trip was arranged at the last minute, Hideki Hanyu was able to add two passengers to the Cloud Boat by Asako Hirohashi, who knew about his itinerary.

One of them is Kanako Higuchi, who moved to the Yunshang Group due to debt problems.

One is Chikako Aoyama, whose career was changed by Hideki Hanyu and who never went to Hong Kong again.

(Illustration by Kanako Higuchi & Chikako Aoyama)

Hirohashi Asako arranged for these two women to travel with Hideki Hanyu, certainly not to provide extra benefits for the scumbag's America trip.

To be precise, it was actually Iijima Michi's decision to arrange for the two women to travel with Hideki Hanyu, but it was Hirohashi Asako who told Hideki Hanyu about it.

The two women's trip to America had only one main purpose: to try and find opportunities there.

With the continued slump in the Japanese film market, even well-funded companies like Cloud Entertainment have had to make the decision to reduce the number of projects they produce.

If cloud-based entertainment is like this, it's easy to imagine how difficult it must be for other film studios to operate.

In this situation, it's inevitable that actors will struggle to find roles and face limitations in their career development.

Most Japanese film actors face a choice: either change careers or tough it out. Hopefully, this film industry downturn will end soon.

For Cloud Entertainment, which has successfully opened up overseas markets and is more controlled by Universal Pictures, helping its actors develop overseas has become a new direction.

Higuchi Kanako and Aoyama Chikako were the two trial stones that Iijima Michi carefully considered and carefully selected before finally throwing out.

The former has an elegant temperament and outstanding acting skills, while the latter is mature, sexy, and has a hot figure. They can definitely try different development paths.

As for what the group should do, Hirohashi Asako and Iijima Michi chose to trust Hanyu Hideki.

After all, when Hideki Hanyu recommended Sayuri Yoshinaga to participate in the Cloud Pictures project last time, although the box office results weren't great, Sayuri Yoshinaga's image and acting skills were still recognized by some film critics.

As for Hideki Hanyu's opinion on this?

Of course, it's not a good idea to watch it.

Asian actors might get by with minor roles in Hollywood, but establishing themselves there is extremely difficult.

Whether or not you have career aspirations, the outcome is the same.

The best approach, of course, is to play a minor, memorable role, gain exposure through the media, then promote it back in Japan, re-import it domestically, and ultimately make money in Japan.

Hideki Hanyu could more or less guess why Michi Iijima did this.

The pressure of internal competition, as well as the expectations of others, made Michi Iijima always eager to achieve success in the international arena.

Unfortunately, his personal development experience and vision limited Iijima Michi, making many of his arrangements seem somewhat inappropriate.

The only way to wake them up is to let them hit a wall.

Therefore, when bringing Kanako Higuchi and Chikako Aoyama to America, Hideki Hanyu did not intend to do things his own way, but was genuinely prepared to give the two a chance to prove everything.

Of course, given the scumbag's character, something was bound to happen on the way to America with two beautiful women he was involved with on a private jet.

All I can say is that flying is a long and comfortable experience, covering thousands of miles in a single day.

After leaving the airport, Hideki Hanyu got into the extended Rolls-Royce that had come to pick him up and headed straight for the Red Maple Manor where he would be resting that night.

As for Kanako Higuchi and Chikako Aoyama, they naturally stayed at the Red Maple Manor with him.

Hideki Hanyu's upcoming schedule is not complicated and the time commitment is not long.

Tomorrow, December 7th, the world premiere of "Home Alone" will be held at the Hollywood Chinese Theatre, and Hideki Hanyu will naturally be attending.

On December 8th, Hideki Hanyu will hold his usual Red Maple Manor party, which he does every time he comes to Los Angeles.

He will undoubtedly invite West Coast celebrities and dignitaries, as well as industry insiders, to socialize and network, in order to maintain his presence.

Next, Hideki Hanyu will stay in Los Angeles for two more days to handle some matters that require his attention.

On December 11th, Hideki Hanyu will travel to the East Coast, where he will hold a launch event for his new picture book in cooperation with the publisher, and participate in an official event of the American Library Association.

With that, his trip to America is over. He is expected to return to Japan around the 15th, just in time for the election of the chairman of Itochu Corporation.

Time is tight and tasks are heavy.

So as soon as Hideki Hanyu got off the plane, he started getting uncontrollably busy.

On the way to Red Maple Manor, Hideki Hanyu was on the phone the entire time.

The longest call of the night was with Universal Pictures CEO Alan Horn.

Because Hideki Hanyu arrived in Los Angeles too late, it was too late to go to the Universal headquarters to discuss work.

Therefore, Alan Horn could only report on the company's recent situation to Hideki Hanyu by phone, and also inform him of some arrangements for the premiere of "Home Alone" the next day. After entering the Red Maple Manor, Hideki Hanyu had just hung up the phone with Alan Horn when Fred Webber called immediately.

These two top executives from Universal Pictures seemed to have conspired together, showing no intention of letting Hideki Hanyu, who had just landed, rest.

Fred Weber, who was mainly in charge of production, called Hideki Hanyu primarily to reciprocate his production efforts.

Of course, the film that Hideki Hanyu values ​​most is "Jurassic Park," which he collaborated on with Spielberg.

However, Fred Webber's first report was not about this project, but about Terminator 2, directed by James Cameron.

As expected, the truck driver displayed his talent beyond the budget.

This forced Fred Weber to complain bitterly to Hideki Hanyu over the phone.

"James' movie had only been in production for three weeks when he told me he was out of money and asked for an additional $30 million in budget, which would bring the total production cost of Terminator to $100 million."

