Chapter 519: Ideas for making money, I have as many as you want!

If there is anything that makes people feel happier than receiving a salary, it must be receiving a year-end bonus!

From the morning, the studio of Shuyu Film today seemed exceptionally lively. Employees who generally wouldn't gather together had all come to the studio.

Over here, the Cat's Eye sisters were whispering and laughing; over there, Ito Junko and Saito Yuki were discussing their schedules. The newly joined Aoyama Chikako had already moved into the unique employee dormitory of Shuyu Film—the girls' dormitory—but she wasn't familiar with everyone yet and could only talk to her album producer, Komuro Tetsuya.

Inada Masami, who was often on business trips, was chatting warmly with Komori Masataka and the others. Even the makeup artist Mayu Reina, who always followed idols around, and the prop master Takei Takehiko, who rarely came to the studio, had all gathered together.

The lobby was bustling with noise and excitement, but the office was very harmonious. Ma Sai, Yin Yin Tangxiu, and Yoshimura Otomo were meeting with their subordinates one by one, handing over a thick envelope by the way.

Sometimes, the person giving out money actually feels a sense of satisfaction!

"Hai, this is for Masataka-kun..." Yin Yin Tangxiu took out an envelope that was significantly thicker than before and handed it to Komori Masataka. "Masataka-kun has been very hardworking this year, and your work has been very diligent. Keep up the good work next year!"

As the executive director who directly participated in all the movies this year, Komori Masataka's bonus could be considered top-tier under Shuyu Film.

Komori Masataka, who took the envelope with both hands, couldn't hide the smile on the corner of his mouth and immediately bowed to express his gratitude:

"Hai! Arigato, Xiu-san!"

"Hmm, Masataka-kun's performance has been seen by us all along. The company will definitely not treat any employee who works seriously unfairly! Moreover, the company is in a period of rapid development. Masataka-kun must work even harder and prepare to take on greater responsibilities!"

Yoshimura Otomo was already a very qualified boss; he was already quite skilled at "painting pies" (making empty promises).

Sure enough, young people fall for this! Komori Masataka was immediately excited: "Hai! I will work even harder next year!"

Then Yoshimura Otomo looked at Ma Sai, signaling for him, the highest superior, to say something too.

Ma Sai had no choice but to say with a smile:

"Ha, Masataka-kun, don't spend it recklessly after getting the year-end bonus. You just got married, so hurry up and save money to buy a house! Let me tell you, if you enter the market now, the appreciation of real estate will definitely not make you regret it..."

"Hai hai! Naoki-san means he hopes you can care for your family and build a harmonious home."

Yoshimura Otomo hurriedly interrupted Ma Sai's house-buying theory and said to Komori Masataka, who was suppressing a laugh, "Alright, Masataka-kun, call the next person in!"

After the person walked out, Yoshimura Otomo said helplessly: "Naoki-san, don't preach your house-buying views to everyone! Some people just like renting houses, which is also quite good!"

"Otomo-san, if you don't let me persuade them to buy a house, they might even blame you in the future!"

Ma Sai really had good intentions, and he knew the extent of real estate appreciation in the next five years!

"Sigh... young people don't listen to the advice of their elders; they will regret it too late in the future!"

Yin Yin Tangxiu laughed on the side: "Naoki-san, Masataka-kun is older than you! You are the one who is young..."

"..."

The employees walked into the office one by one and then walked out with smiles on their faces.

The process of giving out year-end bonuses went very smoothly. After receiving the envelope with their names on it, the three big bosses would offer a few words of encouragement. Sometimes Ma Sai would sell his house-buying theory again, and sometimes he wouldn't.

In short, the atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant.

After Ito Junko, the Cat's Eye sisters, and Saito Yuki came the newly joined Aoyama Chikako. After a few months of training, the childishness on her face had worn off quite a bit, and she looked even more bright and atmospheric.

"Naoki-san, Otomo-san, Xiu-san~" Aoyama Chikako greeted them without any formality. Except for Yin Yin Tangxiu, the other two were very familiar to her.

