Chapter 282: Shinji: Out of the Way, It's Time for Some Pro Moves!
On the surface, it sounded utterly unrealistic to ask the Chinese authorities for extra import film quotas just for himself.
But Shinji knew it wasn't impossible.
After all, in his past life, Hollywood had already shown him how to play the game:
The trick? Create subcategories—like treating 3D films as their own class—and carve out a separate slot from the standard quota system.
And guess what?
In this parallel world, Shinji's glasses-free 3D tech was still completely unmatched.
So if the Chinese government approved more 3D films, who would be raking in all that extra money?
That's right—him. Shinji Matou. The lord of all things 3D.
From the Chinese side, approving more 3D films wasn't a bad deal either.
Tickets for 3D screenings were more expensive than regular ones, which meant a nice fat boost to overall box office revenue.
More money and better stats?
For the officials in charge, that was practically a dream scenario with a neon sign saying "political achievement."
Especially in 2006—back when the government didn't even pay much attention to domestic box office numbers.
As long as the total ticket revenue looked good, the higher-ups would be happy.
In fact, Shinji was probably the only person in the world who had such unwavering confidence in the future of China's film market.
Maybe even more than the officials trying to rope him into investing.
'Too bad I can't just come out and say it,' Shinji thought to himself.
He understood negotiation strategy perfectly well.
Even if he believed in this market's potential, he had to play it cool.
Push too hard, reveal too much, and the other side would start taking advantage.
People never cherished things that came too easily.
In dating terms, it was simple:
Simping gets you nowhere.
And Shinji wasn't about to simp for the most business-savvy country on the planet.
So naturally, he kept his tone measured and his intentions ambiguous.
Of course, this meant he wouldn't get any concrete results tonight.
But that was fine. Tonight's red carpet was just the opening move.
The real negotiations would come later.
"I'll have our local branch submit a full proposal soon."
"Excellent. I'll make sure it gets reviewed personally."
After wrapping up his brief but important chat with one of the senior officials, Shinji made his way toward the media area for his scheduled round of interviews with Chinese reporters.
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The moment the man behind the current world box office record stepped into the spotlight, the entire press zone practically exploded with excitement.
A sharp-eyed female reporter was the first to act, thrusting her mic toward him with unhidden enthusiasm.
"Director Matou!! Thank you so much for accepting my interview!!"
Shinji blinked.
This reporter… wasn't faking her excitement.
She was genuinely thrilled to be interviewing him.
"I'm happy to meet you too."
Shinji offered a composed, gentlemanly smile.
Whenever the cameras were rolling, Shinji made sure to dial down the flirtatious playboy vibes.
Instead, he brought out the refined, princely charm of a proper nobleman.
And clearly, it worked.
The young reporter lit up with genuine surprise the moment Shinji opened his mouth.
"Wait— You can speak Chinese?!"
"Of course. I studied linguistics. I've done a fair bit of research on Chinese as well, and I've always had an interest in your culture."
He gestured casually as he added, "You'll notice in Fate, some of the main characters use Bajiquan as their martial arts style."
If he'd been talking to a bunch of Chinese magus, Shinji would've claimed he learned the language while studying Taoist sorcery.
But since this was a room full of normal reporters?
No need for that level of flexing.
Still—even holding back—Shinji absolutely floored the media crew.
In this day and age, very few foreign stars even bothered learning Chinese.
It wouldn't be until a few years later that trying to say something in Mandarin became the norm for overseas stars promoting in China.
Even someone like Paul Rudd (a.k.a. Ant-Man) had to grin and bear it, painfully forcing out broken Mandarin during the Avengers: Endgame tour in China—accent like a cheese grater, but hey, at least he tried.
Still, for all its awkwardness, his efforts were rewarded.
Paul Rudd, originally one of the lesser-known guests at that event, ended up grabbing tons of attention just for saying:
"Yeah, my Chinese is terrible. But at least it's better than theirs."
It was a simple line, but in China, that kind of sincerity goes a long way.
And Shinji, while not technically a "celebrity," was undeniably a public figure—so when he dropped a flawless stretch of Chinese, the press erupted.
He'd been speaking Mandarin non-stop since arriving in Shanghai, and now, that typical Japanese accent he once had? Gone.
Now, he sounded just like a local.
Thankfully, the reporters present at such a high-profile event weren't clueless interns—they were all seasoned professionals.
After a brief moment of shock, the female reporter who snagged the interview instantly pivoted.
"Director Matou," she said crisply, her Mandarin textbook-perfect, "When did you start learning Chinese?"
Shinji smiled. He already knew the best way to handle this question.
Keep it cinematic, keep it relatable.
"A long time ago, I think. When I was a kid, I loved kung fu movies and wuxia films. But there weren't many dubbed in Japanese."
"So, I figured that if I wanted to understand the story without subtitles, I'd better just learn the language."
Of course, that wasn't true.
That line was straight-up lifted from the tagline of some random language school back in Japan.
But it was the kind of "charming origin story" the media loved—a perfect blend of childhood wonder and artistic passion.
And hey, linking it back to Chinese cinema? Even better.
As for the fact that most Hong Kong movies back then were actually in Cantonese?
It didn't matter.
Most early HK films came packaged with both Mandarin and Cantonese audio anyway, so it wasn't technically a lie.
The reporter picked up on the thread quickly.
"Can you tell us what kind of movies you watched growing up?"
Shinji kept up his elegant smile.
"Too many to count, honestly. But the ones I remember most fondly would be the Once Upon a Time in China series, Jin Yong's wuxia dramas, and… the Three Great Campaigns."
"Uh… excuse me?"
The reporter blinked, caught completely off guard.
Wong Fei-Hung and Jin Yong she could totally understand. But that last one?
That was a curveball.
'Wait— what were those movies even about again?'
'We watched them back in elementary school, right? Ugh— I've completely forgotten the plot…'
Panic settled into her chest like a stone.
She knew the names, of course—every Chinese student did. But ask her to describe the actual stories? Not a chance.
Still, this was a live interview at the Shanghai International Film Festival.
Shinji had brought up the Three Great Campaigns—not following up on that would look like a major slip.
Sensing her hesitation, Shinji decided to throw her a lifeline.
And what better way than through a perfectly timed impression?
Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and dropped into character, quoting one of the iconic lines from the film in spot-on old-school cadence:
"No matter what happens—eighty thousand against sixty thousand! The advantage is ours!"
The reporter was stunned silent.
She'd interviewed countless stars in her career, but this was the first time a foreigner had hit her with a pitch-perfect imitation of a Chinese war film general.
And not just any imitation.
Shinji's tone, cadence, and even regional accent were absolutely spot-on. It wasn't just close—it was identical.
Honestly, it wasn't just her.
Every reporter in the media zone had been utterly blindsided by Shinji's performance.
They'd all made guesses—Shinji might be into martial arts movies, xianxia epics, gritty urban crime dramas, historical epics, even palace intrigue romances.
But red-themed revolutionary classics?
Not one person had that on their bingo card.
All they could say was:
This guy's moves are unpredictable as hell.
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