Chapter 1099: If you are superstitious, you might as well kowtow to me a few times!!

At night, Naoki Nagayama and Akina had returned to the Mountain Cherry Blossom Garden.

Xia Hua fell asleep after dinner. She would probably wake up once in the middle of the night. The two watched TV while waiting for Xia Hua to wake up. After this feeding, she could sleep until morning.

"As expected, the late-night slot of Fuji TV is too outrageous!"

Naoki Nagayama looked at the adult scenes on *All Night Fuji* and reached out to cover Akina's eyes next to him,

"Children can't watch this!"

"..." Akina helplessly pulled away her husband's hand. "I'm already a mother!"

"That's also a child! At most, a child who is raising a child!"

Naoki Nagayama and Akina bickered, telling some irrelevant jokes. After a while, they started making a scene, and then after the laughter stopped, they snuggled together and continued watching the program~

The cherry blossoms outside were silent, quietly watching the two in the Mountain Cherry Blossom Garden. The cherry blossoms under the night light were so beautiful that they were a bit fantastical, like a scene from an illusory world.

"Naoki-san..."

After a while, the *All Night Fuji* program was almost coming to an end, Akina said,

"There's no scene for me in the filming tomorrow, I'm going to Fuji TV to record *Yoru no Hit*... until the evening..."

"Ah, that's the planning for the year-end luxury version, right?"

Akina had naturally told Naoki Nagayama about recording the program.

"Hai... considering the schedules of all the guests, tomorrow is the most suitable for the first rehearsal," Akina said.

Approaching the end of the year, famous artists in the entertainment industry were almost all working three shifts. Various TV station programs, their own fan club activities, year-end song festivals, record awards, Red and White Song Contest...

The busy activities made people only able to sleep for a few hours every day!

This was Akina's personal experience before, but starting this year, she was much more relaxed, with only a few programs to attend.

However, the recording time for the final version of *Yoru no Hit* was very long, lasting until late at night.

"The program name is *Yoru no Hit* (Night Hit), and even the rehearsals and recording have to be at night~"

Naoki Nagayama shook his head, looked at Akina and said,

"Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No need, Ken-On will arrange a car to pick me up," Akina looked at her husband and said with a smile, narrowing her eyes. "But tomorrow night, I have to trouble Naoki-san to take care of Hua-chan!"

"That's for sure..."

Naoki Nagayama agreed subconsciously. In fact, there wasn't much for the baby to be taken care of, and there was Mrs. Mari Nonaka to help.

However, seeing Akina's exquisite cheeks and beautiful eyes in his arms, Naoki Nagayama felt a bit itchy in his heart. Recently, he had started eating meat again, and his young body was restless every day~

Naoki Nagayama pinched Akina's chin, and his breathing began to accelerate:

"However... Akina... since you are troubling others, you should have the appearance of troubling others, right?!"

Akina realized something, her eyes turned shyly to the side, and she asked with her head lowered:

"Naoki-san... what do you mean?"

"If you are troubling someone, you have to be sincere!"

Naoki Nagayama straightened Akina's face, his aggressive eyes staring directly into Akina's black and white eyes,

"Mrs. Nagayama, you wouldn't want Hua-chan to have no one to take care of her, would you?!"

"..."

Akina felt that this was a bit wrong, but Naoki Nagayama was already close, and she could feel the hot breath blowing on her face...

A spark exploded in her heart, as if her whole body had been ignited~

Blood rushed up, and a blush appeared on Akina's face. She continued to ask weakly:

"Naoki-san... then what do you want..."

"Shouldn't Mrs. Nagayama think about how to repay me?"

Naoki Nagayama seemed to be caught in a role-playing game, saying with a smile, leaning close to Akina's cheeks, feeling the delicate skin, and his hands began to reach out to the soft body...

"... Naoki-san... you bad guy!"

Just when the hormones between the two were exploding and the atmosphere was gradually becoming romantic...

Suddenly, a cry came from the crib not far away!

"Waaaah~~~ waaah~"

"..."

Naoki Xia Hua's cry brought the atmosphere between the young couple back to calm, and then Akina immediately got up and hurried to soothe the baby, leaving only Naoki Nagayama... alone in the empty room~

Sure enough, children are the biggest obstacle to the intimacy of a couple!

She was already so troublesome when she was a baby, and when she grew up, she would definitely be the biggest light bulb!

As expected, she needed a good spanking!

The next day was still a clear autumn day. Red maple leaves could be seen everywhere in Tokyo. Of course, the golden chrysanthemums shining in the sun were also a very good scenery.

