National Tide 1980.

"Sure," Taniguchi nodded in agreement as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

Zuo Haiyoujiro, who was originally thinking about how to complain next, was caught off guard by Taniguchi's promise and didn't react for a moment.

He paused for a moment, then finally responded with surprise, "Oh, really?"

"Yes, but I need a little more time to prepare. Is two or three days okay?"

"Sure, sure," Zuo Hai readily agreed.

He was well aware that Mrs. Taniguchi managed the Taniguchi family's finances, so such a request was perfectly normal.

So his attitude became even more affectionate.

He saw Taniguchi put a cigarette in his mouth, so he quickly picked up the lighter on the table and lit it for him, while flattering him.

"Thank you so much for agreeing so readily. You've saved me from a real crisis."

However, after making this ingratiating gesture, Zuo Hai knew he wasn't well-liked and was a little worried about Mrs. Taniguchi's attitude.

"But... um, Mr. Taniguchi, what if Mrs. Taniguchi objects? Just in case..."

"No, I've already discussed it with her. She agreed..." Taniguchi replied confidently.

"Oh, that's great! I'm really saved."

Zuo Hai felt an immediate sense of relief.

For him, Taniguchi's words were like a drowning person finally being rescued and brought ashore, allowing him to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However, while he was happy, he oversimplified the matter and was unaware of many of the underlying issues.

Although Taniguchi had promised him the money in person, to be honest, he was conflicted from the beginning about whether or not he should lend him the money.

The decision to lend money to Zuo Hai was made after a fierce internal struggle and comprehensive consideration.

It turns out that this morning, after hanging up with Zuo Hai, Taniguchi called Mrs. Taniguchi to tell her about it.

He wanted to hear his wife's opinion on the matter.

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Taniguchi had already discovered that Zuo Hai seemed to have an ambiguous relationship with other women, and her disgust for lending him money was even stronger than that of Taniguchi himself.

Almost immediately upon hearing this, Mrs. Taniguchi suspected that Zuo Haiyujiro needed to borrow money for an emergency because he was out having an affair with his lover, and she firmly opposed lending him the money.

But there is another crucial issue: the more the elderly couple disliked Zuo Hai, the more worried they became about Mei Daizi and her child.

They quickly connected this to the fact that the Japanese economy was in such a bad state, with the suicide rate soaring due to failed investments and job losses.

If Zuo Hai really loses his position as branch leader, what will happen to Mei Daizi and her child?

Yes, although it was easy to refuse Zuo Hai, they felt a little guilty seeing the mother and daughter follow this bastard to live a life of poverty.

Out of caution and fear of causing harm, the elderly couple's kindness led them to call Miyoko, hoping to find out about Yujiro Sakae from her.

Unexpectedly, some of the things that Miyoko said on the phone actually matched what Zuo Hai had said.

According to Miyoko herself, Yujiro Sōkai has been working overtime at the company lately, and when he gets home, he talks to his subordinates about how to meet sales targets and how to raise funds to cover customer payments to prevent customers from canceling their insurance policies...

As a result, the elderly couple from Taniguchi really had to reconsider this matter seriously.

What the couple was most worried about was the true purpose of Zuo Haiyou's loan.

Now that Miyoko has proven that Zuo Hai wasn't lying, they naturally have no more worries.

In addition, Zuo Hai also told Gu Gu that he originally wanted to ask Ning Weimin for help, but since Ning Weimin had returned to China and was not in Japan, he turned to Gu Gu instead.

This inevitably made Gu Gu and the others think a little more – Ning Weimin is so loyal and sentimental, he's probably willing to help with this.

If they stand idly by, what will Ning Weimin think of them when he finds out later?

In addition, the Taniguchi family's current economic situation is quite different from before, and they are indeed quite well-off.

Not to mention that, because of Ning Weimin's trust, Gu Gu was promoted to executive director, and his annual income suddenly increased to the level of tens of millions of yen.

Take the Gu family for example. They listened to Ning Weimin's advice and sold their stocks and houses when prices were high, and they made a fortune.

It is no exaggeration to say that, as one of the very few winners of the bubble economy among the common people, the Taniguchi family has nothing else but plenty of cash—the elderly couple already has savings of over 100 million yen.

In this situation, it would be quite easy for them to provide Zuo Hai with a mere three million yen to tide him over.

In short, it was precisely because of these things and complex reasons unknown to Yujiro Sōkai that Taniguchi was able to lend him money in the end.

