booktalesy Chapter 215 Secretary Interview, Clever Nanako
Chapter 215 Secretary Interview, Clever Nanako
Chapter 215 Secretary Interview, Clever Nanako
After the little incident at the ski resort, Kitahara Shin and Matsu Takako spent two more days at this upscale resort that had been booked by the "Nisaka-kai".
This three-day, two-night trip was incredibly rewarding.
The greatest value of this private circle of top veteran actors lies not in the food, drink, and entertainment, but in the unreserved exchange of inside information and resources. In the lounges and izakayas, the veteran actors casually share personnel changes at various TV stations, secret channels of various film crews, and even ask each other, "There's a promising newcomer we've got our eye on, could you please keep an eye on him on set?"
As long as you have enough influence within this circle, many things that seem insurmountable to outsiders can be accomplished with just a single sentence, saving you countless troubles. This is the absolute convenience that top-tier connections bring.
Kitahara Shin was undoubtedly the biggest winner at this gathering.
With the prestige of the Cannes Film Festival and his highly persuasive rhetoric, he successfully secured verbal promises from seven or eight veteran actors, who even offered to sign contracts to make cameo appearances in "The Great Search" as long as the script was acceptable.
As for the others, it wasn't that they were being disrespectful; it's just that people in their position tend to be cautious and want to see how well the premiere of this novel drama goes. If the initial buzz is strong, they'll definitely be happy to come to the set and get a piece of the action later.
Seven or eight extremely difficult-to-recruit "god-level NPCs" have already been secured, marking Kitahara Shin's resounding success in this "get-rich-quick" scheme.
In addition, Matsu Takako also consulted Kitahara Shin about Asano Yuko's invitation for her to be a guest on a variety show's "Reaction" segment.
"President, I'm afraid that if I agree to it casually, it will cause you trouble, since it's aimed at you." Matsu Takako asked hesitantly at the time.
Kitahara Shin didn't even look up, replying with utter righteous indignation, "Why not take the benefits that are offered to you for free? Just agree to it."
"But----"
"There's no 'but' about it." Kitahara Shin put down his teacup, giving this naive young lady a harsh lesson. "She wants to use you to curry favor with me, that's her business. As for whether I agree to make a deal with her, that depends on whether her offer satisfies me. In this circle, anything offered to you is essentially free. You just focus on making your name and money, and I'll handle the rest. Remember, as long as I don't give in, you don't owe her anything."
Looking at Kitahara Shin's face, which made "freeloading" sound so elegant and refined, Matsu Takako opened her mouth, but was speechless for a moment. She took a deep breath, clearly not yet fully accustomed to the thick skin of adults, especially top capitalists.
All I can say is that following this boss, I'm learning all sorts of strange and wonderful things every day.
After returning to Tokyo from Karuizawa by Shinkansen.
As soon as Matsu Takako stepped into the house, her parents pulled her aside and asked her about her experience at the Nikakai gathering. She picked out some interesting stories about the senior members she could tell and gave her parents a brief report.
Hearing that their daughter not only wasn't intimidated but also integrated into the industry very smoothly, and even secured a regular spot on a prime-time variety show, the parents were extremely satisfied and repeatedly praised Kitahara Shin as a good boss who mentors younger generations.
After dealing with her parents, Matsu Takako fled back to her room.
She threw herself heavily onto the soft bed, staring at the ceiling. Actually, what impressed her most about this trip to Karuizawa wasn't the resource exchange and networking at the party at all.
Whenever she closed her eyes, all she could think of was that man rushing out like a black lightning bolt from the edge of that treacherous slope, pulling her tightly into his arms, the two of them tumbling in the snow, and his gentle, caring whisper in her ear.
It's an ultimate sense of security that makes your heart skip a beat.
"Oh dear—what am I even thinking about!"
Just thinking about that scene made Matsu Takako's cheeks burn uncontrollably again. She suddenly covered her face with her hands and rolled around restlessly on the bed, trying to calm her wildly beating heart.
Meanwhile, after returning to the company, Kitahara Shin immediately threw himself into the early preparations for "The Great Investigation Line".
At the same time, the long-tail effect following the finale of "Lega I High" began to spread wildly in society.
Besides the complete disgrace of lawyer Yoshioka, who was publicly executed by him, an extremely magical reversal phenomenon has emerged in the legal community. Although many orthodox lawyers are complaining that the drama sacrificed a lot of courtroom rationality for dramatic effect, and that many of Komekado's actions are simply not feasible in reality, this does not stop them from frantically trying to ride this wave of popularity!
