Chapter 58

Fukuda Miteru's outburst was clearly just a temporary stress reaction, not a real intention to tie up Liu Xin. Shen Zhenghui naturally wouldn't act out some movie plot. He just held Liu Xin, and by the time Fukuda Miteru came over, Liu Xin had already thrown herself into Fukuda Miteru's arms and started crying.

Shen Zhenghui felt that his luck had been terrible that night. There hadn't been a single good thing all evening. He got drunk, then encountered a series of mishaps. Seeing Liu Xin calm down, he felt utterly exhausted and said, "I'm leaving first," glancing at Fukuda Miteru and then at Liu Xin, who was still crying in Fukuda Miteru's arms. He pursed his lips and called out, "Liu Xin!"

"Get lost quickly!" Liu Xin shouted angrily.

"Uh, okay, I'll leave right away." Shen Zhenghui saw Fukuda Miteru waving at him and felt a bit dejected. "Really, why are you so late? Is it that busy at Gonzo?" Shen Zhenghui didn't notice that Liu Xin's body trembled slightly when he said this.

After Shen Zhenghui left, Liu Xin stopped sobbing and pouted at Fukuda Miteru. "Spill it, when did you two start?"

"We haven't started yet!" Fukuda Miteru said, letting go with a sigh. "You came back too early. If you had been a bit later, something might have happened."

Liu Xin said in a jealous tone, "I'm really sorry! I work my ass off at Gonzo every day and accidentally interrupt you two."

"Alright, stop being jealous. If something really happened, would I hide it from you?" Fukuda Miteru winked. "But you, working so hard, are you trying to surprise him?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Liu Xin said insincerely. "This is just my personal interest. I'm just waiting to see the animation I produce!"

"I really don't understand you." Fukuda Miteru shook her head.

"I don't understand you either!" Liu Xin widened her eyes. "What are you thinking?"

Fukuda Miteru pursed her lips and reached out to touch Liu Xin's chin. "If you want to know, just keep watching."

"I want to make it clear, I'm staying in Japan for the sake of China's cause." Liu Xin raised her hand. "I have no intention of getting involved in your mess!"

"Forget it, save your insincere words for later!" Fukuda Miteru grabbed Liu Xin's shoulder. "It's so late, come and warm my bed!" The two women laughed and walked towards the bedroom.

When Shen Zhenghui got into a taxi and returned to his apartment, it was already late at night. At this point, he had no mood to continue writing the script. He quickly tidied up and lay down on the bed, thinking about the events of the day. He found it both amusing and headache-inducing. Just the fact that Liu Xin was his fiancée was a problem he didn't know how to handle. The more he thought, the more problems he found, and his mind couldn't bear the burden, so he fell asleep easily.

The next morning, Shen Zhenghui actually woke up on time. After tidying up, he headed to work. At the company, he first looked at the information on Horiguchi Natsumi from the previous night. An ordinary high school graduate with no specialized training, no wonder the department wouldn't sign her. Although her appearance and figure were both very good, Shen Zhenghui could even recall the feel of his hand from last night. Maybe she could be a pretty face, he thought, and jotted down her name in his notebook.

Next, he called Director Miyamoto to inform him to come and pick up the materials and start the production preparations. This young director, who had previously directed adult films, was deeply excited when he received Shen Zhenghui's call, eager to sign actors and start filming immediately.

After handling these matters, Shen Zhenghui thought about contacting Aizawa Tomoaki, but since he had already entrusted Fukuda Miteru, he didn't want to act on his own. However, he didn't have Aizawa Tomoaki's contact information in China, which was frustrating. He also remembered that Liu Xin had come home very late the previous night, so he called Zhou Hua.

Zhou Hua seemed to be busy and was a bit confused when he received Shen Zhenghui's call. "We're busy making 'Puhai Fortress'! We've been working overtime at night, and so has President Liu!"

"Oh, making an animation? Hmm? Wait, you said 'Puhai Fortress'?"

"Yes."

"Isn't it 'Tokyo Fortress'? I remember you were the assistant director for 'Tokyo Fortress'!"

"Uh, don't you know?" Zhou Hua sounded very surprised. "This is a project President Liu is handling, a sister story to 'Tokyo Fortress' called 'Puhai Fortress.' Isn't it the script you wrote, President Shen? President Liu said to take advantage of the success of 'Tokyo Fortress' to produce this animation as well, both for practice and to expand the domestic animation market."

