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

Tanaka Yutaka also invited her for an interview under the pretext of paying for insurance.

Her works are marketed as "the gentle guidance of a healing older sister next door," and are especially popular among down-on-their-luck migrant workers in this economically depressed era where people desperately need emotional comfort.

Both actors asked for 200 million yen per film and wanted a 3% cut of the film's sales revenue. Usually, actors only receive a film fee and don't get any profit sharing.

What Tanaka Yutaka was really struggling with was the prepayment for signing the contract, which was 5 million yen. He had to pay it as soon as he signed the contract, but he didn't have the money. He was also embarrassed to ask Katsuhiko for more money, since he had said last time that he wouldn't have to worry about it if he received 20 million yen.

Now that the company is newly established and urgently needs to make a name for itself, he saw the appeal of the two actresses and thought ten million yen wasn't expensive. After all, most of the actresses under his management were former prostitutes with no film experience whatsoever, so they were simply not presentable.

Sheng Yan quickly finished reading the stack of documents in his hand and just then walked to the office door.

He paused, and through the glass window, he saw two actresses sitting on the sofa. They were indeed young and energetic, one with a pure and innocent look and the other with a charming and alluring appearance. They were dressed quite appropriately and had very eye-catching figures.

Katsuhiko pushed open the door, and the two of them turned their heads at the same time, then stood up.

Tanaka Yutaka introduced them to both sides in a very attentive manner, and Katsuhiko then shook hands with each of them briefly to greet them.

"President Takenaka, hello."

The two seemed somewhat taken aback by Katsuhiko's youth, and even appeared a little reserved.

The three took their seats, with Tanaka Yutaka standing next to Katsuhiko.

Katsuhiko opened the two contracts and said, "We can agree to the other additional terms proposed by the two ladies, but we need an exclusive director and makeup artist, which we cannot provide. The company is newly established and lacks professional staff and funds. I can only be the director and the makeup artist. In addition, the fee is 100 million yen per film and the prepayment for signing is 300 million yen. If you do not agree, then go back."

As soon as Katsuhiko finished speaking, Tanaka Yutaka, who was standing next to him, stared in disbelief. However, he did not say anything and took a step back, his face turning red.

Yuuki Hitomi and Asakura Mai were stunned for a moment. They looked at each other, their faces suddenly turning bright red.

Katsuhiko didn't urge him. He picked up the teapot to pour water, but Tanaka Yutaka took it first and poured some into each of the three teacups.

After the gurgling sound of water being poured stopped.

Mai Asakura and Hitomi Yuuki stood up one after the other, saying that they could give up the exclusive director and exclusive makeup artist, and the prepayment for the contract was 300 million yen, but the salary for a single film had to be at least 150 million yen.

"Deal." Katsuhiko stood up and walked towards the door, then tilted his head to signal Tanaka Yutaka, "I'll have the finance department transfer the prepayment for the contract tomorrow at noon."

The two actresses stared in disbelief, seemingly unable to process what they had just witnessed.

"President Takenaka, wait a moment!" Tanaka Yutaka hurriedly took two videotapes from his briefcase, stuffed them into Katsuhiko's hands, and whispered, "Since you're going to be the director, then you'll need to study the film starring these two ladies and create a storyline that fits their style..."

“Okay.” Katsuhiko took the videotape. “I have something to do, so I’ll be going now.”

Katsuhiko came here mainly to deliver the share ownership confirmation agreement to Tanaka Yutaka, wait for Kanzaki Yumi to come for an interview at 10 a.m. tomorrow, and also to check on the photography equipment he brought, as well as the production crew.

The requirements for actresses are not very strict. After all, the demand for films is huge at this time. As long as the actress has a decent appearance and figure, and learns precise acting skills, she can basically make a profit. She can create popular actresses on her own, which means giving her exposure.

Of course, since Tanaka Yutaka seemed so enthusiastic, they didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm. Besides, poaching popular actresses was indeed a shortcut for the company to quickly gain fame.

Katsuhiko took the videotape, walked through the construction area, got back into the car, and put the videotape into the small box in front of the passenger seat.

Yingdai, who had just been sleeping with her arms crossed, suddenly sat up, opened the small box, took out a videotape, and asked, "What...ah!!"

She screamed, shoved the videotape back into the car case, and slammed the door shut.

