How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 196 They're all younger sisters
Without the right to investigate, there is no right to speak.

Tan Hui's previous understanding of Wang Yao came entirely from two sources: "E-commerce Prodigy" and shareholders of Kanpianer.com. His knowledge of Wang Yao was very limited.

After personally meeting him, the other party's domineering yet strange behavior made him somewhat confused, so he had someone investigate all the information about Wang Yao.

After analyzing the information gathered from various sources, Wang Yao's image became even more blurred in Tan Hui's eyes.

He was almost certain that Wang Yao did not belong to any of the circles he knew.

It's highly likely that Wang Yao's blood isn't actually that red.

However, the connections of the companies controlled by Wang Yao contradict his assertion: behind Kanpianer.com are the traditionalists led by Hu Mei, while behind Tianhuo/Xinghuo are the trendsetters in the internet industry.

He even obtained information about the strong connection between Wang Yao and the Ms Group through special channels, which was likely linked to the power he had always longed for but had no chance to climb up to.

What exactly is this kid's background?
Tan Hui had never met such a complicated person.

What terrified him even more was that, compared to someone like him who had started from scratch, Wang Yao seemed even more naive. Despite the involvement of so many chaotic and complex factors, he had managed to become a force to be reckoned with.

Tan Hui might not think anything of this in the West, but this is in China.

The appearance of such an oddity seems too abrupt.

His appearance at the "King's Banquet" gala was as abrupt and inexplicable as his appearance at the event.

But it was precisely in this inexplicable situation that he genuinely sensed something unusual, because the more inexplicable something was, the more likely it was to be traceable.

Tan Hui initially thought that Wang Yao was instructed by someone to take advantage of his weakness to seize Feiteng Film City.

But after processing all the known information, he was quite certain.

Wang Yao came here specifically for me, but his true purpose was definitely not just a film studio.

Because among everyone present at the time, no one except him was worth Wang Yao personally getting involved in a major conflict. What value could Feng Xiaopao, Zhang Weiping, Lu Chuan and others have in Wang Yao's eyes?
The combined revenue and added value of Wang Yao's two e-commerce companies over a few months is comparable to the value they would create by working together for a year.

As for the remaining women? They're probably more like consumable pets, mere tools, aren't they?

Of everyone present, he was Wang Yao's true target.

Although he believed he possessed many benefits that Wang Yao needed, these benefits did not seem to be necessary. Tan Hui tried to put himself in Wang Yao's shoes, but still could not find the other party's true needs.

'But he definitely needs me!'

'But what does he need from me?'

These two questions tormented Tan Hui all day.

To this end, he also made a special trip to meet with everyone who had dealt with Wang Yao, including Xu Chen from Meishe, Wu Kebo from Chengtian, and Yang Zi from Juli.

From these three people, Tan Hui gleaned even more contradictory images, leading him to a chilling conclusion.

Wang Yao is somewhat like a chameleon; his way of interacting with everyone is by imitating and playing the role of the other person!

Therefore, the portrayal of Wang Yao by different people is different.

He repeatedly recalled the short half hour he spent with Wang Yao and finally realized that he did see a reflection of his younger self in Wang Yao.

When he was young, he learned from the older generation about how to build relationships with others. The order is important: first demonstrate strength, then principles, and finally goodwill.

This order of establishing relationships goes against the mainstream order in Chinese culture, but Tan Hui used this method and was victorious in every battle because the former keeps the initiative in his own hands, while the latter places the initiative on the conscience of others.

No wonder when Wang Yao offended me yesterday, my first feeling was one of disorientation rather than anger.

At one point, Tan Hui hired a professional psychology team to provide psychological counseling due to immense mental stress. During the process, he also learned about many bizarre psychological phenomena and mental illnesses.

Tan Hui felt that Wang Yao might be one of the very few NPD-type mental illnesses who specializes in producing perverts and eccentricities, because only such people could switch between imitating anyone without distinction.
The underlying logic of NPD is that 'the essence of attraction is projection' and then control and enslave the other party through attraction, and carry out PUA on various levels.

