Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

Chapter 310: A CEO with a habit of being a wimp?

7 o'clock the next morning.

"Boom boom boom!"

The knock on the door woke Lin Yuan from his dream.

"Lin Yuan-san, it's time to get up."

When Lin Yuan walked out of the room and entered the bathroom, he found that GAKKI had already prepared a toothbrush and towel for him.

Toothpaste is thoughtfully squeezed on the toothbrush. It’s so good to have a woman at home!
When he finished washing up, he was surprised to find that GAKKI had changed into a professional suit:

She wore a dark grey slim-fitting suit on the upper body and a suit skirt of the same colour on the lower body. It was not the kind of hip skirt that would flatter men but a straight-cut style, which made her look professional and capable.

"You shouldn't have prepared traditional costumes like flying fish clothes, right?" asked GAKKI.

"Of course not." Lin Yuan replied.

This is not a press conference or a public occasion like a red carpet walk, so Lin Yuan naturally won't dress up.

"Mr. Lin Yuan came with only a backpack, so he probably didn't bring a suit, right?" GAKKI asked again.

Lin Yuan then remembered that he had only brought a few sets of casual clothes including T-shirts and jeans.

If you are in North America and meeting other investors or company bosses, this kind of dress is not very formal, but it is barely acceptable.

After all, the people in Silicon Valley have long spread this casual dressing style, and everyone has gradually become accustomed to it.

But today he is in Japan. If he dresses like this to meet Nobuyuki Idei, it will definitely be seen as disrespectful to him in the eyes of the conservative Japanese. It is hard to say what kind of complications this will cause.

Lin Yuan planned to go to the mall to buy some clothes first, and then go to Sony.

But at this time, GAKKI took out a box of folded suits from under the table and placed it in front of him:
"I have your usual clothes at home, so don't worry."

Really?
It really feels more and more like home.

After Lin Yuan changed into his suit, he and GAKKI-chan ate the breakfast she had prepared.

After the table was cleared, GAKKI took out his notebook and said seriously:
"Mr. Lin Yuan, your trip to Japan this time is arranged as follows."

"This morning at ten o'clock, you will go to Sony's headquarters to meet with Mr. Nobuyuki Idei to discuss cooperation matters."

"Then, based on the results of the initial communication, a decision will be made as to whether to attend any possible Sony board meeting."

"Tonight we will stay at Kuonji Temple in Mount Fuji. I have already reserved a Zen room."

After hearing GAKKI-chan's report on his formation, Lin Yuan nodded to show that he understood.

Even if he and Nobuyuki Idei could reach a preliminary agreement today, it would not be finalized immediately.

Matters such as investment must be approved by the board of directors.

What's more, Lin Yuan also prepared another matter that he wanted to promote, which could not be avoided at the company meeting.

If Nobuyuki Idei can convene a board meeting in the short term, Lin Yuan may be able to attend.

The Company Law stipulates that all directors and supervisors must be notified ten days in advance of the convening of a board meeting.

However, if everyone can arrange the time, it will often be held earlier.

After the meeting with Nobuyuki Idei, Lin Yuan requested to go to Mount Fuji to see the cherry blossoms.

But he didn't expect that GAKKI-chan would directly arrange a trip to Kuonji Temple for him.

This arrangement is really great. Not only can you visit Mount Fuji and enjoy the cherry blossoms, but you can also complete the four major temple touring tasks given by the system.

[The host and Yui Aragaki reached an agreement to visit the four major temples. ]

Please visit the remaining two temples in summer and autumn respectively.

【After completion, the host will receive a mysterious reward! 】

The mission of visiting the four major temples has been more than half completed, plus this summer visit to Jiuyuan Temple.

All that was left was an autumn trip. What exactly would the mysterious reward be? Lin Yuan was eagerly anticipating it.

"These are the two confirmed itineraries. There is one pending itinerary that needs to be confirmed with you." said GAKKI.

"What? You said."

"Mr. Kamiizumi Sainao, Mr. Tsukahara Nobutomo, and Mr. Yagyu Norimitsu, knowing that you have come to Japan, would like to request an audience with you," said GAKKI.

Who?
The Japanese Kendo trio.

Lin Yuan suddenly remembered the three apprentices he accepted when he first came to Japan.

They helped me a lot, whether it was settling GAKKI's agency contract at the time, or helping Lin Yuan build momentum later, and even supporting Lin Yuan every time his movie was released in Japan.

Now that I think about it, it seems like I haven’t fulfilled my responsibilities as a master.
Now that someone has requested a meeting, it would be inappropriate to hide away.

So Lin Yuan replied: "Okay, it's time to meet them. Please help me arrange the time."

After hearing Lin Yuan's reply, GAKKI-chan wrote it down in her notebook and said, "Then arrange for them to come to Jiuyuan Temple to see you."

"It's time for us to set off now!" GAKKI-chan stood up and said.

I have to say, she looks like a pretty secretary in her professional attire today.

Coupled with her performance just now, she looked more like a secretary.

As we all know, in places like Japan, the little secretary in the familiar Japanese dramas always evokes unusual associations.

The secretary has something to do, it’s okay...

cough~
What a greasy idea! Lin Yuan threw the thought out of his mind.

……

……

GAKKI drove Lin Yuan to the Sony headquarters building located at 1-7-1 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo.

The two of them didn't talk much in the car, and Lin Yuan seemed to be thinking about something all the way.

"Are you worried?" GAKKI asked.

"What do you think is the best way to persuade a stubborn person?" Lin Yuan asked.

"Nani?"

Of course, Lin Yuan was referring to Sony Chairman and CEO Nobuyuki Idei.

Among all the Sony CEOs, Nobuyuki Idei may be the only one who is labeled as both the "most successful CEO" and the "worst CEO".

He once brought the debt-ridden Sony back to its peak, but also caused Sony's development to decline for more than ten years.

The turning point happened in 2003.

At this time, Nobuyuki Idei had just led Sony to achieve peak performance. In October 2003, he proposed an even more ambitious "Transformation 10" plan:
That is, three years later, on Sony's 60th anniversary, the group's profit margin reached 10%, which was five times the profit margin in 2002;
To implement this plan, he plans to lay off about 2 employees in three years, close some factories, and adjust the electronics business department.

The budget is allocated to new product technology lines, and the company is preparing to invest $45 billion in the research and development of new chips.

This action can be simply understood as: great effort makes miracles happen, while careless gambling can only lead to the fate of the country (company)!
It is indeed very Japanese, with a strong Showa flavor.

But Nobuyuki Idei made the wrong bet and did not choose the right path.

This major decision-making mistake caused Sony to miss out on two important future markets: digital music and LCD screens, and started a period of decline that lasted for more than ten years.

He himself was forced to step down in 2005 amidst a wave of doubts.

Now that Lin Yuan is going to invest in Sony, it would be inappropriate for him to watch his own company suddenly stumble.

But how can we convince such a stubborn leader?

(End of this chapter)