Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

Chapter 441: Immortals Fight (4K)

“These co-founding organizations all seem to be common animal protection and environmental protection foundations, but there are too many of them…”

After a closer look, the two found that there were as many as twenty or thirty founding organizations behind the "Cat Ksitigarbha Foundation", including almost all the well-known large environmental protection and animal protection foundations in District 11.

"Hey, the best place to hide leaves is in the forest, haven't you heard that? The more founders there are, the darker the truth they want to cover up is..."

“Perhaps, in addition to being a platform for power and sex transactions, this Mao Dizang Foundation is also a new platform for ‘money laundering’ and ‘tax evasion’ in the Burning Sect?”

"That's right! It's a very common practice to 'launder' dirty money through foundation expenses and help artists 'repatriate' charitable donations..."

Miyamoto and Fukuyama discussed with each other, their faces becoming more and more serious, as if they had discovered a huge secret.

"Finally, it's my turn to show off my network skills."

"There must be some companies behind these foundations that are related to the Burning Group. We can find out by digging deeper into the equity structure and capital transactions."

"Although the investigation is a huge workload, as long as I can bring down Xia Fan and the Burning System behind him, I will do it even if it means burning my life all night long..."

"Boss, five more espresso shots, to take away!"

Fushan put away his notebook and a perverted smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

……

Four days later, S Company, AFO Group Agency Office.

"..."

The management team headed by Iijima Yozo were sitting quietly in the conference room. The large screen on the wall was shining, illuminating the serious faces in the shadows.

On the big screen, the unedited version of the theme song MV recorded by AFO members with makeup on was playing.

"I've read it several times, please give your opinions."

With his hands clasped together and his chin supported, Iijima Yozo asked softly.

"Our art director thinks that the movements, singing and expressions of the members in the final version are all good, and the overall effect meets expectations..."

“The post-production team had no objections. After all, AFO is a new group and most of the members are still immature. We recorded many times in a row and accumulated a lot of material to put together the good results in this version.”

The professionals assigned by J Company to assist nodded in agreement.

AFO's theme song. After so many days of continuous rehearsal, the members have already memorized the movements, expressions, and positioning into their muscle memory. Even my grandson Tatsuya, who is bad at singing and dancing, can perform a song on the spot right after he wakes up from his sleep...

After countless repetitions of makeup shooting yesterday, the first version of the MV is now out.

“As a first version of the MV, the overall effect is really good.”

"But I don't know, have you noticed a problem?"

Reaching out for the remote control, Iijima Yozo began to play the MV in reverse...

"Xia Fan, you're clearly in a corner position, why do you have such a strong presence?"

“Did something go wrong with the arrangement, choreography, filming and post-editing?”

In the MV that switches between the black stage and the bright exterior scenes, no matter Xia Fan's face appears in the distance of seven people or flashes in a corner, he will immediately grab everyone's attention...

"Manager Iijima, please take a look at the choreography and the movements. Xia Fan is the only member who doesn't have a rotation or solo. This was designed entirely according to the requirements of your management team..."

The teacher in charge of choreography rolled his eyes in displeasure.

"I didn't arrange a solo part for Xia Fan. The high notes in the climax were arranged because the other members couldn't sing high enough."

The vocal instructor also spread his hands and agreed helplessly.

"You all have no problem, does that mean there is something wrong with our MV director team?"

"We have a storyboard, and the data won't lie. Xia Fan's personal close-up shots and appearance rate are the lowest in the entire group..."

The bearded director who was in charge of the filming and production of the MV took the laptop and directly displayed the storyboard script.

These people are a professional team selected from J Company. They are responsible for the business of more than one boy group. They are on the same level as Iijima Yozo, so naturally they will not give face to the new group AFO.

"Indeed... No matter from which angle, Xia Fan's exposure rate is already the lowest in the entire group, only one-tenth of the C-position member..."

"But what on earth is this strange and terrifying sense of existence?"

As the MV continued to play, everyone looked at each other and fell into deep thought.

Although each department is trying to prove their innocence, we have to admit that what Iijima Yozo said makes sense...

Xia Fan's eyes, image, temperament and figure, if compared separately, do not have very obvious characteristics, but when mixed together, they are very recognizable...

