1990: Starting from Baojia Street

Zhou Yan originally wanted to talk about where to go out for dinner tonight, but after calling Shizuka and the others, he was told that they would eat at home. Shizuka also told Zhou Yan mysteriously that they were going to cook a big meal at home, which made him quite looking forward to it.

When Zhou Yan returned home, he smelled a strong aroma of hot pot as soon as he entered the door.

Then he saw the hot pot on the dining table in the living room, and the table full of side dishes.

"Is this the feast you were talking about?" Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Isn't this considered a feast?" Shizuka Kudo said playfully.

Zhou Yan nodded, "Okay."

The side dishes are quite rich, including various vegetables, various meats, and even several kinds of seafood. It is certainly a feast.

But from Shizuka's tone on the phone, it seemed like she was going to do something big, but I didn't expect that she would just make a hot pot.

The most important thing about hot pot is the hot pot base, and if Zhou Yan remembers correctly, these bases should have been brought by Akina Nakamori from China.

Akina Nakamori really loves hot pot, especially the red oil hot pot base.

Just as Zhou Yan was looking at the side dishes on the table, Akina Nakamori came over with a plate.

Zhou Yan took a quick look and was stunned.

What Mingcai was holding in her hand was actually mixed noodles.

There is a big bowl on the plate filled with noodles, and there are several small plates and a small bowl. The small plates are filled with side dishes such as soybeans, bean sprouts, cucumbers, etc., and the small bowls are filled with mixed sauces.

"Where did you buy this finished sauce?" Zhou Yan asked.

Mingcai rolled her eyes at Zhou Yan and said, "You look down on me like that."

Zhou Yan was surprised and asked, "Could it be that you did it yourself?"

"Of course." Shizuka came over and said with a smile, "This sauce was made by Akina herself, smell how delicious it is."

Zhou Yan did smell the fragrance, and the sauce looked exactly like that, making him salivate.

Seeing Zhou Yan staring at the noodles, Shizuka pulled him aside, looking like she was protecting the food, "Shizuka made this especially for me. There's no portion for you."

Zhou Yan looked at the big bowl of noodles and said with a smile, "You can't finish this, I'll help you finish some."

"Of course I can finish it, I don't need your help." Shizuka pouted.

Ming Cai smiled and said, "I still have more sauce. If you want to eat some, just add some noodles later. It's not too much trouble."

Shizuka said dissatisfiedly, "Akina, you can't be too nice to him, he will forget everything."

Zhou Yan took the opportunity to flatter him, "You even know how to use the expression 忘乎所以? Most Chinese people don't use this expression. Your Chinese level has been improving recently."

After being praised by Zhou Yan, Shizuka immediately said proudly, "Of course, I have always been very talented in learning Chinese."

"Yes, yes, a natural talent."

A bystander can see things more clearly. Mingcai knew that Zhou Yan was trying to change the subject. She smiled, put down the noodles, and went back to the kitchen.

Zhou Yan asked, "Any other dishes?"

"There is also a pork rib soup, it should be ready, I'll go check it out." Akina Nakamori replied.

Soon, Mingcai came over with a steaming casserole.

Looking at the casserole dishes of pork ribs and winter melon soup, mixed noodles and hot pot on the table, Zhou Yan smiled. This table did not give people the feeling that it was not in Tokyo.

Akina Nakamori said with a smile as she untied her apron, "Let's start eating."

It’s easy to tell who deserves the main credit for tonight’s dinner.

Because Akina Nakamori has a performance tomorrow, no one drank alcohol, but just made some tea to relieve the greasy feeling.

Even this tea was obtained by Shizuka Kudo from Zhou Yan before.

Although Shizuka told Zhou Yan not to eat noodles with mixed sauce, Zhou Yan still put some noodles in the bowl as soon as possible, and then poured some side dishes and mixed sauce into the bowl.

After stirring the contents of the bowl thoroughly, Zhou Yan took a big sip.

After taking the first bite, Zhou Yan couldn't help but give Mingcai a thumbs up.

Whether the mixed noodles are delicious or not depends entirely on how the sauce is cooked.

Although the sauce made by Akina Nakamori is not as good as the one made by Kong Chao and others in the cafeteria, it is just not cooked enough and the taste is still very good.

It is normal for the heat to be insufficient when making mixed noodles at home. In places like restaurants and canteens, it may take two or three hours to boil a pot of sauce.

