National Tide 1980.

A moment later, the conference room door was pushed open again, and Yoshida from Dentsu, accompanied by Secretary Ikei, walked in with his head down.

He was dressed in a well-fitting dark suit, impeccably dressed, but he didn't exude the air of a multinational corporation's overseas head. Instead, his face showed signs of exhaustion and anxiety.

Even when meeting Ikei, the bow was more pronounced than usual.

Ikei raised an eyebrow and spoke first. "Are you General Manager Yoshida of Dentsu's China branch? What a rare guest. I am Ikei Hou, the head of Kumagai Gumi's China branch. Welcome. Today happens to be our company's celebration, so please don't mind taking a seat and having a drink."

However, Yoshida did not sit down. When his gaze swept over the room full of food and wine glasses, he looked even more uneasy and even bowed again to apologize.

"I'm so sorry, I really didn't know you were having a party. I've come at a really bad time and disturbed you."

"Oh, what are you saying? You don't need to be so polite."

Ikei was all smiles, trying his best to show friendliness and respect. He wasn't targeting Yoshida, but rather Dentsu.

"Dentsu is a pillar of the Japanese advertising industry. Whether domestically or overseas, Japanese companies like ours inevitably need your assistance in some ways. It is my honor to have the opportunity to meet you."

After saying that, Ikei deliberately raised his hand to signal the staff next to him to hand Yoshida a glass of red wine.

Even though he had gone to such lengths, Yoshida lowered his head, quickly waved his hand in refusal, and shrank back as if he felt guilty.

This unusual behavior made Ikei even more surprised—he had clearly sensed that something was wrong with the other person.

Yoshida took a deep breath, as if he had done a great deal of mental preparation.

He quickly glanced at the noisy crowd around him, then stepped forward and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “General Manager Ikei, I’m so sorry, I’m not here today for business negotiations… I have a favor to ask, I would like to speak with you privately. Could you please leave me alone for a few minutes? It won’t take too long.”

"Shall we talk privately?"

The smile on Ikei's face faded slightly, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

Yoshida's evasive and absent-minded appearance amplified his unease many times over.

In such a festive setting, it's definitely not a good thing if the other party insists on speaking alone.

Moreover, this is his territory, the Kumagai Group's celebration, and he will never give anyone the opportunity to offend him in private or to throw out difficult problems at him.

Thinking of this, Ikei took a half step back without making a sound, increasing the distance between himself and Yoshida.

His voice rose a few decibels, loud enough for those around him to hear clearly, and his tone was firm and unyielding.

“Excuse me, General Manager Yoshida, please feel free to speak here. These are all my subordinates and friends, there’s nothing to hide. Besides, today is a special day for our company, everyone is celebrating, and I don’t want to spoil the fun, much less leave them standing here because of your unexpected arrival.”

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy conference room instantly quieted down, and many people focused their attention on the two of them, curiously observing Yoshida.

With so many eyes staring at him, Yoshida's face instantly turned even paler, and fine beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead.

He knew that Ikei was determined to speak in public, and if he insisted on private contact, it would only make the situation more awkward and might even anger Ikei.

He hesitated for a good ten seconds before finally making up his mind, his eyes filled with helplessness.

“General Manager Ikei, then I will tell you the truth. I am here today on behalf of someone who is competing with you for shares in the Beijing Amusement Park.”

"opponent?"

Ikei's voice suddenly turned cold, his eyes instantly becoming sharp as knives as he stared intently at Yoshida. "Who are you talking about?"

The surrounding staff immediately erupted in a commotion, stopping what they were doing and whispering among themselves.

Huang He immediately moved closer to Ikei, eyeing Yoshida warily, afraid that he might say something detrimental to the Kumagai Group.

Sugimoto and Sato's expressions changed, and they exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and unease in each other's eyes.

Yoshida felt a chill run down his spine under Ikei's gaze, but he still forced himself to continue, "I'm talking about a Chinese man. You've probably already heard his name; it's Ning Weimin. He asked me to tell you that he hopes to meet you at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Yuzhen Pavilion, a Chinese restaurant on the second floor of Building A in the Pierre Carton Building. He'd like to invite you to lunch and, incidentally, discuss the ownership of the Beijing Amusement Park with you in person."

Ning Weimin!
These three words exploded like a thunderclap in the already quiet conference room.

The vast majority of people at the scene, whether they were core staff who had followed up on the Beijing amusement park project or ordinary employees who had only heard rumors about the project, instantly showed an expression of disbelief and shock.

