Chapter 982: If you can eat standing up, who would want to bend over?!

After getting married last year, it was just the end of the year, and they were almost busy.

After the New Year, they originally wanted to take this opportunity to rest well at home for a period of time, go shopping and dating occasionally, and by the way, live the sweet life of a newlywed couple.

But Naoki Nagayama was still called to the company by a phone call...

After dealing with a lot of backlogged documents, Yin Tangxiu walked to the office and chatted with Naoki Nagayama.

"It's the New Year, you have to have motivation, Naoki-san!" Yin Tangxiu said grandly in Naoki Nagayama's office. "We Tree Friend want to shape an industry benchmark!"

"... What kind of weird goal is this again..."

"Sitting in this position, there is a corresponding responsibility!" Yin Tangxiu was full of righteousness. "We Tree Friend is already a famous big company in the entertainment industry, everyone is watching how we will do in the New Year! The New Year plan must be started!"

"Didn't you see? Everyone in Tree Friend Pictures is so idle that their whole body is soft!"

"..."

Naoki Nagayama's eyes were full of doubt, and a bit incredible, even with a trace of sarcasm.

It's like when you were in college and saw your roommate who always skipped class to play games, suddenly wanting to be motivated to study hard. At this moment, what you are thinking is "What are you pretending for?!"

"Cough cough~" Naoki Nagayama coughed strategically. "In the first two months of the New Year, isn't it usually the time for the company to make financial reports? Waiting to report taxes..."

"And Xiuyi-san... aren't you supposed to be filming *The Man with Zero Presence*? Why are you idle?"

"..."

Ah, that movie about the man with zero presence... Yin Tangxiu's face collapsed all of a sudden. I don't know if it was because of the protagonist, but sometimes he would forget that he was filming this movie!

"Movies... of course they are still being filmed... but, what I mean is... that..."

Yin Tangxiu finally sighed, with a bitter face,

"Naoki-san, I'd better tell the truth... My mentor, Taizhi Machida, found me... saying he wants to know what plans Tree Friend has for the New Year, and he has many people who want to invest, with money but nowhere to spend..."

"... With money but nowhere to spend?"

"Yeah, isn't it that many people made a fortune in the financial market after the *Plaza Accord*... After this money was taken out, there was nowhere to spend it... so they wanted to invest..." Yin Tangxiu said. "So they found the mentor as an intermediary..."

"Uh... why not keep it in the financial market? Continue to make money?" Naoki Nagayama was puzzled. "Or buy assets..."

Yin Tangxiu hesitated for a while, but still said:

"Because... it's inconvenient..."

"Inconvenient?"

"It's just that, legally, it's a bit inconvenient..." Yin Tangxiu said in a low voice.

"..." Naoki Nagayama was stunned for a moment, and suddenly understood. "Ah... gray income..."

"If you say so, wanting to invest in our movie project is actually to... launder money?!"

Actually, the laws of the financial market are not perfect at present. There are many places where you can drill loopholes. Many people even obtain funds through methods such as tax reduction and tax evasion, and there are also various gray capitals at home and abroad...

If you want to spend this money openly, you naturally need to use various methods to wash it white. At this time, what kind of movie is filmed is not important, and whether it can make money is not the primary option. It doesn't matter what fortress or bureau it is, mainly it is safe, fast...

Yin Tangxiu nodded:

"You could say that..."

Speaking of money laundering, Yin Tangxiu didn't have any special expression on his face. After all, due to its natural characteristics, no matter which era or country, the entertainment industry is the playground of capital and one of the biggest money laundering markets.

In capitalist countries, as long as people have money, they can't avoid understanding "reasonable and legal" capital operations... Otherwise, the money earned with hard work, according to the tax law, the amount to be paid... is simply cutting meat...

Actually, Naoki Nagayama also can't avoid passing through some "legal tax avoidance" channels to transfer his money from the US foreign exchange market... Otherwise, if he wants to bring 100 billion yen of assets into Japan, just paying taxes would be hundreds of billions, which is no longer cutting meat, but cutting arms and legs...

It's just that Zhongjing Yuantai has been handling these things, and Naoki Nagayama hasn't had much contact.

"But... Xiuyi-san, why should we help others launder money?"

Naoki Nagayama asked directly. Tree Friend Pictures' current funds are very sufficient, and the profit is also very healthy, so there is no need to take this risk at all!

