I, Hiroshi Nohara, the star of Japanese cinema!

Now... he has become the one who is taken sides!

"I……"

So Takada lowered his head in horror, like a child who had done something wrong.

Can bend and stretch!

"Hmph." Sakata Nobuhiko snorted coldly, and his chubby face regained its smiling look, as if the thunderous rage just now was just an illusion of everyone.

He looked at the two of them and slowly dropped a bombshell that was enough to shock the entire office.

"Regarding Nohara Hiroshi-kun's position, I have already discussed it with the board of directors."

He paused, enjoying the looks of shock and confusion from the two men.

"The board of directors unanimously decided that, in light of Mr. Nohara Hiroshi's outstanding and irreplaceable contributions to the three projects, 'World of Wonderful Stories,' 'Anshiji Residence,' and 'Super Transformation'..."

"Starting next month, he will be officially promoted from Level 4 Director to—"

Nobuhiko Sakata's voice, like the final sound of a bell, reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Level 3 Director. And Director of the newly established [Nohara Hiroshi Independent Production Department]!"

"boom--!"

This decision, like a real atomic bomb, exploded in the minds of Asumi and Takada Toshihide!

Level 3 director!

Independent Production Department, Minister!

This is no longer a simple exceptional promotion!

This is... a quick climb to the top!

You know, in the strict hierarchy of Tokyo TV, from a level four director to a level three director, that is an insurmountable chasm that is enough to make countless people waste years of time, gritting their teeth and sweating profusely!

Ordinary people, without ten or eight years of experience and a few outstanding works, dare not even think about it!

And that young man, he... he has only been at the TV station for less than a year!

And what is the independent production department?

This is the treatment enjoyed by second-level directors. They can be fully responsible for the various planned programs they produce, set up classrooms within their own production departments, arrange staff, and even have partial financial and personnel rights!

"Chief! This... this is against the rules!" Takada Shunying was the first to react. He stood up suddenly, his gloomy face full of disbelief.

You know, now some of his second-level directors don’t even have the treatment of an independent production department!

Now it is given directly to Hiroshi Nohara.

A young man who has only been working for less than half a year!?

Even though he has been promoted to the level of director now, he is actually only a third-level director, a young director!

Chapter 115: Minister! Nohara Hiroshi! Everything is under control!

Takada Toshihide was really anxious.

However, facing the impatience of his executive deputy director, the smile on Nobuhiko Sakata's face did not change at all. His eyes, which were always squinting, revealed an unquestionable majesty, like a sharp blade wrapped in a warm jade sheath, seemingly harmless, but actually sharp.

"Rules?" He asked with a smile, "Takada-kun, at our Tokyo TV station, the biggest rule is 'grades.'"

"Nohara-kun managed to get a 27.5% viewership rating for an afternoon variety show; a stable rating of over 21% for a mid-season short drama; and even a late-night anime that your Tokyo-style crew has left half-dead, managed to get a rating of over 10%. Tell me, which of your second-tier directors can come up with that kind of track record?"

"..." It felt like a ball of hot cotton was stuffed in Takada Shunying's throat. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word. His gloomy face instantly turned the color of liver.

He couldn't argue.

"Alright." Sakata Nobuhiko waved his hand, as if shooing away a noisy fly. "The board has unanimously approved this matter. It's settled."

After he finished speaking, he stopped looking at Takada Shunei's extremely ugly face and turned to Asumi, revealing a smile as warm as a spring breeze. "Asumi-kun, let everyone know. From today on, our production department has a new director, the youngest one, with independent production authority."

……

When Asumi's chief secretary, the intellectual beauty who usually looked down on others, personally delivered an appointment document with a bright red seal and a brand new doorplate carved from top-grade beech wood to the [Nohara Hiroshi Special Production Team], the entire office instantly fell into an eerie silence so deep that you could hear a pin drop.

On that doorplate, in vigorous and powerful calligraphy, were engraved a few words large enough to drive any TV person crazy:

【Nohara Hiroshi·Independent Production Department】.

The air seemed to freeze.

Everyone seemed to be under a spell, staring blankly at the doorplate, their faces filled with disbelief and horror.

"I... am I not dazzled?"

After an unknown amount of time, a laugh filled with self-mockery and absurdity broke the silence.

The person who spoke was Kei Tanaka.

The former second-level director was looking at the houseplate as if it were a monster. He then looked at the young man who had been drinking coffee calmly from beginning to end, and a bitter expression of both laughter and tears appeared on his face.

"I'm a second-level director, working under a third-level director, and it's fine, but that third-level director has a higher-ranking independent production department than mine... Is this... something like this even happening in the entire Japanese television industry?"

His words were like a switch, instantly igniting the entire office!

"It's not just you!" Sato Kenji also pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. His face, which always wore a somewhat gentle smile, was now filled with shock. "Yamamoto and I are also third-level directors. I've worked at Tokyo TV for so long, but this is the first time I've seen a third-level director have the authority to work in an independent production department..."

"Independent Production Department... Oh my god..." Yamamoto Tsuyoshi nodded in shock, his eyes widening as he stared at the sign. "This... isn't this the special treatment the station grants to senior second-level directors preparing to become first-level directors? Section Chief Nohara... he just got promoted to third level!"

