Ke Xue: My standards for dating are not problematic!

Chapter 470 You're not my wife, of course I'll help her!

After exchanging pleasantries with Sonoko and Momiji Ooka for a few minutes, Tokiwa Mio left with her assistant.

The banquet is about to begin, and she needs to go back to preside over her work. She won't be able to continue entertaining the heiresses of the chaebols here.

After Tokiwa Mio left, Sonoko and Ooka Momiji looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Miss Sonoko looks quite different with her new hairstyle." Ooka Momiji crossed her arms and looked at Suzuki Sonoko with amazement, then glanced at Ai not far away with a half-smile.

As the heiress of the Ooka Zaibatsu, she knew what Suzuki Sonoko looked like, so it was impossible for her to have had plastic surgery. Besides, her eyes were her measuring stick; she could tell whether someone had had plastic surgery or not.

But she really didn't expect that changing her hairstyle would bring such a big change.

"Heh," Sonoko chuckled softly, tossing her hair. "It seems Miss Koyo is captivated by my beauty, isn't she?"

When it comes to beauty, you can't beat me!
This is what Sonoko is thinking now.

But that's really how it is.

Although Ooka Momiji is very beautiful and has a great figure, she is still a step behind Sonoko in terms of appearance alone. Sonoko has a much better grasp of looks.

Of course, if Sonoko hadn't changed her hairstyle, she wouldn't be able to compare to Ooka Momiji, which shows how important hairstyle is to a person.

However, in terms of figure, Ooka Momiji still has the advantage. Although Sonoko is not bad either, she is too well-developed and too vulgar.

Relying on their lewd figures, the two were equally charming.

"Ha!" Ooka Momiji snorted lightly. "Beauty is just the confidence of vulgar people. A truly confident woman doesn't need the support of her appearance; inner beauty is true beauty!"

To put it simply, Ooka Momiji felt that Suzuki Sonoko had no substance and was just a pretty face.

Sonoko naturally understood what this meant, but she wasn't angry.

Normally, she would get angry, but now she represents the Suzuki Zaibatsu. How could she get angry over such a trivial matter? Wouldn't that make her a laughingstock?

"Inner beauty?" Sonoko chuckled. "Do you have inner beauty?"

"If you have such a thing, it's taking childhood jokes seriously and then resorting to despicable means?!"

She retaliated; Sonoko began to retaliate.

"."

Upon hearing this, Ooka Momiji was momentarily speechless, because it was all true.

She knew perfectly well that the things Hattori Heiji said when he was a child were just polite words to coax a child, but she took them seriously. In addition, she did use some despicable means.

The purpose of inviting Kazuha Toyama and Heiji Hattori to this banquet is self-evident.

It can be said that Sonoko hit her right where it hurts.

Even so, she maintained a faint smile on her face.

I, the young lady of the Ooka Zaibatsu, absolutely cannot get angry, especially not in this kind of situation, because it would make the Ooka Zaibatsu a laughing stock.

Sonoko's smile widened after she saw that she had won a round.

Ooka Momiji was furious at Sonoko's smile. Although she could make a big deal out of another girl who looked very similar to Sonoko, that was not a good idea.

Right now, they're just bickering; it hasn't escalated to the level of conglomerates. Even if their parents found out, they wouldn't care. A childish joke would be enough to gloss over it and let it go.

But if you say that Ai is someone's illegitimate child, or that Sonoko's parents are immoral, then that's not something that can be easily dismissed as a joke.

This is something that could cause the stock price of a zaibatsu to plummet, and it came from the mouth of the heiress of the Ooka zaibatsu, making it far more credible than what gossip reporters spread.

That would mean two conglomerates going to war, a responsibility that Ooka Momiji couldn't afford to bear.

"Sonoko is so cool!" Ran looked at Sonoko with stars in her eyes.

This was the first time she had ever seen Sonoko so handsome; it was truly beyond her expectations!
"As expected of the young lady raised by the Suzuki family, she's truly amazing!" Akiko Yonehara and the others thought so too.

Sonoko usually seems carefree and cheerful, but her counterattack was surprisingly swift, silencing Ooka Momiji instantly.

Even Toyama Kazuha couldn't help but give Sonoko a thumbs up; Sonoko's gesture really helped her.

To be honest, she didn't want to come to this banquet, especially since it was at the invitation of Ooka Momiji.

Now that Sonoko has stood up for her, she naturally has to thank her properly!

Sonoko, from now on, you are my half-sister!

"Tsk tsk, this boss lady Sonoko is quite something!" Hattori Heiji squatted on the ground, his hands on his knees, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"She certainly has the air of the Suzuki family, but she's not usually like this. She's always laughing and joking around, just like a boy. She's not like a lady from a respectable family at all. The one next to her is much more like one." Conan gestured with his chin: "It's that one over there."