The sauce that is cooked enough can be fully mixed with the noodles, and the taste will definitely be better.

It’s just a home-made version, and it’s rare to spend so much time making the sauce. The version made by Akina Nakamori is already more delicious than the ones made by ordinary families, which shows that she obviously knows how to cook.

If you don’t know how to cook, you basically can’t learn this in a short period of time.

Although Zhou Yan had known Akina Nakamori for quite a long time, he didn't know that she could cook. When she was in Yanjing before, she didn't have time to show off her cooking skills, so Zhou Yan's family basically doesn't cook now.

Most of the time, they ate in the studio's cafeteria.

After eating the mixed noodles, Zhou Yan had pork ribs and winter melon soup.

In comparison, the technical content of pork ribs and winter melon soup is lower, so it is no surprise that this pot of soup did not fail and was very delicious.

As long as pork rib soup does not have the fishy smell of pork and the salt is adjusted to the right amount, it will basically taste good.

The soup was cooked to perfection and the ribs fell off the bones as soon as they were eaten.

While drinking the soup, Zhou Yan asked Nakamori Akina, "Who did you learn how to make this noodle soup? It tastes really good."

"Can't you tell? I learned it from the chefs in your studio cafeteria."

Zhou Yan raised his eyebrows, "When did you go to learn this? I didn't even know about it."

Usually, Akina Nakamori spends most of her time in the recording studio or practice room, and she is rarely seen going to the cafeteria.

"There are still many things you don't know." Akina Nakamori smiled. She was very happy to be praised by Zhou Yan for her delicious cooking.

Shizuka Kudo ate several mouthfuls of noodles before she looked up and asked Zhou Yan, "Did you go to TV Asahi to record the show today? Did everything go well?"

"It's going quite smoothly." Zhou Yan replied.

"I've watched one episode of their show, and it seemed like there was a game segment. What game did they arrange for you?" Shizuka Kudo was quite curious about what game Zhou Yan played. She had never seen Zhou Yan play games on the show.

“I wasn’t given any games.”

"No games were arranged for you?" Kudo Shizuka said disappointedly, "That's a pity. I wanted to see you make a fool of yourself playing games."

Zhou Yan said with a smile, "Why do you assume that I will be embarrassed if I play games? I am an expert at playing games."

"Haha, there are some games where you can make a fool of yourself even if you are good at them, and there are other games where the better you are at them, the easier it is to make a fool of yourself."

Zhou Yan shrugged, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but they didn't let me play any games."

"They probably don't dare to embarrass you. It's so boring."

Akina Nakamori asked, "If there is no game, then it is just an interview?"

Zhou Yan shook his head. "That's not the case. They arranged a live music session and I composed a few songs on the spot."

"There is actually this part. If we had known earlier, we would have gone to watch it live."

"If you go to the scene, you won't have this feast tonight. Today is actually quite interesting. They also..."

Afterwards, Zhou Yan recounted what happened between the program crew and SQUARE company. The two girls were very surprised after listening to it.

"So are you going to compose the music for Final Fantasy 8?" asked Akina Nakamori.

“It all depends on the outcome of the negotiations.”

"I really want to hear what the song you made for them is like." said Shizuka Kudo.

"If you want to hear it..."

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Zhou Yan was halfway through his words when the phone on the sofa rang.

This cell phone of his is the one he uses exclusively in Neon. Not many people know about it. They are either people from Tang Chen or acquaintances like Nomura Shu. The call at this time is most likely about work.

Zhou Yan walked over and answered the phone. The voice of Sang Tian, ​​the general manager of Tomson's Neon branch, came from the other end, "Mr. Zhou, have you eaten?"

"I'm eating right now. What's wrong, Sangtian?"

"It's like this. SQUARE contacted us just now and said that they have agreed with you to discuss composing the music for Final Fantasy 8. I called to confirm. Is this true?"

"That's true. We agreed on it not long ago. I was planning to talk to you about it tomorrow." Zhou Yan was very confused. He didn't know why SQUARE was so anxious and went straight to contact the branch.

Hearing Zhou Yan confirm that this matter is true, Kuwata smiled and said, "Takuma Yukichi just told me that he wanted to contact you, but he didn't know your contact information, so he called me. He has something to add to you."

In fact, it’s not that Takuma Yukinao couldn’t get Zhou Yan’s phone number. He could just ask Nomura Hide for it. However, even if he asked Nomura Hide for the phone number, it would be useless because he didn’t understand Chinese.

