Traveling Through the Tokyo Bubble Era

Chapter 732 Do You Need Me to Introduce You?

The place where Hideki Hanyu met Peter Peterson was in a restaurant in Beverly Hills.

After the meeting, Hideki Hanyu heard from Peter Peterson that the other party had originally planned to return to New York today after attending the Sony event, but he changed his schedule temporarily because of the appointment with him.

As soon as Hanyu Hideki heard it, he understood that the other party said this just to highlight his importance to him.

In addition to this, before the two of them talked about business, Peter Peterson would often intentionally or unintentionally mention the cooperation between Hideki Hanyu and Larry Fink at Blackstone Financial Management Company.

This simply implies that they are not strangers, but have a good cooperative relationship.

As expected of an old fox on Wall Street, he used conversation skills all the time to bring the two closer together, hoping to gain the trust of the super-rich Hideki Hanyu.

After chatting for a while, Hanyu Hideki gradually brought the topic to the point.

"Mr. Peterson said last night that if Mr. Morita and I have the same interests, you can help me. Can we talk about it in detail?"

As soon as Hanyu Hideki said this, he immediately noticed the glimmer of pride in Peter Peterson's eyes opposite him.

It was a sign that the prey seemed to be about to take the bait.

Even though Peter Peterson concealed it well, Hideki Hanyu still caught it.

Perhaps this is also because Hideki Hanyu had already guessed Peter Peterson's thoughts.

This old fox from Wall Street came up to him to try to get close to him, build friendship and establish connections. How could he have any other purpose except to get his money?

Especially the Japanese capital during this period, which highlighted a man with a lot of money who was stupid and spent money lavishly on shopping in America.

It would be strange if Peter Peterson didn't set his sights on Hideki Hanyu.

After concealing his true thoughts, Peter Peterson said immediately.

"As far as I know, although Mr. Hanyu's Cloud Pictures has developed well in Hollywood, it is ultimately an independent production company that is outside the mainstream and does not have a complete distribution channel in North America."

Upon hearing this, Hanyu Hideki pretended to be troubled and said, "That's right, Yunshang Pictures has been in development for too short a time, and we haven't had enough time to establish many things."

Seeing Hideki Hanyu's reaction, Peter Peterson was very satisfied.

The next moment, Peter Peterson pretended to be mysterious and said, "What if I can help Mr. Hanyu in this regard?"

Hanyu Hideki immediately pretended to be interested and asked, "How can I help?"

"Of course it's like helping Mr. Morita," said Peter Peterson.

"Acquire a Hollywood studio?" asked Hideki Hanyu.

Peter Peterson confirmed, "Yes, and it is a studio with MAPP voting rights."

MAPP, or the Motion Picture Association of America.

The greatest power of this association for Hollywood is the right to vote on film ratings.

Although there is no regulation in America, movies must be rated before they can be released.

But in most cases, theaters will not show unrated films.

The main members who control the tiered voting rights in MAPP are the traditional major Hollywood studios.

There were originally eight major studios, but after United Artists was acquired, there are only seven left.

After MGM went bankrupt in the 1990s, it became the Big Six that later generations knew.

Hideki Hanyu also knew that when he traveled through time in his previous life, Netflix was officially accepted as a new member.

At that time, the development trend of streaming media had undoubtedly begun to surpass that of theater movies, and MAPP's absorption of Netflix was an inevitable trend.

But in this day and age, the Internet has not yet begun to develop, the videotape market has only just matured, and theaters are undoubtedly the mainstream profit source of Hollywood studios.

Therefore, controlling the MAPP graded voting rights is one of the most supreme rights in Hollywood.

This is why Peter Peterson emphasized this point to Hideki Hanyu.

Upon hearing this, Hanyu Hideki also cooperated with a surprised expression and asked, "Apart from Columbia Pictures, are there other major Hollywood studios also looking to sell it?"

After Hanyu Hideki showed his performance of taking the bait, Peter Peterson in front of him was secretly proud of himself but kept it a secret.

The man said with difficulty, "Well... before we reach a deal, I can't reveal some information."

Seeing this, Hanyu Hideki also showed disappointment.

