Chapter 55

"Several young girls can play the roles of the female protagonist and her classmates during her junior high school years," Director Miyamoto continued, flipping through his notebook and pointing at the photos. "Aoi Miyazaki, Erika Toda, and Eri Fukatsu are all very suitable. I think their personalities also match well. Aoi Miyazaki can play the young female protagonist, Erika Toda can play her classmate, and Eri Fukatsu can play the male protagonist's classmate."

In the script for "My Sister's Man," the basic setting was that the male protagonist's mother and the female protagonist's father remarried, and the two main characters met when the male protagonist was in his second year of junior high school and the female protagonist was in her first year of high school. This meant that Aoi Miyazaki and Erika Toda were actually younger than the characters in the script, but since they were under his management, it didn't matter. Eri Fukatsu, on the other hand, was just the right age to play the male protagonist's classmate who liked him.

Miyamoto's preparation surprised Shen Zhenghui, but it was also expected. Mr. Lu Xun once praised the Japanese for their seriousness in doing things—saying that Japanese men were best suited to be detectives and women to be nurses.

Miyamoto's role seemed to go beyond this. He continued to show his preparation skills to Shen Zhenghui. "Of course, the female protagonist will be played by Miss Chiharu Aizawa. For the role of the male protagonist's assistant nurse, I think Kumiko Aso is very suitable, though we may not be able to get her." Miyamoto paused, "I've listed many backup actors for you to choose from."

Shen Zhenghui then saw a large stack of photos that made his eyes spin.

"For the role of the male protagonist's classmate, the grown-up version of Eri Fukatsu, I think Ryoko Hirosue is a good choice. Of course, we might not be able to get her. I have a bold suggestion: I think Ryoko Shinohara can also play this role. Although her main career is singing, her appearance is very suitable, and the role is not too significant."

Shen Zhenghui stared at the stack of photos, trying to match the names with the faces.

"Additionally, there are some minor roles. Oh, who do you have in mind for the role of the male protagonist's mother?" Miyamoto asked, as if he had just thought of it.

Shen Zhenghui's thoughts finally returned to normal. "Can we get Tae Kimura for this role?"

"About that," Miyamoto smiled awkwardly, "I don't think there will be a problem. 'The Witch's Love' is also funded by President Fukuda." He glanced at Fukuda Hikari.

"What? Is there a problem?" Shen Zhenghui asked, puzzled by his tone.

"'The Witch's Love' is currently airing, and I'm worried about the schedule and the price," Miyamoto said.

"Hmm? I heard from Hikari a year ago that they were going to start production. Why is it only now being made and aired?" Shen Zhenghui opened his mouth wide and turned to look at Fukuda Hikari.

"Due to various preparations," Miyamoto answered awkwardly.

"It's fine," Fukuda Hikari said, "By the time Chiharu returns, 'The Witch's Love' will be almost over."

"Okay. No matter what, I can't wait until next year to start airing. Director Miyamoto, I'll take these materials back and look at them. Once I confirm, I'll let you know, and we'll sign the contract as soon as possible. We'll start production when Chiharu returns from China."

"Hai!" Miyamoto looked excited and asked cautiously, "Have you talked to the TV station? When will it be aired?"

"Aren't we supposed to contact the TV station after the production is done?" Shen Zhenghui was a bit confused.

"No, that's not how it works," Miyamoto explained, seeing that Shen Zhenghui was unfamiliar with Japanese TV production. "We usually talk to the TV station first and then start production, one episode per week."

Shen Zhenghui squinted and looked at Fukuda Hikari, who was standing silently on the side.

She shrugged at Shen Zhenghui, "Don't worry," she said, "I'll take care of the TV station. You just focus on the production."

"Yes, yes!" Miyamoto bowed, "Thank you very much, President!" He handed all the materials he had collected to Shen Zhenghui, bowed to Fukuda Hikari, and then left.

"Where did you find this director? He seems like a capable person," Shen Zhenghui said, looking at the thick stack of materials in his hand.

"Yes, didn't I tell you? He makes adult films."

"So, I'm curious how you know him. Have you seen his works?" Shen Zhenghui joked.

"Like you said before, instead of using outdated things, it's better to dig and cultivate. He has a chance to direct a proper TV series, so he is particularly dedicated," Fukuda Hikari ignored Shen Zhenghui's joke. "I also think he is good. I hope you work well together and become a golden duo. After all, you need a local assistant in Japan."

"Thank you very much!" Shen Zhenghui rubbed his chin.

"Don't mention it. Just make the show good, and that will be your thanks," Fukuda Hikari replied.

"Have you really taken care of the TV station? Do we have to follow the one-episode-per-week schedule? To be honest, I'm not used to it."

"No problem," Fukuda Hikari said, "We have money, so we don't have to do it that way." She glanced at the materials in Shen Zhenghui's hand. "Be careful tonight, or maybe you should change your place of residence."

"What's wrong?" Shen Zhenghui was a bit startled.

"Forget it, nothing."

"Speaking of Director Miyamoto, who is an adult film director, I actually have an idea. I want to try making adult films too!" Shen Zhenghui said casually.

Fukuda Hikari stared at him seriously, making him feel uneasy.

