mesbooks Chapter 314 Li Ma and His Mentor
Chapter 314 Li Ma and His Mentor
Chapter 314 A Thoroughbred Horse and a Discerning Eye
When Kitahara Shin's private plane landed smoothly at Tokyo Narita International Airport, the Japanese public opinion field was already boiling over like a pot of water.
In 1998, when information dissemination still relied on newspapers and television news, what happened in Los Angeles, North America, had, after only a dozen hours of fermentation, transformed into a super storm that swept across Asia. The DV footage of Kitahara Kousuke subduing four knife-wielding black thugs on Malibu Beach was repeatedly broadcast on major Japanese television stations during prime time.
"President Kitahara displays divine power on Hollywood beach! Zero-second defeat, like an action blockbuster brought to life!"
"From Asian film godfather to West Coast tough guy, Shin Kitahara demonstrates true Japanese spirit to the world!"
Established newspapers like the Yomiuri Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun, for the first time ever, published high-definition screenshots of Kitahara Shin's swift over-the-shoulder throw on their front pages. For the Japanese public, this was more than just entertainment news. In the late 1990s, after the bursting of the bubble economy, a society permeated with repression and inferiority complexes, the fact that a Japanese businessman could display such overwhelming strength against a ruthless street gang in the power-worshipping United States was a powerful shot in the arm for national confidence!
Countless fans have fallen into an unprecedented frenzy in online forums and fan clubs.
"That was so cool! That dodging of the blades was even smoother than the special effects in Resident Evil!"
"I always thought Shin-kun was the kind of shrewd and calculating tycoon, but I never imagined he'd be such a good fighter when he takes off his suit! The contrast is amazing!"
"He can make movies and earn money from Americans, and he can fight four people at once to protect the weak. Is there anything in this world that President Kitahara can't do?"
Amidst the fervent praise from the public, Kitahara Shin's convoy quietly drove back to the Kitahara Foundation headquarters in Chiyoda Ward.
As soon as he returned to his office, Senior Secretary Aida handed him an expedited medical report from Tokyo National General Hospital.
Kitahara Shin took off his coat, casually flipped open the report, and couldn't help but smile gently.
The name on the report was none other than Mei Bo, the ten-year-old girl with leukemia from the first episode of "Making Dreams for You".
In the conclusion section of the report, the attending physician wrote in an almost unbelievable, trembling handwriting: "A medical miracle. The proliferation of cancer cells in the patient's body has completely stopped, and hematopoietic stem cells are showing unprecedented activity. The immune system is rebuilding at a rate defying conventional pathology. The patient is now completely out of danger and is expected to be transferred to a regular ward in three months, and may even meet the criteria for complete clinical cure!"
Looking at the report, Kitahara Shin knew that the effects of the [Ring of Life] had been completely stabilized.
He closed his eyes and mentally issued a command to the system: "Remove the temporary binding of the [Ring of Life] to Minami."
With a crisp notification from the system, the golden light that had traversed space was quietly severed. Although the equipment's enhancements were withdrawn, after two weeks of full-power nurturing, Minami's previously broken bodily functions had been completely rebuilt. Going forward, even relying solely on ordinary medical treatments and her newly formed immune system, this little girl would have absolutely no problem surviving.
He did this without expecting anything in return; he simply wanted to do what he could to prevent the young life that loved watching his TV dramas from withering away prematurely. Now that his goal has been achieved, it's time to refocus on his vast film and television empire.
Kitahara Shin sat down in his large leather office chair and began reviewing a thick stack of letters of intent for cooperation that had been faxed from the North American branch.
Hollywood's astute film production companies, such as Warner Bros., Paramount, and 21st Century Fox, all extended olive branches after seeing the terrifying box office potential of "Resident Evil" and the explosive popularity of Shin Kitahara in North America.
They proposed to co-produce a film and offered an exorbitant salary, strongly demanding that Kitahara Shin continue to play the male lead in these co-productions.
In their view, Kitahara Shin's current box office appeal, coupled with his genuine martial arts skills, makes him practically a human money-printing machine.
However, Kitahara Shin only glanced at them briefly before throwing all the tempting letters of intent into the shredder.
"Tell the head of the North American branch to reject all offers from Hollywood to play the male lead," Kitahara Shin said into the intercom, his tone calm yet authoritative.
His vision now extends far beyond being a celebrity who flaunts their looks and actions in front of the camera. No matter how much an actor earns, they are ultimately just a pawn on the chessboard of capital. What he wants to do is be the player who sets the rules of the game.
Moreover, Kitahara Shin has a very clear timeline for his pursuit of Hollywood's highest honors.
