Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

Tachibana's throat tightened, she swallowed instinctively, her hands trembling uncontrollably, and she instinctively gripped her knees, asking softly:

"Really... is it... possible?"

Hideaki's wealth had already been demonstrated to Tachibana, making it hard to doubt that he was lying. However, the surprise came too suddenly, leaving her somewhat at a loss. Was her long-cherished dream about to come true...?

"fake."

The light turned green, and Xiuming got up and left.

“It’s true…it’s true…” Tachibana quickly grabbed Hideaki’s arm.

"Let's buy some clothes first, then go eat, and then go over there."

"Okay, okay, okay..." Tachibana's eyes almost sparkled with stars.

As expected of Ginza in Chuo Ward, which is known for its exquisite, expensive, and grand atmosphere, it exudes luxury, high-end, maturity, and elegance in every aspect.

Passersby were dressed head-to-toe in luxury brands, both men and women, and the materials of their clothing looked expensive—silk, wool, high-grade cotton, and so on.

There were many customers in the secondhand store, and some well-dressed men and women were lingering at the door, looking like they wanted to sell something but were reluctant to part with it.

Although the afterglow of luxury consumption lingers, the "priceless" frenzy is gone, and everyone is eager to cash out.

Since we're buying clothes, we can't go to secondhand luxury goods stores.

Hideaki led Tachibana past each of the fashionable luxury women's clothing stores, thinking to himself, "Tachibana, just tell me which store you want to go into!"

Unexpectedly, as they walked from one end to the other, Tachibana seemed to be sleepwalking, her eyes glazed over, following along blankly, without even glancing at the store.

"What are you doing?" Xiuming, unable to contain himself any longer, pointed at the store and shouted, "Which one do you like? Just go in!"

"I...I don't dare..." Tachibana blushed, lowered her head, and whispered, "I...I've thought about it so many times, but this time...it's for real..."

"Let's go into this one!"

Hideaki pushed Tachibana into the nearby Chanel women's clothing store.

Inside, there are women's blazers and dresses.

Of course, Hideaki didn't know much about women's clothing prices, he just chose the nearest option, and considering that Tachibana's current suit was also due for a change.

Tachibana let out a soft "Ah!" and tried to back out, but when she met the sales clerk's respectful gaze, she was somewhat at a loss.

Xiuming followed him into the store, casually glanced at the price tags, and his pupils contracted: He had been too hasty.

The current prices of all luxury goods are entirely supported by rampant credit and a crazy asset bubble. Once the bubble bursts, which is next month, in 29 days, prices will plummet!

Since we're already here... let's buy it! Anyway, I don't care about money, I'm not interested in money...

"This one, this one, this one," Xiuming was too lazy to look at the price anymore. Too many zeros, they were all the same. He could only pick the one that looked good to him. "Take her to try it on."

"Hmm..." Tachibana nodded with a trembling voice, and like a wooden statue, she was led into the fitting room by the waiter.

Xiuming didn't want to shop at any other stores, so he did all his shopping at this one store.

I bought a suit, a dress, a cashmere knit sweater, a silk scarf shirt, a pair of high heels for work, and a pair of flats for now. These are Tachibana shoes.

However, when Hideaki was buying the items, he remembered that before he came, Chieko had said that Tachibana would find time to visit Riko.

"Tachibana-chan, do you have any friends? Like any new friends you've made? Let's bring her a gift too!"

Tachibana suddenly realized something, "I... I want to give Riko a gift... but... is it too expensive..."

“Since it’s Riko, it doesn’t matter! After all, she’s your friend! It’s your first time meeting her, so you should give her a nice gift. Here, give her this, this, this, this, and this! Wrap them all up.”

"Uh, is there one more than mine?" Tachibana blurted out. "I mean, what if it doesn't fit?"

“It fits perfectly, trust me, you won’t regret it,” Xiuming said without changing his expression, and took the membership card handed to him by the waiter. “You two are about the same size and your personalities are quite compatible.”

"Oh……"

Amidst the bowing and scraping of the waiters, and with eyes that seemed to look at her as if she were seeing her own parents, Tachibana carried large bags and small packages out of the store.

Why is shopping no longer fun? All this stuff is worth three years of my entire income…

Chapter 114: Most men's thinking is influenced by women.

Tachibana wore a brand new Chanel little black dress.

The pure black high-end fabric accentuated her delicate skin, making it appear even whiter.

The shoulder cuffs perfectly cover half of the fair upper arm, and the neat short-sleeved style gives it a professional feel.

Below her fair neck was a simple, fitted neckline that perfectly concealed her collarbone. This seemingly conservative and meticulous style, however, highlighted her overall dignified and elegant temperament.

The waist was slightly cinched, accentuating her slender figure, and the straight fabric skirt draped down to her smooth calves.

Aside from their different faces, they have almost the same body type as Riko.

Xiuming looked her up and down, then circled around her.

She lowered her head, pursed her lips, and looked sullen.

No wonder, even though she was decked out in designer brands, carrying so many bags made her look a bit disheveled and out of place.

"Waiter, come here..."

Xiuming waved to the saleswoman who was still standing at the door, pretending to see him off, and waited for her to walk respectfully to the side.

Hideaki had them put away the bag of clothes that Tachibana was carrying, and then asked them to deliver it to Sanyo Securities and give it to Suzuki. After that, he bought a few lipsticks at the store so that Tachibana could show off a little vanity and give them to her female colleagues.

Tachibana cooperated throughout, but remained silent with her head down.

