When eating hot pot together, everyone intentionally or unintentionally arranged for Kyoko Koizumi to sit next to Cao Zhiqiang. It seemed that Kyoko Koizumi was Cao Zhiqiang's girlfriend by default.
In response, Cao Zhiqiang did not refuse, but politely chatted, laughed, and ate and drank with everyone.
After all, it would be too impolite to reject others on such an occasion, and it would make others embarrassed. Cao Zhiqiang still wanted to live in Japan, so naturally he couldn't be too withdrawn.
During the dinner, Koizumi Kyoko rarely spoke, but he kept paying attention to Cao Zhiqiang, either picking up food for Cao Zhiqiang or adding tea and water to him.
Cao Zhiqiang also accepted it with peace of mind, but he didn't chat too much with Kyoko Koizumi, and more discussed business matters with Masashi Sada.
Yes, Japan is also used to talking about work while drinking at the wine table. This is not unique to China.
So, what are the serious things to talk about?
First of all, of course, let’s talk about record publishing.
According to Masashi Sada, their partner, Warner Pioneer, has already recorded the album and put it on MTV, and they just need to promote it.
The promotional expenses are all paid by Warner Pioneer, but as the lead singer, Cao Zhiqiang also has to attend promotional activities.
According to Warner Pioneer, the single "As Long As You're Here" by Cao Zhiqiang was first put on the radio station to warm up, that is, play it on the radio station to see the effect.
If the effect is good, immediately let Cao Zhiqiang appear on the radio program, that is, chat with the host about his identity, experience, creative experience, etc.
If the radio effect is still good, MTV will be put on the TV station to broadcast, and a single record will be officially released taking advantage of the popularity.
This recommended routine is already a relatively important routine.
Because when new singers want to release a new record, they usually ask you to participate in various singing competitions and activities, or even sell your songs on the streets or in nightclubs.
For example, Teresa Teng, when she was developing in Japan, she sang in major nightclubs for a long time, and used this method to promote herself and gain popularity.
Those who can release a single and go directly to the radio usually refer to old singers, or potential singers that the company values especially.
Obviously, although Cao Zhiqiang's stage name is Aqiang, he has gained a certain degree of popularity in China and has a hit album, but his popularity in Japan is basically almost non-existent.
Therefore, Warner Pioneer can let Cao Zhiqiang's songs go directly to the radio. This in itself shows that Warner Pioneer is very optimistic about Cao Zhiqiang's potential and future, and is also optimistic about the standard of the song.
Of course, if the sales of the record are particularly good after its release, Warner Pioneer will carry out a corresponding promotion strategy based on the sales volume of the record.
For example, if the sales exceed 30,000, a fan meeting will be organized. If the sales exceed 100,000, a small concert will be organized. If the sales exceed 1 million, a large concert will be organized, such as a performance at a famous Budokan.
All in all, as far as the current Japanese music companies are concerned, a complete set of recommendation systems have long been formed, and the recommendation methods are basically based on performance.
It is very rare for someone like Cao Zhiqiang, who has just come to Japan and is not very famous, to release an album and make an MTV as soon as he debuts, and also plans to recommend his first single to the radio station.
Because many famous local musicians in Japan do not have this treatment.
For example, Kyoko Koizumi didn't receive such treatment at all when she first debuted.
The same goes for Akina Nakamori. Although she was good when she first debuted, she also did not receive the treatment that Cao Zhiqiang received.
In fact, it's not surprising if you think about it carefully, because Cao Zhiqiang's ability to receive these benefits is the result of both strength and luck.
First of all, when Cao Zhiqiang went to the Japan Music Copyright Society to register song copyright, he was lucky enough to meet Endo Minoru. Because he had registered more than a hundred songs in a row, Endo Minoru was curious and optimistic.
Then Endo Minoru personally called Yamamoto Tokumoto, the president of Warner Pioneer, and personally recommended Cao Zhiqiang to the president.
With the recommendation of a big shot, even for the sake of face, the president of Warner Pioneer would personally inquire about Cao Zhiqiang's affairs.
Then, I learned how special Cao Zhiqiang is, especially when I heard the master tape of the song sung by Cao Zhiqiang himself. I felt that the song was good and had great potential. In addition, Cao Zhiqiang’s Chinese identity was very gimmick, and it was in line with the current theme of Sino-Japanese friendship. , so I decided to try to package Cao Zhiqiang.
You know, no matter what the reason is, the Japanese at this time have a very favorable impression of the mainlanders.
Data once showed that the period from 1978 to 1989 was the period when Japanese people had the highest favorable impression of Chinese people.
The year with the highest favorable impression was 1980, when Japanese people's favorable impression of the Chinese was as high as over 78%.
Even in 1983, Japanese people's favorable impression of the Chinese was as high as 76%.
Moreover, Japanese people during this period generally felt a sense of mystery and yearning for China, so Chinese elements were really popular in Japan at this time.
Therefore, Cao Zhiqiang's Chinese identity is actually a plus, especially since he is a mainlander, which is even more of a plus.