This year is 1998, and he plans to use this year to thoroughly solidify the Kitahara Group's global industrial specialties foundation.
He consolidated his absolute dominance in Asia and prepared all the necessary resources. His real ambition lay in the coming year—1999.
In the last year before the new millennium, he was to create his own masterpiece as a director and behind-the-scenes tyrant, a god-level film that could completely tear apart the prejudices of Hollywood judges and forcibly snatch back the Oscar statuette!
As for the thriller script he was preparing to work on with Nicolas Cage, Kitahara Shin already had a perfect name in mind—Shutter Island.
This psychological thriller masterpiece, originally slated for release over a decade later by Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, was practically tailor-made for an Oscar run. It boasts a complex and intricate schizophrenia plot, a suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere of suspense, and a profound exploration of the deepest aspects of human nature. Had Nicolas Cage, currently at the peak of his acting career and possessing an inherently neurotic and melancholic aura, starred in it, coupled with Shin Kitahara's timeless visual direction, it would undoubtedly have been a bombshell in pre-millennium Hollywood!
Just as Kitahara Shin was rapidly sketching out storyboard sketches for "Shutter Island" in his notebook.
"Knock knock knock".
Someone knocked carefully on the heavy mahogany door of the office.
Kitahara Shin frowned slightly. At Kitahara Productions, the hierarchy was extremely strict. No artist or employee dared to disturb him on the top floor without prior notification and an appointment from the secretary. Even Sato Takeru, who had acted in "Dragon Zakura" and considered Kitahara Shin his mentor, would only bow respectfully when he saw him from afar in the corridor, never daring to knock on the door.
Because everyone knows that President Kitahara is extremely busy and has control over the allocation of assets worth hundreds of billions, the consequences of disturbing his thinking are very serious.
"Go in." Kitahara Shin put down his pen, his voice calm.
The door was pushed open a crack, and a young girl with short, neat hair and bright features, but also a hint of nervousness, peeked halfway in.
It is Yuko Takeuchi.
Just a few months ago, the little girl who accidentally bumped into Kitahara Shin's Maybach while riding her bicycle not only didn't have to pay compensation, but was also signed to the company by Kitahara Shin's keen eye.
Upon seeing that it was her, Kitahara Shin's initially serious expression softened slightly. This kind of headstrong, fearless personality was actually quite fitting for her age.
Since joining the company, thanks to the mysterious aura of being "personally signed by the president," coupled with her undeniably beautiful appearance and a healing, approachable charm, the management department treated her fairly well. They arranged some cameo roles in TV dramas and filming of romantic comedies for her, and her career progressed steadily.
At this time, Yuko Takeuchi was clearly still in a period of "confusion". After all, she was too young, had not received formal training, often could not find the camera on set, and did not have a clear plan for her future.
The reason she dared to knock on the door today was because she heard that the company president had returned from America and become a national hero. She had been thinking about how he hadn't paid her any compensation after the car accident and wanted to thank Kitahara Shin in person.
"President! Excuse me!" Yuko Takeuchi took a deep breath, walked into the office, and bowed deeply to Shin Kitahara at a ninety-degree angle. Her voice was tense due to nervousness.
Seeing her tense expression, Kitahara Shin couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't be so nervous. Is there something you need? Is the job your agency assigned you unsuitable?"
"No, no, no! That's not it!" Takeuchi Yuko waved her hands repeatedly, her cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment. "Thanks to you, everyone has been very kind to me. I came here today—to thank you again for not making me pay for the car repairs and for giving me such a wonderful opportunity. I heard you came back from America, so—so I wanted to give this to you."
As she spoke, she took out a beautifully packaged dark blue cardboard box from the handbag on her back and handed it to the desk with both hands.
"This is a small thing I made myself. It's not worth much, but I put a lot of effort into it, and I hope you won't mind, President." Yuko Takeuchi's eyes were full of sincerity and trepidation.
Kitahara Shin was somewhat surprised. In this world of fame and fortune, he had seen far too many expensive luxury goods, but such handmade little gifts seemed rather rare.
He reached out and took the cardboard box, then untied the ribbon and opened the lid.
Inside lay a hand-knitted dark gray cashmere scarf. Although the stitches were not as perfect as those of a machine-knitted scarf, the knitter's care was evident. At the end, a small "北" (Bei) character, representing the Kitahara Group, was even embroidered in a hidden thread.
The moment Kitahara Shin's fingers touched the scarf!
The dormant system in his mind suddenly emitted an unusually clear and long notification sound without any warning!
