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

Watanabe pushed open the door and entered, his gaze sweeping over the scene in the lounge.

I saw the two people inside the room.

A hint of helplessness and worry flashed in her eyes.

On the sofa, Kumiko Goto rested her legs on the armrests, leaning back in a crooked manner, looking completely unguarded.

She held the script in both hands, but her eyes weren't on the paper at all; she kept glancing at Sakamoto Yu.

Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, Kumiko Goto froze.

She looked flustered and quickly sat up straight.

He put his feet off the sofa, toes touching the ground, and quickly groped for his shoes.

Upon recognizing that it was Sakamoto Yu's manager who had entered, Goto's ears turned bright red, and he averted his gaze, unable to meet her eyes.

Sakamoto Yu also heard the commotion. He stopped explaining, turned around, glanced behind him, and gave a brief greeting:

"You've arrived."

Watanabe sighed softly as he watched him completely oblivious.

This person remains as "slow-witted" as ever.

She couldn't tell for a moment whether Sakamoto Yu was genuinely ignorant or pretending.

"Hello, Goto-san." Watanabe nodded slightly to her.

"Hello, Watanabe-san."

Kumiko Goto avoided eye contact.

She stood up, took the script, and smiled at Sakamoto Yu:

"That's all for today, I won't bother you any longer."

Thank you for your guidance.

She bowed slightly to Sakamoto Yu, her smile appearing incredibly docile.

As she spoke, she stepped out the door, her shoes still on.

As soon as the door closed, Watanabe's smile vanished.

She turned to look at Sakamoto Yu.

He stood up, walked to the sofa, released all his strength, and fell backward, sinking into it.

He shifted comfortably, put one hand behind his head, and turned to look at Watanabe, who was still standing there:

Why are you looking at me like that?

Sometimes I really can't see you clearly.

"Are you really clueless or just pretending?"

Watanabe glanced towards the door. "Didn't you see the way she looked at you?"

Sakamoto Yu's expression didn't change much; he looked up with a blank expression.

"What kind of look did she give me?"

As he spoke, he silently brought up the system panel:

[Task: Complete three acting coaching sessions (3/3) Completed]

[Reward: Increased on-screen couple status]

The mission was successfully completed, and a hint of joy flashed through his heart, causing a slight smile to appear on his lips.

Watanabe shook his head, sighed, and simply turned his face away, not even bothering to give him another glance.

"With your ability to attract women, maybe being a little slow to react is actually a good thing."

Watanabe pulled over the chair that Sakamoto had just been sitting in, opened his briefcase, took out a script, and handed it to him.

Sakamoto Yu paused for a moment, then, remembering his collaboration with Nakamori, immediately straightened up and took it.

His eyes were fixed on the script, and as he turned the pages, he kept asking questions:

"How did you manage to act alongside Akina Nakamori?"

He turned to the first page, and the title of the play was clearly written—"Human Crossroads".

His gaze paused slightly; he vaguely recognized the name, and the original work seemed to be a comic.

When Watanabe was asked this question, he subconsciously licked the corner of his lips, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face.

She took a deep breath, carefully considered her words, and slowly began to speak:

"Remember when I helped you get the audition for 'One-Eyed Dragon Masamune'?"

Upon hearing this, Sakamoto Yu stopped what he was doing and slowly looked up at her.

Under his gaze, Watanabe's tone unconsciously slowed, tinged with hesitation:

"At the time, I owed a favor to a senior executive at a production company."

"He saw your performance and was immediately drawn to your appearance..."

Sakamoto Yu didn't think there was anything wrong with the first half of the sentence, but when he got to the second half, he stopped reading the script.

His eyes suddenly narrowed, and a strange unease swept through his heart.

"You wouldn't be suggesting I...?"

Watanabe paused, initially bewildered, then realized he had misunderstood and quickly shook his head.

"It's not what you think. They think your appearance fits the role, and you're currently very popular, which would be helpful to the production team, so they asked me to talk to you."

She shifted to a more comfortable position, crossed her long legs, and leaned back in the chair.

"It's just a supporting role; filming can be completed in a month."

Sakamoto Yu breathed a sigh of relief and refocused his attention on the script.

"Oh, so he's a supporting character."

Watanabe heard this, raised an eyebrow, gave him a slightly mocking look, and remained silent.

Sakamoto Yu noticed her expression and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Any man would have fantasies about acting alongside a top star like Akina Nakamori."

Watanabe paused for half a second, then nodded in agreement.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Watanabe waited quietly for Sakamoto to finish reading the script.

After a while, Sakamoto Yu finished reading.

"I'm playing Nakamori's boyfriend?"

"Ex-boyfriend, the male protagonist is Yoichi Miura."

A knowing glint flashed in Sakamoto Yu's eyes, and he nodded slightly.

Watanabe added, "I also tried to get you a lead role, but the other person's image didn't match yours."

