Chapter 191: Seiko-san, I really can't control myself!

Handsome, celebrity, wealthy, young, talented... A series of labels had been stamped onto Naoki Nagayama.

Feeling the gazes of the young ladies nearby growing brighter and brighter, he hurriedly drank a glass of wine to calm his nerves.

Fortunately, Genta Nakai's love story on stage was almost finished; otherwise, he really wouldn't know what kind of image he would be painted as—Cupid or something similar...

Who would have thought that when this guy was about to put down the microphone at the end, he suddenly added with a mischievous grin: "To the unmarried ladies present, this guy is still single! Hahahaha~"

A wave of surprised "Eh~~" sounds erupted from the audience. Naoki Nagayama suddenly felt as if he had walked alone into a forest full of hungry wolves.

Wait, those ladies who clearly had male companions beside them, why were their eyes also shining?!

Having suddenly ambushed Naoki Nagayama, Genta Nakai and Suzu Hoshino went off to toast others with mischievous smiles,

leaving him alone to deal with the young ladies at the same table.

After the band entered, the entire after-party almost turned into a dance party; even the master of ceremonies was dancing on the stage in the middle.

The newlyweds had drunk some wine and were dancing energetically, so it wasn't long before sweat broke out on their foreheads.

Seeing Naoki Nagayama on the sidelines, they sat down next to him to rest for a while.

"Naoki-san, why aren't you going up to dance?"

"... You guys still have the nerve to ask..."

"Hahaha, it's fine, my friends won't do anything to you!" Genta Nakai said, making a promise he couldn't possibly guarantee.

Naoki Nagayama gave him a look of disdain: "I'd better not~"

"By the way, where do you two plan to spend your honeymoon?"

"Honolulu! We've booked a resort hotel for a week~" Suzu Hoshino said happily from the side. "We're going to go surfing on our honeymoon~"

Hawaii, huh? It really is a great place for a vacation. Naoki Nagayama had originally planned to go there for a vacation this winter.

"That's so nice~ Sunshine, beaches, ocean waves~ and being with the person you love~" Naoki Nagayama thought about such a scene in his mind; it really was sweet~

"When Naoki-san goes on his honeymoon in the future, you can go there too~"

Genta Nakai didn't mind stirring up trouble. It seemed to be a custom: once someone in a group of friends got married, that person particularly liked to urge others to get married too.

"I don't want to enter the fortress of marriage so early~"

The newlyweds and Naoki Nagayama started chatting about their views on marriage, and in the end, neither could convince the other...

No matter how lively a wedding is, there comes a time when it must end.

After politely declining invitations from many young ladies to go to the next gathering, Naoki Nagayama chose to go back alone.

Of course, he found a designated driver. Don't drink and drive, don't drive and drink—this point must be firmly remembered!

At Shanyingyuan, Eitaro wagged his tail to welcome Naoki Nagayama back.

However, after sniffing the smell of alcohol on him, he quietly hid not far away, unwilling to get close, until Naoki Nagayama took a shower and changed into a new set of clothes before he came over.

"You little guy, you actually dislike me~" He rubbed the dog's head angrily several times before he felt relieved.

Sitting down on the sofa in the living room, Naoki Nagayama turned on the TV, continuing to study Japanese variety shows, thinking about preparing for tomorrow's pre-recording.

But after a while, his attention was drawn to the rebroadcast of "Mobile Suit Gundam." He hadn't watched this earliest Mobile Suit anime before.

Early in the morning, Naoki Nagayama got up at the reminder of his alarm clock.

This time, because he had an appointment with Otomo Yoshimura, he couldn't sleep until he woke up naturally.

But he was still a spirited, sturdy young man!

After having a simple breakfast with Eitaro, he took the little guy and drove all the way to the studio. After gathering there, they would head to Fuji TV together.

At the entrance of the studio, there were several cars parked as usual. Naoki Nagayama wasn't the first to arrive.

After pushing the door open, Shuichi Yin Tang had indeed already arrived.

"Shuichi-san, I'd say there's nothing for you to do here, so why come so early?"

Upon hearing this, Shuichi Yin Tang put down the camera in his hand: "I got up early to send Jia Yi to school. Also, who said there's nothing to do here?!"

He pointed to the equipment in the studio: "These pieces of equipment all need to be well-maintained, you know! I work very hard every day checking their status, just so that when Naoki-san's new script comes out, we can use it immediately!"

Uh... is he starting to urge for a script again? How is he just like the readers who urge for updates in later generations~

"Hi, hi, as for the script, I don't have one yet. This kind of thing relies on inspiration; how could it be written so easily!" Naoki Nagayama curled his lip and quickly changed the subject. "Otomo-san hasn't arrived yet? We clearly agreed to gather in the morning."

Seeing him like this, Shuichi Yin Tang shook his head helplessly.

"Otomo-san usually arrives at 9 o'clock." This manager, who had been working for more than ten years, was always very punctual.

"That means there's still more than half an hour~" Naoki Nagayama untied Eitaro's leash. "Shuichi-san, I'll leave Eitaro here today; please look after him~"

Shuichi Yin Tang had long been very familiar with Eitaro.