"Hai, Chikako-chan, this is yours!" Ma Sai handed out the envelope.

"Arigato!" Aoyama Chikako took the envelope. Just by the feel, she knew that there was at least 1 million yen in this envelope, and she exclaimed subconsciously, "Do I actually have this much?"

Aoyama Chikako had actually only debuted for two months. If it were a company in later generations, she wouldn't even have passed the probation period. As a newly debuted idol, her monthly salary was only 00,000 yen, so suddenly having this much really surprised her.

Finding that everyone was looking at her, a blush rose on Aoyama Chikako's face:

"Sumimasen, I really didn't expect there to be so much... I, I have only worked for two months... Was it calculated wrong?"

Calculated wrong? This statement made the other three in the office pause. There were only people who complained that the year-end bonus was too little; to think there would be someone who complained it was too much?

"Haha~" Ma Sai laughed first, and then Yin Yin Tangxiu and Yoshimura Otomo also laughed.

Yoshimura Otomo explained: "Chikako-chan, this is because your debut song has reached the top ten on the Oricon chart, and the record sales are also quite good, so combined, you got this level of bonus.

Also, since you are already an employee of the company, you will enjoy the dividends brought by the company's profits equally, so you can rest assured, it was not calculated wrong."

"Ah... so that's how it is?..." The little girl still seemed a bit disbelieving.

Ma Sai teased: "Then should Chikako-chan return the year-end bonus to me?"

The hand holding the kraft paper envelope subconsciously tightened. Aoyama Chikako was slightly panicked, yet somewhat reluctant, and replied stutteringly: "Uh... since it has already been issued to me... then... I will accept it."

Teasing the little girl was really too interesting; the three people in the office couldn't help but laugh.

The year-end bonus distribution in the studio lasted almost the whole morning, but they still had to work in the afternoon! It wasn't a statutory holiday; did they think the boss would give the workers a day off?

Ma Sai went to inspect the editing progress of *Love Letter*. Now it was just in the final fine-tuning stage. Once edited, it could be sent to the film technology factory for copying, and then it would be distributed to various movie theaters for screening.

However, Yin Yin Tangxiu would have to worry about these things. The director and editing parts were already completed, and the time and energy Ma Sai needed to invest had been completed.

"Xiu-san, when sending it to the movie theater, emphasize to them again that as soon as they receive our clear message—Tokyo's first snow, the song playing in the record store, or Fuji TV broadcasting the advertisement for *Love Letter*—they must start screening!"

"Hai, I will specifically instruct the film delivery person!" Yin Yin Tangxiu nodded. "Also, Hayano Riko will emphasize it when sending the posters and other materials."

"Hmm, and Dentsu over there... they might be a bit anxious for a while, but the large screen advertisements in every subway station must be replaced as soon as it is screened!"

Ma Sai said again, feeling uneasy.

"Okay, I will let Riko-chan watch it!" Yin Yin Tangxiu patted Ma Sai on the shoulder. "Naoki-san seems to really value *Love Letter*; you wouldn't have managed these things before."

"Because this time it's not just about making money anymore; there are more goals to achieve!"

Ma Sai was thinking about creating a "symbol" that would be constantly mentioned for at least half a century!

"Then I'll leave this to you... I still have to go to the disco; I'll give out year-end bonuses to the employees there during lunch." Ma Sai said to Yin Yin Tangxiu. "I won't be back in the afternoon~"

"..." He originally wanted to say that he wanted to be lazy again, but Yin Yin Tangxiu recalled that it seemed that the things in the studio were all done...

Sure enough, it's the end of the year~

Driving to the disco in Takadanobaba, because it wouldn't officially open until three in the afternoon, there was no one queuing here for the time being.

Outside the disco, the wall covered in graffiti was colorful and absurd under the daylight, but it was very conspicuous on this disco street.

The "disco" sign made of light strips at the entrance seemed very subtle when not powered on, lacking the atmosphere of red lights and green wine at night.

