Traveling through the Tokyo bubble era

Chapter 973 Taking advantage of the opportunity
Although the girl who filmed the advertisement with Andy Lau looked very young, Hideki Yuzuru still recognized her from her familiar features.

Lee Young-ae, a popular actress of the first generation of Korean Wave stars who rose to fame in the mid-to-late 1990s.

(Photo by Lee Young-ae)
The TV series "Dae Jang Geum" brought Lee Young-ae's career to its peak, making her famous throughout Asia.

The new generation of domestic audiences may not be familiar with Lee Young-ae, but around 2000, Lee Young-ae was a leading figure in the expansion of the Korean Wave.

However, when filming "Dae Jang Geum", Lee Young-ae had just emerged from a romantic setback. Due to her breakup with actor Cha Seung-won, Lee Young-ae had already faded out of the entertainment industry for two years.

At that time, Lee Young-ae's appearance and temperament on screen had completely transformed into a "maternal" style, leading many viewers to feel that her looks were "ordinary".

Little did people know that when Lee Young-ae debuted in the 1990s, she had a very youthful and charming appearance, and was even hailed by the media as an "oxygen beauty".

In the mid-to-late 1990s, Lee Young-ae's screen image was mostly that of a mature and beautiful urban woman, fashionable and pretty, with a style that leaned towards "older sister" vibes, which is why she was once called the South Korean Brigitte Lin.

However, after her brief peak following "Dae Jang Geum," Lee Young-ae married the wealthy ex-boyfriend of another South Korean actress, Shim Eun-ha.

Although rumors circulated that he was trying to climb the social ladder or that a third party had interfered, there was no concrete evidence to support these claims.

However, Lee Young-ae, who had retired to focus on her family and loved to share glimpses of her happy life, made a sudden comeback in 2015 without any warning.

According to South Korean media reports, her husband is suspected of business failure and incurring huge debts, forcing Lee Young-ae to make a comeback to earn money to pay off the debts.

Of course, South Korean media also used the term "suspected" to describe these reports.

These memories in his mind were all that Hideki Yuzuru knew about Lee Young-ae in his previous life.

She appears to be a rational woman from an ordinary family who achieved success in the entertainment industry, yet she doesn't excessively crave the fame and knows when to quit while she's ahead.

But frankly speaking, in his previous life, he was just like the average viewer in China, and his understanding of Lee Young-ae was superficial, based solely on media reports.

Having lived through this era and now standing at the very top of the global entertainment industry, even if Hideki Hanyu doesn't know the truth, he's certain of one thing.

Anyone who can climb to the top of the entertainment industry, regardless of gender, is unlikely to be an innocent, harmless, pure white flower emerging from the mud.

Even with a good background and privileged origins, you can only avoid certain "harassments." Other sordid things that shatter the values ​​of ordinary people will still happen to you.

Look at those female entertainers in this era who climbed to fame thanks to Hideki Hanyu. They can become famous, remain undisturbed, and be independent without any effort. The only thing they have to do is rely on Hideki Hanyu as their sugar daddy.

Don't they know their place in Hideki Hanyu's eyes?
They're simply pretending to be ignorant when they know the truth; fame and fortune have already made them unable to resist.

Therefore, in Hideki Hanyu's view, if you treat any scandal that breaks in the entertainment industry as true, you're probably right. Even if you think about it more seriously, it might actually be true.

Just as Hideki Yuzuru was staring at Lee Young-ae, lost in thought, Lee Meng-hee, who was standing next to him, suddenly spoke up.

"The girl recommended by the advertising company is very nice; she looks very good standing next to Mr. Liu."

Hideki Hanyu nodded. "It does look good, but..."

When the young Lee Young-ae and Andy Lau stood together, they were indeed a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman. In modern terms, they had great chemistry, and the overall scene was very pleasing to the eye.

As for what Hideki Hanyu originally wanted to say after "that is," but didn't, it was because the filming was done at night, which resulted in a less than ideal final product.

It wasn't that the studio couldn't create the lighting effects of daytime, but rather that Andy Lau had some scenes playing rugby that needed to be filmed in an outdoor stadium.

To maintain visual consistency throughout the advertisement, the indoor scenes had to be changed to nighttime scenes as well.

Interestingly, in another timeline where Hideki Hanyu wasn't involved, the advertisement filmed by Andy Lau and Lee Young-ae was also shot in complete darkness at night.

However, due to his influence, the advertisement was postponed to the evening for filming, which was a truly strange coincidence.

Of course, it's not to say that there were no changes at all; at least the filming time of this advertisement was earlier than in the other timeline.

When Lee Meng-hee overheard what Hideki Hanyu hadn't finished saying, he immediately asked out of curiosity, "Does Chairman Hanyu have any suggestions for the advertisement shoot?"

Hideki Hanyu quickly denied it, saying, "It's nothing, I think the advertisement was very well made."