After all, they were already familiar with the name Ning Weimin—during the negotiations between the Kumagai Group and the Japan-China General Association for the share acquisition, this Chinese man, who was initially selected by the Chongwen District Government and almost replaced the Japan-China General Association, had already been mentioned internally several times as a "failed competitor".

But no one expected that this person, who should have completely withdrawn from the competition, would refuse to accept the reality of defeat.

It's simply wishful thinking to send people to our door now, even specifically requesting to negotiate with General Manager Ikei in person!

"laugh--"

A disdainful sneer broke the shock; the speaker was Huang He, the deputy general manager standing beside Chi Jing.

The politeness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by contempt and mockery.

"So you're here to relay a message from that Chinese guy who's already been eliminated. Does he really think he can persuade us to hand over the Beijing amusement park? What a self-righteous fool."

As Huang He spoke, he secretly observed Chi Jing's expression. Seeing Chi Jing's gloomy face, he became even more certain of his judgment, and his tone became increasingly harsh.

"General Manager, there's no need to pay any attention to such unreasonable demands from a clown! I don't think you need to waste your energy and time on such a person; just refuse them directly."

Compared to Huang He's contempt, Sugimoto and Sato's reactions were pure dissatisfaction and anger.

The two men's faces were ashen, and their once respectful eyes were now filled with gloom.

Sato couldn't help but take a step forward, glaring at Yoshida with a hint of overstepping his bounds in his questioning.

"General Manager Yoshida, you are also Japanese. How can you relay messages for someone like this? Our Japan-China Joint Venture has already reached an agreement with Kumagai Gumi on the share transfer. The ownership of the Beijing Amusement Park has long been decided! This Ning Weimin is jumping out now with malicious intent, trying to sabotage our cooperation! Aren't you afraid of damaging Dentsu's image in the eyes of our Japanese compatriots by helping a Chinese person like this? What are we Japanese company employees in China supposed to think?"

Sugimoto echoed, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, his eyes filled with worry and resentment.

“Yes, General Manager Chi Jing, this matter absolutely cannot be tolerated! Ning Weimin’s actions are clearly malicious, and he doesn’t respect our decisions or those of the Chongwen District government! If we engage with him, wouldn’t it make us seem afraid of him? If word gets out, it will only add more complications to this matter. We absolutely cannot give this kind of person any chance!”

The two exchanged words, their dissatisfaction almost overflowing. After all, they had finally managed to sell their shares to the Kumagai Gumi at a good price, allowing them to return to Tokyo and reunite with their families. They didn't want Ning Weimin's sudden interference to cause further trouble.

In their view, Ning Weimin's appearance was not only a provocation to the Kumagai Group, but also a jeopardy of their plans. All potential threats had to be nipped in the bud.

The murmurs in the meeting room resumed, and most of the Kumagai Group employees turned their gazes to Yoshida as if he were a sinner who had ruined the festive atmosphere.

However, Yoshida, this uninvited guest, even though sweat was pouring down his forehead and he subconsciously took a half step back, looking somewhat disheveled, his eyes were filled with unwavering determination as he looked at Ikei, without the slightest regret or hesitation.

"General Manager Ikei, I have conveyed my message. Whether you go or not, you just need to give me a definite answer."

He ignored everyone else's reactions and only wanted a reply from Ikei himself.

This attitude made Ikei realize once again that something was amiss.

To be honest, Huang He, Sugimoto, and Sato's words were in line with Ikei's inner feelings—it's just that as the general manager of the Kumagai Group, he needed to maintain a tolerant demeanor and couldn't be too harsh.

His original idea was to go with the flow, first let his subordinates embarrass Yoshida on his behalf, and then use the subordinates' resistance as an excuse to refuse, thus suppressing the other party, winning face, and avoiding offending him too much.

But now, he hesitated—this matter seemed abnormal no matter how you looked at it. Just as Sato had said, why would a Japanese person, who was also the head of Dentsu's China operations, stand up for a Chinese person?

After a moment's thought, out of caution, Ikei decided to ask a few more questions.

"Mr. Yoshida, we are both heads of Japanese companies in China. Although Dentsu and Kumagai Gumi don't have much business dealings in China, we are both domestic companies and should support each other. But your visit today really puzzles me. Why are you siding with that Chinese man and personally making this trip to relay his message? Do you have some unusual business dealings with him, or a particularly close personal relationship?"

Faced with Ikei's polite yet scrutinizing attitude, Yoshida's shoulders slumped, and a bitter expression appeared on his face.

"Please don't misunderstand, I have no special relationship with this Mr. Ning from China, and we didn't even know each other before this."

