mchenry-crisis.org Chapter 272 Buying a Car
Chapter 272 Buying a Car
Chapter 272 Buying a Car
Over the next few days, the entire filming of "Shinjuku Incident" on location in Hong Kong completely turned into a one-sided action show by Kitahara Shin.
On screen, Shin Kitahara's portrayal of the yakuza godfather completely abandoned the traditional villain's frantic arrogance. He brought the "Martial Arts Divine Power" passive ability granted by the "Sword Saint's Worn Wooden Sword" to its fullest potential. Facing the stuntmen from the Jackie Chan Stunt Team attacking from all sides with machetes and iron bars, he didn't even flinch.
In a breakout scene in a narrow corridor, Kitahara Shin, dressed in an expensive bespoke suit, unbuttons one button with one hand. Facing an oncoming steel pipe, he sidesteps at near-face-to-face distance, then delivers a sharp, precise one-inch punch to the opponent's ribs. Immediately after, using the corridor wall as leverage, he launches into the air with a powerful spinning whip kick, sweeping away another stuntman, knife and all, sending him crashing into the wooden door at the end of the corridor.
Every parry, disarming maneuver, and counterattack he made carried a cruel aesthetic calculated with precision. There were no superfluous movements; each strike was deadly, yet the force was restrained at the moment of contact. The oppressive aura of him—well-dressed, pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses, strolling leisurely amidst the flying blood and gore—even made the director behind the monitor forget to yell "cut."
The entire crew went from being shocked and incredulous at the beginning to gradually becoming numb and even blindly worshipping the characters over the next two or three days.
The stuntmen in Jackie Chan's stunt team were all tough guys who had broken bones and bled on set. Seeing that Kitahara Shin, a big boss who acted in art films, was even more sturdy than them, the curiosity of these martial arts enthusiasts was completely piqued.
During the lunch break, several core instructors from the Jackie Chan Stunt Team set up a makeshift ring on a thick mat in a corner of the set and eagerly gathered around Kitahara Shin.
"Mr. Kitahara, your skills are absolutely amazing! That over-the-shoulder throw followed by an armbar was so fast we couldn't even react," one of the stuntmen couldn't help but ask. "What kind of martial art do you practice? Kyokushin Karate? Or Jiu-Jitsu?"
Kitahara Shin put down the lunchbox in his hand, wiped his hands with a towel, and stood up with a smile: "I'm not that particular. I'm a self-taught fighter. I know a little bit about all kinds of fighting techniques. I just practiced randomly."
"How about we have a couple of sparring matches? Just to the point!" Several martial arts practitioners' eyes lit up.
Kitahara Shin didn't want to spoil their fun, so he took off his suit jacket, put on a white shirt, and walked onto the mat.
For the next half hour, the Jackie Chan Stunt Team members lined up to experience what "dimensional reduction attack" truly meant. Whether they were tough guys proficient in Muay Thai or experts skilled in close-quarters grappling, none of them could last more than three rounds against Kitahara Shin.
Kitahara Shin was like a bottomless treasure trove of martial arts. If his opponent used boxing, he would neutralize it with Wing Chun's sticky hands; if his opponent tried to close the distance with judo, he would directly create distance with an extremely tricky Sanda side kick. His strength, speed, and reflexes completely overwhelmed these battle-hardened professional martial artists, and every time he could stop his force at the crucial moment, without hurting his opponent in the slightest.
Jackie Chan, holding a cup of hot tea, sat on the sidelines watching Kitahara Shin, who was playing with ease on the mat and hadn't even broken a sweat, and fell into a long silence.
Recalling the time a few days ago in the hotel private room when Rosamund Kwan and the others joked that Kitahara Shin was a good man, Jackie Chan now completely understands.
Looking at the kid's terrifying physique and explosive power, which were comparable to those of a non-human, Jackie Chan couldn't help but secretly complain to himself: No wonder this kid's "back garden" is as stable as Mount Tai! If he didn't have a body like steel, how could he possibly subdue those top divas in his family at the same time?
Jackie Chan rubbed his aching lower back, wondering if he should also start training his physical fitness more intensely. But then he thought about how, over the years of filming, he'd broken his nose, cracked his pelvis, and even almost dislocated his cervical vertebrae; there wasn't a single intact part in his body. If he really pushed himself to the limit like Kitahara Shin did, his old bones would probably have fallen apart long ago.