"This isn't just a simple exception; this is... a leap to heaven!" Sato pursed his lips and concluded, "Special treatment for monsters."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

In the corner, Hashijitaro stared blankly at the doorplate. In his eyes, which had long been filled with regret and awe, there was only the purest gaze from the depths of his soul after witnessing a true miracle...

He thought of himself, who had struggled at the TV station for seven or eight years before he barely climbed to the position of a senior level four director.

And that young man became a third-level director in less than half a year.

No, to be precise, it took him less than two months to go from a fourth-level director to a third-level director, and then to own his own independent production department.

This speed can no longer be described as "genius".

This is a monster!

It is a dimensionality reduction attack that is enough to make all contemporaries feel despair!

"What's so strange?"

Amidst this sea of ​​shocking and absurd discussions, Nancun Xing's voice seemed unusually natural.

He put his hands on his hips, his young face filled with pride, like a fervent fan defending his idol: "Look at what our section chief has accomplished!"

"27.5% for 'Super Transformation'! 21% for 'Stories of Strange Worlds'! And 'Dark House' has broken 10%!"

"Any one of these three works would be enough for an ordinary second-level director to brag about for a lifetime! Our section chief has created three legends in three different fields simultaneously! Let alone a third-level director, even if he were to be promoted directly to a first-level director right now, I think it's perfectly justified!"

The office suddenly became quiet.

Everyone looked at each other, and then a knowing smile appeared on their faces.

Yes, they are still obsessed with the rigid hierarchy, but forget that in the face of absolute strength, all rules seem so pale and powerless.

"Nanmura is right." Yamamoto Takeshi let out a long breath and nodded with emotion. "I've been acting for twenty years, and the best result I've achieved is a crime drama with a 15% viewership rating. Compared to Section Chief's performance, which often exceeds 20%, it's simply... child's play."

"We didn't deserve to lose." Tanaka Kei also shook his head. All the resentment on his face had faded, leaving only pure and sincere submission. "This era is no longer ours. It belongs... to monsters like him."

These words caused all the veterans of the Kwantung faction present to fall into a long silence.

It is a kind of powerlessness and awe that comes from the bone marrow after witnessing true genius.

Age? Qualifications?

In the face of absolute strength...it's really not enough!

……

The huge shock wave brought by Nohara Hiroshi's promotion quickly swept the entire Tokyo TV station in an unmatched manner.

The tea room, the place with the most internal information of the TV station and also the place with the most mixed people, is now filled with sour discussions.

"Have you heard? That Nohara Hiroshi has been promoted to a third-level director! And... he even has his own independent production department!"

A third-level director who looked to be in his early forties, with a shiny Mediterranean hair, was holding a coffee cup, his voice full of uncontrollable jealousy.

"I've heard about it, how could I not have heard about it? The whole production department is going crazy over it now." A skinny-faced companion beside him curled his lips in a choking, sour voice. "Fuck me, I've been working at the station for fifteen years, almost losing my hair, and just barely got to this position. How could he, a young man in his early twenties, get this? Just because he got lucky, just had some shit luck, and got a few half-decent shows?"

"Not bad?" Director Mediterranean gave a wry laugh, his voice filled with despair. "Dude, don't kid yourself. Is that what they call 'not bad'? That's called 'mythology'! 27.5% of afternoon variety shows! 21% of mid-season dramas! 10% of late-night cartoons! Combined, for everything we've filmed in our lifetimes, how could it possibly top the ratings of just one of their shows?"

“…” The thin director’s face instantly turned purple. He opened his mouth but couldn’t refute a single word.

"Alas!" The Mediterranean director sighed deeply, his tone filled with the helplessness of someone who had come to terms with reality. "Forget it, I won't compete anymore. I can't. Being born in the same era as that freak is just the misfortune of us mortals. I just hope he doesn't get the urge to come and film our morning drama, which is what we're best at. Otherwise, we won't even have a last bite of food left."

These words are full of black humor, but they also reveal a cruel reality.

In the face of Nohara Hiroshi's absolute talent that is enough to subvert the rules of the times, everyone's struggles seem so insignificant and full of comedy.

They don't even have the right to be jealous.

All that is left is to look up and pray.

Pray to the god not to cast his destructive gaze on his own piece of land, which has long been barren.

……

The HR department acted with astonishing speed. Almost at the same time as the appointment document was issued, a middle-aged man with a warm smile on his face, who looked like Maitreya Buddha, appeared in front of the door of this office that had long been the focus of the entire TV station, accompanied by two subordinates.

"Oh my, Minister Nohara! Congratulations! Congratulations!"

The person who came was the deputy director of the personnel department, a veteran named Watanabe. He was usually arrogant and only nodded politely even when facing those second-level directors.

But at this moment, his chubby face blossomed with an almost flattering enthusiasm, as if Nohara Hiroshi was not a newly promoted third-level director, but his long-lost relative.

no way.

Who made Nohara Hiroshi so popular with the emperor now?

Even Director Sakata thinks highly of Hiroshi Nohara, and he has heard Director Sakata praising Hiroshi Nohara outside and in front of many leaders countless times.

Moreover, Nohara Hiroshi is also Deputy Director Asumi's confidant.

And Nohara Hiroshi is still so young.

If……