Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 553 Emission of Impurities
The night air in Tokyo is cool.

Sitting in the car on the way back to his residence, Chen Nuo opened the window and let the wind blow in for a while to clear his slightly tipsy mind. Then he smiled and said, "This is all thanks to you. If it weren't for how well the drama 'Legal High' was made, Inoue wouldn't have taken the initiative to contact me today."

Indeed, Japanese workplace culture is deeply ingrained.

Even though he had known Miyazawa Eri for so long, and they could even be considered friends, now that he was the boss, the woman beside him immediately lowered her head and said, "I really don't deserve it... Actually, it was all thanks to Director Liu. I didn't do anything at all."

Director Liu. Chen Nuo couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, Eri, I know what kind of person she is. It's good enough that she doesn't cause you any trouble."

Eri Miyazawa looked even more embarrassed and lowered her head, saying, "No, Mr. Chen, Director Liu really..."

Chen Nuo waved his hand, stopping her from continuing, and then said, "Legal High's success today is largely due to your contribution. I'd like to know, how are the preparations for the second part going?"

“Gakki-chan is fine with it and is very cooperative. It’s just that Sakai-kun has already taken on a new role in the first half of next year, and filming may not start until June or July.”

Chen Nuo was somewhat surprised, "He took on a new role?"

Eri Miyazawa said, "Yes. What's wrong, Mr. Chen? It's just that we really didn't expect LEGAL HIGH to have such good ratings, so when we signed the contract, we didn't impose any restrictions on the filming of the sequel. I'm sorry, it's all my fault." After saying that, she bowed again.

Chen Nuo said, "It has nothing to do with you, it's just..."

He scratched his head.

If Masato Sakai has already taken on a new drama in the first half of next year, and is going to film Legal High 2 in the second half of the year, then what will happen to Hanzawa Naoki, which Inoue Hiroshi just mentioned?

Undoubtedly, time and space shifted once again under his butterfly wings.

In his memory, although Legal High had an excellent reputation in his previous life, the ratings for the first season were not particularly high. It only became a niche hit among movie fans and Japanese drama forums, and it was only through word of mouth that the second season became a real sensation.

But this life is completely different.

From the start of the promotional period, Fuji Television used his relationship with the female lead, Yui Aragaki, as a gimmick and hyped it up extensively, which led to the premiere's viewership rating exceeding 21.8%. By the final episode, the viewership rating soared to 23.1%, with an average of 19.6% for the entire season, making it the highest-rated Japanese drama to date.

Even the new drama "PRICELESS" by Japanese superstar Takuya Kimura was overshadowed, and the two dramas released by TBS were completely crushed.

This is probably why Inoue Hiroshi was so eager to meet with him on his very first day in Japan.

In this situation, Yui Aragaki, who was not initially favored by Fuji Television, became an overnight sensation and one of the most sought-after actresses in 2012. It was only natural that Masato Sakai, the male lead, would take the opportunity to accept a new drama.

However, this leaves the role of the male lead in "Hanzawa Naoki" vacant.

The hit movie "Legal High" brought huge profits to Japan's Renewal Corporation.

As of now, the company's profit has reached 6.4 million yen, which is approximately 900 million US dollars.

This might not seem like much to him, but by current Japanese industry standards, it's almost equivalent to three years' worth of revenue for a medium-sized manufacturing company. For this corporation with fewer than ten employees, it's an outstanding achievement.

So, if they were to collaborate with a television station to produce another "Hanzawa Naoki" series, the revitalized Japanese branch's reputation would truly take off and establish itself in Japan.

Actually, since Masato Sakai doesn't have the time, the simplest solution is, of course, for him to act in the role.

From the perspective of the company's and his personal development, East Asia, with its three major countries as his base, has always lacked one or two works specifically targeting the Japanese market.

However, his schedule next year will definitely be prioritized for Quentin.

So after thinking it over, Chen Nuo decided that he could only wait until Quentin set the schedule before making any decisions.

His current itinerary for this trip to Japan is three days.