Of course, no matter how good these extra points are, it is useless if they are not strong enough.
But the problem is that after the production of Cao Zhiqiang's "As Long as You're Here" was completed, Warner Pioneer, from top to bottom, everyone who listened to it said it was a good song.
Not only is the song good and the lyrics are good, but the singer is also good, it’s all good.
Even the most picky people think that if this song is released, it will definitely become popular, but the degree of popularity will be different.
In fact, if Cao Zhiqiang hadn't suddenly returned to China, the song "As Long as You're Here" would probably have started to be played on radio stations.
This is not because Warner Pioneer people pay attention to Cao Zhiqiang's personal meaning, but if the song is to be auditioned on the radio, usually the singer himself will go to the radio station to participate in a talk show.
That’s fine with others, but Cao Zhiqiang’s Japanese is absolutely fine. If you didn’t know better, you would have thought he was a native of Tokyo.
Therefore, Warner Pioneer wanted to contact the company as soon as Cao Zhiqiang returned and immediately arrange for him to appear on a radio show.
Regarding this, Cao Zhiqiang felt that there was no problem, so he agreed, and agreed with Masashi Sada that he would go to Warner Pioneer Company tomorrow afternoon to formally discuss the promotion of the program.
In addition to the record, Cao Zhiqiang also talked with Masashi Sada about the movie.
According to Cao Zhiqiang, he made a movie in China, which is a romance film with the theme of teacher-student love. He hopes to find someone to help and introduce Japan to relax.
In this regard, Masashi Sada himself has no connection in this regard, but he feels that he can ask President Yamamoto of Warner Pioneer for help. If that doesn't work, he can also ask Minoru Endo for help.
President Yamamoto and Minoru Endo are both veterans with wide connections and must have resources in this area.
Cao Zhiqiang thought this was good, so he decided to go to Warner Pioneer tomorrow and talk directly to President Yamamoto.
After talking about these two serious things, all that was left was just drinking and talking and bragging.
Different from what Cao Zhiqiang thought, he thought that Japanese men at this time liked to talk about related professional matters, such as music.
But that's not the case.
Whether it was Sada Masashi or his younger brother, what they talked about next were all national affairs.
News about Europe, the Soviet Union, the United States, and where Japan will go are all hot topics in their mouths.
In other words, adult Japanese men in this era also like to talk about national affairs and like to give advice while drinking.
On the other hand, the women at the banquet kept talking about emotional issues.
For example, Reiko Sada kept whispering to Kyoko Koizumi, and looked at Cao Zhiqiang from time to time, and laughed secretly together, obviously talking about Kyoko Koizumi and Cao Zhiqiang.
All in all, the meal was okay, at least interesting.
After eating and drinking, everyone dispersed. After all, this is where Cao Zhiqiang lives.
The Sada family was the first to leave, but Kyoko Koizumi stayed at the end.
This does not mean that Koizumi Kyoko plans to stay here, it is not like going back, that is not the case.
Koizumi Kyoko stayed at the end because she planned to walk, chat, and go on a date with Cao Zhiqiang in private.
In response, Cao Zhiqiang politely refused: "I'm sorry, today, I'm too tired today. If I force you to go out for a walk and chat, I'm afraid everyone will not be happy. It's better to go to bed early and make an appointment another day."
Koizumi Kyoko nodded a little disappointedly: "Okay, can we meet tomorrow?"
Cao Zhiqiang thought for a while and said: "Well, aren't you very busy at work, can you be free?"
Koizumi Kyoko smiled: "I haven't been very busy at work recently. Well, I don't have time during the day, but I am still a little free at night. How about we meet tomorrow night? Let's go to dinner and a movie together?"
The so-called eating and watching movies was synonymous with dating in Japan during this period.
It's just that Japan in the 1980s was actually relatively conservative, so if young people in this period wanted to confess to each other, they generally wouldn't say directly like I like you, let's go on a date, like later generations, but instead said, I want to invite you to dinner and watch. Movie.
During this period, if I want to ask you to have dinner and watch a movie with you, it is equivalent to sending out a date invitation. If the other party agrees, it is equivalent to accepting the confession.
And if a young Japanese man and woman actually eat and watch movies together during this period, it is equivalent to participating in a date, which is equivalent to being a couple by default.
"Well." Cao Zhiqiang thought for a moment and said, "I can't promise you now. After all, you've heard that I'm going to Warner Bros. to discuss records and movies tomorrow. If everything goes well, maybe there will be entertainment in the evening, so , I really can’t give you an answer now.”
Upon hearing this, Koizumi Kyoko sighed with some disappointment, but soon smiled again and said: "Well, a manly man must of course put his career first. If you can cooperate with President Yamamoto of Warner Company so quickly, I will also So happy for you.
It doesn't matter, we have a long time to come. When you are free, it will be okay for us to meet again. "
"Thank you, Jinzi." Cao Zhiqiang smiled slightly, "Thank you for your consideration."
"Then, will you contact me when you have time?" Kyoko Koizumi asked, "By the way, you haven't forgotten my BP machine number, right?"