Naoki Nagayama came to the filming base in Ota Ward again, but today he didn't enter the filming mode immediately.

In the filming base today, the opening prayer ceremony for another movie was underway...

"Naoki-san, you're here!"

Masataka Komori was dressed neatly. Seeing Naoki Nagayama arrive, he hurriedly greeted him.

"You're very spirited today~" Naoki Nagayama said with a smile. "Are you starting filming today?"

"No... like Naoki-san, today we are shooting one scene, and we will start filming tomorrow," Masataka Komori explained. "Many sets for this play need to be produced. We have already rented a Western-style manor, but it will take about half a month for the scene production to be completed..."

"So we will go to Paris to film the location scenes in early November..."

Masataka Komori kept talking, and at this time, the three leads of the *Once a Thief* crew walked over.

After not seeing Chikako Aoyama for a long time, she had changed a lot. Between her eyebrows, there was both the naivety of a young girl and the mature charm~

"Naoki-san~"

"Chikako-chan!" Naoki Nagayama nodded with a smile. "How does it feel to be the female lead of *Once a Thief*?"

"It feels a bit excited and a bit worried~" Chikako Aoyama also smiled on her face. "However, I'm working with experienced seniors, so I also have things to learn..."

"Haha, yes, Leslie and Shibata-san's acting skills are very profound..."

Just as they were talking, Leslie Cheung and Kyohei Shibata also walked over. Both were handsome men, plus Naoki Nagayama here, it was like a handsome man gathering~

"Naoki-san, sashiburi~" "Nagayama-san, nice to meet you..."

The two greeted him differently, but Leslie Cheung and Naoki Nagayama were acquaintances, so he nodded first, while Kyohei Shibata was indeed meeting him for the first time, so he was more formal.

"Shibata-san, nice to meet you... but I have seen many of your roles!" Naoki Nagayama said with a smile. "It's great that Masataka-kun was able to invite you this time~"

"Not at all~"

After Naoki Nagayama exchanged pleasantries, he turned to Leslie Cheung:

"Leslie, you should have just flown over, right?"

"Yes, the early morning flight."

"Then did you get enough rest? Which hotel are you at now?"

"Don't worry, it's at the Imperial Hotel..."

"That's good~" The conversation between Naoki Nagayama and Leslie Cheung was much more relaxed. "It should be very busy in Hong Kong now, right?"

"Indeed, it's very busy. At the end of the year in the entertainment industry, there will be various plans, various drinking parties..." Leslie Cheung laughed. "But fortunately, my new album has been recorded..."

"Haha, that's one less thing to do..."

In fact, the filming time for this movie *Once a Thief* was very scattered. The schedules of the leads were all very full, and it was hard to get a full month.

After the location filming in Paris was completed, Leslie Cheung and Kyohei Shibata would be busy with year-end matters. It is estimated that they would continue filming at the beginning of the year, and the schedule would be much looser by then.

During their chat, the crew of *Once a Thief* gradually arrived, and the auspicious time selected by the shaman was almost here.

Tomo Yoshimura and Ito Shuichi Ido didn't come. Naoki Nagayama, as the screenwriter of the movie and the chairman of the Tree Friend Group, was enough on his own.

"That is Grandma Murata," director Masataka Komori introduced the shaman to Leslie Cheung. "She is a very effective shaman. All matters related to gods at Tree Friend are handed over to her!"

"Oh?"

In this era, most people in Hong Kong are superstitious. Life, luck, and feng shui are the top three. Even Li Ka-shing has had two feng shui masters with him for many years.

And in a place like the entertainment industry where wealth and fame come and go too quickly, it's half-controlled by others, and artists are even more superstitious~

Masataka Komori said:

"Yes, Grandma Murata is very effective. None of Tree Friend's projects have lost money!"

"That's really amazing! I'll have to go and worship later!"

"..."

Listening to the two whispering, Naoki Nagayama couldn't help but shake his head.

Tree Friend's success was not because of Grandma Murata, but because Tree Friend had him, a great god!

Going to worship Grandma Murata, it's better to come and worship him!

After all, if you kowtow to me a few times, I might really give out a big red envelope if I'm happy!

Although Naoki Nagayama maintained an attitude of respecting ghosts and gods but keeping them at a distance, superstition was a trend in this era. Not to mention anything else, even his own Akina was a very superstitious person~

Constellations, tarot cards, even the almanac, she believed in them very much!

If the almanac said it was not suitable to go out today, she would definitely stay at home if there was nothing special~

The auspicious time had arrived. Amidst the sound of the magic bell, the opening prayer ceremony for *Once a Thief* began like this.

