Chapter 629: A high-level hunter often appears in the posture of prey!

"Didn't the weather forecast say it would clear up today? Why is the rain getting heavier?"

Naoki Nagayama stood on the eaves of the Cherry Blossom Courtyard, watching the fine rain falling continuously from the sky, drawing ripples in the small puddles in the courtyard. Looking up, the gloomy sky started from his eyes and extended to the end of his vision, and he could even occasionally hear muffled thunder coming from afar, as if there was some implicit power hidden in the clouds.

Reaching out to hold down Eitaro, who was eager to try, Naoki Nagayama said with disgust: "Eitaro, dogs that play with water won't have dog food to eat!"

"If I see you wet the ground when I come back, I'll use the hair on your body to make a mop and mop the ground dry!"

"Woof woof!"

The dog barked pitifully twice. Naoki Nagayama felt that he had understood, so he drove out with peace of mind.

Watching the car's taillights disappear at the end of the road, Eitaro's mouth curled, his tongue stuck out, and he immediately rushed into the courtyard, shaking his head and wagging his tail, and then spun and jumped toward those small puddles... as if there was something fun in them...

And Naoki Nagayama on this side happened to stop at a red light, watching the raindrops gather into water marks and slide down the windshield, but his mind was on today's two gatherings.

"TV Asahi is in Akasaka... Isn't there a lot of delicious food there? It's a pity I have to drink today..."

"Akina said she also has a notice at TV Asahi today, but it's a pity it's in the afternoon... I can't see her~"

"Why is the wrap party at night in Azabujuban? Xiu-san is really stingy..."

Various thoughts took turns in his mind during the few minutes of waiting for the red light. In the short time, Naoki Nagayama even forgot that he was still on the road, until the sound of the horn behind him woke him up.

It was almost 9 o'clock when he arrived at the studio, but he didn't have working hours now, so he was still very leisurely~

"Naoki-san, you're here~" Xing Jia Hua still showed a smile, making people feel happy early in the morning.

"Hua-chan~ You're also very stylish today~"

"No way~"

After teasing the front desk girl, Naoki Nagayama walked to the office very easily. Unlike in the past, Fang Cun Dayou was drinking tea and reading a magazine~

"Dayou-san? So leisurely today?"

"Ha, do I have to be so busy every day that I can't lift my head?" Fang Cun Dayou said, and then handed the magazine over. "Has Naoki-san seen today's magazine?"

Naoki Nagayama took the magazine: "*Kinema Junpo*, I remember they came to interview before, right?"

Saying this, he flipped through it, and sure enough... there was a report on *After the Rain*.

"Unexpected filming scene...", "Refreshing actors...", "Corporate culture shaped by Naoki Nagayama...", "The story that has to be told between Yin Tangxiu and *After the Rain*..."

Looking at the strange little headings, Naoki Nagayama couldn't help but sigh: "These reporters... their brains are really strange!"

Fang Cun Dayou also laughed: "But it's still very interesting to read the article. This guy says Naoki-san makes Tree Friend's staff have clear eyes, speak... ahem... sincerely!"

Naoki Nagayama raised his eyebrows, secretly wondering if he had broken the workplace unspoken rules...

The equality concept brought from later generations, Naoki Nagayama silently infected it. The hierarchy concept of Tree Friend Film had never been too obvious, and there wasn't too much distinction between superiors and subordinates. Even junior employees could drink and joke with the president, which was simply a clear stream in the workplace of the Showa era.

Plus the lifetime employment system, it was foreseeable that such a culture would always be passed down in Tree Friend.

A relaxed, lively working atmosphere, plus the salary wasn't low... it was simply similar to high-welfare Nordic companies.

Chuan Chuan Yuan Wuchun said a few words to the doorman and stopped at the main entrance. The doorman also walked out with two people, preparing to carry Nakano Yosuke and Otake Hiroshi to their department. After all, one of them was a department head, which was considered a middle-to-high level of the TV station.

The two chatted in the office for a while, and then heard the office door being knocked. Chuan Chuan Yuan Wuchun walked in:

"Naoki-san, Dayou-san, the car is ready, we can leave at any time."

"Hai, sorry to trouble you, Wu Chun-jun."

Fang Cun Dayou indicated that he knew and would notify him when leaving, and then said to Naoki Nagayama beside him,

"Letting Wu Chun-jun help drive is also to let him know more people, which is convenient for further communication in the future. Daotian Yamin Dao Tian is supporting the agency alone now, and the pressure is a bit big."