But he was thinking in his heart that this cunning old fox in front of him might not have found the "goods" at all, but wanted to identify him as the buyer first, and then look for a seller under his name.

But in order to keep Hanyu Hideki hanging, Peter Peterson hurriedly said, "The main reason is that I serve more than one client. I hope Mr. Hanyu can understand. I will submit detailed information to you as soon as possible. I hope you don't worry."

Hanyu Hideki said, “Okay, then I will wait for good news from Peterson.”

But as if unintentionally, there was still a hint of urgency in his words.

This performance made Peter Peterson very satisfied.

At the same time, a new plan gradually formed in his mind.

Although he made a lot of money by acquiring Columbia Pictures through Sony.

But Peter Peterson was no longer satisfied with just cheating one company at a time.

that's it……

Peter Peterson, who had ulterior motives and thought he had secured a new client.

And Hideki Hanyu, whose acting skills exploded, making his opponent think that he was being controlled.

Had a "pleasant" lunch in the restaurant.

Saying goodbye to Peter Peterson, Hideki Hanyu returns to the Hibiscus Garden.

He then spent a few more days in America.

In addition to handling work, he also used work to travel between Los Angeles and San Jose, accompanying Liu Xiaoli and her daughter, and Zhou Huimin and her son.

It can be said that he has fully utilized the talents of a master of time management, jumping left and right without revealing the slightest flaw.

The time came to April 7th.

The 1989 E3 exhibition was held in San Francisco. Hideki Hanyu attended the opening ceremony on the first day and met Satoru Iwata, who came to promote the second-generation EGP arcade platform.

However, he did not attend the subsequent new product meeting and returned to Neon that night.

On the afternoon of April 8, the Yunshang arrived in Neon, but its destination was not Tokyo, but Osaka Itami Airport in Kansai.

The reason he arrived here was because he had promised Kuroki Hitomi that he would accompany her to attend the anniversary ceremony of the Takarazuka Theater tomorrow.

After getting off the plane and walking out of the airport, I saw my assistants Chie Ishihara and Hitomi Kuroki who had arrived earlier.

As she had to travel a long way to attend the celebration, Kuroki Hitomi did not bring her daughter Yuma with her, and left her in Tokyo to be taken care of by someone.

After getting on the car that picked him up at the airport, Hideki Hanyu didn't even bother to be intimate with Hitomi Kuroki, and started listening to Tomoe Ishihara's report on the situation.

A lot of things happened in Neon during his absence.

Among them, what Hanyu Hideki cares about most is the development of the "Recruit Bribery Case".

Except for a single faction, almost all of the major factions of the Ming Party were involved.

At this point everyone understood that this matter was extremely complicated and there was no intention of letting it go. It was gradually developing in an uncontrollable direction.

For a time, everyone in the upper class felt insecure again and only wanted to protect themselves.

Many of the guys who were originally arrogant and unscrupulous have now turned into cowards, trying to escape the disaster.

It was in this situation that Hideki Hanyu felt a sense of relief.

The invisible shackles on his capital were gradually loosened, and he felt as if he had suddenly been freed.

Obviously, some of the guys who were hiding in the dark and targeting him are now too busy to deal with him.

Naturally, he would not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

While listening to Ishihara Tomoe's report, he was already secretly thinking about how the original layout could be improved.

While they were reporting along the way, their car drove into Takarazuka City.

When the car drove into the parking lot of the booked hotel, Hideki Hanyu wanted to go in with the others, but he saw Marco winking at him.

He motioned for the others to go to the room first, while he stayed behind.

"What's the matter?" Hanyu Hideki asked Marco.

When talking to Marco, he doesn't need to be polite, just be straightforward.

"Da Yue and Shi want to see you." Marco said.

"Why?" Hanyu Hideki asked.

"To thank you, of course," Marco replied.

"It's because of that woman in Brazil."

Hideki Hanyu immediately thought of the reason.

Last month, after Roguli told others that he had found the person, he arranged for people to go to Brazil to bring the person back to Japan, and even sent the "Elf" over there.

At the end of the month, his subordinate reporter was brought back to Tokyo and met with Okoshi and Fumi, and then he didn't pay much attention to the matter.

