I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema

Chapter 89: To take back "Anzhiju"! The hypocritical crocodile is here!

The hangover headache was like a dull, rusty chisel, hammering at Hashijita's temple again and again.

He slowly opened his eyes.

What came into view was the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling of his own bedroom, and the air was filled with an unpleasant smell mixed with alcohol and sourness.

The fragments of memory were like shattered mirrors, scattered in his mind.

He only remembered that he drank a lot of alcohol, smashed a lot of things, and cried and screamed like a madman.

And then... I don't remember anything.

"you're awake?"

A tired voice came from the side.

He turned around and saw his wife, Minami Hashimoto, sitting quietly by the bed with a glass of warm water.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and her face, which should have been gentle, was full of the haggardness after staying up late. However, the eyes that looked at him did not contain the blame and disgust he expected, but only a worry that made him feel ashamed.

"Ichiro, drink some water." She gently handed the cup to his mouth.

Hashijitaro struggled to sit up, his throat was so dry that it felt like it was on fire. He took the cup of water and drank it all in one gulp. The warm liquid slid down his esophagus, but it couldn't warm his already cold heart.

"Minami...I..." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that his voice was hoarse as if it had been polished with sandpaper.

"Yesterday... Mr. Nohara came." Hashimoto Minami didn't look at him. She just lowered her head and gently placed a fine-textured off-white business card next to the pillow at the head of the bed.

On it, printed in gold-plated font, was a name that he would never forget in his life.

——Nohara Hiroshi.

"Nohara...Sensei? Nohara Hiroshi!?"

Hashijitaro's body trembled violently. He looked at the business card, then at his wife, confusion emerging in his hollow eyes: "He...what is he doing here? Why would he..."

"I called Suzuki-sensei."

Hashimoto Minami's voice was soft, but it was like a heavy hammer, striking Hashimoto Ichiro's heart hard:

"You were so scary last night. I... I didn't know what to do. I could only think of him, so I called Mr. Suzuki. And Mr. Suzuki... he also heard you crying last night, so he was very worried about you."

Suzuki Sensei...

This name was like a key, instantly opening the floodgates of Hashijita Ichiro's memory.

The senior who always had a stern face but would silently shoulder all the responsibility for him when he made a mistake; the mentor who promoted him from the Kanto local station when he was at his lowest point and gave him the Tokyo dream...

The guilt that he had suppressed in the deepest part of his heart with jealousy and ambition, burst out at this moment like a flood that broke through the dam!

“Wow…Wow—!”

He could no longer hold on. This man who had struggled in the workplace for half his life, clinging to the last bit of pitiful dignity of a man, buried his head deeply in his arms like a child, and let out a suppressed and painful cry.

In that cry, there was regret, unwillingness, hatred for one's own stupidity, and boundless despair for the future.

Minami Hashimoto didn't say anything, but just reached out her hand and gently stroked his back, which was trembling due to the violent twitching.

The mature, beautiful but tired face had red eyes and tears welled up in them.

She knew that Hashimoto had indeed done something wrong.

and……

She almost made a mistake.

Fortunately, Hashijitaro met a good mentor, and she also met a true gentleman.

Finally the crying subsided.

Hashijitaro raised his tear-stained face and slapped himself twice with a force that was almost self-abuse.

"Crack! Crack!"

The crisp sound was particularly harsh in the quiet room.

He picked up the phone, his fingers trembling, and dialed the number that he was once most familiar with, but now seemed to carry a great deal of weight.

The call was quickly answered.

"...Suzuki...Teacher." He choked and only called out the name before he couldn't say anything else.

"...It's Ichiro." Suzuki Seito on the other end of the phone let out a long sigh full of pain.

He didn't scold or blame.

"Ichiro, everyone makes mistakes in their life. Making a mistake isn't scary. What's scary is not even having the courage to stand up and start over."

"Nohara-kun...he went over last night. He told me that if I was willing to bow my head, he would be willing to give me another chance."

"Call Nohara-kun. He asked you to meet him in his classroom."

The call was disconnected and Hashijitaro's tears silently slid down his cheeks.