"Yoshi, yoshi, Eitaro is such a good boy! He's grown quite a bit in just a few days."

He scratched the little guy's chin very enthusiastically, and then the little guy's tail started wagging again~

Looking at this scene of "fatherly kindness and filial piety," Naoki Nagayama suddenly thought of a very famous movie from later generations, "Hachi: A Dog's Tale."

"Shuichi-san, do you know the story of Hachiko?"

Shuichi Yin Tang was slightly stunned: "Is Naoki-san talking about Hachiko at Shibuya Station?"

"Hi, the statue should still be there, right?"

"Yes, I saw it when I passed by before."

"Shuichi-san, have you ever thought about filming this story?"

"Eh?" Shuichi Yin Tang was surprised by Naoki Nagayama's whimsical idea. "This... no one has ever thought of this before!"

"But it's very moving, isn't it?"

"This..." Shuichi Yin Tang started to think seriously. "It seems like it could be worth a try?"

Then he looked at Naoki Nagayama: "Naoki-san, the script..."

"Shuichi-san, the prototype for this story is already there; just find someone else to adapt the script! Don't get any ideas about me!" Naoki Nagayama said repeatedly, "At most, I'll help review it when the time comes~"

Shuichi Yin Tang then started chatting about how it should be filmed. First of all, two Akita dogs were indispensable—one young, one adult. If only Eitaro wasn't a Labrador, how much better it would be...

While the two were chatting, Otomo Yoshimura arrived with Junko Yin Teng.

"Naoki-san, good morning~" Junko Yin Teng greeted him happily. "Shuichi-san, good morning too~"

Sure enough, the first thing she saw was the handsome guy... Shuichi Yin Tang was a bit speechless. Fortunately, Otomo Yoshimura, who was beside her, also spoke:

"What are Shuichi-san and Naoki-san chatting about, even pulling Eitaro into it~"

He had just seen the two of them chatting around the puppy.

"Hahaha, I just had a good idea and was seeing if Shuichi-san could film it." Naoki Nagayama laughed. "It just so happens to have something to do with Eitaro."

"Nani? What's wrong with Eitaro?" Junko Yin Teng was petting the little guy and looked up to ask.

Seeing that everyone was very curious, Shuichi Yin Tang explained: "Everyone knows the story of Hachiko, right? Naoki-san and I were just chatting about whether we should film this story."

"A movie?" Otomo Yoshimura was surprised. "That's really impressive."

A movie with an animal as the protagonist—wouldn't that just be America's "King Kong"? But that's a monster~

"It's just an idea; we'll have to see if it's possible later." Naoki Nagayama didn't say much; it was just an idea for now. "Otomo-san, should we be heading out?"

"Hi, we can indeed go now." With work to do, Otomo Yoshimura and Junko Yin Teng didn't have time to keep asking and prepared to head to Fuji TV.

This time, Naoki Nagayama didn't drive himself but sat in Otomo Yoshimura's car with Junko Yin Teng.

"Otomo-san, you're wealthy now, at least; why don't you change your car?" Naoki Nagayama looked at this dilapidated Toyota and couldn't help but complain.

"This is an old partner that has been with me for more than ten years! How can I just abandon it!" Otomo Yoshimura argued with justification. "I'm not the kind of person who abandons the old for the new."

"Tsk, you clearly changed your new watch as soon as you wanted to~" Naoki Nagayama looked at the gold watch on his wrist and complained with disdain. "How about the house change we talked about before?"

"Cough..." Otomo Yoshimura coughed strategically. "The house is already being sought by an agency. If possible, I actually want to buy a plot of land and build it myself."

"That's very troublesome~" Naoki Nagayama had never understood why some people just didn't like living in second-hand houses. Must one's own house be built by oneself?

Otomo Yoshimura insisted on his own idea: "It's my own house, after all; I still hope to complete it with my own hands."

"Is Otomo-san living in the Warring States period? Complete it with your own hands? Isn't it still going to be built by a construction team..." He couldn't help but complain again...

Junko Yin Teng, who was beside him, covered her mouth and giggled.

Fuji TV—Naoki Nagayama could be said to be quite familiar with it. Besides participating in "The Best Ten" last time, he had also been here before to discuss "Tales of the Unusual."

This time, he followed Otomo Yoshimura into one of the studios. After greeting the production team, he was taken to the dressing room.

"Isn't this the young man who came before?"

It was actually the same makeup artist!

"Hi, sorry to trouble you again this time~ I'm Naoki Nagayama, a songwriter." Fate had brought them together for a second meeting, so of course, he had to remember her.

"Hahaha, I knew at a glance last year that Naoki-san would definitely become a celebrity. I'm the makeup artist here, Masayo Nakazawa." Masayo Nakazawa was wearing fashionable makeup and looked to be only in her 30s.

While she was using powder to lightly wipe Naoki Nagayama's face, she laughed: "Naoki-san is really the same as before; you almost don't need makeup."