In this day and age, the boss's driver is not an ordinary job. Even Zhou Fang Yu Xiong of the Burning agency was a driver for the yakuza politician Hamada Koichi in his early years.

Generally speaking, the boss's driver is a confidant... because not only do they know the boss's various secret itineraries, but they are also helpers in handling some private affairs.

"Mm, Daotian Yamin-jun hasn't been seen for a long time~"

As an agency with several popular artists and new artists, the GG agency under Tree Friend actually had a lot of things to do, and the various relationships handled were also very complex.

After talking for a while, Naoki Nagayama looked at the time: "Dayou-san, we have a lunch party, right?"

"Hai, we can prepare to leave around ten o'clock~"

At the headquarters building of Fuji TV, in the preparation office of *Twilight Meow Meow*, Shan Pu Da Tai and Qiu Yuan Kang were watching the first draft of the latest episode of *Twilight Meow Meow*.

On the TV screen, the contestants with neat half-long hair, handsome dressing, and some rebellious atmosphere were very eye-catching. One of them, occupying the C position, was none other than the newcomer who had just joined the Kitten Club not long ago—Shizuka Kudo.

Qiu Yuan Kang pursed his lips, as if he was immersed in the program himself.

"Qiu Yuan-san, although this rebellious style has good results, it has also caused some controversy." Shan Pu Da Tai chatted with Qiu Yuan Kang while watching.

Just like *Girl A* released by Akina Nakamori would be banned by NHK, *Twilight Meow Meow* launched rebellious content with great fanfare, plus huge viewership, naturally it would cause resistance from some conservative viewers.

"This is also something that can't be helped... Attracting one group of people will definitely offend another group of people." Qiu Yuan Kang already had his own views on the program. "In short, it depends on the choice."

Shan Pu Da Tai sighed. Being a program producer is not just about being responsible for the program's viewership, but also about checks and balances in all aspects... If you only look at viewership, don't the producers of the TV station know that doing "se-se" can greatly increase viewership?!

Why do late-night slots have such a large audience base? Isn't it because of the hard work of the young ladies?!

However, as a daytime program, Fuji TV also needs to consider the reputation!

"Choice..."

Shan Pu Da Tai sighed again. He had made quite a few choices these days, such as rejecting the TV cooperation of Naoki Nagayama on behalf of Department Head Gao Ye, which led to him not having the face to call Naoki Nagayama until now...

Just at this time, Qiu Yuan Kang said:

"Da Tai-san, the rebellious style will only last for a few months. With the frequency of *Twilight Meow Meow* being one episode a day, the audience will soon fall into aesthetic fatigue again."

"Yeah... a program like *Twilight Meow Meow* needs a constant stream of fresh ideas!"

Saying this, he looked at the other screenwriters in the preparation room, all of them with dark circles and haggard looks... High-intensity creative pressure had already made them unable to bear the burden!

"This group of D-level consumables can no longer be squeezed~ It looks like I have to report to the higher-ups to change a batch..."

Silently sentencing this group of guys to death in his heart, Shan Pu Da Tai looked at Qiu Yuan Kang beside him again. This guy was still in high spirits, and his plump figure hadn't changed much...

"Sure enough, not at the same level... still has a lot of value to squeeze."

Qiu Yuan Kang didn't know Shan Pu Da Tai's thoughts and continued: "From the current situation, the high viewership of *Twilight Meow Meow* will last until the end of the year at most. What should we do after that?"

Shan Pu Da Tai answered subconsciously: "Let Naoki-san come and see if there are any new ideas..."

"..."

As soon as the words were spoken, the preparation room fell into silence for a while, and only the sound on the TV kept ringing. Soon, the transition song of the program, *Let's Learn to Meow Together*, rang out again...

Unknowingly, several producers of *Twilight Meow Meow* seemed to have forgotten that Naoki Nagayama was the soul of this popular program. Now all the main frameworks of the program were laid out by him in advance.

Even if it was rebellious, it was also the direction he proposed before...

But now, Fuji TV seemed to be in an awkward period with Naoki Nagayama... Who would bow their head first?

After a long time, Shan Pu Da Tai spoke:

"The *New Word Buzzword Awards* planned by Naoki-san, the program last month just aired, and the viewership is still quite good."

"Yeah, yeah~"

Qiu Yuan Kang also recalled that at the end of the month, the program again proposed several buzzwords that were sought after... The combination of entertainment and words made this program full of vitality and already had a group of loyal viewers.

