Tokyo Tycoon, Start as a Writer

Chapter 121: I am fighting "Snow Country", is it true or not?

Akasaka Shrine, cultural exchange meeting site.

On the desk covered with calligraphy, Song Zhiqingxian picked up his pen to write, and someone was reading quietly beside him.

Tokugawa Rinko came to the table at some point, lowered her head to look at the first piece of calligraphy, and recited softly: "Under the night sky, there is a vast expanse of white, (夜の底が白くなった), the train stopped in front of the signal station..."

This beginning has an indescribable beauty.

After passing through the long tunnel in Jie County, the bottom was all white under the night sky...

What turned white?

It's snow...

Reading pure literary works requires a certain level of literary skills.

As for this beginning, people who don’t have any literary appreciation ability really can’t see what’s so wonderful about it.

Tokugawa Rinko chewed over each word over and over again, and was excited by the delicate brushstrokes of Matsueda Kiyoaki.

"Do you remember the trip to Hokkaido when we were in our sophomore year?" Matsueda Kiyoyuki suddenly asked.

"Of course, that's the scene I was thinking of." Tokugawa Rinko nodded gently, recalling the scene she had seen while riding a train in Hokkaido on a snowy night. "Hokkaido under the night sky is pitch black wherever you look. Looking out from the Shinkansen, you can still feel the endless darkness. Only when there are lights in the opposite direction or when the train stops at a station, the boundary between night and the earth instantly becomes black and white..."

"In the endless darkness, a beam of light suddenly shone from the opposite direction, and the night and the snow suddenly became clear."

"Look at the second sentence, the bottom of the night..." Tokugawa Rinko looked at her best friend with burning eyes.

Songzhi Qingxue pondered for a moment and did not answer immediately.

Her interest in literature was not as enthusiastic as Rinko's. After seeing this sentence, she pondered for a while before asking uncertainly: "The bottom of the night... is the earth? In other words, the world is a container..."

"Yes, it's really poetic!" Tokugawa Rinko's cheeks flushed slightly with excitement. "The night is boundless and invisible, but if it is in a container, then it has boundaries and is tangible. The train that comes out of the tunnel becomes a floating boat floating at the bottom of the container..."

Such power!
The first two sentences bring a strong visual impact to people, and the writing skills are extremely terrifying.

Amid the excitement and shock of the two women, Matsueda Kiyoaki was writing while someone was reading beside him.

Some were concentrating their attention, waiting for what was to come; some were frowning, feeling foreboding.

Sheets of calligraphy filled with dense words circulated from the calligraphy area, and soon the attention of everyone in the Akasaka Shrine was drawn to them.

"What's that?"

"Is this Mishima's new work?"

“So there will be a new work soon…”

"This calligraphy is really beautiful, the strokes are subtle and subtle, and the structure is beautiful..."

"Who told you to read the words? Hurry up and read the content of the new work!"

Everyone present had a certain level of literary appreciation. When they saw the section "Mirror at Dusk", everyone was shocked - the virtual image reflected in the mirror and the real object behind the mirror were shaking, the characters and the background had no connection at all, the two melted together, depicting a symbolic world that transcends the human world.

These words are really too beautiful.

It is a feeling of extreme beauty that penetrates the soul.

Listening to the discussions of others, Ishihara Seiji's heart skipped a beat, and he realized that his calculations might be wrong. This guy named Mishima seemed to have the ability to win all the time...

"The light flashed on the girl's face. The clarity of the image in the mirror did not diminish the light outside the window. The light did not erase the image. The light flashed across her face... The cold light from afar dimly illuminated the area around her eyes. The moment her eyes overlapped with the light, they were like enchanting and beautiful luminescent insects dancing in the afterglow of the setting sun..."

When seeing this passage, Seiji Ishihara sighed slightly and felt very uncomfortable.

The words in these calligraphy works are extremely beautiful and sad.

The artistic conception of mono no aware and the cold and lonely snow country are a perfect match. The combination of the two brings an indescribable huge impact to the readers.

Among the literati and scholars present, some were still pondering secretly, some were savoring it repeatedly, and some were sighing quietly with complicated looks.

Mishima's writing skills have really reached the pinnacle.

Looking at the Japanese literary world from ancient times to the present, no one can be compared with him...

The more prominent Mishima became, the more uncomfortable Ishihara Seiji felt.

Just now in the house, he had threatened Mishima, and now he was caught off guard. He felt aggrieved and his face hurt... Moreover, he was very worried about that old man Takaki Ikezawa. What could he use to fight Mishima?

