National Tide 1980.

"What is credit? Our Taisho Insurance Company is credit."

"You are such a useless guy. How come you have been in Tokyo for so long and you don't even have a credit card!"

"Now is the era of making money out of nothing, using other people's money to make money! You are in the financial industry, but you don't even have a credit card. This is not right. You must learn to be smarter in the future, otherwise how can you become a branch chief. That's your goal, right? A boss like you will be laughed at by your subordinates..."

After helping Yujiro Sakai to apply for a credit card from the bank, Yasuo Nagase regarded himself as Yujiro Sakai's benefactor, and the two found a cafe near the bank to rest.

Yasuo Nagase taught the bumpkin in his eyes a lesson without any scruples, without caring about Yujiro Sakai's face at all.

However, Zuo Hai Youjiro didn't mind this at all and just thanked him with gratitude.

Especially when he heard Nagase Yasuo mention the word "branch chief", he smiled even more and tried to please him.

He thought that his efforts at work had been noticed and remembered by his superiors.

What Nagase Yasuo revealed was that his superiors tacitly agreed to promote him.

But how could he know that his thoughts had actually been known long ago by "Taisho officials" like Nagase Yasuo and Ninomiya Hideo.

Everyone of those people knew that as soon as they mentioned the word "branch chief", Zuo Haiyoujiro, who dreamed of getting promoted, would become a clown who could be made fun of at will.

Now what Nagase Yasuo said was actually intentional use of Yujiro Sakai's weakness to tease him.

It's just throwing a bone to see how the dog wags its tail.

Pitiful as it is, Zuo Hai Youjiro's heart has been completely blinded by utilitarianism, and he is so despicable that he doesn't even realize how ridiculous and humble his attitude is.

So, after having snacks in a high-end cafe, under the guidance of Yasuo Nagase, Yujiro Sakai paid the bill with a credit card.

He looked at the bill of more than 8,000 yen for a pot of coffee, some muffins and cakes. Just when he felt the pain, he was brainwashed by Nagase Yasuo again.

"Look, it's so convenient to have a credit card. And your JCB card has a limit of 2 million yen, and it has many special benefits. You can enjoy the highest courtesy and discounts in many high-end restaurants and cooperating merchants. This time, we enjoyed a 10% discount. In the future, you can also bring your own customers here to entertain, which will make it easier for customers to trust you. Especially if girls see you swiping the card so elegantly, they will definitely be moved. The girl at the cashier just now stared at you for a long time. It's a pity, who made you get married so early, otherwise it would be easy to pick up girls. To be honest, do you regret it now..."

Just like that, Nagase Yasuo's words once again touched the sore spot of Sakai Yujiro, making his uncomfortable pain numb.

So they selectively ignore the other party's bad behavior of treating themselves as a wallet.

And they are completely unaware that the card in their hands is actually a trap set by the financial industry.

In addition to gaining a certain convenience in paying bills, he will also be more likely to develop a desire to consume and will be more likely to misjudge his ability to make money. Not only will it be more difficult for him to reverse the financial deficit, but he will also have an easier way to overdraw his future.

However, given the current situation, and precisely because he still had to pay interest on the debt today and didn't want others to know, Zuo Hai Youjiro decided to end his relationship with Nagase here and did not accept the other party's invitation to follow this guy to play mahjong.

Otherwise, his financial loss today would have definitely expanded from 8,000 yen to at least tens of thousands of yen. From this perspective, this credit card is somewhat useful, at least it has helped him avoid some bad luck.

"I have something important to do." After the two walked out of the store, Zuo Haiyoujiro lied and explained, "An important client wants to discuss the insurance policy."

"Really? That's a pity." Nagase Yasuo shrugged and gave up.

But before leaving, Nagase Yasuo gave one last reminder, "Yujiro, please don't forget what I asked of you."

"Of course, I will definitely tell Rinko. She is not young anymore and it's time for her to consider marriage. It would be a great honor for her to be able to date an elite like you at Keio University." Sakai Yujiro agreed with a smile.

"Oh, that's not the way to say it. Isn't it because Hideo is too arrogant that Rinko-san is upset? Let me put it this way, I'm different from that guy. He's an egomaniac. I don't have the same bad habits as him. So, please make it clear to Rinko-san that although I graduated from Keio University, I have also been participating in club activities in the art club. Rinko-san and I have common topics in art. I have the confidence, so please do me the honor of meeting her."

