Traveling Through the Tokyo Bubble Era

Chapter 1079 It is our honor
"Suzuki-san, your performance in Tokyo Love Story was outstanding. Author Fumi Saimon praised you personally."

The Suzuki-san mentioned by Hideki Hanyu is naturally Honami Suzuki, who played the lead role of Rika Akana in "Tokyo Love Story".

Domestic fans of Japanese dramas are extremely familiar with this person.

As for Fumi Saimon, he is the original author of the manga "Tokyo Love Story".

During the golden age of Japanese dramas, the other party also created a manga that is well-known to domestic audiences, which was adapted into a TV series starring Takuya Kimura called "Love White Paper".

Although the other party collaborated with Shogakukan, they were invited to serve as a judge for this year's "Neon Seinen Manga Award".

This is also why Fumi Saimon and Hideki Hanyu spoke on the phone—to thank Hideki Hanyu for the invitation.

Putting aside their status as super-rich individuals, Hideki Hanyu and Fumi Saimon are also colleagues, having exchanged ideas at industry events in the past.

Actually, Hideki Hanyu was more familiar with Fumi Saimon's husband, Kenji Hirokane, than with Fumi Saimon, because of his past "climbing the social ladder" in the literary world. Hirokane was an author known for his political cartoons.

But that was a long time ago.

Because Hideki Hanyu hasn't been involved in the entertainment industry for a long time now.

It's not because his output has decreased,
To be precise, he simply changed his approach to networking.

In the past, when I lacked the resources, I needed to build connections and handle all the activities myself.

Now that we have the strength, we don't need to be personally involved in many things. We can simply use our various foundations or organizations, or directly sponsor things in the name of the company, in different ways.

Simply put, it means going from an ordinary participant to a major sponsor.

Thanks to his past sociability and present generosity, coupled with the achievements and honors of his works, Hideki Hanyu is still highly regarded in the industry even though he rarely makes public appearances.

Otherwise, why would Hideki Hanyu have been immediately hailed as a contemporary literary giant after the release of "I Am a Cat"?

Having said that, let's turn our attention back to Fuji Television.

After receiving praise from Hideki Hanyu, Honami Suzuki naturally expressed her gratitude respectfully.

Honami Suzuki has only recently become known to audiences for her role as Rika Akana, and her career has not yet reached its future heights.

Of course, even if you achieve that, it's useless.

For a big name like Hideki Hanyu, there is absolutely no difference in popularity.

Hideki Hanyu didn't actually have any particular thoughts about this representative actress from the golden age of Japanese dramas in his previous life.

After all, Honami Suzuki's appearance simply didn't fit his aesthetic standards.

She was better when she was young, possessing a certain gentleness.

But after a few years, as the collagen in his face is lost, he goes down the path of becoming rugged and never looks back, which is not the type that Hideki Hanyu likes at all.

In fact, when casting for "Tokyo Love Story", Hideki Hanyu had considered changing the roles, for example, having all the actors from the Yunshang Group play the part.

After all, this is a TV series that is expected to be a huge success, and appearing in it can greatly benefit an artist's career.

After much deliberation, Hideki Hanyu abandoned the idea.

First, he was unsure whether the TV series could achieve the same success after the actor was replaced.

Furthermore, in his opinion, there were no suitable candidates among the artists in the Yunshang Group, not even the most popular and versatile actress in the group, Kyoka Suzuki.

Since the two male leads are already on their side, letting the other characters share the pie is a good thing for Yunshang Entertainment.

After all, compared to the platform built by the cloud-based system and the success of Fuji TV's "Getsu-9" prime-time slot, the priority of artist management business is clearly not as high.

Thinking of this, Hideki Hanyu, who was originally looking at Honami Suzuki, couldn't help but look at the producer of the production team, Akira Tadakatsu.

Honami Suzuki was able to get this role not only because she received the approval of the original author, Fumi Saimon, but also because of the operations of her agency, Horipro.

Hori Takeo, the president of Horipro agency, has always maintained a very good personal relationship with Minato Koichi.

However, besides these, according to information revealed by the media in later years, Honami Suzuki is also maintaining a secret illicit affair with producer Akira Ota, who is already married.

However, as Honami Suzuki's popularity grew and she received more media attention, their extramarital affair could not be hidden for long.

During the peak of the bubble economy, Japanese media didn't pursue celebrity gossip too frantically, since there were too many "wonderful" things to report.

However, in this period of just-ending economic bubble, the media is also starting to have a tough time due to advertisers reducing investment and other sponsorships becoming less available.