In addition, his high notes are much higher than others, and his dance moves are as smooth as an assembly line with no mistakes...

Even if it only stayed in the camera for a moment, it was more impressive than the close-ups of other members jumping up and down.

At this moment, everyone closed their eyes and began to recall the MV they had watched, and found that the first member they remembered was Xia Fan.

“Well… Actually, we noticed it when we were filming…”

"Whenever Xia Fan appears in the camera, the viewer's eyes will always subconsciously fall on him."

"Perhaps this can only be explained by the fact that his personal charm and talent far surpass those of other team members."

The photographer sitting in the last row raised his hand silently and spoke weakly.

"Your personal charm and talent far exceed that of other team members? Humph, you are new here..."

"In the J-Corps boy band industry, talent, charm, and appearance are not important at all. As long as there are enough resources, there is no pig that cannot be blown up by the wind, and there is no fire that cannot be put out!"

Iijima Yozo stood up with the help of the table in dissatisfaction and looked at the man.

"In the name of the management team, I request that the post-production team cut Xia Fan's appearance rate in half..."

She pressed her hands hard on the table and spoke firmly, causing the majestic curves of her chest to sway.

"It's almost eleven o'clock now. Let's make changes according to the management team's suggestions and finalize it after re-production."

"Damn it, I have to work overtime when I get home, and the overtime pay is not enough to pay for the hair transplant..."

"If you cut it in half, it won't be called 'corner position' anymore, it should be called 'passerby position'..."

As the team muttered in the later stage, the people in the meeting room gradually dispersed.

Having produced so many boy band MVs, and although I am not surprised by the fierce and cruel competition for the center position among members, this is the first time I have received such a clear production request to "cut scenes".

"By the way, Big Sister, there is one more thing I need to report to you."

"This afternoon, the production team of 'The Secret of the Immortal' released a 'broadcast preview' on the social platform, which is about the 'special planning episode' in which Xia Fan will participate." "From the content of the preview, they have arranged guests including Xia Fan to challenge three 'immortals' who will break the Chicken World Record on the spot on the show."

The management team staff who stayed behind whispered to Iijima Yozo.

"Since these immortals are capable of breaking the Chicken World record in front of the camera, they won't be as weak as the 'Sword Jade Immortal' last time. They should be able to embarrass Xia Fan, right?"

"It seems that the production team has indeed increased the intensity according to our request."

Iijima Yozo sneered, yawned and prepared to go off work.

"However, because the previous episode was so popular, the preview of this episode has attracted quite a lot of attention. The keyword "Xia Fan fights the immortal again" has already reached the ninth place in the hot search list..."

"From the discussion content, in addition to the regular viewers of "The Secret of the Immortal" and Xia Fan's fans, there are also many people who haven't turned on the TV for several years and are now waiting to watch it as soon as possible."

“So, I’m worried…”

The staff member who reported with great concern was in charge of public opinion management.

Ever since the last episode of "The Master's Secret", in which Xia Fan "narrowly lost" to Kendama Sage, causing the ratings to soar and sparking heated discussions, he was held in the mouth of Iijima for a week because of his "ineffective bloodsucking and diversion", and he is still a little scared.

"When will the episode you mentioned be aired?"

"Let me see. It'll be in ten minutes."

"Why didn't you say so earlier? Connect the TV signal, buy some midnight snacks, and ask everyone who's still here to come and watch together..."

Recalling the last time, during a fierce poker game, he watched Xia Fan create a hot search and he put down his handbag.

……

Ten minutes later, the AFO brokerage team employees, who had just adjourned the meeting, gathered again in the conference room.

At this moment, they felt extremely regretful and wondered why they had to follow the bad workplace habit in District 11 of "leaving after the boss finishes get off work".

"An episode of 'The Master's Secret' is only half an hour long, so there's no need to put on that 'working overtime all night again' expression."

Iijima Yozo stood at the top, looking at his gloomy subordinates with a stern face.

The big screen behind her had switched to the TBS channel that was playing commercials...

There were also cold beer, fried chicken, oden, cup noodles and other midnight snacks on the conference table...

"Everyone, since the establishment of the AFO group, we have designed a lot of publicity and promotion plans, invested a lot of traffic, and planned a lot of activities for the members."

