Chapter 79

Chen Zhenghui had the whole night to think about his interpersonal relationships, even while being intimate with Aizawa Tomoaki, he was still thinking. As he thought and thought, he—fell asleep. Today, the filming was exhausting, and the dinner he had was not very satisfying, and he didn’t eat enough. After a bit of physical activity, they both lacked the energy to get up and take a shower, so they closed their eyes and fell asleep.

In the morning, Chen Zhenghui was woken up by hunger. He had nightmares all night, dreaming that he was taking an exam in the classroom, with time running out and he hadn’t written a single word. The classmates around him were all familiar faces, but they acted as if they couldn’t see him, whispering to each other but not talking to him. The teacher on the podium wasn’t strictly monitoring the exam, but he just couldn’t write anything. Suddenly, the bell rang, and they started collecting the test papers. Chen Zhenghui woke up from his dream, feeling hungry.

Aizawa Tomoaki was already up, making breakfast. The kitchen was filled with a pleasant aroma. She poked her head out from the kitchen and called to Chen Zhenghui, who was standing in the middle of the living room in a daze, “You’re awake? Take a shower first!”

Chen Zhenghui then felt the sticky sweat on his body, realizing he had sweated a lot during his nightmares. In the shower, as the water hit his head, he suddenly remembered that the classmates in his dream were from his previous life, and he hadn’t met them in this life yet.

He quickly finished his shower, stood in front of the mirror, and looked at his reflection, sighing, “What’s going on? Is this nostalgia?”

What kind of nostalgia? These classmates from his previous life are probably still in elementary school, or maybe junior high.

Chen Zhenghui composed himself, recovering from the nightmare, and then went to the living room to eat. Aizawa Tomoaki, acting like a proper Japanese wife, had already prepared the meal. After dinner, they both went out to head to the filming location. The driver named Fujido was already waiting downstairs in a Mercedes-Benz. Seeing Chen Zhenghui and Aizawa Tomoaki, he got out of the car, bowed respectfully, and introduced himself.

“Mr. Sasaki, Miss Aizawa, I am Fujido Kaoru, and it is a great honor to serve you.” Chen Zhenghui was somewhat stunned, as the driver was a woman, dressed in a professional black suit, looking very capable.

“Uh, I remember the driver for Fukuda was a man named Fujido.” Chen Zhenghui was a bit surprised.

“That’s my father,” the driver explained.

“Oh, okay, then let’s go to the filming location.” Chen Zhenghui nodded.

“Please get in the car.” The female driver opened the door.

After getting in the car, the atmosphere became somewhat heavy. Aizawa Tomoaki kept glancing at the female driver through the rearview mirror, and for a moment, no one spoke.

“Uh, about your name,” Chen Zhenghui tried to start a conversation, “it sounds familiar, like...”

“Is it the character from ‘Fighting Force’ and ‘The King of Fighters’?” she asked. “To be honest, I was also surprised when the game came out. My classmates thought I had changed my name to match the character.”

“Sometimes coincidences happen!” Chen Zhenghui smiled. “There must be a lot of people named Ito Makoto, right?”

Aizawa Tomoaki was not just interested in the name, “Miss Fujido,” she called.

“You can call me Kaoru,” the driver said.

“You look very beautiful, why... I mean, why are you just a driver?” Aizawa Tomoaki asked, “You could be a popular idol!”

Fujido Kaoru pursed her lips, “My career was decided from birth.”

“How so?” Aizawa Tomoaki exclaimed.

“The Fujido family has always been the guardian of the Kasuga Grand Shrine. It has always been this way. In my generation, my father was worried that I, not being a son, couldn’t inherit the family business.”

“Guardian of what?” Aizawa Tomoaki asked curiously.

Realizing that her answer might reveal something, Fujido Kaoru became a bit nervous, “Nothing, you can think of my family as a martial arts family in a game. My job is to inherit the family dojo.”

“So, although you’re a driver, you’re actually a bodyguard?” Chen Zhenghui had already caught the term “Kasuga Grand Shrine,” but he didn’t mind giving Fujido Kaoru a way out.

“Yes, yes, that’s right,” Fujido Kaoru nodded quickly, “I am indeed a bodyguard.”

“What a pity!” Aizawa Tomoaki said with regret, but then she became curious again, “What kind of martial arts does your family teach? Karate?”

“Something like that,” Fujido Kaoru replied.

“With such a cute face and being a martial arts girl, if you entered the entertainment industry, you would definitely become a star,” Aizawa Tomoaki continued, “Don’t you think so, Chen?”

Chen Zhenghui rubbed his chin, “It’s an interesting idea.”

“What?” Aizawa Tomoaki asked.

“A good movie actor, but I wonder how good her martial arts skills are.”

“I am very strong,” Fujido Kaoru glanced at the rearview mirror, “but I have no interest in acting.”

“What if you played Fujido Kaoru?” Chen Zhenghui asked.

Fujido Kaoru was surprised, almost losing control of the steering wheel, “Are you planning to make a live-action version of ‘Fighting Force’ or ‘The King of Fighters’?”

“It’s not possible right now,” Chen Zhenghui pursed his lips, tilting his head to look at Fujido Kaoru’s face, “but if you had long hair, you would look like an anime character.”

“Who?” Aizawa Tomoaki asked, very interested.