On the other side, Tachibana Toshio was so surprised that he couldn't speak at all.

The entire shrine was divided into two parts. The calligraphy area was silent as everyone was eagerly waiting.

The other area was very lively, with people passing around Mishima's manuscripts, discussing the contents of the book, and reveling in the beauty of his words.

"What happened?"

Shintaro Ishihara and Takaki Ikezawa, who walked out of the shrine's inner courtyard, found the scene too lively.

"Governor, it's Mishima writing his new work." Someone handed over the first copybook.

"Oh?"

Ishihara Shintaro showed an interested expression.

Takaki Ikezawa also came over, and they both watched together, and after a moment their expressions changed at the same time.

...I feel like I can’t win.

At this moment, Song Zhiqingxian in the calligraphy area put down his brush.

He wrote about Shimamura and Ye Zi getting off the train. The first chapter had more than 3000 words, which was exactly halfway through. Seeing that Shintaro Ishihara and Takaki Ikezawa were coming out, he thought the effect he wanted was achieved, and there was no need to finish the first chapter - it was very tiring to write 7000 words.

The crowd watching let out a roar of dissatisfaction.

"Qingxue, do you know what readers are most afraid of?" Tokugawa Rinko looked at her best friend with resentment on her face.

"Yes, I know. That is..."

Facing her resentful best friend, Songzhi Qingxue suppressed her laughter and said softly, "When I was reading the exciting content, the author stopped updating!"

"Why don't you let him finish writing it quickly!" For the first time in her life, Tokugawa Rinko showed the expression of an unsatisfied and resentful woman.

"I'll try my best, I'll try my best..." Songzhi Qingxue turned her face away, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Kiyoaki Matsueda walked through the crowd and headed towards Shintaro Ishihara.

The people around him automatically made way for him, with expressions of respect and admiration on their faces.

The young, handsome and talented writer exudes a sense of otherworldliness from head to toe, and is sharply separated from reality - this is the feeling of a literati.

Watching this scene from afar, Songzhi Qingxue felt a little dazed.

In the general impression of people, literati are admired wherever they go. They seem to be messengers sent by gods to the world. They can set off a wave of thought and trigger a subversive change just by using words.

Every word said by a writer can be regarded as a guiding principle.

It was as if the truth was with them every time they traveled.

Their minds are filled with vast and brilliant ideas, and their frail shoulders carry the long river of history...

Such people are my family members!
Whenever he thought of this, Songzhi Qingxue felt mixed emotions.

She felt that she was lucky, but she also gradually felt that if she didn't do something, she would not be worthy of him in the eyes of outsiders.

In front, Seiji Ishihara stood in the path of Kiyoaki Matsueda. Looking at him walking towards him, he suddenly felt a lot of pressure.

The original intention of provoking Tachibana Toshio was to disgust Matsueda Kiyoaki, and he did not expect to embarrass him in such an occasion.

However, he never expected that this occasion would give him an opportunity to step on his own face.

After writing those 3000 words, Ishihara Seiji realized that he had been outmaneuvered.

Mishima is really straightforward.

I have never seen a person who can write the beginning of a novel of more than 3000 words in one breath, and it is such a high-quality novel... What made Ishihara Seiji even more embarrassed was that he walked towards him but passed him directly.

This kind of disregard is even more humiliating...

Behind Seiji Ishihara are Shintaro Ishihara and Takaki Ikezawa.

Seeing Matsueda Kiyoaki walking straight towards them with an unfriendly look, the two men's faces became even darker.

The atmosphere in the shrine began to become solemn. Everyone looked over here intently and saw Kiyaki Matsueda coming in front of the two right-wing leaders in the literary world.

There were whispers everywhere, and the scene seemed like a confrontation.

"This book..." Takaki Ikezawa hesitated to speak.

Kiyoaki Matsueda looked at his old face, and after a few seconds, he smiled softly: "The name of this book is "Snow Country". I heard you say that you would keep an eye on me when I publish my next book, and I was a little nervous, afraid that you would beat me to death..."

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar around him.

There seems to be a showdown between the two...

The eyes of the onlookers were full of gossip, and they wished they would start fighting on the spot.

As the person involved, Takaki Ikezawa's old face turned red in an instant, and he looked quite embarrassed.

But Matsueda Kiyoaki didn't let him go, and continued, "In order to avoid being beaten up by the old gentleman, I can only be a little cunning and speed up the pace of the new book while you are not prepared. "Snow Country" will be published on the first of next month, and I don't know if you will follow...haha."