It's impossible for him to rush out to find an interpreter in the middle of the night?

Therefore, the best option is to call the Tangchen branch directly and let Sangtian convey the message to Zhou Yan.

"What does he want to add?" Zhou Yan asked.

"Takuma Yukichi asked directly if he could just make the song first, and then we could discuss the cooperation in detail," said Kuwata.

Zhou Yan laughed, and SQUARE seemed to be in a state of not being able to stop acting wildly unless there was a rabbit around.

But Zhou Yan didn't mind. From a business perspective, there was nothing wrong with SQUARE's approach.

And Zhou Yan was happy to do so, because the performance he gave live today had many shortcomings, and the effect was not as good as the entire song.

By the time he finishes the entire song, Takuma Yukino and the others will be more determined to get the song. By that time, Zhou Yan will definitely be more proactive and bolder in asking for a price.

"Tell him it's no problem, and I'll find a singer to sing the song, but they'll just have to wait a little while."

It only takes a very short time to make the song, and Zhou Yan can finish it tonight.

Even if we find someone to record the demo, it won’t take much time. We can just make an appointment in a recording studio tomorrow.

Moreover, there are two ready-made singers in this room, so there is no need to look elsewhere.

Although it's a bit of a luxury to ask these two to sing the demo, it will definitely be no problem for emergency use.

However, Zhou Yan did not intend to just give them a demo, but rather to make a rough outline of the song and present it to Takuma Yukino and the others.

As for the selection of singer, Zhou Yan decided to follow SQUARE's choice in the previous life and continue to choose Faye Wong.

Faye Wong doesn't sing many English songs, but Zhou Yan has heard some of her English songs and there is no problem with her level at all, she can handle "because of you".

The key point is that Zhou Yan has mostly collaborated with foreign singers in recent years, and it’s time for him to collaborate with domestic singers, especially mainland singers.

On the other end of the phone, Kuwata said, "Okay, I understand. I will convey these words to Takuma Yukino."

"Well, before I make the song, ignore any talks about cooperation from them."

"clear."

Zhou Yan remembered something else, "By the way, are there any front row tickets for the premiere tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes, do you need more?"

"Well, leave one more ticket and try to arrange a better seat."

"Okay, I'll arrange it now."

"Thanks a lot."

"It's not hard, Mr. Zhou, just continue eating. I won't disturb you anymore."

After saying that, Kuwata hung up the phone.

Zhou Yan put down his phone, turned around and sat back at the table. Next to him, Shizuka Kudo asked calmly, "Who did you leave the ticket for?"

Zhou Yan replied, "I met Izumi Sakai at TV Asahi today. I saved this ticket for her."

After saying that, Zhou Yan picked up the chopsticks and prepared to put food into the pot, but when his hand was halfway there, he felt two murderous intentions.

One stronger one came from Shizuka Kudo on his left, and the other weaker one came from Akina Nakamori on his right.

He stopped and looked at the two women. Shizuka Kudo looked at him angrily, "You have it all... and you're still not satisfied. You go and provoke others again."

“…”

Zhou Yan was stunned. He didn't expect Shizuka to react so strongly.

And what she said just now, although she didn't finish her words, it seemed that he already had both of them, but he was still looking for someone else.

"Uh..." Zhou Yan hurriedly explained, "We just ran into each other. She said she wanted to watch the premiere, so I saved a ticket for her. We barely spoke a word the whole time, and you guys are here tomorrow, so what can I do?"

"That's not necessarily true!"

Zhou Yan's brain was spinning, and he quickly said, "Then I'll call Sakai Izumi now and tell her there are no tickets."

After saying that, he immediately stood up and went to the sofa to get his cell phone.

But when he was halfway there, Kudo Shizuka called him back, "No need, I've already promised someone else, it's hard to break my promise."

Zhou Yan turned his head and said, "It's okay. I believe she can understand."

"Oh, I told you not to. Come back and eat."

Seeing that she was about to lose control, Zhou Yan ran back and sat down.

Shizuka Kudo also felt that her reaction just now was a bit too much. Zhou Yan was just leaving a ticket for someone else.

Mainly because of what happened with Akina, which made her sensitive to such things.

Even if it was Akina, she found it hard to accept it. If there were another woman, she would collapse. (End of this chapter)