513: Chapter 513 Far Ahead

After checking into the hotel and resting on the bed for a short while, Lin Chuyan's phone screen suddenly lit up. It was a message from Sugiura Ran.

Her wording was polite, asking if Lin Chuyan was free that evening, saying she wanted to host a welcome dinner for him.

Lin Chuyan looked at the message and didn't hesitate to agree.

However, he made one request, hoping to find a more private place to meet. As soon as he sent the message, he worried Sugiura Ran might misunderstand, so he quickly added, "I'm worried about journalists writing nonsense and affecting your reputation," or something to that effect.

Although Lin Chuyan's conscience was clear, when it came to matters of romance, he had to be cautious—he was indeed afraid that the local journalists would write nonsense and cause Ruan Xingyu to misunderstand.

He knew the style of paparazzi too well; Japanese paparazzi were just as bad, cut from the same cloth.

He could even imagine the sensational headlines: Caught Cheating! A certain superstar actor, taking advantage of his fiancée's absence, ran to Tokyo to meet a secret lover under the guise of a concert. The woman's identity exposed as a famous Japanese businesswoman...

If media outlets like Shukan Bunshun managed to snap a photo, wouldn't they treat it like a treasure? After all, if they dug deep, there was truly some "material" between him and Sugiura Ran.

He had to remember that when he first came over to receive that "Japan Film Academy Awards," he later discovered that Sugiura Ran had been working behind the scenes to help him. Later, he got Sugiura Ran to invest in "la la land," and he would still need to rely on her to help secure more screen time later on. In the short term, just take this trip for example: the Tokyo Dome venue was also secured with her help.

With all this sorted out, all the clues could be connected; it wouldn't be too easy for paparazzi to fabricate a story—they would just need to come up with "nine truths and one lie," add a photo, and anyone who saw it would surely exclaim, "Holy crap."

But Sugiura Ran was now an important business partner of his, and she had reached out multiple times to help him solve difficult problems. He couldn't just refuse to meet her; that would be too heartless and a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Sugiura Ran chose a private club for their meeting.

Lin Chuyan followed the address to get there. The place wasn't out of the way; it was located in one of Tokyo's most bustling areas.

Upon arriving, a young woman dressed in a kimono greeted him, led him inside, and then upstairs.

The building had eight floors. Lin Chuyan was heading to the second floor. Judging by the layout and decorations, it was clearly an area dedicated to dining, and the environment looked quite luxurious.

The young woman leading the way clearly recognized him just a moment ago, but in the next second, she immediately regained her composure. She was very professional, likely having seen many celebrities there on a daily basis.

The girl brought Lin Chuyan to a private room and then bowed politely before withdrawing.

The room was named "The Dancing Girl of Izu," a work by Yasunari Kawabata.

Sugiura Ran was already waiting inside the room.

Lin Chuyan pushed open the door and was about to speak, but Sugiura Ran beat him to it.

"Chuyan-kun, long time no see," Sugiura Ran said with a smile.

Holy crap? Lin Chuyan was shocked: the other party was speaking Mandarin?!

Regaining his senses, he quickly responded: "Madam, you are as elegant as ever. You are…"

Sugiura Ran smiled lightly: "It's been almost a year since we last parted. In my spare time, I started learning Chinese."

Lin Chuyan was a bit curious: "Why did you suddenly start learning Chinese, Madam?"

Inner thoughts: It wouldn't be because of me, would it...

Sugiura Ran covered her mouth and chuckled, explaining: "Many of Chuyan-kun's film and television works don't seem to have Japanese translations right away. Moreover, even when there are translations, I often feel that the expression isn't accurate enough, and it's quite difficult to understand, so I can only simply admire Chuyan-kun's handsome face. And then there are the Chinese songs; I always feel that only by learning Chinese can I better understand their nuances."

Lin Chuyan didn't know how to respond for a moment. This was truly impressive. Transnational dating is tiring, but he hadn't expected transnational fandom to be even more tiring.

The two began to order food while chatting.

Sugiura Ran introduced him: "This is a place I occasionally come to dine. It's a private club with a referral system and is not open to the public on weekdays, so you don't have to worry about paparazzi sneaking photos. Chuyan-kun, you can rest assured."

So thoughtful. As expected of a hardcore fan; Lin Chuyan even felt a little embarrassed.

"Thank you for your trouble, Madam."

In fact, such private clubs usually had strict restrictions on non-members. It was just because Sugiura Ran was bringing him, coupled with Lin Chuyan's own influence, that entering as a potential member went smoothly.

The dishes were served one after another, and the two ate and chatted.

First, they talked about Lin Chuyan's film and television works and music. Sugiura Ran even knew about Wawa's interpretation of his music... Yanzi almost laughed out loud.

Then the topic turned to Lin Chuyan's popularity in Japan. Sure enough, most of his fans were women.

Subsequently, they chatted freely about Tokyo's food and entertainment. Sugiura Ran recommended a hot spring in the suburbs and also indicated that the club itself was enough for him to have fun.

They even gossiped: saying that many Chinese people were also members here, such as a certain Chinese businessman who had been settled here for more than half a year.

Then she asked if Lin Chuyan needed her to recommend him for membership. Lin Chuyan shook his head and politely declined.

Are you kidding? He came here to make money. How could he pay hundreds of thousands in membership fees before earning a single cent?

The topic gradually turned to Lin Chuyan's next plans. He directly said he was busy preparing for his wedding.

Thus, the topic naturally came to Ruan Xingyu. Lin Chuyan was actually very curious why the female fans here would like him when he was openly dating. He could understand it in his home country, after all, Ruan Xingyu was also a Chinese diva.

Sugiura Ran's "fan persona" came online: "Chuyan-kun is a truly peerless talent! Not the kind of 'idol' who relies on a persona. When fans liked you, you were already dating."

Lin Chuyan had nothing to say.

Finally, the topic returned to "la la land".

Although Sugiura Ran also participated in the investment for this film, she didn't care how it was shot, only asking when it would be released.

"The Chinese New Year won't pass here, but February 17th is very close to Valentine's Day, which is a good release window."

"How much screen time does Madam expect to have?"

Talking about business, Sugiura Ran was very confident: "At least forty percent."

Hearing this number, Lin Chuyan was really taken aback: "So much?"

Sugiura Ran smiled again: "This is just the initial screen allocation. I predict that as the box office pulls away from other films, theaters will continue to adjust the screen allocation. Chuyan-kun still lacks sufficient understanding of your popularity here. Please rest assured, I will arrange for people to communicate with the theaters. Most romance films here are low-budget productions. It is an honor for the local film market that Chuyan-kun can bring a big Hollywood production to be screened here. Chuyan-kun's super high popularity coupled with a big Hollywood production... Does China have any vocabulary that can describe this situation?"

Lin Chuyan couldn't help it and laughed: "Dimensional reduction strike, crushing, invincible, second to none, standing alone, dominating the top, way ahead!"

Sugiura Ran blinked: "Too fast, I only remembered 'way ahead'."