At the end, he just laughed twice.

Things have come to this point, and all the desired effects have been achieved.

Directing the outside world's attention to "Snow Country" and the fight with Takaki Ikezawa, completely covering up the news of the second film production...

The reason why this brainless second-generation rich man, Toshio Tachibana, appeared here was because Kiyoaki Matsueda instructed Mihoko Tachibana to leak the information. The current scene was carefully planned.

Ishihara Seiji used Tachibana Toshio as a gun, but he never thought that Matsueda Kiyoaki had figured out his plan.

He was also used as a gun by Kiyoaki Matsueda.

The muzzle of Matsueda Kiyoaki's gun was naturally aimed at Ikezawa Takaki.

Ikezawa Takaki's face flushed, he opened his mouth, blew his nose and stared at him: "You, you...you are a junior, so rude..."

"Of course, if you don't follow, it will be considered that you admit defeat." Matsueda Kiyoaki smiled faintly, winked at Qingxue and Rinko, and finally glanced at Ishihara Shintaro before looking at the people around him, "Mishima has something else to do today, so I'll take my leave now. Goodbye everyone."

No one dared to say no. When they saw him walking past them, they all made way for him and bowed to see him off.

Watching him leave, Ishihara Shintaro's face turned pale, and he said, "Ikezawa, kill him for me next month!"

"what?"

Takaki Ikezawa was confused.

...You want me to play "Snow Country", is that true?

■

When we walked out of Akasaka Shrine, it was still snowing.

It was a little after nine in the morning. In this severe winter morning, the snow covered everything. Shoes barely made any sound when they stepped on the road. The weak sunlight leaked through the clouds, and the snow was shining like a whole piece of crystal. Under the gray torii, two women in red and light blue kimonos were talking in a whisper. Matsueda Kiyoaki walked out from behind and looked at their silhouettes. For a moment, he felt very lucky.

Qingxue is bright and generous, while Rinko is elegant and ethereal.

The two had been friends since high school, but in hindsight, it’s hard to imagine two women with such different personalities becoming friends.

Qingxue is an extrovert, cheerful person who likes to take a leading position. As the director, she has led the drama club and the wind orchestra club to achieve outstanding activities. She also served as the president of the Student Union for two years, organizing and planning many large and small activities.

As for Rinko, she has always been a literary girl quietly on the edge of the crowd and has almost no social interaction.

If they were compared to flowers, Qingxue would be the most noble and gorgeous peony that won the flower competition, releasing her beauty to the fullest; and Rinko would be like the snow lotus blooming on the top of a snowy mountain where no one has ever set foot, beautiful but self-admiring.

There is no difference between these two kinds of beauty.

The former can shock your vision; the latter can soothe your restlessness!

So, Kiyoaki Matsueda was really lucky.

Being able to have the company of two such peerless beauties on such a snowy morning is truly the second greatest fortune in his life, second only to revenge on Masako.

"What are you two laughing at?" Kiyaki Matsueda walked forward.

Tokugawa Rinko looked back at him with a smile in her eyes and pointed at the paper in her best friend's hand.

"I've snatched the first copy of the calligraphy. I'll frame it and hang it in the bedroom." Songzhi Qingxue rolled up the copy of the calligraphy with a smile and held it in her hand as if it were a treasure. Then, noticing that his clothes were a little messy, she smiled and reached out to smooth out the wrinkles for him.

The movements are very natural, and outsiders will only think that the couple has a good relationship.

Tokugawa Rinko was still smiling, but the meaning behind that smile was somewhat complicated and hard to describe...

"Where are we going later?" asked Songzhi Qingxue.

"I'll go get the computer from the car, and then find a place to talk to Rinko. What about you?" Kiyoaki Matsueda asked Kiyoyuki Matsueda.

"Well, you haven't had breakfast yet? Why don't we go to the store and talk while we eat?" Songzhi Qingxue said with a smile, looking at Songzhi Qingxian with clear eyes, cunning and smart, "It doesn't matter where we go to talk. Why don't we go to the store and I'll make you something to eat. It seems that you haven't eaten the food I made by myself?"

"I haven't eaten the food you cooked yet..."

"That's settled, let's go."

After saying that, she stretched out her hand, as if she wanted Songzhi Qingxian to hold it.

Songzhi Qingxian gave her a look, but she didn't take her hand away. The smile on her lips was like Mona Lisa's smile...

Haha, what a vixen!

"Would you like to sit in the store?" Kiyaki Matsueda looked at Rinko Tokugawa.

