Japanese Entertainment: A Comeback Beginning from Bankrupt President

Chapter 164 I'll lend you this

Aside from those already famous and influential figures, who in the entertainment industry would say no to such temptation?

Forgive Noriko Soma; she is just an ordinary person.

Years of professional experience told her that there were definitely cameras pointed at her nearby, and countless photos had already been taken, all in the hopes of getting the most valuable one.

Value, of course, is created by oneself.

After a moment's thought, Noriko Soma took the most valuable step of her twenty-year life.

"Then I'll borrow your body. Don't say no, okay? This is the first time I've ever hugged a strange man on my own initiative. Does that make me a bad woman?" Soma Noriko hugged the offering Sawashiro Kazuya tightly and whispered in his ear.

Didn't you say it wasn't bad enough? Then I'll do bad things right in front of you, that should be enough, right?

The evidence of stalking may not be enough, but the charge of sexual harassment is absolutely valid. The moment Noriko Soma hugged him, he shouldn't even think about washing away that mark.

Undeniably, Noriko Soma's actions did surprise Kazuya Sawashiro.

It seems there was a problem with the assessment of her; she is definitely not an idiot in the ordinary sense.

This person has an exceptionally clear mind. If Amano Aki were to spend time alone with her, within three days, she would have drained Amano Aki of all his value and discarded him as a useless friend.

It's not that she's too smart, it's just that Amano Aki is too stupid.

Closer to home.

Kazuya Sawashiro would praise Noriko Soma's intelligence, but he would also point out her shortcomings.

"If you're only trying to damage my reputation, then that's enough, but—" Kazuya Sawashiro reached out and embraced Noriko Soma, gently kissing her hair, "If you want to complete the task that Souta Watanabe gave you, then that's definitely not enough."

"Then what should I do?" Noriko Soma looked up and gazed at Kazuya Sawashiro, her expression conveying a deep affection that didn't exist.

She knew someone was secretly filming nearby, so she could do it.

Performing is a required course for every artist.

Kazuya Sawashiro doesn't really understand acting, but he knows that Noriko Soma is just putting on an act because there's someone in his family who truly loves him and often looks at him with that kind of gaze. He knows the truth behind it all.

What a promising talent! It's a real shame he's not acting.

Kazuya Sawashiro wanted to suggest that she should stay on set, but this wasn't the time for jokes, so he responded with action. After removing Noriko Soma's mask, he lowered his head and planted a light kiss on her face.

Meanwhile, media reporters hiding in their cars a short distance away also pressed the shutter.

Big news! They finally got it.

"You should get closer to me so you can find my weaknesses, instead of staying so far away."

Even after returning home, what kept replaying in Noriko Soma's mind was what Kazuya Sawashiro had said to her before they parted.

What does it mean?

Noriko Soma couldn't understand why Kazuya Sawashiro would hand over the initiative to her. She could easily put Kazuya in a crisis by shedding a couple of fake tears in front of the media, and in severe cases, it could even affect Aki Amano.

But he just came up here without any warning.

Does this mean they think they won't complicate things? Or do they believe the media will pretend they didn't see it?

Noriko Soma did not believe that this was the case.

The only reason the media pretended not to see it was that the agency paid enough money to buy the photos, so they wouldn't follow up on the present and future of the matter.

Would an agency do something like that? They'd be happy to pay the media to exaggerate the facts and drag Kazuya Sawashiro into the abyss.

So why is that?

Not only did he not refuse her, but he also let her approach him. Is he that confident in his own charm?

Soma Noriko, lost in her own world, was completely baffled. Meanwhile, Amano Aki, who was welcoming Sawashiro Kazuya back, was also puzzled as to why Sawashiro Kazuya carried Soma Noriko's scent. Had they had some intimate contact?

They were gone for more than an hour before coming back. If they had gone to a nearby couples' hotel, that would have been enough time for the two of them to be all lovey-dovey.

But did their relationship progress so quickly?

Amano Aki couldn't understand and was about to start overthinking when Sawashiro Kazuya had already laid out the answer in front of her.

"Soma Noriko asked me for help, so I hugged her on the street and kissed her on the cheek. This should be in the magazine in a couple of days, so I'm giving you a heads-up now."

"?" Amano Aki's eyes narrowed into slits.

Was Ze Cheng speaking some ancient language? Why couldn't she understand what he was saying?

That can't be right. He was speaking standard Tokyo Mandarin, without a trace of regional accent, comparable to those star TV announcers. So why couldn't she understand what he was saying?

"Help? What help do she need? Is she really that upset about stepping on an ant?"

"No, how could that be?" Kazuya Sawashiro shook his head, then solemnly lied, "I saw in her deep eyes that she was asking me for help, so I gave her a chance, hoping she could use it to escape Watanabe Souta's control. Do you understand?"

"To be honest, I don't understand at all," Amano Aki said with a wry smile, shaking his head.

If a kiss can free someone from Watanabe Souta's control, then wouldn't all the artists who don't want to stay at Watanabe Entertainment be lining up to kiss Sawashiro Kazuya? And wouldn't Amano Aki be able to take the opportunity to collect an admission fee?

Just like how puppet shows offer hug coupons, it's not unreasonable for her to make a batch of kiss coupons priced at one million each. These are kisses that can help you escape Watanabe Entertainment, so one million is not excessive at all.

Well, Aki Amano's idea is a bit cliché: it's either money or men.

But what could she do? Ze Cheng was her man too, yet now he was accusing her of kissing another woman.

If it were just Misaki Tachibana, that would be one thing, and people would turn a blind eye. But the person he kissed was Noriko Soma, the Noriko Soma who wanted to destroy them. Would this person change because of a kiss?

Kazuya Sawashiro knew it wouldn't work, but there's always a way to force someone who won't change proactively to change passively.

He explained to Aki Amano, "This is very simple. The purpose is to let people know that I am dating Noriko Soma. Once Souta Watanabe believes that this is true, he will have to make a choice."

By default, that would mean giving up on Soma Noriko, because he couldn't gamble on whether Soma Noriko was real or fake.

If they deny the incident and try to frame me for sexually harassing Noriko Soma, then things become even simpler. I'll release the audio recording of the incident when public opinion reaches its peak, letting them know that public opinion can not only be used to hurt others, but also to hurt oneself.