Heiji Hattori looked over and realized that the girl not far away looked remarkably like Sonoko.

“It’s so similar!”

“She’s our elementary school health teacher,” Conan said. “But she has nothing to do with the Suzuki family.”

“The world is full of wonders, but we two are quite similar. If there’s a need in the future, I can pretend to be you. I won’t refuse,” Hattori Heiji said with a grin.

"Hehe, with your Osaka accent, you'd be exposed eight or nine times out of ten if you were to impersonate me. It's better not to, to avoid making things even more complicated later." Conan chuckled and said, "Besides, I don't want that day to come."

“That’s true,” Hattori Heiji said. “If that day ever comes, you’ll probably be close to being exposed, and that will be a real crisis.”

"Yes."

"By the way, how's your investigation going? Any leads?"

"Oh, this?" Hattori Heiji immediately became excited and started chattering away when this topic came up.

Meanwhile, Iori Muga, who was chatting with other guests, had been keeping an eye on her young mistress. Now that she had discovered that her mistress was in trouble, she prepared to come back and help.

Of course, he wasn't planning to be Ooka Momiji's mouth double. As a butler, he couldn't interfere in such matters, let alone take action.

So, he was prepared to stand by his young mistress's side and cheer her on, nothing more!

At that moment, Amuro Tooru, who was in the crowd, saw this scene and was about to step forward to help Sonoko stop Iori Muga.

After all, Sonoko invited us to this banquet, and I owe her a favor. It wouldn't be right not to help, especially since they are good friends. So I have to help no matter what.

If not now, when?

However, just as he was about to take his left foot out, he discovered that someone was faster than him.

This person was none other than Kitahara Natsuhiro.

"This is Mr. Iori."

Kitahara Natsuhiro stepped forward and put his arm around his shoulder.

Upon hearing this, Iori Muga frowned and glanced at his palm: "Is there something you need?"

"Let the girls handle their own affairs; we shouldn't interfere, okay?"

Just kidding. Right now, his relationship with Tomoko Suzuki is so close that you both know the depth of each other's feelings. To put it bluntly, he and Sonoko are like father and daughter without any blood relation.

Since they are father and daughter, he would naturally help Sonoko. Even without this relationship, he would definitely help Sonoko.

We're friends, so why would I help outsiders instead of my friends?
Ooka Momiji is no longer his friend, much less his wife, but who knows what will happen in the future? But who knows is a matter for the future. For now, he still has Sonoko's unwavering support.

"I am..."

Iori Muga's expression hardened, and just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt a pressure on his shoulder and instantly fell silent.

"This guy has terrifying power!"

In that instant, he felt an extremely strong force squeezing his shoulder, causing him excruciating pain, but the man in front of him seemed to still have strength left.

This shows how terrifying this man is.

This made it very clear to him that if he were to clash with this man, he would ultimately be the one to lose.

He began to doubt the strength he was so proud of.

There are still masters in this world!

"Are you willing to step back now?" Kitahara Natsuyu smiled slightly.

He sensed Iori's thoughts from his selfless emotions.

Although he still wanted to resist, he did not make that choice.

After all, this will only make things worse!

Just then, Ooka Momiji turned around and smiled slightly: "This is a matter between us girls, Iori, you don't need to interfere!"

"I'm sorry." Iori Muga took a half step back, bowed slightly, and said with a face full of apology, "Young Miss."

"Iori, this isn't your fault!" Ooka Momiji looked at Kitahara Natsuyu, her smile as unapproachable as ever: "You're Kitahara Natsuyu?"

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Natsuyu raised an eyebrow: "Does Miss Koyo know me?"

"I've heard of you. You were the one who helped us at the Suzuki zaibatsu's 60th anniversary celebration, right?" Ooka Momiji said with certainty.

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, Sonoko's eyes widened in surprise, and she thought to herself, "How did she know?!"

Only a few people knew about this, and even many people at the banquet were unaware of it. It was quite unexpected that Ooka Momiji, who didn't attend, would know!
Is this the power of the Ooka Zaibatsu?

The Ooka Zaibatsu is an established conglomerate, and its strength is definitely greater than that of the Suzuki Zaibatsu, not to mention that it has a prime minister as a grandfather.

So, the Ooka Zaibatsu is truly terrifying; they even know about things like this. No wonder my mom told me to be careful of the Ooka Zaibatsu and not to make enemies easily—now I know why!
This shows just how terrifying the connections the Ooka Zaibatsu has!

"You Ooka Zaibatsu even know this?" Kitahara Natsuhiro said with a smile; "You're really impressive!"