No matter what Dai Yue and Shi’s previous experiences were, and how important that woman was to Dai Yue and Shi, that is someone else’s life and someone else’s story.

He just investigated Dai Yue and Shi's experience, learned about such a person, and used his resources to help.

Thinking of this, Hanyu Hideki said nonchalantly, "Tell Okoshi and Shi that I know about his gratitude, and there is no need for a meeting."

"I see." Marco replied.

And this is the end of the matter for Hideki Hanyu.

When I entered the hotel room, Kuroki Hitomi was not there, but the sound of a shower could be heard in the bathroom.

Hideki Hanyu changed into his pajamas and sat on the sofa in the living room of the suite, thinking about what to do next.

The year 1989 was very important to him and was destined to be a busy year.

This time when he returns to Neon, he doesn't plan to stay long.

It wasn't because of the renewed storm of the Recruit bribery case.

Although this matter is escalating, the target is obvious and the scope is clear, and it can no longer be linked to him.

All he had to do was think about how to benefit from this matter.

But before reaping the benefits, he still needs to consolidate his career.

So he planned to start a tour, not just in Neon, but all over the world.

But just as he was thinking about the specific itinerary, the bathroom door opened.

Hitomi Kuroki, wrapped in a bath towel, walked out slowly, came barefoot in front of Hideki Hanyu, and went straight into Hideki Hanyu's arms.

As an old married couple, they have such a tacit understanding that they don't need to say anything. The following things will happen naturally.

The next day, Hanyu Hideki walked out of the hotel with his classic look in public, wearing a suit and tie, and gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.

He was young, handsome, and gentle, and along the way, countless women looked at him with infatuation in their eyes.

Looking at Kuroki Hitomi beside him, she was wearing an elegant white dress, but she looked a little listless.

There was no way. Hitomi Kuroki, who was reunited after a short separation, was a little overconfident last night and repeatedly challenged Hideki Hanyu's "limits", and then she was severely beaten.

Hideki Hanyu's evil physique has developed to the point where it is no longer something that one person can handle, so it is completely understandable that Hitomi Kuroki is in this state now.

In fact, this is the result of Hanyu Hideki showing mercy.

The two got in the car and headed to the Takarazuka Theater.

Hanyu Hideki seemed to remember something and asked curiously, "Why didn't Daichi-san come to this anniversary ceremony?"

Back then, Daichi Mao and Kuroki Hitomi were good friends and the most tacit stage partners in Takarazuka.

But in terms of popularity, there was a huge gap between Kuroki Hitomi and Daichi Mao.

After all, the best-selling roles in Takarazuka have always been male ones.

Even when talking about her career after leaving the group, Daichi Mao is now a well-known musical actress.

Although Hitomi Kuroki, as the president of an agency, has a high status and worth in the circle, in terms of popularity, Hitomi Kuroki, who has retreated behind the scenes, is not as well-known as Mao Daichi.

There is no reason why Takarazuka Kuroki Hitomi was invited but Daichi Mao was not.

Hitomi Kuroki, who was resting in the car, heard this and answered while taking a short break, "Daichi-san arrived earlier than me, but she was invited to live in the dormitory of Takarazuka, so we will see her later."

After saying that, Kuroki Hitomi suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Hanyu Hideki.

"Could it be that Hanyu-kun missed Daichi-san? That's right. If I had known that you would be so tired last night, I would have asked Daichi-san to come along."

"What are you talking about again?" Hanyu Hideki tapped Kuroki Hitomi's forehead helplessly.

"I'm not kidding. Back in America..."

Before Kuroki Hitomi could finish her words, Hanyu Hideki interrupted her unhappily, "You did it on purpose in the first place."

"Then Hanyu-kun didn't refuse either."

As Kuroki Hitomi spoke, she deliberately leaned close to Hanyu Hideki and whispered, "Since you are not allowed to talk about Daichi-san, how about I ask the teacher to introduce a few junior sisters to Hanyu-kun when we go to Takarazuka today? If they have Hanyu-kun's support, I think their career development will definitely be easier."

"Did you not get enough rest last night? Your brain is dull. Listen to what you are saying?"

