Chapter 810: The Camera Must Not Stop!

Leaning against the railing by the riverside, bathed in the breeze carrying the scent of water, Naoki Nagayama felt a moment of trance.

"Minimum cost, shortest time... and then the highest possible box office..." he muttered the necessary conditions to himself, "This is really hard to pull off..."

Closing his eyes, the warm sunlight shone on his eyelids, leaving only a chaotic red in his vision... and Naoki Nagayama's thoughts had already drifted into the depths of his mind, trying to find similar fragments within his complex and tangled memories...

Just at this moment, a sudden commotion broke out nearby:

"That person is so handsome..." "Quick, take a picture, it's perfect for promotion..." "Hold on, that handsome guy seems to be Naoki Nagayama!"

"It really is! It looks like the man himself!" "Quick, quick, quick!" "..."

Naoki Nagayama opened his eyes, and only after his vision cleared did he realize he was about to be surrounded.

Not far away was an interview crew: a host, a cameraman, and an assistant handling sound and lighting. It seemed they were originally filming the Kanda River in spring, but today they had caught a big fish!

"Naoki Nagayama-san, would it be convenient to accept a short interview?" The host holding the microphone had already approached.

As a celebrity, being recognized and cornered by the media was a common occurrence, and Naoki Nagayama was well-prepared, but that didn't mean he wanted to be on television just like that... they hadn't even paid him!

"Sumimasen, I happen to be busy!" Naoki Nagayama immediately declined politely, "I'm about to leave!"

"..."

The interview crew was speechless; he had clearly just been resting his eyes and enjoying his leisure time!

"Naoki-san, please! We are reporters from NHK, we're just filming a special feature on spring..." The female host pleaded with wide eyes, "Just two questions..."

"Sumimasen, I'm really in a hurry..."

Naoki Nagayama was even less inclined to accept. NHK—my family doesn't even watch this channel, yet I have to pay them every month!!!

And they even come to your door to collect the fees!

As he spoke, Naoki Nagayama started to walk away, but he didn't expect this young lady to have the spirit of a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger; she actually chased after him, intent on asking her questions.

Miyuki Morita had just graduated from university last year and joined NHK. This small segment about spring was an opportunity for exposure she had fought hard to get!

How could she give up so easily!

"Hold on, Naoki-san, please just answer one question, okay?! Just one!"

"No... please forgive me for refusing! That is the answer to that one question!"

Naoki Nagayama picked up his pace and headed toward his car, while Miyuki Morita followed him step by step.

"That doesn't count as a formal question! Naoki-san, hold on..."

Miyuki Morita said to her colleague holding the camera behind her:

"Don't stop the camera!!! Keep the lens on Naoki Nagayama and me... speed up!"

"?!!!"

The sudden keyword struck Naoki Nagayama's mind all at once.

"One Cut of the Dead" (Camera Must Not Stop)...

An obscure director makes a terrible film, and while shooting a horror movie, he actually discovers real horror zombies...

It was originally just a popcorn flick, but because of the "one-take" style, the "film-within-a-film" format, and the revelation of the behind-the-scenes situation of the shoot, it achieved a very good effect.

A super low-budget, absurd, and unbridled film appeared in his mind... and most importantly, with a budget of 3 million, it raked in over 3 billion at the box office.

It had novelty and potential!

The influx of memories caused his pace to slow down, and he was caught by Miyuki Morita...

"Naoki-san, Naoki-san, are you here at the Kanda River to enjoy the spring today?!"

Naoki Nagayama calmed himself, letting his thoughts clear, and then he heard the host's question. Having just recalled the film, he couldn't help but smile, his mood quite good:

"Haha, this beautiful lady, you caught up to me. Is this the question you wanted to ask?"

"... Eh?"

After all, it was this young lady who made him remember it... Naoki Nagayama was also generous enough to relent:

"I'll give you one chance. What exactly do you want to ask?"

"Eh?! Um..." Miyuki Morita felt a surge of surprise, then immediately began to think, "Please let me think~"

After a few seconds, Miyuki Morita lifted her youthful and pretty face:

"Yappari... I still want to ask this question... Naoki-san, when do you plan to get married, and to whom?!"

"... Cunning, that's clearly two questions..." Naoki Nagayama glanced at the host. With such quick thinking and instantaneous reaction ability, it seemed she was definitely no ordinary person!

"As for marriage... there's no specific time yet..." Naoki Nagayama answered quite seriously, "And as for whom, don't you all know already?"

