National Tide 1980.

Although Ning Weimin always told Matsumoto Keiko that it was nothing and wanted to reassure her.

But the actual situation was terrible, in fact, much more serious than Ning Weimin had imagined.

When Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko sat together with two generals of the Kirigaya Studio, Akira Okamoto and Mitsuru Watanabe, for an emergency meeting to study the situation and find countermeasures, the feedback from Akira Okamoto stunned everyone present.

Let’s first talk about the troubles that the movie “Crazy Rich Asians” encountered.

Because Zun Long’s character in the movie is the successor of a prominent Chinese family in Singapore.

According to the original script and storyline of the movie "Crazy Rich Asians", many famous local landmarks and attractions in Singapore would become important scenes in the movie.

So in a sense, this movie actually has a significant impact on Singapore's image and tourism industry.

Considering that the investment in the movie "Crazy Rich Asians" is nearly 20 million US dollars, and it brings together many stars from China, Japan and France, it is one of the largest-budget movies even in Asia.

Logically speaking, whether it is the Singapore government or Singapore's hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions, they should all be happy to be chosen by the crew and there is no reason for them not to actively assist the crew in filming.

In fact, this was also the case when the crew first arrived in Singapore.

The government's procedures for filming permits went smoothly, the private territory charges were very cheap, and the police even helped maintain order on public streets. The filming conditions were much more optimistic than the crew had initially expected.

But for some reason, this positive attitude seemed to disappear overnight, and the crew suddenly became a group of people who were not loved by their uncles and grandmothers.

The problem the crew is facing now is that not only have the filming locations that were originally agreed upon for filming gone back on their word, but they have also turned their backs on the "Crazy Rich Asians" crew and rejected them.

For example, a private club in Ann Siang Hill and a seafood restaurant in Bukit Pasoh Road both changed their minds and refused to accept filming by the crew.

Even for the parts that had already been filmed, those filming locations also contacted the crew and refused to appear in the film.

Places like Raffles Hotel Singapore and CHIJMES not only proactively refunded the filming fees they had paid, but also required them to delete all the films they had already shot.

He also said that if they did not do as they were told, they would probably face litigation in the future.

This means that all the filming work done by the crew in Singapore in the past ten days has been in vain.

The economic losses caused are probably as high as 200 to 300 million yen.

That’s not all. The crew’s initial application for filming procedures was only for twenty days. If they wanted to find a new location for filming, they would have to contact the relevant department to apply for an extension.

In theory, this procedure should be easy to apply for.

But for some unknown reason, the relevant government departments in Singapore refused to provide any convenience and even sent people to re-examine their filming qualifications, which delayed them for another day and a half.

So now the director Osawa Yutaka and the production representatives sent by Kiri Films are at a loss, and the actors in the crew are even more uneasy.

No one knew whether to stay or leave. They were worried about being criticized by Ning Weimin, and they were even more afraid that the film would not be able to continue filming because of the huge losses it incurred.

As for Tokyo itself, the situation is not much better than in Singapore.

Although the crew of "Black Leather Notebook" did not encounter any problems with the venue.

After all, this story tells the love, hate and vengeance of a mama-san in a Ginza club.

The general plot is that the heroine played by Keiko Matsumoto is a grassroots bank employee who has outstanding abilities but is treated harshly by her superiors. She successfully extorts 180 million yen from the bank using only a "black leather notebook" that records many bank business secrets, and transforms herself into the youngest mama-san in Ginza.

After that, she continued to work alone in the world of darkness, secretly recording the privacy of various guests in a black manual, and then choosing targets to blackmail to expand her career.

This means that the main location of the plot is not the club in Ginza, the restaurant is the bank, and the resources directly controlled by Ning Weimin can almost fully meet the filming needs.

In fact, the actual expenditure of the crew in this regard is the least, and the falsely reported venue fees and consumables can all be used to offset taxes.

But the problem is that something unexpected went wrong with the actors.

There are about a dozen important characters in the whole drama.

In addition to the heroine Motoko played by Keiko Matsumoto, other main characters include the congressman Yasuda, who secretly likes her but can only marry someone else, as well as her prey such as doctors, principals, politicians, etc. who are blackmailed one by one, and several women who are either her enemies or friends, or are used as tools by her to achieve her goals.

The roles that have been confirmed include the male lead played by Tomokazu Miura, the beauty salon doctor played by Ken Utsui, the head nurse played by Yoshiko Ishida, the heroine's rival Nami played by Yasuko Sawaguchi, the candlestick mama-san played by Taurus Palace artist Yukiyo Juju, and the Ginza gangster played by Tetsuya Watari who provides information to the heroine.