Thanks to Kitahara Shin's extremely efficient action filming style, which resulted in almost all action scenes being filmed in one take, the Hong Kong portion of "Shinjuku Incident" wrapped up filming two days ahead of schedule.
In the following period, Kitahara Shin completely switched back to the mode of a capital giant and began to work intensively in Hong Kong to finalize the matter of the legitimate CD distribution company.
To win the upcoming protracted battle against piracy, Kitahara Shin's strategy was very clear. He leveraged Jackie Chan's connections in Hong Kong to hire a top-tier professional manager with over a decade of experience in the Hong Kong audio-visual distribution industry. This manager was not only familiar with Hong Kong's local cinema and DVD rental networks, but more importantly, he controlled multiple distributor channels in the southern coastal regions of mainland China.
Kitahara Shin's plan was shrewd: he kept the core copyrights and master discs in his own hands, while outsourcing the large-scale pressing and packaging of the discs to factories in mainland China to keep costs down. He then shipped the finished products back to Hong Kong, offering them at highly competitive prices, along with exclusive bonus features and merchandise, to deliver a devastating blow to the piracy market.
At the same time, through this professional manager's channels, they began to test the waters in the vast mainland market, gradually establishing their own low-price, genuine product distribution network. This is a process that requires time to explore and learn, but early planning is absolutely crucial.
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After finishing these business negotiations and signing thick stacks of documents, Kitahara Shin's trip to Hong Kong lasted almost exactly a week.
Shin Kitahara currently has no plans to get too involved in Hong Kong's local film and television industry. This film, *Shinjuku Incident*, is essentially just a stepping stone for him to leverage Jackie Chan's influence and enter the European, American, and even global action film market. His true ambitions have long since transcended any single region.
On the afternoon of the departure day, outside the VIP channel at Kai Tak Airport.
Jackie Chan specially canceled his social engagements and personally drove to see Kitahara Shin and the other two off.
"Brother Kitahara, you've had a tough time in Hong Kong this time." Jackie Chan patted Kitahara Shin on the shoulder with a hearty smile. "In about a month, after I finish the rough cut here, I'll take the team straight to Tokyo. Then, it'll be your turn to be the host!"
Kitahara Shin smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, Jackie Chan. When we get to Tokyo, I'll arrange everything for you, from the location and security to the extras. As for the filming crew, we have a very well-established film production team in Japan. To improve efficiency, I suggest you don't bring too many low-level production assistants and cameramen this time. Just bring a few key assistant directors and martial arts choreographers to oversee the content."
Jackie Chan thought about it and realized that taking a large crew to film across borders was indeed very expensive and troublesome to coordinate. Since Kitahara Shin had readily available top-notch resources, he was naturally eager to use them.
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"Okay, whatever you say! It's settled then." Jackie Chan readily agreed. "I'll call you again before I go to Japan so we can go over the details. Have a safe trip, see you in Tokyo next month!"
After saying goodbye to Jackie Chan, Kitahara Shin, holding the hands of Nakamori Akina and Sakai Izumi, turned and walked into the airport's first-class lounge.
The lounge was quiet and peaceful. Akina and Izumi had taken off their heavy coats, and their complexions were absolutely radiant. The fatigue that should have come from their busy schedules was nowhere to be seen on their faces; instead, their skin glowed with a hydrated, luminous sheen.
Clearly, the nightlife in the presidential suite at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong, overlooking Victoria Harbour, has been extremely fulfilling and "comfortable" these past few days.
Kitahara Shin sat down on the sofa, looking at the two radiant divas beside him, a gentle smile playing on his lips: "This trip to Hong Kong went quite smoothly. After we finish filming next month, if there's a chance, I'll take you to Europe or America for a long vacation. We'll bring Rie and Nanako along too, so everyone can have a good time."
Upon hearing this suggestion, Akina picked up her teacup, rolled her eyes at him, and said with a hint of coquettishness and teasing, "You, be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. If you bring all four of us together on a trip abroad, aren't you afraid we won't be able to get out of bed?"
Hearing this blatant teasing, Quanshui, sitting next to her, blushed instantly on her fair cheeks. She lowered her head shyly, pretending to be engrossed in reading the aviation magazine in her hands, without saying a word. However, the barely concealed smile on her lips betrayed the joy she felt deep inside.
Shortly after Kitahara Shin finished his trip to Hong Kong and returned to Tokyo with Nakamori Akina and Sakai Izumi, the positive word-of-mouth effect of "Shall We Dance?" overseas finally reached its peak.
