Chapter 896: You don't even have as many concubines as I do, how can you be my master? Meow~

"Idiot section chief! Pig-head, shameless..."

Muttering curses, he opened the door to his apartment, and Iwata Lingkong finally returned to his own little world at nearly ten o'clock at night.

Kicking off his shoes and throwing his socks into a ball into the laundry basket, he rushed into the shower room impatiently... Being sent by the section chief to Nerima Ward in Tokyo to discuss business on a hot day, and having to accompany them to sing, he was covered in sweat and only just returned now... He hadn't even eaten dinner.

This was the helpless and busy day of a grassroots corporate slave...

Iwata Lingkong, who had taken a shower, changed into a loose T-shirt and sat in his small apartment, dazed for a while, before preparing to get something to eat under the protest of his stomach.

"What to eat..." Glancing at the pile of bowls and chopsticks in the sink, Iwata Lingkong decisively gave up the idea of making something.

"I remember there seems to be some instant noodles at home..."

Dragging his light body, Iwata Lingkong took out a pack of instant noodles from the cabinet, then turned on the electric kettle and waited for the water to boil.

At the same time, he turned on the TV and casually opened a can of beer, drinking while flipping through the TV channels...

"Damn it... the evening slot is already over..." Iwata Lingkong sighed. "... Anyway, *Squid Game* is already finished; it looks like I can only watch the late-night slot... Should I find a lewd variety show..."

Just at this moment, the TV screen happened to turn to TV Tokyo.

A middle-aged uncle wearing a chef's uniform was busy with something in the kitchen...

"TV Tokyo is actually teaching people how to cook at night now?"

Iwata Lingkong was surprised. TV Tokyo did have many gourmet variety shows, but they were usually in the morning or noon slots... That was the time when housewives had time to watch TV.

He originally wanted to change the channel, but Iwata Lingkong just felt that the gentle man sitting in the kitchen, smoking while waiting for the water to boil, seemed very similar to his own situation right now...

Forget it, for the sake of being in the same boat, I won't change it... anyway, it's just to pass the time.

Glancing at the old electric kettle, there weren't even any bubbles; it would probably take another ten minutes... Iwata Lingkong drank his beer while watching *Midnight Diner*~

"Sizzle..."

The little red sausages tumbled in the frying pan, the hot oil making the cut parts curl up, looking just like octopus tentacles, and even the diners who came to eat were full of amazement...

The expression of satisfaction while chewing after putting it in the mouth must be the just-right aroma of fat and the chewy texture~

Is plump, half-cooked sturgeon roe that delicious? Why does that singer seem to have tasted supreme deliciousness? It must be the story contained in this dish!

Shouldn't tamagoyaki be salty? Oh oh, salty is called dashi-maki... What kind of strange trivia is this?!

That set meal the host was eating seemed delicious... but that guy was distracted while looking at his pager? Hey hey hey, enjoy the delicious food properly!!

Unknowingly, Iwata Lingkong didn't even drink the beer in his hand; he was completely attracted by *Midnight Diner*... until the wooing sound of the electric kettle woke him up.

"What's going on?! Ten minutes passed just like that?"

Iwata Lingkong was very surprised; it seemed like he hadn't watched anything, yet it seemed like he had seen a lot of things...

*Midnight Diner*'s plain and simple narration, all stories of ordinary people, seemed to have no ups and downs, yet made people unconsciously sink into it... And those strange dishes... they all seemed delicious...

"Stomach... hungry..."

Subconsciously touching his stomach, Iwata Lingkong finally felt its angry reminder... He hurriedly tore open the packaging of the instant noodles and poured in the hot water...

"But plain instant noodles seem a bit little..." Iwata Lingkong subconsciously recalled the octopus sausages in *Midnight Diner*... "If I could pair it with octopus sausages, that would be about right..."

"......"

A few minutes later, Iwata Lingkong, who was eating instant noodles while watching TV, sighed:

"If there were such a midnight diner operating from night until morning near the apartment where I live, that would be great!"

"I wouldn't have to eat such dry instant noodles!!"

"Who can give us workers some warmth!!!"

"......."

Today was the premiere of *Midnight Diner*... As a late-night drama, TV Tokyo actually didn't have many good ways to promote it... After all, night owls weren't that many, and even fewer could see the promotional advertisements.

Moreover, for a late-night drama, how high of a viewership rating could you expect?!

However, TV Tokyo's director, Sakaii Kotaro, had been watching in the control room for a long time; after all, this was a drama he had acquired single-handedly, and it was the work of that Nagayama Naoki.

"Director Sakaii." The director Zhongchuan Shangjiu called out to the director who seemed to be dazed. "*Midnight Diner* has finished airing..."

"Ah, it's over~" Sakaii Kotaro came back to his senses and nodded. "How are the viewership ratings?"

"Uh... this needs statistical time..."