I met with Hiroshi Inoue tonight, and tomorrow night I'll meet with Hiroshi Toyoda from Fuji Film Studio. The day after tomorrow, I'll meet with Takeshi Kitano, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and others. After that, I can pack up and go to America for the premiere of "Cloud Atlas".

His accommodation, arranged by Eri Miyazawa, was a traditional courtyard house near Tokyo Tower. Originally the residence of a tea ceremony family in the early Showa era, it had three courtyards, stone lanterns, a pond, and a bamboo grove. Enclosed by high walls, and with Shiba Park nearby, it was extremely secluded, providing excellent hiding places for vehicles and security. Chen Nuo was certain that Eri couldn't possibly have booked the entire place; it was undoubtedly the work of her sister, Rie Miyazawa.

When they arrived, Linghu and Miyazawa Eri stopped in the second courtyard and went to their respective rooms to rest. He walked alone along the corridor to the innermost courtyard.

Before I even got there, I could hear people talking.

But his voice wasn't loud, so it wasn't very clear.

"Oh no, time's up, what should I do?"

"Caixia, don't be anxious..."

"Well, it was all your idea, sister, I don't care anymore..."

"How could you do this... Come on, help me."

Hearing those two familiar yet unfamiliar voices, Chen Nuo's heart raced a little.

To be honest, most of his motivation for traveling all the way to Japan was actually because of these two sisters.

Although eating too much can be a bit greasy and my body can't handle it, I haven't enjoyed it in a long time, and I really miss it.

The conversation inside the door continued.

"It's so heavy..."

"No, this guy..."

"...Sis, are you sure you want to do this? No wonder people call you a devil..."

"Shh, shut up, this is a surprise..."

Chen Nuo couldn't stand it any longer, so he suddenly flung open the door and asked with a smile, "What surprise?"

Then he froze.

Besides the two sisters I expected, there was another person inside the door.

It was a petite figure with long hair, lying face down on the tatami mat with her back to him, her hands tied behind her back with a ribbon, and her glasses covered.

When Kato Ayaka and Ayaka saw him come in, they were taken aback at first, then the two of them jumped up from the tatami and pounced into his arms from either side.

……

That night—

Again.

Such an absurd idea would have been rejected by Chen Nuo in any other country or place.

What the hell is this.

I'm talking about that girl.

This person's eyes were not only blindfolded with ribbons, but their hands were also tied behind their back with ribbons, and even their ears were completely plugged with earplugs, making them look like a delicate inflatable doll.

Of course, inflatable dolls from that era didn't have heating or humidifying functions, so some of the tactile sensations were definitely different.

Chen Nuo barely spoke during the process.

Even though Ayaka repeatedly assured him that "she couldn't hear anything," he still had the illusion that he was doing something wrong, and felt very guilty.

He didn't know how the girl had offended Kato Ayaka to lead to this arrangement.

Judging from what Miyazawa Eri said, it seems that the other party was acting voluntarily.

However, in such a closed-off country with self-consistent rules, when a girl whose face was obscured but whose twin ponytails and supple waist indicated she had just come of age appeared before him in such a way that she could only whimper, and the twin girls he had been reunited with were on either side of him, gently guiding and comforting him... all the impurities that had accumulated in his body for so long and had nowhere to go were suddenly and completely released.

As impurities are expelled, one feels refreshed and clean, as if one's entire body is made of crystal, and the next step is to become an immortal or a Buddha.

Then, after he returned from washing away the traces of impurities with Ayaka's help, the masked girl was gone, leaving only Ayaka sitting on the tatami mat, smiling at him.

He shook his head helplessly and said, "I'm really fed up with you guys. Don't do this again next time."

Ayaka knelt down, bowed her head to the floor, and said, "Yes, I understand. Mr. Chen, congratulations on winning the trophy in Venice and becoming the first Asian to do so. Ayaka and I are so happy for you, we wish we could fly to your side that day to congratulate you."

Chen Nuo squatted down, helped her up, and said helplessly, "Didn't you two exchange text messages before? I received your good intentions, so why did you have to do this?"

