Chapter 888: It

On a summer night, the sea breeze carried away the daytime heat, leaving the small coastal town feeling somewhat cool.

As the night deepened, the "Midnight Diner" sign outside an izakaya near the harbor began to glow, attracting hungry late-night diners who desperately needed a midnight snack to fill their empty stomachs~

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle~"

The familiar sound of deep-frying rang out again. Breaded pork cutlets sizzled in the hot oil, and the aroma of rendered fat mingled with the scent of meat, making anyone's mouth water~

However, the one cooking this time wasn't the older brother, Ma Sai, but the father, Xiang Yongshan, and he wasn't cooking for the actors of "Midnight Diner," but for a regular customer.

It had been said when filming "Midnight Diner" that if a hungry customer came by, they could eat together, as long as they didn't block the camera.

"A fried pork cutlet, and then you coat it in egg wash and fry it again? What kind of way to eat is this?" asked the regular customer, Gao Tian, sitting in a secluded corner, looking surprised at the unusual dish.

"It's a menu item created by Naoki... I heard it was specially prepared for the 'Midnight Diner' program."

"Shan..." Gao Tian looked curiously at the camera and boom microphone nearby, and asked in a low voice, "If I sit here, will I be on camera too?"

"Do you want to be on camera?" Facing a regular, Xiang Yongshan wasn't so reticent and instead cracked a joke, "I can ask Naoki to let you make an appearance!"

As long as the camera panned over, it would be fine; even he himself had been filmed quite a few times.

"..... Forget it!" The regular hesitated for a moment before giving up, "With a face like mine, putting it on television would scare the children!"

Looking at the regular's face, weathered by the sea breeze, Xiang Yongshan nodded:

"Da Shou, you do have a bit of self-awareness after all....."

"......." Gao Tian fell silent for a moment, seemingly choked by Xiang Yongshan's sudden cold joke. His lips trembled for a long time before he managed to blurt out, "...... You old belly-black thing!"

"........"

The two old men's whispers naturally didn't attract too much attention from the production team. At this moment, Naoki Nagayama's main focus was on the actor in front of him.

He watched the actor eating the dish through the camera lens, while whispering to Yin Tang:

"At a time like this, you don't need too much expressive acting."

"Currently, actors in Nihon really like to use exaggerated expressions to perform......"

"That might be fine in other dramas, but in 'Midnight Diner,' we are filming ordinary, grassroots people......"

"No great beauty, no bloody fights, no intense conflicts, and no dramatic, undulating stories....."

"Remember, everyone is just an ordinary person...... coming to eat an ordinary midnight snack, and chatting about ordinary daily troubles along the way......"

Yin Tang listened very carefully. Although such a plot without any waves might go against current film common sense, such a plain and gentle story was exactly the life of an ordinary person!

This kind of simple warmth was the source of this drama's charm!

"Cut!" Naoki Nagayama suddenly shouted cut, and said to the young actor in the middle, "Wu Jing, when you say 'oishii,' don't be so exaggerated! Do you act this exaggerated when you eat your mother's cooking at home?!"

"....... Mother's cooking tastes terrible....." Tian Zhenxi said with a hint of disdain, his words uninhibited by childhood.

"......."

Naoki Nagayama subconsciously turned his head to look outside the lens at Lady Tian, who was sitting in the rest area.....

Sure enough, the lady's face was already turning red, and she clenched her hand and waved it toward her son...... It looked like he wouldn't be able to avoid a beating when he got home~

However, looking at Tian Zhenxi's indifferent, stubborn expression, it was clear he was already used to it. Naoki Nagayama didn't know whether to envy such a mother-son relationship or something else......

In any case, it must be a quite intimate relationship~

"Ahem.... Anyway, just say 'delicious' normally, no need to be too exaggerated...." After Naoki Nagayama explained, he signaled for the crew to start filming again......

"Everyone in position..... Action!"

And so, the filming of "Midnight Diner" continued........

It wasn't until nearly dawn that today's filming tasks were considered complete. Before finishing work, Naoki Nagayama held a small meeting with the crew.

"Everyone, get a good rest today. Tomorrow afternoon, we are going outside to shoot some location scenes."

"Hai!" "No problem....."

This was written in the filming schedule, so naturally, no one had any objections.

"Also....." Naoki Nagayama instructed, "Our 'Midnight Diner' will be broadcast in September, less than a week away....."

"There should be a trailer out now; everyone can go to TV Tokyo and take a look....."

"Hai!" The response this time was even more excited.

"Alright, work for today is over, everyone dismiss!"