[Ding! A handcrafted item imbued with pure gratitude and high growth potential has been detected.]
[Congratulations, host! You have picked up and obtained an epic (purple) special equipment: Thousand-Faced Disguise (Adaptive Clothing Accessory)]
Upon hearing this prompt, Kitahara Shin froze. His pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze was fixed on the seemingly ordinary scarf in his hand.
Purple gear?!
This is actually a purple-grade item!
Although with Kitahara Shin's current strength and the trump cards he possesses, a single piece of purple equipment is not enough to make him lose his composure, the origin of this equipment still surprised him greatly.
He had long since figured out the system's pattern for dropping equipment. Ordinary fans or casual acquaintances, no matter how much they admired him, would at most give him a blue item with a slight stat boost. Items that dropped purple gear represented, on one hand, the purest of emotions from the giver; on the other hand, it also meant that the giver possessed immense potential to influence an entire era in the future!
At this moment, the system's attribute panel had already unfolded in Kitahara Shin's view:
[Equipment Attributes: This is a long-lasting auxiliary equipment that can freely change its form. (It can transform into a tie, etc.)]
[Any clothing accessories such as scarves, cufflinks, or brooches]
[Passive Skill 1: Perfect Tailoring. When wearing this equipment, any clothing worn by the host will automatically undergo micron-level adjustments to its appearance, eliminating all wrinkles and maintaining the most perfect, body-hugging drape.]
[Passive Skill Two: Aura Mimicry. This equipment can automatically adjust the material sheen and color saturation of clothing according to the occasion. It adds a sense of luxury at banquets, an aura of authority on set, and an aura of approachability in daily life, seamlessly integrating the host's personal aura into the environment.]
An extremely practical and top-quality auxiliary equipment that saves you from countless design hassles!
Kitahara Shin suppressed his surprise, looked up, and re-examined the still somewhat green Takeuchi Yuko before him. He realized that he might have underestimated this girl's potential. The more potential and capable a girl is, the more easily her gratitude after receiving his favor will transform into powerful assets.
"Thank you, I really like this gift." Kitahara Shin took out the scarf and casually draped it over the coat rack next to him.
Seeing that Kitahara Shin didn't object and even accepted it on the spot, Takeuchi Yuko finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a bright, relieved smile bloomed on her face: "I'm already very grateful that you accepted it! Then I won't disturb your work any longer, President."
"Sit down." Kitahara Shin gestured to the leather armchair opposite the desk, his tone gentle yet carrying a hint of superior confidence. "Since you're here, tell me about your recent situation. I've seen your schedule; you've had a few cameo roles recently. How were they?"
Since the other party had gifted him a piece of purple-grade equipment, Kitahara Shin naturally had to show the appropriate respect and reciprocate. He was not only a businessman, but also a talent scout skilled at discovering hidden gems.
Yuko Takeuchi, somewhat flattered, sat down with half her bottom on the chair, her hands obediently placed on her knees.
When Kitahara Shin asked about her work, her eyes dimmed slightly. She bit her lip and said with some distress, "President—actually, I've been feeling quite lost lately. The directors are all very kind to me, but on set, I always feel like a wooden doll. I'm slow at memorizing lines, and I often make mistakes in my blocking. I have no idea how to express the character's inner emotions. Sometimes I wonder if I just don't have the talent for acting and am only good-looking—"
Listening to the girl's story, Kitahara Shin leaned back in his chair with a smile. He had seen this kind of predicament far too many times.
Not everyone can be like Takako Matsu, born into a family of performers and nurtured by art from a young age; nor can everyone be like Rie Miyazawa, blessed with natural talent. The vast majority of actors are clueless when they first enter the industry.
"Just blindly grinding away at acting on set won't really get you any breakthroughs right now," Kitahara Shin said, looking into her eyes and offering an unexpected suggestion. "Why don't you stop playing those minor roles and try hosting a variety show?"
"Huh? Hosting a variety show?!" Yuko Takeuchi's eyes widened in surprise, her long eyelashes fluttering. "But—"
But shouldn't I be focusing on learning how to act after joining the company? Wouldn't hosting variety shows seem like I'm neglecting my duties?
In the Japanese entertainment industry's hierarchy of contempt at the time, film actors were at the top, television actors were next, and variety show hosts and comedians were often considered jobs only for people with no acting skills.
Kitahara Shin smiled and shook his head, his tone revealing a wisdom that seemed to have seen through the essence of the industry: "Yuko, you need to understand one thing. True acting skills are never honed in front of the mirror in a training class, but are accumulated from real-life experiences."
He stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked out at the bustling streets of Tokyo.