“If you have something on your mind, just say it,” Hideaki said, leading her toward the Kubei high-class sushi restaurant according to the address on the reservation order Suzuki had given him. “You can’t figure it out on your own.”

Tachibana stole a glance at Hideaki and asked in a low voice, "You, do you like Riko-san?"

When Xiuming was choosing his clothes, he only glanced at them before deciding.

But when he was choosing clothes for Riko, he looked at them three times and even used himself as a model for her to try on... and he even wore more clothes than he did himself.

"Of course!" Xiuming answered without hesitation. "She's very gentle, cute, and obedient."

Concealing feelings can be prolonged, but prolonging them through deception is absolutely unacceptable. The bottom line can be low, but it cannot be lowered.

Since she asked so directly, I'll just tell her directly.

"But...but I'm your girlfriend..."

Hideaki's answer was so straightforward that Tachibana was stunned for a while. Her thoughts became unclear, and she felt dizzy and short of breath, as if she had caught a bad cold. Everything in her field of vision seemed to be spinning.

“You’re right, you’re my girlfriend.” Xiuming solemnly agreed with her, then put his hand on her shoulder and said confidently, “That doesn’t affect my liking for her, and of course, liking her doesn’t affect my liking for you.”

"How could this be?" Tachibana's vision was filled only with Hideaki's face. He looked so serious and solemn, as if he were on the side of justice.

"Why can't we do that? Just like you love your mom and dad, it doesn't affect your love for your grandparents."

"This, this is different..." Tachibana's legs went weak, and she was supported by Hideaki.

"To put it another way, it's like you like eating apples, but that doesn't stop you from liking oranges. You like this dress, but that doesn't stop you from liking that blazer. It's easy to understand! I like both of these clothes, so I bought them both."

Tachibana's eyes were glazed over. She clutched her chest, panting, and shook her head, muttering to herself, "I'm so confused... my mind is so confused..."

Tachibana was captivated by the identity of "Hideaki's girlfriend" and couldn't bear to let go.

“I completely understand how confused you are. Let’s not think about it for now.” Xiuming helped her squat down and gently patted her frail back to help her catch her breath. “Let’s go eat first, and then we can think about it. Shall I carry you there?”

"All right……"

Xiuming grabbed Tachibana's arm, turned around and put her on his shoulders, then supported her slightly cold legs and stood up with her on his back.

After Xiuming had walked a dozen steps...

Tachibana's breathing became easier. Following Hideaki's advice, she tried her best not to think about Riko anymore, instinctively replacing it with other things. Then, thoughts about Ayako automatically popped into her mind.

Her heart clenched again.

"Um, what's your relationship with Ayako? Oh no," Tachibana suddenly felt like he was being questioned, and subconsciously changed his words, cautiously saying, "I mean, how does she know you have eight-pack abs?"

This was a question that had been lingering in her mind. She had originally planned to ask it when they met, but once they met, she completely forgot about it.

At this moment, Xiuming's argument that destroyed her view of love made her reconsider whether her previous fantasy of a "cool male god rejecting a rich woman's advances" was correct.

He's not some cold, aloof, and aloof male god at all... He's dating me and still likes Riko, and he acts like it's perfectly normal...

Recalling Ayako's ambiguous words, her flirtatious tone, and that wanton laughter that made her feel so awkward... Team Leader Suzuki's sigh echoed in her mind again: "After all, such an outstanding man will always be fought over by many women..."

We just officially became boyfriend and girlfriend last night, and today was our first date...

Are all outstanding men like this? It's so upsetting...

"Of course she saw it!" Xiuming said nonchalantly, "She's not blind."

"Is that what I meant?"

Tachibana didn't know how to refute Hideaki's words. They all sounded correct, but they weren't related to the corresponding issue.

Such an answer is mind-boggling; you need to do your best not to be misled by it.

Tachibana composed herself, trying to find her own logic and answer her inner doubts, and then asked, "She also asked me to guess your relationship with her, but I couldn't. She also specifically reminded me that she gave you 800 million yen. She clearly knew about our relationship, so why did she say that?"

Do you know how tempting 800 million yen is for a person?

"I don't understand what you mean." Tachibana couldn't help but think of the female upperclassman who often stayed out all night during her school days. Could it be...?

"Sigh!" Hideaki sighed sadly. "I told you before, I'm not the Hideaki you know from your past. I borrowed his identity and had to take on all his debts. Ayako's 800 million yen is very important to me."

"Why did you use his identity... No, let's not talk about that, I'm getting confused again," Tachibana pressed her forehead against the back of Hideaki's head to steady herself, then confirmed her guess, "You, you did what with her for 800 million yen...

Tachibana's trembling voice was choked with sobs, filled with a sense of powerlessness in the face of reality.

"You can probably imagine, right? How many people sell their bodies for money? Last night, I did it for..."

"No, no, no!" Tachibana burst into tears, wrapped her arms around Hideaki's head, covered his mouth, and sobbed uncontrollably on his shoulder, "Please don't tell me...please!"

Hideaki carried Tachibana to the wooden bench by the flower bed, gently placed her on it, and as soon as he turned around, Tachibana threw herself into his arms and burst into tears.

Xiuming had no choice but to hold her and sit her on the chair, patting her back to help her catch her breath.

A few minutes later, Tachibana stopped crying, her tear-stained face gently sobbing against Hideaki's chest.

Xiuming asked, "Are you crying for my dignity, or for our future?"

"I...I, I don't know..."

"There's no need to cry over my dignity."