Chapter 817

"The Author of *Lost Paradise* Revealed!"

By the new week, the headline in the *Nikkei* newspaper had already made Naoki Nagayama anxious; once a major newspaper like this publishes something, it means they have at least grasped real evidence.

Reading on, sure enough, "according to insiders" and "photos taken inadvertently" confirmed that the author of *Lost Paradise* is indeed the outstanding young writer who became famous overnight after winning the Naoki Prize—Naoki Nagayama...

"Currently, it is unknown why Naoki Nagayama used the pen name 'Sato' to publish this novel... It is also impossible to contact Naoki Nagayama for the time being... However, readers are all curious: just how rich of an experience could Naoki Nagayama, who is only in his early 20s, have to be able to write such vivid and emotional extramarital affairs..."

"..."

Seeing this part, Naoki Nagayama revealed a disgusted expression like the "subway old man frowning" meme.

"Damn it! These reporters, they don't do human things!!!"

It can't be hidden anymore! My identity as the author of erotic books has been exposed!!!

Naoki Nagayama felt a bit helpless now, but also had a sense of relief from having expected it... Fortunately, he was prepared; in fact, the exposure wouldn't cause too much damage~

He had already moved out of Sanyingyuan, so he wasn't afraid of people showing up at his door for a while. After the spread of news over the past period, in fact, those who should know already know... Hiding forever is not a solution~

Naoki Nagayama thought about the *Lost Paradise* matter; anyway, when facing outsiders, just denying it to the death is the right way!

But as for friends...

In the morning, Naoki Nagayama drove to the studio. With two projects currently underway, more than half of the people in the office were gone, and the atmosphere of the entire company was quiet~

"Naoki... -san?"

The receptionist, Suzuki Xingxia Suzuki, blushed as soon as she saw Naoki Nagayama... She hurriedly shoved a novel under the reception desk...

"Why did you come over today?!"

"Um, I have some business..."

Naoki Nagayama nodded expressionlessly, intending to walk into the office, but couldn't help but complain,

"Kids shouldn't read strange books, especially in public! Suzuki Xingxia-chan, do you understand?!"

"..." Suzuki Xingxia Suzuki's little face was about to smoke, "Yes!!!"

Sighing in his heart, Naoki Nagayama still walked toward the office amidst the greetings of the staff.

Pushing open the door, he saw Otomo Fanyuan's meaningful expression. This guy's mouth curled up slightly:

"Oh? Isn't this Sato-san? How come you've finally shown your face?!"

Over the past two days, both Otomo Fanyuan and Xiu-yi Itou had called Sanyingyuan, but they were all blocked by the "currently moving" message on the answering machine... Naoki Nagayama also seemed to be deliberately avoiding these two people, not even coming to the studio...

Now both guys confirmed that Naoki Nagayama was the author of *Lost Paradise* and had been playing them for fools all along!

"Ahem, ahem..." Naoki Nagayama coughed strategically and changed the subject, "Wasn't Sanyingyuan moving these past two days? I was quite busy; I just moved into the new house..."

"Oh? And you didn't even update your phone number?"

"I just got it sorted out~" Naoki Nagayama's expression was calm, "I was planning to inform everyone these two days!"

"Hehehehe~" Do you think I'll believe that?

Looking at Otomo Fanyuan's expression, Naoki Nagayama knew that if he didn't say something about this, he definitely wouldn't get past it!

"Otomo-san... alright, alright, *Lost Paradise* was indeed written by me, happy now!"

"Hmph!" Otomo Fanyuan looked very angry, "And you were playing dumb during the discussion earlier, were you playing with us?!"

In fact, as the rumors grew, the two of them had almost confirmed the fact. At first, both were very angry, but Naoki Nagayama was out of contact at the time, and there was nowhere to vent...

After a weekend, the nameless anger had dissipated quite a bit, but... without an explanation, it still wouldn't do!

"Because... I didn't want people to know in the first place!" Naoki Nagayama gave a wry smile, "That's why I changed my pen name... I clearly instructed a few relevant people not to reveal it; I didn't expect the secret to leak anyway!"

"Why?" Otomo Fanyuan was puzzled, "This is Naoki-san's work, and it's a very good novel..."