"I've offended you this time, you won't try to sabotage me, will you?!"

Hearing this, Ooka Momiji felt a little awkward; why did those words sound so...uncomfortable?
Because the autumn leaves of Ooka are well protected, I don't really know what "tea essence" means. Kitahara Natsuhiro, however, embodies this.

And to announce such a thing so publicly, they really are... afraid of dying!
Of course, Ooka Momiji wouldn't be so petty as to kill someone over a mere argument; it wouldn't be worth it.

Although she wouldn't do such a thing, with so many people here, it would probably spread quickly, and by then the whole of Japan would probably know about the interesting thing that happened at the opening ceremony of the Tokiwa Zaibatsu's twin tower skyscraper.

At this moment, Ooka Momiji felt a pang of regret, regretting that she shouldn't have come to play and ended up encountering this situation.

She didn't want to be watched like a monkey.

Of course, the karuta tournament is a different story altogether.

When Iori Muga, who was standing next to Kitahara Natsuyu, heard this, he was speechless and even cursed inwardly.

"It truly embodies the essence of tea!"

He frequently goes online and is quite knowledgeable about the outside world, so he knows a lot.

Naturally, he also knew what "tea-like aroma" meant, and Kitahara Natsuhiro in front of him was such a person.

"Young Miss really made a mistake coming here this time!" Iori Muga couldn't help but sigh inwardly, but there was nothing she could do to change the situation.

After all, the young lady told him not to interfere, so how could he?

What's more, it's really speechless that Kitahara Natsuhiro would ask such a question!
"No way! How could I, Ooka Momiji, do such a thing!" Ooka Momiji retorted confidently, "What kind of people do you think we, the Ooka Zaibatsu, are!"

"I'm sorry," Kitahara Natsuyu said. "It was my fault for saying such things, and I apologize here."

"."

"."

Ooka Momiji and Iori Muga were speechless again. Why did this person talk in such a sarcastic and insincere way? It was really unpleasant to listen to!

While the two of them were unhappy, Sonoko was having a great time. Having a mouth double was incredibly satisfying. She didn't have to say anything herself; someone else would say everything for her, and the effect was several times better than if she had to do it herself.

It's really great!

Thinking of this, Sonoko couldn't help but feel secretly pleased, and even gave Kitahara Natsuhiro a thumbs up.

Well done, Kitahara-nii!
Kitahara Natsuhiro saw this and gave Sonoko a thumbs up, indicating that they were comrades-in-arms and there was no need to worry about such things!
"Brother Kitahara's fighting strength is actually this strong!" Hattori Heiji exclaimed in surprise.

Upon hearing this, Conan said, "This guy has always been very strong in combat. No one in our class dares to cause trouble, let alone resist."

"From this, you should understand the pressure that Kitahara Natsuyu is putting on us. I even think this is just a small skirmish. If he goes all out, these people might not be able to hold on!"

Upon hearing this, Hattori Heiji said, "That's impressive. As expected of a teacher, you're quite the smooth talker!"

"This time, the Ooka family is going to suffer a lot!" Conan laughed.

He certainly enjoyed watching this kind of spectacle, since it wasn't something that happened to him. It was entertaining and he loved watching it!
"By the way, aren't you going to help out?" A sly smile flashed in Conan's eyes. "After all, you guys..."

"Hmm," Hattori Heiji paused after hearing this, then said, "When I left home, my dad told me to take care of this Miss Momiji. After all, she's the daughter of the Ooka Zaibatsu, and I can't let her lose face too much."

"Besides, this matter is also related to me, so I have to help no matter what."

"No way, you're really going?!" Conan couldn't help but complain when he heard this.

He was just saying it casually, but Hattori Heiji actually went, which was really unexpected!
"wait for me a while."

At that moment, Hattori Heiji stood up and walked towards Ooka Momiji.

When Ooka Momiji saw Hattori Heiji walking towards them, a smile appeared on her face.

Since someone was laughing, someone else was wearing a long face, and that person was naturally Toyama Kazuha.

If possible, she didn't want Hattori Heiji to have too much contact with Ooka Momiji.

Don't ask, the answer is I'm just upset and a little jealous!

But at that moment, Kitahara Natsuyu suddenly pulled away: "You guys continue, I'm going to get something to eat, I'm a little hungry."

Before leaving, he looked up at Yuanshan Kazuha one last time, winked, and gestured for her to do her best!

The perceptive Toyama Kazuha received the signal, smiled, and clenched her fist to cheer herself up.

"Mr. Kitahara, I won't let your kindness go to waste!" Toyama Kazuha thought to himself, "You really are my good friend. Please come to my house next time so I can thank you properly!"

