Tokyo: They say it's just dating, but they're serious about it.

Moreover, Mr. Hisaki is an old man over fifty years old.

Of course, the original text also provides a spoiler-like commentary from Kuki's perspective, saying: "[It's not just excessive, it's tantamount to ordering a male with sexual limitations to hand over his life.]"

The novel's ending echoes this sentiment. The adulterous couple drinks poison together, dying together. Of course, throughout the entire novel, the tragic atmosphere of this illicit affair foreshadows a bleak and tragic end for the lovers.

At this point, Kuki probably already had a faint sixth sense that she was forcing him to die with her, which is why he became timid and hesitant... If you follow the plot, Mr. Kuki felt like he was being guided step by step by Rinko, and ultimately had no choice but to commit suicide together.

Katsuhiko thought so: Kuki still wanted to live. He had been brainwashed by Rinko step by step, and in the end, he couldn't find a reason to live, so he might as well die together.

Therefore, at this point, Katsuhiko no longer wanted to cooperate with Hitomi Kuroki, who was playing Rinko, to portray the "fear," "caution," "guilt," and "dedication" that Kuki showed when she heard the request, as well as the state of "doing her best and dying for her satisfaction."

Sheng Yan immediately prepared ten doses of [Recovery Potion], put on a stern face, and said, "If you won't stop, you won't stop. Don't beg me to stop."

"What?" Kuroki Hitomi snapped out of her reverie in a second, her face showing surprise. Then she blinked, suppressed a laugh, and whispered, "That's not how the lines are."

“Then let’s change the script tonight,” Sheng Yan said, lightly tapping her fair knee with his index finger.

"Little Lily is next door..." she said softly, only slightly moving her knee without actually moving away.

“I’ve already replaced Mrs. Takenaka with Sayuri-chan. When did your relationship become so good?” Seeing that she didn’t dodge, Katsuhiko laid his whole hand flat on her and then slowly slid it upwards.

“We talked about some things in the kitchen, would you like to know?” She propped herself up on her left elbow and slowly leaned back on the pillow.

"What time is it? You still have time to chat?" Sheng Yan lay down on his side opposite her, blowing hot breath into her ear as he said, "Say that line again, 'Don't stop'..."

Her face flushed red, she turned away and buried her face in the pillow.

The rain outside the window poured down even harder, with thunder and lightning, and a strong wind picked up. Large raindrops pounded against the windowpane, and tree branches were snapped in the wind, making a loud "clattering" sound as they hit the windowpane.

The weather forecast says that the typhoon has swept across Japan, causing flash floods in some areas and inundating many places...

Chapter 141 The Director, He Really Never Stops…

The light rain hadn't stopped by early the next morning.

A commotion came from downstairs. Tanaka Yutaka brought the entire crew of about thirty people to the villa. They carried chairs, equipment, and props upstairs on the first floor.

"Be careful, be careful, don't bump into anything, don't get hurt..."

There was also Tanaka Yutaka's yelling into the loudspeaker, seemingly directed at the second-floor bedroom. Of course, this is understandable; Tanaka Yutaka was worried about causing some awkward situation and was intentionally trying to remind the people upstairs.

However, by this time, the three people upstairs had already woken up.

Xiaobai used the microwave in the kitchen to heat up three servings of spaghetti and brought them into the master bedroom.

Katsuhiko and Sayuri were sitting on the floor next to the bed, feeding each other noodles, while Hitomi Kuroki sat on the mattress, holding a pasta lunchbox, lost in thought.

She was still wearing that "Rinko" silk slip dress, her hair was slightly messy, her fair face had a blush, and her overall complexion was alright. Her skin was fair and delicate, but her eyes looked a little unfocused.

When she ate her pasta, she would pick up the noodles with a small fork, bring them to her lips, but not put them in her mouth. After a few seconds of blank staring, she seemed to suddenly remember that she was eating, so she would bite the noodles into her mouth, but then stop moving them. After a few more seconds of blank staring, she would slowly chew, pausing as she chewed...

"Honey, look at Miss Kuroki Hitomi," Sayuri said, her eyes gleaming with schadenfreude as she chuckled, biting her fork between her teeth. "You...you really went too far last night. How is Miss Kuroki Hitomi supposed to work today..."

Sayuri said this while laughing gleefully.

"Stop talking nonsense and eat quickly." Sheng Yan said seriously.

I just gave her a recovery potion, and her health has returned to its best condition. It's entirely her own fault for not being able to get out of this situation.

Sayuri glanced at Kuroki Hitomi, who was still staring blankly at the lunchbox, and suppressed the schadenfreude in her eyes, revealing a melancholy look. She whispered, "Honey, you know what? I've been acting a little strange lately. I get really happy when I hear people praising you."

"Isn't this normal? You're my wife."

“But she praised the wrong thing…” Sayuri put down her fork, punched Katsuhiko’s thigh, and looked frustrated and amused at her own helplessness. “It’s so infuriating…”

"President Takenaka, are you up yet?" There were three knocks on the bedroom door. First, it was Tanaka Yutaka's soft call, followed by his shout into the loudspeaker, "Ms. Kuroki Hitomi, time for work!"