"Let's talk about it when Naoki-san comes next time~" Shan Pu Da Tai said. "Anyway, Tree Friend and Fuji still have a cooperation framework agreement~ Five years, there are opportunities for cooperation every year~"

"The *New Word Buzzword Awards* counts as this year's, right?"

"The first episode was at the beginning of the year, of course it counts as this year's..."

The TV Asahi building is in Akasaka, not very close to Tree Friend's studio, and it takes more than half an hour to drive.

And on a rainy day, this time is even longer.

When they arrived at Moto-Akasaka, the rain in the sky had stopped, but the weather was still gloomy. Among the high-rise buildings, Fang Cun Dayou took Naoki Nagayama to an office building and then began to walk toward the basement...

"This kaiseki restaurant is actually in the basement?" Naoki Nagayama knew they were coming to eat kaiseki today, but he didn't expect it to be in the basement.

"Yeah, Kaiseki Tsujitome, didn't expect it, right~"

Going down the narrow stairs, turning around a corner with a small pool, they saw a small traditional wooden sliding door. Except for the wooden sign of "Tsujitome" hanging in the corner, one couldn't see it was a restaurant from any other aspect.

However, after pulling the sliding door and walking in, the view suddenly widened. The wide entrance hall could stand ten or so people, and inside were all solid-colored tatami mats.

Hearing the sound, a landlady wearing a kimono walked out from a small compartment beside and asked very gently about the room they had booked.

After Fang Cun Dayou finished speaking, he said to Naoki Nagayama: "It looks like the people from TV Asahi have already arrived."

"Actually earlier than us?"

"They are in Akasaka after all."

Fang Cun Dayou didn't care either. Eating kaiseki a little earlier or later didn't matter, and this was just a gathering between friends.

Tsujitome was all structured with individual rooms. Different guests were in Japanese-style rooms separated by grid doors. If they wanted to expand the area, they only needed to pull the sliding doors open to form a large open room.

Two people were already sitting beside the low table in the Japanese-style room. As soon as Fang Cun Dayou entered the room, he greeted enthusiastically:

"Department Head Nakano, Section Chief Otake, kept you waiting."

"Department Head Fang Cun is joking, we are just close by, and we couldn't wait for Tsujitome's cuisine. Haha~" The person who looked older responded with a smile.

Fang Cun Dayou also smiled and exchanged a few polite words, then stepped aside, revealing Naoki Nagayama behind him:

"Department Head Nakano, Section Chief Otake, this is Naoki Nagayama, the president of Tree Friend. Naoki-san, this is Nakano Yosuke, Department Head of the Planning Department of TV Asahi, and Otake Hiroshi, Section Chief of the First Section of the Production Bureau of TV Asahi."

"Nice to meet you, I am Naoki Nagayama... please take care of me!" "Nice to meet you..." X2

After saying this, he turned to Chuan Chuan Yuan Wuchun on the side: "This is my assistant, Chuan Chuan Yuan Wuchun, responsible for coordinating artist-related matters."

Chuan Chuan Yuan Wuchun didn't bow to each other here. After saying "please take care of me" and respectfully handing over his business card, he sat on the side without saying a word. Pouring wine and serving at the drinking table today was his job.

Naturally, it was impossible to talk about business at the beginning of the drinking table. A few people sat together and started chatting about this kaiseki restaurant called "Tsujitome".

"This is a shop opened by the second generation 'Tsuji Kaichi', and it has been more than thirty years." Nakano Yosuke was older, so he was more familiar with this place. "The first time I came, the landlady who served was 'Tsuji Kaichi's' daughter. She was still a young girl at that time! She was also very beautiful and had a very good temperament..."

"Is that so? Haha~"

The Japanese-style room, which was all men, relaxed instantly. When the middle-aged landlady wearing a kimono came in, they couldn't help but sigh in their hearts. Sure enough, time is a knife. Now only the temperament is still very good...

The cuisine of Kaiseki Tsujitome, like other kaiseki cuisine, retains traditional serious tea ceremony cuisine. The demand for ingredients and cooking methods is famous for being small and refined.

The kaiseki cuisine here tends to be light, without too many stimulating seasonings, mainly sweet and fresh, pursuing the most authentic taste of ingredients.

Naoki Nagayama and others tasted seasonal sashimi, sour pickles, rich soup, grilled beef cooked just right... almost all were bite-sized, at most just tasting the flavor.

