Chapter 233

Tokyo Bubble Life, Main Volume 239, The Next Movie Is Already Prepared! September in Tokyo had already entered the season of "lingering summer heat."

During the day, it was still over 30 degrees, but by night, the temperature would drop to a point that felt cool; at least one didn't need to turn on the air conditioning when sleeping.

In the clear Tokyo sky in the afternoon, white clouds dotted the azure blue, and occasionally one could see an airship slowly flying over the city, looking like scenery from a manga.

With his skin turned a healthy wheat color and wearing a signature Hawaiian floral shirt, Naoki Nagayama walked out of the Tokyo airport, carrying a bag and dragging a large suitcase.

"Today is another good day!"

Not wanting to carry his things and squeeze onto the subway, Naoki Nagayama hailed a taxi directly at the airport to take himself and his luggage back to Chiyoda.

Shanyingyuan, which he hadn't seen for a month, had bamboo outside the wall that had grown even more lush, completely obscuring the first floor; from the outside, one could only see the gray second floor and the black roof.

Two days before he returned, the family had already hired a housekeeping company to clean, so upon walking into Shanyingyuan, Naoki Nagayama didn't see a house full of dust.

Opening the glass sliding door of the living room, the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard had changed its appearance.

The leaves all over the tree were starting to turn bright yellow or reddish-brown, mixed in with some green leaves; looking from afar, it actually looked like some kind of flower tree in full bloom.

"Every time I come back from a long trip, this cherry blossom tree of yours always brings some surprises."

However, Naoki Nagayama knew this was a sign that the leaves were about to wither.

"Flowers are like this, and leaves are like this; why do they become so beautiful before they wither... Doesn't it make people even sadder when they wither?"

The housekeeping company naturally wouldn't tend to the dry landscape in the courtyard; the originally white sand had turned grayish-white, a few weeds had poked their heads out from between the sand and stones, and there was actually moss at the base of the landscape stone in the middle.

It was clearly a landscape named for being "withered," yet it nurtured vitality within.

The second-floor bedroom was also neat and clean. Naoki Nagayama put his clothes away and threw himself onto the bed, smelling the scent of sunshine radiating from the bedding; it looked like it had been aired out yesterday.

Although he had stayed very well in the hotel in Xia Weiyi, lying on the bed in the Shanyingyuan bedroom, a feeling of peace spontaneously arose.

The piano room had also been cleaned. Continuous reading had already filled the bookshelves with all kinds of books, and the small room was filled with the scent of books.

The piano placed in the room stood quietly in a corner, silently waiting for the arrival of the person who played it.

Opening the window, the fresh air outside dispersed the somewhat stagnant air.

Before long, in Shanyingyuan, which had been quiet for more than a month,

the moving melody of "When Cherry Blossoms Dance" drifted out~

When Naoki Nagayama appeared at the studio, Tomo Yoshimura and Shuichi Ido were both very surprised.

"Naoki-san, you're back?! When did you get back?"

Naoki Nagayama said with a smile: "Hahaha, I came back yesterday afternoon. How about that? To give you a surprise, I specifically didn't say anything."

"That really is a surprise! Naoki-san, you've gotten quite dark~" Tomo Yoshimura joked, "But joy isn't necessarily the case; you're the guy who went off to play for a whole month!"

"Hahaha, didn't I come back? Just spare me~" Naoki Nagayama raised his hands to beg for mercy and bribed them, "I brought you gifts, you know."

Shuichi Ido added fuel to the fire from the side: "That depends on what kind of gifts they are!"

"That won't disappoint you!" Naoki Nagayama first took out two men's aloha floral shirts from the bag he was carrying. "First is the signature floral shirt!"

Saying this, he let the two of them put them on to try. "How is it? Don't you feel the passion of Xia Weiyi once you put them on?"

Not to mention, Tomo Yoshimura, who usually dressed like a serious and rigid corporate slave, felt much younger after putting on the floral shirt.

Shuichi Ido, wearing a floral shirt, said with a smile, "Tomo-san, you should try brighter colors more often; it looks very suitable~ Hahaha~"

Tomo Yoshimura looked very happy, but his mouth still complained: "What does it look like to wear this out..." Then he squinted at Naoki Nagayama, "Naoki-san, do you think a shirt is enough to dismiss us?"

"Of course not. There's also this Hawaiian specialty, noni fruit; it's said that eating it can prolong life. Tomo-san, here you go. And this signature rainbow peppermint candy, this is very delicious, you can let Jieyi-chan have a taste~"

"And this big bag of Hawaiian macadamia nuts, you can let the staff share them."