At this moment, Cai Xia, who was next to him, giggled and said, "Actually, my sister just wants you to go and help her."

Ayaka turned her head and said fiercely, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Caixia stuck out her tongue and hid behind Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo looked down and saw that under the lamplight, the beauty's cheeks were flushed with shyness. The girl who had just come of age when they first met had grown into a graceful young woman.

The impurities that had just been expelled seemed to return to the body in an instant.

Ayaka, nestled in his arms, noticed his change immediately. She let out a small gasp, then stroked him with her hand before looking up at him with a complex expression on her face. Her eyes reflected the dim candlelight in the room, as if they held a sky full of stars.

She let out a soft moan and buried her head in her hands.

After half an hour.

Chen Nuo washed up again.

This time, however, she was accompanied by a different person.

In this matter, Ayaka has always been dissatisfied and unwilling to admit defeat, so she was the one who suffered the most just now.

He had by then fallen into a deep sleep.

So Caihua helped Chen Nuo put on a dark robe, and the two lay down and chatted quietly.

Having not seen each other for so long, we naturally have a lot to talk about.

After several years of development, AKB48, this year, has completely transformed from a niche group in Akihabara into a national idol group in Japan.

The 4th AKB48 General Election, held on June 6, 2012, took place at the Nippon Budokan and was broadcast live nationwide by Nippon Television. It achieved a peak viewership rating of 28.4%, setting a record in the history of Japanese idol talent shows.

Moreover, AKB48's consecutive singles easily sold over 1 million copies each, dominating the Oricon Singles Chart for seven consecutive years, even surpassing the most popular groups at the time, such as Johnny's and EXILE.

Commercially, AKB48's main members also made rapid progress, with their images appearing on giant LED screens in Tokyo's Ginza district almost year-round in 2012.

When Chen Nuo heard Caihua mention that she and Caixia had taken on nearly 40 advertising endorsements in just one year, covering almost all consumer sectors such as beverages, snacks, telecommunications, fashion, cosmetics, and education,

He couldn't help but widen his eyes and confirm, "38?!"

Ayaka nodded and smiled a little shyly.

Chen Nuo smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "Great job. Your aunt must be very happy now, right?"

Caihua hummed in agreement and said, "When I visited her last time, my aunt told us not to forget who made us who we are today." Chen Nuo smiled wryly and said, "Why are you still talking about this? Actually, if you ask me, it's all thanks to yourselves."

Ayaka didn't refute him, but looked at him with a gentle expression on her face.

As with everything in the past, she never argued with him.

What the girl would do was smile, hiding all her words in her star-like eyes.

Even with his extensive combat experience, Chen Nuo couldn't withstand the gaze and quickly changed the subject, asking, "Who was that person just now? What did they do to offend you?"

Ayaka said, "Her name is Watanabe Mayu..."

Since ancient times, wherever there is profit, there is also conflict; the greater the profit, the fiercer the strife.

AKB48, as a girl group, is no exception.

As a group becomes more popular and involves more and more interests, infighting and backstabbing are inevitable.

Since joining AKB48 in 2009, the Kato sisters have been known as the "Twin Demons." In several general elections, they have consistently held the top spot, making them the undisputed queens of popularity and firmly occupying the commanding heights of the group.

If this situation continues, it will naturally cause dissatisfaction among others.

In the 27th single general election in May, the two of them lost their popularity crown for the first time, with Maeda Atsuko winning, which fueled the "anti-shogunate storm" in the group.

Mayu Watanabe is one of the "anti-shogunate faction" members, and she has been aggressively demanding that Ayaka and Ayaka hand over the center position for their three-day concert at the Tokyo Dome a few days later.

Chen Nuo said with great distress, "I thought it was someone else, but I didn't expect it to be someone from your AKB48... Isn't this forcing good people into prostitution? This is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous."

Ayaka said, "It wasn't me, it was President Akimoto."

"Heh, if you weren't involved, would Akimoto Yasushi have done this? Do you think I believe that?"

"...Actually, this wasn't a punishment at all. Look at how she was at the end, she had peed so many times, the whole sheet was soaked."