Contrary to Zuo Hai's own imagination, Gu Gu was not a very good friend; he was simply generous to him.

So, while Zuo Hai was secretly rejoicing that he had finally gotten lucky and made money, Gu Gu didn't smile at all.

He flicked his cigarette ash, then lowered his eyes and stated his request in a rather serious tone, "However... I have two more conditions that I hope you can agree to."

Zuo Hai had never seen Gu Kou, who was usually a nice guy, with such a serious expression on his face.

This unusual scene immediately made him nervous again.

"You...you said..."

"Here's the thing, as friends, we all hope that your family of three, and Rinko, will have a better life. Helping you is the least we can do. So we'll waive the interest; you just need to repay the principal. But when you take the money, we need you to write us an IOU. Is that alright?"

It has to be said that this crucial turning point was like riding a roller coaster, making Zuo Hai's heart pound wildly.

But upon hearing this first reasonable condition, Zuo Hai was not only surprised but also increasingly happy.

He didn't expect that Taniguchi wouldn't even ask for interest, which undoubtedly saved him a lot of money.

It costs 90,000 yen a month, and 180,000 yen for two months. It's definitely a good deal.

"That's only fair, I'll write the IOU and bring it with me. But really, no interest? How could I possibly accept that? Wouldn't that make me seem stingy?"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Since you're short of money, please don't stand on ceremony. We'd feel bad if we charged you interest. But there's something else, and it might be a bit presumptuous of me to say it to your face. I hope you won't take offense."

"Please tell me, please tell me," Zuo Hai could hardly contain his smile, which resembled a peacock spreading its tail feathers. Today's unexpected success had completely exceeded his expectations.

He now sees Taniguchi as nothing more than a money-grubber and simply cannot believe that he will ever hear anything from Taniguchi that would cause him trouble.

But it was precisely the topic at hand that made his face change, and he could hardly believe his ears. He heard Gu Kou cough twice, clear his throat, and then his tone grew increasingly stern.

"We already know you frequent love hotels. Regardless of who the woman you're dating is, we hope you break off all contact with her as soon as possible. What's wrong with Miyoko? How could you betray your family like this? Zuo Hai, can't you wake up? Can't you think more about your family, your wife and children? You have a wife and children. Stop irresponsibly indulging your desires; you'll ruin yourself because of this..."

"me……"

Zuo Haiyou Erlang was completely dumbfounded, feeling both guilty and ashamed, and had no way to refute it.

He thought his actions were flawless and had no idea how Taniguchi knew about it.

But it must be said that under Taniguchi's stare and harsh criticism, his face felt burning, as if it had been scalded by a strong flame.

…………

An hour later, Zuo Haiyou Erlang respectfully saw Taniguchi out of the restaurant.

"Farewell."

As the doorman went to fetch the driver for Taniguchi, Taniguchi reached out his hand to Zuo Hai, saying, "Don't worry about the money. I'll definitely get it to you by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

"Okay, I'm sorry to trouble you."

Zuo Hai's posture at this moment was like that of a child who had been beaten, eager to get to the valley entrance and leave as soon as possible.

However, Taniguchi, who had been drinking, failed to notice the impatience hidden in his eyes. Instead, he became even more like an elder, nagging on and on.

"Zuo Hai, you must cherish it. Everything you have is so precious. Mei Daizi is so virtuous, your daughter is so adorable, you have the same happiness as Chairman Ning. What more could you want? Even someone like Chairman Ning doesn't neglect his family like you do, but instead tries his best to make time for his family..."

Zuo Hai naturally ignored such words.

He didn't accept Taniguchi's kindness at all, and in his heart he always thought that Taniguchi was meddling in other people's business.

That's not all. Speaking of which, the tipsy Taniguchi suddenly remembered the latest progress plan for the specialty store that Rinko had given him during the day, and he sincerely praised it.

"And then there's Rinko, your sister-in-law. She's truly talented and incredibly capable. You probably don't know this, but she's no longer just in charge of the bookstore's management. She's returned to Pierre Cardin Co., Ltd. And she's no longer just an ordinary employee. Instead, she's one of the company's senior executives—the head of the planning department, reporting directly to Chairman Ning, and overseeing all affairs of our brand's franchise stores. Our initial plan for this year is to open six branches in almost all the major downtown areas of Tokyo. To be honest, if Rinko weren't a woman, I probably would be her in this managing director position. But even so, her future shouldn't be underestimated. As far as I know, Chairman Ning doesn't care about gender differences and will definitely give Rinko a prominent position in the future."

