Traveling Through the Tokyo Bubble Era

Chapter 1078 The Number One Brother of the Cloud System

"President Yuzuru, good afternoon."

The moment Hideki Hanyu got out of the car, he heard Koichi Minato's familiar voice.

Immediately afterwards, I saw the impressive array of people at the entrance of Fuji Television's main building.

This was the biggest welcome he'd ever received at Fuji Television, given that he's visited so many times.

It can only be said that in the past, they were always surprise attacks, or they came for the sake of a beautiful woman.

This time, however, there was a genuine advance notice, stating the purpose of the visit: to come as the "boss" in a very formal capacity.

As soon as Koichi's greeting fell, the others followed in unison, bowing respectfully to Hideki Yuzuru.

Hideki Hanyu smiled and nodded in response, maintaining impeccable composure.

There was a camera right next to him, clearly intending to record his award ceremony trip, and maybe even make it into a documentary or something to be broadcast.

In this situation, Hideki Hanyu naturally had to take things more seriously.

After exchanging greetings, Hideki Hanyu addressed the group.

"It's so cold, let's go inside and talk."

After saying that, Hideki Hanyu started walking and headed into Fuji Television.

Koichi Minato followed closely behind, pointing out the direction to Hideki Hanyu.

The others followed after Hideki Hanyu and Koichi Minato, and the group headed towards the conference room where the awards ceremony would be held.

Once everyone had gone inside, Norika Fujiwara was then escorted by her assistant, Akemi Yasukawa, out of a black Audi following behind the Rolls-Royce and walked towards the Fuji Television office building.

Although Fujiwara Norika had just completed her 30-minute assessment in the apartment, Hanyu Hideki agreed to bring her to Fuji TV.

Even if he agreed, Hideki Hanyu couldn't possibly ride with her openly like a female companion and then make a public appearance.

For the time being, Norika Fujiwara's value is not enough to warrant Hideki Hanyu doing this.

Hideki Hanyu knew perfectly well why Norika Fujiwara had come to Fuji Television.

These women, blinded by fame and fortune, always want more, are never satisfied with the present, and only think about how to achieve instant success.

Hideki Hanyu paid no attention to Norika Fujiwara following behind him, and focused on chatting with Koichi Minato who was accompanying him.

"Haoyi looks good; it seems he had a good rest during his vacation."

Gang Haoyi bowed slightly and said, "I must thank you for your generosity, Chairman, for allowing me to take my family to your private estate in Hawaii for a vacation. My family and I had a great time, and my wife has been wanting to thank you in person."

"As long as Hao Yi is happy, there's no need for thanks. Anyway, I don't have time to visit Baisha Bay Manor, so I'm just killing time."

Hideki Hanyu spoke with great magnanimity.

In reality, she was politely declining to meet with Ganghao's family.

Although he valued Hong Haoyi highly, he did not intend to involve himself in too much personal emotion outside of work, especially not to have any contact with his family.

If Hao Yi, a future porter of the province, makes a mistake, the matter will be handled with consideration for past relationships.

It can only be said that Hideki Hanyu is now considering things more and more like a pure capitalist.

After discussing the more personal topic, Hideki Hanyu immediately followed up by asking, "The ratings for Tokyo Love Story have broken 20, right?"

Gang Hao nodded and replied, "Yes, Chairman, the exact number is twenty-one."

"Since Tokyo Love Story has laid such a good foundation, you must make good use of it and turn the Monday 9 PM slot into Fuji TV's prime time slot."

Upon hearing Hideki Hanyu say this, Koichi Minato quickly responded, "I and other senior executives at the TV station are considering the same thing. The drama series that will take over the time slot of Tokyo Love Story has officially begun preparations. The script is personally crafted by Eriko Kitagawa, the head of the Yunying Film Planning and Screenwriting Department."

"It's been a while since I've seen Kitagawa-san."

Hideki Hanyu spoke with a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection).

Today, the Yunying Film Planning and Screenwriting Department, whether it was the initial training of personnel in the advertising planning department or the later liquidation and reorganization of the Songzhu faction, was all driven by him.