Masataka Komori, as the director, stood in the middle, and Naoki Nagayama also stood on the side this time...

Opening the altar, praying for blessings, dancing the god dance, offering incense, thanking the gods... every step was tempered. After all, the prayer ceremonies hosted by Grandma Murata in the past few years had been at least several hundred.

"I hope *Once a Thief* wraps up smoothly and the movie sells well!"

When Masataka Komori offered incense, he stated his expectations. Watching the blue smoke in the incense burner curl straight up to the sky, as if carrying his wishes to the gods above, Masataka Komori also felt at ease~

The first shot that followed did not require picking any difficult scenes; it was just a few scenes of the lead actors appearing.

As for Naoki Nagayama, he had his own filming tasks to attend to, so he went directly to the set of "Ghost".

"Naoki-san, has it finished over there?"

"Yes, the prayer ceremony has ended, and they are filming the first shot," Naoki Nagayama said, "We can't fall behind here either! What are we filming today?"

"Naoki-san, today we need to film the scene where the psychic medium goes to withdraw the money from the account together..." Kijima Kyo said, "The set is in the bank..."

The filming base naturally had bank sets; there were even several different banks from both the East and the West here!

"Hi." Naoki Nagayama nodded, "Is Nana-chan ready?"

"Yes, she is already putting on makeup."

"Good..."

Just as Naoki Nagayama turned his head, Nana Okada, who had finished her makeup, walked out of the dressing room.

A lady's top hat, a pink ribbon tied under her chin, shiny earrings, a loose bubble skirt, a large leather bag hanging on her arm, and lace gloves on her hands...

This exaggerated outfit could be said to be the embodiment of being "Western-style"!

"Hahaha, Nana-chan is really Western-style today!" Naoki Nagayama joked with a smile.

"Naoki-san!!" Nana Okada rolled her eyes, "Isn't this what you wrote, Naoki-san?!"

"Haha~ It fits the temperament of attending in full dress, doesn't it~"

"..."

The exaggerated outfit and Nana Okada's clumsy performance were precisely the plot points in the movie "Ghost" that made people burst into laughter.

This was what brought a touch of lightness and humor to the otherwise sad and moving main storyline.

"Alright, alright, let's get ready and start filming!" Seeing that Nana Okada's head was about to smoke, Naoki Nagayama hurriedly prepared to film.

"Hi..."

Kijima Kyo hurriedly began to give orders, and the entire crew started moving.

At the same time, in the mansion in Setagaya Ward.

Seiko Matsuda, looking very haggard, was walking slowly in the courtyard holding her baby, Sayaka~

"Noriko..." Seiko Matsuda's mother called out from the living room, "Walking for a while is enough, come in and rest!"

"Daijobu!" Seiko Matsuda said, "The postpartum recovery period is already over... I need to move around more now and exercise my body properly."

No matter what kind of star they are, when they give birth, they are all the same: their bodies will swell, and their figures will lose their shape.

"There's no need to be in such a hurry, you just finished the postpartum period..."

Seiko Matsuda was living at home, so she had her mother helping to take care of the newborn baby... But after all, there was only one person, and she wasn't a professional maternity nurse, so both Seiko Matsuda and her mother were very tired.

It wasn't that she hadn't thought about staying in a postpartum care center or hiring a professional maternity nurse, but after all, she was a celebrity, and her husband was also an actor, so there were various concerns, and in the end, it didn't happen.

"I can't help but be in a hurry," Seiko Matsuda sighed, "I heard from my manager that Akina Nakamori has already started recording 'Yoru no Hit Studio'... If I don't work hard, my position as an idol in the entertainment industry will be completely snatched away by her!"

If they were the two peaks of the idol world before, then from now on, it might be Akina Nakamori's sole dominance!

"But... Noriko, aren't you going to participate in the Kohaku Uta Gassen?"

"Akina Nakamori will be there too!"

Seiko Matsuda's face was full of stubbornness,

"I cannot lose to her!"

In fact, Seiko Matsuda and Akina Nakamori had no grudges; it was just that the two were in a competitive relationship in the ecological niche of the entertainment industry.

Seiko Matsuda, who had a tough and stubborn personality and was also career-minded, did not want to lose to anyone!

"I have already booked a prenatal slimming class... Within a month, I will restore my figure!" Seiko Matsuda said, "Maybe I can also compete for this year's Record Awards; my album sales are quite good..."

"..."

Seiko Matsuda's mother wanted to say something but stopped, and in the end, she could only sigh,

"Noriko... your health is the most important thing..."

"Hi, I know what I'm doing!"

(End of chapter)