Tan Hui is very familiar with this mental illness because he was also misdiagnosed with it at the time.

These people achieve their goal of 'attracting' others by imitating and role-playing, because there are only two core elements that contribute to human attraction.

First, you became the person he envisioned, which is commonly known as admiring the strong but not entirely; you could call yourself his "future self."

Secondly, you see a 'familiar image' in him, which is your past self.

Because people cannot be attracted to things outside of themselves; they are only attracted to their future and past selves.

NPD-like individuals can quickly achieve attraction by impersonating their 'past selves', but this requires understanding the information and characteristics of the person they are imitating.

Xu Chen, Wu Kebo, Yang Zi and other young people are basically active in the information age. As long as you collect some relevant materials and information, you can probably infer and imitate them through psychological profiling. Moreover, these are all people that Wang Yao can contact.

Strangely, Tan Hui swore that he had never met Wang Yao. When he was young, Wang Yao should still be in elementary school. Moreover, given his background and age, it was almost impossible for him to have come into contact with anyone he knew or had dealings with back then.

From what information channels did Wang Yao learn about and portray himself?
Was it instructed by someone? Or was it something else? Or was it just a coincidence?
Although Tan Hui was misdiagnosed with NPD, he actually has a mental illness. Basically, all people who are different from ordinary people suffer from some kind of serious mental illness.

His illness was eventually diagnosed as hypochondria.

The more information he learned about Wang Yao, the less he could see through him, but he could also sense the danger he posed.

But seeing the momentum of "Lost in Thailand" breaking 3 and approaching 4 at the box office within two years, the project that Wang Yao mentioned, which didn't even have a name, seemed like an apple within easy reach.

Whether it's poisonous or not, he's willing to try it.

Wang Yao is right.

Whether Xingmei lives or dies is not important; what matters most is that Tan Hui lives.

So even though he knew Wang Yao was dangerous, he still arrogantly believed that he could control everything, because he was actually the NPD pretending to be paranoid, while Wang Yao was actually a similar but completely different Machiavellian.

Just as Tan Hui decided to have another round of cooperation discussions with Wang Yao, he learned that Wang Yao was not in China, but had flown to Japan to film.

What does it mean?
Hanging yourself up?

Tan Hui was stunned for a moment.

In 2010, Japan was the second largest consumer market in Asia after China. The main source of consumption was high-end products such as luxury goods, automobiles, and precision electronic products, followed by service consumption such as tourism and healthcare.

At this stage, Japan truly surpasses China in the field of 'quality consumption,' a consumer market that all premium products must conquer.

Especially in the cultural and entertainment industry, due to Japan's unique structural issues, the market for cultural and entertainment consumption is enormous. Whether it's Korea or Europe and America, there are basically more large-scale concerts held in Japan every year than in their home countries.

Needless to say, the film and animation industries are still Asia's largest consumer market.

The only industry worth emphasizing is the globally renowned adult video (AV) industry. Despite not being as developed as Korea's in the adult entertainment market, the AV industry has given Japan a premium image. If Korea and Thailand represent value for money, then Japan represents brand excellence.

Unfortunately, Wang Yao's schedule was quite tight this time, and it's unknown whether he'll have the opportunity to investigate the golden age of Japanese adult videos.

The main purpose of this trip to Japan was to acquire copyrights, film shoot movies, and visit the Japanese Tiger.

About a quarter of the scenes for "22.22" were filmed in Japan, with a shooting period of about one week.

Before the trip, Deng Wendi arranged for a local Japanese expert to be in charge of Wang Yao's safety throughout the journey.

Li Xiaomu, the real-life inspiration for the male lead in the movie "Shinjuku Incident," starring Jackie Chan last year.

As soon as Wang Yao stepped out of the airport, he saw a row of conspicuous burly men in suits, ties, and sunglasses holding exaggerated welcome signs. At the head of the group was a lean man with a refined and scholarly demeanor, wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

"Mr. Wang, I've long admired your name." Li Xiaomu, a Japanese-Chinese man who was fifty years old but looked like he was in his early thirties, had a refined and easygoing demeanor and showed no signs of being a scoundrel.