It can be said that he single-handedly built this department.

Eriko Kitagawa, the ace screenwriter in her previous life, is now considered half a disciple of Hideki Habu.

Unfortunately, as Hideki Hanyu stopped participating in frontline work, gradually reduced his involvement in the company's operations and management, and even rarely participated in the company's large-scale events, the opportunities to meet with these elderly people became increasingly rare.

Upon hearing this, Gang Haoyi quickly asked, "Chairman, should I inform Minister Kitagawa to report to you on the preparations for the new drama?"

Hideki Hanyu waved his hand, "Let's not interfere with her normal work."

At this point, the group arrived at the large conference room specially prepared for the awards ceremony.

This place is considered the largest public space at Fuji Television.

Besides serving as a large conference room, it is also often used as a media hall for press conferences.

The idea of ​​using one room for multiple purposes sounds good, but it also indirectly reflects the cramped space at the Fuji Television headquarters.

No wonder Fuji Television chose to relocate to Odaiba in another timeline.

With this in mind, Hideki Hanyu felt that he should speed things up in Odaiba.

I'm meeting Yoshiaki Tsutsumi tomorrow.

This ruthless man would never have asked to see him if he hadn't encountered some difficulties.

So if I'm not mistaken, he'll definitely be able to take a huge chunk of flesh from Yoshiaki Tsutsumi tomorrow.

The terms he agreed to in the contract when he provided funds to Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, such as what he would be mortgaged in case the market ran into problems and the investment could not be recovered, were not arbitrary conditions he set out to make.

Hideki Hanyu had been waiting for this moment, using those conditions to force Yoshiaki Tsutsumi to make a choice.

Is it a case of sacrificing a pawn to save the king, or is it really a case of bleeding money into the bank?

However, even if the plan goes smoothly, things in Odaiba shouldn't be rushed in the short term.

After all, he wasn't just planning to acquire a piece of land in Taichung.

What he wanted to implement was a massive plan that, even if told now, probably no one would believe.

So for now, Fuji Television will have to make do with working here.

Moreover, even if it is relocated to Odaiba, considering the overall planning, it is estimated that the classic headquarters building design of Fuji Television, which often appears in anime, will probably not appear in this timeline.

However, considering that both Cloud Entertainment and Elf Entertainment rent headquarters buildings for their offices, it's really not a big deal for Fuji Television to suffer this injustice.

With that thought in mind, Hideki Hanyu followed Koichi Minato into the conference room.

Next, following the pre-prepared procedure, the awards for "Tokyo Love Story" were presented.

As the president, Hideki Hanyu inevitably had to give a speech that wasn't very informative.

It's simply about looking back at Fuji Television's past glories, acknowledging its current achievements, and envisioning an even brighter future.

While naming the main performers, we should also take this opportunity to thank our partners.

After the opening ceremony, the next step was the specific awards ceremony.

Now that we've finished with the pointless talk, it's time to reward everyone with something practical.

When Hideki Hanyu "condescended" to approach the first Fuji Television executive to receive the award, his assistant immediately presented him with a pre-prepared gift.

When a big shot like Hideki Hanyu intervenes, he naturally offers the most direct benefits.

It was an enlarged version of a check that read ten million yen.

Hideki Hanyu knew that everyone worked hard just to make money, so he didn't bother with any of those superficial things and just gave them whatever they wanted.

As soon as the check for ten million was presented, Hideki Hanyu immediately felt the gazes of those waiting for the reward become intense.

This is exactly the effect Hideki Hanyu wanted.

The wages of avarice is death.

Hideki Hanyu isn't afraid of his subordinates loving money; he's afraid of his subordinates not loving money.

Coincidentally, the first person to receive the award was none other than Taro Okada, the head of the drama department at the production bureau. Just as Taro Okada bowed ninety degrees and accepted the enlarged check from Hideki Hanyu with both hands with utmost respect, his wife, Sayuri Yoshinaga, standing beside him, also bowed to Hideki Hanyu.