"Of course, I will try my best. It would be great if we could become relatives."

"Haha, you really want to be related to me. In that case, I will wait for your good news. Goodbye."

In this way, the two people finally said goodbye and went in different directions.

However, after leaving, Zuo Haiyoujiro, who had originally looked relaxed, quickly changed his expression.

Not only did he look worried, but his legs also felt as if they were covered in cement and his steps were heavy as he walked towards the station.

It was not for any other reason, but mainly because Yasuo Nagase had a crush on his wife's sister, and asking him to be the introducer was not an easy task.

Last time, because Minister Ninomiya fell in love with Rinko, he tried his best to bring Ninomiya Hideo and Rinko together, but he was not welcomed.

Both sides were actually quite unhappy.

Ninomiya Hideo disliked Rinko because she was cold, dull and not like a woman.

Rinko also disliked Ninomiya Hideo for not knowing how to respect women and being an empty-headed man. He was just a playboy who knew how to spend money and was not worth spending time with.

In the end, he was in a difficult position and was not accepted by everyone, and even failed to curry favor with Minister Ninomiya, whom he wanted to curry favor with.

The other party was very disappointed. Although he would not blame him, the side effects of his incompetence would probably take time to eliminate.

The key point is that after that wedding banquet, Rinko seemed to have developed a prejudice against Ninomiya Hideo and Nagase Yasuo because of the blunt words they said to Ning Weimin. She no longer wanted to have any contact with people like them and felt very disgusted with them.

In this situation, if he continued to help Nagase Yasuo to connect with Rinko, he would probably be regarded as an enemy by his sister-in-law.

Even his wife, Miyoko, might misunderstand and think that he can't tolerate his wife's younger sister living with him, and she is eager for Rinko to get married and move out of the house.

To be honest, he himself really didn't want to agree to Nagase Yasuo's request because the success rate was too low.

Yasuo Nagase just feels good about himself. In fact, he is not as good as Hideo Ninomiya. His appearance alone does not meet Rinko's standards.

But Nagase Yasuo's uncle is the general manager of Taisho Insurance, and his position is higher than Minister Ninomiya.

He had already made Minister Ninomiya unhappy, so how could he dare to refuse again?
Moreover, if he wants to be promoted to branch chief, he must get close to a senior figure in Taisho Insurance.

So it’s difficult. It’s really difficult to handle this matter without making a mess.

There is no other way. It seems that I can only ask my wife for help.

He only hoped that Midori could understand his difficulties and persuade his sister-in-law on his behalf.

In fact, it doesn't matter. As long as Rinko is willing to be perfunctory and go on a few formal dates, it will be fine.

At that time, I can just say it's not suitable and I don't have any feelings for her. This will also give me an explanation, and that guy Nagase Yasuo shouldn't keep pestering me. But if I do this, I'm not sure if I'll be blamed by my wife again, and I'll feel more and more guilty in front of Miyoko...

Before I knew it, I arrived at the station with a lot on my mind.

But arriving at the destination did not make Zuo Haiyoujiro feel relieved. Instead, the countless people gathered together and waiting in line in front of the station made him even more bored.

This place was not originally a downtown area, but on weekends most people have free time, so this area, which originally had only one shopping mall, two or three supermarkets, and four or five restaurants, has become crowded.

In comparison, the people on the road who are sitting in taxis or driving their own cars passing through here seem so leisurely and comfortable.

Especially at this moment, a red Honda CIVIC sedan drove by, and the buzzing disco music in the car was blaring.

The young man driving the car was wearing a floral sweater and a denim jacket, and at first glance he looked like a college student who was going on a date with a girl.

This made Zuo Hai Youjiro, who was standing in the cold wind, feel a little unbalanced. He couldn't help but grit his teeth, staring at the car driving away in the distance while cursing in his heart.

"Asshole! What are you showing off for! If I see your car on the roadside someday, I will smash your windows and scratch your car! Let's see what you can do then!"

He did not realize at all that his jealousy was shameful or that his ideas were wrong. He just thought that this world and this society were extremely unfair to him.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

In fact, he worked much harder than others, he never slacked off, and he had suffered a lot for a living. He finally came to Tokyo from the village. He was the only one from their hometown who came here.