Naturally, one couldn't enter from the front door at this time. Ma Sai walked around and opened the back door to go in.

The disco without music was very quiet. The good soundproofing measures extinguished the sound of footsteps, and only the laughter of the employees cleaning up could be heard from time to time.

"Naoki-san, you're here!" The foreman on patrol, Kanazawa Mitsuo, spotted Ma Sai at a glance.

"Hai, Mitsuo-kun, is Maozhi-san in the office?" Ma Sai greeted him.

"Hai, the manager has been waiting for you in the office."

Kanazawa Mitsuo diligently led Ma Sai toward the office. There had been a notice before that today was for giving out year-end bonuses, so after seeing Ma Sai, every employee had a smile on their face.

Araki Maozhi, who was looking at documents in the office, stood up to greet him: "Naoki-san!"

"Hmm, what is Maozhi-san looking at?" After putting away his briefcase, Ma Sai asked.

"It's the activity plan for this year's Christmas." Araki Maozhi said, "We plan to do a special project for Christmas."

"But... there are only two days left; isn't it a bit late?" Ma Sai was a bit surprised.

"The preparation work has already started... I'm just confirming the prizes and distribution methods again." Araki Maozhi hurriedly explained.

Ma Sai thought of the Christmas tree and various colorful flags and decorations in the disco earlier and nodded: "Maozhi-san is very careful!"

"It should be, it should be~"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ma Sai organized the year-end bonus envelopes and began the ceremony of distributing year-end bonuses with Araki Maozhi.

Employees entered the office one by one and then walked out smiling with kraft paper envelopes, which was about the same rhythm as the studio.

Ma Sai didn't come to the disco often, and some employees couldn't even call out their names, but through this year-end bonus distribution, everyone confirmed again who the big boss of the disco was.

In the end, the envelopes Ma Sai brought were all distributed, and he joked with Araki Maozhi:

"Haha, Maozhi-san didn't get a year-end bonus this year either; aren't you very unwilling?"

"... Naoki-san, stop joking~"

Araki Maozhi wouldn't be unwilling; he was taking a ten percent dividend!

As the disco's reputation grew, with tickets plus drinks, the annual dividend was over ten million. If he had to change to a year-end bonus at this time, he would be the one crying!

Accompanied by Araki Maozhi, Ma Sai strolled around the disco a bit. The combination of wasteland style and cyber style was very novel at the beginning, but after more than a year, it looked a bit ordinary.

Following the tradition of tossing once a year, Ma Sai was silently calculating in his heart again.

"Maozhi-san, do you think the disco should change its style?"

"Eh? Do we have to renovate again?" Araki Maozhi was a bit helpless. His own boss was really good at tossing!

"Yes, it's already a bit old-fashioned..."

"Then... what style does Naoki-san want to change to?" Araki Maozhi didn't refute either. It was precisely Ma Sai's novel ideas that made the disco in Takadanobaba a legend in Tokyo.

"I haven't thought about it yet; I still have to find a designer. Let's wait until after the year!"

Ma Sai was not in a hurry. In his mind, he thought of the senior designer Honma Takashi. He and his apprentice seemed to still be in Kyoto! Speaking of which, how is the progress of the Kyoto garden? It seems he hasn't paid attention for a long time.

"Hai!"

Araki Maozhi nodded and continued to accompany Ma Sai on his patrol quietly, explaining the situation of the disco from time to time.

Ma Sai was very satisfied with this place and had nothing more to say about the daily operations. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something.

"By the way, Maozhi-san... next year, Shuyu Film should undergo a structural adjustment. At that time, the disco under my name should also be merged into a business sector..."

Listening to Ma Sai's account, Araki Maozhi felt a bit complicated. This is to be included in unified management...

Originally, he managed the disco himself, with only Ma Sai as his superior, and he didn't manage much. In the disco, he was equivalent to a local emperor!

Now that it is to be unified, there will be many big mountains on his head...