In this situation, media outlets, in order to survive, naturally rack their brains to create big news that can attract readers.

What could be more interesting than celebrity scandals?

Therefore, starting in the early 2s, Japanese media also entered a period of rampant paparazzi activity.

Reporters, like bloodthirsty sharks, frantically chased after any sensational news that could bring them information.

Staking out, secretly filming, and tailing are just the most common methods.

For the sake of news, these entertainment reporters are even willing to disregard the law.

They used every possible means to break into private homes, including disguising themselves, scaling walls, picking locks, and stealing evidence.

Faced with such intense media pressure, virtually no celebrity could withstand the investigation, and a large number of gossip, scandals, and bombshell revelations were exposed.

After all, celebrities aren't like Hideki Hanyu; they don't have the power to silence reporters with a snap of their fingers or a few warnings.

Honami Suzuki and Akira Ota's illicit affair was exposed under these circumstances.

After quietly observing the situation, Hideki Hanyu withdrew his gaze, handed the three million yen check to Honami Suzuki, and then went to reward the remaining two actresses.

Those are Arimori Yumi and Chido Akiho, who played supporting female roles in the drama.

When Hideki Hanyu praised the former, he immediately sensed the deep resentment in the eyes of Arimori Yami, who seemed like a well-behaved girl.

(Illustration by Arimori Yumi)
There's nothing we can do; it's just that scumbag Hideki Hanyu took advantage of her and then disappeared without a trace.

Although Hideki Hanyu helped Arimori Yami secure a role that originally belonged to her in order to avoid any unexpected situations, it is an undeniable fact that he has not contacted her again for so long.

However, as a seasoned scumbag, Hideki Hanyu has long since mastered the skill of passing through a sea of ​​women without getting a single petal on him.

No matter how resentful Arimori's eyes were, the scumbag's expression remained unmoved.

On the contrary, Hideki Hanyu was more enthusiastic when he praised the last actress, Akiho Chido.

At the reception held by Cloud Entertainment, Yukio Moriyama, the president of Artist House Pyramid, took the initiative to introduce Akiho Chido to him.

But at that time, Chido Akiho did not quite fit his aesthetic.

Who would have thought that after starring in "Tokyo Love Story", this actress's appearance and temperament would undergo an unexpected change.

In addition to being cute and sexy, she also possesses a touch of mature aloofness, which suddenly piques the interest of scumbags.

(Illustrated by Qian Tang Qiu Sui)

Interestingly, just as Hideki Hanyu handed the check to Akiho Chido and shook hands to express his gratitude, he felt a gentle touch on his palm from the girl.

The scumbag remained outwardly calm, merely giving the other person a meaningful look before moving on to the next stage of praise.

That means dealing with the representatives of each partner.

For example, the presidents of the agencies behind the actresses, and the executives of the brands that sponsored the TV series, etc.

Hideki Yuzuru dealt with these people of such rank with ease.

In addition, Hideki Hanyu also instructed Koichi Minato to ensure that the rewards and compensations for those who were absent today were properly provided.

For example, the original author Fumi Saimon and screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto were unable to attend due to other commitments.

Once all this is done, this awards ceremony, which started because of "Tokyo Love Story," will be completely over.

After a brief exchange with Koichi Minato, Hideki Hanyu went to the office that Fuji Television had prepared for him.

Norika Fujiwara, who came to Fuji TV with him, watched the whole thing silently before following Hideki Hanyu to his office.

Seeing that her assistant, Akemi Yasukawa, hadn't entered the office, Norika Fujiwara, who felt she had a chance to make a request, entered the office but before she could actually speak, she discovered that there were other people in the office.

They were two identical twin sisters, dressed in Chanel women's suits and pencil skirts. They were young, beautiful, and had outstanding temperament, looking both pretty and capable.

Upon seeing Hideki Hanyu appear, the two sisters completely disregarded Norika Fujiwara's presence behind them and snuggled into his arms, one on each side.

One of them even kissed Hideki Hanyu passionately.

Given this behavior, it goes without saying who it is.

The Sekimoto sisters have now officially joined the board of directors of Fuji Television.

The one who kissed Hideki Hanyu in front of outsiders was his younger sister, Megumi Sekimoto.

The older sister, Natsumi Sekimoto, glanced at the somewhat surprised Norika Fujiwara and asked Hideki Hanyu in a gentle tone.

"Hanyu-san, who is this young lady?"

Upon hearing this, Hideki Hanyu, who had just released the seal of Megumi Motomoto, casually introduced her.

"Ms. Norika Fujiwara, she's an artist signed by President Suo."