“Mouri Ran.”

Japan, as a country of anime, lives up to its name. Just by looking at the box office rankings, you can see how much the country loves anime. Hayao Miyazaki and Doraemon dominate the top spots. When developing the entertainment industry, Chen Zhenghui understood that in Japan, movies and TV dramas are closely tied to anime and novels. This is why he needed to collaborate with Kadokawa and have his own animation company and voice actor agency.

“Mouri Ran?” Fujido Kaoru laughed, but she took it as a joke.

At the filming location, Chen Zhenghui saw that Miyamoto looked listless, while the actress beside him, Yoshitake Michiko, looked energetic. Could these two—Chen Zhenghui couldn’t help but wonder.

Miyamoto saw Chen Zhenghui and felt very embarrassed, but once the filming started, his attention was gradually diverted, and he showed his professional spirit.

“What are your plans after this film?” Miyamoto asked Chen Zhenghui during a break. Miyamoto, as a director, was essentially an executive director, participating in planning but without decision-making power.

“I’m thinking about this too,” Chen Zhenghui frowned, “relying solely on the topic for success is no longer enough. We need a breakthrough.”

“A breakthrough?”

“We need to improve the overall quality of the film through strict production,” Chen Zhenghui said seriously, “so we need a big director to direct a film.”

“A big director? Like Kitano Takeshi?” Miyamoto’s eyes widened, and he repeated, “To direct a film?”

“Don’t limit your vision to Japan,” Chen Zhenghui smiled at him, “think broader.”

“Then, Hollywood? Who? Cameron or Spielberg?”

“You’re flattering me,” Chen Zhenghui was speechless at Miyamoto’s enthusiasm, “I heard that Mr. Zhou’s new film is already raising funds.”

“Mr. Zhou? Which Mr. Zhou? Stephen Chow?” Miyamoto seemed to realize something, “This... This is also impressive,” his eyes sparkled, “Have you talked to President Fukuda?”

“I was just about to,” Chen Zhenghui responded, patting Miyamoto’s shoulder, “let’s finish filming and go see her together.”

Miyamoto was excited, “Yes, I would also like to work with Stephen Chow!”

“By the way, take a look,” Chen Zhenghui pointed to Fujido Kaoru, who was standing as a bodyguard, “what do you think of that girl?”

“She has a good presence and appearance, should we train her?” Miyamoto answered after just one glance.

“She is also a martial artist, but I don’t know her skill level.”

“A martial artist?”

“Female martial artists in Japan are almost extinct, right?”

“Well, there are fewer such roles in Japan, which is not conducive to the training of female martial artists,” Miyamoto rubbed his hands, “the martial artists of the 1980s were mostly trained in Hong Kong.”

“This is a good breakthrough point,” Chen Zhenghui narrowed his eyes.

Miyamoto felt he couldn’t keep up with Chen Zhenghui’s pace.

“Okay, let’s start filming, we can talk about other things later.”

Today’s filming went smoothly. As it was about to end, Chen Zhenghui was about to call Miyamoto to go see Fukuda Hikari, but unexpectedly, Fukuda Hikari came over herself.

Accompanying her was Aki Jinji, but he looked cold and indifferent, as if he had been forced to come.

Fukuda Hikari asked Miyamoto to gather everyone, as she had something to announce.

Everyone had seen the two directors being taken away by the yakuza last night, and although nothing happened the next day, the unease was inevitable. Neither Miyamoto nor Chen Zhenghui had realized this issue, but when Fukuda Hikari spoke, many of the cast and crew felt reassured.

“President Aki will establish a more extensive and in-depth cooperation with us,” Fukuda Hikari began, but upon closer examination, it seemed that Aki Jinji’s companies were trying to please Kasuga Eiga, with various cooperation methods making Aki Jinji’s companies appear as satellites of Kasuga Eiga.

Aki Jinji stood to the side, occasionally nodding, and even clapped after Fukuda Hikari finished speaking. Finally, he said, “We will have a comprehensive and in-depth cooperation with Kasuga Eiga and Queens Agency. I believe this will greatly benefit our company’s development. If you see a future in it, we welcome you to join our company.” He didn’t say anything more.

Chen Zhenghui and Fukuda Hikari exchanged a glance, somewhat disbelieving that this was Fukuda Hikari’s complete victory.

After the speech, Aki Jinji shook hands with all the staff, spending extra time with Miyamoto and Chen Zhenghui, giving a sense of unspoken understanding, and then left with his subordinates.

The crew was somewhat shocked, seeing the yakuza act so compliantly, their confidence in Kasuga Eiga naturally increased.

Fukuda Hikari walked over, glancing at Chen Zhenghui and Miyamoto, “What, do you have something to say to me?”

“There’s a lot to say, but I don’t know where to start,” Chen Zhenghui was a bit dazed.

Fukuda Hikari looked at Aizawa Tomoaki, “Let’s talk over dinner, I have a lot to discuss with you too.” Then she looked at Miyamoto, “Director Miyamoto, come too!”

“I would be honored!” Miyamoto bowed nervously.

“Don’t be so formal, bring Miss Yoshitake.” This made Miyamoto’s face turn red.

Chen Zhenghui looked at Horiguchi Tsunami, who was standing beside Fukuda Hikari, acting like a professional secretary, and felt a sense of dissonance for some reason.

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