"Do you want people around you to know when you write erotic books?" Naoki Nagayama glanced at him, "It's very shameful, okay!"

"..." Hey, you're calling a perfectly good emotional novel an erotic book?!"

Otomo Fanyuan himself was actually a loyal fan of *Lost Paradise*; even when facing the author, he didn't want to hear anything unfavorable about the novel.

"Sigh~" Naoki Nagayama could only let out a long sigh.

After a moment of silence, Otomo Fanyuan couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked a question that many people found strange:

"Naoki-san... how on earth did you write about the feelings of a middle-aged man having an extramarital affair?"

"You don't believe I came up with it either?" Naoki Nagayama asked.

"How is that possible? You're only in your 20s!" Otomo Fanyuan waved a hand, "How could you possibly come up with that kind of middle-aged anxiety!"

"Sigh..." Naoki Nagayama said slowly, "Actually, I summarized it from conversations with friends around me... including editors from Shogakukan, my two friends of different generations... and you, Otomo-san!"

"??? Me?"

"Yeah, Otomo-san, didn't you know? After you get drunk at the club, you complain about life at home..." Naoki Nagayama rambled on, "And things like 'the passion is gone'... 'a middle-aged couple kissing is enough to make one feel sick for several nights'..."

"Eh?! Eh eh eh?!"

Otomo Fanyuan's face changed drastically as he listened. Seeing that Naoki Nagayama was about to say something even more outrageous, he hurriedly stood up and covered his mouth,

"Wait a minute, Naoki-san, is what you said true?!"

"Of course! Although I made some adaptations and blends... but the prototype definitely has a part of Otomo-san in it..."

Naoki Nagayama's face was full of seriousness. Anyway, his alcohol tolerance was the best; when several of them went to the club to have fun, by the end, everyone else had blacked out, but he was still sober!

So whatever he says now, that's what it is!!!

"..."

Otomo Fanyuan fell silent. So this was the reason why he felt so empathetic and deeply touched after reading *Lost Paradise*?

So it turns out that a lot of this novel really was his own story!!!

"Naoki-san! Don't ever tell anyone else about this!!!" Otomo Fanyuan forcibly calmed his surging thoughts, "As for you being the author of *Lost Paradise*, don't discuss it in the company either!"

"..." Yes, I wanted to keep it a secret in the first place..."

Naoki Nagayama nodded hurriedly, feeling satisfied... This hurdle is considered passed, right?

No, there's still Xiu-yi-san to deal with!

Otomo Fanyuan took a sip of water to calm his shock. He had previously shared the emotional details of this novel with others, praising how vivid and lively they were; now that he thought about it, he was actually sharing his own life!

At the thought of this fact, Otomo Fanyuan only felt his scalp itching, as if he were about to grow a brain... He couldn't help but pull out a few hairs with his hand, expanding the area of his already precarious Mediterranean-style bald spot.

"In any case, don't say it when accepting interviews!"

"Yes, yes, yes, I didn't plan on accepting interviews anyway..."

After agreeing to who knows how many conditions, Otomo Fanyuan finally let him go. He sipped his tea slowly and asked with a bit of disdain,

"Isn't Naoki-san trying to avoid this limelight? Why come to the studio today instead of staying home..."

"..." Who was the one complaining about me not showing my face earlier...

Naoki Nagayama decided not to refute this guy and said directly:

"The production of *One Cut of the Dead* should be put on the agenda, so I came over to confirm it."

"Ah... that~" Otomo Fanyuan nodded and then explained the formation of the production team, "I've already spoken to the Cat's Eye sisters; they will also participate... As for the male lead, since Naoki-san said there was no problem, after discussing it with Xiu-yi-san, we chose a junior from the director's department who is currently filming *Our Little Sister* in Kamakura..."

"Is he training under Masataka Komori?" Naoki Nagayama asked curiously.

"Yes, but he already had a lot of internship experience before... He's a very experienced young man."

Naoki Nagayama wasn't too concerned about the choice of the lead. For a film like *One Cut of the Dead*, it's precisely because the people are unknown or only have a little fame that it's interesting to film; if they were celebrities, it would even be distracting.

When *Cat's Eye* was released, the Cat's Eye sisters could almost reach the level of second-tier, but now that so much time has passed, their popularity has dropped a lot, belonging to the fourth-tier... which is very suitable for the image of washed-up actors in the film.