He looked at the business card on the bedside table. The name on it seemed to carry a burning heat that made him dare not look directly at it.

In the end, he reached out and picked up the thin business card that would determine the fate of his second half of life.

……

"So, Section Chief, are you really going to forgive that traitor?"

In the office of [Nohara Hiroshi · Special Production Team], Minamimura Hoshi's voice was filled with disbelief and indignation.

Beside him, the faces of Hasegawa Roku and Kitagawa Yao were filled with the same confusion and unwillingness.

Just now, they heard with their own ears that their omnipotent section chief said to the traitor they hated in a calm tone on the phone: "Come to my office in an hour."

That shameless Hashijita who called Hiroshi Nohara!
"He betrayed you! He betrayed Section Chief Suzuki! He sold all our hard work to that bastard Iwata!"

Hase Luzui also stood up excitedly: "This kind of person is not worthy of forgiveness at all!"

"That's right!"

Beichuan Yao also clenched her fists, her big eyes, which were always bright, filled with indignation: "We finally managed to defeat Iwata's classroom, and now you bring him back, what if he betrays you again?"

Nohara Hiroshi looked at the three indignant young men in front of him, but only showed a helpless smile on his face.

He put down his coffee cup and motioned for them to sit down.

"You guys are still too young." His voice was gentle, yet it carried a kind of composure that seemed to see through everything. "Do you think that when I let him come back, it was just a simple forgiveness?"

"Isn't it?" the three of them said in unison.

"Of course not." Nohara Hiroshi leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound. "Let me ask you, what is Hashiichi Ichirō's ability like?"

The three of them looked at each other. Although they were unhappy, they still had to admit it.

"...Not bad," Nancun Xing said reluctantly. "After all, he's already a Level 4 director at the age of 35, so his basic skills are quite solid. Back in Suzuki's classroom, he was the one who handled a lot of the execution."

Nohara Hiroshi nodded. "That's right. He's capable, but he's been blinded by jealousy. And now, he's experienced a fall from heaven to hell. He's been ruthlessly abandoned by his new boss and cursed by everyone in the TV station. What do you think will happen to him if I bring him back under these circumstances?"

The three were stunned again.

"He will... be extremely grateful to you?" Kitagawa Yao asked tentatively. "That's right, I'm willing to give him a chance."

Nohara Hiroshi's lips curled up meaningfully. "Because apart from me, there won't be another TV station in all of Japan that would dare to hire a director with a track record of betrayal who failed miserably in producing such a popular IP. He has no way out."

"and……"

Nohara Hiroshi's eyes became sharp:
"Have you forgotten the contract we signed with the TV station? If the third season of 'Anzhiju' fails, the exclusive production rights for the next two seasons will be forcibly reclaimed for one yuan."

"I'm planning to restart production on the fourth and fifth seasons of 'Anzhiju.' Hashiichi Ichiro, who participated in the entire production of the first two seasons, is familiar with all the processes, and is loyal to me, is undoubtedly the best choice for executive director of this project."

"As for you three..."

He looked at the three faces that had changed from shock to realization, and his smile grew even wider: "Your mission is to follow me and supervise Hashimoto Ichiro to re-produce the fourth and fifth seasons of "Anzhiju"!"

These words were like a key, instantly unlocking all the confusion in the hearts of the three people.

They looked at the young section chief in front of them with admiration as he was in control of the situation.

They finally got it.

Their section chief has never been a soft-hearted pushover.

He was just playing a game of chess at a level they couldn't understand, a game that was enough to decide everyone's fate!

……

An hour later, when Hashiji Ichiro's distraught figure appeared at the office door.

Everyone subconsciously stopped what they were doing.

The looks cast at him were cold and contemptuous, like invisible knives, cutting his pitiful self-esteem to pieces.

He didn't look at anyone, but just lowered his head and took heavy steps, step by step, until he came to the young man who was looking at him calmly.

Then, under everyone's stunned gaze.

"thump--!"

His knees softened and he knelt down heavily!
A standard one, with the forehead pressed firmly against the cold floor, getting down from the ground!

"Nohara...Sensei!"