"Of course I haven't forgotten." Cao Zhiqiang nodded slightly to Koizumi Kyoko, "Don't worry, I will definitely contact you if I am free."
"That's good." Koizumi Kyoko smiled, "Well, I'm leaving, won't you see me off?"
Cao Zhiqiang suddenly realized: "Ah, look at me, I just drank too much and am a little confused. Then, please let me see you off."
Koizumi Kyoko smiled and bowed slightly: "Hi, thank you very much."
Next, Cao Zhiqiang and Koizumi Kyoko walked out of the door side by side and walked in the alley together.
The density of one-family houses in Tokyo during this period was generally relatively high, and most of them were not built directly on the roadside. Therefore, when you go out, you will usually find some relatively narrow boxes, and usually only one car can pass.
Therefore, Japanese taxis during this period generally did not enter alleys. If you wanted to take a taxi or take a bus, you had to walk out of these small alleys, and then take a taxi or take a bus on the side of the wide road.
Although most of the small alleys in these residential areas also have street lights, they are obviously not as bright as the street lights on the main road. Therefore, at night, girls rarely walk alone, and usually are escorted or walked together.
However, there is one thing to say: Japan in the 1980s, with its economic boom and conservative atmosphere, was indeed the best era for public security.
In the late 1990s, after the bubble economy burst, Japan's public security environment began to gradually deteriorate.
In short, in fact, it is generally not a problem for Koizumi Kyoko to walk alone at night. She deliberately asked Cao Zhiqiang to send her off, making it clear that she wanted to take the opportunity to be alone with him.
Sure enough, after arriving at the alley, Kyoko Koizumi deliberately slowed down his pace and did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he chatted with Cao Zhiqiang from time to time.
Interestingly, most of the chats between Kyoko Koizumi and Cao Zhiqiang were related to Cao Zhiqiang.
For example, how long does Cao Zhiqiang plan to stay in Japan this time, what exactly he plans to do, what he likes to eat, what style of clothes he likes, etc.
Out of politeness, Cao Zhiqiang answered everyone kindly and did not show his impatience.
The reason is simple. This is Japan, a foreign country.
Japanese women are notoriously petty.
If he showed impatience now, it would be terrible if Kyoko Koizumi's love turned to hatred and she developed a desire for revenge.
Now Cao Zhiqiang has not yet established a stable foothold in Japan, and he never wants to offend an idol star.
Yes, Cao Zhiqiang found out through various methods that Koizumi Kyoko is now a very popular idol star.
Especially after she changed her look and had short hair, her popularity soared, even surpassing Akina Nakamori's fame.
Yes, during this period, Kyoko Koizumi was truly better than Akina Nakamori in terms of popularity.
Because of this, Koizumi Kyoko has various tomboy looks, just like her current tomboy look of a T-shirt and jeans.
Walk and walk, chat and chat, no matter how slow you walk, the road has an end.
Unknowingly, they arrived at the intersection between the alley and the main road. If they walked a little further, they would reach the road.
At this moment, Koizumi Kyoko suddenly stopped and mustered up the courage to say: "Zhiqiang-kun!"
"Huh?" Cao Zhiqiang was stunned, stopped, and turned to look at Koizumi Kyoko, "What's wrong? Is something wrong?"
Koizumi Kyoko bit her lip: "Zhiqiang-kun, I, I like you, you should know that, right?"
"Um..." Cao Zhiqiang blinked, then nodded, "Yes, I know, and then, I am very grateful for your like."
"Is that all?" Koizumi Kyoko said with some dissatisfaction.
Cao Zhiqiang sighed: "Today, you are a good girl, but I already have a girlfriend, so..."
"Don't say this." Kyoko Koizumi covered her ears and shook her head, "I don't want to listen!"
Seeing her like this, Cao Zhiqiang had no choice but to shut up.
Koizumi Kyoko put down her hand, lowered her head and was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised her head and looked at Cao Zhiqiang and said: "I know you are in trouble too, it doesn't matter, I can wait.
However, I will not wait for you stupidly, I will attack you more actively.
One day you will know that I am the best woman for you, and I am the most suitable woman for you.
So, please think it through early and don’t hesitate anymore. "
After taking a deep breath, Koizumi Kyoko took a step forward, hugged Cao Zhiqiang and said, "We will definitely be together, definitely!"
After saying this, Koizumi let go of Cao Zhiqiang, stood up on tiptoes, and took the initiative to kiss the side of Cao Zhiqiang's face. Then he suddenly came to his senses and ran away.
As for Cao Zhiqiang, who had been secretly kissed on the cheek by Kyoko Koizumi, he stood there, frowning and looking at the back of Kyoko Koizumi as he ran away.
"Oh, why bother? Why bother?" Cao Zhiqiang sighed softly in Chinese, "Who did I provoke? Did I get into this kind of thing the first time I came here?
I just want to come here to make money quietly and don't want to have any relationship between men and women.
What did I do wrong? Can't I change it? "
(End of chapter)