This film not only grossed a staggering tens of millions of dollars at the North American box office, but also shone brightly at several major international film festivals in Europe. Although Kitahara Shin was unable to personally fly to Europe to attend the awards ceremony due to scheduling conflicts, this did not prevent the European judges from awarding the film a prestigious "Grand Jury Prize for Best Foreign Language Film" remotely.
When this exciting news reached Japan, the entire Japanese media industry was in an uproar.
Kitahara Shin's name once again graced the front pages of major newspapers, and sharing this international honor was none other than the lead actress, Nakamori Akina. Western film critics raved about Akina's dance performance in the film, a performance imbued with a poignant, Eastern sense of detachment and vulnerability, while also showcasing her solid ballet foundation. This came as a complete surprise to domestic media outlets that had previously only viewed Akina as a "singing idol."
In an instant, Akina Nakamori's popularity and artistic prestige soared. She was not only a legendary diva of her era, but also a powerful actress who had left her stunning mark on the international big screen. This crossover success instantly garnered her a massive influx of new-generation fans.
Amidst this favorable situation of both fame and fortune, Kitahara Shin's "peripheral business empire" also delivered a financial statement that would make all his peers green with envy.
In the top-floor office of Kitahara Office, Kitahara Shin was looking through the quarterly revenue summary that the CFO had just submitted.
Today, Kitahara Agency no longer relies solely on artist salaries for profit. The added value of the tertiary industries radiating from the company has formed an extremely large and closed-loop money-printing machine.
Besides the sold-out trench coat from "Bayside Shakedown," and the all-ages-dominant Sparkler and soft vinyl monsters from "Ultraman Tiga," the company has also perfected the development of merchandise for its artists. This includes Miho Nakayama's movie book, Ryoko Hirosue's limited-edition energetic photobook, and collector's edition vinyl records and high-end concert merchandise featuring Akina Nakamori and Izumi Sakai.
Shin Kitahara's business strategy is very clever. He typically sets the prices of his merchandise at only a couple hundred yen higher than ordinary products on the market, never resorting to the kind of exorbitant, exploitative pricing tactics that drain the market. However, in return, the merchandise produced by Kitahara's agency far surpasses its competitors in terms of materials, design, and included exclusive cards.
This strategy of "slightly higher prices, higher quality, and stronger added value" makes fans willingly spend money and even praise it as a bargain. In the past quarter alone, Kitahara's office's net profit from physical merchandise alone has exceeded a staggering 10 billion yen!
Looking at the snowballing cash flow, Kitahara Shin closed the report with satisfaction.
The CFO, standing to the side, timely raised a "happy problem".
"President, the company's current cash flow is simply too large. If we leave it like this, we'll face an enormous corporate income tax bill at the end of the year." The CFO adjusted his glasses and offered professional advice. "To ensure efficient cash flow and tax planning, I suggest the company purchase some fixed assets. For example, properties in prime locations, office buildings, or a high-value fleet of luxury commuter vehicles. These assets not only preserve their value but also allow for significant tax deductions through depreciation."
Kitahara Shin stroked his chin and nodded in deep agreement. Earning money is for spending; since paying heavy taxes to the government is less appealing than converting it into personal assets, there's no reason to hesitate.
"Alright, your finance and investment departments should do a risk assessment and site selection report on the real estate. As for the car—" Kitahara Shin smiled, "I happen to have some free time today, so I'll take care of that while I'm at it."
After seeing off the CFO, Kitahara Shin picked up the internal phone and called up Sakai Izumi, who happened to be resting at the company that day.
He had just pushed open the office door to go out when he bumped into a familiar figure.
Takako Matsu, wearing a simple khaki trench coat and holding a script, was heading downstairs to her agent's office. For the past six months or so, with the popularity of "Long Vacation," Matsu's schedule had been packed with acting roles and appearances, keeping her incredibly busy.
Because they spend so little time together, and because Kitahara Shin's status has become increasingly unfathomable, the two of them interact much less than before. But even so, this thoughtful girl still remembers their promise. Every weekend, during her rare half-day off, she would secretly go to Kitahara Shin's private villa to clean his room and tidy his clothes.
"Hello, club president."
When Kitahara Shin suddenly appeared, Matsu Takako was taken aback. A hint of timidity and unfamiliarity flashed in her usually bright eyes. Instead of greeting him casually as usual, she bowed respectfully.
Hearing the slightly distant "President," Kitahara Shin couldn't help but stop and look at her gently: "What's wrong?"
Don't you usually call me "senior"? Is there no other filming scheduled for today?