"Then let them prepare..." Naoki Nagayama nodded, "Come here tomorrow for a pre-production discussion meeting, and start the day after tomorrow~"

"Is it that urgent?" Otomo Fanyuan was surprised, "Don't you need to do some publicity like a production announcement?"

"Forget it. As of now, as long as the news that I'm filming a new movie is released, the buzz will definitely be enough!"

Naoki Nagayama shrugged. As a natural hot-topic magnet, he makes headlines casually; he's much more powerful than some guy in the future who is always getting his headlines stolen~

When he came out of the studio, it wasn't noon yet. Naoki Nagayama identified the direction and began driving toward Sumida Ward...

When his cousin Feng Yongshan first came to Tokyo, he settled in a sumo stable in Sumida Ward.

And now, with the continuous expansion of the KTV business, that gray-area sumo stable naturally didn't need to continue; this location with commemorative significance was converted by Feng Yongshan into the headquarters of the KTV.

By the way, speaking of which, he also has an entertainment agency under his command, and the headquarters is also in the original sumo stable... The entertainment agency is still operating now, and some roles involving delinquent youths in TV dramas and movies are all recruited from his side...

After arriving at the sumo stable in Sumida Ward, the atmosphere that used to be bustling with noise was gone, and even the dirt ring inside that was used for sumo gambling had been filled in.

Hanging on the doorplate was "Melody Co., Ltd."... and it was also equipped with a front desk and other office facilities.

"Good morning... may I ask you..." The receptionist recognized Naoki Nagayama immediately after seeing him, "Naoki-san!"

"Uh... who are you?" This was Naoki Nagayama's first time at this headquarters.

"I am I-yori Taniguchi... I used to be in the atmosphere group at the KTV in Harajuku!"

I-yori Taniguchi introduced herself very happily. She had seen Naoki Nagayama several times in Harajuku and also knew from the shift leader Zhe-hong Kurita who their big boss was... But in the subsequent KTV expansion, she moved from Harajuku to Roppongi, and then to Shinjuku...

Finally, she landed ashore and became the receptionist at the headquarters of Melody Co., Ltd...

Originally just a part-time job, it had now become a formal employment. In the era of the lifetime employment system, this was already a good destination for I-yori Taniguchi, who only had a middle school education.

"So that's how it is! Then I must congratulate you, I-yori-chan~" Naoki Nagayama smiled and then asked, "Is Big Brother Feng here? We agreed to meet earlier..."

"Yes, the president is in the office!" I-yori Taniguchi hurriedly led Naoki Nagayama inside.

Naoki Nagayama looked at the newly renovated sumo stable and felt a bit emotional...

Originally, the front was the sumo arena, and the inside was not only a dormitory but also a training ground for sumo wrestlers, always smelling of sweat. When Feng Yongshan first lived here, he wasn't used to it at all~

And now, it had been partitioned into spacious offices, with the sounds of phones and document copying from time to time.

After walking to a large office, I-yori Taniguchi knocked on the door and then bowed and left...

"Naoki, you're here!"

Feng Yongshan was in the office, frowning and biting a cigarette while looking at the data sheet in his hand. Seeing Naoki Nagayama arrive, his brow relaxed, and he stood up and gave Naoki Nagayama a bear hug,

"Just in time for a break!"

The office was filled with smoke. Naoki Nagayama hurriedly opened the window to ventilate and was surprised to see the ashtray full of cigarette butts:

"Big Brother Feng, why are you smoking so much?"

"Because I have to do the annual financial report!" Feng Yongshan said with a bitter face, "April is coming soon... The financial reports from all the branches last year have been collected, and I have to look through them all..."

"Wouldn't it be better to let the CFO and accountants check them?" Naoki Nagayama picked up a report and looked at it; the dense data on it made one feel dizzy just looking at it.

"I've already let them check it... but I still have to look at it myself to know the business situation of each branch!"

Feng Yongshan sighed. The more KTV branches opened, although family members were in charge of them, there was already a trend of corruption~

The company expanded too fast, and everything else hadn't kept up. If it weren't for the family sending over a few old accountants specializing in industry management, he wouldn't know when this mess would be sorted out~

"Big Brother Feng is looking more and more like an entrepreneur~"

Looking at his cousin, who used to be rough and muscular, turning into a miserable boss who had to look at accounts in the office in such a short time, Naoki Nagayama thanked his Otomo-san again!