"Oh, right..." Sakaii Kotaro almost forgot that viewership statistics were still a very troublesome matter...

"But it should be the same as before, after all... the viewership ratings of the late-night slot, no matter how high, won't..."

The director Zhongchuan Shangjiu was still talking eloquently, completely unaware that Sakaii Kotaro's brows had already knit together... Being so unable to read the room, no wonder he was transferred to the late-night slot as a director!

Just at this moment, Songtian Shangyan, an employee on duty in the production bureau who answered the phone, suddenly walked in from outside the door:

"Director Sakaii... something strange has happened..."

"What's wrong?"

Sakaii Kotaro thought there was a sudden accident; at this time, he should be considered the person with the highest position in the TV station, which was why he came to find him.

"Uh... just a while ago, many calls came in..."

"??"

"They were all calls about *Midnight Diner*." Songtian Shangyan said immediately, "Some asked when the next episode will be broadcast, which we naturally answered..."

"Oh... it looks like some people like watching it..." Sakaii Kotaro's expression improved a lot; *Midnight Diner* already had fans...

"But there are also people asking... what brand the octopus sausages are and where they can be bought..." Songtian Shangyan's expression was strange. "There are also people asking where the sturgeon roe was bought..."

"Where is the midnight diner?" "Is the way the dishes are made in the midnight diner real?" "Where is that strip club..."

Songtian Shangyan took out a small notebook and read out the recorded questions one by one.

Sakaii Kotaro's expression management was also a bit out of control at this moment... These guys, what kind of strange questions are they asking!!!

"Director Sakaii, these questions..."

"Ahem!" Sakaii Kotaro hurriedly adjusted. "Record all these questions and hand them over to the Tree Friend people later... let them reply properly..."

"By the way, add the answers to the questions in the preview at the end later..." Sakaii Kotaro had a flash of inspiration. "Make these questions into behind-the-scenes footage... Also, go tell the Tree Friend people to copy a recipe for every episode..."

For a moment, many whimsical ideas flashed through Sakaii Kotaro's mind, all of which were ideas that could make the connection between *Midnight Diner* and the audience closer.

The performance of *Midnight Diner* had already exceeded his expectations... Perhaps just as Nagayama Naoki said, this drama could also be made into a well-known IP for TV Tokyo!

"Haha~"

Thinking of this, Sakaii Kotaro couldn't help but laugh~

The other two in the control room, seeing that Sakaii Kotaro was in a good mood, also echoed and laughed...

Nagayama Naoki, who was working overtime filming in Shizuoka at this time, didn't know that his *Midnight Diner* had already silently gained some audience love~

The next morning, the phone in the old Nagayama house rang non-stop from the morning.

"Naoki, it's for you again!"

After Mother Naizi answered the phone, she shouted again at her second son in the bedroom upstairs.

"Hi, wait a moment..."

Nagayama Naoki, dressed casually, came down the stairs *pata pata*, still muttering:

"Mother, these stairs are too narrow and steep... it's very dangerous~"

Nagayama Naizi was not polite at all:

"I raised all three of you, and nothing dangerous ever happened! I think Naoki, you're just looking for trouble now!"

"......."

Forget it, forget it, Nagayama Naoki put his hands together to beg for mercy and passed by Mother Naizi... He had been increasingly disliked these past few days... Sigh, I can't stay in this house anymore!

Picking up the phone: "Moshi moshi, this is Nagayama Naoki!"

"Naoki-san!" Funamura Otomo was on the other end of the receiver. "You really didn't come back!!"

"......."

It was originally agreed that he would return to Tokyo when the two films premiered, but Nagayama Naoki had broken his promise...

"There's no way, Otomo-san... The filming of *Midnight Diner* is quite urgent, and I want to finish filming early!" Nagayama Naoki complained. "I've been working overtime these past two days! Until late at night! Only then is it almost finished..."

"...... You were originally filming until late at night!"

"That's also working until late at night!"

"......" Realizing that there was no benefit in arguing with Nagayama Naoki, Funamura Otomo talked about business. "This morning, TV Tokyo faxed over a questionnaire, all questions related to *Midnight Diner*, asking Tree Friend for a reply..."

"Oh? What questions?"

Funamura Otomo picked a few to say: "In short, they are all strange questions; Naoki-san, find someone on your side to reply!"

"Hmm, when Zongsheng goes back, let him reply directly!" Nagayama Naoki had already sent Matsuo Zongsheng back to Tokyo to edit the next episode of *Midnight Diner* in advance.

"Then what about you, Naoki-san, when are you coming back?" Funamura Otomo urged. "Tomorrow is the premiere of *Diary of the Sea Town*; do you want to slip away too?!"

"That naturally won't happen..." Nagayama Naoki said. "I will be back!"

"That's good..."

After saying a few more words, Nagayama Naoki hung up the phone.