"That's really going too far."

Although this was within Hideki Hanyu's expectations, as the boss, he still had to stand on the same side as the producer when faced with the director's overspending.

Hideki Yuzuru agreed verbally, but he was already sitting on the sofa in the living room of the Red Maple Manor.

He gestured to his assistant to put away his belongings while reassuring Fred Weber on the other end of the phone.

"I know Cameron's actions have put you in a difficult position, but filming has already begun, and we cannot afford to give up halfway."

Moreover, according to the reports from the visual effects technicians, James Cameron's funds were mainly used for special effects scenes, so it can't be said that the funds were wasted.

Of course, like you, I don't support directors squandering the budget.

Therefore, even if we increase the budget, we must demonstrate the appropriate attitude and not let James Cameron think that we will indulge him indefinitely.

"Hey……"

Fred Weber on the other end of the phone sighed, then said helplessly, "That's actually what I was thinking too."

"Fred, don't feel pressured about this. I will explain the budget increase to the Green Light Committee. You won't need to take responsibility."

Hideki Hanyu took the initiative to take responsibility.

Because he knew very well that Terminator 2 would be a huge success.

Especially in Asia, although the box office of this film was not as exaggerated as that of the later "Titanic", it was as historically significant as "Jurassic Park".

These two films showcased Hollywood's special effects technology and industrial filmmaking advantages to the fullest, sounding the clarion call for Hollywood's global expansion.

Especially given the backdrop of the Gulf War breaking out next year and the collapse of the Big Brother, this demonstrates Hollywood's formidable strength in the cultural sphere.

Compared to other regional films of the same period, at least on a technical level, the unimaginable liquid robots on the big screen completely delivered a game-changer.

It can be said that from then on, Hollywood movies gradually became a symbol of popular culture on the international stage.

Therefore, even if James Cameron goes over budget again, Hideki Hanyu will still continue to support the production of this film.

Who can blame him when, in this timeline, the creator of this film is Universal, which he controls?

With the addition of the next "Jurassic Park," Hideki Hanyu is ready to deliver a double blow to the global film market.

"Thank you, sir."

Fred Weber expressed his sincere gratitude.

Having a boss who dares to take responsibility and proactively shoulder pressure, instead of shifting blame onto subordinates, is a lucky thing for any employee.

"Now that we've finished talking about Terminator, I'm curious to know how the talks with Spielberg went regarding Jurassic Park?"

Hideki Hanyu asked the question that concerned him most.

"I was going to tell you this too. All negotiations with Spielberg regarding his terms have concluded, and we've ultimately agreed to give him..."

Next, Fred Weber gave Hideki Hanyu a detailed report on the collaboration with Spielberg.

Although it is still the treatment of a top Hollywood director, compared to the other timeline, all kinds of benefits have been cut in half.

For example, Spielberg's exorbitant demand for 20% of the revenue was cut to 8%, but his direct salary was increased in return.

By the time Fred Webber gave his report, Hideki Hanyu's entourage had already packed their belongings and said their goodbyes.

Seeing this, Hideki Yuzuru waved to Chikako Aoyama, who had just finished touring the Red Maple Manor, and signaled her to come over.

As soon as the beauty approached, Hideki Hanyu immediately pulled her into his arms.

What makes Chikako Aoyama so appealing to scumbags is undoubtedly her strong ambition for her career.

Hideki Hanyu was so fond of it on his private jet that he would take every opportunity to play with it.

The same is true today.

While one hand was making a phone call, the other hand was already at work.

After finishing his conversation about Spielberg and the preparations for "Jurassic Park," Fred Webber prepared to hang up and say goodbye.

At this moment, Hideki Hanyu spoke up and asked a question.

"I brought two Japanese actresses with me to Japan this time, hoping to find opportunities in Hollywood. Do you have any promising projects coming up lately?"

Before Hideki Hanyu could even respond to his statement, Fred Weber had already said it.

The slightly dazed look in Aoyama Chikako's eyes instantly cleared up.

After all, she and Kanako Higuchi both knew very well why they had been chosen to come to Japan this time.

Whether they can achieve success in Hollywood and become international stars that others envy depends entirely on what projects Hideki Hanyu can find for them.

At the same time, Kanako Higuchi, who had not been nearby just moments before, suddenly appeared, seemingly having also heard Hideki Hanyu's words.

The fact that these two were chosen to scout ahead means that their English proficiency is certainly sufficient.

Hearing that Hideki Yuzuru was helping them find projects, even though nothing was confirmed yet, the two had already begun to secretly compete with each other.

After all, as people in the industry, they can distinguish between having projects and good projects.

Higuchi Kanako, who had just arrived, glanced at Hideki Hanyu, who was on the phone, and then at the movement of his other hand. She knew that Aoyama Chikako had already used her own advantages to gain the upper hand.

If she wants to win Hideki Hanyu's favor, she must outdo Chikako Aoyama.

The next moment, Kanako Higuchi's gaze fell downwards.

"The projects you mentioned are all quite good, but I'd like to see the actual scripts. How about I take them to Cloud Pictures tomorrow, and then... uh..."

Hideki Hanyu, who was speaking to Fred Webber, suddenly let out a strange soft exclamation.

Fred Weber asked with concern, "Boss, what happened?"

"It's okay, see you tomorrow."

Hideki Yuzuru hung up the phone hastily, looked down at Kanako Higuchi kneeling on the ground acting strangely, and said irritably.

"You really are something else."

(End of this chapter)