National Tide 1980

In Singapore, director Osawa Yutaka and the representative of the producer were both shocked after receiving the cross-border call from Tokyo.

They did not expect that the Fog Studio would decide to bear all the losses so quickly, abandon all the filming results in Singapore, and let the crew go to France to film.

In particular, Tokyo solemnly told them to evacuate as soon as possible at all costs, try to appease the main actors, and consider modifying the original settings of the script.

Such an order made them understand that the matter was irreversible, and they also realized the seriousness of the matter to some extent - if they did not leave this place as soon as possible, there would probably be more trouble.

Their hearts were immediately burdened and panicked, so the implementation under this situation also affected the emotions of the actors to a certain extent, and they became nervous and panicked.

In particular, there were some objective problems that exacerbated this negative effect.

For example, several Hong Kong and Japanese actors who originally had few roles had time scheduling problems in terms of notices.

There were also problems with the passports and visas of some mainland actors.

These actors were a little confused about what to do, and if they could not solve it well, they would not be able to go.

But then again, Crazy Rich Asians has a sufficient budget and is a big production.

For Ning Weimin, anything that can be done with money is not a big deal.

With the help of money, Daze Feng quickly coordinated everything on behalf of the crew and the actors who had problems with their schedules.

Moreover, France is also half of Ning Weimin's home, especially his relationship with the French film and television industry and fashion industry is not inferior to that in Japan.

With the help of French connections and the financial guarantee of Credit Agricole, the French Embassy in Singapore also quickly solved the visa problem for the actors from the mainland of the Republic.

So although the entire crew left Singapore a bit like fleeing in a panic, they were safe in time after all.

Moreover, Alain Delon was responsible for coordinating the filming matters and staying in the hotel in France. The favorable conditions in all aspects were beyond the crew's expectations.

When they arrived, they were no longer confused.

Some actors even saw that the accommodation conditions were good, because the crew was responsible for all expenses and the filming process was slowed down, and they were a little happy.

At this time, they felt that they were not here to work, but rather to go on vacation.

In short, the matter was handled promptly and smoothly, and nothing happened that Ning Weimin did not want to see, which made him feel relieved.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, he was making a fuss.

Before trying to communicate with the other party, he actually made such a decision first, causing himself considerable actual losses, which was really unwise.

It is also easy for opponents to mistakenly think that they are too timid and will become more unscrupulous.

But Ning Weimin knows best where his psychological bottom line is and what he really cares about.

Money is nothing to him, whether it is hundreds of millions of yen, billions of yen, or even tens of billions of yen.

With his ability, this little economic loss can be easily earned back.

But if the crew encounters legal risks or personal safety threats in Singapore, he will be helpless.

Only by ensuring that all people working for him are out of danger first can he calmly deal with the predicament.

…………

On the second day after the "Crazy Rich Asians" crew arrived in France, Ning Weimin, along with Akira Okamoto and the legal lawyer of Matsumoto's office, came to the entertainment Burning Project office that called them to provoke them.

Their visit this time was an uninvited and proactive visit.

The purpose was to find out as soon as possible why the other party released malicious intent and deliberately targeted them.

On the surface, their actions were completely legitimate reactions, and they were a direct response to the other party's provocation.

But the other party's call was probably also a bait, hoping that they would do it impatiently.

This would undoubtedly also make them have the effect of lowering their own value, thus becoming passive.

So Ning Weimin shook his head and they had agreed before coming this time that they would only visit in the name of Akira Okamoto's factory director.

Ning Weimin himself stayed behind the scenes as an accompanying staff member and secretly observed the situation.

If you can talk, then talk, if you can't talk, then talk, and at least leave yourself some room.

As expected, they were soon obviously treated coldly.

When he first arrived, Ning Weimin rushed to the front desk as a secretary and politely introduced himself to the female staff at the front desk.

"We are from Wu Film Studio. We are invited by the president of your company to discuss something. Please inform us and say that Director Okamoto of Wu Film Studio is visiting."

Perhaps it was because of Ning Weimin's handsome face comparable to that of a star that was likable.

At this time, the female staff at the front desk was very enthusiastic and showed a smile that was much more sincere than a professional smile.

"Excuse me, do you have an appointment?"

"This... Actually, you called us and the time we agreed on was not today. But today is the only time that is convenient for us, so we came to visit the president of your company in person. You can ask, I think he will meet us."

Ning Weimin carefully chose his words and tried to look confident.

Because he was not sure about the other party's intentions at the moment, who knew what the other party was planning.