He really put on a good show of politeness.

Kuroki Hitomi's eyes flickered slightly as she turned her head toward the door. Katsuhiko and Sayuri were in the direction she was facing, and they both turned to look at her at the same time.

Kuroki Hitomi's pink lips moved slightly, a hint of embarrassment and helplessness surfacing in her eyes. She then placed the unfinished pasta container on the bedside table, turned her head to face the window, and said, "You two... really... sigh..."

Sayuri glanced at Katsuhiko, then asked Hitomi Kuroki, "Should we open the door?"

Hitomi Kuroki straightened her nightgown and said, "It's time to go to work, so I definitely have to open the door."

Little Lily blinked and asked, "Does this outfit suit you?"

Hitomi Kuroki tugged at the strap of her nightgown and said, "This is the prop costume. I'll be wearing it to film today."

Her expression remained quite composed.

Sayuri glanced at Katsuhiko subconsciously, then carefully chose her words and stammered softly, "But, isn't this dress... a bit too... if I'm not careful, the straps might..."

Sayuri couldn't continue. She just felt that since she had slept with Katsuhiko for one night, wasn't that considered dating? And if others saw their bodies, wouldn't that embarrass her husband...?

It's okay for me to be cheated on, but my husband can't be. After all, he's such a wonderful person, there's absolutely no need for him to be...

“I’m an actress,” Hitomi Kuroki said, glancing at Katsuhiko’s face before turning back to the window. “In front of the camera, I not only have to take off my tank top, but also my bra, and appear completely naked. Your husband is the same.”

"Huh, is this even a proper movie?" Sayuri was speechless for a moment, then whispered, "You and my husband have to be naked in front of the camera... no, I mean, my husband has to be completely naked too?!"

“It’s just acting, and last night’s… well, it was kind of a rehearsal. Once this movie is finished, it’ll be over.” Hitomi Kuroki continued, still facing the window, “I will continue to make movies in the future. This is my profession. Since Mrs. Takenaka doesn’t mind now, then there’s no need to mind in the future. Anyway… Mr. Takenaka will probably only make this one movie, and there’s no way we’ll have any more collaborations.”

“But…but…” Sayuri seemed to have suffered a great humiliation, staring wide-eyed at Katsuhiko beside her.

"Full nudity is fine, but if it's not completely exposed or completely naked, it's not a proper movie,"

Katsuhiko placed the pasta container on the floor, looked at Sayuri, and continued, "Ms. Kuroki Hitomi is a very career-oriented woman. In the future, she wants to start her own company and build her own business. We were indeed just playing along, a temporary collaboration to make the movie a success. There are only rumors between us, nothing more, so don't worry about it."

"I……"

Xiaobaihe's face contorted in distress. She felt even more humiliated than being cuckolded, knowing that her husband was about to be seen by many unrelated women.

Sayuri and Katsuhiko's discussion ended after Hitomi Kuroki opened the door.

"Action! Action! Cameramen, propsmen, makeup artists, hurry up... Cleaning! Cleaning! Clean the house, change the sheets! Did you forget to close the windows last night?!"

As soon as Tanaka Yutaka entered, he directed a group of people to get busy.

According to the novel's plot, the morning's action is all about "getting things done and not stopping"...

Of course, because the scene was quite explicit, some of the unrelated staff left, leaving only the essential personnel.

Little Lily didn't go out; she remained seated in the corner.

The earlier parts of the story went very smoothly, and Hitomi Kuroki's acting was very immersive and emotionally rich. However, towards the crucial moment, when asked to deliver the same lines as last night:

"If you're going to do it, then don't... don't..."

Hitomi Kuroki couldn't continue. Last night was truly terrifying. A typhoon was blowing outside. Do you know what a typhoon is? It's when tree branches, leaves, and plastic bags are blown into the air and torn to pieces, unable to fall back down... It was so hopeless...

"Cut!!!" Tanaka Yutaka roared, throwing the script around. "What's wrong with you? Can't you say such simple lines? What's with that terrified expression? Have you even read the original? You're supposed to look like a crazed woman, you're supposed to be impatient! This is supposed to be a scene where she can't control her emotions, it's about to get intense and passionate, but look at the rubbish you're acting, it's like she's being raped! Do it again!"

"Director, he... he's different. He... he really doesn't stop..."

"What I want is cinematic effects and artistic elements. I'm not making documentary footage. Do you still want to become a sensation? Do you still want to continue your acting career? I'll chop off your little finger if you disagree again..."

"Chopping off your little finger" is Tanaka Yutaka's catchphrase; he's unlikely to actually do it, but it's incredibly effective at intimidation.

Tanaka Yutaka gave Kuroki Hitomi another half hour to recover, and they finally finished filming, albeit haltingly, around noon. Tanaka Yutaka then said that they would rest in the afternoon and there was no need to film anymore. He then led his team downstairs to eat boxed lunches on the first floor.

