I live my life in Tokyo

Compared to clothes, shoes are changed most frequently.

Money earned is meant to be spent.

The boy seldom spent money on his own life in the past. Rather than spending money on clothes, he preferred to spend money on the quality of his daily life, so that he could live every day passionately and save enough for his family or his own medical treatment.

Instead of working on a distant future, it is better to do the things in front of you and live a good life in the present - the man who said this at home was beaten up for the first time in a long time, and from then on he had to compromise with life and start saving money to buy a house.

His goal changed from living a good life every day to working hard to buy a house and collect rent for retirement.

Pulling aside the curtain, Mai Sakurajima, who was looking at her phone, looked up, a smile flashed in her eyes, she pulled down her mask and smiled, "How about it, keep warm."

"It's OK, but I'm a little unaccustomed to wearing this type of clothes."

Standing so casually, the boy with a peaceful smile on his face had delicate features, his slender fingers smoothed out his wrinkles, and with a sun-tanned warm coat, he looked like he had just won the championship of a talent show.

Sakakibara Kaede moved his arms, but finally he gave up. This piece of clothing was indeed very warm, but he couldn't wear it when sleeping. Next time if the water heater broke down, he would just wear his school uniform.

"I'll pay." Sakurajima Mai took out her bank card and raised her eyebrows at Sakakibara Kaede, "It's a return gift for the meal you treated me to last time."

Sakakibara Kaede was shocked. "Sakurajima-senpai, you want to support me? But I am a useless scholar. I have no redeeming qualities except this pretty boy. Don't you care about superficial appearances instead of interesting souls?"

"It's not that I can't accept a gigolo. In this modern society full of desires, everyone has the right to sell their bodies. I see that you, Sakakibara, have a unique talent and are very suitable to be a gigolo."

"Oh, you underestimate me." The man sneered, his smile full of contempt, "For a top student like me who makes a living by talent, what does it matter if I don't have this face? Appearance will age, but skills will always be in my hands."

Sakakibara clenched his fist and vowed, "If I can't be an actor, I can still turn into a screw and throw myself into this huge factory in Tokyo. With my tenacious spirit and hard-working style, I can become the most ambitious rising star at my workstation."

Mai Sakurajima recalled how the man spent every day in the office enjoying the buffet.

"You have to know the limit when it comes to courtesy and reciprocity, young man." The man handed his bank card to the checkout counter and gave guidance to the immature high school student. "If I treat you to a meal and you give me a piece of clothing, then if I give you a bicycle, will you give me a villa?"

"cut."

The man swiped his card to pay. He looked at the zeros on the printed bill and swallowed. His hands were shaking a little as he hadn't spent money lavishly for a long time.

While the man was paying the bill, Sakurajima Mai called her agent, and the transportation the man had been waiting for for a long time finally arrived.

The woman at the checkout counter looked at the two men's backs as they left. This big pig who was too concerned about his reputation was so reluctant to accept a piece of clothing from his girlfriend. He had no sense of responsibility for a family at all.

Chapter 41: Self-loathing beneath the mask

At nine o'clock in the morning, the sun was shining brightly.

The students of the private Toyonosaki Academy had just finished their first class and were playing and fighting in the corridor.

Like the previous weeks, they were forbidden to approach the teaching building rented by the crew during school hours. However, the curious students could not resist and tried every possible way to get close to the actors whose fame was gradually growing. Sometimes, their unintentional glances would make many students excited.

The teaching style of the private Toyonosaki Academy is very loose. Faced with the enthusiastic behavior of the students, the teachers only gave verbal warnings. However, during the crew's breaks, it is common to see groups of men and women waiting for a long time in front of the teaching building for an autograph.

High school students in the school are enjoying a fulfilling and open high school life, and crew members of the same age as them are preparing for filming activities in the adjacent teaching building.

Today is the most important episode, and it is also the episode in which Kitahara Hiroshi's character "returns" to the audience's field of vision. For this reason, the crew arrived early in order to film the rival scenes between the two actors.

In the first few episodes, Kitahara Hiroshi only appeared in the background, serving as the background for Kashima Yu and Takeda Hiroshi, silently participating in the trivial matters of the class - of course, he was also ordered by Uehara Yo to run errands and buy lunch.

Today is the day when Kitahara Hiroshi reappears and shatters the mask of his childhood sweetheart Nishida Orange.

Kaede Sakakibara staggered into the school while sipping vegetable juice. The students gathered in front of the teaching building saw the boy and surrounded him, with enthusiastic smiles on their faces and flushed faces, asking for his autograph in a low voice.

The boy treated his fans like his classmates, neither too enthusiastic nor too indifferent. He smiled and chatted with the leading girl for a few words, and signed his name on the private clothes they handed over.

Not only female classmates asked him for his autograph, but there were also several male classmates whose eyes flashed with admiration.

"Brother Sakakibara, I'm your fan!" A male classmate rushed forward, his face flushed with excitement, as if he had seen his idol. "I will work hard like you, brother, to make my youth stained with the color of cherry blossoms, leaving no regrets!"