If you can eat standing up, who would want to bend over?!

"And there are so many movie companies with such a long history in the market, there must be many mature channels, right? Why find our Tree Friend?"

Yin Tangxiu nodded:

"Originally I said the same to the mentor... But Naoki-san, you also know that my mentor is a professor at Tokyo University of the Arts... Those who are on good terms with him and can mention these things are friends related to the government and culture... actually, they are all some gray income, and the amount is not large..."

"Actually... in some respects, they are more worried about the evidence of money laundering being exposed than we are..."

Yin Tangxiu talked about what he heard from the mentor about internal factions, political enemies, the complex relationship behind Toho and Toei... etc.

In short, in the end, the entertainment industry can have a clean movie company that is completely unrelated to other political factions and even the Japanese inherited financial cliques, and has a good reputation and good profits, which is simply like a white lotus growing in the mud.

And, it just so happens that the real-power executive in charge of the film business is a legitimate graduate of the Film Academy... so many people want to use Tree Friend to wash their gray income white and spend it openly.

"Still that question, why should we help them launder money?" Naoki Nagayama continued to ask. "This kind of thing is completely unnecessary..."

"Because these connections can help apply for various subsidies, movie grants, and even tax incentives..."

Yin Tangxiu said. Now the Tree Friend Group wants to develop toward a big company, and it can't just rely on Naoki Nagayama to film movies alone!

Movies filmed by other directors are very likely to lose money!

Moreover, judging from the exchanges since the year before last, Naoki Nagayama's desire to produce films this year wasn't very strong, and there were even fewer scripts and projects he personally took on...

You have to collect scripts from the screenwriters, open evaluation meetings, let Xiaosen Zhengxiao and Mudao Xu produce, and even let Songwei Zongsheng and Xiben Banyuan, these reserve directors, try their hands. These risks are very big.

"Naoki-san..." Yin Tangxiu sighed, his face became heavy. After directing a few movies alone, he already knew the gap between him and Naoki Nagayama. "The movies you film can naturally make money, but other directors may not... At this time, various subsidies, and even applying for appropriations, come in handy~"

Like the *The Man with Zero Presence* he is filming now, he felt that the box office might flop while filming... After all, sometimes he couldn't even remember it while filming.

And other directors, except for the two who already have experience, other new directors all need to take risks... Big projects like movies, sometimes one loss can bankrupt a small company...

At this time, naturally, other aspects are needed to subsidize... to share the risk~

"..."

Naoki Nagayama was silent. There is really no way about this point. Others can't be like him and have memories of the future.

Actually, starting from the year before last, Tree Friend began to absorb investments from other investors, and there were more investors contacted after the Tokyo International Film Festival, just to share the risk... This is the operation that a mature big company should have.

He looked up at Yin Tangxiu, and even wanted to open his mouth to tell other directors not to film, and he could support the company by filming one a year... but deep in his heart, he also knew this was impossible...

Capital always pursues the appreciation of itself, and capitalists are just personified capital. When the company is big, sometimes even the founder cannot stop everyone's desire to make money.

Hundreds of people, everyone has a family to support!

There are also many people who have their own dreams and goals to realize!

What Naoki Nagayama can do is probably just grasp the general direction of the company and don't let this big ship deviate from the direction.

"Xiuyi-san... then go do it!" Naoki Nagayama said to his good friend. "However, every movie needs to establish a nominee company to separate Tree Friend Pictures' finances from the shell company... The company needs to increase legal positions to ensure that even if it explodes, there is a firewall from the parent company in law..."

Why do big companies raise huge legal groups and lawyer teams? Naoki Nagayama gradually realized it!

"Yes!"

Yin Tangxiu nodded, and he had already prepared a plan in his heart.

However, after finishing this matter, the atmosphere in the office became relaxed again, and Yin Tangxiu chatted about other things:

"Naoki-san, when will you lead the jury to start evaluating the Film Academy Awards? I heard you are going to Red Fish Court?"

"Yeah... the Film Academy Awards Association originally wanted to rent a hotel near Tokyo for closed-door evaluation... but staying in a hotel for more than half a month is like going to jail, it's really boring!" Naoki Nagayama shook his head. "So I suggested going to Red Fish Court... anyway, it's big and quiet there... It hasn't snowed yet, and the snow scene will be beautiful after it snows in a few days..."

