Chapter 1002: Do you know how many temptations I

Naoki Nagayama had suddenly become busy these past few days.

During the day, he had to film *Tokyo Love Story*, and at night, he had to work overtime to edit the first few episodes. By the time he returned home, it was often the middle of the night, and even the weekends were the same.

For a moment, he actually felt the 007 lifestyle all over again.

"Naoki-san..."

In the morning, Akina Nagayama looked at her husband, whose face had thinned out, and felt a slight pang of heartache.

"You're so busy every day; isn't it too exhausting~"

"It's just for these few days."

Naoki Nagayama ate his breakfast in large bites, saying it without a care.

At 24, his young body actually felt more energetic and vibrant after being a little busy. The whole person felt relaxed and clear-headed, as if he had just finished a long run and was drenched in sweat.

This must be the benefit of being young!

"Once the first three episodes are edited, I can return to my old routine!"

"Then how much longer do you have to work overtime?"

Akina cast a gentle gaze his way; these past few days, she hadn't dared to add any extra burden to Naoki~

"Two more days... probably until before Feng-dage's wedding!"

Naoki Nagayama estimated,

"Just in time to finish the editing and send it to Fuji TV, then I can head back to Shizuoka for the wedding."

After saying that, Naoki Nagayama looked at Akina's figure:

"This time, Akina, you don't have to go. After all, the road is bumpy..."

After all, it wasn't suitable for long-distance travel after pregnancy; sitting in a car for several hours was exhausting.

"Daijobu!" Akina was full of spirit, "I haven't been out in so long, my body is getting rusty!"

"Alright then..."

After leaving home, Naoki Nagayama drove to the filming base in Ota Ward to continue the day's filming tasks.

In the office set, Rika Akana, played by Honami Suzuki, was arguing with a colleague because someone had spread rumors that Rika Akana would sleep with anyone...

To be honest, this should count as workplace gender bullying, but in the Japanese workplace, men have always held a higher status than women, so many people would dismiss these things as jokes between colleagues.

However, Rika Akana, who had returned from studying abroad, wouldn't put up with her colleagues. Moreover, this was a foreign trade company, and Rika Akana's study abroad experience made her very important, which gave her the confidence to argue back.

"CUT!"

There wasn't much to say about the arguing scene; as long as the actors were mature, there were basically no problems, so Naoki Nagayama didn't demand too much.

"Let's take a short break. We'll start the next shot in ten minutes."

"Hai~" XN

While the crew was resting, Naoki Nagayama began writing some lines for *Once a Thief* in his notebook. After all, it was originally a Hong Kong film, and if it were to be filmed in Japan, it would need some "Japanization."

"Naoki-san... the preparations are complete."

Masataka Komori eagerly brought over a hot drink and happened to see the title in Naoki Nagayama's notebook,

"Shikai wo Juuou ni Hashiru?"

"Naoki-san, is this a new novel?"

Naoki Nagayama didn't mind being seen. He took the hot drink, took a sip, and then said:

"Just recording some inspiration. This is the script concept for the next movie..."

"Oh?!!" Masataka Komori suddenly became excited, "Naoki-san, have you started writing a movie script? What kind of script is it?"

"......"

Naoki Nagayama glanced at him; he already knew what he was up to!

"For now, it can be considered an action-romance comedy... but I'm going to direct this movie myself. I won't give it to anyone else!"

"Uh..."

Masataka Komori's expression turned heartbroken, like a jilted wife abandoned by a heartless man,

"Naoki-san..."

"Don't give me that look!"

Naoki Nagayama tapped him on the head with the notebook and said, frustrated by his lack of ambition,

"If you want a good script, write it yourself!"

Masataka Komori made a bitter face:

"....... I can't do that!"

Naoki Nagayama was disgusted by this guy's bizarre expression and "beat" Masataka Komori fiercely with the notebook:

"If you can't do it, go find a good screenwriter!! Don't make that face! If you want to show off your acting skills, shall I introduce you to a shop?"

"......."

While Naoki Nagayama was scolding his subordinate, Kanako Higuchi walked over to the director's table, curiously watching the "fatherly love and filial piety" scene, and covered her mouth to laugh.

Seeing the boss's rumored girlfriend approaching, Masataka Komori quickly ran away from the director's chair.

"Naoki-san, what just happened?" Kanako Higuchi asked with a smile, "Did Komori-san make you angry?"

"..... He was just being a bit shameless!"

Naoki Nagayama looked at the smiling Kanako Higuchi and felt a bit of a headache...