Hearing this answer, the boy smiled again. He patted the boy's shoulder affectionately, signed his name on the water bottle he handed over, and said, "Then work hard and try to spend the three years of high school without regrets."

"Yes!"

Unlike the female classmates who were his fans because of his looks, the boy felt much better when he saw his classmates who became his fans because of his words. Although his youth was over, he was able to change the youth and lives of others and make them better, which could be considered a good deed.

After bidding farewell to the enthusiastic students, the boy stepped into the teaching building rented by the crew with a relaxed mood.

Pushing open the door of the lounge, Sakakibara Kaede couldn't help but be speechless when he saw the packed seats with crew members. It was obvious that you guys only have scenes this afternoon, why did you come in the morning?

In the end, it hurts both others and yourself.

Although it is called a rivalry, it is actually Mai Sakurajima's solo show.

Seeing Uehara Yō buried in his manuscript in the rest area, Sakakibara Kaede walked up to him and said hello.

"I watched this week's plot last week. You have a lot of personal scenes today. Come on." Uehara Yo smiled and bumped fists with Sakakibara Kaede. "If you're lucky, you might be on the show again this week."

"No, no, no, even if STARS has influence, it's still a little impossible to be on the show every week. Compared to becoming a clown and appearing on a talk show and being made into a ghost video, I still prefer to lie in the kotatsu and watch the show." Sakakibara Feng accepted Uehara Yo's encouragement and changed his mind and said, "The TV series you participated in will be aired tomorrow night. I will watch it."

"Tomorrow night at ten o'clock, to be honest, it's a bit late, there's no need to watch the live broadcast."

Uehara Yao knew that Sakakibara Kaede also had to work at night, at least he felt Sakakibara Kaede's heart.

"No, I will definitely watch it. After all, it's your first TV series outside of your family. I'll watch it while playing Candy Crush tomorrow."

"Thank you."

The two exchanged smiles, and Uehara buried his head in reading the manuscript filled with notes.

Seeing Uehara start to study the script list for the afternoon, Sakakibara Kaede sat on the bench in the rest area, biting a rice ball. He played Candy Crush all night last night and was still a little sleep-deprived.

What is it? The pursuit of authenticity in a character.

To play a drunk, actors drink.

To play the role of a people's policeman, one must naturally be upright.

It’s better to play a sleep-deprived student and stay up late playing games.

After stuffing the rice ball into his mouth in two or three bites, the man straightened his school uniform and stood up from the sofa. His eyes, which had been bright at first, gradually dimmed.

Now, he no longer has to hide his sleepiness!

It is very dangerous to adopt this kind of performance method, because you may fall asleep while reciting the lines. It is truly a skill that hurts the enemy by a thousand and hurts yourself by eight hundred.

Nishida Orange, played by Mai Sakurajima, was sitting in front of his seat waiting for him. When she saw Kaede Sakakibara enter the classroom, she smiled and waved, "Good morning, Sakakibara-senpai."

"Well, good morning, Sakurajima-senpai."

"I've seen you like this many times. You get into the role so quickly. You really have a great talent."

When Mai Sakakijima saw Kaede Sakakibara yawning continuously, even her own full spirit was quietly tainted with a hint of fatigue, and she had a new understanding of Kaede Sakakibara's role.

She was infected by the yawn and couldn't help yawning too.

"Are you ready?" Qingshan Yang said into the microphone while looking at the shooting screen in the next room. He didn't expect the two of them to get it right in one take. After all, it is difficult to perform a crying scene that requires screaming to express emotions.

This scene is one of the most difficult scenes to shoot in a TV series so far. The emotional catharsis needs to be controlled in moderation. Excessive performance or unclear expression will result in a NG.

For example, in the movie "Chinese Partners", the scene where Huang Xiaoming, Deng Chao and Tong Dawei got drunk and quarreled at the wedding was filmed many times. The three actors were all drunk on the scene, and their heads were in a daze, but they were able to perfectly perform the friendship on the verge of breaking up. It is truly a benchmark for emotional performance.

By analogy, the difficulty of this scene can be imagined.

"Ok."

"I'm OK."

They both made a gesture of confirmation. Qingshan Yang hummed, stared at the screen intently, and shouted: "Action!"

The sun was shining brightly in the classroom in the morning. Mai Sakurajima was lying on the table with her eyes slightly closed, as if she was extremely tired. She was unconsciously flipping through the Chinese textbook that she needed to review for the afternoon class.

Slow and firm footsteps came from outside the classroom door, accompanied by the smooth sound of the door being opened, and a young man with slightly dull eyes walked into the classroom.

He has always been so sleep-deprived. Most of his classmates think that the boy is wasting his high school life by playing games every night for entertainment. Only Nishida Cheng knows that the boy studies late into the night every night. In the early morning when others have already fallen asleep, the lamp on the boy's wooden table is still on.

Kaede Sakakibara looked around. Among the many empty seats, Mai Sakurajima's presence was extremely obvious, and it was impossible not to notice her.