"Hahaha~" Yin Tangxiu laughed and said, "I think Naoki-san just wants to show off the snow scene of Red Fish Court!"

"How could it be!"

Naoki Nagayama didn't admit that he did have a bit of showing off, after all, the judges living there were big shots in the film circle, and his good friends,

"I did it all for the judges!"

"Really? I don't believe it!"

"And the fee requested from the Film Academy Awards Association, not a penny less!"

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

The two chatted about last year's movies, thinking about which one could win the award. Naoki Nagayama naturally recommended his own movies without doubt:

"*Diary of the Sea* naturally has awards... after all, it was the opening movie of the Tokyo International Film Festival... but other movies are more or less lacking..."

"*One Cut of the Dead*? Your own movie?"

"Do I go to compete for the Best Newcomer Award?"

Naoki Nagayama shook his head. Although this movie is very novel, it's just novel, and it's hard to say how excellent the actual filming quality is.

"If *The Legend of Hayato* was released before the year..."

"Hahaha, forget it... As the chairman of the jury, you have to avoid suspicion more or less. If your own movie becomes the Best Movie, Best Director... it's too much..."

"That's true~"

At noon, Fangcun Dayou finally had time, and joined the chat between the two while eating lunch.

Hearing that someone would join the New Year's movie and perform some "operations" in capital, he didn't show any special expression... In Japan, this kind of "human relationship" is almost a secret that everyone knows.

"In short, as long as it's not excessive and there are no loopholes in the law~" Fangcun Dayou made the final decision and chatted with Naoki Nagayama about other things.

"Naoki-san, come to think of it... our New Year's plan, currently only has a script for *Battle Royale*... and a TV series you mentioned before..."

"*Tokyo Love Story*, the novel is already being prepared for publication..." Naoki Nagayama said. "It is estimated that it will start selling at the end of February..."

"Then congratulations!" Fangcun Dayou congratulated. "Is the new TV series this one?"

"Yes, it was originally a script written first..." Naoki Nagayama said. "I plan to start filming at the end of March or early April... ferment for a month, just in time for the cherry blossom season..."

"?" Fangcun Dayou was surprised. "Does Naoki-san plan to film it yourself?"

"Yeah... anyway, there's nothing to do..."

At that time, Akina will be in the late stages of pregnancy and definitely can't run around. It's also very boring to be at home every day, so it's better to film a TV series that isn't so urgent...

Just after the release ends, the baby will be almost born!

"..."

Yin Tangxiu and Fangcun Dayou looked at each other, both a bit helpless... It seems that Naoki Nagayama will only take action once in the first half of the year.

The projects of other directors really have to be collected from the screenwriter group!

After a few days, Eitaro and Miaotaro at home accepted that there was one more person in Shanying Yuan, especially after Ye Zhong Moli learned to use big bones to bribe the dog.

Now when it's time to eat, the one the dog is wagging its tail and waiting for in the kitchen is not Naoki Nagayama...

"Sure enough, it's a guy who calls anyone mother if they have milk!"

Naoki Nagayama patted the dog's head, and then stroked the still cold Miaotaro. Miaoxingren is still better, and they are equally cold to others~

"Akina, we are going to Red Fish Court in two days..." Naoki Nagayama said to Akina, who was fascinated by a picture book. "Are you ready?"

"Hmm, the luggage and everything have been packed..." Akina looked over. "I have already called the hosting company and prepared the ingredients and the exclusive chef..."

Naoki Nagayama nodded, feeling it was about the same.

"At that time, the jury members will live in the other two houses..."

Red Fish Court has three villas, each with four or five rooms, and living with ten or so people is no problem, and Naoki Nagayama and Akina naturally live in the master bedroom.

"Moli-san will also be in the same building as us..." Akina said to Ye Zhong Moli, who was serving dishes. "There are other chefs there, Moli-san only needs to be responsible for my diet."

"Yes!"

Ye Zhong Moli didn't care about going to Kyoto to live for a while, anyway, her daughter was already in middle school, and there were other relatives at home to take care of her.

And hearing Akina say that Red Fish Court is a very beautiful vacation courtyard, she was also very interested in going to see it.

"Then it's settled... let's go over together then..." ===== CHAPTER 983 =====