"What's wrong?" Sheng Yan started the car, drove out the gate, and headed straight for the rented guesthouse.

“Pervert…” Yingdai muttered, her face flushed, and asked, “You spent so much money to renovate the factory, do you still have the money to pay off the factory’s debts? Even if you manage to film a movie, you won’t break even anytime soon! If you can’t pay it back on time, the bank will take it over. You’ll have spent all that money renovating the factory for nothing.”

Sheng Yan naturally didn't rely on it to repay his debts, since the bank had only extended the loan for six months.

Filming also has time costs, which is simply not enough. Even if the "potion" energy drink is incredibly powerful, it still needs a sales channel.

The main reliance is on [Gold Coins]. Currently, the Gold Coins dropped by Kotoha can only be exchanged for artwork from the Naruto manga.

When I meet her, the time I'm locked in starts to run out, and when I don't meet her, it stops. Right now, I have less than seventy hours left to lock onto her.

Currently, I have two intact gold coins and a dozen or so coins with gold edges, enough to make two and a half rolls of Naruto artwork.

Once you redeem the money and send it out, you can be considered a great cartoonist.

After these few days of talking with Kotoha, I should be able to get her to collect gold coins in a couple more days. Of course, if she hides, it doesn't matter if the manga ends badly; I can just ask Masashi Kishimoto to continue it... That just came to mind.

The artwork, consisting of two and a half volumes and approximately 23 chapters, is ready for printing as a standalone book.

However, if a complete newcomer submits their work directly to a comic book magazine for publication, it will most likely be torn up and thrown into the trash.

They won't accept anything that hasn't been tested by the market, no matter how good it is. After all, even if someone thinks it's good, they're just an employee, and nobody dares to gamble.

Therefore, I need to participate in the "New Comic King" event... I need to rush to finish a short story tomorrow.

At nine o'clock in the evening, the car parked in the courtyard of the rented house. The landlord had already moved to the city.

It was pitch black all around, and there were dogs barking.

"Oh dear~ Katsuhiko-kun, I'm so scared~"

Eiyo suddenly pounced on Katsuhiko, hanging on his neck face to face, shaking her shoulders and squeezing closer to him.

"You almost pulled me down, stop being so horny!" Sheng Yan said angrily, slapping her upturned buttocks.

"Oh my~~" Eiyo shuddered, hugging Katsuhiko's neck tightly, her breath hot and her voice trembling as she said, "Don't hit me, let's go inside and fight..."

Chapter 53 Patch for the Golden Finger Reward

The next day, at nine o'clock in the morning, there were thin clouds in the sky, and it was a bit overcast.

Katsuhiko drove, with Eiyo in tow, to the factory.

Thanks to Eiyo's tireless efforts last night, she managed to wrest the right to interview Kanzaki Yumi from Katsuhiko, for which she paid a price she was happy to pay...

This morning, Ying Dai specially wore a professional suit.

She wore a long black trench coat over a tight-fitting white shirt, which strained against her roughly J-cup bust, making the shirt look like it was about to fall off. The shirt was tucked into the waistband of her black straight-leg trousers, making her waist look slim and her legs look long. She wore black high heels.

She also wore a pair of black-framed glasses without lenses on her nose.

After getting into the car, Eiyo unbuttoned her black trench coat and said to Katsuhiko, "Are you sure you're not going to help anyone?"

"It would be better if they fought." Sheng Yan drove the car onto the main road and continued, "When we get to the factory gate, you get out and go in by yourself. I'm going straight home."

Katsuhiko needs to finish his short comic strip and then go back to Mikoto's house to pick out all the gold coins.

"Oh?" Yingdai's eyes lit up, and she smiled, revealing a set of white teeth. "Don't you want to see her? Your heartlessness will hurt her."

"Given my high satisfaction with your performance last night, I'm entrusting the entire interview process to you," Sheng Yan said dismissively.

Yumi Kanzaki is too direct and too profit-driven. How can she be allowed to be so blatantly greedy for money?

Although Katsuhiko considers himself a casual person, it doesn't stop him from yearning for pure love. He'll put some pressure on Kanzaki Yumi first, letting her know that money isn't so easy to earn, so she won't seem like she has no principles.

Although they really have no bottom line... well, men are truly despicable...

"You're such a hypocrite..." Yingdai blushed, pulled her trench coat back over her chest, turned to face the car window, and then stubbornly said, "I'm quite satisfied with your performance last night, so I reluctantly accepted it."