Taking advantage of this moment, Watanabe took out several more documents from his briefcase and placed them in front of Sakamoto Yu.

"This is?"

Watanabe opened a brand new contract, a smug smile playing on his lips.

"The three GGs I mentioned to you before—Sapporo Beer, Sharp pagers, and Yoshinoya."

"I went over it again."

Sakamoto Yu raised an eyebrow, waiting for what was to come.

"Your popularity is different now." Watanabe said calmly, as if stating something perfectly natural.

"The fact that I'm acting with Miho Nakayama is itself a bargaining chip."

"When we talked before, you were just a minor supporting actor in 'Dangerous Detective.' Although you became a hit, your popularity was limited. But now the situation is different."

She turned to the first page.

"Sapporo Beer's endorsement fee has increased by 15%. Sharp's is about the same. Yoshinoya offered the most, with an increase of 20%."

"The reason they're giving me this face is mostly because of your and Zhongshan's play, but I've also pleaded with them quite a bit."

Page 2.

"At Sharp, in addition to the TV ad, they also agreed to place print ads in the Yomiuri Shimbun and Weekly Gendai, using your image."

Page 3.

"Yoshinoya. That's the best deal." Watanabe's lips twitched slightly. "Yoshinoya is the most affordable. Except for the TV GG, all their stores will have your poster on them."

"All three brands are regional ambassadors. Sapporo Beer mainly targets the entire Hokkaido region and the Kanto region, including izakayas and convenience stores in cities like Tokyo and Yokohama."

"Sharp pagers are used in major train stations, youth culture landmarks, and electronics stores in the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas."

"Yoshinoya is limited to the Kanto region, with Tokyo as the core, and will first conduct pilot tests in stores such as shopping malls and community stores."

Sakamoto Yu flipped through the documents without saying a word.

Watanabe added, "I also mentioned the contract renewal; we will have priority in responding to offers."

Sakamoto Yu closed the document and leaned back in his chair.

"What about the endorsement fee?"

"How much higher is it than the total we discussed before?"

Watanabe reported a number:

"A total of 1000 million yen from the three companies."

Sakamoto Yu whistled.

"Do they believe this price?"

Watanabe glanced at him and said in a flat tone, "They may not believe you."

"But they believe in Miho Nakayama."

Watanabe glanced at him:

"You're currently filming a drama with Miho Nakayama, which airs in April. Once it gains popularity, your value will skyrocket, and who knows how much you'll command then?"

Watanabe pushed the document forward a bit. "Signing a cooperation agreement now is like using the price from two years ago to capture your increased popularity this year. The brand will only profit and not lose."

Sakamoto Yu didn't speak, looking down at the numbers on the document, his lips slightly pursed.

"...You really will stop at nothing."

Watanabe remained calm and noncommittal: "It's business."

She laid out the documents one by one, speaking calmly and deliberately.

"After 'One-Eyed Dragon Masamune' ended, your popularity has actually been declining, and you should know that better than anyone else."

Sakamoto Yu remained silent, then slowly nodded.

"Even if your popularity recovers slightly by collaborating with Miho Nakayama, the overall trend remains the same."

Watanabe didn't continue, but Sakamoto already understood the pros and cons.

"Now is the best window of opportunity." Watanabe tapped the paper lightly with his fingertips.

"While there's still some momentum, let's quickly secure all the resources we can get our hands on."

Only by staying consistently in the public eye throughout the year once your new drama airs can you maintain your exposure.

"Mom is an Idol" premiered in April, and "Human Crossroads" was released in theaters in the same month.

The TV series will be released weekly with a long run, and its popularity will remain stable until June; as for the movie…”

Watanabe frowned slightly. "Ultimately, it's an art-house film. Its core audience is Akina Nakamori's fans and urban romance enthusiasts. It's too niche and can't sustain a long-term box office performance."

She leaned back in her chair, habitually crossing her legs, and calmly analyzed: "The specific screening duration depends on the initial box office response and the screening strategy."

Sakamoto Yu nodded first, then smiled frankly: "Something is better than nothing."

Watanabe looked at him, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes: "It's good that you can recognize the current situation."

She paused, turned a page of the document, and said in a realistic and straightforward tone, "Besides, you don't have many options right now."

He then lowered his head, pointed to the contents of the document, and continued:

"Add to that the long-term investment period of three GGs."

She looked up at Sakamoto Yu.

"Several storylines connect and fill in the gaps, allowing you to appear on screen continuously throughout the year, making it difficult for viewers not to see you."

Sakamoto Yu was flipping through the documents without looking up.

"What if GG can't continue the story?"

Watanabe glanced at him.

"Then it won't work out." Her tone was light, as if she were talking about something not so serious. "At least we got the money."

Sakamoto Yu's lips twitched slightly.

"You really are..."

"Reality," Watanabe chimed in. "That's what reality is."