Countless law firms, large and small, have taken the initiative to approach Kitahara Office, wanting to cooperate deeply with them, even if it means spending a lot of money to insert GG into the reruns of the series, or using the name "Komekado's colleague" to promote their business.
Faced with these lucrative opportunities presented to him, Kitahara Shin naturally accepted them all, directly handing over all the cooperation matters to the external law firms he had previously worked with.
As its business segments expanded rapidly, Kitahara Shin gradually felt a sense of being overwhelmed.
Even though he's an incredibly energetic "iron man" who can maintain a clear mind even after long hours of work, the sheer volume of contracts, schedules, and departmental reports he has to handle every day is simply too much. Having only one person, Ota Masakazu, running errands is far from sufficient to meet the demands of the current scale of operations.
He urgently needs to cultivate several extremely intelligent and clear-thinking capable assistants or personal secretaries to help him share the burden of those complicated daily tasks.
Upon hearing that his boss was looking to hire a secretary, Ota Tadashi's eyes lit up and he suddenly had a brilliant idea.
Two days later, Da Tian secretly arranged a special interview. He used a headhunting company to find a group of super beautiful young women who graduated from prestigious universities and whose figures and looks were comparable to models.
Kitahara Shin sat in the interviewer's seat in the conference room, looking at the rows of identical "beauty pageant resumes" in his hand, and fell into a long silence.
Standing to the side, Ota Masakazu gave him a lewd thumbs-up, leaving behind a knowing, knowing smile before discreetly leaving the meeting room and closing the door behind him.
Kitahara Shin sighed helplessly, rubbed his temples, but had no choice but to bite the bullet and let these people in for interviews one by one.
Because he himself is currently among the top ten in Japan's most difficult bar exam, he knows all too well what kind of talent he needs. He doesn't need pretty faces; he needs truly logical and meticulous "intelligent people" who can help him quickly sort out complex matters.
Therefore, the questions he asked during the interview were extremely tricky and practical, all about time management, crisis communication, and the overall prioritization of unexpected events.
After one round of interviews, Kitahara Shin was greatly disappointed.
These beautiful girls, basking in the glow of prestigious universities, seem to focus all their energy on posing and showcasing their charm. When faced with practical business questions, their answers are either extremely vague or completely illogical. Clearly, most of them are aiming to "step into the gate" and become boss ladies.
Kitahara Shin ruthlessly eliminated them all.
"Next," Kitahara Shin called out, his head aching.
The meeting room door was pushed open.
Hearing the sound of high heels, Kitahara Shin instinctively frowned, but when he looked up, he suddenly froze.
The person who walked in was none other than Nanako Matsushima!
At this moment, Nanako had specially changed into an extremely fitted and appropriate professional 0L secretary outfit. Her long, beautiful legs were tightly wrapped in black stockings, and she also cleverly wore a pair of black-rimmed gold-rimmed glasses on her nose. Her whole person exuded an extremely restrained yet alluring intellectual beauty.
Seeing her dressed like this, Kitahara Shin couldn't help but laugh out loud, his tense nerves instantly relaxing.
"What are you up to?" Kitahara Shin leaned back in his chair, looking at her with amusement.
Nanako Matsushima remained unmoved, maintaining her extremely professional posture. She adjusted her glasses and said with a serious expression, "Hello, President. I'm here to apply for the position of your personal secretary."
Seeing his tacitly acknowledged confidante having so much fun, Kitahara Shin shook his head and chuckled, "Alright, then you can sit down first. According to the procedure, give me your name, height, weight, hobbies, and any special skills you have."
His tone was lazy and somewhat teasing.
However, Nanako Matsushima was completely absorbed in her role. She sat upright in the interview chair and reported in a clear voice: "My name is Nanako Matsushima. I am 1.72 meters tall and weigh 50 kilograms. My hobbies are acting, watching movies, visiting art museums, and — shaving."
Upon hearing that last, extremely private word, Kitahara Shin raised an eyebrow, suppressing a smile as he nodded: "Okay, stop. I understand these personal details."
To match her performance, Kitahara Shin immediately became serious and posed a question that had just stumped countless top students from prestigious universities.
"Imagine I'm facing three problems at the same time: a sudden safety incident on set and being besieged by the media, a 500 million yen investment contract that needs to be finalized within half an hour, and being late for a high-profile politician's private dinner. As my secretary, which one would you suggest I handle first? And tell me your logical order of priorities to help me organize my thoughts."
Kitahara Shin thought this question would stump her, since Nanako usually left him with the impression of being a gentle, obedient, and even slightly "silly" straightforward girl.
