In Huayu, the career reward is spy

Chapter 232 Kowtowing and Apologizing!

How much impact would it have if several influential companies across Asia joined forces to promote a movie or a news story?
Almost all of Southeast Asia is having television programs discussing the Initial D accident.

It seems to have turned into an international diplomatic incident rather than an accident in a movie.

Discussions ranged from car culture to national culture, and then to cultural exchanges and business dealings.

Regardless of how big or small the problem is, they're going to exaggerate it.

Otherwise, why would anyone pay attention?

Online, related reports flooded the internet like snowflakes, with news about Ji Yu and the "Initial D" crew dominating the front pages of major news websites.

The forum is filled with countless posts, each with an eye-catching title.

"Through Initial D, we can see the attitude of a great power and the mindset of a small country in cultural exchanges between the two nations."

"The Initial D film crew has been involved in a serious incident in Japan, with the target being superstar Ji Yu!"

"Ji Yu, while filming Initial D in Japan, has faced threats to his personal safety from extremist groups! The film crew has been suspended for several days!"

A flood of all sorts of nonsensical articles appeared, and Ji Yu's fans, like soldiers hearing a rallying cry, instantly became active.

They sat in front of their computers, frantically forwarding and commenting on various forums, sharing their support and love for their idols.

Ji Yu only goes abroad a few times a year, so they must let their idols see their passion!

Forget about Japan, come to Southeast Asia, and I'll show you striptease!

Asian countries generally share the same sentiment towards a mundane life: they'll vent their frustrations whenever they get the chance.

Forget the reasons, just criticize it!
After the public outcry escalated, everyone in the production crew became happy.

Liu Weiqiang was both happy and worried. On the one hand, he was overjoyed by the overwhelming popularity of the film, knowing that the box office would definitely be good once it was released.

On the other hand, he was in a hurry to film, and the longer the filming dragged on, the greater the variables would become.

At that moment, he paced back and forth in the crew's temporary rest area, muttering, "Where did Ji Yu run off to again? Aren't you going to make a move?"

The other staff members were incredibly excited and gathered together to discuss the future of the film.

"This is bound to be a huge hit! With this level of hype, it's impossible for it not to become a sensation!"

A young production assistant's eyes lit up as he excitedly exclaimed, "We might just make several hundred million at the box office! Japan is a huge box office market!"

Ji Yu, who was orchestrating all of this, was not in the hotel at the moment.

He remained calm and showed no signs of excitement.

He had instructed Jiang Zhiqiang to do all of this; he had anticipated it all along.

The purpose was to put pressure on the local government to allow them to continue filming.

However, the time is not right yet; let's raise the hype even higher.

There is only one chance to put pressure on the local area, and we must be absolutely certain of success.

Now that I have nothing to do, it's a good idea to go out for a stroll. I'll take Shu Chang and Liu Qianqian to go go-karting.

At the go-kart track, the roar of engines filled the air. Shu Chang, sitting in his go-kart, shouted excitedly, "Brother Ji Yu, teach me how to drive faster!"

Ji Yu walked over with a smile and patiently explained the operating techniques to her.

Liu Qianqian listened attentively from the side, her eyes revealing her longing to drive.

After they went go-karting, Ji Yu took them to try some Japanese snacks.

The three of them sat in a small shop on the street, just like in a Japanese drama.

We ate, chatted, and drank some sake, which was quite relaxing, and I didn't feel bad about the filming being disrupted at all.

The commotion abroad also reached Japan, attracting a large number of Japanese car enthusiasts who joined the discussion.

Let's discuss the technology, the right and wrong of this matter, and the dignity of Japanese motorsport culture.

The jumble of information and topics acted as a catalyst, making the discussion even more intense.

Public opinion in Japan finally began to boil over, and Ji Yu had been waiting for this opportunity.

At this point, public opinion was high enough that more and more people were paying attention.

It's time to go out and give interviews to create pressure.

Several well-known Japanese media outlets have been trying to interview Ji Yu for the past few days, but have been unsuccessful despite trying various methods.

Ji Yu had been refusing to appear, but now they've finally received news that he's willing to be interviewed, which has made them incredibly excited!

"Finally, we can interview Ji Yu! This is huge news! It's no fun if the person involved doesn't come forward!"

A young reporter's eyes gleamed with excitement, and his voice was somewhat excited.

"Yes, Ji Yu hasn't given any interviews since he arrived in Japan. This opportunity is too good to pass up, so we must prepare well!"