"Okay, please wait."

The female staff at the front desk probably didn't encounter this kind of thing for the first time. She picked up the internal phone and covered the microphone and asked a few questions softly.

This phone call turned out to be a crucial turning point, and soon her expression turned strange.

Even though she had deliberately hidden it, probably because of her lack of professional experience, Ning Weimin still noticed the clues as her eyes widened and her expression froze.

"I'm sorry, the president is holding a very important meeting. It's not convenient to see you at the moment..."

Ning Weimin could not hold his composure, but he did not expect to see anyone right away.

"What about the vice president? You should have someone else who can make the decision, right?"

"The vice president is also in a meeting. In fact, all the main leaders of the office are in a meeting. Otherwise, please come back after making an appointment next time. Is that okay with you?"

Ning Weimin thought for a while and felt that the front desk did not inform him that the president was absent because the other party wanted to talk.

The other party refused to meet, probably just to put on airs and further undermine their prestige.

He immediately said, "We can wait!"

Ning Weimin didn't care about the other party playing such useless tricks. In his opinion, this only proved the other party's petty ambition.

He has the stomach to tolerate clowns before he detects the opponent's trump card.

As expected, the female staff member covered the phone and whispered a few words, then showed an awkward smile, stood up, and led Ning Weimin and his party to a waiting room.

And politely prepared a pot of coffee for them, and then...disappeared.

Ning Weimin and the three of them just sat there drinking the pot of coffee. They sat there for three hours. Their buttocks hurt from sitting, and no one came to greet them.

At this time, Ning Weimin looked at his watch and saw that it was almost half past six! This is already past closing time for most businesses.

So Ning Weimin stopped waiting and didn't even go to the front desk to ask. He stood up and asked Akira Okamoto and the lawyer to leave together.

He believed that his side's sincerity had been fully expressed.

If they leave at this time and the other party doesn't keep them, it means that the other party has no intention of interviewing them at all and is just playing tricks on them.

There is no point in staying any longer.

The result was as he expected. As soon as a few people walked out of the Burning Project office, and while they were waiting for the elevator, the front desk lady responsible for receiving guests ran over to chase them.

Her face turned red, and she changed her words and said, "The president asked them to wait a little longer."

In this way, under Ning Weimin's eyes, several people walked back and waited with their last patience to meet.

It's probably because the other party has played enough tricks on them and earned face.

Perhaps they were really afraid that their patience would run out and they would walk away, thus becoming villains in vain.

This time, they only waited a token amount of ten minutes before the front desk lady informed them that they could see the president, and then personally led them to the innermost part of the affairs office area.

At this time, it was long past the off-duty time, and there was no one in the corridor. The artists, office staff, and visitors from related industries who could have been seen by chance were all gone.

The lights were dim, and all office doors were closed, with metal handles shining.

Probably because the air-conditioning was too strong, Ning Weimin felt a chill down his spine while walking in the empty corridor.

The footsteps of the front desk lady who was leading the way were particularly loud on the linen carpet.

Finally arriving in front of the president's office, the receptionist stopped, knocked on the door gently, and then looked back at the guests.

Soon, someone inside opened the door wide.

A character who looked like the president's secretary did not introduce himself, but gestured for several people to walk in.

The president's room is very spacious and brightly lit, and people who don't know it might think they are walking into a gallery.

Various large and small Japanese paintings are hung on the three walls, with themes including landscapes, figures and flowers. The heavy colors of the artworks and the thick golden frames complement each other.

Hanging on the wall in the middle of the back of the office is a large print with a historical theme, which is commonly known as "Ukiyo-e" in Japan.

A middle-aged man on the seat in front raised his head, revealing a stern and smiling face.

This expression is actually very contradictory. The eyes are cold, but the corners of the mouth are smiling.

Perhaps the only way to describe it is with an old Chinese proverb, "Smiling on the surface but not on the flesh" is the most appropriate way to describe it.

"President, this is Director Okamoto of Fog Film Factory."

The guest had already arrived, and the receptionist moved a few steps to introduce Akira Okamoto, who was standing behind him.

"Oh, here we come."

This was his first greeting.

"Are you President Zhou Fang?"

"Yes, I am Shu Fang Ikuo."

This person's eyebrows are very narrow, and there are several wrinkles. His nostrils are a bit big, his lips are thin, his cheekbones are protruding, and his chin is flat and strong.

When he said this sentence, his tone was full of confidence.

On the contrary, Akira Okamoto acted very restrained after entering the door.

