National Tide 1980

What kind of clothes should I wear?

Deep down in her heart, Matsumoto Keiko has recited this sentence silently several times.

In the dressing room on the second floor, she took off another slightly gorgeous dress in front of a tall mirror.

Even in the soft lighting, her silky skin was enough to make any man's blood rush.

But she herself didn't notice this at all, and she didn't have the confidence she deserved.

Instead, she looked at the hundreds of sets of big-name clothes from all over the world in the ten-square-meter room, and for the first time, she felt palpitations and difficulty.

In fact, logically speaking, her almost perfect figure should make it easier for her to choose clothes. She looks good in almost any clothes.

What's more, she has attended countless high-class banquets and celebrity parties.

Whether in Paris or New York, whether attending the Cannes Film Festival or the Venice Film Festival, she never takes any pains to dress up.

However, today, just to meet a strange young man, a Chinese from a third world country.

She couldn't help but look at herself harshly.

Either I think that outfit is too fancy, or I think that style is out of date.

Either I'm picking on the dress's neckline which has too many decorations, or I'm picking on the waist of the skirt which makes me look a little fat.

It was almost the first time in her life that she felt so embarrassed and panicked.

Even if it was the first time a movie she participated in won an award, she had never been so nervous when standing on the podium.

This is so inexplicable and strange.

In the end, she suddenly remembered the past few years when she went to China to participate in film exchange activities.

By the way, Chinese people are very conservative about clothing, and luxury may make them look vulgar.

At least in the eyes of that Chinese young man, that's probably the case.

His dressing style is so refreshing and simple, and you can tell from a glance that he likes simplicity.

So after much hesitation and trying on at least a dozen outfits, Matsumoto Keiko finally chose a white skirt suit.

On her feet she wore a pair of pearl white leather shoes with light heels.

The jewelry only retained the pearl earrings on the ears, and they were replaced with darker colors.

The watch also gave up the most commonly worn rose gold diamond-encrusted Cartier watch and replaced it with a Seiko Kun watch with a white soft leather strap.

This should look better, right?

Matsumoto Keiko looked in the mirror and thought to herself.

And when she finally felt satisfied, she turned around and was about to leave.

But he couldn't help but look at the book "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" on the dressing table.

That was the book that Ning Weimin was reading when they first met, and later agreed to lend it to her.

In Matsumoto Keiko's mind, this book was undoubtedly read carefully by that beautiful and clean young man.

Every chapter, every section, every word has been touched by him.

Maybe it's gentle, maybe it's casual, his fingerprints and the smell of his skin are left in every word.

So even though she had promised to return it when they met again, she still hesitated.

It’s better...don’t pay it back first...

Thinking of this, Keiko Matsumoto's cheeks couldn't help but feel slightly hot, and her heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate.

Such shyness is something I haven't experienced in many years.

This wonderful taste is like when she was naughty when she was a child, climbing trees to touch bird eggs with adults on her back.

I feel itching in my heart with longing, but also afraid of losing my footing and falling from the tree.

And when it came time to actually decide to go out, Matsumoto Keiko didn't even plan to drive the blue sports car she had last time.

Suddenly, she felt that the car seemed too flamboyant and too sharp.

But she wanted to sharpen up the sharp things so that she could appear gentle, elegant and leisurely.

So in the end, I decided to be conservative and switched to another car of my own - a silver Toyota Crown.

…………

Time spent on the road goes by almost instantly.

A full half hour ahead of the agreed time, Keiko Matsumoto arrived at her apartment in Nishi-Azabu.

When parking the car, she looked at her watch. It was exactly three o'clock in the afternoon.

In fact, the reason why it happened so early was because Matsumoto Keiko was looking forward to it.

It was also because she wanted to ventilate the room in advance and boil a pot of water so that she could better entertain the guests.

So as soon as she arrived and entered the apartment, she started getting busy.

After opening the windows, turn on the air conditioner to keep warm, dry and fresh air indoors.

Although it was a sunny afternoon with plenty of sunshine, she still turned on all the indoor lights to make the apartment more transparent and bright.

It is precisely because he has hidden thoughts and inexplicable thoughts that he cannot explain clearly.

And she had just experienced experiences that made her feel sick just thinking about them, and she just wanted to forget them forever.

Matsumoto Keiko was even more afraid of darkness and shadows, and longed to be bathed in the light.

When everything was finished and the water for tea was boiled, she couldn't help but wander in front of the full-length mirror behind the apartment door.

It was as if I had inadvertently peeked at the woman in the glasses, going back and forth several times. She walked to the mirror, took a look, then left, and then couldn't help but walk back again.

It's not that she's not confident, she just wants to take a photo and observe herself in her natural state in this way.

What she was particularly worried about was that she was afraid that if she dressed up too much, she would look artificial and old-fashioned, and be laughed at.