"You're not joking, are you?" Fukuda Hikari asked seriously.

"Uh, it's just a weird hobby when I have nothing to do," Shen Zhenghui said, thinking about the future otakus watching the films he directed and feeling a twisted sense of satisfaction. He pointed to his temple, "A kind of strange artistic quirk."

"Men's artistic quirks, I can understand," Fukuda Hikari nodded, looking tired. "Alright, let's go back." She said.

It was indeed late.

Fukuda Hikari said to Shen Zhenghui, "I'm going to visit Gonzo and see Liu Xin. Do you want to come with me?"

"No, thanks," Shen Zhenghui waved his hand, "I plan to look at the materials tonight and select the roles as soon as possible."

"Just looking at the photos won't do," Fukuda Hikari squinted, "You need to audition the roles!"

"I'll just set a range and leave the specifics to Miyamoto."

"Chiharu won't be back for a while!" Fukuda Hikari smiled.

"We need to prepare early. Miyamoto is very enthusiastic, and we can't discourage him," Shen Zhenghui replied. "Also, do you know Chiharu's address in China? Send her the script early so she can prepare."

Fukuda Hikari nodded, "I'll take care of it." She asked, "How will you solve your dinner?"

"I'll just order a bowl of ramen." Shen Zhenghui waved his hand.

"Right, you hardly stay in your office here." Fukuda Hikari said and left.

Shen Zhenghui returned to his office in the building. He rarely stayed here, and the office was still brand new. One of Fukuda Hikari's secretaries came to ask if he needed help with ordering food after Shen Zhenghui entered the office.

"Just a bowl of ramen." Shen Zhenghui sat down and started looking at the photos and names.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" the secretary asked.

"Oh, right, I remember the company has a list of artists. Could you bring it to me?" Shen Zhenghui said casually. The Japanese do a good job with information, and the list actually contains information on most famous artists in the Japanese entertainment industry.

"There's a copy on your bookshelf," the secretary smiled. "I'm about to leave, so please let me know if you need anything."

"Oh, that's fine. You can go. I want a tonkotsu spicy ramen."

After the secretary left, Shen Zhenghui stood up and browsed his bookshelf. He was surprised to see a whole row of artist information. It would take a month to read through it all.

"Damn, being a director is not easy," Shen Zhenghui sighed. He decided to list the ages of the characters and find actors based on their ages, a common method in Japan. The workload was still huge, but Miyamoto's preparation was already very thorough. Shen Zhenghui reviewed the materials to fill in any gaps and familiarize himself with the Japanese entertainment industry.

Soon, the delivery boy brought the ramen, and the secretary came to confirm that everything was fine and then left. Shen Zhenghui finished the ramen, looked at the materials for a while, and walked to the window. He saw many people still working overtime in the hall. He shook his head, "Typical Japanese."

After finalizing the main roles, Shen Zhenghui had no interest in the minor roles and decided to leave them all to Miyamoto. The preliminary list was mostly the same as Miyamoto's choices, which was a recognition of Miyamoto's work. As the night deepened, Shen Zhenghui stretched, cleaned up the trash, and organized the documents, preparing to leave. Just then, he heard a light knock on the door.

The sudden knock startled Shen Zhenghui in the middle of the night.

"Who is it?"

"I'm the security guard, Mr. Sasaki. Are you ready to leave?"

"Got it, I'm leaving now." Shen Zhenghui sighed in relief, finding it strange to be called Sasaki. He then remembered that his nameplate only had the name Sasaki, not his department or position.

"I'm about to change shifts. I'll tell the next person that Mr. Sasaki is still here. I'm not rushing you; we have people on duty all night."

"Thank you very much." Shen Zhenghui opened the door and saw a polite middle-aged security guard standing outside, smiling at him.

The guard bowed, "Hai, I'll check the other floors."

Shen Zhenghui said, "Thank you for your hard work," turned, and closed the door. He poured himself a glass of water and took a sip. The door behind him knocked lightly again, so softly that he almost didn't hear it in the quiet of the night.

Shen Zhenghui didn't think much of it, "I'm leaving now." He thought the security guard had come back, but when he opened the door, a young, pretty girl stood there, her hand with shiny nail polish raised to knock. "Who are you?"

She looked very embarrassed, bowed first, and said, "I'm Nagumi Horiguchi."

"Oh, which department are you from?"

She seemed very nervous, "Can I come in and talk?" she said, swallowing.

Shen Zhenghui was puzzled but let her in, "What's the matter?" he asked, "I'm about to leave."

The girl, who called herself Nagumi Horiguchi, stood in front of Shen Zhenghui, trembling slightly. She bit her lip, closed her eyes, and pulled open her blouse, revealing her firm breasts covered by a bra. "I hope to get a role, please."

Shen Zhenghui didn't expect this and was momentarily stunned.

Nagumi Horiguchi opened her eyes, saw Shen Zhenghui staring, and reached out to grab his hand, placing it on her soft breast. "P... please, I'll do anything you ask."

Shen Zhenghui's mind flashed back to the plot of "My Sister's Man," where the main character's biological father, a director, had an affair with the main character's classmate.

Feeling the softness and warmth from his hand, Shen Zhenghui shuddered: "Being a director is a great job!" he thought to himself.

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