Even though Akina had already visited the set and they had "clashed," now the young lady acted as if nothing had happened, coming over to chat and tease him every day during filming.

If he weren't married, Naoki Nagayama wouldn't mind flirting with her; after all, she was a feast for the eyes.

But now... who knew if there were eyes on the set? One careless move and his scandals might be flying everywhere again...

After all, the trope of a great director's husband cheating with a female star while his wife is pregnant is a whole year's worth of performance metrics for the media!

Especially when it involved Naoki Nagayama, Akina Nakamori, and his "first love" Kanako Higuchi... that would be a carnival and a feast!

"This guy, he doesn't want to work hard at all, he just wants to hug my thigh!"

"Haha~" Kanako Higuchi laughed without any restraint, "Naoki-san's thigh, who wouldn't want to hug it?!"

As he said this, he specifically took a look at Naoki Nagayama's legs, as if using his gaze to measure whether they were thick enough!

This kind of look was almost workplace harassment!!

"......"

Naoki Nagayama silently put down his crossed legs, sat up straight, and changed the subject,

"Higuchi-san, after today's filming is done, we can rest for a week. Do you have any plans to go out?"

"I don't really have any plans~"

Kanako Higuchi tilted her head and looked at Naoki Nagayama,

"Does Naoki-san have anywhere to rest when you're off?"

"..... I have to edit the plot of the first few episodes, so I don't have time to rest....," Naoki Nagayama shook his head, "And next week I have to attend a wedding."

"A wedding?"

"Yeah, my cousin Naoki Feng's wedding..."

"Ah! Is it that actor who played Naoki Hayato!" Kanako Higuchi exclaimed, "He's actually getting married? How come I haven't heard the news?"

"The other party is a civilian..." Naoki Nagayama said, "Feng-dage will probably focus on business in the future, so there's no news."

Cousin Naoki Feng was actually a well-known actor in the entertainment industry, but his focus had always been on managing "Melody KTV," and the movies he participated in were basically directed by Naoki Nagayama, so there wasn't much information about him in the industry.

Due to the background of the Naoki Group, no paparazzi dared to sneak photos of his life, so naturally, they didn't know he was about to marry a civilian.

"He actually got married so quietly~"

Kanako Higuchi's face showed envy. As an actress, especially one who had played many bold roles, she knew that her own marriage would definitely be difficult.

After all, true upper-class families wouldn't marry an actress like her, and after experiencing the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, she couldn't look down on ordinary people... it was just difficult.

She glanced up at Naoki Nagayama, once again lamenting Akina Nakamori's good luck, and then felt sorry for herself. Why hadn't she been more proactive and taken him down during their first collaboration four or five years ago!

In her memory, Naoki-san was still an ignorant big boy back then; he definitely wouldn't have been able to withstand the fierce attack of a beautiful older sister!

"Higuchi-san? Higuchi-san?"

Naoki Nagayama's call brought Kanako Higuchi back to her senses,

"Why did you suddenly zone out? Did you think of something? Do you want to write it down quickly!"

Naoki Nagayama had a lot of experience with people suddenly zoning out! He made a move to hand over paper and pen...

"......"

Kanako Higuchi saw Naoki Nagayama's sincere expression and suddenly got angry,

"Nothing! I was just daydreaming!"

Then she stood up and said:

"Sumimasen, I'm going to the restroom first..."

"Ah... hai~"

Watching Kanako Higuchi's retreating back, Naoki Nagayama felt quite strange. Why did she suddenly get angry for no reason...

But in his heart, he also felt a sense of relief~

Later in the afternoon, Naoki Nagayama and Masataka Komori returned to the Tree Friend Building together, and by the way, moved a lot of filming materials to the editing room.

"How was the filming today?"

Tomo Yoshimura specifically came to the editing room to visit Naoki Nagayama.

"The filming went very smoothly... the next step is just editing."

Naoki Nagayama instructed Munao Matsuo and a few other "tools" to process the materials first, then walked outside to chat with Tomo Yoshimura.

"How is it? Shuichi-san's movie?"

"*The Man with Zero Presence*... it really lived up to its name..." Tomo Yoshimura gave a bitter smile, "We advertised in media newspapers and TV stations, spent a lot of money, but for some reason, the popularity just won't rise!"

"Hahaha, that happens!"

Naoki Nagayama laughed,

"Just like some artists in the entertainment industry, they have plenty of resources and connections, and they even invite big stars to act with them, but for some reason, they just can't get popular..."

"But this movie is strange; it actually has some fame among the audience..."

Tomo Yoshimura scratched his head, his tone a bit skeptical,

"The opening attendance rate isn't low, and there are many people watching it a second or third time..."

