Japanese Entertainment: A Comeback Beginning from Bankrupt President

If you can't hold it in, then you don't have to.

Ze Cheng didn't care much about formalities or pleasantries. He stood up, patted Yagami Hayato on the shoulder, and left a parting message: "I think you can say that too, or take it as your goal, to become the best singer-songwriter in the world."

Stop hiding your talents. Your abilities should be known by more people, and you deserve more respect.

Be confident and tell everyone that I am the best singer-songwriter in the world.

...

The two people separated temporarily, while on the other side, two other people came together as a result.

Since making the phone call yesterday, Watanabe Souta has arranged for a detective to keep an eye on Sawashiro Kazuya's daily life in a way that does not violate the Detective Law. Then he learned a shocking truth.

Kazuya Sawashiro found another weakness in Yuko Yoshioka.

She's a terrible singer-songwriter. She joined the entertainment industry before even graduating from high school, and her knowledge is far less than that of any ink bottle on the market. Asking her to create moving songs is asking the impossible.

There are so many singers these days. Without a unique identity, how can one stand out from the crowd? Even Amano Aki's back is nowhere to be seen. She must have a unique identity, the kind that can attract attention.

So, at Watanabe Souta's behest, his secretary found her a ghostwriter who specialized in writing lyrics.

Fearing that they would be easily identified, they also sought out unknown ghostwriters, so that the works created by them would be untraceable and it would be difficult to find the true identity of the ghostwriter.

But today, he suddenly discovered that the two people had met.

Two people who have never crossed paths before suddenly find themselves in a place, chatting, laughing, and deep in thought. You might think they just hit it off on the street and, on a whim, invited each other to a coffee shop for a drink.

You idiot, fairy tales aren't written like that.

"They are most likely discussing the leak. We've all focused on the relationship between the man and woman, but we've overlooked this important issue," Watanabe Sōta said gravely, analyzing the current situation. "Do you have any written or audio evidence? Something that can directly prove his relationship with us?"

He hoped his secretary wasn't foolish enough to use Watanabe Entertainment's name to solicit testimonies without leaving any contracts, and that payments weren't made through company or personal accounts; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to explain themselves.

The secretary did not answer, but instead carefully recalled the process of their conversation.

From finding this person to achieving the goal of cooperation, and finally paying the first installment... "No, there is no direct evidence to prove that we contacted him. It was all done through several intermediaries, and the payment was made in cash, with no traceable source."

The reassuring answer eased Watanabe Sōta's expression; his subordinate was finally no longer some idiot who did everything himself.

That's exactly how it should be done. Put on several layers of gloves so that you can take them off before the injury occurs to avoid hurting yourself.

"So, all we need to worry about is whether Yagami Hayato will reveal what happened?" Watanabe Souta found the key point and the solution. "If he denies it, he shouldn't suffer serious damage, but damage to his image is normal. We are making preparations for that."

Does that mean we can relax now?

No way, that's just self-deception. After all, Watanabe Souta only has one way to shut Yagami Hayato up, but that method is likely to cause more serious consequences.

He could hire a gang to lock up Yagami Hayato and make sure no one could find him, but now that Yagami Hayato has already met with someone, doing so would give others leverage against him. He shouldn't do that unless absolutely necessary.

If we really want to do that, then we have to lock up Kazuya Sawashiro and everyone around him. But is that reasonable?

They are not ordinary people who go unnoticed; their disappearances will attract attention.

The secretary knew that Watanabe Souta's proposal was unconstructive, so he stepped forward at this moment to offer a more likely solution: "Perhaps we can take the initiative to contact Yagami Hayato and use a conciliatory approach to resolve the issue."

"Tell me in detail," Watanabe Sōta said, perking up.

"Okay, Executive Director," the secretary slowly explained his judgment and thoughts, "We don't know what Kazuya Sawashiro and Hayato Yagami talked about, but judging from the footage the detective saw, they had a very pleasant conversation, so we can conclude that they didn't discuss anything tense."

Why do you say that?

"Because not everyone could still laugh and say goodbye after hearing that they were going to fight against us, and they even added each other on Line." This was the secretary's deduction based on the detective's introduction.

It's only natural, just like when exam results are released, no one can remain calm.

Watanabe Souta nodded in agreement, signaling him to continue.

"So we can spend some money or resources to promote Yagami Hayato as a new singer in the agency. After all, these geniuses all have such dreams. Starting from the weaknesses of human nature will be a better way to solve the problem."

"I understand, but what if he disagrees?" Watanabe Sōta knew that these geniuses had a common problem: they were prone to having their own ideas.

"He'll agree," the secretary said confidently, showcasing Watanabe Entertainment's ample arsenal. "We have a top-notch marketing and production team. We can turn him into a world-famous singer in a year. He's just someone who bows down for a million. A hundred million can crush him."

Different people see different answers.

In the secretary's view, Yagami Hayato is an ordinary person with a greedy desire for money. So, the best way to deal with such a person is to give him more money, trap him, and then you can capture him, just like you captured Amano Aki before.

"Trust me, this is absolutely the best solution."

...

Weekly Bunshun Publishing, Artists Division, received a special set of photos and a special letter today.

The photos were standard candid shots. As experienced editors, they immediately recognized the woman in the photos, which made them realize a money-making opportunity, as they could use the photos to extort a large sum of money from Watanabe Entertainment.

This is worth at least 30 million yen.

The agency is willing to spend money on damaging information about its popular artists.

This is standard practice in the industry. Many celebrities' scandals are suppressed by their agencies, with only a portion being exposed or released at the appropriate time.

But the letter forbade them to do so.

The letter not only explained the ins and outs of the matter and attached the relevant evidence, but also left a reminder.

"The online edition will not feature the truthful report; it will be handed over to other whistleblower magazines for reporting."

What can the editor do after saying that?

This isn't the only magazine that exposes scandals. The women's magazine next door especially loves to publish big-character posters. If they don't do this, they're just handing over the spotlight and traffic to their competitors. Then their weekly magazine, Bunshun, will become the fool in the eyes of their rivals.

This is not good.