Upon hearing that she was an artist from Burning Production, the Sekimoto sisters couldn't help but glance at Norika Fujiwara a couple more times.

Even though the Sekibatsu sisters didn't need to fear Ikuo Suoh because of Hideki Hanyu's protection, they were well aware of the power of this entertainment industry mogul.

Artists with a "burning" style naturally have to pay attention to certain things.

So after Hideki Hanyu finished his introduction, the two of them immediately greeted Norika Fujiwara.

Seeing their behavior, Hideki Hanyu knew that they had misunderstood each other.

Although Norika Fujiwara is an artist under Burning Production, she is not actually valued by Ikuo Suo because she is signed with the Kansai branch.

However, he was too lazy to explain at this point.

Moreover, seeing Norika Fujiwara standing there like a third wheel, he just wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible.

He released his arms from the Sekimoto sisters and walked up to Norika Fujiwara to ask.

"Have you thought it through? Have you decided what you want?"

Norika Fujiwara hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped, clearly unsure of what to say. Hideki Hanyu frowned impatiently, "I thought you came to Fuji Television with me hoping to find opportunities here. How about I help you find a role in a TV drama?"

To everyone's surprise, Norika Fujiwara immediately shook her head and said, "My acting skills aren't good enough for TV dramas right now."

Hideki Hanyu was somewhat surprised. "I didn't expect you to have some self-awareness."

Norika Fujiwara thought for a moment and said, "If possible, I would like to stay in the modeling industry for now."

"model?"

Hideki Yuzuru pondered for a moment before speaking.

"How about this? I'll give you an ad with Uniqlo, and then I'll get you a spot in the Sapporo show at this year's OGC fashion show. Whether you can seize the opportunity depends on your own performance."

Upon hearing Hideki Hanyu's suggestion, Norika Fujiwara didn't hesitate for long and simply bowed in gratitude.

"Thank you, Mr. Yuzuru."

"You're welcome, you deserve it."

As Hideki Yuzuru spoke, he took out his checkbook, wrote down a number, tore it off, and slapped it into the other person's hand.

"This is a reward for you that satisfies me. Go buy some clothes you can wear out, then find a place to stay in Tokyo. Someone will contact you about work later."

"No... I'm very grateful, sir."

Norika Fujiwara looked at the check in her hand, her voice filled with barely suppressed surprise.

The reason for this was the long string of zeros on the check, which she had to count several times to confirm—a full ten million yen.

Norika Fujiwara watched the entire award ceremony and knew that the famous producer in the industry had only received the same amount of money as her.

The other party did so because they produced a TV series with a viewership rating of over 20%.

And she only did it because of last night...

Thinking of this, Norika Fujiwara looked at Hideki Hanyu with burning eyes.

She finally understood why so many women wanted to get close to Hideki Hanyu.

Handsome, generous, and magnanimous...

Aside from being a womanizer, he was a man with almost no flaws.

However, when faced with the burning gaze of Norika Fujiwara, Hideki Hanyu waved his hand impatiently.

"Alright, stop looking at me and go do your thing."

Norika Fujiwara quickly asked, "May I contact you, sir?"

"I'm very busy, so don't contact me unless it's important. I'll contact you if I need anything."

After Hideki Yuzuru refused without hesitation, he opened the office door and gestured for him to enter.

Seeing this, Norika Fujiwara had no choice but to obediently take her leave.

After Norika Fujiwara left and the office door closed again, the Sekimoto sisters immediately resumed their obsessive pursuit.

However, before anything could happen, the phone on the table rang.

Hideki Hanyu answered the phone, and his assistant, Akemi Yasukawa, spoke through the phone.

"Chairman, Mrs. Okada requests an audience."

The "Mrs. Okada" that Akimi Yasukawa mentioned was none other than Sayuri Yoshinaga.

"I see."

Hideki Yuzuru responded, and then spoke to the Sekimoto sisters in his arms.

"You all go to work first, I need to meet with a guest to discuss some matters."

Upon hearing this, Sekimoto Megumi immediately wrapped her arms around the scumbag's neck, saying, "When you're done with your work, come to Gotanda tonight to keep me and my sister company."

Although Natsumi Sekimoto didn't speak, her longing gaze said it all.

Despite already having plans in mind, Hideki Hanyu ignored the temptation and refused the invitation from the twin sisters.

"Not today."

Seeing the sisters' dejected expressions, the scumbag quickly added more.

"I need you to hand over your work today, and then accompany me to play golf and meet an important friend tomorrow."

If possible, perhaps I could stay with you for a few more days; the exact time will depend on how much rest you can get.

