Chapter 89

Signing a cooperation agreement with Stephen Chow was like putting at least 20 billion yen in his pocket. Shen Zhenghui communicated with Fukuda Mitsumi and learned that Miyamoto had already gone to Kitano Takeshi's film set, where he was assisting Kitano in preparing to shoot "The Boss" (also known as "Brotherhood of the World"). After finishing the Tokyo scenes, they would still need to shoot in Los Angeles. Fukuda Mitsumi also had the intention of cultivating this director, as Miyamoto had signed a twenty-year contract with her. Miyamoto would also be joining Stephen Chow's film set and then going to Shinji Somai's set.

Shen Zhenghui couldn't stay in Hong Kong any longer. Although Mr. Xiang didn't come to explain to Shen Zhenghui, his attitude towards him had changed drastically, becoming extremely polite. He repeatedly invited Shen Zhenghui to banquets and said he could invite any artist Shen liked. This simple gangster tactic of winning people over made Shen Zhenghui politely decline. He used his busy work as an excuse, but was really being forced by the couple. He casually mentioned that he liked Kelly Chen, which explained why he had invested in "Tokyo攻略" (Tokyo Strategy).

Kelly Chen's family background meant that the Xiang family couldn't just order her around. So when Shen Zhenghui said he liked Kelly Chen, the Xiang couple felt very awkward.

Shen Zhenghui had no intention of staying in Hong Kong any longer. Seeing that the talks with Stephen Chow were going well, he handed the specific matters to Sho Hoshino and flew to Taiwan with two girls. Upon arriving in Taiwan, they met an acquaintance—Yamayama Moto and Chairman Shibata personally came to the airport to pick them up, making Shen Zhenghui feel like he was receiving high-end treatment.

Yamayama Moto still had that serious look when working, but would show his lecherous side in private. Chairman Shibata and he got along very well, which Shen Zhenghui found quite unbelievable. Of course, Aizawa Chisato was also present. Yamayama Moto proudly reported to Shen Zhenghui that the Taiwan office was well-established, and thanked Chairman Shibata for his help.

Chairman Shibata expressed gratitude for the assistance provided by Haruhi Eiga, as the entire TV series would also be filmed in Tokyo, making it seem more high-end. At the time, Fukuda Mitsumi had readily agreed to assist, and Chairman Shibata brought up the matter again, which Shen Zhenghui didn't mind.

"How are Kawanishi and Tsutsumi doing? How are they performing?" Shen Zhenghui continued to ask.

"Hehe, pretty good," Chairman Shibata replied with a smile. "But her mainland accent is quite heavy, so she's been learning to speak in a Taiwanese accent."

"Taiwanese accent... " Shen Zhenghui stroked his chin, not continuing the joke, and asked, "How is the shooting progress?"

At this, Chairman Shibata's expression faltered, and Yamayama Moto coughed.

"Not going well?" Shen Zhenghui asked.

"Um, yes," Chairman Shibata explained. "We spent a lot of effort selecting suitable male actors, and now we mainly need to do a lot of pre-production work."

"What kind of work?" Shen Zhenghui asked expressionlessly. After all, the film was released in 2001 in his previous life, and he hadn't thought about how much earlier it could be released. Although the whole thing was his side's plan, Chairman Shibata was also anxious. If history changed and F4 wasn't those four people—Shen Zhenghui didn't really care.

"Mainly, we need to cultivate the demeanor of young aristocrats, which takes a lot of time in terms of clothing, dining, and behavior. Plus, Kawanishi's language training, etc., so the preparation time is quite long. We are aiming for perfection," Chairman Shibata explained.

Shen Zhenghui nodded and didn't continue asking about this.

Aizawa Chisato listened to the conversation with a smile. Yamayama Moto greeted her and chatted for a bit. Chairman Shibata jokingly asked if she wanted to hold a meet-and-greet in Taiwan. "Sister's Boyfriend" had been introduced to Taiwan and was currently popular—although the first and second seasons could be finished in less than a month. Aizawa Chisato, with her special status, had many fans in Taiwan.

Fujitou Kaoru wasn't very interested in such conversations and faithfully performed her bodyguard duties—remaining silent. Chairman Shibata probably mistook her for a new Japanese star and asked curiously, "Mr. Shen, is this your new artist?"

"Not yet, her role is a bodyguard, named Fujitou Kaoru." Fujitou Kaoru smiled awkwardly.

Chairman Shibata clearly imagined Fujitou Kaoru's role as Aizawa Chisato's assistant. "Miss Fujitou, you have a good appearance. Are you interested in becoming an actress?"

Fujitou Kaoru shook her head, and Yamayama Moto laughed. "Your father doesn't allow it?"