"This shows that our promotional method worked!"

Naoki Nagayama patted Tomo Yoshimura on the shoulder. When they were planning the promotional scheme, they had said to promote it in the direction of "urban legends," movies that people can't remember, midnight screenings...

Now it seems, there really are people who will go watch it!

"Currently, the opening week box office is only about 50 or 60 million." Tomo Yoshimura shook his head, "It's estimated that the final box office will be around 600 million..."

"That's very good~ Now in the Japanese film industry, movies with a box office over 100 million are rare... 600 million can also enter the top ten annual box office..."

Naoki Nagayama comforted him,

"Tomo-san, you can't take my results as the standard; that's unfair to other directors!"

Naoki Nagayama knew that the movies he directed were masterpieces that future masters had already screened through the market, so it was natural for them to achieve great box office success.

*The Man with Zero Presence* could be said to have had its script created independently by Tree Friend Films. Except for a cameo, it really had nothing to do with Naoki Nagayama.

"....... Unfair to other directors......"

Tomo Yoshimura also knew that Naoki Nagayama was an anomaly. Just this matter-of-fact tone was truly arrogant...

However, every movie had a minimum box office of 1 billion, and the highest, *Kikujiro*, was already close to 8 billion... plus other movies, the title of a 10-billion-yen director had long been achieved.

Saying this sentence had a lot of confidence!

But... the gap was really huge~

"Naoki-san, let's not talk about Shuichi-san~"

Tomo Yoshimura waved his hand, no longer discussing Yin Tangxiu's movie,

"*Tokyo Love Story*, the first few episodes should be almost filmed, right?"

"Yeah, I'll finish editing in these few days, and then it should be sent to Fuji TV... what's wrong?"

Tomo Yoshimura nodded and continued:

"Now that the TV series is on the right track, there's another thing to consider... You've also read the script for *Tiger of Ginza*, and it's almost perfected."

"Who do you plan to give this movie to?"

"Masataka Komori or Xu Mudao Xu?"

At this moment, Masataka Komori, who was coding film in the editing room, and Xu Mudao Xu, who was doing a movie roadshow in Kumamoto City, both felt an inexplicable tension, as if an important decision about their lives was about to begin.

"Hmm..."

Naoki Nagayama was also in a dilemma...

Both of these were pillars who could carry the load, and either of them had the ability to film *Tiger of Ginza* well, but after all, there was only one movie!

After thinking for a long time, considering that the prototype of the character in *Tiger of Ginza* was related to himself, Naoki Nagayama finally made the decision:

"Let the two of them compete!

According to the script of *Tiger of Ginza*, whoever can use their own ability to find a male lead candidate that satisfies me can film this movie!"

After saying this, Naoki Nagayama even felt that he had thought of it perfectly:

"On one hand, it can test their consideration of the characters, and on the other hand, it can see their connections... it tests both vision and ability!"

"......"

Tomo Yoshimura was a little speechless. Clearly, it was something Naoki Nagayama could decide with a word, but he had to make it so troublesome.

But... who told him to be Naoki-san?!

"Alright, I'll find a time to communicate with both of them... will you come to be the judge then, Naoki-san?"

"Let the three of us do it together!"

Naoki Nagayama said,

"Democratic decision-making... I won't be biased toward anyone!"

"Tch... putting on an act~"

Tomo Yoshimura muttered to himself, after you decide, neither I nor Shuichi-san would object.

"Eh? Tomo-san, are you doubting my character?!"

"Hai hai, I absolutely believe in Naoki-san's character..."

"You're clearly complaining in your heart!"

"I'm not in my heart!"

"......"

The two joked with each other, and the atmosphere seemed very harmonious...

A few minutes later, Naoki Nagayama said to Tomo Yoshimura:

"By the way, Tomo-san, next week I'm going to attend Feng-dage's wedding, and I won't be in Tokyo for a few days..."

"Oh~" Tomo Yoshimura just wanted to nod, but realized something was wrong, "Isn't attending the wedding for one day enough?"

"I also have to organize a bachelor party in advance..."

"Yee~~~"

Tomo Yoshimura naturally knew what a bachelor party was about, and reminded him,

"Naoki-san, you are a married man! You have to be careful!"

In the Japanese concept, before a man gets married, he can be a little messy in his relationships with men and women, and no one will care, but after marriage, he should focus on his family...

This is a matter of reputation~

"Hai hai hai, of course I know!"

Naoki Nagayama's expression was serious,

"Do you know how many temptations I usually reject?!" ===== CHAPTER 1003 =====