Chapter 1248: Running a company is exhausting~

The news of Naoki Nagayama's return to Tokyo didn't cause much of a stir, but it was a different story for Akina Mori.

After she made an appearance at the Nakamori agency headquarters, news of her quickly spread among reporters. Then, she was spotted again while practicing songs at her music teacher's place, turning it into a hot news topic.

"It is reported that Akina Mori just returned to Tokyo that day..."

"In order to prepare for her tour and the duet with Michael Jackson, she practiced songs at her teacher's place until late that night..."

Naoki Nagayama looked at the text in the news report and sensed the flavor of a paid PR campaign, just like the copy used for traffic-driving idols on platforms like Weibo in later generations: "Brother is so hardworking, still reading scripts late at night," "Just got off the plane and rushed to the next engagement, Brother is so diligent," "..."

"Akina..."

Naoki Nagayama looked at his wife, who was feeding little Xia Hua breakfast across from him, and asked with some curiosity,

"The news about going to practice songs was proactively leaked by the Nakamori agency, right? And this report, it looks like a press release no matter how you look at it!"

"Of course, otherwise how could reporters have possibly snapped photos of me at the music teacher's place..."

Akina didn't look surprised at all and told Naoki Nagayama directly,

"Mr. Hanami and the others felt that since I'd returned from vacation, I needed to increase my exposure and buzz, so they concocted a leak on the fly."

"There will be more coming out one after another in the next few days; this is also for the sake of the new song's buzz..."

"Haha, I knew it... it felt like money had changed hands~"

Naoki Nagayama looked at Akina with a smile,

"But Akina really is a big star; a leak at night can become a headline the next day~"

"Hmph~~ That goes without saying~"

Akina felt a little smug after hearing her husband's words.

Just then, little Xia Hua had finished her breakfast, and she had time to pay attention to Naoki Nagayama:

"Naoki-san, are you going to the company today?"

"Mm, I have to go over at some point... to check on the company's operations... and get familiar with the staff... there are many things that need me, the Chairman, to handle..."

Naoki Nagayama shrugged, as if to say that running a company is also very tiring...

However, Akina laughed:

"Hehe, how come that all sounds like Mr. Otomo's work..."

"......."

Oh no, his essence as a workplace slacker had been discovered!

Just like that, they finished breakfast while chatting and laughing, and Akina soon waited for her private car to pick her up, then headed off to the agency.

For these first few days, Akina needed to record the final version of "Wrecked Ship," shoot promotional photos, finalize her stage outfits, and so on; she would be quite busy.

As for Naoki Nagayama, he spent most of the morning playing with little Xia Hua, and only after handing the little one over to Riko Nonaka did he drive toward the Tree Friend Building.

Having returned to Tokyo after a long absence, the weather was so intense it felt like a welcome.

The air-conditioned Rolls-Royce Silver Spur glittered in the sunlight, then dove into the bustling traffic of the expressway.

Not long after, Ikebukuro arrived!

"Naoki-san!"

The receptionist, Xing Jiahua Xing, was still the first to spot Naoki Nagayama as he walked in,

"You're back!!"

"Mm, just got back yesterday."

Naoki Nagayama said with a smile, taking the opportunity to greet Xingxia Suzuki nearby,

"By the way, Xingxia-chan, I brought back some gifts in the trunk of my car... find a few people to help move them out~"

There were many employees in the Tree Friend Building, so Naoki Nagayama had brought back even more Ehime tangerines, and he needed people to move them.

"They are some local Ehime tangerines, along with other small gifts. After Xing Jiahua-chan and Xingxia-chan bring them in, let everyone share them..."

"Hai!"

Xing Jiahua Xing was all smiles, her voice twice as sweet,

"Naoki-san is the best! Arigato!!"

"Xing Jiahua-chan, you're being too exaggerated~"

Handing the keys to Xing Jiahua Xing, Naoki Nagayama waved his hand and stepped onto the elevator.

Only then did Xingxia Suzuki look at Xing Jiahua Xing:

"A senior really is a senior... such a sweet mouth!"

Xingxia Suzuki asked herself, she didn't have the courage to be so mushy in front of Naoki-san!

"...... This is called skill!"

Xing Jiahua Xing didn't feel shy at all; she excitedly grabbed the keys and walked toward Naoki Nagayama's luxury car.

"Wait... shouldn't we call someone?"

"Of course we have to be the first to go over, so we can pick the best ones for ourselves first!"

"....."

Naoki Nagayama didn't care about the little schemes of the two receptionists. He sat in his office for a while, then walked over to the office of Otomo Fangcun next door.

"Otomo-san, I'm back!"

Otomo Fangcun, who was reviewing documents, looked up, his face full of exhaustion:

"Since you're back, get to work properly, konoyaro!"

"Hm?"

Naoki Nagayama was very surprised; this Otomo Fangcun was very abnormal,

"What's wrong with Otomo-san, you seem so irritable?"