Naoki Nagayama took out quite a few things from his bag, making Shuichi Ido and Tomo Yoshimura very satisfied, and then Shuichi Ido took the bag of Hawaiian nuts to share with the staff outside.

Tomo Yoshimura was studying the noni fruit and was stimulated by its smell, retreating repeatedly: "What kind of smell is this... Can you really eat it?"

"Hahaha, this is about the same as durian... You can eat it raw with salt, or boil it, or add honey after juicing it. You can try it; you might just fall in love with it~" Naoki Nagayama also really couldn't accept it when he first ate it.

"Tomo-san, did anything major happen while I was away?"

"If you're talking about major events... the total box office of 'Hachiko Monogatari' has exceeded 2.5 billion; does that count?" Tomo Yoshimura said with a smile.

"Eh, that's really not bad!" It had already rivaled the total box office of the previous one. "It looks like there's hope to set a record."

"Hahaha, I didn't expect before that Tree Friend Films could actually have a record-breaking movie~" Shuichi Ido was also very happy when he walked in. "Maybe it can win a big award!"

The three of them chatted for a good while about the future achievements of this movie, and the office was filled with a happy atmosphere until they heard the enthusiastic voice of Renbo Qingshui.

"I heard from outside that Naoki-san is back!"

He pushed the door open and walked in: "Naoki-san, long time no see, you've gotten so tanned~ Hahaha~"

This Renbo Qingshui actually had the ability of Wang Xifeng to be heard before being seen, but it was a pity he was a man with squinty eyes.

However, it looked like he had done quite a few things over the past month; his confidence was much greater, and his attitude was much more casual than when he had just arrived.

"Ah, yes, just came back from abroad; I was sunbathing every day in Xia Weiyi, so naturally I got tanned."

"You look healthier too."

"I also did plenty of exercise."

The two weren't exactly familiar, so after exchanging a few pleasantries, Renbo Qingshui turned to Shuichi Ido; he had come specifically to find him: "Shuichi-san, the actors for that movie have already been contacted; do you want to go see them?"

"So fast? Then let's go see them." Shuichi Ido looked at Naoki Nagayama, "Naoki-san, do you want to go take a look together?"

"A new movie?" Naoki Nagayama had already heard quite a bit of information when they communicated over the phone. "I won't go; Shuichi-san, if you think it's okay, then it's fine."

In reality, for movies with investors like this, the investors would definitely stuff some actors in; casting was less about whether they were suitable for the movie and more about going through the motions of a compromise.

What was there to see in such things?

"Alright then." Shuichi Ido didn't say much more; such things happened a lot when filming commercials.

Seeing the two leave, Naoki Nagayama continued chatting with Tomo Yoshimura, "Speaking of which, before I left, we said we were going to produce Junko Ito's new song; is it ready now?"

"Ah, we invited a famous composer in the industry to create a piece, and then invited a producer from Philips Records to produce it." Tomo Yoshimura was somewhat emotional, "Originally it should have been our own producer; now we have to split off quite a bit of money..."

After finishing, he gave Naoki Nagayama a regretful look, but this thick-skinned guy didn't feel anything at all.

"Want me to continue working? No way~"

After saying goodbye at the studio, Naoki Nagayama drove straight out of Tokyo, listening to the rocking rock cassette in the car, speeding all the way toward his hometown.

Returning to Shizuoka in over two hours, he might even make it in time for lunch. Besides, he hadn't forgotten that there was a dog in Shizuoka that had been waiting for him for over a month~

They say summer weather is changeable, and it was true; it was clearly a blue, sunny sky with white clouds in the morning, but by noon, it had turned into low-hanging clouds, and even the air by the sea was filled with a feeling of oppression and restlessness, a sense of heat stifled in his chest that couldn't be released.

Looking at it this way, an afternoon thunderstorm was bound to come.

Driven by the sea breeze, the waves on the shore were even more turbulent, slapping against the coastal reefs and making a slapping sound, which made Naoki Nagayama in the car somewhat restless. Having learned to surf in Xia Weiyi, he really had the urge to conquer the sea.

Suddenly, the cassette in the car finished playing. Freed from the noisy melody, on the empty coastal highway, he only heard the whistling wind and the crashing waves, and he actually felt a sense of relaxation as his mind emptied.

Naoki Nagayama lowered his hand that was about to change the cassette, slowed down the car, admired the azure seascape, and enjoyed this moment of quiet.

