Chapter 282: Nagayama Naoki has always been an upright good man

Nagayama Naoki had to start his return journey after hiding outside for two days, because he was told when he called Furuhura Otomo at the hotel at night...

"Naoki-san, you can't hide... Some people have already found the studio~ but we persuaded them back well..."

Furuhura Otomo first explained the current public opinion situation in Tokyo. Some fans who were not very old actually found the headquarters of Tree Friend Films, wanting to apprentice and ask for advice.

"This... is too exaggerated..." Nagayama Naoki felt it was a bit too much. Is this a private fan?

But it's not certain. There are too many people in this country who go to extremes. Didn't Okada Nana encounter extreme fans before, which caused her idol career to plummet?

Furuhura Otomo persuaded: "In short, they have been sent away well, but Naoki-san really can't be carefree outside. It's already December, and there are many things at the end of the year that need you to make decisions.

Not to mention anything else, are you really not going to show up for the *Boys Over Flowers* casting meeting?"

The production bureau's efficiency was very high. The role casting he talked about with Sugiura Taiyasu before had been scheduled for two days later. If Nagayama Naoki didn't come back, Sugiura Taiyasu and Furuhura Otomo would have to choose directly.

"Well... Otomo-san, I trust you with the casting!"

Furuhura Otomo felt a warm current flow through his heart when he heard this, but soon reacted:

"Naoki-san, I tell you, don't think about traveling all over the red leaf hunting alone!

Don't think about visiting Kiyomizu-dera after finishing, then Daigo-ji, then Enko-ji and Kifune Shrine, and don't think about taking the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Nara, Osaka, Hyogo, and then taking a boat to Fukuoka and Nagasaki in Kyushu!"

Nagayama Naoki listened to Furuhura Otomo reporting the route of red leaf hunting in Japan like reporting dishes: "Otomo-san... I didn't think about it originally, but after you said that, I'm really a bit eager to move..."

"Kono yaro! This is where I have always wanted to go!" Furuhura Otomo was crying without tears. When he had no money before, he worked hard to make money and couldn't bear to spend it. Now that he has money, he is busier and has no time to travel. "Who is like you, Naoki, who can easily put down work and go out to travel!"

"Uh... it's not easy, I have completed the work well..." Nagayama Naoki's tone weakened, feeling a little guilty.

After all, the month-long trip to Hawaii this year is still vivid, and when filming *A Scene at the Sea*, it was equivalent to traveling in Okinawa for more than half a month...

"But, I brought gifts for Otomo-san~"

When he said it, he suddenly remembered that when he went to Okinawa, Furuhura Otomo clearly went too! His tone suddenly became confident:

"And, didn't Otomo-san also go to Okinawa?"

Furuhura Otomo was speechless, that time it was indeed more about playing.

So he had to change the subject, earnestly saying:

"Isn't Naoki-san very concerned about the filming of *Boys Over Flowers*? Who the protagonist is is still very important! You can't just pick one simply, you still need Naoki-san to check it in the end~"

"Besides, the year-end bonus assessment and the like also need to be considered~"

"And..."

Nagayama Naoki has always eaten soft but not hard. Hearing these reasonable requirements of Furuhura Otomo, he couldn't refuse.

"Hai~ hai~ I'll be back the day after tomorrow!"

"Eh? Do you still want to play for another day?" Furuhura Otomo wished Nagayama Naoki would come back immediately.

"Passing by Shizuoka, naturally I have to go back once!"

In the past, he drove directly from Tokyo to Shizuoka, and this time taking the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Shizuoka was completely two directions.

Unlike the coastal sea view when driving before, this time he saw many forests and mountains. In early December, between the withered grass and evergreen trees, there were usually mixed yellowing fallen leaves, and occasionally he could see pieces of red maples, as if nature was showing you a beautiful picture scroll of five-color gradients.

The hour-and-a-half journey was not long, and it couldn't be said to be short. Plus, pets couldn't be brought directly on the Shinkansen. In short, Ying Taro was listless and dispirited in the cage.

After letting Ying Taro out at Shizuoka Station, it took a while to recover.

"Ying Taro, if I take you out next time, I'd better drive~"

Not wanting to let Ying Taro enter the pet box again, Nagayama Naoki found a small cargo truck near the station and asked the driver to send them to his old home in Shizuoka.

As he got closer and closer to home, seeing the familiar buildings, Ying Taro became excited. Without waiting for the car to stop, he jumped off the truck bed and ran towards the courtyard of the old house.

Nagayama Naoki pushed open the courtyard gate and opened the front door: "I'm home~"

And Ying Taro had already slipped in, circling around the people in the living room.

Because he had called before, the son's return did not surprise Nagayama Nanako, and she was even happier after seeing Ying Taro:

"Ying Taro! Did you miss me?"

Also grabbing his head and rubbing it, it turns out that Tsuruko's movements were inherited from her mother...

