That year the flowers bloomed 1981

Chapter 1442 We don't have that much face.
"I don't know any of Nakamura Naoto's grandfathers. If Mr. Kimura wants to talk to me, he can come find me within an hour, but no one else!"

"Okay, okay, I'll come over in an hour."

In a hotel near Xiushui Street in Beijing, Kimura Hachiya hung up the phone and looked at Nakamura Kenju sitting opposite him.

"I'm sorry, Nakamura-senpai, but Mr. Li doesn't want to see you."

"Does he not want to see me? Or is he afraid to see me?"

Nakamura Kenji sneered, then looked at Kimura Hachizai with a playful expression and said, "Kimura, the tone of your voice when you were on the phone with that Zhina person just now sounded full of humility and fear. Have you forgotten your place after spending a few years in the mainland?"

“Senior Nakamura, you misunderstand. People who cultivate flowers value neither servility nor arrogance. Therefore, throughout my years in this field, I have always treated everyone with equality. Besides, I am a commoner, unlike you who have a distinguished status.”

Kimura Hachizo explained a lot with a forced smile, but in his heart he was cursing.

I met Nakamura Kenju through a colleague at head office. The initial idea was simply to "expand our network and help each other," and Kimura Hachizai, thinking that having more friends meant having more options, agreed.

After the two met, Kimura Hachizai felt as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly.

Because Nakamura Kenju's "superior manners" were too severe, he didn't treat Kimura Hachiya as a friend at all. His cold and disdainful gaze made Kimura Hachiya very uncomfortable, and he even felt that the other party was treating him like a servant.

For example, Nakamura Kenju just reprimanded Kimura Hachizai for being humble in front of Li Ye, but in fact, if Kimura Hachizai didn't have a humble expression on his face when speaking to Nakamura Kenjui, the other party would get angry.

So Kimura was very angry because, according to his colleague, Nakamura Kenju's family had been a vassal of a Japanese nobleman since the war, and had a "different" status.

Even if you are a vassal of the nobility, you are not a nobleman! What are you pretending to be so important about?

However, Nakamura Kenju seemed quite pleased when Kimura Hachiya said, "I am not as high-ranking as you."

Then he said calmly, "Kimura, although your status is not as high as mine, it is still much more prestigious than China's. As a Mitsubishi-appointed overseas representative, you represent Mitsubishi's attitude, so don't give that Mr. Li any preferential treatment."
Decades ago, we supported a Zhina person in the north, much like Mitsubishi is supporting a factory now. Later, that Zhina person thought we were too kind and assumed they could be on equal footing with us. Do you know what happened to them after that?

Kimura Hachizai's mind went blank for a moment, and he roughly knew who that person was.

Because Kimura spent eight years in mainland China and studied its history, the incident of that person being killed in the bombing was mentioned in mainland history textbooks.

"Okay, I understand, Nakamura-senpai."

Kimura Hachizai readily agreed, only thinking about getting rid of this old man as soon as possible.

You want to ruin Li Ye's life? You probably don't know who Li Ye is, do you? You think my job is too comfortable and want me to go back to my hometown in Japan to farm, don't you?

When Kimura Hachizai first came to the mainland, he looked down on Li Ye and his fellow countrymen. He believed that Mitsubishi's provision of finished engines to the First Factory was a form of support and a favor to the factory. However, little did he know that Li Ye was extremely cunning. When the Beijing-branded minivan was launched, he actually created three configurations, each equipped with a domestically produced gasoline engine and a diesel engine, leaving the Mitsubishi engine for last.

Fortunately, many people in mainland China have a strong belief in pure imported engines, so they strongly demand to buy vans equipped with Mitsubishi engines, even if it costs an extra 20,000 yuan. Otherwise, Kimura would not know how to explain this to headquarters after eight years.

Now, amidst everyone's doubts, the No. 1 Factory has developed its own electronic fuel injection engine, which has even shocked Mitsubishi headquarters. You, Nakamura Kensuke, want me to give Li Ye a hard time?

Are you going to take responsibility if something goes wrong? You old codger who's almost in your grave, can you even take responsibility?
Do you think this is from decades ago?

Kimura Hachizai exchanged a few more pleasantries with Nakamura Kenju with a forced smile, then said, "Thank you for your guidance, Nakamura-senpai. I have to go out today, so I'll visit you another day."

Nakamura Kenju glanced at Kimura Hachiya and said calmly, "Haven't you understood what I just said?"

Kimura Hachizai paused for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, Nakamura-senpai, I didn't understand what you meant."

"Don't you understand? You shouldn't be led by the nose by the Zhina people. Right now, the Zhina people's car chassis technology is provided by Mitsubishi, the engines are provided by Mitsubishi, and their future development will continue to rely on Mitsubishi."

Kenji Nakamura stood up: "Alright, now take me to see Mr. Li."

Kimura Hachizai was stunned for a few seconds, then said helplessly, "Nakamura-senpai, Mr. Li just clearly stated that he does not want to see you, and based on my observation, that Mr. Li Ye is not an ordinary person."

Nakamura Kenjiro snorted and said, "Was all my instruction just now wasted? You are a Mitsubishi employee, you represent Mitsubishi's attitude. Does a mere vice president dare to defy Mitsubishi's overseas representative?"

"You old codger, you want me to use Mitsubishi's name to bully others?"

Kimura Hachizai straightened his posture and said in a deep voice, "Nakamura-senpai, the China of today is not the China of your youth."

Just last year, under Mr. Li's leadership, the First Plant successfully developed an engine entirely of their own. Now, Mitsubishi doesn't have that kind of influence to make Mr. Li fear them.”

Seeing that Nakamura Kenju was about to reprimand him again, Kimura Hachizai waved the mobile phone in his hand and said, "Besides, look at the mobile phone I'm using. It's made by a company in China. So their potential far exceeds our imagination. We should treat each other as equals."

Kenjiro Nakamura glanced at the bulky mobile phone and said sarcastically, "I know that Wind Whisper company. They only used Lighthouse's technology. If you rely on them, they won't be able to develop a mobile phone even in a hundred years."

Kimura Hachizai slowly shook his head: "Nakamura-senpai, didn't we also rise again by using the technology of the Lighthouse?"
However, after our rise, our lifeline was controlled by the capital of the "Lighthouse." Surely someone like you knows who the major shareholder behind Mitsubishi is? But Chinese companies belong to the state; no one can take them away, not even the people of the "Lighthouse."

Nakamura Kenji's eyes suddenly turned red.

He experienced the most glorious period in Japanese history and was a witness to Japan's rise from near collapse to resurgence. Of course, he knew the humiliating truth behind the prosperity.

(End of this chapter)