"I'm in Tokyo, and this is some kind of movie star comeback system?!"

Chapter 118 The Storm Is Brewing

Monday morning at nine o'clock, during the morning rush hour.

People are flipping through magazines everywhere – on trams, at bus stops, and at convenience store checkouts.

The revelations from "Bunshun" were like a stone thrown into water, causing the controversy to spread outwards in concentric circles.

In the break room of an office building, colleagues chatted about their weekend experiences. Aya Yoshikawa, dressed in a suit and skirt, held a water glass, with a copy of "Bunshun" open on the table.

She gestured towards the magazine: "Yamashita, have you seen this issue? That actor from the Taiga drama has been exposed for negative news again."

"You mean Sakamoto Valley?" Yamashita Moe immediately became interested.

Yoshikawa Aya then realized that the other person was actually a fan of Sakamoto Yu.

Yamashita Moe held her coffee and gently blew on it to cool it down: "I've seen it. It was quite unexpected."

They previously slandered my Yu-chan, claiming she got the role through connections, but NHK later refuted those rumors.

"This time it's different." Yoshikawa Aya turned the pages of the book. "It says it's an insider leak, and it looks like there's solid evidence."

"Many people around me think this revelation is reliable. A lack of acting skills can be honed over time, but having impure intentions is a matter of character."

Yamashita Moe frowned slightly: "You can't take gossip magazine articles seriously."

"Let's not talk about whether it's true or false, but just about one's character and conduct. Do you think being scheming means having bad character?"

Yamashita Moe paused for a moment: "Um... is that not wrong?"

The two's discussion attracted the attention of everyone in the break room. Yoshikawa Aya argued vehemently, "A wicked mind is essentially a bad character, which is much more important than acting skills."

It's incredibly frustrating to have a role you've worked so hard for snatched away through underhanded tactics.

Yamashita Moe had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't argue with it. She didn't want to argue, so she just casually agreed.

She pouted, picked up a copy of "Flash" magazine, opened it, and stared at Sakamoto Yu's image on the page with infatuation. Her tone changed accordingly: "But to be honest, just based on his face, even if he is really scheming, I really can't dislike him."

Yoshikawa Aya swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue: "In the end, you only care about looks, don't you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of light laughter rang out in the tea room.

Shibuya, a street scene.

The Asahi TV news van was parked on the side of the road, and two staff members were adjusting the camera.

Reporter Mayumi Kobayashi, wrapped in a beige coat, held a microphone and looked down at today's interview outline.

"Kobayashi-san!"

A staff member leaned out of the car and handed over a fax: "We just received a notification from the station that the interview topic has been changed at the last minute."

"You're canceling the planned idol-related survey?" Kobayashi was slightly taken aback. "Then what will you replace it with?"

The staff member glanced at the note on the fax: "Relying on cunning or acting skills?"

"That's the topic," the staff member shrugged. "The station said they'd ask this question without asking specific people: what's your opinion on climbing the ladder through scheming versus making it through acting skills in this industry?"

Kobayashi thought for a moment and nodded.

"OK."

She stuffed the fax into her bag, pulled her coat tighter, walked in front of the camera, and began to look for an audience.

She saw an older middle-aged man walking in her direction and immediately went up to him for an interview: "Hello, we are from Asahi Shimbun. We would like to interview you, is that alright?"

""

The middle-aged man paused for a moment, then, upon seeing the camera, composed himself and nodded seriously.

Kobayashi smiled warmly and began the interview: "Sir, in your opinion, which is more important in today's entertainment industry: cunning or acting skills?"

"Oh? You're interviewing about this?"

The middle-aged man's expression changed upon hearing this. He had thought they were going to interview him about social news, but it turned out to be entertainment gossip.

Kobayashi's smile faltered for a moment. "Yes," she quickly added, "What's your opinion on this?"

Unable to refuse due to the cameras, the middle-aged man looked displeased but answered firmly, "Of course it's acting skills."

He said with absolute certainty, "Of course, acting skills are more important."

Scheming won't get you anywhere. With the show's reputation declining, many actors are resorting to underhanded tactics to grab screen time, but their acting skills simply can't keep up.