Tokugawa Rinko: “…”

Even if she wanted to say no, she couldn't say anything against it when she saw her best friend hiding behind the man and threatening her with bared teeth.

The three of them left the shrine and walked towards the parking lot in the distance.

The sky was still gloomy, and the cold wind blew the snowflakes on the ground into dancing, adding a sense of desolation to the bustling city of Tokyo.

We arrived at the Lan Song Restaurant and entered the private room.

Matsueda Kiyoyuki was quick and quick and lit the fire to keep warm in an instant. Then he went to the kitchen and brought back some ingredients for sushi and returned to the room. It seemed that he was planning to make sushi by himself.

Kiyoaki Matsueda and Rinko Tokugawa sat together by the fire, drinking tea brewed by Kiyosetsu Matsueda, eating roasted oranges, and discussing the issues of the second project together.

The reason why he chose to release "Snow Country" today was not only because he had no money, but also because he wanted to attract attention from the outside world.

The main purpose of announcing the film and television adaptation of "Dancing Girl" with great fanfare is to attract attention from the outside world.

The news that "Tide of Sorrow" was the second project was released to the outside world in order to mislead the outside world and cover up the real second project - "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time".

The reason why the second part was made into an animation was the result of many days of discussion between Kiyoaki Matsueda and Rinko Tokugawa.

In the original idea, regarding the second project, Rinko wanted to make a movie version of "Shiosaiwa", but was rejected by Kiyoaki Matsueda on the grounds that it was not commercially viable enough to become a hit - this was their first battle, and it had to be fought beautifully and sensationally to make people feel that they were really capable of competing with the Ishihara Group.

Soon after, Kiyoaki Matsueda came up with his own idea to shoot "The Naoki Literature Prize Serial Murder Case."

This film is a critical work that satirizes the chaos in the literary world. It has a very good reputation in the original world and has achieved outstanding results. Among them, the "Naoki Literature Award" corresponds to the Akutagawa Prize.

Kiyoaki Matsueda had conflicts with the Akutagawa Prize before, so this film has a lot of selling points and has the potential to be a small hit if handled properly.

But this proposal was rejected by Tokugawa Rinko.

First of all, they just had a conflict and then they started to mock others. This gave people the impression that they were petty, and it would also make more enemies. The other two theater chains were reluctant to sign this movie and release it in their theaters.

No matter how he tried to persuade her, Rinko refused to let him take the photo.

Songzhi Qingxian had no choice but to give up for the time being.

He then gave a few more suggestions, and the two discussed from last Christmas to the beginning of this year, and finally finalized the final plan.

The project of "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" was established after considering many factors.

Firstly, the Japanese film market is basically occupied by animated films and Hollywood blockbusters, and the market share of local live-action films is relatively small.

As a low-budget animated film with excellent reputation and numerous awards, "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" has the potential to generate greater profits with less capital.

Secondly, it can catch the Ishihara family by surprise.

They would never have thought that Xinghui’s second project would be an animated film…

Third, it is more concealed.

The production of the animated film was carried out entirely indoors. The two could shoot "The Dancing Girl" in Izu while remotely controlling the production of "The Time-Traveling Girl". When both films were completed, the Ishihara family probably didn't even know that they had this project.

There is a fourth point.

The second project could only be released in a single theater at the beginning. After it became popular and its commercial value was confirmed, it was finally released on a large scale in theaters.

In the original world, "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" became popular by taking this route!
"I will be fully responsible for recruiting and ensure that both projects start at the same time by the end of this month," Tokugawa Rinko promised.

"Well, please..."

"As for the animation, you will be in charge of the whole process. I don't know much about animation..."

"Don't worry, I have already imagined every original drawing of the animation in my mind. The people you recruit just need to draw according to my ideas..."

"Well, okay, I'll listen to you."

As the second daughter of the Tokugawa family, she was as well-behaved as a girl next door in front of Matsueda Kiyoaki.

Kiyoyuki Matsueda, who was making sushi, turned his head several times and saw her sitting next to Kiyoaki Matsueda in a very cute duck sitting posture, holding various documents in her hands, sorting them while talking, and looking at him from time to time, her eyes were shining like a seventeen-year-old girl seeing her favorite little skirt.

"The crew of "Dancing Girl", I have an idea. There is no need to hire extra people to do the chores, I will be responsible for it." Kiyoaki Matsueda said, thinking of Arun in his mind. He hadn't visited Arun for a while, and he needed a suitable opportunity to untie Arun's knot.

"It's great that you can do it. It also saves me time in recruiting." Tokugawa Rinko smiled softly.