However, after hearing the question, Nanako Matsushima remained silent for less than ten seconds.
"I will immediately call the politician's secretary and use the unexpected incident on set as a reasonable excuse to request a postponement of the dinner, because what politicians need is respect, not just punctuality; at the same time, I will have the legal department fax the 500 million contract to your car immediately so that you can review it on your way to the set; as for the set, I will first notify security to control the scene, and then arrive five minutes early as your representative to calm the media and buy you time to finalize the contract."
Nanako pushed up her glasses and gave a perfect, highly practical answer.
Kitahara Shin blinked in surprise.
It was only at this moment that he suddenly realized he had consistently underestimated this girl's intelligence. Indeed, how could a woman who could thrive in the world of fame and fortune, possess such natural talent as an actress, and be disliked by almost no one on set, be a complete idiot? Her emotional intelligence and logic were actually exceptional!
"Goodness," Kitahara Shin said, looking at her with some admiration, "If you didn't have such a promising future and career, I would have kept you here and made you my secretary every day."
"I'm serious." Upon hearing the praise, Nanako Matsushima immediately seized the opportunity to flatter him.
With her incredibly long legs, she walked straight around the desk and stood in front of Kitahara Shin. She boldly sat on the edge of his large desk, leaning forward slightly to bring her exquisitely made-up face close to his.
"President, please be sure to hire me as your personal secretary." Her voice became extremely soft and alluring. "I don't mind receiving double the salary of an actress and a secretary."
A very high-end and pleasant perfume scent wafted over.
Looking at Nanako so close to him, Kitahara Shin suddenly realized that not only was the girl becoming increasingly stylish, but her femininity had also fully blossomed. Was it simply that her beauty was enhancing her, or had he been nurturing her too well?
Kitahara Shin's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed, about to say something to retaliate against this enchantress's provocation.
"Knock knock."
Two impatient knocks suddenly came from outside the door.
The next second, before Kitahara Shin could even say "Come in," the conference room door was pushed open with a "click."
Rie Miyazawa walked in dressed in extremely fashionable casual clothes, carrying a coffee she had just bought.
When she looked up and saw Nanako Matsushima on the desk, dressed in an extremely provocative secretary outfit and practically pressed against Shin Kitahara, the smile on Rie Miyazawa's face vanished instantly.
That strikingly beautiful face, with its striking mixed-race features, instantly turned cold, as if a piercing alarm bell had been ringing in the air.
Rie Miyazawa stared coldly at the two of them, gritting her teeth as she asked, "What are you two doing here?"
Being caught red-handed, the previously ambiguous and tense atmosphere in the office instantly vanished, replaced by an indescribable awkwardness.
Kitahara Shin coughed lightly and silently leaned back in the boss's chair, trying to create some distance between them.
Nanako Matsushima, who had been half-lying on her desk, exuding a seductive charm, reacted quickly. She immediately straightened up, casually brushed a stray hair behind her ear, turned to look at Rie Miyazawa at the door, and gave her an innocent and surprised grin: "Oh, Rie, what brings you here? Didn't you finish filming the final scene of your movie?"
Rie Miyazawa walked in in high heels, slammed her coffee down on the coffee table with a thud, and rolled her eyes at me without any politeness: "Don't give me that! Didn't I ride back to the company in the same van as you this afternoon?"
Why are you pretending to be stupid with me now?
Rie Miyazawa has now completely seen through Nanako Matsushima.
She used to genuinely believe this woman was a gentle and considerate good girl, until she witnessed Nanako openly provoking Akina and Izumi at the company's internal barbecue party, despite her seemingly smiling demeanor. Only then did she realize—this woman was anything but simple!
In front of Kitahara Shin, she always appears as a meek and obedient woman who deeply admires her boss; but when facing other competitors or outsiders in the company, she is a cunning and ruthless "woman of a thousand faces"!
However, Rie Miyazawa was too lazy to argue with her about "playing dumb." She pulled out a chair and sat down, getting straight to the point: "Filming on the movie side is almost finished; all that's left is some wrap-up work." Rie Miyazawa looked at Shin Kitahara, her eyes filled with anticipation, "Shin, I heard the Japanese Drama Academy Awards are coming up soon, and 'Legal...'"
"High" will definitely be the biggest winner. How many people from our company will be attending? Can I go with them?
When Kitahara Shin heard her mention serious matters, he nodded and gave an affirmative answer: "Of course you can go. This time it's not just me, but you, Nanako, and Matsu Takako. Basically, the core cast of our crew will be there to support us."