Kuroki Hitomi collapsed onto the bedroom bed, looking completely broken, with Sayuri feeding her food and water.

Sheng Yan sat on the edge of the bed, facing the window, watching the rain outside.

Outside the window is a lush and dense larch forest, each tree so large that one person can barely encircle it, and the ground is covered with pine needles, making it feel like there is a huge forest outside.

If people could live without food and water, and had computers, mobile phones, and the internet... living in seclusion here would be truly wonderful.

"Miss Kuroki Hitomi, have you recovered a bit?" Sayuri asked with a hint of teasing in her eyes.

Kuroki Hitomi's eyes were filled with complex emotions. She sat up from the mattress, changed her clothes, and said, "I finally understand why you're not jealous. You simply don't have the energy... You're so lucky... I've never seen a man who never stops. He's like a madman..."

"It's alright, I didn't feel anything was wrong, it's probably because you're relatively weak..."

"Please, please stop saying things like that. I'm going to get some sleep."

Kuroki Hitomi blushed, climbed off the mattress, and walked unsteadily to the next room, where she slammed onto the small bed with a "bang".

She couldn't sleep at all, her whole body was burning up... After all, the scene they were filming earlier was all staged, it wasn't real... Oh no, she's gone mad, she's really turning into Rinko...

Hitomi Kuroki was tossing and turning in bed when Sayuri's gentle voice drifted into her ears: "Madam, you seem to have a lot on your mind. Why don't you go inside and ask my husband if he has any solutions? He's very capable, you know~"

Hitomi Kuroki grabbed a pillow and covered her ears, but after a while, she sat up again.

Sayuri smiled and walked straight to the stairs, saying, "I heard that Eiyo and Oriko are coming to visit the set tonight, so you probably won't have a chance. I'm going downstairs now..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Tanaka Yutaka looked at the original footage and fell into deep thought.

He realized something was wrong with the filming; it was far too long. As for editing… every scene was a high-quality, artistic shot, and he simply couldn't bear to cut anything…

He belatedly realized that he had unknowingly memorized the entire novel and then filmed it exactly according to the plot, which was practically like filming a TV series. The movie script in his hand had become a mere decoration...

"It's going to be a TV series... Should we turn it into a TV series? A TV series with cinematic visuals and sound? That sounds pretty good, although the cost is a bit high, but luckily the company has plenty of money... If we do that, we'll have to add a cliffhanger at the end of each episode, and we can't add any explicit sex scenes in a TV series, which is a real shame... Luckily, movies can have explicit scenes..."

Tanaka Yutaka ultimately couldn't shake off the bad habits he developed from making pornographic films...

Given the popularity of the novel *Paradise Lost*, both the movie and TV series are guaranteed to be a huge hit, as long as they're not too bad...

Once the movie becomes a hit, the director will gain the highest status in the industry, and as a shareholder of Xia Ying Society, he will also generate huge wealth. Xia Ying Society can directly turn its reputation around.

Making TV dramas also has its advantages. For example, due to the long production cycle and wide audience, actors can quickly become well-known to the public and easily gain national popularity. Unlike gambling-style movies, it is not risky and the financial reports are stable.

"I'll film them all, movies and TV series, released simultaneously. Anyway, the boss has money, so I'm not short of money either..."

Tanaka Yutaka, who now drinks "Focus Potion" like water, is a mature and professional director. He not only taught himself filmmaking but also television and animation production, making him a truly all-around director.

He possesses the skills to easily master anything, whether it's making movies, TV series, or creating animation.

Four years later, in 1997, "Paradise Lost" was also released simultaneously as a film and television series.

The movie version was released in May and grossed 4.5 billion yen. The TV series version was released in July and had an average viewership rating of 23.5%, with a peak rating of 27.3%.

It can be said that the novel became a triple hit: the novel itself was a bestseller, the movie release generated buzz, and the TV series followed suit, maintaining its popularity. This synergy created a social phenomenon, sparking Japan's "Paradise Lost" phenomenon—where those who commit adultery no longer dare to do so secretly. The novel's protagonists garnered widespread empathy, sympathy, and pity… even leading some to emulate their incestuous relationships with suicide pacts… a uniquely Japanese form of perversion.

In the following period, Tanaka Yutaka secretly worked overtime to produce a TV drama script, secured additional funding, and even shipped a significant amount of film here...

During filming, he shot each scene multiple times, from different angles. For example, he transformed the visually stimulating, large-scale shots in the film into more evocative and aesthetically pleasing shots. He presented the same storyline with different scales and emphases, thus broadening its reach and attracting a wider audience. It's even possible to watch it at home with children while eating, although children might not be interested or understand it…

After filming was completed, he worked late into the night to oversee the editing...

He didn't tell Shengyan about filming the TV series at the same time, worried that he would quit. After all, he didn't get a salary, only a share of the profits, and the company was all his. If he didn't work, who would?