Chapter 22

"Truly, you are an outstanding capitalist."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"This isn't a compliment, it's sarcasm."

"Actually, it's such a failure of sarcasm that you had to point it out yourself for everyone to understand it!" Shen Zhenghui said with a sigh, looking at Kuroshima Jinichiro. He hadn't said a word during the tour, waiting until they started eating to begin his sarcastic remarks. However, in terms of sarcasm skills, he still needed a lot of practice.

Kuroshima Jinichiro clearly didn't think he was being sarcastic. With a look of disdain, he said, "So, you plan to treat your employees like this, making them work in Japan for 50,000 yen a month?" Kuroshima's malicious sarcasm was evident. In Japan, a typical part-time job could earn around 150,000 to 160,000 yen a month, which was about 10,000 RMB at the exchange rate. Shen Zhenghui's offer of 50,000 yen a month was simply outrageous, no wonder Murahama Shoji had immediately kowtowed, ready to take in as many Chinese as possible.

"Regarding this issue, I still need to discuss it with Hikari..."

"Wait, don't keep calling her Hikari, it sounds so intimate." Kuroshima burst out.

"Brother, you're being too rude!" Fukuda Hikari said, taking the initiative, "Shen is our partner."

Kuroshima gritted his teeth and sat back down. "I could have thought of the plan in China as well."

"You might have thought of it, but Shen thought of it first," Fukuda Hikari stared at Kuroshima Jinichiro, "I believe we should show enough respect to a partner who can bring us sales of over 100 million a year."

Kuroshima Jinichiro seemed greatly affected by these words and finally couldn't help but stand up again. "I have something to do, I'll leave first."

"I think it's better if you stay," Shen Zhenghui said.

Kuroshima Jinichiro gave him a blank look.

"Shen, " Fukuda Hikari glared at him, "don't make things worse."

Unjust, Shen Zhenghui thought. If he wanted to pursue her, shouldn't he stay by her side to prevent us from being alone together?

"Brother," Fukuda Hikari stood up and said, "we still need to go to the company tonight. If you're done with your business, you can come find us there."

Kuroshima Jinichiro took a deep breath and replied, "Alright, I understand." He glared at Shen Zhenghui and finally left, leaving Shen Zhenghui and Fukuda Hikari alone in the private room.

"This is why you're still single at almost thirty," Shen Zhenghui thought to himself, "be a good brother!"

"Shen, now that brother is gone, are you satisfied?" Fukuda Hikari said with a smile.

"It's not my fault, he left on his own."

"Alright, I get it." Fukuda Hikari fidgeted with the tableware, looking somewhat restless. Just as Shen Zhenghui was complaining about the slow service in Japanese restaurants, she suddenly looked up. "Shen, " she asked, "have you had any interesting romantic stories over the years?" Seeing Shen Zhenghui's stunned expression, she quickly added, "For example, stories with Sun Jingfang..."

I don't have any stories with her! Shen Zhenghui felt a bit helpless. "Does being forced by my parents to go on blind dates count?"

"Blind... blind dates?"

Just as Fukuda Hikari opened her mouth wide, the waiter finally brought in the food.

Seeing the shockingly small portions, Shen Zhenghui couldn't help but shed a tear. "This is what I love about Japan and Korea—never getting full, never gaining weight."

"Shen, this is the unagi don you've been longing for!"

Who's been longing for it?

Fukuda Hikari was distracted by the topic of blind dates and was somewhat absent-minded during the first half of the dinner.

"Hikari," Shen Zhenghui called out, puzzled by her state, "aren't we supposed to discuss the plan with President Murahama tomorrow? Shouldn't we make a plan tonight?"

"No need," Fukuda Hikari shook her head, "we've already given them our requirements. Making the plan is their job, like how many people and how much money they need." She regained some energy, "I'm just worried he won't dare to take it! Whether it's increasing shares or increasing debt, he can't escape our control, so," she glanced at Shen Zhenghui, "you should think about whether you can provide enough manpower for him!"

"Don't worry, I've already thought about the possibility of this situation. In the worst case, I'll send all the labor from my company to Japan."

"What about your own company's production?"

"We can produce directly in Japan and then return to print and copy everything." Shen Zhenghui clapped his hands, "Of course, this is an extreme case. In reality, we can use the domestic market as a talent base, continuously providing the manpower we need."

Fukuda Hikari smiled, "It makes you sound like a human trafficker."

"It's beneficial for everyone!" Shen Zhenghui said, "By the way, I also want to talk about their salaries. How about this: you put them under your company's name and lend them to President Murahama as a third party. President Murahama pays 50,000 yen, and I'll subsidize another 50,000, with the money going through your company."

Fukuda Hikari nodded, "This way, we can attack or retreat. We can always pull these people out of GONZO and start our own company."