"Thank you very much, Chairman Yuzuru." The couple expressed their gratitude in unison.

Hideki Hanyu patted Taro Okada on the shoulder and said, "Minister Okada, I hope you will continue your efforts and achieve even better results for Fuji Television."

"President, I will definitely do my best," Okada Taro immediately promised.

Hideki Hanyu then looked at Sayuri Yoshinaga, who was standing next to Taro Okada.

"Mrs. Okada, after the awards ceremony, I have something I need to discuss with you, something about work-related collaboration."

When Sayuri Yoshinaga heard Hideki Hanyu address her in that way, she felt a strange sensation.

Especially when she saw Hideki Yuzuru address her in that way, a strong sense of aggression flashed in his eyes, which made her instinctively want to find a reason to refuse.

But she also knew very well that she had no right to refuse Hideki Hanyu, especially not in this kind of situation.

And before she could even speak, Okada Taro, who was standing next to her, preemptively offered his opinion.

He said with an honored expression, "It is my wife's honor to be able to personally discuss cooperation with Chairman Yuzuru."

Upon hearing Okada Taro say this, Hideki Hanyu's smile immediately brightened.

I also noticed that the other person's hair, illuminated by the light, seemed to have a strange green glow.

However, given the occasion, he still offered a few more words of explanation.

"This collaboration actually comes from Hollywood. Although Mrs. Okada's last Hollywood film did not perform well at the box office, it received very good professional reviews, so we considered collaborating again."

Upon hearing Hideki Hanyu's words, Taro Okada's face was filled with joy.

Meanwhile, the other celebrities waiting around all looked at Sayuri Yoshinaga with envy.

After all, developing a career in Hollywood is the ultimate dream for many Japanese artists.

Sayuri Yoshinaga, a veteran actress of great stature, has not only achieved great success in Japan, but has also gained recognition in Hollywood. How can one not envy her?

Even Sayuri Yoshinaga forgot her fear of Hideki Hanyu at this moment, and couldn't help but feel more expectant of the cooperation that Hideki Hanyu had proposed.

However, Hideki Hanyu stopped there and did not waste any more time with Sayuri Yoshinaga. He turned around and walked toward the next person to receive an award.

This caused a hint of disappointment to flash in Sayuri Yoshinaga's eyes, who wanted to learn more.

It can only be said that women are unpredictable creatures.

She was just afraid that Hideki Hanyu had ill intentions, but now that he was ignoring her, she felt a little resentful.

Hideki Hanyu, who paid no attention to Sayuri Yoshinaga's feelings, continued his awarding process.

However, the people who came after him did not receive as much of the prize money as Taro Okada.

After all, Japan is a society that values ​​seniority and hierarchy, and Okada Taro, as the leader, received the highest honor.

No matter how important the role played by those who came after in "Tokyo Love Story," they could never receive more recognition than Taro Okada.

Soon, after the staff finished their commendation, it was the turn of the main creators of "Tokyo Love Story".

First is Fuji Television producer Akira Taira.

In later evaluations, she was Fuji TV's ace producer, whose works, including "Rhapsody of Love," "Tokyo Love Story," and "The 101st Proposal," were hailed as the love trilogy that laid the foundation for Fuji TV's prime-time "Getsu-9" slot.

This person even served as the head of the production department at Fuji Television for a time.

However, at this stage, although Akira is a top producer, he has not yet reached the heights he later achieved, so the check given by Hideki Hanyu is only five million yen.

This number is the same as that of Kozo Nagayama, the director of "Tokyo Love Story".

Compared to Akira Ota, Kozo Nagayama is also a top director at Fuji Television.

Aside from "Tokyo Love Story," Noriko Sakai's breakthrough film "Under One Roof" and "Long Vacation," starring Takuya Kimura and Tomoko Yamaguchi, were all directed by her.

These three TV dramas are also hailed as the three pinnacle representative works of the golden age of Japanese dramas in the 1990s.

It can only be said that Fuji Television has an incredibly strong talent pool. With such a wealth of experience, any one of them is a brilliant talent, which explains why it was able to dominate the scene in the 1990s.