"Really? Is there a marriage plan? What stage are you at now?" Miyuki Morita seemed to have transformed into an entertainment reporter.

"... The stage of preparing to meet the parents..."

"Oh ho ho~ You've actually already reached the stage of meeting the parents?!!!" Miyuki Morita became somewhat excited upon hearing this, "Then what does Naoki-san's family think about this?"

"..." Is this host so fond of gossip? She should have been an entertainment reporter!

"We agreed on only one question!" Having reached his convertible, Naoki Nagayama stopped answering, "Alright, I've already answered... let's leave it at that!"

"Hold on! Naoki-san, please answer one more!"

"Dame! When you're out in the world, you have to keep your word. One question means one question!"

With the sound of the engine, the convertible started up. Miyuki Morita became even more anxious, her hands gripping the car door as she asked a question related to the program:

"Naoki-san, did you come to the Kanda River today to enjoy the spring?!"

"..."

Naoki Nagayama felt helpless, but then he thought, NHK is a large platform. Since he had an idea, borrowing this platform for promotion seemed like a good choice.

"The scenery here is very nice... but I came here to think about my next film!"

"!!!"

A famous director, winner of the Film Academy Awards and Blue Ribbon Awards, the genius Naoki Nagayama, was actually going to shoot his next film. This was news that hadn't been revealed before!

Miyuki Morita was very surprised: "Naoki-san is going to shoot his next film?! What is it called?"

"Haha, the name of the film is 'The Camera Must Not Stop'! It will meet everyone in a month!"

After saying this, he ignored Miyuki Morita's surprised expression, stepped on the gas, and drove off into the distance~

After Miyuki Morita regained her composure, she immediately said to the camera:

"Dear viewers, today we have exclusive news: Naoki Nagayama's next film is already in production and will be released in one month!!! Please look forward to it!"

After finishing, she signaled to stop recording and then said to the two people in her crew:

"Minna-san, let's speed up and film some scenery, then let's go back... This news needs to be edited quickly!!! We've got a hot scoop!"

After returning to Shanying Yuan, Naoki Nagayama ignored the dog that came up to him and went straight to the second floor to write down the film script from his mind.

"The Camera Must Not Stop" was filmed decades later, and there were many differences from the current era, so he had to magically modify some of the content... but as long as the core remained unchanged, it would still be very novel...

Coupled with Naoki Nagayama's current fame, it would surely give the film a better starting point, and the final result might even be better than in the future!

After several hours of burying his head in writing, Naoki Nagayama finally walked out of the study~

Looking at the dimming sky outside, he realized his stomach was empty... he hadn't even eaten lunch, yet he had been busy until evening... what hard work!

"Eitaro! It's decided!" Naoki Nagayama stroked the dog's head, "We're having a feast tonight!!!"

As he spoke, he took two sets of pots from the storage room and started washing them, then called to have the freshest meat, seafood, and vegetables delivered... As a wealthy person, the ingredients in Shanying Yuan were updated by designated people on a regular basis, and there was service at any time!

"Today we're eating both mountain delicacies and seafood!"

Two clay pots were placed on the table, sukiyaki style: one was a mountain delicacy pot with mushrooms, beef, and pork belly, and the other was a seafood pot with fresh shrimp, mussels, and kelp... just waiting for the ingredients to be delivered!

While waiting, Naoki Nagayama turned on the television to watch the programs, incidentally checking if Akina would be on stage.

"Speaking of which, today is Wednesday... the 'Yoru Hit' we filmed last time should be airing tonight..."

"Ding-a-ling!"

Just then, the phone nearby rang.

"Moshi moshi, this is Shanying Yuan..." Naoki Nagayama didn't think much and answered directly.

However, a very panicked, somewhat distorted voice came from the receiver:

"Naoki-san... the matter has been exposed!!!"

"???" Naoki Nagayama was confused, "May I ask who this is?"

"It's me, Kuniharu Morikawa!" It was a call from Kuniharu Morikawa of Shogakukan, so the matter he said was exposed...

"Naoki-san, the fact that you are the author of 'Paradise Lost' has been exposed!!!"

"Eh? Eh eh eh?!!!" Naoki Nagayama sat up straight, "Morikawa-san, didn't we agree to keep it a secret?!"

"I wanted to, too! But I didn't expect that guy Yuya Furuya to play dirty!" Kuniharu Morikawa on the other end was very angry, "For the latest royalty remittance, he actually went to the finance department and found out that the remittance slip was for you!!!

Just like that, he knew that the author of 'Paradise Lost' was Naoki-san!"