Ironically, this middle-aged man with the air of a scholar controls the underground yakuza in Shinjuku, the most bustling district in Japan.

"Mr. Li, it's a pleasure to meet you." Wang Yao was also a little embarrassed by the exaggerated display. There was no one within five meters of their location, as if it were a huge vacuum.

If this situation had occurred in China, it would have caused unrest long ago.

"It's too noisy with so many people, let's go to our accommodation first." Li Xiaomu's Mandarin was fine, but his vocabulary had become somewhat Japanese.

"This is troublesome." Wang Yao nodded and led Nazha and Reba, escorted by the men in black, to the underground parking garage.

Li Xiaomu was very talkative, and along the way he introduced Wang Yao and the others to some basic common knowledge about Edo in Japan.

For girls like Gulnazar and Dilraba, Japan is a complex term they've heard since childhood, representing both hostility towards their enemies and a longing for developed cities.

"It doesn't feel much more bustling than Shanghai." After seeing the most bustling Ginza street, Naza felt it wasn't as exaggerated as she had imagined.

"Their buildings are all quite small, but the people on the street are dressed quite fashionably," Reba whispered.

"In terms of urban architecture, China's metropolitan buildings are already among the world's best. However, what you see now are buildings from before the millennium. At that time, Japan was indeed considered a representative of the developed world."
"But now, several developed second-tier cities in China have much larger infrastructure and building scale than these places. In a sense, old developed regions like Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan have already fallen behind. However, in terms of consumption level, people here do live a more luxurious life," Li Xiaomu explained with a smile.

Naza and Dilraba were somewhat intimidated by this seemingly refined but actually eccentric man who was actually a gangster boss. If Wang Yao hadn't been there, they probably wouldn't have dared to say a word.

"Getting fat early doesn't mean you're fat, but getting fat later can break the bed. But I'm curious, is toilet water in Japan really drinkable?" Wang Yao raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Well, it's just a propaganda tactic used domestically. Even if it looks clean on the surface, the E. coli levels would definitely be too high. But Japan really goes all out with this kind of propaganda. They'd drink anything, even uranium wastewater, as long as the goal is strong enough."
"So dealing with the Japanese is completely different from dealing with us Chinese. We say we judge by actions, not intentions, but they do the opposite. They judge by intentions, not actions. You don't need to look at what they say or do. Just follow the written contract. Remember, never believe any verbal promises. The Japanese don't accept them," Li Xiaomu advised.

He knew that Wang Yao was coming to deal with many Japanese companies or businessmen.

"Thank you for informing me, Mr. Li." Wang Yao smiled.

"Just call me Brother Xiaomu, Mr. Wang. That's what everyone calls me. We're here. This is a private residence under our company's name, used to entertain VIPs. Don't be fooled by its simplicity; it's actually nearly a hundred years old and you can feel the most traditional Japanese residential style. There are also two hot spring pools inside." Li Xiaomu introduced the three-story wooden building as they walked.

It was their first time actually seeing the architecture and scenes from a Japanese drama, and both Gulnazar and Dilraba were very curious and soon started taking photos in various places.

"This is Nana, my concubine. She's been taking care of Mr. Wang's daily life lately," Li Xiaomu said, pulling over a young woman in a kimono.

After greeting him, Wang Yao laughed and said, "Sister Di said that Brother Xiao Mu is incredibly charming and has five wives. Is that true?"

"I only have three legitimate wives, but I have many concubines," Li Xiaomu laughed. "But they can't compare to President Wang's."

“They’re all younger sisters.” Wang Yao smiled.

“My dear sister, please don’t change. Women are more worried about inequality than scarcity. If you are all sisters, everyone will live in peace. But if one of you becomes a wife, then it will be a different story,” Li Xiaomu said with emotion.

"Is that so?" Wang Yao said, looking as if he had learned something.

The quickest way for men to get closer is to talk about women.

Seeing that Wang Yao was interested, Li Xiaomu shared some of his decades of experience in seducing women.