But why, after all his efforts, he still lives such a difficult life, never breathing the air of ease and freedom, or enjoying the pleasure of spending money lavishly?
But now those students are already enjoying a happy life in advance. There was a report in the newspaper a few days ago reflecting that Japanese college students are now experiencing a rapid increase in living standards.

College girls will almost always honestly express their consumption desires.

"My father bought me this Chanel this year. Now I want my own Mercedes SL, a Tiffany OPEN HEART necklace worth more than 200,000 yen, and a Cartier TRINITY ring worth about 150,000 yen. I want too many things, and it's really annoying. But if I grit my teeth and want to buy them, I can still afford them. Also, my hobby is horse riding."

Listen, when did students become so rich.

This is neither fabricated nor a joke; it is the real present and the common thought of almost all college girls today.

Boys, on the other hand, prefer buying cars. It has even been said that a boy cannot have a girlfriend without a car.

Rumor has it that college girls are ranked higher than high school girls based on the brand of cars that line up to greet them after school.

There were also magazine reports that at a university in Chiba, someone drove a pink Toyota SOARER to and from school.

As for him, he never had a car of his own, not even a used car.

Why!

Why can these college students enjoy such things so early? Is this fair?
There must be something wrong here, a social problem.

Otherwise it definitely shouldn't be like this.

Even if, as Yasuo Nagase said, smart people do not pay in cash but instead pay in "future credibility", there should not be such a big gap.

At this time, Zuo Haiyoujiro saw several odd jobs people coming to the station, bowing one by one and distributing flyers to the people waiting for the train.

Because there was also a small bag of tissues included, Zuo Haiyoujiro did not refuse.

He picked up the flyer and looked at it. It turned out to be an advertisement for a real estate development project located in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, not far from his home, but the selling price was as high as 3.69 million yen per square meter.

This made Zuo Haiyoujiro feel a little more comfortable. After all, he bought his own house early on, and the housing price alone increased by 50%. This could be regarded as catching up with the express train of the times and sharing the dividends of the times.

However, this happy mood did not last long, as it was shattered by the conversation between an elderly couple next to me.

"This house looks good. Should we go take a look tomorrow? If it's suitable, we can buy one or two in full."

"It's so expensive. An apartment like this would cost almost 30 million yen. What are you going to do with all that money?"

"Of course I'll keep it for appreciation. It's 30 million yen now, and it will soon be higher. This is called land capitalism."

"How can you be so sure? What if the price doesn't increase again?"

"That's impossible. Just look at how many young people desperately take out loans to buy houses. Young people need to start a family and build a career, so at least everyone needs a house. We don't have to pay back the loan, so the worst that can happen is that we can rent out the house and collect rent. In the future, maybe the monthly rent alone will be enough for us to travel around the world, isn't that great?"

"That's true, but young people nowadays are really pitiful. For a house like this, they may have to spend half their life."

"That's right. It's more comfortable for us old people. It's much easier to buy a house with our own savings. Old lady, don't be fooled by the fact that those office workers are all well-dressed nowadays. But if you ask them to take out cash, maybe a few million yen will be enough to stump them. Apart from taking out a loan, they have no other choice. And we, at least, won't let the bank suck our blood..."

It's unbearable. This life is really unbearable.

How come everyone lives a more comfortable life than me? College students are carefree and squander their youth.

And the elderly are also enjoying the benefits that time brings them.

I am all alone, as if I am living in the cracks of time.

Even selling stocks was unlucky. The price only went up a little bit, which was not enough to pay the interest to the loan company. I had to use my credit card to pay for it.

My life is so miserable, why is it like this?

And that Ning Weimin, does he no longer consider me a friend?

Is it because of what happened at the wedding?
It must be like this, otherwise why didn’t he come to me to buy insurance for his new store?
Damn it, this is too stingy. I have already apologized, why can’t you understand my difficulties!
I really need performance, why do you treat me like this?

Faced with the hustle and bustle of traffic and all kinds of people, Zuo Haiyoujiro's mental state suddenly became unbalanced.

When he looked up at the blue sky, he just felt like crying. He was so sad that he was about to collapse.

He really felt confused, puzzled and wronged.

It would be great if getting a promotion could be like spending with a credit card, with a way to overdraw in advance.

As long as he can be rescued from such a miserable situation immediately, he will not mind paying some interest for it... (End of this chapter)