Perhaps it's because Fog Film Factory has just started, and as the director, he doesn't have the feeling of an industry boss yet.

Especially when the identity of the other party is confirmed, he subconsciously becomes shorter.

I have the urge to bow, but I don't want to be too humble due to my identity and purpose.

I couldn't help but feel embarrassed for a moment, so after thinking about it I had to step forward and extend my hand with a slight bow.

However, even this thin noodle was not given to him.

Perhaps seeing his guilty conscience, Zhou Fangyuxiong showed no courtesy at all.

Instead of stretching out his hand, he sat still in his seat and casually pointed at the chair opposite him, as if giving orders to his subordinates.

"Sit down."

Akira Okamoto immediately felt humiliated and wanted to look back at Ning Weimin for a moment.

But when he remembered the purpose of coming today, he still held back. He reluctantly moved his lips but didn't say anything, and just silently followed the instructions.

As for Ning Weimin and the accompanying legal lawyer, they were completely ignored by Zhou Fang Yuxiong.

They didn't even deserve seats, so they had to stand behind Akira Okamoto.

As a result, under such circumstances, Ning Weimin got his first impression of Zhou Fang Yuxiong.

Arrogant, domineering, arrogant, arrogant.

It turns out that this is the "leader" of the Japanese entertainment industry.

Why does this person look like a villain?

This is a bit inappropriate. If he really has this kind of personal quality and can't even pretend, then how on earth could this person climb to this position?

Is he determined to defeat us, or is there someone behind him to support him?

Ning Weimin observed silently and thought in his heart.

Yes, Ning Weimin already knew about this as President Zhou Fang before coming here. He heard a lot of rumors about him through the mouths of Akira Okamoto and Mitsuru Watanabe.

But it was only now that he compared what he remembered with the person in front of him.

According to two subordinates, with the decline of the major movie studio system and the rise of television entertainment, the living conditions of artists in Japan's entertainment industry have also changed drastically.

Now, five economic firms have monopolized 80% of the artist resources.

The entire industry calls them the "One Super Four", so they have a high say in the entertainment industry.

And which firm is the most powerful among these five?

There is no doubt that it is BURNINGPRODUCTION.

This company is amazing.

Although looking at the tax payment and presumed income rankings of entertainment firms, BURNING seems to be far less profitable than other firms. The business entity is not large, and there are not many first-line stars. At most, it is the size of a medium-sized firm.

But in fact BURNING is a super aircraft carrier company.

The reason why it is called the big brother in the entertainment industry is that nearly half of the small firms in the entertainment industry are affiliated with BURNING or have business support relationships with BURNING.

In other words, more than half of the artists in Japan are more or less managed by BURNING.

Although these offices are not named BURNING, they are collectively referred to as the "BURNING system", which is also the "combustion system".

Therefore, it is conceivable that Ikuo Suho, the president of BURNING Agency, has a say in the entertainment industry.

And his own experience of making a fortune is even more magical.

It is said that he was originally just a poor loser who worked as a driver for a politician and formed a certain fate.

Then he went to work in an artist agency. After being fired by his boss, he started his own company.

Because when Japan tightened copyrights, they took advantage of the copyrights of golden songs in advance and made a fortune.

Then he hooked up with the Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest organization in Yakuza, Japan, who was interested in getting involved in the entertainment industry. Since then, he has continued to annex artist management companies by coercion and inducement to grow and develop.

Even now he has the ability to manipulate the media's public opinion. If any media dares not to do what he wants, he will notify his artists to block this media and never accept interviews again.

But then again, as far as Ning Weimin knew, the Yamaguchi-gumi's power was not in Tokyo, and the case involving Ikuo Shubo was several years ago.

Judging from the time, it was precisely after he became successful that he began to pay attention to whitewashing.

Moreover, in media reports, some people have repeatedly praised him as a well-educated, humble and polite person.

So according to Ning Weimin, it would be great to make money by exploiting artists and monopolizing copyrights, but this guy is mentally ill to get involved with Yakuza.

Maybe he is just a showman who likes to scare people with Yakuza, and he has been trying to clean up his innocence for so many years.

Otherwise, with the current rampant Yakuza in Japan, he will not have any trouble in the past two years.

What's more, even if he can use his influence to get the media to completely block negative news about him, to put it another way.

But even if he really plays dirty, he may not be Axia's opponent.

After all, Axia has Inagawa behind her. He is the real local snake in Tokyo. How could he be allowed to show off his power in the name of Yamaguchi-gumi?