Chapter 96

Nietzsche said, "How can humanity be elevated to the pinnacle of its glorious status and rights? Those who think about this issue must first understand that they themselves must stand outside of morality. For, in essence, the purpose of morality is the opposite; it aims to prevent or destroy such development towards glory. In fact, such development would attract countless people to serve it, so a counter-current is natural. The weak, the pampered, and the mediocre will inevitably resist the brilliance of life and strength. For this, they must reassess themselves, condemn the excessively abundant life, and, if possible, destroy life. Therefore, insofar as morality deliberately subdues all forms of life, it is itself a habitual expression of hostility towards life."

"Are you saying that whenever I am restless and tormented by my moral sense, I just need to calm down and read Nietzsche's books to consider myself a superman?" Shen Zhenghui spread his hands. "Even if I were a superman, wouldn't I still support monogamy?"

Fukuda Mitsu shook her head. "Who told you that?"

"Huh? Isn't that right? Didn't he always have a crush on his female colleague at the newspaper and never confess?" Shen Zhenghui was somewhat surprised.

"Oh," Fukuda Mitsu hummed indifferently, "then you must not have read the fan-made Superman comics." Her eyes seemed to lose focus, as if she was lost in thought. "For those company works that change settings at will to make money, the true value lies in the fan stories created by real manga artists."

"That sounds pretty bad, but it seems there are fewer women in the world of superheroes."

"Yes, so he borrowed many characters from other manga stories, and when it comes to the crucial moments, don't we have the ultimate weapon of gender-bending?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Shen Zhenghui's questioning interrupted Fukuda Mitsu's fantasy. She wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth, coughed, and then looked at Shen Zhenghui with a serious expression. "In short, just do it, don't say you can't."

"Huh? Do you even know what you're saying? Based on what you said earlier, my understanding is that you are encouraging me to..."

"Build a harem." Fukuda Mitsu nodded heavily.

"If this suggestion came from one of my male friends, it wouldn't feel so awkward."

"I'm your friend too!"

"Considering your gender, it's even stranger."

"Ah, maybe you can understand it this way: as your partner, the more successors you have in the future, the more fragmented your shares will be, and you won't be able to match me anymore."

Shen Zhenghui stared at Fukuda Mitsu as if she were a mental patient. "Alright, stop joking around."

"So, is it really the nature that is hardest to change? This isn't scientific. According to logic, because of your place of birth and upbringing, you should have deep feudal remnants, and my proposal should be directly accepted by you."

"Being told this by someone from a country that still has an emperor system from thousands of years ago feels very awkward."

"So, are you agreeing with your country's education system and social atmosphere?"

"I'm just complaining."

"A change in mindset takes time. Do you need to travel to the Middle East for a while? Or go to Utah, USA, to experience 'Big Love'?"

"Alright, earlier you accused me of not being serious, now it's my turn to accuse you. If there's nothing else, I'll go back and rest. We should probably make another plan, right?"

"Make what plan? You're too timid and stick to the rules. Even if you had a plan, you probably wouldn't dare to implement it, let alone come up with one."

"Hey, that's enough."

Fukuda Mitsu clapped her hands. "Why don't you go see a film set directed by Kitano Takeshi?"

"Huh?"

"Overall, you always seem to lack a certain ruthlessness."

"So, going to a yakuza film set will teach you this?" Shen Zhenghui's face fell. "If I were ruthless, I wouldn't have survived this long."

"Maybe it's a different way of living," Fukuda Mitsu countered. "You lack the confidence to incorporate others into your life, and at the same time, the confidence to refuse others."

"Do you want to give me a psychological analysis right here?"

"If Liu Xin were still alive, I think she would have liked this show." Fukuda Mitsu didn't care at all.

"Let's talk about work." Shen Zhenghui changed the subject. "I have a general understanding of the situation in Taiwan. My idea is to invest some money every year, treating it as a place to cultivate talent. We can send our female stars to act in movies to improve their acting skills and also tap into the Taiwanese market. If the movies are good, they can also be marketed in Japan. I carefully considered what you said earlier, and I think Taiwan is a good place, not too big, not too small."

Fukuda Mitsu leaned back in her chair, swaying, seemingly not listening to Shen Zhenghui at all. When he finished, she yawned and stretched. "That's great. Let's have Iwayama Moto set up a subsidiary in Taiwan."