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk..." Songzhi Qingxue was amazed as she watched from the side.

Miss Rinko always gives people the impression of a snow girl. How could a snow girl smile so gently and well-behaved...

"Do you have any idea about who will play Kaoru?" asked Rinko Tokugawa.

"This question, uh..." Matsueda Kiyoaki thought for a moment and shook his head. "Anyway, filming will not start until February. Give me some time to observe. I didn't discuss it with her because I was afraid it would affect her studies. If you have a good candidate, you can also tell me."

Songzhi Qingxue, who was eavesdropping with his ears erect, suddenly remembered that the day before yesterday, when they were having breakfast, Songzhi Qingxian said at the table that the most suitable candidate for the "Dancing Girl" movie was a female high school student who was on good terms with him...

At that time, my sister's eyes lit up.

It seems that my sister thinks that she is the most suitable candidate in Kiyoaki Matsueda's heart?

Regardless of what Kiyoyuki Matsueda was thinking, the conversation between Kiyoaki Matsueda and Rinko Tokugawa turned to negotiations with theaters.

In Japan's film screening industry, there are two factions: cinema chains and individual theaters.

Under the theater line, there are also Chinese paintings (local) and foreign paintings (imported).

The so-called cinema chain is a contract signed between a film distribution company and individual cinemas, forming these scattered cinemas into a whole. Once a film is released in this cinema chain, all cinemas in this cinema chain must show this film.

Japan's cinema chains are basically monopolized by the three giants Toho, Shochiku and Toei.

Being released in theaters means having the opportunity to be shown in more cinemas, but it also means having to pay more money to the theaters.

Generally speaking, the box office revenue of a movie is shared 50% each between the production committee and the cinema chain.

The single-theater system is the so-called mini cinema.

When the single-theater system first emerged, it was a screening model for pornographic films that were not suitable for the general public, art films, or niche films that did not have the support of big capital.

The scale of release is usually relatively small, with only a few dozen screens opening.

If a single-theater screening becomes popular, other cinemas and theater chains will come to the door on their own initiative.

Among the three major cinema chains in Japan, Toho is controlled by the Ishihara family and accounts for 40% of the market share.

"I've talked to Shochiku and Toei. If we can achieve outstanding results in a single theater, they are willing to risk offending the Ishihara family and let us release the film in their theaters. But if the results are not good, then there is no need to discuss it..."

Tokugawa Rinko's words were like a reassurance.

"That's enough. Well, Rinko, you're awesome..." Kiyoaki Matsueda breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the beautiful woman in front of him, thinking how comfortable it was to have a considerate and capable partner.

I don’t know what’s wrong with some people. They actually say that Rinko, who is so gentle and quiet, is an ice beauty and even nicknamed her "Snow Girl". They are really blind.

"Oh, right, I remembered something last night." Tokugawa Rinko looked at him, "The project of 'The Time-Traveling Girl' should be able to be written into a single volume, right? If it can be written, wouldn't it be possible to publish it in 'Shincho' and increase the exposure of the upcoming animation?"

"I've also thought about what you said." Matsueda Kiyoaki nodded in agreement.

Generally speaking, there is a novel first, and then it is adapted into an animated film.

Only those star producers who already have their own fans would be afraid of spoiling the ending and would wait until the movie is released before publishing a separate book to make money.

For example, in the case of Makoto Shinkai’s movies, basically the movies are released first, and then the books are published, and they can sell well relying on the word-of-mouth of the movies… This model is good, but it is not suitable for Kiyoaki Matsueda and Rinko Tokugawa now.

"It would definitely be good to publish a single volume, but I don't have the time to write it recently... However, I have a candidate in mind. It seems that her contract with the original publisher has expired recently. I'll see if I can get her for free."

"Hmm?" Tokugawa Rinko seemed to have heard some strange words.

Songeda Qingxian smiled and said nothing more: "Wait for my news."

The person he was thinking of was the popular romance writer, Kiyono Yuko.

The three-year rookie contract that Yuko Kiyono signed when she debuted has expired, and she seems to be struggling with the issue of her next career... If this novel can be published under her pen name, it will probably attract many of her fans.

But she seems to have some opinions about herself...

"Let's see if I can persuade her to sign with Xinchao and help her write this novel..."

In order to save production costs, Kiyoaki Matsueda has tried his best to treat everyone he knows as cheap labor... every single one of them will be caught and exploited.

very good!

His career had just started, but he already showed the true nature of a black-hearted capitalist!
(End of this chapter)