Then she started to tidy up Naoki Nagayama's hairstyle: "Your hairstyle doesn't need much handling either. Naoki-san, you've made our makeup artist skills useless."

"Hahaha, not at all~ Young men don't need much decoration anyway~"

Upon hearing this, Masayo Nakazawa laughed: "Who says? Some Johnny's idols who came before, although they are very famous, their skin condition is simply terrifying, especially those guys in puberty. Their acne pits are like the surface of the moon; how can they have skin as good as Naoki-san's?"

After finishing, she wiped something on Naoki Nagayama's face again.

Why did he feel like he was being taken advantage of?

Naoki Nagayama hurriedly changed the subject: "Did Johnny's idols come too?"

"Ah, yes, they are recording other programs, a whole group of them. Does Naoki-san know anyone?"

"Hi, I'm friends with the guys from Shonentai." Naoki Nagayama nodded. "Can I go say hello now?"

"Probably not; they are already recording over there."

"I see, then I can only talk about it later."

After returning to the studio again, the people had basically arrived. There were many people sitting on seats like large steps.

Naoki Nagayama saw Seiko Matsuda sitting in the C-position among the female guests. At this time, she was talking to others, and there was still a sweet smile on her face.

His role was a supporting guest, so Naoki Nagayama very tactfully sat in the back row and started chatting friendly with the young man next to him who was acting as a background board.

Following the director's signal, everyone entered their state. There had been a simple script before,

but at this time, the recording of the program still depended on the command of the on-site executive staff and the skills of the host.

"Next, let's welcome Ms. Junko Yin Teng to the stage~"

After the warm-up, the host first invited Junko Yin Teng to the stage. As the idol artist with the least seniority on stage, she was naturally the first to perform.

Junko Yin Teng's "Puzzle" was sung very well, with a beautiful melody and moving vocals, winning applause from the whole room.

The host told a few jokes, teased some interesting things about Junko Yin Teng, and then cued the process.

"Junko-san, today we also invited the author of 'Puzzle'~ Let's welcome Mr. Naoki Nagayama!"

Naoki Nagayama hurriedly stood up from the back row and walked to the front of the stage.

"Good evening, host; good evening, everyone." Naoki Nagayama bowed slightly to the camera, as it was going to be broadcast. However, he hadn't communicated with the host before about what would be asked next, which made him a little nervous.

"Naoki-san, what kind of emotion drove you to create this song for Junko Yin Teng?"

"Uh... if you want to talk about emotion, it should be the emotion of wanting to solve this troublesome matter quickly, hahaha~" Naoki Nagayama's answer made everyone present laugh, and the host couldn't hold back either.

"Hahaha, with the mentality of wanting to solve the trouble quickly? But wasn't Ms. Junko Yin Teng an idol chosen by Naoki-san himself?"

The program team had indeed done their homework.

"Hi, because it was my first attempt to launch an idol, I didn't have a concrete impression of what we could achieve in the future or what kind of person Junko-chan could become. I was very distressed at that time."

Because it was an impromptu performance, Naoki Nagayama said it with nine parts truth and one part lie.

"Then what about the song 'Puzzle'?" The host continued to ask. "Was it created specifically for Junko Yin Teng?"

"Not really. When I created this song, it was because I was recalling the past, and it felt like doing a puzzle. A flash of inspiration led to this song. I didn't expect Junko Yin Teng's voice to be so suitable..."

While Naoki Nagayama was talking about the creative process, the host saw the director signaling to speed up the progress, so he interrupted:

"Speaking of which, Naoki-san has already created quite a few famous songs, for example, you also created 'Cherry Blossom' for Ms. Seiko Matsuda, right?"

"Hi, the year before last~"

"When you were on the show before, you also said you were a die-hard fan of Ms. Seiko Matsuda, right?"

Eh? This is the trap, right? Wanting me to step into it? No way!

"Ah, yes, I was also a fan of Momoe Yamaguchi before, but recently I've paid attention to other idols..."

Did he actually say it directly? In front of an idol, shouldn't he show the firmness of a fan?

"Other idols?"

"Hi, I'm the kind of person who is easily attracted as soon as I see the shining points of an idol. It's easy to change my mind like this. I feel a bit like a scumbag; I'm also very distressed myself~"

As Naoki Nagayama said this, he bowed to Seiko Matsuda in the guest seat. "Sumimasen, Seiko-san~ I really can't control myself!"

Seiko Matsuda over there was still smiling sweetly and even waved her hand, as if she was saying it didn't matter...

The host was a little stunned, his expression very exaggerated. The audience off-stage was laughing non-stop as if they were watching a comedy act, and even Junko Yin Teng covered her mouth and giggled.

"Hey, hey, Naoki-san, is it okay for you to be like this? You just admitted in front of the national audience that you are a scumbag!"

"This is also something that can't be helped. Anyway, I just committed a mistake that most men would commit. I believe everyone should understand."

"As if they would understand!"

The host held the microphone, looking like he wanted to hit someone.

It was even more like a comedy act. ===== CHAPTER 192 =====