He looked up, his eyes filled with helplessness, and sighed deeply. "Sigh, I have a reason I had to come. I won't hide it from you, this was actually an order from Dentsu headquarters. Although I personally didn't want to, I had to obey the headquarters' arrangements..."

"What? How could this be? What happened?"

Ikei pressed on, his tone not only incredulous but also wary, "Could it be that he used something to coerce you? Or does he have some leverage over Dentsu?"

Yoshida shook his head violently, then quickly lowered his head, his voice almost inaudible.

"This matter... I cannot speak of it openly. However... he is not an ordinary Chinese man. You may not know this, but his wife is the famous actress Keiko Matsumoto, and he also has a large business empire in Japan, with close ties to many large corporations..."

He looked up at Chi Jing, his gaze filled with earnestness.

"I apologize for disturbing you today. And as you said, as fellow Japanese, we should support each other. So if you're unsure, from my personal perspective, I suggest you go to the appointment tomorrow. Please believe me, I genuinely mean well for you. The other person isn't nobody; even if it's just a perfunctory gesture, you should still go. It's always good to meet and talk. It's best not to offend this person if possible. That's all I can say."

These words were like a block of ice, instantly extinguishing the last bit of warmth in the meeting room.

The room fell silent, all previous joy and contempt vanished, replaced by a stifling, deathly stillness.

Huang He, who had just mocked Ning Weimin, now had a look of panic on his face.

His previous harshness vanished, replaced by a look of suspicion as he stared at Yoshida, as if questioning the truth of Yoshida's words. In his view, Ning Weimin was nothing more than a failed local competitor, utterly unworthy of the attention of Dentsu's headquarters, a top Japanese company, and even less worthy of General Manager Ikei's personal attendance.

Especially since the other party is Chinese, how could he possibly marry Matsumoto Keiko, a national superstar in Japan, and also own a huge business in Japan?
This was simply beyond his knowledge.

Sugimoto and Sato were completely panicked. Their faces turned pale, and their previous anger had been replaced by fear.

Although they knew that Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko were husband and wife.

But what worried them was why Dentsu headquarters was getting involved in this matter, and what Yoshida had said about Ning Weimin having close relationships with many large Japanese companies.

His biggest worry was that things would take another turn for the worse. If Ning Weimin really had power beyond their imagination, wouldn't their plan to successfully sell the shares and return to Tokyo be ruined?
The two looked at each other and saw deep panic and unease in each other's eyes.

The previous strong rhetoric of "nipping potential threats in the bud" has long been swallowed back, leaving only fear of the unknown.

The Japanese staff of the Kumagai Group were also in an uproar.

This time, however, the previous arrogance and disdain were gone from the discussions; instead, there was a strong sense of astonishment and apprehension.

"Keiko Matsumoto? That national goddess?"

"Who exactly is this Ning Weimin? He has a huge business empire in Japan and is on good terms with large corporations. Does he have some powerful backer?"

"Have we underestimated the Chinese people? Could this matter really change?"

"Besides, this is China after all. Someone like him can't possibly be without connections. If we really offend him, won't it affect all our future projects in China?"

Whispers rose and fell, and the initial contempt for Ning Weimin completely transformed into fear of the powerful.

Upon hearing these words, the embarrassment and repression on the faces of the local Beijing employees quietly dissipated, replaced by undisguised surprise and a hint of secret anticipation.

The person who had previously whispered "Fuck, son of a bitch" quietly raised his head, his eyes gleaming, and a barely perceptible smile even appeared on his lips.

Several young local employees even exchanged glances, seeing excitement in each other's eyes.

They had long been disgusted by the arrogance of the Japanese staff, and now, hearing that their own compatriots, as their adversaries, had such a distinguished background that even the usually arrogant Japanese were so wary of them.

They naturally hoped that Ning Weimin could teach these Japanese a lesson.

As for the employees from Hong Kong, most of them looked bewildered and fearful.

They hunched their shoulders, lowered their heads, and dared not speak. They dared not be as contemptuous and sarcastic as Huang He had been before, nor did they dare to express any stance.

She carefully observed Ikei's expression, afraid that she might accidentally get caught up in the storm and become an innocent victim.

All eyes in the conference room finally focused on Ikei once again. Everyone was waiting for his decision.

This decision not only concerns whether he will keep the appointment, but also the Kumagai Group's next course of action, and may even affect the final outcome of the Kyoto Amusement Park project.

At this moment, the food at the buffet was still exquisite, and the wine was still fragrant, but no one had the heart to enjoy it anymore; only a sense of oppression and anxiety filled the air. (End of Chapter)