"Next year, besides the disco, I also plan to open a few more nightclubs... At that time, this part will also be managed by Maozhi-san..."

Hearing this, Araki Maozhi perked up: "Other discos?"

He had long wanted to suggest it. The disco is so profitable; how can they not open branches?!

"No, there are already many discos..." Ma Sai said, "What we are going to do is karaoke."

"Karaoke?" Araki Maozhi immediately thought of the jukeboxes in bars and some restaurants. "Are we going to open a bar?"

"... No..."

In this era, karaoke machines were already relatively familiar to everyone, but they were relatively bulky and inconvenient, so besides bars and restaurants, they hadn't entered thousands of households.

Ma Sai was thinking of the later mature small-box volume KTV model: private space, social attributes, and all elements of eating, drinking, and playing, all concentrated together.

Such a model is a dimensionality reduction strike for the current karaoke!

However, there were still many problems. For example, most songs didn't have MVs, so there was no singing while watching the screen, etc.

It was hard to explain at this time, so he could only vaguely say:

"In short, it is very different from that kind of karaoke... I will tell you in detail next year.

Just treat it as a type of nightclub for now. We will open about one or two, and it will be handed over to you for operation later."

"So during this time, if you have suitable subordinates, you can also contact them in advance."

Ma Sai was not worried at all about subordinates forming cliques or factions. The real estate was his own, the operating company was under his own name, and personnel rights ultimately had to pass through him. After it was truly opened, Otomo-san would definitely arrange for finance and accounting to supervise...

More importantly... he really didn't have a reserve of talent in this area!

"... Hai! I understand!"

Araki Maozhi nodded, feeling a bit more settled in his heart. Listening to this, he should be promoted!

Coming out of the disco, Ma Sai didn't stop and went to the teahouse in Ginza, gave the year-end bonuses belonging to Katsuo Yasui Katsuo and Sakakibara Chinatsu to them, and didn't even forget the new employee Matsumura Aki.

Amidst the gratitude of the three, he sat in his exclusive booth and began to ponder the plan he had told Araki Maozhi.

After the reorganization and adjustment of Shuyu Film, in the nightclub operation sector, he planned to open two or three nightclubs next year, but not in commercial streets like Ginza or Shinjuku, but in places that hadn't risen yet, such as Akihabara, Ikebukuro, etc...

KTV, like discos, belongs to a very easy-to-imitate profit model. The market volume is too huge, and individual operators like Ma Sai definitely can't fight those consortiums and large group companies.

So he only wanted to open one or two KTVs with brand effects, just like the disco in Takadanobaba.

Since the one in Takadanobaba started, similar nightclubs have been opening up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Now, most of the prosperous commercial streets in Tokyo have discos.

It was just that the attraction of Takadanobaba was too strong, so the discos near Takadanobaba couldn't survive; otherwise, there might already be several competitors near Takadanobaba...

And like nightclubs, KTV is also a major area involved in organized crime...

In this day and age, the various gangs in Tokyo are dancing in chaos. If one is not careful, let alone protection fees, personal safety might be threatened.

"However, with grandfather's relationship... borrowing the name of the Yamaguchi-gumi, sheltering one or two is no problem..."

"Should I pull grandfather in... This is a huge cake..."

Ma Sai originally only wanted to make money easily, but since he really had bonds in this era, the idea of saving up family business emerged unconsciously. Other things aside, at least he could protect his family and friends when the bubble burst...

And in Japan, if money reaches a certain level and there is no power behind it, it is no different from meat on a chopping block.

Ma Sai already felt it a little bit; the resistance to making money was much greater... Even Kadokawa Film, which had always been a reliance in terms of movies, actually revealed the intention of wanting to increase dividends or fees.

"When I go back for the New Year, I will have a good chat with grandfather..."

KTV, milk tea shops, courier companies, delivery boys...

I have as many of these ideas that can make money and settle gang members as you want!"

End of chapter ===== CHAPTER 520 =====