At this moment, Kitahara Natsuhiro's smile grew even brighter, as if he had received some kind of signal. Then, he waved his hand and ran away as fast as he could.

At this moment, Hattori Heiji suddenly felt that he didn't need to play anymore, as Kitahara Natsuhiro, the enemy fighter, had already left.

And he's currently six or seven steps away from the autumn leaves of Ooka, putting him in a dilemma – whether to go or not, he's caught in a bind!
As Ooka Momiji looked at Hattori Heiji, who seemed hesitant, she couldn't help but sigh. But then she saw a certain man eating and drinking heartily, and she became furious. It was all because of this hateful man that she couldn't get close to Hattori Heiji.

Kitahara Natsuhiro, you really deserve to die!

At this moment, the good-natured Ooka Momiji really wanted to sink Kitahara Natsuhiro into Tokyo Bay to feed the sharks!

At that moment, Kitahara Natsuhiro seemed to have heard something. He turned to look at Ooka Momiji, a slight smile on his face. He held a piece of meat on his fork, raised it high, and then put it into his mouth, chewing it.

The autumn leaves in Ooka are truly terrifying!

Seeing Kitahara Natsuhiro like this, Ooka Momiji's cheeks puffed up with anger.

Iori Muga quickly came over and whispered to her, "Miss Kureha, would you like to go back first today?"

He felt that staying here was no longer an option. The other side had a large and powerful force, and they were no match for them. They decided to retreat temporarily and fight another day!
This is not a fault of our own, so Miss Kureha cannot be blamed!
"No, I'm not going back!" Ooka Momiji said stubbornly. "If I leave, won't people laugh at us, saying the Ooka family is afraid of the Suzuki family?!"

"So I can't leave, and I can't leave halfway through; I have to stay here."

In fact, her relationship with the Ooka Zaibatsu was not only due to her connections with him, but also with Hattori Heiji.

She did this for Hattori Heiji's sake, of course. If Hattori Heiji were still here, and she left first, wouldn't her trip have been in vain?

Moreover, Toyama Kazuha is dressed up so beautifully, isn't that just giving Toyama Kazuha a free ride?

So no matter what the reason, she will not leave here, never!
"..." Upon hearing this, Iori Muga couldn't help but sigh inwardly, and glanced at Hattori Heiji without leaving a trace.

He knew very well why his young mistress was unwilling to leave; Suzuki Sonoko was just one of them, and only a very small part of her was staying temporarily.

It really comes down to Heiji Hattori!
What's so great about this man? He's dark-skinned and not some stunningly handsome guy, so why is this young lady so infatuated with him?

I don't understand, Iori Muga doesn't understand at all!

It's normal that he doesn't understand; after all, he's not love-struck.

Only someone with a love-struck mind would act like this.

Yes, Ooka Momiji really does seem a bit love-struck, but thanks to the Ooka family's upbringing, she's not completely love-struck; she's only halfway there.

So he was able to remain calm and not be so obsequious.

“Understood, Miss. Then let’s stay until the banquet ends!” Iori Muga said.

"Okay!" Kazuha Ooka nodded, glanced at Sonoko and Kazuha and the others, and then left with Muga Iori. Before leaving, she went to Heiji Hattori and gave him her contact information.

After Ooka Momiji left with Iori Muga, Toyama Kazuha and the others came over and asked, "Did you exchange phone numbers with Lien?"

Upon hearing this, Hattori Heiji replied honestly, "Yes, we exchanged contact information. Do you want it?"

"Huh? Can I have it?" Toyama Kazuha was taken aback.

She now understands very well that Ooka Momiji is her rival in love. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
To defeat your opponent, you must first understand them!

Therefore, Kazuha Toyama decided to start by understanding Ooka Momiji's methods of contact.

For example, secretly checking out Ooka Momiji's updates.

With the internet becoming more convenient and faster, sharing one's life online is a very normal thing.

Even she herself would do it, and even her mother would sometimes do it.

However, the vast majority of those who do this are girls, and there are relatively few boys doing it.

For example, Hattori Heiji, his childhood friend, has never posted any updates about himself and doesn't participate in this kind of thing at all.

"Sure!" Hattori Heiji said nonchalantly. "We're all high school students. Once we get to know each other, we'll be friends. Isn't it good to have more friends?"

"Here, this is her contact information."

"Thank you."

After saying thank you, Kazuha Toyama added Momiji Ooka's contact information.

On the other side, Ooka Momiji received a notification and then clicked "agree".

"Miss."

“Iori, this is a war between women, and I know too little about Kazuha Toyama. This is a perfect opportunity!”

"I understand. Forgive me for being nosy."

"Dear guests"

Just then, the banquet at the Tokiwa Zaibatsu Twin Towers officially began!

(End of this chapter)