All other roles need to go through a rigorous casting competition and be carefully selected from candidates recommended by major brokerage companies.

Especially the political bigwigs with the greatest power and the darkest heart, who went through many twists and turns before being finalized just before filming began.

Logically speaking, the subject matter of this TV series is particularly in line with the current social atmosphere. Not only does the Mist Studio pay enough, but the drama is also one of Seicho Matsumoto's well-known works, and it is directed by the famous director Yoshitaro Nomura. The main characters are all big stars in the Japanese industry.

No matter how you look at it, this TV series is going to be a major drama that will be broadcast during prime time and it is bound to achieve high ratings after it is broadcast.

These actors who have worked so hard to become characters in the drama should cherish this opportunity and do their best to play the roles well.

Even the agency behind them would probably tell them solemnly that in order to improve their own level and act well, the drama may become a big hit.

But the most bizarre thing happened. Less than a week after the filming started, almost all the actors who were publicly selected handed in their resignations and wanted to leave the crew, and insisted on doing so even if they had to pay liquidated damages.

What’s even more strange is that their agency actually supports them in doing so.

The agents of those actors changed their initial attitude of repeatedly begging and even kneeling to win the roles, and became distant and cold.

When asked why the actors quit, they didn't say anything, but just gave vague answers, saying they were willing to pay the penalty for breach of contract. Those with a good attitude expressed a few apologies, while those with a bad attitude simply hung up.

Even the extras got involved.

Several people actually contacted Mist Studios to get their participation fees refunded, saying that they did not want their appearances to appear in the drama again.

They also warned the studio that this was an issue involving their portrait rights, and that they would appeal to the relevant authorities if even a strand of their hair appeared on the TV screen after the TV series was broadcast.

In short, all this happened suddenly and incomprehensibly.

It seemed like a complete disaster that came from nowhere.

Everything seems unusual and strange, but it makes people angry and they have no way to vent.

"Since when did a small extra dare to go against the studio? Are they crazy? Are they really that bold?"

"And those actors and venues, how could they do this! What good will it do to them if they break the contract without authorization? They are so shameless, who would dare to cooperate with them in the future?"

"No! We must ask the Ministry of Justice to hold them accountable and sue their management company as well. Make them compensate us for all our losses!"

Watanabe Mitsuru had just recently been feeling a little relieved about the improving financial situation of his agency and studio, but he didn't expect something like this to happen.

The huge losses for no apparent reason made him furious.

His face turned black, he couldn't accept this fact at all.

"Watanabe, don't worry, there must be a reason! It can't be unreasonable."

Okamoto Akira was also very angry, but he still managed to keep his sanity.

While responding to the indignation of his colleagues, he made his own judgment.

"There must be someone behind this. Someone is deliberately targeting us to make things difficult for us. Otherwise, there would be no such coincidence. Only by finding this person first can we find a solution."

This was very obvious, and Matsumoto Keiko and Ning Weimin also saw it. They also suspected that someone was behind it, otherwise it would be impossible for such a blatant breach of contract to happen with the filming location and actors who had already signed the contract.

This is no longer the kind of dishonest behavior that can easily lead to criticism, but rather involves the level of legal costs of facing claims.

But the other party is fearless and insists on doing so regardless of the consequences. This is the most intriguing thing.

"But the question is, who is trying to embarrass us? We haven't offended anyone. Who would hate us so much that they have to ruin our filming?"

Matsumoto Keiko first expressed her confusion, then her expression changed, as if she had thought of something.

At this point, she couldn't help but look up at Ning Weimin, her eyes full of worry, "Could it be..."

"No, it's impossible. It definitely can't be Fukasaku Kinji."

Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko are husband and wife, and they have long understood each other's minds on many things.

Just by looking at her expression, Ning Weimin knew that she was thinking of the famous director.

Although jealousy was this guy's motive, he was ultimately just a director with limited abilities.

He couldn't do such a thing, otherwise he wouldn't have lost so badly at the last Academy Awards.

On the contrary, the person or force that could do such a thing and put them in such a passive situation must be a powerful behemoth.

  Otherwise, why would even the Singapore government change its attitude towards the crew, and why would so many filming locations and actors risk compensation to cancel the contract?

This is something that hurts others and does not benefit anyone. I'm sure the locations and actors themselves are unwilling to do so. They must have been under some kind of pressure and coercion that they dared not disobey.

Moreover, it’s only been a week since the filming started, and almost all the actors who were publicly recruited have already run away. Their efficiency is really amazing.

