The literary era since 1979

The next day, early in the morning.

The group departed from Berlin, Germany, to return to Japan, sitting in business class, chatting and laughing.

Yojiro Takita grinned and said, "Fang Yan-san, yesterday I immediately reported the good news that 'Departures' won the Golden Bear to the president. He was very excited when he heard it and hopes to take advantage of this momentum to release 'Departures' as soon as possible..."

However, Fang Yan seemed indifferent, letting the words go in one ear and out the other.

"Fangyan Sang! Fangyan Sang!"

Yojiro Takita noticed that he had faint dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't fully recovered from a hangover.

Fang Yan seemed to wake from a dream, raising her eyebrows, "What's wrong?"

Yojiro Takita wasn't annoyed, and simply repeated what he had just said:
"The president hopes that you can also attend the premiere of 'Departures' in person, and it would be even better if you could give an interview to the media."

"That's no problem, but the film's publicity and distribution work needs to be done in advance."

Fang Yan thought about it for a moment and realized that Lunar New Year's Eve this year is February 26th. It wouldn't hurt to stay in Japan for a few more days before returning to China for the New Year.

"sure."

Yojiro Takita said that Yoshiyuki Okuyama had already booked a banquet hall at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo and prepared a grand celebration banquet, just waiting for Fang Yan, the great contributor, to arrive. At that time, they could discuss the publicity and distribution details of "Departures" face to face at the celebration banquet.

Fang Yan nodded and then fell silent.

Yojiro Takita was also very tactful, saying, "Then I won't disturb your rest any longer."

Fang Yan turned her head and looked at Kurihara Komaki on the other side. She saw that Kurihara was wearing an eye mask and wrapped in a blanket. If it weren't for the absurd things that happened last night, one would probably think that she was asleep. But now she was obviously just pretending to be an ostrich and burying her head in the sand to avoid the situation.

Kurihara Komaki seemed to realize that he was staring at her, so she pretended to cover her face with the blanket, as if she had forgotten that she was already wearing an eye mask.

How did that happen?

Fang Yan shook his still somewhat aching head, recalling the party last night, where everyone drank and chatted happily, determined not to leave until they were drunk.

Later, inexplicably, the three of them returned to the bedroom, talked by candlelight, and somehow ended up undressing and gradually revealing their intimate parts. They then engaged in passionate lovemaking all night long, a perfect match made in heaven.

However, this phoenix belongs to two beauties!
When I woke up, I realized that I had made a mistake that every man in the world wanted to make!

Meanwhile, the accomplice in this matter, Keiko Matsuzaka, was staring at him with a playful smile on her face, resting her chin on her hand.

Fang Yan glared at him, annoyed, and said in a low voice, "You can still laugh?"

Keiko Matsuzaka grinned so wide her mouth almost reached her ears. "Why aren't you smiling?"

Fang Yan said, "Last night, such a ridiculous thing happened, were you inside...?"

Keiko Matsuzaka readily admitted that she had indeed played a role in facilitating the event, but without Kurihara Komaki's approval and willingness, how could she have accomplished such a wonderful thing last night on her own?

Fang Yan was stunned for a moment, and even someone as eloquent as him found it difficult to refute.

"Even now, don't you understand Xiao Juan's feelings?"

Keiko Matsuzaka couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle.

"So that's how it is!" Fang Yan was taken aback. All the awkwardness and strangeness he had experienced when Kurihara Komaki was with him before suddenly made sense.

Keiko Matsuzaka said, "Now that you know, shouldn't you give her a definite answer as soon as possible?"

Fang Yan's gaze returned to Kurihara Komaki, who was pretending to be asleep, and his complicated expression gradually became firm.

Keiko Matsuzaka joked that since the great writer's writing was excellent, his eloquence must be quite good as well. She suggested that they should see for themselves whether the great writer Fang's silver tongue was really that powerful and whether he could win over Kurihara Komaki and get her out of her troubles and accept everything.

…………

Fortunately, we arrived in Tokyo in time; if we had arrived any later, the fog that filled the airport would probably not have been suitable for the plane to land.

After several hours of recovery, Kurihara Komaki's fatigue from the previous night gradually disappeared, but she still walked with a limp, needing Matsuzaka Keiko's help. The two best friends helped each other down the boarding stairs when suddenly they heard Matsuzaka Keiko's teasing laughter:

"Little Curly, how can you do this?"

"W-what's not okay?"

"Since it has already happened, we should face it honestly."

"But……"

"He's not angry with you; on the contrary, he's been very considerate of your feelings," Keiko Matsuzaka advised. "Don't try to hide it like before, and don't think you can just let it go. Even if you can pretend it didn't happen, how could he forget?"

Kurihara Komaki took a breath, the crisp air instantly calming her chaotic mind.

With his cool eyes fixed straight ahead, Fang Yan saw himself surrounded by Matsutake executives, including Okuyama Rong, who had been waiting on the tarmac for a long time.

"Mr. Fangyan, I really don't know what to say!"

Okuyama was thrilled. Although he had high expectations for Fang Yan because of the success of "Farewell My Concubine" and "In the Mood for Love" at European film festivals, he could never believe that his first attempt would help the long-dormant Japanese film industry win the Golden Bear Award again.

Not only for himself, but when the news of "Departures" winning the Golden Bear reached Japan, it caused an earthquake in almost the entire Japanese film industry.

TV Tokyo, Fuji TV, Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun and other media outlets reported on the news immediately, making more and more people eager to see the "Berlin Golden Bear Award-winning film". At one point, the company was called to inquire about the specific release date. Even Haruki Kadokawa, who was already in the bubble economy crisis, called and wished that "Departures" would be released on the same day.

"Then don't say anything. Just have a few more drinks at the celebration banquet later."

Fang Yan felt that his grip on her hand was getting stronger and stronger.

"I must toast Mr. Fangyan a few more times!"

Okuyama Yu laughed heartily and led everyone away from the tarmac.

As soon as they entered the airport, the media reporters who had been waiting for them swarmed around them, vying for the opportunity.

"This time, 'Departures' helped a Japanese film win the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival again after 27 years. What are your thoughts on this?"

When asked by reporters, Okuyama, receiving a knowing glance from Fang Yan, excitedly replied, "The Golden Bear for 'Departures' is the first step for Japanese cinema to reappear on the world stage! It's the beginning of Japanese cinema regaining its former glory..."

Fang Yan listened to the impassioned speech but remained silent with a smile. However, the reporter was clearly unwilling to let him off the hook and repeatedly asked him to say a few words.

"The Berlin Film Festival is over, and I'm already thinking about how 'Departures' will perform at the Oscars." (End of Chapter)