However, during this period, Naoki Nagayama became familiar with the two people from TV Asahi, and the chat was very relaxed.

After the last cup of clear tea, Fang Cun Dayou said: "Sure enough, it's a good taste..."

"Yeah, sure enough, it lives up to the name of kaiseki cuisine."

"However, I didn't eat much in the morning, and now it's far from enough~ Department Head Nakano, Section Chief Otake, let's go to the next round!" Fang Cun Dayou laughed.

"Haha, okay!" Otake Hiroshi, who was in his thirties, laughed. "I'm still a young man, how can this be enough!"

"Thick-skinned! Isn't the real young man here!" Nakano Yosuke pointed to Naoki Nagayama and said.

Naoki Nagayama also joked: "Yeah, I'm still growing~"

"Hahaha~"

A few people left the basement talking and laughing. In Akasaka, a place full of food, they soon found a kaiseki restaurant famous for its various wines and drinks...

After a few cups of sake, it became convenient to talk.

Chatting and chatting, they talked about the TV station's program. Fang Cun Dayou said:

"*The Best Ten* of TBS and *The Night Hit* of Fuji TV are both very famous music programs, and their ranking influence is very large in the entire entertainment industry."

Nakano Yosuke sighed: "Yeah, by comparison, we at Asahi are a bit inferior in this regard."

During this period, TV Asahi also had music programs, but they didn't even leave a name in history, making Naoki Nagayama have no impression at all in his future memories.

Naoki Nagayama comforted: "TV Asahi leads the way in crime dramas and medical dramas, plus there are long-running programs like *Tetsuko's Room*, which are still very important in the hearts of the audience."

"Sigh... we can only rely on these traditional TV dramas and cartoons to continue our lives now. Originally, it was only a little better than TV Tokyo, but..."

Nakano Yosuke looked at Naoki Nagayama,

"Since *Cat's Eye*, TV Tokyo has been making more efforts in the late-night slot. Variety shows and TV dramas have had improvements in addition to cartoons..."

Naoki Nagayama was slightly embarrassed... Suddenly hearing the name *Cat's Eye*, did TV Tokyo start to attach importance to the late-night slot because of this drama?

"Er... this is just an accident."

"I heard that Naoki-san is also like a fish in water at Fuji TV. Not only did you plan *Twilight Meow Meow*, but even the recent very interesting *New Word Buzzword Awards* was planned by Naoki-san?"

"Haha, this is just a coincidence."

"And two TV dramas with good viewership! Nakano Yosuke sighed: "It is enviable that Fuji TV can cooperate with an outstanding creator like Naoki-san!"

Otake Hiroshi, Section Chief of the First Section of the Production Bureau, said with wine:

"I heard that besides Fuji TV, Naoki-san also has cooperation with TBS and TV Tokyo. Except for NHK, there is no intersection with TV Asahi. Is it because you look down on our TV Asahi?"

"There is no such thing!" Naoki Nagayama explained quickly and hurriedly toasted the two.

Then he looked at Fang Cun Dayou and asked with his eyes →_→:

"Didn't Dayou-san mention to them that this time was to talk about program cooperation?"

Fang Cun Dayou also gave a look (◎o◎):

"No, today is just a meeting between friends, just a preliminary acquaintance. Regarding the program, I thought it would be better to talk about it after getting familiar."

In fact, according to Fang Cun Dayou's idea, today is just the first meeting. It is only after meeting a few more times within the month that it is considered the time to talk about the program. Generally speaking, this is the normal process of negotiation in the entertainment industry.

It's like falling in love. Who says "I want to sleep with you" as soon as they go on stage! It's not Ah Q!!

Seeing that the two people from TV Asahi had slightly flushed faces and were still struggling with why they didn't know each other earlier, Naoki Nagayama felt that... it seemed that his own posture could be slightly raised!

He drank the wine in the glass in one gulp and said a bit vaguely:

"Yeah, if I had known Department Head Nakano and Section Chief Otake earlier, the good ideas I just planned could have been cooperated with TV Asahi."

"What good idea?"

"Ah, it's a music program that was originally agreed with Nippon Broadcasting to compete with *The Best Ten* and *The Night Hit*."

Naoki Nagayama pretended to be drunk and spoke without thinking, "Nippon Broadcasting (NTV) has been suppressed by Fuji and TBS since its establishment, and they are very unhappy!"

Music program? NTV? Compete?