The media outlets that received the invitations quickly gathered their team members to discuss the interview outline.

However, during the interview, Ji Yu didn't play by the rules and immediately played his trump card.

Dressed formally, Ji Yu frowned slightly, nodded slightly to the reporter's camera, and looked very haggard with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

Reporters all sensed that big news was coming!
Is there really some hidden story behind this?
Ji Yu looked at them and slowly said, "I have already made it very clear about the competition with Mr. Iida and the unexpected incident, and Mr. Iida has also acknowledged the facts."

I don't want to comment further on this topic. Today, I want to apologize through the media and to all the car enthusiasts and Initial D fans.

The reporter frantically pressed the camera shutter, and the flash made Ji Yu look like Thor descending to earth.

Ji Yu looked at the live broadcast camera of Fuji TV and said, "The crew received a notice from the local authorities the day after the accident, and Initial D was strictly prohibited from continuing to film here."

We have been actively communicating with the local government for the past few days, but the local government has not agreed to our request due to some special reasons.

The production team has been looking for other shooting options over the past few days, but ultimately failed to find a suitable alternative.

Initial D is a classic! We wanted to recreate the scenes from the original work in a completely authentic way, and it was really hard to find a more suitable filming location.

Out of respect for the original work and for racing culture, we have decided to abandon the Initial D movie project!
Once again, I apologize to all the fans who have been waiting so long!

The reporters erupted in uproar after Ji Yu finished speaking.

In the end what happened?
Are they just going to abandon a movie that cost so much money to make?
Given the immense popularity of this film project, abandoning such an excellent film project would be as absurd as a capitalist saying "I don't love money!"
Can you reveal the reason why filming was prohibited?

"Who is preventing you from continuing filming and scouting?"

"Aren't there any other filming locations?"

Upon hearing the question he wanted to hear, Ji Yu immediately said, "We originally hoped to film classic Japanese manga works in this land that loves racing culture."

I personally love this comic and have great respect for it, and even more so for the racing culture I love. Therefore, I cannot allow any flaws in this film. Only this mountain road is most faithful to the original work, and I don't want to compromise on it. The entire creative team was also unwilling to compromise.

I regret this outcome and hope everyone can understand!

After Ji Yu finished speaking, he turned and left immediately, and all the reporters who tried to ask him questions were stopped.

The reporter wanted to create a big story, and this time they really did!
Ji Yu's remarks were like a boulder thrown into a lake of public opinion, instantly creating ripples.

The news quickly spread in newspapers and magazines, and major media outlets followed up with reports.

Ji Yu's remarks revealed a deep respect for culture, the work, and art; yet, can't such respect justify continuing filming here?!
He did not receive the respect and reward he deserved!
This really excited everyone, and media outlets outside of Japan started bombarding the media with reports.

They complained about the inherent flaws of ordinary people, saying that they fear power but not morality, and that they are like dogs, even less loyal than dogs.

The reaction from the Japanese media was not as intense, but it was roughly the same.

Why won't you allow filming?
Was it because of the car accident? Or because Ida lost the competition? Was he feeling ashamed and angry?
The local government's decision to prevent the film crew from continuing filming quickly came to the public's attention.

This was like stirring up a hornet's nest, and many Initial D manga fans couldn't sit still.

Damn it, even if you don't want to watch, I still want to watch!
A top Asian film team and top drift drivers are bringing together a 1:1 replica of a classic comic!
If you miss this opportunity, you may never find another person like Ji Yu in your lifetime!
Ji Yu's passion and respect moved these fans and earned their heartfelt approval.

Preventing Ji Yu from filming is not only disrespectful to Ji Yu, but also to Initial D and to the fans who love this work!

They protested outside the media office, holding signs that read "Support Ji Yu, support the filming of Initial D".

Meanwhile, they also spoke out on online forums, expressing their support for Ji Yu and their dissatisfaction with the local government's actions in earnest words.

Many people in the Japanese entertainment industry have also come forward to express their support.

Takeshi Kitano even spent half an hour criticizing someone on a variety show.

When Ji Yu saw that program, he couldn't help but admire the old man.

They really criticize everyone; they don't hold back at all when they start firing at someone.

A reporter from Fuji Television even went to interview the manga artist.

Sitting in the Fujiwara family's AE86, he spoke with particular melancholy and anger:

"Ji Yu has always respected Initial D, racing culture, and Japan."

