Chapter 1011: I don't need a translator, damn it!

After another day of hard work, Naoki Nagayama only dismissed the crew when night fell.

However, it wasn't time to rest yet; he brought the filmed footage all the way to the Tree Friend editing room, taking Munao Matsuo and Tomoyuki Nishimoto along to edit "Tokyo Love Story."

After all, he was going abroad for a week, so he first had to ensure the TV drama wouldn't be delayed. It was just like writing—how could one manage without a backlog of chapters!

"Munao-kun, Nishimoto-kun... take the footage to the editing room first!"

"Hai!" X2

When they arrived at Tree Friend, a portion of the staff in the building was still working overtime, which surprised Naoki Nagayama a little. Could it be that Japan's overtime culture had started to slowly invade Tree Friend?!

One had to know that when he first founded Tree Friend, he had made up his mind in his heart not to let the 996 and 007 cultures sprout at Tree Friend!

He had worked himself to death in his past life; in this life, he would be a good person and not let his own employees go through the same thing!

"Riko-chan, Kieda-chan?"

Naoki Nagayama arrived at the General Affairs Department, where the lights were still on; this was one of the places where people worked overtime.

"What are you still working overtime for?"

"Ah, Naoki-san!"

After Riko Hayano and Kieda Ochiai saw Naoki Nagayama appear, they immediately stood up to greet him.

"Why did you come over so late?"

"I need to edit the TV drama... but before that, what are you doing working overtime so late?"

Riko Hayano showed the documents in her hand to Naoki Nagayama:

"Previously, Otomo-san said that our administrative system needed a systematic upgrade... and asked us to look for systems from foreign companies to learn from, and then, by referencing their management trainee programs, create a management trainee system for Tree Friend..."

"And then we have to hold recruitment activities as soon as possible, allowing us to recruit excellent talent from university graduates... We've been busy with this for the past few days..."

"......"

Naoki Nagayama didn't know what to say for a moment; this was all his own doing!

It was he who had spoken to Otomo Fushimura about cultivating management... He hadn't expected that a casual thought of his would keep the General Affairs Department busy until so late...

Sure enough, the boss just opens his mouth, and the subordinates run their legs off!

Just at this moment, Kieda Ochiai suddenly thought of something and took an envelope out of a drawer:

"Naoki-san, your plane ticket has already been bought, and there is also the exchanged Hong Kong currency. We originally wanted to give it to Naoki-san tomorrow... Also, the subsequent hotel, reception, and translator in Hong Kong have already been arranged!"

Naoki Nagayama took the envelope, checked it slightly, and nodded:

"..... Thanks a lot, Kieda-chan~"

"It's nothing, this is all part of the job..."

Kieda Ochiai said with a smile.

Hearing this, the shame in Naoki Nagayama's heart grew a little more...

"If you are working overtime for this, why are there still so many people working overtime in other departments in the building?" Naoki Nagayama continued to ask.

"Them? The people in the Creative Center say their brains are clearer at night..."

"The Planning Department is working on the cherry blossom season plan..."

"The Public Relations Department is working on the promotional plan for 'Tiger of Ginza'..."

"Everyone sees that Naoki-san has been working so seriously these past few days, so they are all full of motivation too!" Riko Hayano also said with a smile, "They all say they want to take Naoki-san as their role model!"

"....."

Naoki Nagayama listened to how several departments at Tree Friend were working overtime for various reasons, and for a moment, he had an indescribable feeling.

Clearly, he himself hadn't wanted to be part of the rat race, but how had he driven the company's atmosphere to become so competitive?!

"Is Otomo-san still in the office too?"

"Hai!"

Naoki Nagayama finally decided to go upstairs to have a chat with Otomo Fushimura and not let the employees work so hard...

However, upon knocking open the office door, he discovered that Otomo Fushimura was leisurely reading the evening paper, looking nothing like someone working overtime.

"Otomo-san? You are..."

"Ah, today's evening news... it says that Seiko Matsuda is pregnant with a daughter..." Otomo Fushimura closed the newspaper, talking about today's hot news, "Reporters are truly omnipotent; to think they knew so early!"

"......." Naoki Nagayama narrowed his eyes, "Otomo-san, you stayed at the company, wasn't it to work overtime?"

"Overtime? I was waiting for a drinking party tonight!" Otomo Fushimura shook his head, "The sales manager of Toho invited me to drink... and he's bringing people from the agency too..."

"......."

Sure enough, the reasons for the boss and the employees staying at the company were different!

"Naoki-san, why did you come to the company so late?"

"To finish editing the next episode of 'Tokyo Love Story'... as a backlog..." Naoki Nagayama sat on the sofa and poured himself a cup of tea, "I can't just stop updating for a week while I'm away!"

"......."

Otomo Fushimura shrugged his shoulders; it wouldn't matter if the TV drama was delayed a little. When encountering holidays or special seasons, the audience could accept it.