Matsu Takako lowered her head and shook it: "The filming for the current projects is basically finished, and the dubbing work is also done. For now—I can take a break."
She hesitated for a moment, then looked up, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes: "By the way, President, I'm planning to ask for a week's leave from the company. I'd like to—find a quiet place to travel, is that alright?"
Kitahara Shin noticed the barely concealed weariness in her eyes and keenly sensed something: "Why do you suddenly want to travel alone? Is it because of work stress lately, and you're in a bad mood?"
"No, no—" Matsu Takako quickly waved her hands, her cheeks slightly flushed, and subconsciously avoided Kitahara Shin's probing gaze.
She couldn't very well say that it was because she felt the distance between them was growing, and she felt empty inside, so she wanted to go out and clear her head.
"Since you're on vacation, let's put the travel plans on hold for now." Kitahara Shin smiled and made a decision that left no room for refusal. "Why don't you come with us later?"
Matsu Takako blinked, somewhat puzzled. "Where are we going?"
"Go spend the money," Kitahara Shin answered crisply, "Buy a car."
Half an hour later, Kitahara Shin, accompanied by Sakai Izumi and Matsu Takako, appeared at a top-tier car exhibition center in the most bustling area of Minato Ward, Tokyo.
Given Kitahara Shin's current status and position, his name itself is the most powerful black card that can be used throughout Japan. There was no need for any prior appointment. As soon as his private car stopped at the entrance of the showroom, the general manager of the car dealership, along with several of the most senior sales managers, came out to greet him, sweating profusely and looking extremely apprehensive.
"President Kitahara! Your presence is a great honor for our small shop!" The general manager lowered his posture to the lowest level, bowing and scraping as he ushered the three into the most private and luxurious VIP room.
Premium Blue Mountain coffee and exquisite French pastries were instantly laid out on the coffee table. The general manager stood carefully to the side, holding a full-color brochure of car models.
"President Kitahara, this is a list of all the top-of-the-line models we currently have, and those still clearing customs. Whether it's a Rolls-Royce executive sedan or a limited-edition Porsche or Ferrari supercar, whatever you fancy, we can complete the paperwork and deliver the car to your garage today!" The general manager's tone was one of absolute respect and obsequiousness.
Kitahara Shinren didn't even flip through the picture book; he simply leaned back leisurely on the sofa and turned to look at Izumi and Matsu Takako sitting on either side of him.
"Don't look at me, you guys are the stars of the show today." Kitahara Shin took a sip of his coffee, his tone as casual as if he were buying a drink at a convenience store. "Izumi, Ryuko, you two go to the showroom and pick out two cars you like. I'll pick two too, and once we have six, the company's tax avoidance mission will be complete for today."
Upon hearing the phrase "just pick two," Matsu Takako gasped in shock.
Looking at the luxury supercars and top-of-the-line sedans in the showroom, each costing tens of millions of yen, she was stunned into near-frozen silence. This wasn't buying cars; it was a shopping spree!
In contrast, Izumi Sakai appeared much calmer.
Since being inspired by Kitahara Shin on the mountain road to develop her racing courage, she is now not only a highly skilled veteran driver, but also has a good understanding of the performance of various vehicles.
Upon hearing Kitahara Shin's words, Izumi immediately stood up with great interest and pulled the still somewhat dazed Matsu Takako into the exhibition hall.
"How's the chassis tuning of this Porsche 911? Can it accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in under four seconds?" Quanshui walked up to a silver sports car and skillfully asked the sales manager next to him about the key parameters.
His seasoned demeanor left the sales manager completely bewildered by his questions.
Following behind, Matsu Takako stared blankly at the dizzying price tags, completely bewildered. She turned her head somewhat awkwardly, looking at Kitahara Shin, who was still smiling at her through the glass in the VIP room, and muttered softly, "Is it really okay for me to choose these kinds of luxury cars?"
Kitahara Shin stood up, walked to her side, and gently rubbed her stiff shoulders. His voice was gentle but carried an undeniable intimacy.
"Of course, no problem. If I don't give my money to you, who else should I give it to? You're not an outsider."
Upon hearing the words "not an outsider," Matsu Takako's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air due to the sense of distance, instantly returned to its original place.
A distinct blush immediately spread across her fair cheeks, and her heart began to beat faster.
She lowered her head, unsure of what to say, but a bright smile finally returned to the corners of her mouth. Following the spring's steps, she walked briskly into the depths of the exhibition hall.