Upon hearing Hideki Hanyu's words, the dejection in the eyes of the Sekimoto sisters vanished instantly.

Without Hideki Yuzuru even needing to urge them, the two excitedly said goodbye and left to handle the handover of their work.

After the twin sisters left, Akemi Yasukawa brought Sayuri Yoshinaga into her office.

"Mr. Yuzuru, regarding the collaboration with Hollywood..."

Sayuri Yoshinaga, who had just entered the office, was about to ask Hideki Hanyu about the Hollywood collaboration he had mentioned.

Before she could even begin speaking, she was interrupted by Hideki Hanyu picking her up.

Hideki Hanyu placed this still-charming Showa-era beauty on his large desk, his eyes full of admiration.

"I'm growing to love Mrs. Okada more and more as she wears a kimono."

As he spoke, Hideki Yuzuru had already closed in on him.

I don't know how much time passed, but the phone on my desk rang again.

Assistant Akimi Yasukawa reported, "Mr. Hanyu, Department Head Okada requests an audience."

Hideki Yuzuru simply ordered, "Let him in."

"But……"

Yasukawa Akemi thought of Yoshinaga Sayuri, who had been inside for so long and hadn't come out yet.

Hideki Yuzuru, however, gave the order again, "Let him in."

"Yes, Mr. Yuzuru."

Akemi Yasukawa could only suppress her concerns and do as Hideki Hanyu instructed.

A moment later, Taro Okada was led into the office by Akimi Yasukawa.

Then Okada Taro saw Hideki Hanyu sitting behind his desk, flipping through documents.

Hideki Hanyu looked up and asked, "Did you want to see me about something, Department Head Okada?"

"Nothing special, I just wanted to thank President Yuzuru for his commendation."

Hideki Hanyu smiled and said, "Minister Okada, there's no need for that. It's a reward for your outstanding work. You've just received what you deserve."

Upon hearing Hideki Hanyu's words, Taro Okada immediately bowed deeply in respect.

"Thank you so much for your recognition, President. I will work even harder in the future and will not let you down."

"Hehe, I believe in Minister Okada's abilities, and Minister Okada should also believe in himself. Your role in my life is far more important than you imagine."

When Hideki Hanyu finished speaking, it seemed that he was implying something more, with a deeper meaning.

However, Okada Taro did not notice this, and after expressing his gratitude, he asked Hanyu Hideki.

"President Yuzuru, my wife just came to discuss a collaboration with you in Hollywood. I wonder how it went?"

“We had a very pleasant conversation, the collaboration is finalized, and she should be going to Hollywood soon.”

At this point, Hideki Hanyu suddenly looked puzzled. "Mrs. Okada left just now. Didn't Minister Okada see her?"

"She probably left early because I was working."

After finishing his sentence, Taro Okada bid farewell to Hideki Hanyu, saying, "Chairman, if there's nothing else, I'll go back to work and won't disturb you any longer."

"Go."

At Hideki Hanyu's prompting, Taro Okada took his leave.

However, the instant the office door was closed, Hideki Hanyu's gaze seemed to pierce through the desk and fall beneath it, unseen by the desk itself.

The playful voice seemed to be speaking to someone who didn't exist.

"Mrs. Okada, should I tell Minister Okada that for me, his greatest value is you?"

……

As afternoon approached, Hideki Hanyu, looking refreshed, stepped out of his office.

As for Sayuri Yoshinaga, she had already left long ago after everything was over and she learned about the collaboration with Cloud Pictures in just five minutes.

When Hideki Hanyu and his entourage arrived at the office building entrance, they found that the cast and crew of "Tokyo Love Story," who had received awards earlier that day, were all gathered there, seemingly discussing something.

Before Hideki Hanyu could ask, producer Akira Ota stepped forward to explain.

"President Yuzuru, I plan to take this opportunity of your commendation to organize a celebratory dinner for the film crew."

After finishing speaking, Da Duoliang added something.

"In addition to us, author Fumi Saimon and her husband, as well as Mr. Kazumasa Oda, the composer of the drama's theme song, will also be attending."

If President Yuzuru is interested, I would like to take the liberty of inviting him to participate.

Hideki Hanyu said in surprise, "Huh, so many people are participating? I'd like to go and see, but it seems I'll have to bother Mr. Da Liang."

"It is an honor for all of us that the president is willing to attend our gathering. We are so happy that we would not feel like we are disturbing him."

Upon hearing that Hideki Hanyu had accepted the invitation, Akira Dodo's face lit up with joy.

(End of this chapter)