Such keywords touched Nakano Yosuke's reason instantly. The battle-hardened man hurriedly swallowed a few mouthfuls of spicy dishes to stimulate his nerves, and then continued to inquire:

"What kind of music program is it?"

"Ah, it's called *Music Station*. It's a ranking-type music program that uses a unique algorithm, and has many different program modules..."

Naoki Nagayama began to talk about the general process of this program. The attractive points made Nakano Yosuke and Otake Hiroshi, who were professional producers, return to the high ground of reason instantly and began to evaluate.

However, this program is a super music program verified by history, and naturally has excellent points that make people agree. Nakano Yosuke and Otake Hiroshi nodded repeatedly.

"Just hearing these is very attractive. Is Naoki-san's idea already perfected? I really want to know the whole picture of the program!"

Naoki Nagayama drank another glass of wine, as if the whole person had let go:

"Ah, yes, I remember the proposal is in the car."

Then he said to Chuan Chuan Yuan Wuchun, who had been pouring wine: "Wu Chun-jun, go to the car and get that proposal!"

Chuan Chuan Yuan Wuchun had a question mark on his head. Isn't the proposal in the briefcase in the room? Or did you ask me to get it?

Just at this time, Fang Cun Dayou, who had long understood his friend's thoughts, interrupted:

"Naoki-san! That's for NTV! They haven't seen it yet!"

"What's the matter!" "Fang Cun Department Head, this is not being a friend!" "Don't you believe us?!"

Nakano Yosuke and Otake Hiroshi became "angry" after hearing this sentence, and started drinking sullen wine, indicating that if they didn't see it today, they wouldn't be coaxed!

And Fang Cun Dayou, after drinking several glasses of wine in a row, could only agree with a "headache": "Really can't do anything about you, Wu Chun-jun, go get it, it's in my briefcase..."

"?" Is there also a copy in Dayou-san's briefcase? Chuan Chuan Yuan Wuchun was still puzzled, but just went to get it silently.

Naoki Nagayama continued to toast with the two, while still saying to Fang Cun Dayou:

"What is Dayou-san afraid of? What's wrong with letting Nakano-san and Otake-san see it! TV Asahi has its own music program, and they won't grab our planning!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're just curious!"

Nakano Yosuke and Otake Hiroshi seemed to treat Naoki Nagayama as a young man who didn't know the world, and started to pour wine,

"Want to see what's special about Naoki-san's creativity..."

Fang Cun Dayou was still complaining there: "However, it's all Naoki-san's fault, saying that it can't be made public until it's finished, making them wait for a long time without knowing anything! It was agreed with NTV that the program planning should be shown to them first..."

Nakano Yosuke and Otake Hiroshi pricked up their ears. NTV still doesn't know anything?!

From the just-mentioned narrative, it can be heard that this is a program with potential!

Just at this time, Chuan Chuan Yuan Wuchun returned from outside, holding a document bag in his hand, which was the *Music Station* (the final, absolutely-no-changes version).

Fang Cun Dayou had always kept it in his briefcase, just preparing to send it out at any time.

Nakano Yosuke and Otake Hiroshi suppressed their excitement, took the proposal, and after an eye exchange, Otake Hiroshi immediately began to read it, while Nakano Yosuke continued to drink with Naoki Nagayama and Fang Cun Dayou...

Otake Hiroshi, who was looking at the proposal, could see the surprise on his face. After roughly flipping through it, the excitement in his eyes couldn't be hidden. He touched Nakano Yosuke beside him with his leg under the table:

"Department Head..."

"Ah, good, I'll take a look too~"

Nakano Yosuke saw the excitement of his subordinates and was also curious. Unlike himself who had started managing, Otake Hiroshi had always been a front-line producer, and he was the one who had the most say in the effect of the program.

Saying this, it became Otake Hiroshi and Tree Friend's two people drinking~

As Nakano Yosuke's eyes also gradually fluctuated, he patted Otake Hiroshi's shoulder heavily and exchanged a look:

"Must take this planning!"

"Mm!" Otake Hiroshi indicated he understood.

The two looked at Fang Cun Dayou and Naoki Nagayama, who were already drunk, tightened their belts and said to the waiter:

"Haven't had enough today!

Waiter, bring us your Louis XIII brandy, we want to taste it!

Also, bring another bottle of red wine!"

Must get you two drunk today! Get this proposal!

And Naoki Nagayama and Fang Cun Dayou on the other side also exchanged looks, their mouths slightly curled...

A high-level hunter often appears in the posture of prey! ===== CHAPTER 630 =====