Kozo Nagayama later rose to the position of deputy director of the production department, becoming a high-ranking executive at Fuji Television, just like Akira Ota.

After commending the two top executives of the production team, Hideki Hanyu then proceeded to commend the main actors of "Tokyo Love Story".

The lead actor, Yuji Oda, is now the male artist with the best career development on Cloud Entertainment, bar none.

F4 rose to fame with their role as Dao Ming Si in "Meteor Garden," and their popularity swept across Asia.

At its peak, its popularity was unmatched, even by SHINee, the most popular group among the younger generation of artists in the Yunshang Group.

After focusing on his acting career, he partnered with Ayumi Hamasaki to play the male lead, Daikichi Kawachi, in the film adaptation of Hideki Hanyu's novel "The Falling Rabbit." With its excellent reputation and box office success, he successfully completed his transformation.

Following that, Yuji Oda teamed up with Kyoka Suzuki again to star in "My Sassy Girl," adapted from Hideki Hanyu's novel, which became a hit throughout Asia and solidified his position in the industry.

After many years, he returned to television dramas and ended up participating in the hugely popular "Tokyo Love Story," which made Yuji Oda more than just the top male star of the Yunshang Group.

Even looking at the entire Japanese entertainment industry, disregarding seniority and only considering influence and commercial value, no other male actor can surpass him.

Hideki Hanyu's attitude towards this top cash cow among male celebrities in the "cloud" (referring to a certain type of male celebrity) is quite good.

Although, due to his seniority and status, the maximum reward Hideki Hanyu could give to the other party was only four million yen.

Given Oda Yuji's income, four million yen might not be a significant amount of money for him.

But it's not about the amount of money, but about the affirmation in terms of numbers.

This proves that Oda Yuji's status in the entire production team was second only to the producer and director.

Of course, no matter how popular Oda Yuji is now, he remains extremely respectful when facing Hanyu Hideki.

This is not just because of Hideki Hanyu's status, but because Yuji Oda always remembered that it was because of Hideki Hanyu's recommendation that he was able to star in "Boys Over Flowers", "Falling Rabbit", and "My Sassy Girl".

Oda Yuji could never forget this kindness and recognition.

That's why, during last year's contract renewal negotiations among the four members of "F4", Yuji Oda was the first to sign a contract.

After praising his top "general," Hideki Yuzuru asked him questions in a familiar manner.

"I heard from Iijima-san that you've been going to MF Records a lot lately. Are you considering forming a band again?"

Yuji Oda is a rock music enthusiast, as Hideki Hanyu knew in his previous life.

"I was just asking casually. I'm too busy with work, and even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have the time."

When Oda Yuji spoke, he scratched his head with a rather simple and honest gesture.

To have achieved his current status in the entertainment industry, Oda Yuji certainly couldn't be a complete idiot.

The reason he acted this way was simply to put on a show for Hideki Hanyu, so that Hideki Hanyu would think he was an honest and simple person.

Hideki Hanyu naturally saw through this little scheme but kept it to himself.

"It's okay to have fun. Work is important, but hobbies are just as important. Otherwise, life would be too boring."

Hideki Hanyu offered a few words of encouragement to Yuji Oda, and then went to reward the next person.

The second male lead is still Yosuke Eguchi from the Cloud Sect.

He debuted on a talent show in 1986 and is one of the six members of SHINee, the most popular boy group after F4 and Sun Child under Elf Entertainment.

Although the idol industry is currently in decline, SHINee's popularity remains high.

However, for the sake of the members' development, Yunshang Entertainment has also begun to arrange transformations for several members.

Yosuke Eguchi's success with "Tokyo Love Story" laid a solid foundation for his future transition into acting.

However, compared to Yuji Oda, Hideki Hanyu and Yosuke Eguchi are not exactly familiar with each other.

The award ceremony concluded with a check, a few kind words of encouragement, and the commendation.

Next, Hideki Hanyu turned his gaze to the side, where none of the actresses from "Tokyo Love Story" came from the Yunshang Group.

(End of this chapter)