The boy hesitated for a moment after seeing this scene. Contrary to his action when he came in, he gently closed the classroom door without making any sound. He walked slowly, as if he didn't want to wake up Sakurajima Mai who was dreaming, and quietly sat down beside her.

He took out the textbook and notebook from the desk, and the tip of the pen had just touched the paper for a moment when it drew a neat arc.

For a moment, the only sounds in the classroom were the bustling voices of people on the playground outside the window and the rustling sound of pencils scratching across notebooks.

Even if the central air conditioning is working, the temperature in the classroom is still not high.

The boy stopped drawing the geometric circle with his pen. He hesitated for a moment, took off his school uniform, and covered her with his coat like a quilt.

Some people's gentleness is like bubbling soda, sweet, stimulating and joyful.

Some people's gentleness is like warm boiled water, plain, peaceful and warm.

People are different.

Some people drink too much soda and think it is too greasy, and feel that only plain boiled water can quench their thirst.

Some people drink too much plain water, but the water is tasteless and has no flavor, so a glass of iced soda is more suitable.

The person who gives you soda is just like soda, always smiling and full of energy.

The person who gives you boiled water is like a glass of pure water, plain and quiet, happy in loneliness, without any trace of expression.

There is no good or bad in gentleness.

Silence is also a kind of gentleness.

It seemed that the boy was not very skilled in covering the quilt, and woke up Sakurajima Mai who was sleeping soundly.

She suddenly opened her eyes and stood up.

"Eh... Eh? Ah?... Why?"

"Is the work of the propaganda committee member too tiring?" The boy spoke softly for the first time. Even he himself did not notice that his tone was no longer as cold as before.

"Ah...well, maybe." Sakurajima Mai smiled to conceal her smile.

Sakakibara Feng pretended nothing had happened, sat back in his seat, and picked up the familiar pen. His heart, which had been beating fast and embarrassed because he was discovered, gradually calmed down.

"It's already class..." Sakurajima Mai looked at the recently popular cartoon watch in distress, and looked at the silent boy sideways, "Hong, why did Hong-chan know I was here?"

"This class is physical education. I went to the health room and found that you were not there. The only place in the whole school where we can rest and sleep now is the air-conditioned classroom. I have an exam this afternoon that I have to review for a long time. Orange, you have been in school all this time to catch up on the progress of the school festival posters, so you are naturally lacking sleep." Sakakibara Kaede finished the explanation in a clear and orderly manner, and finally couldn't help but yawned with her hands covering her mouth.

"But isn't Hiro-chan helping out as well? Didn't Tou-chan also invite you to be in charge of the text portion of the poster?"

Sakakibara was silent for a moment and said, "I am indeed helping, but this will not affect my study plan. I am not the kind of person who sits back and enjoys the results while my classmates are busy."

"I did this from the bottom of my heart. I want to make this school festival a success, so as not to leave behind any embarrassing memories or regrets."

"Cheng, what about you?" the young man said softly. This was the first time he had said so many words. Perhaps he would only be so unreserved in front of his childhood sweetheart. "Are you working so hard for yourself?"

Perhaps, Nishida Orange had never truly understood her childhood sweetheart before.

Maybe in her eyes, the boy is a cold person who is indifferent to the outside world.

"..."

Mai Sakurajima lowered her eyes. She couldn't see her face, only her pursed lips.

"Why not just be yourself?"

Sakurajima Mai suddenly turned to look at Sakakibara Kaede, her big eyes filled with emotions that were difficult to conceal, "Because it will be disillusioning."

"I hope I'm frank, gentle, polite, sensible and lively. Hong-chan, do you think I'm better 'like that'?" Before Sakakibara Kaede could answer, Sakurajima Mai laughed at herself. This was a sad and lonely smile she had never shown before. "Yeah, it's better like that after all. I think so too!"

The loud outpouring was mixed with desperate cries, shouting at all sides, but there was no sense of disapproval that was echoed.

"I never said that."

Sakakibara Kaede's gaze has always followed Sakurajima Mai's eyes. He doesn't know what happened to his childhood sweetheart in junior high school, but he knows that Nishida Orange was not like this in the past.

Changed, he changed, she changed too.

People change over time. The outside world prompts people to change, and people change to adapt to the world. The nature is the same.

I want to help everyone more and I want everyone to think that I am a gentle and approachable person.

Ahhh——

"I hope that you are you, not someone else, but Nishida Orange."

I have long known in my heart how outstanding she is. When I was a child, I knew the happiness and distress of that little girl who smiled at me, stretched out her hand and invited me to play with her.

"So I don't want you to force yourself in such a weird way!"

The young man's clear shout was like a gust of strong wind. Sakurajima Mai opened her already big eyes wide, and then squinted as if hurt by the wind.

"I hope... I hope I am what 'you' expect me to be." She couldn't control her trembling body, and then she smiled.

It was not the usual soft smile, nor was it the gentle and easy-going smile she wore when she was with classmates.