"But so far, the entire AFO group has not made any achievements in online public opinion discussions and search indexes..."

"On the contrary, Xia Fan, who has no publicity resources, was able to create a public opinion that surpassed the entire team with this crappy variety show..."

When Iijima Yozo mentioned the "promotional data", the staff members lowered their heads silently.

"Big sister, we have led so many groups with you, and we are no longer green and inexperienced.

"More and more boy bands have debuted recently, and the competition among members for promotion has become increasingly fierce. Based on the existing resources and budget, the current promotion strategy has been optimized."

"In all these talent shows, I've never seen a monster like Xia Fan. It seems like whatever he does can become a hot topic..."

The middle-aged man with the most seniority opened his beer, took a sip, and expressed everyone's thoughts.

"I'm the one who reviewed the promotional strategies. I understand what you said...hiccups..."

"That's why I asked you all to watch the show together, hoping to study and reflect on the reasons why Xia Fan created so much hype, and apply it to other members."

Iijima Yozo's tone softened. He opened a bottle of beer, gulped down two gulps, and let out a helpless burp.

"Damn it, Xia Fan is such a good talent, but he is a burning type. Is there really no way to buy him?"

"If we had taken advantage of the last episode of 'Kendama Sage' to hype it up, the whole group might have been on the trending search list..."

With the leader taking the lead, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly changed from a "meeting" to a "post-get off work pub", with many employees opening beer, eating midnight snacks, and talking in low voices.

"do not talk……"

"The decision to put Xia Fan on ice was made by President Matsudaira himself. It involves the strategic competition between our J Club and the Burning Club in the idol industry, and it cannot be shaken."

"The show has started. Watch Xia Fan's performance carefully and analyze the reasons seriously..."

Interrupting the other party's speech that was "not conducive to unity", Yozo Iijima turned and faced the big screen.

Titles such as "Special Plan of the Secret of the Immortal" and "Great Battle of the Immortals" have appeared in the center of the screen.

As the latest episode of "The Secret of the Immortal" began to air, the entire conference room fell silent, leaving only the sounds of drinking beer and chewing fried chicken.

"This host looks familiar. I think I've seen him somewhere before."

"Isn't this the one from the TBS weather forecast program? It always feels a bit out of place when he appears in a variety show with a serious face."

As the show begins, there is a magnificent stage and a host with full professional attributes.

"Oh? This program, which has always been willing to use cheap narration and free location shooting, is willing to use such a grand recording location and even hire a professional host..."

Unlike the usual stingy style of "The Secret of the Immortal", the opening that seemed to have a large budget made Iijima Yozo a little confused.

"It's not surprising that the budget is high for a special project..."

"Speaking of which, Big Sister, you are too familiar with this variety show. Could it be that you are a hidden fan?"

The subordinate next to him looked at Iijima Yozo suspiciously.

"Don't talk nonsense, who is the fan... A few years ago, when I occasionally suffered from insomnia, I used it to help me sleep..."

"They even invited an official witness from Chickens. It looks like they really intend to break the world record on the show?"

"Sakamoto Hide, Kobayashi Yukiko, Tetsuda Teji... the guest selections are the same as in the Kendama episode, all recycled leftovers."

Looking at the guests who came on stage one after another, Iijima smiled disdainfully.

In terms of qualifications and status, this guest lineup is so impressive that comedian Tetsuji Tetsuda, who makes a living from variety show appearance fees, can actually be ranked first. This can only be described as "shabby".

"Wait, Xia Fan is the last one to appear. Doesn't that mean the production team thinks he is the most famous guest?"

"And he gave such a long introduction. Are you afraid that the audience won't know him?"

When the last guest, Xia Fan, walked onto the stage, exaggerated titles such as "Born with the Sword and Jade Body", "God of Talent Shows", "The Strongest Trainee on Earth", "Athlete Delayed by Idols" and so on filled the entire screen, and a long introduction video was inserted as if it was paid for advertising.

"It's okay. The strength of the immortal in this issue is at the 'world record' level. He will definitely make a fool of himself!"

A familiar uneasiness arose in his heart, and Iijima Yozo quickly comforted himself.

(End of this chapter)