"The tuition is worth it." Shen Zhenghui bit his lip, "I'll pay you back in RMB on the mainland."

"Even 100,000 is still very little!" Fukuda Hikari said.

"Free meals and accommodation, plus a salary in China, I'm being extremely fair to them." Shen Zhenghui looked at the ceiling.

"Without you, they won't find jobs in Japan, and they won't be able to tolerate the low salaries back in China. What else can they do but work for you?" Fukuda Hikari saw through Shen Zhenghui's plan at a glance.

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Shen Zhenghui scratched his head, "Speaking of which, how's your work in films and TV dramas? It's part of the plan, right? I'm not very familiar with this area."

Fukuda Hikari sighed, "It's barely satisfactory. There are too many theaters in Japan, and the big chains are hard to penetrate. We can only invest in a few medium and small theater companies for integration, and we still face competition from giants like Sony and Warner." She looked at Shen Zhenghui and continued, "Although we have the support of import and export profits, this level of expansion is putting a lot of pressure on the Kuroshima family and myself."

Shen Zhenghui stroked his chin, "How are the businesses we've bought performing so far?"

"They're managing to stay afloat," Fukuda Hikari sighed again, "Entering the film and TV production industry isn't hard, but the key is that we lack experience." She spoke in a tired, low voice, "Japan is a very conservative society. Without achievements, others won't take you seriously."

"So the first step is crucial?" Shen Zhenghui blinked.

"Of course." Fukuda Hikari spread her hands, "I've already decided to invest in the TV drama 'The Virgin Witch' and have talked to Director Yagi Yasuo."

Shen Zhenghui barely held back his urge to comment, "What's the content of this TV drama?"

"It's about a teacher-student romance. I think it will create a buzz and high ratings in Japanese society because it's controversial." Fukuda Hikari spread her hands, "What do you think?"

"Uh, I trust your judgment." Shen Zhenghui licked his lips.

"I think I have a good eye for TV dramas," Fukuda Hikari said, "In Japanese society, as long as the content of a TV drama is slightly unconventional, it can attract viewers. However," she narrowed her eyes, "films are a big problem."

"Find a big director?"

"High investment, and a big failure if it doesn't work."

"Find a star?"

"Better to find a director."

"Script?"

"Equally unreliable, full of possibilities. Even with a good script, you need everything to bring it to life—directors, actors. Film audiences are not as forgiving as soap opera audiences."

"True."

Fukuda Hikari stared intently at Shen Zhenghui.

"What are you looking at me for?"

She continued to stare.

"Let me tell you, I studied physics in college, with minors in international trade and business management, not directing or screenwriting, and certainly not acting."

"But I have confidence in you, Shen." Fukuda Hikari widened her eyes, "I remember you wrote many novels. Isn't there one that can be adapted into a film?"

"My novels... are set in China." Shen Zhenghui blushed a bit. While many of his novels weren't entirely plagiarized, they certainly borrowed heavily from others. Writing novels was a compulsion left over from his previous life.

"They can be adapted to a Japanese setting. China and Japan are similar enough!"

The only similarity between China and Japan might be their attitude towards Koreans. Shen Zhenghui couldn't help but think this, but it wasn't appropriate to say it in front of Fukuda Hikari.

Shen Zhenghui thought about the classic movies he remembered, but he was short on Japanese films. He had seen very few Japanese movies and didn't think much of them. The only one he clearly remembered was Battle Royale 1, starring Takeshi Kitano. Most of the others were romantic action films. He had more Korean erotic films in his head. If he directly adapted a Korean erotic film, he wasn't sure if it would work in Japan.

Sighing, he covered his forehead. If he had known he would be in the entertainment industry, he should have watched all the high-rated films on Douban in his previous life.

However, if it was a high-budget film, it wouldn't work. The first step shouldn't be so big. For low-budget films, something like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, or a Chinese adaptation like Crazy Stone, or Pulp Fiction, he, as a non-professional, probably couldn't handle such techniques. Romantic action films were out of the question. Then... Shen Zhenghui suddenly thought of school films when Fukuda Hikari mentioned The Virgin Witch. This could work. The first thing that came to mind was the manga Tenjou Tenge, with its cute young girl transformations, but it didn't fit the 3D world. However, following this line of thought—school violence—seemed like a new path. The Japanese tendency to be overly detailed and introspective made it hard for them to produce good violent films, which often turned into psychological dramas. Ignoring this, if a cool kung fu school action film could be made, it might be worth a try.

Thinking about action films, Shen Zhenghui couldn't help but get excited. The issue of making money was temporarily set aside. He looked at Fukuda Hikari with bright eyes, "How about I invest in a youth school film?"

"Youth school film?" Fukuda Hikari repeated, puzzled.