"Naoki-san, when are you going to Hong Kong?"

"The day after tomorrow... Today and tomorrow are just enough to finish editing the TV drama..."

Otomo Fushimura sat down next to Naoki Nagayama:

"Naoki-san, are you going to meet several actors this time? Are you prepared?"

"Haha, there's no certainty..."

Naoki Nagayama laughed. His trip to Hong Kong this time was actually a sudden interest to go and take a look. As for the actors, he had already asked acquaintances at Fuji TV to contact TVB in Hong Kong, and through their introduction, he would meet several candidates...

"But I will definitely be able to find suitable actors~"

"That would be best..." Otomo Fushimura hesitated for a moment, but still said, "Naoki-san, there are quite a few voices in the entertainment industry saying that you look down on Japanese actors..."

"Eh?"

"They say that clearly there are so many male artists in Japan, yet you insist on going to Hong Kong to find them..."

As the saying goes, the wild flowers are more fragrant than the home flowers!

"It must be several artist agencies spreading it!" Naoki Nagayama didn't mind at all.

Japanese artist agencies naturally had unwritten rules; if one wanted to use their popular artists, one had to insert some roles in movies or TV dramas to help promote other artists of the agency...

Everyone knew that Naoki Nagayama's movies could definitely make the leads popular, and one by one, they were all eager to seize the opportunity. Yet, Naoki Nagayama preferred to go abroad to find people rather than stay local, which was very frustrating for them!

"That's right... the Burning group and the Watanabe group both have some voices..." Otomo Fushimura said, "The person who invited me to drink today must also be holding the intention of trying to persuade me~"

The entertainment industry knew that Naoki Nagayama never participated in activities within the circle, so most people wanted to start with Otomo Fushimura and Xiu Yin Tang.

"Haha, if it weren't for Otomo-san and Xiu-san, I would be annoyed to death by these trivial matters!"

Naoki Nagayama raised his teacup, using tea instead of wine to express his gratitude to Otomo Fushimura.

"Otomo-san, actually, some of the supporting roles for 'Tiger of Ginza' can be given out at your discretion... I only care about the male lead."

"Hmm, with those words from Naoki-san, I feel much more relaxed..."

Otomo Fushimura laughed.

"If they don't drink until they pass out today, don't even think about getting anything from me!"

"Hahaha~"

After chatting in the office for a while, Naoki Nagayama returned to the editing room and began to bury himself in the great cause of editing, only returning to Shanying Yuan late at night...

In the blink of an eye, another day passed...

Akina Nagayama, who was six months pregnant, showed the virtue of a wife when her husband was about to travel.

Even though she was heavily pregnant, she carefully placed the things Naoki Nagayama would need abroad into his suitcase one by one.

"Sunscreen isn't necessary..."

Naoki Nagayama looked at the full suitcase, feeling a bit helpless.

"And an umbrella..."

He said to Akina:

"Actually, if a man is on a business trip, bringing two changes of clothes is enough... Everything else can be bought~"

Naoki Nagayama had always believed that the most important thing to bring on a business trip was money...

Actually, as long as one had money, the only things one really needed to bring were personal undergarments. After all, one would be eating and staying in luxury hotels, and the service quality might even be better than at home...

"How can that be? There are many things one isn't used to using!"

Akina, who often performed in various cities, was very insistent.

"I don't even know if Hong Kong has suitable shops... or if the public security is good..."

"Hong Kong is very prosperous..." Naoki Nagayama understood that his wife was concerned, so he hugged her and comforted her, "It's a port city that faces the outside world, and it's also a financial center... It's very safe!"

"Hmm..."

In this day and age, because of the obstacles in information dissemination, Akina's impression of Hong Kong probably came from Jackie Chan's movies... And in Jackie Chan's movies, Hong Kong always had gangsters, gunfights, and street racing from time to time...

To Akina, Hong Kong was probably like a town with poor public security, and she was even a bit worried about whether her husband would be robbed.

After hugging for a while, Akina felt at ease again, and then, as if thinking of something, she stared at Naoki Nagayama with fierce eyes:

"By the way, I saw in a movie that there are many streetwalkers in Hong Kong... and discos and such are also very open... Naoki-san, when you go over there, you must keep yourself clean!"

"......"

Naoki Nagayama did indeed have the idea of experiencing a dance hall in Hong Kong... But in front of his wife, naturally:

"Akina! What are you thinking? I'm going there for serious business! Not to play!"

"...... Hmph hmph... Men..."

"Akina, you have to have confidence in me!"

"......"

Watching Akina start stuffing things into the suitcase again, Naoki Nagayama was smart this time and didn't express any opinions, just silently helping to hand over things...

Hong Kong in 1986~

It was a city where poverty and wealth coexisted, and where the past and the future intersected.