Finally, she met her own eyes in the mirror.

She couldn't help but examine the eyes in the mirror carefully.

In addition to confusion and tension, desire and joy, restlessness and rebellion.

There is also something like Eve's hunger for apples, Pandora's curiosity about the magic box, and something she can never grasp by herself...

At this moment, the doorbell rang.

Suddenly frightened, she stood at the door for half a minute before Matsuzaka Keiko finally plucked up the courage and walked to the door mirror to confirm the identity of the person outside the door.

Still dressed in the same outfit, Ning Weimin, who came as promised, stood at the door and waited quietly.

Keiko Matsumoto peered at the young man she longed to see for a longer time than she had just been stunned.

Enough for a ripe apple to fall from the tree.

Finally, as she unlocked the door and opened the door, the young, magnetic and humble voice she had heard came from outside the door.

"Hello, I seem to be a little late for keeping you waiting. Sorry."

"It doesn't matter, the time is just right, please come in."

After Ning Weimin changed his shoes, she specially invited him again.

"The tea has been brewed, come and sit."

Ning Weimin's movements were still very light and he walked quietly.

He walked slowly through the entrance hall to the sofa and peeked at the big star who was already sitting on the sofa. However, he did not sit down directly, but saluted again.

"It's too much trouble for you, why are you so embarrassed?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm the one to thank."

Seeing how polite he was, Matsumoto Keiko stood up and returned the favor.

"The advice you gave me during the last meeting was great. Thanks to you, I have been able to temporarily solve my financial problems by using a mortgage loan."

"Huh? My suggestion..."

This surprised Ning Weimin.

"Are you saying that this house has been mortgaged? So you called me here this time...not to sell the house?"

However, regarding this issue, Matsumoto Keiko adopted a non-committal and evasive approach.

"Let's sit down and talk. The temperature of the tea is just right. You can quench your thirst first."

Indeed, after all, the two of them are still strangers, and financial status is an important privacy of a person.

There is really no need for Matsumoto Keiko to disclose the details of this aspect to an outsider.

So Ning Weimin couldn't refuse the invitation.

This time he not only walked to the second seat and sat down, but also readily picked up the cup that had been filled with tea and took a polite sip.

"Nice tea, thank you."

Then he quietly waited for Matsumoto Keiko's next words.

But to his surprise, Matsumoto Keiko stopped continuing this topic.

On the contrary, as if he had nothing to say, he actually changed his direction and unexpectedly became concerned about his current situation.

"Have you been very busy recently? Do you have a lot of clients to deal with? Is the house easy to sell? Has it been negotiated?"

"Oh, I have just started and am still in the learning stage. But what is certain is that this industry is indeed becoming more and more prosperous."

Ning Weimin felt very puzzled and simply used vague words to deal with it.

"That's good." Matsumoto Keiko smiled, and then continued to ask questions that seemed impossible to answer.

"Where are you? Where do you live now?"

"Me? I actually...live...in Ginza..."

"Ginza?" Matsumoto Keiko's tone suddenly became higher, revealing unbelievable surprise.

But Ning Weimin is more capable than Matsumoto Keiko.

He can tell lies with his eyes open and his face not reddening, and he is not afraid of half-truths and half-falsities.

"Ah... yes. It's at No. 5-chome 6-8, a street behind the Ginza Seiko Bell intersection. You won't believe that there is a three-story Abatto, right? To be honest, those three The small iron-clad building with 2 floors is completely blocked by the commercial buildings outside. Even few people in Tokyo would know about it. In fact, inside the house, except for the rooftop terrace, there is no sunlight at all. It has to be turned on during the day. The lights. But the advantage is that the house price is cheap and the transportation is convenient. It’s only 40,000 yen a month..."

This does explain it.

Matsumoto Keiko nodded slightly, she obviously believed it.

"It's incredible. Is there such a house in such an area? How did you find it?"

"Hey, it was a coincidence. When I first arrived in Tokyo to look for a house, the building in front of the house had just been demolished and rebuilt. I saw Abatto behind it. There was a rental advertisement on it..."

"That's right. It's indeed a coincidence. But isn't this kind of house good for you? It's bad for your health."

"You're right, but it's not easy to find an apartment in Tokyo, so you have to take your time."

Matsumoto Keiko fully agreed with Ning Weimin's explanation, and there was nothing left to doubt.

But at the same time, I couldn't think of any topic, especially a suitable topic.

They all fell silent in unison.

For at least two minutes, they fell into the awkward silence of each other.

Ning Weimin could barely keep his composure.

After all, the basic quality of a businessman is to smile and not be in a hurry.

If he can't do these two things, he might as well stop hanging out in the mall.

Not to mention, not only did he already understand Matsumoto Keiko's star status.