If it weren't for him, he would definitely be facing a pile of things in the office all day long now.

"I don't want to either! Looking at these numbers every day, I'm going crazy!" Feng Yongshan complained, "And confirming the addresses of new stores, personnel arrangements, competition with other nightclubs... It seems like the work is never-ending!"

"This is running a company..." Naoki Nagayama comforted him, "You'll get used to it~"

"Then didn't you also open two... no, if you count the disco and nightclub, you have four companies, right?" Feng Yongshan said jealously, "How come you still look so relaxed every day..."

"Because I found oxen and horses to squeeze..." Naoki Nagayama laughed, "Just like Han Xin said about Liu Bang in ancient China, 'Cannot lead soldiers, but good at leading generals~'"

Feng Yongshan listened to his cousin saying things he couldn't understand, looking confused: "Naoki, what are you saying..."

"..." Naoki Nagayama shook his head and switched to plain language, "Big Brother Feng, you have to delegate power, find people to help you check accounts, and help you manage daily affairs!"

"..." But, I'm not at ease handing over the management to others..." Feng Yongshan said, "What if that person cheats me? What if he embezzles? What if he sidelines me? Naoki, aren't you worried?"

Naoki Nagayama shook his head. This is the psychology of a boss who just started a business... Why isn't he worried...

Within the Shuyou Group, Shuyou Film and Shuyou Entertainment have him as the core competitiveness, and Otomo Fanyuan and Xiu-yi Itou are good friends; Genta Nakai in Shuyou Capital is also a good friend, and most of the money is his own... Mastering the lifeline is the most important thing!

"Big Brother Feng, what is the lifeline of KTV? Is it the business model?" Naoki Nagayama reminded him, "Something that can be learned just by looking at it once..."

"Is it real estate?"

"That's part of it..." Naoki Nagayama nodded, "What's important is the ability to prevent others from stealing business and causing trouble... In other words, it's the endorsement of the Yamaguchi-gumi behind Big Brother Feng and the support of the Ono family in the legal world..."

"Master these two points, and since the people in charge are all old hands from the Nagayama group... you don't have to worry about others sidelining you... As for embezzlement, establish a supervisory department and check it..."

Feng Yongshan fell silent and thought quietly for a while, only then did he understand a bit:

"It seems that's indeed the case..."

"Big Brother Feng just needs to manage the general direction~" Naoki Nagayama said, "There's no need to do everything yourself... Zhuge Liang died of exhaustion because of that!"

"Makes sense!"

Feng Yongshan nodded. It was only because Naoki Nagayama said this to him that he could listen; if others advised him like this, they might be considered to have ill intentions!

The atmosphere in the office became much more relaxed, and then they chatted for a while about Ishida Xinhai's renovation of Sanyingyuan, as well as their emotional progress, etc.

Feng Yongshan checked the time:

"It's noon, Naoki, let's go have a drink! I haven't relaxed for a long time!"

"Haha, okay~" Naoki Nagayama nodded, and then remembered the purpose of coming today, "By the way, let me borrow some people first..."

"?"

"It's just that there are always paparazzi hanging around the new house..." Naoki Nagayama told Feng Yongshan about the previous matter, "So I want to ask the brothers in the family to help teach them a lesson and give them a warning!"

"Ah, this! No problem!"

Speaking of his old profession, Feng Yongshan even became a bit excited,

"I'll call Shogo Hamasaki right now and have him bring dozens of brothers over..."

"..." Uh, there's no need to be that exaggerated..." Naoki Nagayama shook his head hurriedly, "Just four or five who look fierce, the kind with tattoos... It's just a warning, no need to see blood..."

"Oh..." Feng Yongshan was a bit disappointed; he originally thought it would be a big scene!

"If asked, just say the paparazzi are hanging around there, affecting the city's appearance and hindering the normal life of the residents..." Naoki Nagayama instructed, "Don't let them know it's because of me..."

"Haha, of course, we have experience!"

Feng Yongshan agreed with a smile,

"We'll go over tonight!"

"Arigato..."

"What's there to thank for!"