Chapter 280: Schedule Arrangement
In the end, the "battle" between Kariya and Shinji still ended with Shinji taking the upper hand—he casually used magecraft to press Kariya back into his seat.
"Awesome…"
Watching the magical bindings shimmer around Kariya, Li Ri'ang couldn't help but look on with envy. "I wonder when I'll be able to do something like that."
Every teenager dreams of wielding power beyond ordinary people—wandering the world, righting wrongs, a hero in the shadows.
Whether it's wuxia and xianxia from the East, futuristic tech and superpower from the West, or even the ninja arts and Stand users from Japanese manga—the difference is just the type of power. But the dream? The dream's always the same: to stand out, to be admired, to look cool doing it.
"You? You've got a long way to go,"
Shinji chuckled, wagging a finger in mock scolding.
Even if Li Ri'ang had decent talent, it wasn't realistic to expect him to become a full-fledged magi in such a short time. Heck, even prodigies like Shinji had to grind out two or three years of foundational training before getting anywhere.
All the crash-course "training" Li Ri'ang had gone through was basically the magical equivalent of preschool.
"Magecraft takes time. Right now, you should focus on just stabilizing your mana output."
"Yes, understood!" Li Ri'ang responded earnestly.
Seeing this eager little assistant so willing to learn, Shinji generously shared a few beginner tips on how to practice magecraft effectively.
Sure, Shinji's theoretical knowledge of magecraft was laughably shallow—but when it came to teaching a total newbie like Li Ri'ang, he could still pull off the wise senpai routine just fine.
As their conversation drifted from magecraft to more mundane matters, the topic eventually circled back to the domestic promotional tour for Super 8.
"Ahhh, it's such a shame Mr. Hiroshi couldn't make it to China…" Li Ri'ang sighed in disappointment. "I was hoping to meet him in person."
"Not much we can do," Shinji shrugged. "Johnny & Associates has almost zero presence here. No promotions, no partnerships—it's just not worth it for them to send someone like Nagano over and miss out on his work in Japan."
To be fair, Johnny's really didn't do much in China.
The only event Shinji could even remember was when Kimura Takuya's group SMAP held a concert in Beijing back in 2011—to thank China for its support after the earthquake.
And that concert only happened because the Chinese Premier personally met SMAP during his visit to Japan that May—and invited them to perform.
Honestly, SMAP truly were Japan's number one idol group. Their star power was real, and they carried themselves with that A-list aura.
But on the flip side, it also showed how difficult it was for Johnny's artists to break into the Chinese market.
Shinji didn't think that would change anytime soon. In fact, he figured even in the next thirty years, Johnny's probably wouldn't bother putting much effort into expanding here.
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The Shanghai International Film Festival was one of the city's biggest cultural events of the year, and the organizing committee certainly didn't hold back on arrangements.
Naturally, Shinji and his team were put up in a five-star luxury hotel—each of them had their own private room.
And since there was no time difference between Japan and Shanghai, they didn't even have to worry about jet lag.
So once Shinji checked in and tossed his luggage into his room, he wasted no time.
Hands in his pockets, posture relaxed, he swaggered right out of the hotel lobby and hit the streets to explore.
After all, in his previous life, Shinji had already visited Shanghai multiple times for various reasons.
This city wasn't unfamiliar to him at all.
However, instead of heading to the usual spots he used to visit in Shanghai—like the Wenmiao temple district known for its treasure trove of otaku merchandise—Shinji opted for something different this time.
After all, buying figures and doujin goods was way easier and cheaper in Japan.
So he wandered over to the Bund instead, eating as he strolled, taking in the city's atmosphere at a relaxed pace.
Shinji had never been a picky eater, and he didn't mind all the "Chuka-ryori" (Chinese-style dishes modified to fit Japanese tastes) back home.
But still—there was something about eating the real thing in here that just hit different.
The flavors were richer, spicier, and far more to his liking.
Trailing behind him, Li Ri'ang was speechless.
He realized with dawning awe that this Japanese director actually knew more about Shanghai than he did.
Here he was, supposedly acting as Shinji's guide… and yet it was Shinji who kept pointing out famous restaurants, secret street food stalls, and iconic local eats to him.
"…I'm not even from Shanghai, sure, but being shown around by a guest? This is just embarrassing…"
If Sakura hadn't repeatedly confirmed that her older brother had never once set foot in Shanghai before, Li Ri'ang might've seriously started to suspect he was being trolled.
Still, these carefree days of eating and wandering didn't last long.
The very next day, Shinji took the initiative and contacted the film festival's organizing committee himself to confirm his upcoming schedule.
After all, if he was making the trip all the way to China, he had no intention of just showing his face at the film fest and flying back out.
Sure, China's box office hadn't boomed yet—but by the time it did, it would already be too late to get in early.
That was why Shinji was laying the groundwork now, trying to build recognition among hardcore movie fans before the market took off.
That's right—this trip wasn't about the present.
It was about the future.
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"Your schedule's confirmed," said Udagawa Nao as she handed Shinji a printed itinerary.
"First and foremost—and this one's the most important—you'll be attending the film festival's opening ceremony as a member of the jury panel."
"…Seriously?"
Shinji raised his eyebrows in surprise.
It wasn't surprising that they'd invite him to the opening ceremony—that was the main reason he was here, after all.
But getting asked to serve on the jury panel? That was unexpected.
Especially considering how the Chinese film industry still leaned heavily toward treating film as art above all else.
And Shinji? He was a businessman—he didn't belong to their artistic inner circles at all.
Still, after thinking it through for a moment, Shinji figured out the likely reason.
This probably wasn't a directive from the central government—it was something the festival committee decided on their own.
It was 2006. The country's focus was still squarely on development and economic growth.
Shinji's film had done extremely well at the Chinese box office, and he was getting attention because of it.
After all, box office numbers also counted as a form of political achievement, and no one in the system could afford to ignore that.
This weird blend of "independent mindset on the surface, but careful obedience underneath" was just… part of the charm of China's film industry at the time.
Seeing that Shinji had no objections to the schedule, Udagawa Nao continued,
"In addition to the premiere, you're also scheduled to participate in an international film forum, and a formal banquet hosted by the festival committee."
"Anything else?"
"There are a few optional events and invitations we've received—mostly TV interviews and university lectures."
"Hmm…"
Shinji paused to think for a moment, then said,
"Skip the TV interviews. Just decline them for me. But I'll do the university lectures—on the condition that I choose the locations."
He then rattled off two school names to Udagawa Nao.
"Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and Zhejiang University of Technology. Just those two."
"…What kind of universities are those?"
Udagawa Nao blinked in confusion, clearly having never even heard of those schools.
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