The double-decker buses on the streets of Wan Chai swayed along, loaded with passengers, with people in suits and work clothes sitting together sightseeing; the racecourse in Causeway Bay nearby was lush and green, crowded with gamblers buying horses, with the rich and the poor standing together cheering...

The beaches of Weiduoliyagang were clean and tidy, the high-rise buildings in Central were densely packed, and the nights in Tsim Sha Tsui were brightly lit... And right next to it was the messy Yau Ma Tei, where tenement buildings and shantytowns were closely adjacent...

The prosperous commercial streets were crowded with taxis with red lights on, inside of which were white-collar workers in suits and briefcases; the big bosses in trench coats lighting cigars were in the back seats of luxury cars; it seemed as if they were not in the same world as the passersby in old clothes rubbing shoulders on the street...

After getting off the plane at Kai Tak Airport, Naoki Nagayama got into a Rolls-Royce Phantom welcoming car and, led by the airport reception staff, headed towards The Peninsula Hotel.

"Mr. Nagayama, Mr. Komori, and Mr. Kijima, this time we have booked The Peninsula Hotel... It is a high-end hotel with over 50 years of history..."

The translator and driver named Wu Qiwen introduced to Naoki Nagayama, Masataka Komori, and Shizhi Kijima.

"It's right next to Weiduoliyagang..."

"Hmm, hmm..."

Naoki Nagayama nodded absent-mindedly. This translator thought Naoki Nagayama and his group didn't know much about Hong Kong and was introducing the history of The Peninsula Hotel to the three of them in Japanese.

In this era, Hong Kong still spoke Cantonese and English. Naoki Nagayama's Cantonese was average, but ordinary conversation was no problem.

Looking out from the car, watching these scenes that were both familiar and strange~

Just when the translator was still talking endlessly, Naoki Nagayama saw a huge walled city slowly sliding past the right side of the car window and immediately became interested, pointing over there and saying to Wu Qiwen:

"That must be the Kowloon Walled City, right?! I heard there are many gangsters..."

Wu Qiwen, who was driving, glanced at it and subconsciously nodded, answering in Cantonese:

"Yes... The Kowloon Walled City is a lawless zone, very chaotic..."

Then he realized that Naoki Nagayama, sitting in the back row, was actually speaking to him in Cantonese!

"Naoki-san, you know Cantonese?"

"A little... just at the level of daily conversation..." Naoki Nagayama nodded.

"That's truly amazing!"

Wu Qiwen felt his throat go a bit dry...

Just now, while waiting at the airport to pick people up, he had complained quite a bit to his acquaintances at the airport about "Japanese guys" and "GA kids"...

He didn't know if Naoki Nagayama had heard it!

"Doing this line of work means having to come into contact with various cultures!" Naoki Nagayama said with a smile.

His eyes were still watching the Kowloon Walled City. This legendary walled city, which would be used by many people as a prototype for cyber elements in the future, was also very unique now.

Sitting in the car passing through the crowded traffic, watching the streets full of cultural fusion, the group finally arrived at The Peninsula Hotel.

The hotel doorman, wearing a white uniform and white cap, opened the glass door, enthusiastically helping to move the luggage, and led the group to check in~

The hotel blended classicism and elegance, with architectural features and decorations full of Baroque style, and the luxurious crystal chandeliers were magnificent and grand. It was worthy of its reputation as the "Grand Dame of the Far East"...

After checking in, the group finally arrived at their suite, and Wu Qiwen said very respectfully:

"Naoki-san... after such a long flight, you must be very tired... Please have a good rest today~"

"Tomorrow morning, I will wait in the lobby and take you to TVB to discuss business... After that, we can tour Hong Kong... I have already planned the itinerary, and I will definitely let everyone understand the charm of Hong Kong!"

In a strange city, not many people in Hong Kong spoke Japanese, so Wu Qiwen wasn't worried about them going out casually~

"Okay, sorry to trouble you..."

Naoki Nagayama nodded and saw Wu Qiwen off.

Then he turned and returned to his suite, facing the bay of Weiduoliyagang. The afternoon sun was warm and gentle, and the blue seascape outside the window was breathtaking...

And a little further away, the bustling commercial streets, the shopping malls with people coming and going, the streets and alleys full of the atmosphere of life...

It was just a pity that he could only stand in the hotel and take a look, and couldn't experience it in person...

"I guess I'm home, right!"

Naoki Nagayama felt a little emotional, stood silently in front of the window and admired it for a while, then suddenly slapped his thigh:

"I don't need a translator to take me out!

I can go shopping myself, damn it! I don't need a translator to take me!"

After thinking of this, Naoki Nagayama immediately called the front desk, called a taxi, and then brought his passport and wallet, happily walking towards Hong Kong outside The Peninsula Hotel...

As for Masataka Komori and Shizhi Kijima in the other room?

Who are they? I don't know them, not familiar! ===== CHAPTER 1012 =====