Mother Naizi in the kitchen walked out, carrying a plate of watermelon to the coffee table, and asked:

"Naoki... are you going back to Tokyo?"

"Hmm, *Midnight Diner* is almost filmed... the remaining loose ends don't need me to stare at them here." Nagayama Naoki didn't hide it and explained directly to his mother. "Also, the new movie is about to be released~"

"Is that so..."

Nagayama Naizi's tone was a bit disappointed; after all, although she was a bit fed up with him, having a young person at home didn't feel lonely.

"It's still a few months until the end of the year, I'll come back then!" Nagayama Naoki comforted her.

"If you leave, I'll have one less chore to do! I have to cook and do laundry every day..." Mother Naizi said stubbornly, then looked at Wang Wang Wang and Meow Taro who were cooling off on the eaves corridor. "Are you taking Wang Wang Wang and Meow Taro back this time?"

"Hmm..." Nagayama Naoki looked at the round dog. "Wang Wang Wang definitely has to be taken back... If he stays here any longer, he'll probably get diseases like fatty liver..."

"......."

Mother Naizi wanted to say something, but looking at the fat on the dog, she didn't know how to refute it for a moment.

"What you say is not unreasonable..."

Nagayama Naoki turned to the cat on the other side again; Meow Taro shouldn't be called fat, he should be called strong... His aura had clearly increased in the town...

"As for Meow Taro, Mother... do you want to keep him here to keep you company? I see Meow Taro seems very happy in his hometown..."

"......."

At this moment, Nagayama Naoki actually saw a trace of disgust on Mother Naizi's face:

"Of course he's happy!!!"

"I heard from the neighbors that this guy has already hooked up with several female cats nearby, and goes to meet them every day; it's so noisy at night!!! It's possible that the wild cats born around here this year are all this guy's cubs!"

"Naoki, you'd better take him away!"

Actually... started a harem...

Nagayama Naoki turned his head to look at the orange cat on the eaves corridor; just at this moment, Meow Taro also turned over and glanced at his master... That look had three parts mockery, three parts contempt, and four parts indifference...

It seemed to be saying: "What right do you have to be my master? You don't even have as many concubines as I do!!! Meow~~~"

"......." Nagayama Naoki was silent for a while, then said slowly, "So he has kittens... That's good... Then it's time to go get a neutering package, remove the root of the trouble, and he won't have so many thoughts~"

Seeming to sense the malice of his master, Meow Taro changed his sitting posture and firmly protected his lower body underneath...

Mother Naizi hurriedly changed the subject:

"By the way, Naoki, have you said goodbye to your grandfather?"

"Hmm, I went to say goodbye before..."

The script for *Hayato's Legend: New World* had already been completed, and he had sent it to his grandfather to read before; the old man was very happy... but it would still take a long time before filming...

"In short, before the end of the year, I might have to come back a few more times..."

"Hmm~"

Under such an explanation, the slight sadness of parting slowly disappeared, and Nagayama Naoki ate the cold watermelon with his mother, chatting casually about daily trifles.

"Don't tell Naoki-san yet!"

Nakamori Akina in the hotel in Kochi Prefecture was calculating little ideas in her mind; although the address had been changed at Nagayama Naoki's request, sometimes she was still used to adding a "san"...

"Suddenly appear in Shizuoka and give Naoki-san a surprise!!"

After thinking this through, Nakamori Akina packed up her personal items and prepared to head to the performance venue in Kochi Prefecture to hold the concert tour in Kochi.

As of today, her national concert tour could be considered finished... Ah no, she still had to hold the final closing concert at the Houjin Hall in Tokyo...

Only then could it be considered finally finished!

That is to say, she wouldn't go to Shizuoka until tomorrow...

"Naoki-san should still be filming *Midnight Diner*..." Nakamori Akina was still planning whether she should go and make a guest appearance. "Eat a meal when the tour starts, and eat a meal when the tour ends... This is called having a beginning and an end!"

Recalling such thoughts in her mind, Nakamori Akina happily met up with Ueda Zhenxi and Mingxing Fangze, and then got into the sedan together.

"Akina-chan looks very happy?" Ueda Zhenxi asked a bit strangely.

"Hi, because it's the last stop before Tokyo~"

"Oh~~~ You'll be able to see Naoki-san when you return to Tokyo, right!" Ueda Zhenxi understood.

"I can see him even if I don't return to Tokyo!"

Nakamori Akina revealed a happy smile~

The baby fat on Akina's face had now disappeared, leaving only well-proportioned bone and flesh... Fine, soft eyebrows, black and white distinct eyes, a high, straight nose bridge, and delicate lips... Under the smooth, fair skin was a perfect combination of bone and skin...

Smiling all at once like this made Ueda Zhenxi, who was also a woman, feel amazed~ ===== CHAPTER 897 =====