Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

At this moment, her desk was piled high with the bags of clothes that Xiuming had bought for her, all bearing the gleaming "Chanel" logo, as well as lipstick boxes packaged like diamond boxes. There were more than a dozen boxes stacked together.

I didn't feel excited when I bought it, nor did I think it would be much.

But at this moment, surrounded by a group of envious and attentive female colleagues, Tachibana's usually quiet heart was racing.

That's the feeling—being the center of attention.

They all envy me...

"Tachibana-chan, this lipstick is so pretty... I've been eyeing it for ages but haven't been able to bring myself to buy it. It's worth a month's salary for me..."

"If you like it, I'll give it to you." Tachibana waved his hand magnanimously.

No wonder Xiuming bought several extra lipsticks, saying he wanted to give them away as gifts. I was initially reluctant, but now I realize how thoughtful he was...

"Really? Tachibana-chan? I'm so happy, thank you Tachibana-chan~" The shameless female colleague kissed Tachibana on the cheek, grabbed the lipstick, and skipped away.

Then, a group of women surrounded them.

"Tachibana-chan, this lipstick..."

"It's yours."

"And this..."

"It's yours."

"I meant this..."

"It's yours."

As the number of lipsticks on the table dwindled, Tachibana's initial excitement gradually subsided. She thought about the "breakup issue" and, most importantly, the fact that "Hideaki still likes other women."

The passion faded, replaced by numbness.

I really can't accept this...

"Tachibana-chan? What happened to you? Would you like to discuss it with me, your senior? After all, I'm more than twenty years older than you, so I must have some experience!"

Suzuki successfully traded the futures contracts ordered by Hideaki, making a pure profit of 50 million yen, which was deposited into Hideaki's account... There are three accounts, totaling at least 100 million yen. We must catch this kind of person.

As Hideaki's girlfriend, Tachibana must be protected.

"Team Leader Suzuki, I... I want to resign."

Tachibana kept replaying the scene of her encounter with Hideaki in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Hideaki still didn't care about her. She wanted Hideaki to come to her, and also to sort out her own emotions.

Suddenly I realized that Xiuming's "cooling-off period after a breakup" makes a lot of sense. If two people in a relationship really have disagreements about some things, they should each take some time to cool off.

(For normal people, the idea of ​​a cooling-off period in a relationship is pure nonsense; it's all about striking while the iron is hot. In reality, without the constraints of marriage, once a couple separates, there's no such thing as a cooling-off period. Regardless of gender, they'll be restless and either be taken advantage of by someone else or secretly look for someone else.)

However, for Tachibana, who is "single-minded," it is, after all, her first love! If other men show her affection, she will feel physically uncomfortable, and she will feel disgusted if she sees someone cheating or someone flirting with others while having a boyfriend or girlfriend.

Xiuming's bluntness caused her physical discomfort, especially now that Xiuming was not in front of her, she became angrier the more she thought about it.

But he couldn't bear to part with her, and he really didn't know how to get Xiuming to change "that shameless bad behavior," so he could only try to figure it out step by step.

"Mr. Yamanaka proposed to you!" Suzuki suddenly exclaimed. "Is Tachibana-chan going to be a full-time housewife?"

Whoosh! A group of people surrounded them again.

"Tachibana-chan, you're so lucky!"

"Congratulations to Tachibana-chan on escaping this misery~"

"Next time you see Tachibana-chan, you should call her Mrs. Yamanaka..."

Tachibana was stunned, her lips trembling, unable to utter "No!"

"Alright, alright, everyone, you can all leave now!" Suzuki waved his hand, then gestured towards the VIP office, saying, "Tachibana-chan, come here. Since you're going to marry into a wealthy family, as your senior, it's necessary for me to give you a few more instructions..."

"I……"

Suzuki gave Tachibana some advice, saying that "as a wealthy woman, you should be more open-minded," which made Tachibana physically uncomfortable. She suppressed the urge to hit him and let it go in one ear and out the other.

I couldn't help but think to myself, "This old codger is so despicable," "Are you trying to make me willingly wear a green hat?" "Why don't you go and wear one yourself?"...

As he was leaving, Suzuki quietly pointed to the minister's office next door and whispered, "You should try to learn from Minister Umezu's attitude towards life; that's how you live a good life..."

Tachibana bowed, her fist tucked in her hand, and said, "Thank you, Suzuki-senpai..."

When she returned to her workstation, all her personal belongings had been packed up by her "attentive" colleagues.