Li Mengxi seemed to want to ask more questions, but just then, the advertising director in the distance gave an order, and the filming ended.

To create a rain scene, the sprinklers stopped, and the crew started working noisily. Andy Lau and Lee Young-ae quickly left their positions on the set and headed towards the director's location.

Meanwhile, the crew members who had been following Hideki Hanyu reminded him, "President Lee, Chairman Hanyu, this is the last shot. If the director confirms there are no problems, then the commercial shoot will be over."

The staff member's voice had barely faded when Hideki Yuzuru heard Andy Lau, Lee Young-ae, the advertising director, and other staff members starting to thank everyone in the crew before wrapping up.

Clearly, the last set of shots went smoothly, and filming was completely finished.

However, before the group could finish expressing their gratitude, someone pointed in the direction where Hideki Yuzuru and Mengxi Li were, and the group quickly headed over there.

After Hideki Hanyu and Mengxi Lee entered the studio, the staff should have notified the production crew.

Even though the company that took on the advertisement had nothing to do with the two of them, Li Mengxi was the client and Yu Shengxiu was a big shot in the industry, so the crew naturally had to come over to greet them as soon as possible.

The reason they arrived so late is that Hideki Hanyu, citing his desire not to disturb the filming, prevented the staff from reminding him.

"President Li, Chairman Yuzuru, I'm so sorry..."

The commercial director immediately apologized, his words full of regret for not greeting Hideki Yuzuru and Lee Meng-hsi in time.

Having worked in this industry, one naturally understands Hideki Hanyu's status.

As for Lee Maeng-hee, even though he failed in the Samsung succession struggle, his status in South Korea was still at the level of a "celestial being," far beyond what ordinary people could afford to offend.

The others followed closely behind the director and greeted the two of them.

When facing the crowd, Hideki Hanyu and Li Jianxi responded in very different ways.

Hideki Hanyu maintained his usual smile on his handsome face, showing no airs of superiority, and even responded with a few words in an approachable manner.

This attitude made everyone unconsciously develop a favorable impression of Hideki Hanyu.

Among the few women, seeing Hideki Hanyu up close, their hearts involuntarily raced.

After all, a scumbag's perfect appearance, which can be described as if sculpted by Nuwa herself, combined with a mature, gentle, refined, and abstinent temperament, makes him incredibly alluring to women.

Nineteen-year-old Lee Young-ae, who had just entered Hanyang University, looked at Hideki Hanyu with a slightly flushed face, feeling much like any other woman.

Even though she started working as a magazine cover model at the age of fourteen and had seen many handsome men, such as Andy Lau, whom she had just worked with, she considered him to be an extremely good-looking man.

After seeing Hideki Hanyu in person, she felt that from then on, in her mind, the appearance of men could be divided into two levels.

One is Hideki Hanyu, and the other is someone else.

Lee Young-ae had previously learned about Hideki Hanyu through media reports and had heard too many praises and compliments about him from the media.

She initially thought that the media's descriptions might be somewhat exaggerated, or perhaps they were deliberately flattering Hideki Hanyu because of his wealth and status in the industry.

But at this moment, with Hideki Hanyu's tall figure and perfect appearance before her, Lee Young-ae suddenly felt that, in terms of appearance alone, the media's description of Hideki Hanyu was not only not an exaggeration, but even a little conservative.

In the prime of youth, which girl doesn't yearn for love?
Although it was their first meeting, Hideki Hanyu's gentle smile, textured voice, and handsome appearance instantly captured the girl's heart.

Of course, without comparison, there is no sense of disparity. On the other hand, Lee Maeng-hee, the eldest son of the Samsung Group, has long been accustomed to the treatment of the elite in South Korea, so how could he possibly look down on these "commoners" in front of him?

Perhaps due to family feuds, Li Mengxi's personality became somewhat extreme and distorted. When he looked at these people, his gaze was as dark as water, filled with undisguised impatience and disdain.

This attitude is so blatant, it's like they're practically writing it on their faces: "Spending time with you is a complete waste of time."

With Li Mengxi's attitude so obvious, how could anyone not see it? But intimidated by Li Mengxi's background, no one dared to reveal their thoughts.

Even without Li Mengxi's permission, no one dared to leave.

Under such circumstances, Li Mengxi paid no attention to these people and immediately looked at Yu Sheng Hideki.

The moment he turned his head, Li Mengxi's expression changed.

The initial impatience and disdain immediately turned into a friendly, polite smile.

"President Yuzuru, it's too late today. How about we schedule another time to discuss the collaboration in detail another day?"

Li Mengxi's changes also caught the attention of others.

The stark contrast between the attitudes toward them and toward Hideki Hanyu is particularly striking.

The man before them, Hideki Hanyu, was not much older than some of them, and even younger than many of them.

Why would Lee Meng-hee treat Hideki Hanyu, who is so young, with special regard?