"Okasan, I'm home~" Nagayama Naoki said with a smile.

"Naoki~ Welcome home~" Nagayama Nanako saw her son wearing a high-neck sweater and a wool windbreaker, and couldn't help but say, "Naoki is really becoming more and more like a star on TV!"

Nagayama Naoki smiled: "How to say, it can be considered so~"

Although it is a star with a bit of a flowery reputation...

After sitting down in the living room, he didn't see Tsuruko's figure after looking around: "Hasn't Tsuruko come back yet? It's Friday today, she should have been out of school early, right?"

Mother poured him a cup of hot tea: "She should be on the way. In January, it's the Center Exam (Center Shiken). If she wants to go to university, this is the most nervous time."

The Center Exam (Center Shiken) is the entrance exam for Japanese high schools, similar to the college entrance exam in China. However, Nagayama Naoki has no experience. He didn't continue to study after high school.

Nagayama Naoki took a sip of hot tea, feeling his face, which had been stiff from the wind on the small truck, slowly soften. After rubbing it, he continued to ask:

"Sou ka, has Tsuruko planned which university to take?"

"She hasn't thought about it yet. Anyway, let's pass the Center Exam (Center Shiken) first. I don't know how the results will be..."

Mother's words were also a bit uncertain. Speaking of which, the two older brothers of the Nagayama family had no learning talent. They actually had no experience with the Center Exam, and they didn't know about the school entrance exams of various universities later, so mother is also a bit panicked now.

"Okasan, don't worry, hasn't Tsuruko always been a top student? It must be fine." Nagayama Naoki was very calm, talked more with Tsuruko, and had confidence in her grades.

At this time, Ying Taro, who was originally lying beside mother, suddenly raised his head nervously, looked at the door, and then drilled behind Nagayama Naoki.

Sure enough, with the movement of the big door, Tsuruko's voice came: "Okasan, I'm home!"

Nagayama Tsuruko, who had just opened the door, saw mother and Nagayama Naoki sitting in the living room and called happily: "Ni-chan, you're back~"

"Well, I just arrived."

"Why didn't I see your car outside?" Tsuruko took off her shoes, put on slippers and walked to the living room, and then saw Ying Taro curled up. "Ah, Ying Taro is back too!

!"

Even if he asked the owner for help with his eyes, this big white dog still didn't escape Tsuruko's claws and was ravaged. After a while, he made a whining sound of begging for mercy...

After a while of rubbing, Tsuruko finally paused, and her shining eyes turned to Nagayama Naoki, full of thirst for knowledge: "Ni-chan! I watched the rebroadcast of Monday's program! Is Ni-chan really a playboy?"

Looking at the listless Ying Taro, Nagayama Naoki replied calmly: "How is it possible~"

"Then how can you be so proficient in flirting on the program?!"

Having anticipated this scene long ago, the answer had already been prepared in his heart: "Tsuruko, don't you know that variety shows have scripts? Every scene in the program is designed in advance!"

"Eh? Is that so?" Nagayama Tsuruko couldn't believe it. "Then... those random interviews outdoors?"

"Most of them are rehearsed! Live broadcasts are no exception."

"What about the accidents in the program?"

"It's also possible that it's arranged."

"Then... what about the pranks?"

"That, except for the person being pranked, others are also rehearsed... but some are also rehearsed."

Nagayama Naoki broke the concept in Tsuruko's heart unceremoniously. "Tsuruko-chan, the final effect of the program is to please the audience, and rehearsal can better achieve this effect."

Anyway, regardless of others, at least in the family, he Nagayama Naoki has always been an upright good man!

After dispelling the curiosity of the resentful sister, the conversation finally returned to normal:

"Tsuruko, have you been preparing for the Center Exam recently?"

"What recently, I've been preparing since the middle of the year~ The last two months are more practice, review..." Tsuruko's little face collapsed. "I want to vomit when I see the test paper..."

Thinking of the two months before the college entrance exam in the previous life, Nagayama Naoki felt deeply: "Sister, vomit and vomit... you will get used to it..."

Tsuruko looked over with contempt: "It's like Ni-chan has taken it~"

???

Believe it or not, I will change the five-year college entrance exam and three-year simulation for you on the spot!

"......" Nagayama Naoki finally suppressed the impulse and didn't care about Tsuruko. "Then has Tsuruko decided which university to take?"

"Waseda University, Keio University, Sophia University are all fine."

"Oho? Is it the 'Gosanke'? Tsuruko, are you a bit too confident?" Nagayama Naoki was surprised. These three universities, Waseda, Keio, and Sophia, are known as the three universities with the highest entrance difficulty.

"Hmph, anyway, I have confidence!" Tsuruko shook her hair. "If it doesn't work, Tokyo University can also be considered."