A dozen minutes later, we arrived at the factory gate.

Yuma Kazaki's motorcycle was parked right next to the gatehouse.

She sat back on the motorcycle with her arms crossed over her chest, her high-heeled feet resting on the handlebars.

Her attire was exactly the same as Yingdai's, probably a lawyer's uniform.

He wore black trousers, a white shirt, a black trench coat, and even black-rimmed glasses.

Her bust size is on a completely different level compared to Eiyo's... but the proportions of her long legs are on another level above Eiyo's.

They each have their own merits!

As soon as Katsuhiko stopped the car, Kanzaki Yumi nimbly jumped off the motorcycle, took out a job application document from the motorcycle's cargo compartment, and walked with a brisk pace, full of youthful vigor.

"Good morning, President Takenaka! I'm here for the interview!"

Kanzaki Yumi's eyes shone brightly, and she smiled politely. She had even put on makeup and styled her hair, giving her a neat and tidy short bob.

“Miss Yumi’s outfit is really professional,” Katsuhiko said without getting out of the car. “I have other things to do today, so I’ll have Eiyo interview you. She will be your boss from now on. Your dressing style is similar, so you should have a lot in common.”

As Sheng Yan was speaking, Ying Dai also raised her chin, put on a stern face, and got out of the car.

Kanzaki Yumi's gaze shifted to Eiyo, then her smiling expression froze slightly, her eyes narrowed slightly, before she immediately smiled even more brightly, bowed ninety degrees to Eiyo, and said, "Eiyo-neechan, please take care of me from now on!"

"Oh?" Yingdai glanced at her sideways, looking her up and down, his slender eyebrows twitching slightly. Then he brushed past her and strode into the factory gate. "Come to my office for an interview!"

Kanzaki Yumi stared wide-eyed at Eiyo's retreating figure for a moment, then turned to Katsuhiko, who was leaning against the car window, and asked, "Is she your girlfriend too?"

Sheng Yan gave her a very clear look and said, "I believe in you, good luck!"

How much salary do you pay her?

"She's after me for who I am, she doesn't want a salary."

“I didn’t expect her to be even more greedy than me,” Kanzaki Yumi said, tossing her trench coat and turning to leave. “Watch how I win her over. I’m not one to give in to temptation…”

Kanzaki Yumi also strode through the gate with a brisk pace. The small door to the gatehouse opened, and Tanaka Yutaka jogged over and asked, "President Takenaka, did you watch the two videotapes I gave you last night?"

Katsuhiko hasn't watched it yet because there's no viewing equipment in the guesthouse.

Tanaka Yutaka wanted Katsuhiko to take a look quickly, and he decided to start filming first thing tomorrow morning, and the two ladies agreed.

I also inquired about the pre-contract payment; the two actresses had already urged them to pay...

In addition, Tanaka Yutaka also stated that the equipment for producing beverages has been delivered to the factory, and the production line is expected to be installed by noon tomorrow.

If all goes well, production can begin tomorrow afternoon.

The problem is, all we know so far is that it's an energy drink called "Blue Bull," but are there any comparable products on the market? How do we get the ingredient list?

And when will a factory manager be appointed for a food processing plant?

Tanaka Yutaka is now trying to manage both sides. He doesn't want to deal with the factory's business and wants to focus on the film production business of "Xia Ying She," since that's his main business and he's the company's second-largest shareholder, while the factory belongs to someone else...

After responding to each of Katsuhiko's questions, he drove back to Kotoha's house.

Qinye was home alone; she was kneeling on the floor, wiping it with a rag.

Kenta's memorial tablet has been moved from the living room to a small room specifically for storing memorial tablets.

Sayuri and Mrs. Kudo returned to their Okubo apartment after dinner last night, and they haven't come over today.

They said they were going to book a hotel, then pick up Mr. Kudo from the station in the afternoon, and then treat everyone to dinner.

Just then, Kotoha finished wiping the floor. She was barefoot and wearing a black kimono, a garment typically worn by widows, but her eyes held a hint of schadenfreude.

She put the rag into the basin of water and said as she washed it:

"Sayuri-chan and Mrs. Kudo are discussing inviting everyone, such as Mikoto's boyfriend and Eiyo's boyfriend. What role do you plan to play?"