"Um, what does she look like? Do you have a picture? Can I see it?"

Men, when they're excited, their brains don't think straight, but after they've calmed down, they always start to wonder if they've been taken advantage of.

Fortunately, Chen Nuo looked at the photos on Caihua's phone and felt that it was alright, and he hadn't suffered too much of a loss.

"Actually, she's just an idiot. The real bad guy is Atsuko Maeda, but that woman is too cunning. She always gets these idiots to do her bidding, and I can't do anything about it. So, Chen-kun, can you come to the concert on the 1st?"

"The 1st?" Chen Nuo was a little hesitant. He calculated the time and realized that if he watched the concert on the 1st, it would be a bit tight for him to make it to the premiere of "Cloud Atlas" in Los Angeles on the 3rd.

Seeing his hesitation, Ayaka immediately said, "If it doesn't work out, then forget it. Your matter is more important."

Chen Nuo looked at her, thought for a moment, and said, "Okay, I'll go."

"Ah! Really! Isn't that too much to ask of you?" Ayaka suddenly sat up, her face full of surprise.

Chen Nuo laughed and said, "It's okay, I have a bed on the plane."

"That's wonderful!" Ayaka said, her hands clasped together, her face full of longing. "You know, Chen-kun, my biggest wish has always been to sing for you on stage someday!"

"Really? Haha."

"Really, hahaha."

The two looked at each other and laughed.

While the two of them were out of sight of the shadows, at some point, another adorable little face slowly opened its eyes, revealing a deep smile amidst laughter.

The next day, Chen Nuo really didn't expect that when he woke up and went out, he would see Gulnazar standing in front of him.

He paused for a moment, then got a little angry and said, "Didn't I tell you to stay in America with Allison? I'm going back in a couple of days, what are you doing here?!"

He had barely finished speaking when he saw a glass of water that Gulnazar was holding.

The girl kept her head down and didn't say a word.

Chen Nuo paused for a few seconds, then reached out and took the water, asking irritably, "When did you arrive?"

"It's past 3 a.m.

"Linghu went to pick you up?"

"Ah."

Chen Nuo quickly calculated that the woman must have booked her plane ticket right after he left.

He stared at her for a while longer before finally shaking his head and saying, "Go and rest, get some rest and adjust to the time difference. I'll stay here during the day and not go anywhere else. Come with me to meet a guest tonight."

“Okay, boss.” Gulnazar perked up immediately and said loudly.

Then he chuckled again, glanced behind him, and asked furtively in a low voice, "Boss, who's in there...?"

"roll!"

……

Fortunately, Gulnazar arrived a day late; otherwise, the matter of Ayaka and Ayaka would have been one thing, but going to eat Nyotaimori (female body sushi) was still a bit... something.

The banquet hosted by Fuji Television the following day was much more normal than that hosted by TBS the day before.

The location was a high-end geisha house in Shinbashi, Tokyo, which he had never been to before.

The paper lanterns cast a dim yellow glow, the incense burner emitted fragrant smoke, and accompanied by the gentle strains of the shamisen, geishas danced gracefully, the sounds of string and wind instruments lingering in the air.

Listening to the wailing and screaming, he and Fuji Television's president, Hiroshi Toyota, clinked glasses and chatted quite pleasantly at first. They had initially agreed that, in addition to LEGAL HIGH, their companies would also collaborate on other projects, such as Sino-Japanese co-productions.

But as the drinking progressed, President Toyota surprisingly proposed establishing a Greater East Asia Film Co-prosperity Association and appointing him as its first president.

Upon hearing the name, Chen Nuo nearly slapped him across the face, his expression immediately darkening. Although Feng Tianhao apologized repeatedly afterward, Chen Nuo lost all interest in sitting down.

That evening, Chen Nuo had originally reserved time for Yui Aragaki, and Yui Aragaki did indeed come and sit next to him. However, fueled by alcohol and resentment towards her, after the party ended, he didn't even glance at the woman and simply walked away.

The Ayaka sisters went to prepare for their concert, leaving him alone in his empty room.