"You've already thought about this?"

"Not exactly, I just made preparations in advance. When I was talking to Chai Zhiyi about TV dramas, I thought Taiwan was also a good market, and we should find a way to establish a foothold there." She tilted her head. "Their entertainment industry is so developed, but their film industry is so underdeveloped, which is great."

Shen Zhenghui raised an eyebrow.

"It's clear that unless you are pushed, you won't tap into your full potential." Fukuda Mitsu glanced at Shen Zhenghui. "Think carefully about how to arrange movies for our people, including Miss Aizawa." Fukuda Mitsu said slowly. "The shelf life of Japanese female stars is very short. Achievements between the ages of twenty and thirty determine how high they can reach. If I'm not mistaken, Aizawa's twentieth year is already halfway through."

"Huh?"

"Our box office this year has been good, but the quantity seems a bit low." Fukuda Mitsu said seriously. "I sent Aizawa Chizuru to China to study, hoping she would become a benchmark for Queens Agency." She spoke in a calm tone. "After Keiko, Yoko, and Eriko starred in TV dramas, they became popular. They are younger, with a longer shelf life. I hope Aizawa doesn't fall behind her juniors."

Shen Zhenghui licked his lips, feeling a wave of pressure.

"Also, you should use your resources in China."

"My resources in China?"

"I heard your father has a cultural company that isn't small, and they have already produced several TV dramas." Fukuda Mitsu said. "I really envy China's large market!" She spread her hands. "Unfortunately, it's not easy to enter."

"What do you mean?"

"My point is that we should fully utilize our resources."

"Uh..."

"I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, Li Rui's father did succeed, but isn't Li Rui still studying in the UK?"

"UK?"

"Or did you think they wouldn't find out if your father intervened?"

"No, I'm just wondering why the UK." Shen Zhenghui frowned.

"Would you have a chance if you didn't go to the US?"

"What are you talking about? This matter is long settled." Shen Zhenghui rolled his eyes.

"I think she might resent you for life."

"Resent me? So what? She can't come after me with a knife."

"Ah, I'm talking about Sun Jingfang." Fukuda Mitsu laughed. "Who cares about your issues with men? Unrequited love is one of life's greatest sorrows."

"It's like we've switched genders." Shen Zhenghui finally got used to this style of conversation. "I've said it before, we are not a good match."

"Is that still the case?"

"Now? What's fundamentally different now?"

"When you were in school, you were a rich second generation. Now, your future son or daughter will be a tycoon's second generation." Fukuda Mitsu clapped her hands. "It's that simple. Maybe after reassessment, her family will change their minds."

"Forget it." Shen Zhenghui really didn't want to talk about Sun Jingfang anymore. He tapped the armrest. "Let's get to the point. What about the mainland film and TV companies?"

"I think your father's film and TV company is enough to support our people in Taiwan. Does your father's company have any signed artists?"

"It seems they don't have that kind of business."

"That's good. We can collaborate more. I've signed a few artists from Taiwan."

"Really? So quickly? Who did you sign?" Shen Zhenghui asked curiously, and Fukuda Mitsu handed him a folder.

When he opened it, Shen Zhenghui almost spat out a mouthful of blood. Lin Zhiling's photo almost blinded him. "This..." He looked at Fukuda Mitsu. "This woman is already 25 and has never received professional training. How did you see potential in her?"

"Women's intuition," Fukuda Mitsu replied. "Taiwanese female stars have a long golden period. I believe she can be popular until she's over 40. You haven't seen this girl. She came to Japan to shoot an advertisement and was discovered by our talent scout. I saw her in person and thought she was a good prospect."

Shen Zhenghui barely suppressed his inner impulse and flipped to the next page. He immediately stood up. "What's this?" He pointed to the photo.

It was Huang Yuxin's photo. Shen Zhenghui couldn't believe how fast Fukuda Mitsu had moved.

"This is a favor," Fukuda Mitsu said. "This girl is a taekwondo practitioner. Haven't you been looking for some female action actors?"

Shen Zhenghui felt he might have overreacted. "Her uncle approached you?"

"Iwayama Moto reported it to me. We do need to sign a few people in Taiwan to open up the market, especially since her uncle is a significant figure in the Taiwanese entertainment industry."

Shen Zhenghui felt a lump in his throat that he couldn't swallow.

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