Upon hearing this, Rie Miyazawa nodded in satisfaction: "That's good. I've always been stuck on film sets and never even got a decent nomination. Now I can finally go to a top award ceremony with the president and broaden my horizons."
After finishing their business, Rie Miyazawa abruptly changed the subject, her gaze sweeping sharply over Shin Kitahara and Nanako Matsushima once more, before she let out a cold laugh: "So—what were you two doing just now? This is proper working time, are you flirting behind closed doors?"
Faced with such a sharp question, Kitahara Shin remained unfazed, calmly shrugging his shoulders: "You've misunderstood. I really am seriously recruiting a secretary, and I just interviewed and eliminated a group of people. But to be honest, I feel that Nanako really seems to have the makings of a secretary. She helped me sort out the thoughts for the unexpected event just now, and her logic was very clear, completely beyond my expectations."
Hearing Kitahara Shin praise her so openly in front of her "arch-rival," Matsushima Nanako was overjoyed. She tried hard to suppress the smugness on her lips, but couldn't help but stomp her foot lightly in a coquettish manner, like a little girl being praised.
Rie Miyazawa was so angry at her "getting the benefit and then acting innocent" attitude that she glared at her mercilessly and said sarcastically, "Oh? Is that so? That's really good. I didn't know our Nanako had such a talent for being a workplace elite."
Faced with Rie Miyazawa's sarcastic remarks, Nanako Matsushima, who usually prefers to retreat in order to advance, surprisingly launched a small counterattack this time.
She pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses and said in an extremely gentle yet piercing tone, "After all, the president works too hard, and he really needs someone thoughtful and capable of sharing his burdens. Rie is usually so straightforward, cute, and easygoing; she just needs to focus on making good films and looking beautiful on camera. As for taking care of the president and handling tedious official duties—those 'rough jobs' are more suitable for me."
"you--!"
Rie Miyazawa was furious at the veiled insult that she was "brainless and only good for being a pretty face," and was about to slam her fist on the table and stand up to refute it.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Seeing that the tension in the meeting room was about to escalate, Kitahara Shin rubbed his temples helplessly and quickly spoke up to interrupt this impending battle.
Dealing with these two increasingly clever and jealous confidantes is sometimes more energy-consuming than negotiating with those cunning capitalists.
Time flew by amidst the chaotic daily tug-of-war and intense pre-production preparations.
Before we knew it, the day of the One-Day Drama Academy Awards, the most anticipated annual event in the entire Japanese television industry, arrived.
At 7 p.m., in the VIP dressing room backstage of a high-class theater in Tokyo, actresses from Kitahara Agency were making their final makeup and styling adjustments.
Tonight, they are not only accompanying Kitahara Shin, but also representing the hottest "Kitahara-style" actresses in the Japanese television industry. Naturally, they are putting in 200% effort in terms of their outfits.
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Rie Miyazawa wore an extremely high-profile deep-V sequined evening gown. The daring design perfectly outlined her stunning curves, with a large exposed back and a high slit in the skirt. Combined with her bright and beautiful mixed-race face, she looked like a red rose blooming freely under the spotlight, exuding a strong visual impact and aggression.
Meanwhile, Nanako Matsushima, standing on the other side adjusting her accessories, took a completely different approach. She chose an extremely form-fitting haute couture black velvet gown. The dress had no unnecessary embellishments, yet it perfectly showcased her 1.72-meter-tall figure and her impeccable waist-to-hip ratio. Around her neck adorned a priceless pearl necklace, and paired with her updo, she exuded an aura of supreme sophistication, elegance, and unapproachability befitting a wealthy heiress.
In contrast, Matsu Takako, the least experienced and youngest, was much more low-key. She wore a white lace knee-length Chanel dress, paired with simple diamond stud earrings. While not as imposing as her two seniors, she perfectly highlighted the dignified, pure, and well-behaved temperament befitting a daughter of a prestigious family.
"President, we're ready."
When Kitahara Shin, dressed in an impeccably tailored Armani haute couture black suit and with his hair meticulously combed, pushed open the dressing room door, three stunningly beautiful women, each with a distinct style, turned around simultaneously.
Kitahara Shin looked at the extremely pleasing scene before him, nodded in satisfaction, then straightened his tie and a confident smile appeared on his lips.
"Let's go. Tonight, let's go get our trophy."
After saying that, he turned around and, with this extremely luxurious lineup of female stars, pushed open the door leading to the main venue of the awards ceremony.
Outside, countless flashes of light, as bright as day, illuminated the scene for them.
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