"You're like a blank sheet of paper right now, too young, and haven't experienced any hardships. You can't act sadness because you haven't been beaten down by life; you can't act complexity because you haven't seen the dark side of human nature. But variety shows are different."
Kitahara Shin turned around, his gaze fixed intently on her: "Variety shows are full of unpredictable variables. You need to deal with guests of all kinds of personalities, learn to hide your awkwardness in front of the camera, and be observant enough to catch the jokes thrown your way. This process forces you to observe and understand people, and to quickly accumulate knowledge about this industry..."
Understanding of the lower strata of society.
"I admit that there are geniuses in this world who can act incredibly well in their teens. But for the vast majority of people, it takes time and experience to mature. Once you've gone through the ups and downs of variety shows and understood all kinds of people, when you go back to the script, you'll find that the characters you want to play have already come to life in your mind."
Kitahara Shin's words were like a wake-up call, shattering Takeuchi Yuko's narrow-minded perceptions. Looking at the man before her, who seemed like a god guiding her through her confusion, the bewilderment in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented determination.
"I understand, President!" Yuko Takeuchi stood up abruptly and nodded vigorously. "I'm willing to try! No matter how hard it is, I will definitely do my best!"
"Very good." Kitahara Shin pressed the intercom. "Aida, inform the variety show department to vacate the host position for the newly prepared Sunday late-night street talk show 'Tokyo Sleepless Nights' and let Takeuchi Yuko take over."
After securing the resources, Yuko Takeuchi, like a young colt with all her might, plunged headlong into the quagmire of variety shows.
However, ideals are often grand, while reality is often harsh.
Hosting a variety show is not as simple as she imagined. On the set of "Tokyo Sleepless," she had to go to the bustling streets of Shibuya to interview drunk office workers, strangely dressed biker gangs, and even some members of underground bands with bad tempers.
The first few episodes of the show were a disaster for her.
She doesn't know how to control the conversation and is often interrupted by assertive interviewees; when faced with suggestive jokes, she can only blush awkwardly and not know how to respond; sometimes, for a street interview shot, she has to stand in the cold wind for four hours, until her hands and feet go numb from the cold.
When the first episode aired, the ratings were a dismal 3.5%. Viewers called the TV station to complain that the new female host was like a block of wood and had absolutely no sense of variety.
The backstage lounge of a recording studio late at night.
Yuko Takeuchi sat alone in front of the makeup mirror, looking at her reflection—her eyes red-rimmed, her hair slightly disheveled—and a wave of disappointment washed over her. She felt deeply sorry for the resources that Shin Kitahara had fought for her, and even considered backing out and quitting the role.
But just as her tears were about to fall, the words that Kitahara Shin had said to her in the office suddenly came to mind.
"You can't portray complexity because you haven't seen the dark side of human nature—you haven't observed or understood people."
"No, I can't just give up like this!" Takeuchi Yuko wiped away her tears and gritted her teeth.
She suddenly realized that all these setbacks, embarrassments, and cold looks were exactly what the president had been talking about as "life experience." This wasn't punishment at all; it was clearly Kitahara Shin's ultimate test for her!
If she can't even withstand this little storm, how can she become a great actress who can stand alone on the screen?
From that day on, Yuko Takeuchi completely let go of the burden of being a so-called "pretty girl".
She began to do her homework like crazy. She would go to the streets of Shibuya a day in advance to observe the behavior of all kinds of passersby; she borrowed countless videotapes of top Japanese comedians and studied frame by frame how they delivered jokes and saved the day; on set, she no longer hid behind her assistant, but took the initiative to help the crew move props, chatted with the lower-level cameramen, and listened to their joys and sorrows in life.
Gradually, everything is quietly changing.
In front of the camera, she was no longer just a pretty face with an awkward smile. Faced with difficult interviewees, she learned to defuse situations with self-deprecating humor; and when unexpected situations arose, she could calmly steer the conversation back on track. Her innate, healing smile, coupled with her increasingly down-to-earth reactions, began to make viewers feel an unprecedented sense of closeness to her.
Although the ratings for "Tokyo Sleepless" did not skyrocket overnight, they began to rise steadily, accumulating a group of very loyal late-night viewers.
Meanwhile, in his top-floor office at headquarters, Kitahara Shin would occasionally look through viewership reports and program replays late at night, watching the girl on the screen laughing unrestrainedly on the street, yet with extraordinary liveliness, and he would close the folder with satisfaction.
This unpolished gem, under his personally designed polishing plan, has finally begun to shed its immature shell, faintly shimmering with the dazzling brilliance of a future top actress.