In a trance, he seemed to hear ethereal humming again, along with that faint trace of sorrow.

"Summer is almost over... This sea doesn't seem very peaceful either~"

Naoki Nagayama laughed at himself; why not take this opportunity to just film that movie? It wasn't complicated anyway~

Right on the way home, the next movie was already prepared!

Finally, he arrived home before lunch, the familiar detached house and the streets of the small town.

Everyone was eating, and until Naoki Nagayama stopped the car at the entrance, not many people on the street noticed.

"Oka-san, I'm back~"

Calling out at the entrance, the first thing he heard wasn't his mother's response, but barking, and then he saw a white, round object running toward him, barking continuously from a few steps away.

"Eitaro, stop barking!" Naoki Nagayama put down the bag in his hand and reached out his hand, "Don't you recognize me anymore?!"

Hearing the familiar name, Eitaro hesitated and stopped barking, then gently sniffed Naoki Nagayama's hand.

As if confirming his identity, the dog suddenly became excited, made a happy sound, and after pouncing on Naoki Nagayama, it kept jumping around him, impossible to catch!

"Naoki, you arrived so fast~" Mother Nanako walked out of the kitchen, "Didn't you say you wouldn't arrive until the afternoon?"

"I was anxious to get back, so I drove a bit faster~" Naoki Nagayama rubbed Eitaro's dog head hard, expressing his longing for this guy, playing very happily, "Oka-san, what did you feed Eitaro? He's actually so fat~"

"It's just leftovers and such... maybe Eitaro is growing..."

Nanako didn't tell the truth; in reality, Hezi would feed him once every morning, she would feed him once at noon, and at night, his father Ken Nagayama and brother Aoki Nagayama would also bring back some meat bones or something from the izakaya to feed him.

When they were bored during the day, they would also tease Eitaro with snacks.

Naoki Nagayama was speechless; when growing, shouldn't he be thinner?

Putting the gifts he brought back into the house, Naoki Nagayama ate the freshly made lunch with his mother.

Hezi had already gone to school and wouldn't be back for lunch; the dishes and sushi rice that were originally prepared for dinner were just right for Naoki Nagayama to eat~

After eating, he chatted with his mother about his experiences traveling abroad.

"Did you learn to surf?"

"Hai, waves under 3 meters can't stump me anymore!" Naoki Nagayama said as if showing off.

"That's really amazing~"

Living in a seaside city, his mother couldn't say she knew nothing about surfing; he was already a relatively skilled surfer.

"I also saw a lot of very interesting scenery in Xia Weiyi; the volcanoes there are a bit different from Mount Fuji..."

"..."

While chatting, Naoki Nagayama took out the brightly colored Hawaiian handmade soap with various floral scents.

"This kind of soap is made with Hawaiian coconut palm oil. It's said that because this oil is closest to the sebum composition of human skin, it won't harm the skin at all and can make the skin smoother~"

Antioxidants, protecting cell membranes, non-toxic and safe, and so on—he just bragged about it, making Nanao Nagayama beam with smiles.

An hour or two later, he finally finished explaining his Hawaiian trip. Naoki Nagayama was drinking tea and wanted to take a break when he was suddenly reminded by the tea leaves in the cup.

"Oka-san, are there many tea plantations here in Shizuoka?"

"Ah, there are some at the foot of the mountain, but there are more in Shimizu." Nanako Nagayama said, "What's wrong? Do you want to buy some tea leaves?"

"Hai, if possible, I want to buy a tea plantation." Naoki Nagayama didn't hide it, "I opened a teahouse in Tokyo and might need a long-term supply of tea leaves."

"I see~"

Nanako Nagayama wasn't surprised that he opened a teahouse; after Hezi came back, she had already talked about the disco Naoki Nagayama opened in Tokyo.

"Then you might need to go to Shimizu to take a look; the tea leaves there are better."

"Hai, then I'll go take a look in a while."

His mother also had things to busy herself with at home, so Naoki Nagayama took Eitaro and drove to Shimizu.

The signature tea of Shimizu, Shizuoka, is called "Shimizu Tea"; it looks like a needle, the soup color is golden and clear, and the taste is fresh, sweet, and slightly bitter.

Naoki Nagayama sipped the tea soup in the tea plantation and was very satisfied; the golden tea soup, the fresh and sweet taste, and the slightly bitter feeling were all very much to his liking in terms of color and taste.

It's just that the tea plantations here seem to be family-owned; I wonder if any are for sale.

It looks like it's time to contact Miss Keiko Fujita, who has been shelved for a long time~