While speaking, Hanyu Hideki looked at Kuroki Hitomi with an expression that said, "I don't know you."

"It's just a joke, don't take it seriously, Hanyu-kun."

Kuroki Hitomi first acted a little coquettishly towards Hanyu Hideki, and then sighed with a depressed look.

“In fact, I am not talking nonsense. For many people, Takarazuka is both a beautiful stage and a nightmare that they don’t want to recall.

Glamour only belongs to a few. Most people face brutal competition, careers with no future, oppression from management, and bullying that may occur at any time.

I am one of the lucky few in Takarazuka. From school to the theater, I have the help of Daichi-san. Otherwise, I would have encountered many bad things. "

After hearing what Kuroki Hitomi said, Hanyu Hideki didn't say anything, but gently held the other's hand and gave the other his comfort with his actions.

In fact, although Hanyu Hideki has not experienced Takarazuka personally, he has read a lot of related news in later generations, and perhaps he knows as much about it as member Hitomi Kuroki.

After all, news about bullying within Takarazuka was nothing new at that time, and there were even two "teachers" who were from Takarazuka and went into the adult industry.

After watching the performance, Hideki Hanyu said that the only big thing about the actor is his fame, and his acting skills and appearance are really average.

Uh... we've gone off topic.

In fact, bullying is not only a problem in Takarazuka in Japan. It is basically commonplace in the workplace, school, and all walks of life, and has become a tacit unspoken rule.

Ultimately, it is caused by Japan’s distorted, twisted and ugly social culture.

For example, the concept of shame that everyone knows but is completely unwilling to talk about.

In school, if someone fails to make friends or join small groups when he or she first enters school, he or she will not be able to make friends later and will be excluded, isolated, and bullied by other small groups.

Even at lunch time, in order to hide the fact that they have friends eating with them, the isolated students will hide in the bathroom to eat.

For this reason, Japanese schools even had to ban students from eating in the toilet.

Just as Hanyu Hideki was lost in thought, Kuroki Hitomi felt the warmth of Hanyu Hideki's palm, leaned her head on Hanyu Hideki's chest, and asked softly.

"Hanyu-kun, do you have any way to change this?"

Hanyu Hideki shook his head without hesitation. "Takarazuka was established in 1914. Neon bullying culture has been around even longer. No one has been able to break it for such a long time. This is not something that can be changed by one person."

The changes that Kuroki Hitomi is talking about are not a problem of the Takarazuka family, but the entire social culture of Neon.

This is a country where no revolution has taken place, where the old feudal dregs still remain and are stubbornly integrated into the new era.

If you want change, you have to tear the whole country apart.

Hideki Hanyu obviously can't do that.

In this kind of situation, not to mention Hideki Hanyu, even if the top management of Japan made a collective effort, it would be useless.

Hanyu Hideki thought about it and felt that this explanation was too general.

He simply explained from another perspective, "Takarazuka is not a simple enterprise. Not only is Toho behind it, but the largest shareholder is Hankyu Hanshin Corporation.

Although this company only develops in Kansai and appears to be inconspicuous on the surface, the strength of the entire group is not weak at all.

Railway transportation, buses, freight, department stores, hotels, real estate, international logistics and trade, financial investment...

Even my company has many collaborations with them, so no one would make enemies with such forces just because Takarazuka students or regular members are treated unfairly. "

Of course, for Hideki Hanyu, the only reason he doesn't make enemies is because the benefits are not big enough.

The focus of his career is not in Kansai, and the price he would have to pay to take advantage of Hankyu Hanshin Corporation, a local Kansai company, is simply too great.

If it was just for a Takarazuka and for the sense of justice in his heart, he would never do this unless he was crazy.

Wasting time and energy and causing losses to both parties, and risking one's life for a beauty have never been his style.

"I actually understand that Takarazuka is like a small-scale entertainment industry."

In the two years since Kuroki Hitomi took office as president, she is no longer the simple Takarazuka girl she once was.

She was sentimental and felt compassion for a moment. It was not because she didn't understand, but it was just because of what she saw and heard in Takarazuka.

While the two were talking, the car had already arrived outside the Takarazuka Main Theater.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Takarazuka Revue.