"Oh, I see." After hanging up, Shen Zhenghui was not at all calm. What was this? Liu Xin was doing this behind his back. 'Puhai Fortress' might be a good story, but who would watch it? Would the Japanese? The Chinese? Could it pass the censorship? This would just be a waste of money. Shen Zhenghui didn't mind a little waste, but the key was that the money was being wasted without his knowledge.

"I can't stand this, bypassing me like this, it's a bad habit!" Shen Zhenghui put down the phone, originally wanting to rush to Gonzo, but since Miyamoto was coming to pick up the materials, he sat down. He was extremely anxious, pacing back and forth, and finally couldn't take it anymore. He left his office and headed towards Fukuda Miteru's office, not forgetting to tell the receptionist to call him if Director Miyamoto came.

When he pushed open the door to Fukuda Miteru's office, she was bent over writing something. Seeing Shen Zhenghui, she slightly raised her head. "Oh, you're actually on time, that's rare." She put down her pen and looked up. "What's up?"

"Of course."

"If you're asking about Liu Xin, she's fine, but she cried a lot last night. She was still sleeping when I left this morning."

"Oh."

"Under my persuasion, she forgave you."

"It makes me sound like I did something wrong."

"You know best yourself." Fukuda Miteru rolled her eyes at Shen Zhenghui.

"Wait, I didn't come here for that." He pressed his temples hard.

"Do you want Aizawa Tomoaki's contact information in Beijing? I'll write it down for you."

"Oh, thanks, but I didn't come here just for that."

"Then what is it?" Fukuda Miteru widened her eyes, looking down at Shen Zhenghui with a questioning gaze.

This gaze made Shen Zhenghui uncomfortable. He walked to the sofa and sat down, taking a deep breath before asking, "Do you know that Liu Xin is producing the animation 'Puhai Fortress'?"

"Ah, that's what it's about." Fukuda Miteru laughed.

"You know about it?"

"Of course, without my permission, Murahama Shoji wouldn't have agreed to it!"

"You all kept it from me, what are you planning?"

"Isn't it to surprise you?" Fukuda Miteru smiled, pretending to be a bit embarrassed. "Your real work being adapted into a TV animation, aren't you happy?"

"I'm thrilled, but if it doesn't sell, I'll just keep it for myself?" Shen Zhenghui felt a bit helpless. "We are a legitimate animation production company, not an amateur group."

"It won't fail to sell," Fukuda Miteru shrugged. "We've already talked to Tokyo TV."

"What, the Japanese are interested in an animation that completely describes China, with no Japanese characters?"

"There is one, a liaison officer who likes to play games with the protagonist."

"You changed my setting and still have the nerve to call it my real work?"

"Compared to someone like Shinbo Akiyuki, who destroys the original work, this is much better. You should know that this series is being sold as a package with 'Tokyo Fortress.'"

"Damn, I didn't know about this. You guys are really over the top!"

"Liu Xin isn't as pessimistic about Chinese animation as you are. I think she's right."

"Do you really expect this to be shown in mainland China? The State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television will teach you how to correctly understand the world."

"Listen to me carefully!" Fukuda Miteru was a bit angry, slamming her hand on the table. When Shen Zhenghui quieted down, she continued, "Prime Minister Koyama is visiting China in July."

"Oh, the exciting moment has finally arrived?" Shen Zhenghui said with a hint of sarcasm.

"So before that, we should have enough chips in our hands." Fukuda Miteru ignored his sarcasm and stared at Shen Zhenghui. "I had high hopes for you, but you always get stuck on Aizawa Tomoaki, which disappoints me." This sentence seemed to have a double meaning.

"But I only know one suitable actress!"

Fukuda Miteru felt her face contorting. "Then go with Miyamoto to find a good actress and produce more films! I'm waiting to have enough films to enter the Chinese market!"

Shen Zhenghui couldn't bear the pressure from Fukuda Miteru and hurriedly covered his face and fled. When he left the office, he realized he had been tricked.

"Tricked so easily, now I feel awkward about pursuing the matter of them starting the project without permission. This is really..."

At that moment, the secretary on the floor called, "Mr. Sasaki, Mr. Miyamoto has arrived."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

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