Kobayashi nodded at the opportune moment and concluded: "In other words, in your opinion, scheming is far less important than genuine acting skills."

"Of course!" With that, he waved his hand to indicate the end of the conversation and walked straight past Kobayashi.

Kobayashi continued searching for interviewees.

The second person was a woman in her thirties, dressed in a smart suit, holding a newly purchased copy of Bunshun Weekly.

Kobayashi noticed the magazine in her hand and went to greet her: "Have you read today's report?"

The woman nodded: "I just finished watching it."

"That's perfect. I have a question for you—which do you think is more important, climbing the ladder through cunning or getting ahead through acting skills?"

The woman tucked the magazine under her armpit and put her hands in her pockets.

"Of course, it's acting skills." Her tone was straightforward.

"What if someone is a very good actor, but also uses scheming?"

The woman frowned and remained silent for two seconds.

"That depends on what kind of tactics he's using. If it's just to gain an opportunity, I think that's understandable. But if it's about climbing over others to get ahead—" she shook her head, "that's unacceptable."

Why?

"Because the atmosphere will be corrupted," she said. "If everyone thinks that they can only get ahead by using underhanded means," then who would be willing to honestly hone their acting skills?

In the end, those who remain are not the most powerful, but the most calculating.

Kobayashi gave a professional smile. "Thank you for your answer."

The next interview came quickly, and this time Kobayashi found two girls in their early twenties who were shopping.

After Kobayashi explained the interview topic, one person's opinion remained unchanged. When it was the other person's turn, someone finally objected: "But I think actors definitely need to have good acting skills, otherwise how can a TV series be good? And he really acted well—"

Hearing the objection, Xiaolin's eyes lit up, and she immediately pressed, "So you agree that it's a good thing for actors to be scheming?"

The other person was taken aback by the question. She subconsciously felt that there was a trap in the question, and stammered, "It's not that it's a good thing, it's just that—his acting is good enough—it's just that—" Her mind went blank, and she didn't know how to answer.

"I'm sorry, I can't answer that." In the end, the girl could only awkwardly cover it up with a smile.

"Okay, thank you for your time." Kobayashi got the materials he wanted, nodded, and didn't ask any more questions.

She turned to face the camera, her face serious: "Whether 'scheming' exists in reality and is tolerated is a matter of differing opinions."

"Discussions on this topic are likely to continue for some time."

"Viewers are welcome to write to TV Asahi if they have different opinions."

As the interview aired, more and more people joined the discussion.

In just one night, TV Asahi received more than a thousand letters from viewers, demonstrating its immense popularity.

More media outlets began interviewing actors for their opinions.

Unlike before when everyone strongly supported Sakamoto Yu, this time all the actors remained silent. People in the industry knew perfectly well: who hasn't been scheming? Who hasn't fought for opportunities? Who hasn't used underhanded tactics?

Saying "being scheming is bad" is an insult to one's peers.

Saying "I can understand being scheming?" means you're talking about yourself.

If you say "I don't know?", no one will believe you.

Saying "I support him"? Then don't you have a problem yourself?

No matter what I do, it's wrong.

So everyone chose the same method—

He walked quickly past the camera with his head down.

"No comment."

After six days, public opinion was in an uproar, and the burden on Sakamoto Yu's shoulders grew heavier and heavier.

The two production teams received dozens of anonymous letters, with many fans demanding that he leave the production and have his scenes removed.

Unfortunately, the crew also included two top actresses, Miho Nakayama and Akina Nakamori, and their agencies pressured them to cut Sakamoto Yu's scenes.

Due to the situation, he was unable to join the film crew for two consecutive days and could only rest at home.

During this time, Miho Nakayama, Yasuko Sawaguchi, and Shizuka Kudo frequently called to inquire about his well-being with great concern.

He stood by the landline, answering and replying to calls one after another.

There were also quite a few paparazzi lying in wait downstairs.

It wasn't until the third day, thanks to Watanabe's tireless efforts and coordination, that he was able to return to the film crew and continue filming.

The film crew's perimeter remained heavily guarded, with paparazzi vehicles parked every ten meters, and he was closely watched every time he entered or left.

Wednesday has arrived in the blink of an eye, and there's only one day left until the latest issue of "Bunshun" goes on sale.