When the alcohol took effect, he vaguely saw a woman sitting next to him, who would bring him ice water whenever he was thirsty. When he woke up the next day, it all seemed like a dream.

The next day, he met with Takeshi Kitano and Hirokazu Kore-eda at the geisha house where he had lived for a long time and where the Kato sisters were born.

To be honest, for Chen Nuo, coming here felt almost like coming home.

However, as the Kato sisters' fame grew, the privacy here was no longer what it used to be, and fans would occasionally come to check in, so it was no longer suitable for him to stay.

That evening, in addition to exchanging pleasantries with a group of old friends, including Mrs. Kato, he also received an unexpected invitation to a movie.

Hirokazu Kore-eda wants to cast him in a new film next year.

However, TV series are fine, they're simple and easy, but he has already set a principle of only making one film a year for movies, which is a highly demanding and time-consuming genre, so he absolutely cannot accept such projects.

Hirokazu Kore-eda couldn't help but sigh with regret and recite a poem.

Chen Nuo didn't understand it at the time, but it wasn't until the next day when he happened to remember it and asked Miyazawa Eri that he learned it was a famous line from Matsuo Bashō, which means: "Spring is going away, the birds are crying, and even the fish seem to have tears in their eyes."

Well, no wonder he's a follower of Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang; he's incredibly artistic.

And so, on November 1, 2012, AKB48 held the first day of their "Dream Stage Three-Day Concert" at Tokyo Dome.

The three of them who arrived at the Tokyo Dome were so shocked that Gulnazar screamed, and even Chen Nuo couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

Outside the stadium, there was a huge crowd.

Those fans who couldn't get tickets were unwilling to miss seeing their idols, so they all gathered around the Taipei Arena.

In the parking lot, satellite broadcasting vans from major television stations were parked in a dense row: NHK, Japan, TBS, Fuji, Asahi... almost all of them were there.

On the large screen outside the venue, a series of promotional videos were played on a loop. Every time the chorus was played, tens of thousands of fans gathered outside the venue would shout support slogans in unison, creating a deafening roar.

……

However, the volume of noise outside the venue was still nothing compared to the deafening screams inside the venue at the start of the concert.

At this moment, Chen Nuo was sitting in a VIP box directly opposite the main stage on the first floor of the Tokyo Dome.

Looking out from here, the glow sticks waved by 55,000 spectators create a dazzling sea of ​​light.

When the girls in their stage outfits took to the stage, the entire audience waved their glow sticks simultaneously, and screams erupted in a frenzy.

Chen Nuo couldn't help but admire it.

You'll never see a scene like this in a movie theater.

He turned his head and said calmly to Akimoto Yasushi beside him:
"Akimoto-kun, congratulations, you've finally succeeded."

Akimoto Yasushi's heart skipped a beat.

Oops!

If someone else had said that, he would probably have been smug, since his position in AKB48 was so absolute that he was indeed considered successful.

But the person sitting next to me right now is Chen Nuo.

Putting everything else aside, just look at those friends who have been repeatedly featured in the news these past few days—you can't even get a meeting with any of them if you hand them your business card.

Even the TBS director, who couldn't wait to announce the cooperation through the news, was someone that Akimoto Yasushi tried desperately to curry favor with but couldn't get close to.

Moreover, there are even more unbelievable rumors, the kind that are currently forbidden from being circulated by the public.

Furthermore, filling the Tokyo Dome to over 50,000 seats is indeed the pinnacle achievement for idol groups.

But from another perspective, how many people around the world go to the cinema just for a movie like "Inception"?
Right now, how many people are sitting in front of their computers waiting for the update of "Eagle Catches Chickens"?

When such a person congratulates him, Akimoto Yasushi is certain that there must be a deeper meaning behind it.

hateful!

Sure enough, Watanabe Mayu could never satisfy such a person.
Akimoto Yasushi quickly sat up straight, lowered his posture even further, forced a smile on his face, and said respectfully, "Mr. Chen, actually, my thought has always been that as long as AKB48 exists, Ayaka and Ayaka will always be in the center position!"

(End of this chapter)