The memorial ceremony was quite grand, and the details of the ceremony had been announced to the public long ago. Therefore, outside the grand theater where the ceremony was held, not only did a large number of fans arrive in advance, but there were also a large number of media from all over Japan waiting.

In this kind of occasion, Hanyu Hideki is obviously not suitable to appear with Kuroki Hitomi.

Therefore, before arriving, the two of them took separate vehicles.

Kuroki Hitomi arrived first and attracted a lot of attention the moment she got off the car.

After all, she was once the most popular female role in Takarazuka. Although she is not as good as her partner Daichi Mao and has retired behind the scenes in recent years, there are still people who know Kuroki Hitomi.

What's more, in the eyes of the media, Kuroki Hitomi, now the president of Uesugi Office, is in some ways more important than those popular Takarazuka members.

However, the level of attention that Kuroki Hitomi received was definitely a world of difference compared to Hanyu Hideki who arrived later.

Hideki Hanyu, who deliberately waited for a while before appearing, caused a moment of silence at first and then aroused heated responses from the audience when he got off the car.

The media reporters, with surprise on their faces, began to press the shutter buttons frantically and move the camera lenses, unwilling to miss any move of Hideki Hanyu.

They kept asking questions to Hanyu Hideki, who had no expression on his face.

After all, they never expected, and the Takarazuka officials never told anyone, that Hideki Hanyu would appear at today's memorial ceremony.

Of course, this is not Takarazuka's fault.

Hitomi Kuroki was worried that Hideki Hanyu would not be able to make it back from America, so she only informed Takarazuka at the last minute that Hideki Hanyu would definitely attend today.

However, the people who had the biggest reaction at this time were not the surprised reporters.

But those fans who came for Takarazuka.

These loyal audiences of Takarazuka are basically all women of different ages.

They like Takarazuka and the male actors in Takarazuka, simply because they want to find the perfect man who does not exist in reality on the imaginary stage.

But after Hideki Hanyu suddenly appeared, Japanese women discovered that Hideki Hanyu was simply the male protagonist in the stage play story, appearing alive in reality.

Handsome appearance, handsome figure, talented, born in a common family, wealthy, romantic and unrestrained...

Almost every point steps on women's fantasies.

Therefore, among these female fans who like Takarazuka, almost half of them are admirers of Hideki Hanyu.

Even those who did not admire him originally, looking at Hanyu Hideki's good looks and gentle and ascetic temperament, walked towards the Takarazuka step by step with a stern expression and long legs.

Her heart was already pounding with excitement, and she stared at the scumbag unconsciously, exclaiming in amazement along with the others.

It was in such a scene that Hideki Hanyu walked into the theater.

At the first moment, the president and senior executives of Hankyu Hanshin Corporation, who had been waiting for a long time, as well as the person in charge of Takarazuka, all came to greet Hideki Hanyu.

This is also the normal treatment for Hideki Hanyu to participate in the celebration.

After all, Hideki Hanyu was willing to come today, which was considered a great honor for Hankyu Hanshin Corporation.

However, although Hideki Hanyu's company has cooperated with Hankyu Hanshin Corporation, he is not familiar with their senior management, and only exchanged polite words after meeting them.

Then, these people led them into the formal ceremony process.

As for Kuroki Hitomi who arrived first, Hanyu Hideki did not see her for a while.

It was not until he visited a rehearsal performance of the theater troupe "Moon Group" that Kuroki Hitomi appeared with Daichi Mao.

It turned out that the two of them were sitting in the guidance seats as seniors of the "Moon Group".

After all, Daichi Mao and Kuroki Hitomi are the first group of TOP actors in the "Moon Group" since the introduction of the Takarazuka TOP system.

At this time, all the members of the "Moon Group" performing were their juniors.

In addition, both of them have achieved some success in their careers, so the younger generations still respect them quite a bit.

However, looking at Kuroki Hitomi's serious expression, Hanyu Hideki found it amusing for some reason.

After the performance of the "Moon Group" ended, Kuroki Hitomi approached Hanyu Hideki and immediately turned into a jealous little wife and asked in a low voice.

"I just saw you staring at the members of the group for several months. Do you need me to introduce them to you?"

(End of this chapter)