"The crew should arrive around noon tomorrow. We'll need Xiao Mu's help to coordinate the filming location," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"That's all settled. We've borrowed the main studio from Dongjing Company, but it won't be available until after 2 a.m.," Li Xiaomu said.

Tokyo TV is the largest private television station in Japan, owning globally renowned anime IPs such as "Naruto," "Bleach," and "Pokémon," demonstrating Li Xiaomu's extraordinary influence in the region.

"Here's also a list of some small talent agencies and animation companies you requested. Due to limited resources, I could only collect those around Edo period." Li Xiaomu handed over a document.

After opening the app and reviewing the information, Wang Yao selected a few companies he was familiar with. "Could you please arrange a meeting with these companies, Brother Xiao Mu?"

"Mr. Wang wants to cooperate?" Li Xiaomu glanced at them; they were all small, unknown companies.

“Acquisition: Tianhuo aims to develop into an international company. Its development in Korea is already on a steady track, and we can now try to expand into the Japanese market,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"May I ask, what are the main business areas of Mr. Wang's company?" Li Xiaomu's smile faded.

"It's mainly about content creation," Wang Yao replied.

“Japan has very strict control over the cultural and creative industries, especially the news industry. If Mr. Wang hopes to achieve other goals through these means, my advice is to be cautious,” Li Xiaomu hinted with a somewhat serious expression.

"Brother Xiaomu, you're overthinking it. I'm just attracted by the low talent cost in the Japanese manga market. The domestic animation market is still in its infancy, but I have a lot of related needs later on and don't have time to train people. On the contrary, the Japanese manga industry not only has a large number of people, but also relatively mature technology. More importantly, the cost is low," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

Japan is known as a place where there are more manga artists than stray dogs. The treatment of low-level illustrators is even worse than that of a convenience store part-timer. In order to make a living, many manga artists have experience drawing doujinshi before their debut. Therefore, some amazing artists with incredible skills will emerge from time to time in the doujinshi field.

Xingyou Company plans to expand into the web game and even PC game market in the second half of the year, which will require a large number of illustrators. In addition, Wang Yao is also planning to take advantage of the success of the "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" movie to test the waters with a few animated films.

“Oh, no problem. Japan has everything, but it doesn’t lack illustrators and actresses.” Li Xiaomu laughed. “However, Bunshunsha is not a good partner. This newspaper is notoriously difficult to persuade. The Kitagawa incident caused quite a bit of trouble.”

"I heard about this and that's why I thought of paying them a visit. I think no media outlet in the world is as professional as them when it comes to paparazzi and candid photography, so I'd like to ask for their insights," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“Well, the current head of Bunshun is the female president of the Nomi family, so she’s not easy to get an appointment with. But I can help you make an appointment with her daughter, Nomi Airi, who is in charge of Bunshun Kodansha, which is the entertainment gossip news section. With Mr. Wang’s charm, you’ll probably get along quite well with her.” Li Xiaomu pondered for a moment.

"It's alright, Brother Mu will handle the arrangements. It's all for making more friends," Wang Yao smiled.

"As for AKS Company, it's an old acquaintance of mine. I wonder how Mr. Wang intends to cooperate?" Li Xiaomu said with a smile.

"What is this company's standing in Japan?" Wang Yao asked.

"Speaking of which, they're quite similar to Mr. Wang's former employer, Meishe. They're both talent agencies that use idol culture to recruit nationwide, tricking young girls into signing contracts and then screening and developing them."
However, AKB48, which was founded in collaboration with Yasushi Akimoto, is indeed quite something. It's now considered a national-level girl group. There are some differences between Japanese girl groups and Korean girl groups. Mr. Wang should know more about this than I do," Li Xiaomu explained.

"What is the relationship between Akimoto Yasushi and AKS?" Wang Yao asked.

“Let’s cooperate, but Mr. Wang wants to take a stake in AKS? And bring the AKB model back to China?” Li Xiaomu raised an eyebrow slightly.

(End of this chapter)