Is it because of Hideki Hanyu's appearance?
of course not!

The reason is simple, and there is only one: Hideki Hanyu's "strength".

Upon realizing this, everyone felt a mix of emotions.

Those seasoned veterans who have seen through life may feel envious, but their attitude towards life has already resigned them to their fate, and at most they will only think about whether they can curry favor with others.

Young people who are inexperienced in the ways of the world may be filled with enthusiasm and fantasize that they can become like Hideki Hanyu through hard work and struggle.

After all, Hideki Hanyu's wealth miracle and his rise from humble beginnings have been reported many times, even in South Korea.

As for South Korean women who habitually rely on the strong, their admiration and worship for Hideki Hanyu is even greater because of this.

However, Hideki Hanyu naturally didn't have time to pay attention to or understand the mentality of these people.

When asked about Lee Meng-hee's request, Hideki Hanyu thought for a moment and replied, "I still have two days left on my schedule in South Korea."

Li Mengxi naturally understood what Hideki Yuzuru meant and immediately said, "I still need to make some preparations regarding the collaboration. How about we meet the day after tomorrow?"

Hideki Hanyu said, "No problem, I will have my assistant contact President Lee about the specific time."

The reason why Hideki Hanyu agreed to cooperate with Lee Meng-hee was naturally because he knew that Lee Meng-hee was ready to lead Cheil Jeong Sugar away from Samsung.

CheilJedang, which separated from Samsung and became an independent conglomerate under the CJ Group, will grow into one of South Korea's top tier of conglomerates, with businesses covering multiple sectors including food, logistics, biotechnology, and entertainment.

Especially in the entertainment and media sector, it is not only South Korea's largest film distributor, but also has strong production capabilities. The Oscar-winning film "Parasite" was produced by CJ Entertainment, a subsidiary of the CJ Group.

Although Hideki Hanyu has already made many arrangements in South Korea, who would complain about being stronger?

Whether in the logistics industry or the entertainment and media industry, Hideki Hanyu's companies are foreign-owned and subject to South Korean regulations. Therefore, finding a South Korean company to cooperate with is undoubtedly the best development strategy.

While CJ Group has a promising future, the period before and after its independence from Samsung was its most vulnerable time.

Li Mengxi is now considering developing in the logistics and entertainment media fields, and Yuzuru Hideki will naturally not miss the opportunity to "take advantage of the situation".

This is why Hideki Hanyu was willing to cooperate with Lee Meng-hee.

Furthermore, neither logistics nor entertainment media conflicts with the Samsung Group, so there is no need to worry that cooperating with Lee Maeng-hee will affect his relationship with Lee Geon-seok.

"Then it's decided, President Yuzuru. See you the day after tomorrow."

As Li Mengxi spoke, he extended his hand to Yu Sheng Hideki.

Hideki Hanyu then extended his hand and shook hands with Lee Meng-hee, saying, "See you the day after tomorrow."

"Then I'll take my leave first."

"Goodbye."

After saying their goodbyes, Li Mengxi left the studio with his subordinates.

As soon as Li Mengxi left, Yu Shengxiu clearly felt that the people around him immediately relaxed.

Clearly, this somewhat "gloomy" young master of Samsung put considerable pressure on the others.

Hideki Hanyu refrained from commenting on the operating style of these South Korean conglomerates, as people are different.

Besides, what's a little pressure?

At present, South Korean chaebol families still have to be somewhat cautious and discreet.

Compared to the arrogance and lawlessness of later members of South Korean chaebol families, it's nothing short of a small fry compared to the big fish.

Just then, Andy Lau stepped out from the crowd. As an employee of Cloudwise, he naturally had to greet his boss separately.

"Sir, thank you for your help today."

Andy Lau knew that Hideki Yuzuru could speak Mandarin, so he spoke Mandarin as soon as he opened his mouth.

"We're all on the same side, why be so polite? Besides, you're not the one who made the mistake."

Hideki Hanyu smiled broadly and switched to Mandarin to communicate.

Thanks to his exceptional memory, Hideki Hanyu learns languages ​​with remarkable ease.

I was speaking Korean with Lee Meng-hee just now.

Now, even if Andy Lau speaks Cantonese, he can still handle it with ease.

After Hideki Hanyu finished speaking, he pointed outside the studio and said, "It's fate that we met. You've finished your work, so let's go have a meal together."

For Hideki Yuzuru, Andy Lau was, in a way, a "familiar face in a foreign land," so his attitude towards him was naturally much closer.

After hearing Hideki Hanyu's words, Andy Lau looked embarrassed and offered an explanation.

"Sir, because the director and others waited for me for so long during this advertisement shoot, I just promised to treat everyone to a late-night snack."

Upon hearing this, Hideki Hanyu immediately expressed his opinion.

"In that case, let's all go together. Their help to you is also a help to me. I'll treat you to supper."

(End of this chapter)