"Because several movies and TV dramas are in the settlement stage, the reports from these past few days have made my head spin!!"

Otomo Fangcun pointed at his head and said,

"Naoki-san, I only have these few hairs left on my head, and soon they'll be gone!!!"

"Ah... so you're worried about hair loss?"

Naoki Nagayama turned a deaf ear to the previous words and turned to leave Otomo Fangcun's office,

"Otomo-san, don't worry, I know a secret recipe: rubbing ginger slices on your head can promote hair follicles to grow new hair. I'll go find some young ginger right now..."

"You get back here!"

Otomo Fangcun's words froze Naoki Nagayama in his tracks, and then he walked out from behind his desk and handed a stack of reports to Naoki Nagayama,

"Forget everything else; these are the overseas reports for 'Ghost' and other movies... your English isn't bad, right? Take a good look!"

"This... aren't there Japanese translations..."

"Less nonsense, who knows if the translation is wrong..."

"......"

Naoki Nagayama, who wanted to shirk the work, was soon defeated by the pile of documents Otomo Fangcun held up, and he had no choice but to take the work back to his own office.

"Sigh... I should have known better than to disturb Otomo-san..."

Naoki Nagayama flipped through the reports helplessly, but since he was doing the work, he couldn't be perfunctory, so he looked through them carefully.

Over the past half year, the English version of "Ghost" had spread to various countries overseas. Because it was a romance film, even with Asian leads, it attracted quite a few viewers.

Coupled with concepts like love transcending life and death, ghosts, heaven and hell, it achieved very good results in Western theaters.

"The US has accumulated over 20 million in box office..."

At the current exchange rate of 1:120, if the US box office were converted to yen, it would be nearly 2.4 billion. However, the distribution company in the US took more than 80% of the box office, so the amount received was less than 500 million.

"Not bad at all..."

"Ghost" was a very classic romance film, worth repeated re-releases. Naoki Nagayama felt that as time went on, the box office would only get higher.

"But relying solely on overseas distribution companies really means getting harvested quite badly. The process of acquiring overseas film companies needs to be accelerated..."

Next, he flipped through the box office for the Hong Kong and Taiwan regions. Neither place was large, so even though it was very popular, the combined box office was just over 100 million.

"Sure enough, without the vast market of the mainland, film box office just can't take off..."

"A vast market is a must!"

The idea of acquiring an American film studio rose in Naoki Nagayama's mind once again. In the future of Hollywood, there would definitely be a place for Tree Friend!

With patience, he carefully reviewed the overseas reports before signing off to confirm them... since he had looked through them, there was no need for Otomo-san to audit them again.

For the remaining time, Naoki Nagayama naturally didn't go back to Otomo Fangcun to ask for work, but instead began his inspection of the Tree Friend Building.

First, he came to the animation department downstairs...

"Naoki-san!" "Naoki-san, you're here..." "...."

Amidst the exclamations of the employees, Gosho Aoyama walked out of his office to greet Naoki Nagayama.

"Naoki-san, you're back from vacation!"

"Mm, just got back yesterday..." Naoki Nagayama smiled, "How is the progress on 'Slam Dunk' and 'Totoro' during this time? Any problems?"

"Hai..."

Gosho Aoyama began his report,

"After the 'Slam Dunk' manga returned from hiatus, the buzz remained, but there has been some negative feedback on the animated series..."

"Because the progress of the animation is about to overtake the manga, we have no choice but to produce some side stories to wait for the progress..."

"Ah, I understand, I understand..." Naoki Nagayama nodded, "That's just filler!"

In his past life, "One Piece," "Naruto," and so on all operated this way. When the main manga plot fell behind, the animation would air some side stories, such as the experiences of some marine, the stories of rogue ninjas from other villages, etc...

In short, watching it was like watching nothing at all; it was pure filler!

"Hai, there's nothing that can be done about it... actually, some readers understand..." Gosho Aoyama's tone was somewhat helpless, "But filler is okay once or twice; if it's always like this, it will cause criticism..."

"Indeed, we can't just flood it with water!"

Naoki Nagayama nodded and walked toward the office,

"Our animators' work efficiency needs to be strengthened... Has Yoshihiro Togashi been slacking off lately?!"

"......."

Gosho Aoyama didn't understand why, in Naoki-san's mind, Yoshihiro Togashi was someone who would slack off, but at this moment, he still had to speak up for his friend,

"Naoki-san, Togashi-kun works very hard, and his work efficiency is also very high... he has even slept at the company for several days..."

Naoki Nagayama poked his head in to look at Yoshihiro Togashi, who was drawing seriously at his desk, and whispered a complaint:

"That's because he hasn't met that rich woman who will keep him yet..."

"Eh??? Naoki-san, what did you say?"

"Ah... I was saying, if Yoshihiro Togashi doesn't work hard, how could a rich woman take a fancy to him!"