Therefore, the more magical the reality is, the more it illustrates the seriousness of the matter.

He prides himself on always being kind to others and pursuing the coexistence of interests in everything he does.

  How did I end up with such an enemy?

Why did you offend the other party?

I have absolutely no idea.

And it seems that there are no such powerful bosses in Japan's film and television industry, or the entertainment industry.

Even the Big Five don't have such ability.

Otherwise, if such a person existed, wouldn't he have unified the world long ago?

What else are others playing?

It's so weird. No matter how I think about it, it seems unreal.

But it actually happened.

Who is behind all this?

What is his real purpose...

Seeing Ning Weimin lowering his head in deep thought with a serious look on his face, Watanabe Mitsuru and Okamoto Akira both tactfully shut their mouths.

They dared not utter a word, for fear of disturbing Ning Weimin's thoughts.

Matsumoto Keiko, on the other hand, did not have too many concerns. She said thoughtfully, "How about we try again? I will go to visit those firms in person and talk to them? Maybe I can ask others for help. Anyway, let's find out what happened first. But the situation in Singapore is also urgent. I..."

"I'll go over there. I'll take Watanabe-san with me. If there's room for recovery, we may need additional funds. It will be more convenient for us to handle matters if we go together."

Ning Weimin didn't think much about it. When he saw Qingzi proposed a practical solution, he raised his eyebrows and took the responsibility of the matter himself.

After all, this is a serious matter and we have to find a way to solve the problem.

  But without sufficient understanding of the situation, it is difficult to find the crux of the problem, let alone a solution.

That's why Ning Weimin decided to go in person to investigate the situation, and then take appropriate countermeasures based on the local conditions.

He thought he was better at this kind of thing than Matsumoto Keiko, and Keiko's connections and contacts were all in Japan, so only by staying in Tokyo could she exert her greatest abilities.

Keiko Matsumoto hesitated for a moment, and felt that this was more appropriate, so she readily nodded in agreement.

However, plans cannot keep up with changes.

Just when Watanabe Mitsuru had instructed his subordinates in the office to book flights to Singapore and check into a hotel.

A subordinate knocked on the office door and walked in with a panicked look.

"What's the matter?" Okamoto Akira asked unhappily.

"Sorry for disturbing you."

The subordinates would also read his expression and know that the company's filming had encountered trouble and that the matter was being discussed in the room. It was not the right time to come, so they quickly apologized.

However, he also had his reasons for coming, and he revealed an important piece of news without giving Okamoto Akira a chance to speak.

"Just now... just now I received a call from Burning Production. They said that their president wanted to meet with Matsumoto-san to discuss the filming difficulties we are currently facing. The other party said that they might have a way to solve our current predicament, but we need to show corresponding sincerity..."

As the subordinates dictated the message, more and more sweat appeared on their foreheads.

"What? It's related to the combustion system?" Okamoto Akira said in surprise.

"President Suho? Are they targeting us?" Watanabe Mitsuru frowned.

At this time, except for Ning Weimin who did not understand the meaning of this news, the other people in the room all had frustrated looks in their eyes, saying "No wonder it is like this" and "This is trouble".

So Matsumoto Keiko continued to ask, "So what else did the other party say? When can we visit him?"

"This...this..." The subordinate suddenly looked embarrassed, and then he took a breath before he mustered up his courage.

"The other party left a hotel room number and only asked Matsumoto-san to arrive on time at nine o'clock tonight..."

After finishing the sentence reluctantly, the subordinate's face turned pale.

As expected, not only did Akira Okamoto and Mitsuru Watanabe curse out loud, but Keiko Matsumoto herself was so angry that she was shaking all over.

There is no doubt that this is a naked insult, and everyone understands the subtext.

Of course Ning Weimin clenched his fists even more, but compared to cursing angrily, he wished he could kill President Zhou Fang.

Now, he cares more about other things.

"Watanabe, we won't be going to Singapore. Cancel the flight tickets and hotel. Also, notify the Crazy Rich Asians crew to change the filming location immediately. Let them go to France first and shoot the French scenes first. Consider alternative plans for modifying the script."

If nothing else, Ning Weimin’s biggest fear is not arm wrestling with others, but worrying about the safety of the crew members when they are outside.

  After all, Singapore's laws are famously strict. What if outsiders like them break some laws for no apparent reason and get arrested?

Before facing the enemy formally, he must eliminate his greatest fear and get his people out of the enemy's control first.

In this way, he has no fatal weakness and can fully fight against the enemy. (End of this chapter)