"???" Naoki Nagayama was astonished, "Can your finance department just leak confidential information like that?"

"Because that guy..." Kuniharu Morikawa in the office patted his forehead, "actually used a honey trap!"

As mentioned before, this guy Yuya Furuya was a rich second-generation heir experiencing life, and the young lady in finance was an employee who hid in the finance room all day and didn't talk much to people, so after going back and forth, the two became familiar... The story could be told for three days and three nights, but the final result was... the information was leaked!

"Pfft..."

Naoki Nagayama almost vomited blood, but he still calmly thought of ways to remedy it.

"Then Morikawa-san, can't you just demand that Yuya Furuya keep it a secret too?!"

"........ I wanted to..."

Kuniharu Morikawa's voice was full of bitterness. In fact, not long ago, when Yuya Furuya found out, the young man was simply stunned.

He ran to him and loudly questioned, "No way! How could the author of 'Paradise Lost' be Naoki Nagayama!!! You're lying!"

Almost everyone at Shogakukan heard these words!

"... I warned the others at Shogakukan not to leak it," Kuniharu Morikawa told Naoki Nagayama the process, then said bitterly, "... but Naoki-san, you know, this kind of secret can't be kept for long..."

"In any case... Naoki-san, be prepared for what comes next! Sigh... I am very ashamed, I have no face to see you..."

Naoki Nagayama had calmed down by this time and also sighed:

"Sigh... I thought about the day it would be made public... I didn't expect it to be so soon..."

Given the current popularity of "Paradise Lost," if everyone knew Naoki Nagayama was the author, public opinion would probably explode!

"Morikawa-san, don't blame yourself, I'll be prepared... But for this period, let's follow what we discussed before: neither confirm nor deny... until the storm subsides a little..."

"Hai, I understand~"

In silence, the phone hung up... Naoki Nagayama put down the phone and didn't speak for a while.

Eitaro nearby sensed his master's strangeness and took the initiative to nudge Naoki Nagayama's hand, as if to comfort him.

Subconsciously scratching a few times, making the dog squint his eyes in comfort, Naoki Nagayama let go of his worries.

It's just that the matter of writing a novel was exposed, right? It's just that the style of the novel changed a bit, right?

So what? He's already a famous writer, can't he have new feelings about life?!

As for friends around him knowing?

Akina already knows anyway... As for others, I'm moving to a new house soon anyway, if you have the ability, come find me at the new house!!!

And thinking about it again:

"Exactly, they all say Naoki Nagayama has run out of talent???"

With "Paradise Lost" in the front and "The Camera Must Not Stop" in the back... Naoki Nagayama wanted to see who else would secretly slander him!!

When it was completely dark, on the dining table of Shanying Yuan, two clay pots were steaming with water vapor.

One pot was full of mountain delicacies like mushrooms, wild vegetables, and quail eggs, and the other pot was full of ocean delicacies like kelp, seaweed, fresh shrimp, mussels, and crab sticks, plus the sauces and side dishes placed around, it could simply be called luxurious!

"At this time, you have to add a bottle of happy water..."

"Naoki-san, the soda is here!" Akina Nakamori took two bottles of cold soda from the refrigerator and sat happily on the chair, "Today's dinner is so rich!!! Is it some kind of holiday?"

Although Akina Nakamori was very busy, after having the right to decide, she could still guarantee the time she returned at night most of the time.

When she returned today, it was just when the ingredients had been put into the pot, so she was happily waiting to eat the feast!

"It's not a holiday..." Naoki Nagayama said, "I just forgot to eat at noon, so I'm eating a little better at night..."

"You didn't eat at noon, why?" Akina Nakamori was a little surprised, "Are you sick?"

"No... I just suddenly had inspiration... and wrote a script..."

"I see..." Akina Nakamori was no longer anxious; her boyfriend's burst of inspiration was a common occurrence, "What kind of film is it?"

"A very absurd film..."

Naoki Nagayama picked up a piece of beef, blew on it, and put it in his mouth, feeling the tender meat melt in his mouth, along with the full juice,

"Mmm... so delicious... Akina, I'll tell you after I finish eating!"

"So cunning, you're actually stealing a bite!!!"

Watching Naoki Nagayama start to enjoy the delicious food, Akina Nakamori naturally didn't want to be outdone. She picked up a piece of shrimp meat from the bubbling seafood pot, the meat firm and bouncy, carrying a rich umami flavor,

"Mmm... so delicious..."

The satisfied expressions on both of their faces were somewhat similar!

So the saying that people who live together become more and more alike is true!