"It's really higher than the sky~"

Although he knew Tsuruko was a top student, Nagayama Naoki didn't expect her to be so confident in her grades.

Nagayama Nanako looked at the bickering between the brothers and sisters and couldn't stop laughing. The eldest brother is a character who only acts and never speaks, and can't quarrel with Tsuruko. After Nagayama Naoki came back, the family became lively instantly.

The two chatted while helping mother prepare dinner. They had already notified yesterday that father and eldest brother would also come home for dinner today.

In fact, since the izakaya was mortgaged and replaced with an apartment in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, and 100,000 rent was transferred every month, if it weren't for paying off the loan, the izakaya could have been closed.

But this is just a wild statement. Father Nagayama Ken has a deep affection for the izakaya and will not give it up easily.

However, the days of being busy until midnight have also been reduced a lot.

When dinner was almost ready, father Nagayama Ken and eldest brother Nagayama Aoki came back together. "We're home~"

Mother went to the entrance to greet: "Welcome home."

Then she took some meat dishes brought back from the izakaya and heated them up in the kitchen.

"Father, eldest brother!"

Nagayama Naoki greeted, and the father and son sat at the dining table in the living room.

Sure enough, the eldest brother immediately asked about the scandal and the variety show, and Nagayama Naoki dealt with it with the same statement as Tsuruko.

Father Nagayama Ken, who usually doesn't talk much, asked: "Naoki, is what you said about being squeezed out on the program true?"

"Ah, yes, it's like moving to a new house. When you arrive at a new place, there are always some neighbors who are not easy to get along with." Nagayama Naoki responded calmly. "But we already have a way to deal with it, please don't worry."

"That's good." Father said simply and then picked up the teacup to drink, leaving the space for conversation to the two brothers.

This dinner was eaten harmoniously, and even when sleeping at night, Nagayama Naoki felt very at ease.

Sure enough, a good original family is really very important to a person.

The next morning, after saying goodbye to his parents and siblings, Nagayama Naoki rented a car from the car dealership to Tokyo.

Galloping past the coastal highway again, he was already used to the surging sea, and even Ying Taro didn't stretch his head out of the window.

After returning the car at the Tokyo car dealership, he took a taxi to the studio.

Having disappeared for nearly a week, he thought the public opinion in Tokyo had almost subsided, but he didn't expect that just after getting off the car, he found several people surrounding the studio entrance.

Seeing Nagayama Naoki leading the dog, they immediately surrounded him, and the long guns and short cannons of cameras and recording pens were already in place.

"Mr. Nagayama, do you have anything to say about the title of Playboy Naoki?"

"Mr. Nagayama, are the scandals you had before true? Who are you dating recently?"

"Mr. Nagayama, what is your opinion on the film industry's selection?"

"Mr. Nagayama, which movie do you think will win the Mainichi Film Awards this year?"

"Mr. Nagayama, is it true that the recent casting meeting is for next year's TV drama?"

Nagayama Naoki, who was interviewed at the door for the first time, was a little panicked and could only say: "Sumimasen, I just returned to Tokyo, temporarily not accepting interviews..."

Then he immediately squeezed out of the encirclement and walked into the studio, just bumping into Furuhura Otomo who was about to come out.

"Otomo-san, why are there people blocking the door?"

Furuhura Otomo smiled slightly: "Naoki-san, our reports during this period have taken effect. The Mainichi Film Awards Selection Committee issued a statement, promising the fairness of the selection."

"Eh? Really?"

Nagayama Naoki was surprised. This is not a small matter.

For any award selection, "cannot be wrong" is a very important rule. Even if there is bias or error in the selection, you cannot say that there is a problem with the selection results, otherwise the authority of the selection, which is the most important, will be hit.

"Yes, we didn't expect it either. However, with the publication of reports related to our previous movies, people are also dissatisfied with such good movies being suppressed. Plus, the movie *A Scene at the Sea* is well-received among film lovers and industry big names. I think the Mainichi Film Awards Selection Committee must have felt the pressure."

"Haha, this is a good thing, indicating that our counterattack has achieved results."

Furuhura Otomo asked: "Then do we need to continue reporting?"

"Of course, before all the results come out in February next year, we must continue to output... but the frequency can be slowed down."

"Hai, I know."

Nagayama Naoki felt his mood improve instantly. Although he didn't care too much about winning awards, it was really refreshing to vent his anger.

"By the way, Otomo-san, how is the casting meeting? It seems the media is also paying attention?"

"Hai, because Fuji TV invited many agencies in the industry, plus it is linked to Naoki-san, it has attracted some attention."

"...... If so, the choice must be more cautious..." Nagayama Naoki had a headache. If some idols are brushed off, it will be very troublesome.

"Hai, the time is 3 PM today, Fuji TV First Studio."

"Well, then I'll go over in the afternoon~"

..... ===== CHAPTER 283 =====