"......."

Gosho Aoyama's expression revealed absurdity and dejection,

"Naoki-san... manga artists like us are all shut-ins; no rich woman would take a fancy to us..."

"That's not necessarily true..."

Naoki Nagayama didn't continue the slander after all, but turned and walked toward the Ghibli work group,

"Alright, let's go see the progress on 'Totoro'..."

Walking into the separately partitioned Ghibli work group, the first thing Naoki Nagayama saw were stacks of high-piled drawings on the desks, as well as various diagrams posted on the walls, etc...

Just as he was surprised, he saw Hayao Miyazaki walk out of the storage room. Seeing Naoki Nagayama, his face was full of surprise:

"Naoki-san, why are you here?"

"I came to check on the progress of 'Totoro'..." Naoki Nagayama said, then pointed to the drawings on the desks, "What's going on with these?"

"Ah!" Hayao Miyazaki explained, "These are drawings waiting to be colored on celluloid sheets... and there's another part that is about to be filmed..."

"So filming has already started!"

Filming meant shooting the drawings onto film. Naoki Nagayama picked up a few drawings to look at and was very satisfied,

"Not bad at all..."

"Hai, the progress is very smooth..."

"Are there any difficulties that need to be solved?" Naoki Nagayama asked as usual.

"Eh..." Hayao Miyazaki paused, but still said, "It's just that there is currently only one animation camera, and it needs to be shared with 'Slam Dunk,' so there are so many drawings waiting to be filmed..."

"Not enough machines... then buy another one!"

Naoki Nagayama was very generous,

"You write the report, I'll approve the slip..."

At this time, Hiroshi Jiangfu, the President of the Recruit Company who had been busy all day, came out of the headquarters in Ginza and had his driver take him toward a club in Roppongi.

Running a company is exhausting!

Getting up at 8:00 every morning, arriving at the company for meetings at 8:30, eating something casual at noon, working until the afternoon, and then having to go to various clubs, restaurants, and KTVs to drink with all sorts of different people until he was unconscious.

Then waking up the next day in a hotel or on the bed at home with a headache, drinking some hangover soup or just taking painkillers, and continuing to repeat the steps of the previous day...

However, Hiroshi Jiangfu enjoyed such a life... he was a person who was unwilling to be mediocre.

Starting from pulling sponsorships for the school newspaper during his university days, he realized the power of connections.

After graduating from the University of Tokyo, he chose to start a business and quickly relied on university connections to pull advertisements and earn his first pot of gold... then he encountered the economic boom, and after that, he was unstoppable!

He also keenly placed bets on the real estate industry ahead of the bubble, and by relying on his close relationships with various high-ranking government officials, he concurrently held positions such as Special Commissioner for Government Tax System Investigation and Special Commissioner for Land Adjustment, and could be said to have everything going his way in the real estate circle.

As land prices climbed, the Recruit Company under his banner flourished, and even the second branch in Kawasaki City, the 22-story Information Building, was under construction, expected to be completed early next year...

President Hiroshi Jiangfu was currently at the most glorious stage of his life!

Everything was developing in the best direction!

If there were no Naoki Nagayama to compare with, he would be the one who looked like he had the protagonist's halo!

"The one to be entertained today is the Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party, Shintaro Abe..."

Hiroshi Jiangfu was still on the phone with the club staff while in the car,

"So everything must be of the highest level of service! I don't want to make the Secretary-General unhappy because of poor service..."

"Absolutely the top level..."

Listening to the guarantee on the receiver, Hiroshi Jiangfu felt a little more at ease. Having started by relying on connections, he had the greatest respect for connections.

He turned and asked his assistant:

"Is the red envelope for this time prepared?"

"Hai!" The assistant nodded, "Prepared a 100,000 red envelope... for Shintaro Abe's secretary and driver..."

"What about Shintaro Abe himself?"

"The 300,000 yen monthly consulting fee for Shintaro Abe's wife, Yoko Abe, has already been transferred!"

"I'm talking about today's!"

"Today?" The assistant was a little confused, "Do we have to give it to Shintaro Abe himself today too?"

Because these assemblymen and politicians were very shrewd and wouldn't take any bribes personally!

"Of course, how can we let the husband go home empty-handed!" Hiroshi Jiangfu said, "Go prepare a 500,000 red envelope... this is human interaction, it doesn't matter!"

"Hai!"

When the car was traveling through the traffic, Hiroshi Jiangfu looked at the prosperous commercial street outside, and his ambition rose:

"In a few years, I want to buy this street!"

He had great confidence in saying this; Recruit's real estate business was already second only to the Tokyo Real Estate Company, ranking second in the real estate industry...

If the company continued to grow at its current speed, Hiroshi Jiangfu would undoubtedly become the largest real estate developer in Tokyo!

He had no idea that someone was already quietly plotting to plant a mine for Recruit! ===== CHAPTER 1249 =====