His voice, hoarse and filled with endless regret, came from beneath his lowered head: "I... I was wrong! I'm not a human! I was blinded by greed! I... I'm sorry! I'm sorry to you! I'm sorry to Mr. Suzuki! I'm sorry to everyone!"

Tears flowed from the corners of his eyes, mixed with snot, and dripped onto the smooth floor, leaving a small, messy stain.

"I beg you! Give me another chance! I...I am willing to be your slave! My life is yours from now on!"

There was dead silence in the office.

Everyone was completely shocked by the dramatic scene before them.

Nohara Hiroshi didn't let him get up immediately.

He just watched quietly until this man completely crushed all his dignity and pride on the floor.

He spoke slowly, his voice calm, without any emotion to be heard.

"Get up."

"From today on, you will also be the executive director of my Nohara classroom. You will be responsible for the reboot project of the fourth and fifth seasons of 'Anzhiju'."

He paused, and a cold light flashed in his clear eyes.

"I'll only say this once, Hashimoto-kun."

"I don't keep useless people here, let alone traitors."

"Yes! Yes! I understand! I swear! I, Hashiichi Ichiro, will never betray your trust again in this life!"

Hashijita kowtowed three times to the floor. The sound was dull, but full of gratitude for surviving the disaster.

When Nohara Hiroshi saw him like this, the little bit of sympathy he had for Suzuki Seito had disappeared without a trace.

Instead, there is a sense of peace of mind that chess players feel when they see their pieces return to their positions.

Of course he knew how stupid his actions were in the eyes of Masao Iwata and Toshihide Takada.

But so what?

What he wanted was to make them look down on him and make them think that he was just a nice guy who was nostalgic.

Then, when they least expect it, use this chess piece they themselves abandoned to give them the most fatal blow.

"Dangdangdang——"

Just then, there was another knock on the office door.

Ming Hai's intellectual and beautiful secretary appeared at the door with a humble smile on her face.

"Mr. Nohara, Deputy Director Asumi wants you to come over," she said respectfully, adding, "Deputy Director Takada and Section Chief Iwata are here too."

"Oh?" Nohara Hiroshi raised his eyebrows and a playful arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

It's true that when you mention Cao Cao, he appears.

……

The atmosphere in Asumi's office was completely different from the tense one Nohara Hiroshi had expected.

Takada Toshihide and Asumi, the two second-in-commands from different factions, are like two old friends who haven't seen each other for many years. They sit on the sofa, sipping tea and chatting happily.

And Masao Iwata, who should have been a stray dog, was now kneeling beside the coffee table with his head lowered, carefully brewing matcha for everyone with a set of exquisite-looking tea sets. His posture was as respectful as that of a professionally trained tea boy.

When he saw Nohara Hiroshi coming in, he even stood up immediately and bowed deeply to him. His posture was extremely humble.

"Teacher Nohara, you're here."

"..."

Nohara Hiroshi was a little stunned when he saw this scene full of magical realism.

But there was still that gentle smile on his face.

"Deputy Director Takada, Deputy Director Asumi, Section Chief Iwata, good afternoon." He greeted.

"Hahaha, Guangzhi-kun is here, come and sit down!" Asumi nodded enthusiastically, his elegant face filled with an uncontrollable smile.

He looked at Nohara Hiroshi and said in a tone that was almost boastful:
"Hiroshi-kun, you've arrived just in time. Deputy Director Takada and Section Chief Iwata came here today specifically to... apologize to you. They also want to ask you, the creator of 'Anshijiu', to come out and save our flagship IP, which is in jeopardy!"

"After all, the directors were furious at the board meeting. Such an excellent brand IP had failed so miserably. Our Deputy Director Takada Shunei was severely reprimanded for this. This is terrible!"

As he spoke, he winked briefly at Nohara Hiroshi from an angle that the two of them couldn't see.

The pride and joy in his eyes almost overflowed the screen.

At this moment, the outcome has been decided, and the offense and defense have changed.

It was the Kanto faction's turn to sit at the card table and leisurely enjoy their opponent's wonderful face-changing performance.

(End of this chapter)