Upon hearing this, the crew members nimbly began to pack up the cameras and other equipment, moved them to the van outside, and then followed the vehicle back to the hotel.

Naoki Nagayama, however, held Yin Tang back:

"Yin Tang, after tomorrow's filming is over, I need to take a trip to Fukuoka...... so the day after tomorrow, I'm counting on you!"

"Hai!" Yin Tang nodded. After trying for a while, he felt he had no problems, "What is Naoki going to Fukuoka for?"

"...... Adult business, children shouldn't ask too much!"

"......"

After the izakaya was finally locked up, Naoki Nagayama drove the truck toward his home with his older brother, Ma Sai.

"Naoki..... how is the script for 'The Legend of Hayato: New World' coming along?" Ma Sai was a bit curious about this autobiographical script of their grandfather.

"Hahaha, I've only written the beginning...." Naoki Nagayama laughed, "The outline is finished, but it will take a long time to finish writing it!"

"Then can I take a look first?" older brother Ma Sai asked, "I'll return it to you after I finish reading..... I promise not to damage it...."

A script isn't a novel..... eh? It seems like it wouldn't be impossible to treat it like reading a novel......

"Alright, I'll give it to you when we get home...."

Anyway, they were all individual sheets of manuscript paper, so there was no fear of them being separated or anything.

Fukuoka Prefecture had just come out of the rainy season, and it was humid and hot.

The location where Akina Nakamori was holding her concert was in the Chuo Ward, which was very prosperous, and the temperature was not falling behind at all.

"Fukuoka is actually this hot!" Akina Nakamori wiped the sweat from her forehead, even though she had only just warmed up, the sweat was already pouring down.

"It is....." Maki Ueda was flipping through the makeup box nearby, "So this makeup must be sweat-proof...."

"Is the air conditioning in the hall not working?" Akina Nakamori asked.

"With such a large space, the temperature won't drop much..." Ueda Maki said, "And once there are more people, it's even harder for it to go down... The humidity is also very high..."

In short, the air conditioning systems of this era were just not up to it~

"....." Akina Nakamori didn't speak anymore; this was something that couldn't be helped~

After going to the restroom to wash her face, Akina Nakamori began to apply makeup in front of the vanity mirror, but suddenly asked:

"Has Naoki been in contact with you guys?"

"Naoki?" Maki Ueda was stunned for a moment, "Doesn't seem like it..... Fang Ze doesn't seem to have mentioned it either."

"Then how is he going to get in......" Akina Nakamori was a bit surprised, "If he doesn't have a ticket...."

"If Naoki comes in, he doesn't need a ticket, right...."

Once the staff recognized Naoki Nagayama's face, they would definitely let him in...... who didn't know that Akina Nakamori and Naoki Nagayama were already engaged?

Could it be that they had to be a stumbling block that didn't understand human relationships?!

"Sigh....... Naoki didn't say when he would be coming either....." Akina Nakamori had spoken to Naoki Nagayama on the phone last night and only knew he would come to Fukuoka today to attend her concert, but he hadn't said a specific time.

This made Akina feel very conflicted right now~

And just as the two were chatting about a certain man in the concert hall's rest area, Naoki Nagayama had already secretly arrived at the perimeter of the venue.

After getting off the plane, he took a taxi directly to the concert hall, and then, wearing a director's sun hat, he blended into a group of fans waiting to enter. In such hot weather, who would carefully look at what the person next to them looked like..... plus he was wearing a sun hat!

Then, looking left and right, he sure enough locked eyes with a certain gaze that was looking around.......

Confirmed the gaze, you are the person I am looking for!

This was the traditional NPC that was indispensable at every concert—a scalper!

Naoki Nagayama felt certain in his heart and walked over quietly, like a secret agent making a contact:

"Are there any tickets left?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Good seats?"

"The price will be high!"

"No problem, how about the front row closest to the stage?"

"This....."

Originally, this was a golden seat reserved for himself; he was also a fan of Akina Nakamori,

"You don't know! This seat was reserved for myself!"

Naoki Nagayama asked suspiciously: "A professional like you also goes to concerts?"

"This customer, you misunderstood...... Akina-chan is my beloved idol, the treasure of my heart....... The best seat for her concert......"

After hesitating for a moment, the scalper gritted his teeth and said firmly,

"You have to pay extra!!!"

"......"

In the end, at a ten-fold premium, Naoki Nagayama secured the best seat in the front row!

As the sun gradually slanted to the west, the concert's start time finally arrived...... The fans who had been waiting outside for a long time lined up in order and walked into the venue.