As he spoke, he pulled out a group photo from his wallet and crookedly handed it to Zuo Hai.

"Look, this was taken not long ago on the opening day of the first store in Shinjuku. Even Chairman Ning praised her for her business acumen. If you ever have any trouble in the future, whether it's work or life, wouldn't it be better to talk to Rinko about it? We're all family, there's no need to be so distant, right? Rinko may have a strong personality, but she's still Miyoko's sister, and she definitely wants you all to be happy..."

In that photo, besides Taniguchi himself, there were two other people: Ning Weimin and Kagawa Rinko.

Rinko was dressed in a smart suit, with a bright smile. Ning Weimin, standing next to her, was also very handsome and beaming with joy.

However, this move did not have the effect that Guguchi had hoped for in Zuo Hai.

Instead of what he expected, Zuo Hai took it as a blatant provocation and humiliation, which made him even angrier.

"Rinko is indeed capable." Although he said this, it was only because he needed to borrow money and didn't dare to offend Taniguchi.

In fact, when he saw the photo, his face was terribly gloomy, and the anger in his eyes was almost overflowing, but he forced himself to restrain himself and did not show it.

To be honest, not only did he completely disregard Gu Gu's advice today, but even after Gu Gu left in a daze in his own car, Zuo Hai, who remained behind, was still furious about it.

He couldn't even wait for the car to completely disappear from sight before he grimaced and began to mutter curses into the distance.

You old bald man, how dare you lecture me?
You're nothing but a dog that wags its tail and begs for others, what's there to be proud of?
Sooner or later, I'll make you realize that I, Zuo Haiyou Erlang, am the one you should be currying favor with.

By the time Zuo Hai got home, it was almost midnight.

Miyoko and her daughter were already asleep. On the coffee table in the living room was a bowl of warm soup with a note next to it that read, "Honey, the soup is warm for you. Remember to drink it."

Zuo Hai glanced at the note but didn't touch the bowl of soup. Instead, he went straight into the dressing room and started rummaging through the jewelry box at the bottom of the wardrobe.

He carefully selected a gold ring and a gold necklace, which looked like they could be sold for some money.

That was something Miyoko bought for herself with the money she earned as a real estate agent before her marriage.

Zuo Hai's fingers trembled slightly as he held the jewelry, not out of guilt, but out of jealousy and eagerness.

These things are proof of his incompetence.

He first recalled Taniguchi's praise of his wife and sister-in-law.

He didn't see the capable women in his family as a good thing; instead, he felt depressed and ashamed about it.

In other people's eyes, he, a grown man, seemed to be no match for two women no matter how hard he tried, a fact that he found completely unacceptable.

Then he recalled the threats made by the debt collection company during the day—that if the money wasn't paid back within three days, they would cause trouble at the company.

He cannot lose his position as branch secretary; it is everything he has fought for over the past fifteen years.

Yes, what he told Taniguchi today wasn't the whole truth. The real truth is that he suffered a personal speculative failure and desperately needed money as interest to pay for his mistakes in order to barely survive.

He was so pitiful. He finally overcame all obstacles and was promoted to the position of branch manager last year.

However, due to the collapse of both the stock market and the real estate market, he has been barely managing to maintain his precarious life through various financing methods.

To be honest, even he himself no longer knows how much debt he has.

He owes more than 70 million yen in interest to micro-loan companies, credit card companies, and banks, and the debt is growing at an accelerating rate every day.

Every month, we have to borrow money to pay the interest, and our family's finances are like walking a tightrope.

Ironically, even in this situation, he still had to try to maintain his dignity as the branch leader.

If the company finds out about his large amount of debt, it will inevitably create a crisis of trust in him, and he may lose his job.

This is such a difficult and arduous task.

As Zuo Hai stared at the gold jewelry, wanting to take it away, he couldn't help but recall the beautiful yet shy look on Miyoko's face when she wore it back when the family was wealthy.

In an instant, his heart felt like it had been clenched by something, and a sense of guilt welled up inside him.

But the debt collector's threats rang in his ears again, and he quickly made up his mind, gritting his teeth and stuffing everything into his bag.

"Sell! That's the only way I can get some cash. I have no other choice! Don't blame me."

He muttered to himself, as if trying to convince himself, or perhaps trying to escape the faint pangs of guilt. (End of Chapter)