"I don't find it interesting," Fujitou Kaoru replied. She had seen how big bosses in Hong Kong treated their artists, and although she was Japanese, she didn't like such a life.

Shen Zhenghui felt he should care about the TV series, so he asked, "Who are the male leads? I haven't paid much attention."

Chairman Shibata became a bit awkward again. "To shoot this series well, we specially sought out a few very promising newcomers."

Shen Zhenghui didn't care about this. For an idol drama, even if an Oscar winner played it, it would still be the same. "What are their names?"

Chairman Shibata reported the names and showed Shen Zhenghui the character photos. Indeed, they were the same four who had tormented countless girls in his previous life. A faint smile appeared on Shen Zhenghui's lips, as if he was very satisfied.

"From an appearance standpoint, they are already quite good," Yamayama Moto commented.

Shen Zhenghui nodded. He knew his aesthetic was different from that of young girls, so he didn't dwell on this topic. "Who are the supporting actresses?" he asked.

Yamayama Moto clearly misunderstood this question and gave a lecherous look. Chairman Shibata took out another stack of photos, and Shen Zhenghui was surprised to find the original female lead in the folded photos.

Seeing Shen Zhenghui's attention on the female lead, Chairman Shibata leaned in. "Oh, Mr. Wang has always wanted to push her as the lead, but..." He didn't continue. "In this series, she is a relatively important supporting role."

Shen Zhenghui hadn't read the original manga or script, so he didn't know how important the supporting role was. Seeing such a big face in front of him was really affecting his mood. He moved the photo away, but his attention to this woman made Yamayama Moto misunderstand. When they arrived at the hotel, Yamayama Moto found an opportunity to lean in. "Mr. Shen, are you interested in that girl? I can arrange it!"

"Mr. Yamayama, can you do some real work? I'm going to check on the Taiwan office tomorrow. President Fukuda is very concerned about the Taiwan market, and you're just sleeping with actresses."

Yamayama Moto was unashamed. "Mr. Shen, don't be embarrassed. If you say you want to invest in a film, these actresses will cry and beg to get into your bed."

Shen Zhenghui shuddered. "Are you loudly publicizing that we're making a film in Taiwan?"

"It's the truth!" Yamayama Moto said. "The company's plan is like that. The president sent me to Taiwan to publicize it. Otherwise, why would this Ms. Shibata be so polite to us? Taiwan's film industry is far behind Japan's."

Shen Zhenghui narrowed his eyes, feeling helpless with Yamayama Moto, an old hand. He wasn't a formal leader of Haruhi Eiga, so he couldn't do much to Yamayama Moto. Plus, Yamayama Moto was trying to flatter him, even if it was all wrong. He couldn't scold him, as the entertainment industry was already dark, and such shameless people were useful at times—Shen Zhenghui told himself.

"I hope you do some real work in Taiwan and don't just sleep with actresses. You'll end up exhausting yourself."

Yamayama Moto continued with a grin. "I haven't neglected my work. Do you know why the filming started so late?"

"Didn't Chairman Shibata say they needed to experience life?"

"Do you believe that excuse?" Yamayama Moto showed a look of disdain. "She wasn't satisfied with the guys she found, so she sent them to the hospital for surgery."

"In Taiwan's hospitals?"

"Yes, she thought it was a secret, but I knew long ago."

"Why not send them to Korea, where the technology is better?"

"Hey, they don't have the money!" Yamayama Moto said. "She's trying to please you, hoping her male stars can get roles in your films."

"Get roles?"

"Aren't you spending a lot of money on films in Hong Kong? The media in Taiwan has reported on it."

"Damn, when did I become a news figure?"

...

Chairman Shibata walked over to the two, and Yamayama Moto stopped his gossip, turning to report on company matters. Standing a meter away, Chairman Shibata said, "Mr. Shen, why don't you rest a bit and meet the actors at dinner tonight?"

Shen Zhenghui, of course, didn't object and nodded.

Chairman Shibata continued, "Will Miss Aizawa and Miss Fujitou also attend?"

"Oh, they can just go shopping. No need to arrange for them," Shen Zhenghui replied, not noticing the look Yamayama Moto gave to Chairman Shibata.

Because of this small oversight, Shen Zhenghui was about to see another side of Taiwan's entertainment industry.

Aizawa Chisato and Fujitou Kaoru were truly tired of the endless toasts at banquets. Even if everyone was reserved, most people in the entertainment industry were very direct. No matter how good Aizawa Chisato's attitude was, she couldn't stand others pimping Shen Zhenghui in front of her. So she didn't join the party, wearing sunglasses and a hat, and went shopping in Taipei's night market with Fujitou Kaoru. After resting in his room for a while, Shen Zhenghui received a call from Yamayama Moto, inviting him down for dinner.