The huge venue had been fully air-conditioned beforehand, so there was a bit of chill at the beginning...... However, with thousands of people moving in, thousands of 37-degree little stoves gathered together, it soon exceeded the power of the air conditioning, and the scene began to become hot and dry~

After everyone was admitted, the lights inside the venue began to dim, waiting for the performance to start.

Rustling sounds continued to rise, followed by a buzzing discussion. The fans were all waiting for Akina Nakamori's appearance later, and in the dimness where faces couldn't be seen clearly, Naoki Nagayama also became one of them, chatting with a fan he had just met next to him.

"I came from Hokkaido, just to see Akina's performance!" Gao Zhongsheng, who hadn't graduated from high school yet, still had a light beard around his mouth.

"That's really far!" Naoki Nagayama nodded, "You really are a loyal fan of Akina!"

"That goes without saying, I'm someone who is about to join the Imperial Guard!" Gao Zhongsheng laughed, "My name is Gao Zhongsheng, where did you come from, big brother?"

"I came from Jinggang," Naoki Nagayama said.

"That's not close either!" Gao Zhongsheng subconsciously calculated, "You have to take a plane, right?"

"Yeah, the noon plane....." Naoki Nagayama nodded, "Luckily I made it to the concert!"

"That's also quite difficult!" Gao Zhongsheng sighed and patted Naoki Nagayama's arm, "It seems you must also be a loyal fan of Akina!"

"......" From a certain point of view, this was not wrong; being a fan of his own wife, this was also quite normal~

After a slight silence, Gao Zhongsheng looked at the curtain and changed the subject:

"Sigh..... I wonder if Akina-chan will bring that again this time....."

"Which one?"

"That one, the engagement ring!" Gao Zhongsheng suddenly became angry, "That sapphire ring! Akina-chan wears it to every concert now!"

"Is that so~" Naoki Nagayama was a bit happy.

"Yeah, it's all that hollow, rotten log's fault!" Gao Zhongsheng snorted.

"......." Hollow, rotten log? "What hollow, rotten log?"

"The guy who proposed, of course!" Gao Zhongsheng said unceremoniously, "It's all that hollow, rotten log's fault!"

"......."

So it was referring to me! Naoki Nagayama was speechless..... what was this about having no heart.......

"Why no heart? Why is it a rotten log again?"

"Because he has no heart.... he got Akina-chan's heart and still goes around spreading rumors with others!" Gao Zhongsheng said indignantly, "And didn't he get photographed going to a nightclub recently?! Not focused and going to nightclubs to mess around, a hollow, rotten log!"

Ah..... going to the nightclub with older brother Feng, it was still caught by the paparazzi after all..... but fortunately, it was just a back view, and the newspaper could only say it was speculation, so it only occupied a tiny bit of space...... and didn't cause any public opinion storm....

But Akina's fans were a bit indignant!

"A guy like that actually wants to snatch our Akina! He must want to lock Akina at home and X#$@% by himself" Gao Zhongsheng's words at the end were muffled and couldn't be heard clearly.

"But the hollow log is quite impressive in one way...... he actually bought such an expensive engagement ring. I asked a jewelry store, it must be at least several million!"

Indeed, the sapphire ring cost hundreds of thousands of dollars..... it wasn't that there weren't more expensive ones, but Naoki Nagayama was worried that Akina might not wear jewelry that was too expensive......

"If I had money, I would definitely give Akina a ring like that! But it would have to be all diamonds!" Gao Zhongsheng said full of expectation, "If I proposed like that, Akina would definitely agree, don't you think?!"

"...... Not very likely......" Naoki Nagayama's mouth moved slightly, holding back his smile.

"Eh? Why?" Gao Zhongsheng looked up.

Just at this moment, the lights on the main stage began to brighten. As the curtain slowly pulled open, Akina, wearing a treasure-blue singing outfit, had already set her singing posture....... The music was about to start~

Naoki Nagayama looked straight into his eyes: "Because Akina, she has already accepted my proposal!"

"You...... you you you!" Gao Zhongsheng seemed to have finally seen the appearance of the person next to him clearly, and his tone became excited.

"By the way, I have a name...... My name is Naoki Nagayama.... not some hollow, rotten log! Remember that!"

As if in retaliation, Naoki Nagayama patted Gao Zhongsheng's back hard, putting a mask of pain on his face,

"Alright, the performance has started! Focus and enjoy it properly!!!"

"......."

Gao Zhongsheng couldn't speak, until the strong rhythm of the music rang in his ears.....

The first song was "Forbidden Area"! ===== CHAPTER 889 =====