And the other person is a stunning beauty that you can never tire of looking at.

In addition, Keiko Matsumoto is wearing white clothes today, which makes her look younger.

Compared to her in the movie, there is no sense of distance.

There is even an elegant temperament that cannot be concealed, and it is not aggressive at all.

Being able to sit face to face with her like this is a rare adventure and a joy in life.

Why can't he sit still?

On the other hand, for Matsumoto Keiko, because of her hesitation, she had been thinking about an idea that was difficult to finalize.

Her mentality was far inferior to that of Ning Weimin, and she frowned unconsciously, feeling really uneasy.

After all, she currently knows very little about Ning Weimin.

So she wasn't really sure about how she wanted to show kindness next.

Should I speak hastily?

Should I just take it out?

Is this too abrupt?

Will it cause misunderstanding? Are there any unpredictable errors?

But although her mind was still struggling over and over, what she finally wanted to say suddenly came out.

"The reason why you come here again this time is actually to express your gratitude in person. You really helped me a very, very big favor, but you yourself suffered a heavy loss because of it. This makes me very sorry. So be careful, Please accept it. Don't refuse, otherwise, I will be uneasy."

With that said, Matsumoto Keiko took out a thick envelope from her purse and placed it on the coffee table in front of Ning Weimin with both hands.

Due to the white and delicate skin, the light blue blood vessels on the slender fingers are clearly visible.

Ning Weimin only needed one glance to confirm that the envelope contained probably a stack of unopened bills, which was one million yen!

However, it was this move that caused Ning Weimin's heart to be hit hard.

The hot blood was violently pumped out, flowing rapidly to every blood vessel in his body, seeping into every pore, and pouring into his brain. The whole body was burned by the hot blood.

"What do you mean? Why do you want to give me money for nothing? I can't ask for this money..."

Ning Weimin tried his best to control his emotions, but the peace he had always maintained disappeared and his expression became serious.

Matsumoto Keiko immediately noticed his displeasure and quickly explained.

"No...it's not for nothing. You suffered a loss for me. If the house is sold, you should have at least one percent commission..."

"That's only over six hundred thousand. What you gave is too much."

"Not much. I am a Japanese and a movie actor. This amount of money is nothing to me. But you are Chinese, so life in Tokyo must be very difficult. You need this money, and you can just use it to rent a better place. House, improve your life, take it..."

The more you describe it, the darker it gets, and the more you say it goes too far.

Although he is not arrogant and has good intentions, this damn sense of superiority and charity is really uncomfortable.

"Haha!" Ning Weimin snorted twice, half-smilingly, and then asked further.

"Are you pitying me? Just because you are Japanese and I am from China? If you want to do good deeds, I suggest you donate the money to formal charities. I have the skills If you have legs, you won’t accept this kind of charity..."

Ning Weimin's heart was in turmoil. He never expected that Matsumoto Keiko would use this method to repay his kindness and actually give him money so straightforwardly.

And he didn't know why he was so angry. Originally, this kind of thing shouldn't be anything to him.

And it's possible that he's just overthinking it.

If the person who "smashed" him with money was not Keiko Matsumoto, he could have thanked him with a smile, immediately took the money and left, then turned around and bought another one million yen of Hanwa Kogyo shares.

But he was so evil that he said such words to the money Keiko Matsuzaka gave him.

He just couldn't control his anger, easily breaking through his defenses, and his heart was twitching in pain.

Is he someone who can spend just a few dollars?

He is clearly lusting after her...

Ahem, in short, this matter cannot be settled like this. The reason why he, a Chinese, came all the way here, was not expecting this.

And his words completely made Matsumoto Keiko realize that he was really angry.

In panic, the explanations she could give became more and more stumbling.

"I'm sorry, Ningsang, please don't be angry. If... if there is anything wrong, please allow me to explain. I... I really don't mean to look down on you, I just feel that you should be rewarded for what you have given. Take it. Favors should also be repaid appropriately. Money is the most useful to you at the moment..."

"Needless to say, I appreciate your kindness. But I don't need you to make such a return. If your troubles are solved because of my suggestions, I will be happy for you. But if the house transaction is not successful, I can't take your money. Money. This is the principle of my life. That’s it, I wish you a happy life..."

Ning Weimin interrupted impatiently. He changed his previous politeness and demeanor, turned around and left decisively.

But as soon as he reached the entrance, Keiko Matsumoto's excited voice came from behind him, which was his last attempt to persuade him to stay.

"No, please don't leave. I really want to make friends with you. I thought... you would be happy to accept the money, and then planned to let you treat me to dinner..."

Just because of these choked words, Ning Weimin tensed up his nerves again and turned around suddenly.

"What? You... want to be friends with me?"

"Yes." Keiko Matsumoto said solemnly and seriously, "Is that okay?"