He put so much effort into this film; the Japanese side should offer him support!
How can they treat a creator who put their heart into it like this? Is this the kind of mentality Japan has?!
This practice hinders cultural exchange and dissemination! Will people from other countries still be willing to adapt and promote Japanese manga in the future?
Ji Yu is also promoting the D1 drifting competition and motorsport culture in China! He doesn't deserve this result and attitude! We should all respect him!

Every word he spoke was filled with his love for the work and his admiration for Ji Yu.

When Ji Yu saw the news, he felt quite embarrassed, but he was just pretending.

If he weren't afraid of wasting so much money, he would have quit long ago.

With the support and statements of various public figures, many citizens also joined the condemnation, feeling that the local Japanese government's actions were too petty.

"This is like a sore loser resorting to cheating! Ji Yu won the competition based on his own ability, but they are using this method to obstruct filming. It's really unacceptable!"

People are expressing their dissatisfaction online.

There aren't many people who truly support Ji Yu; most are just blindly following the crowd.

They are also dissatisfied with society and need an outlet to vent their frustrations.

Whether Ji Yu makes movies or not has nothing to do with them; what they really think is just finding an excuse to criticize the officials.

Some people even use this public opinion to their own advantage.

However, Ji Yu didn't care what they were thinking, nor did he expect them to be reasonable; he just wanted them to stand up and say a few words of criticism.

Under intense public pressure, the local Japanese government finally couldn't sit still any longer.

The officials were thrown into a panic by the flood of criticism.

Those who had initially believed their decision was correct were now gathered in the meeting room in silence, the atmosphere so oppressive it was suffocating.

A man with a receding hairline kept flipping through the compiled media news, his brows furrowed into a tight knot.

"So many people abroad are paying attention too? How are we going to handle this?"

One person slumped into a chair and sighed, "Some media outlets say that this incident is likely to affect the tourism industry and may even reignite anti-Japanese sentiment internationally. Ji Yu has a lot of influence and too many fans, many of whom are young people."

These words silenced everyone even more. "Don't make it sound so scary," they thought, "it makes them sound like criminals against the country."

At this moment, a middle-aged man wearing glasses said, "My son is traveling in China. He said that the people there are somewhat resistant. If Ji Yu returns to China and says some bad things, the impact will really expand."

Everyone: "." Here we go again, trying to scare us!

We can't take the blame for something like that!
If they were to carry someone, they would have to find someone to carry them, and everyone's eyes turned to a man in the corner.

This time it's your turn to bow and apologize!

Under pressure from public opinion, their attitude underwent a complete 180-degree change.

He immediately contacted the production team, his tone somewhat ingratiating:

“The decision was made by our staff on their own, a serious violation of work regulations. We have already severely punished them, and you are still allowed to continue filming here! We have always been very supportive of cultural exchange and artistic creation!”

In an attempt to calm public sentiment, they then held a press conference to showcase their acting skills.

Bowing in apology, kneeling in apology, kowtowing in apology, admitting all kinds of mistakes, making all kinds of promises and guarantees, and then there are all kinds of fancy apologies.

Inside the hotel, everyone watched the news with smiles on their faces.

Ji Yu turned to Shu Chang and Liu Qianqian and said, "See that? Japan's apology culture is so professional, isn't it?"

Shu Chang snorted and said, "The fact that they have an apology culture only shows that they have done too many bad things and are extremely hypocritical!"

Ji Yu immediately gave a thumbs up and said, "You hit the nail on the head! When you're looking for a boyfriend in the future, if you encounter someone who constantly says 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you,' don't pay any attention to them. They're either scumbags or complete jerks."

Liu Qianqian seemed to be deep in thought, feeling that she had learned a lot.

Shu Chang grinned mischievously and asked in a low voice, "And you? Do you like to apologize? Do you like to say 'I love you'?"

"Am I that kind of person?" Ji Yu asked without batting an eye.

Shu Chang nodded in agreement, "You're a high-class scumbag! Not only do you not apologize, but you're also incredibly domineering!"

Just as Ji Yu was about to tap her on the head, Liu Weiqiang excitedly ran over, hugged Ji Yu, and said:
"Haha, you're really good at causing trouble. Damn it, you dared to stop me from filming? Now you'd better be begging for forgiveness! Awesome!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the crew burst into laughter.

These people are truly arrogant when they're arrogant, but when they're cowardly, they'll fucking kneel down.

That's the behavior of a complete scoundrel!
(End of this chapter)