Because everyone considered Hideaki's identity, they implicitly assumed that Tachibana's identity was also extraordinary. Everyone tacitly agreed not to suggest any activities such as a "farewell dinner" or "farewell dinner," feeling that it was a bit too much for them to be invited.

In just over ten minutes, Tachibana left the company amidst repeated cries of "Tachibana-chan, you must come back to see us!"

Tachibana stood on the street, clutching a cardboard box. The orange-red sunset cast a long shadow over her, and she was momentarily lost in thought...

It feels like a dream. Was I fired by the company?

What did I do?!

the other side.

Following the address, Hideaki arrived at the office building of Game Freak Studio.

It's an old office building with mottled walls, no property management, and the elevator is covered with small advertisements for "small loans" and "high-paying part-time jobs".

Although there was no obvious trash, the dark yellow stains covering the walls and floor gave it a dirty feel.

The old four-story office building is packed with companies of all sizes.

The toilets were public, dirty, messy, and smelled terrible.

Xiuming immediately felt a sense of relief.

After all, Satoshi Tajiri was struggling with the issue of development funding, so he appeared directly as the acquirer.

They offered a price that Satoshi Tajiri couldn't refuse: a full acquisition while retaining his core team, offering them the highest salaries and bonuses for new works. However, the contract had to clearly state that the company would own all creative rights.

The worn-out studio door creaked open, releasing a mixture of smells of smoke, coffee, and chewing gum.

"May I ask who you are...?"

A young man with a youthful face had dark circles under his eyes from staying up late for a long time. His eyes, which were cautious and questioning, were bloodshot.

He had to tilt his head back to see Xiuming's face.

"Hello, excuse me, I'm Hideaki Yamanaka, president of Mirai Co., Ltd. in Shinjuku Ward."

Hideaki stood ramrod straight, lowering his chin slightly so that the other man could see his serious and solemn expression. He then took out a meticulously crafted silver-embossed business card from his briefcase and said, “I heard from Mr. Hiroshi Akiyama, a former member of your studio, that you are developing a highly imaginative ‘capsule monster’ game, but it seems you have encountered some financial challenges.”

Chapter 116 Business Card (2000 words)

Xiuming took out his business card while introducing himself.

Shimada glanced over subconsciously, his eyes flickered slightly, and he lowered his body slightly.

The business card is made of a composite material of paper and metal.

The main body is made of thick black paper, with an extremely fine 24k gold foil line embedded in the middle, which can only be seen when it is illuminated, showing luxury in every detail.

At that moment, the dim light in the hallway shone on it and happened to reflect into Shimada's pupils, allowing him to capture this detail that seemed a hundred times brighter than the light.

The company logo occupies a small space in the upper left corner of the business card.

In the middle is Hideaki's full name, in large, Song-style Japanese characters, representing Director/CEO/President/Chairman.

In Japan's business circles today, the mainstream title is "company president," and titles like "CEO," "chairman," and "president" are not yet very common.

However, it became popular a few years later, and Xiuming's addition of it now makes it look cutting-edge and international.

The text on the front is all embossed and hot-stamped in dark silver.

It's not a shiny silver, but a rather understated, grainy dark silver, similar to the frosted metal surface of high-end audio equipment. Visually, it's more tasteful and prestigious than glittering gold.

The sides of the business card were hand-dyed with a dark silver color that echoed the hot stamping on the front, a high-end technique reminiscent of European antique bookbinding. In the Japanese business card industry in 91, this was considered the pinnacle of detail.

Having noticed two details, Shimada subconsciously thought, "This business card must be very valuable..."

But when Hideaki explained his purpose, his throat suddenly tightened. This wealthy company president seemed to be there to invest and give away money...

He naturally knew Akiyama Hiroshi, who had left a few days ago because he was short of money and had burned out his passion... So he went to this wealthy company?

He immediately realized that this wasn't an important person he could entertain. If he could really reach an agreement with President Tajiri, then he could finally get paid. He hadn't had any fresh food for two months, and he missed it so much…

He quickly took the business card with both hands. It felt thick and warm to the touch, completely different from the ordinary business cards he usually handled. Suppressing a strange sense of unease, he whispered, "President Yamanaka... please come in..."

Although it has now been officially established as a game development studio, it still retains the atmosphere of its early days as a doujinshi startup. The division between superiors and subordinates is relatively blurred, and the employees are mostly like-minded friends. There is a high degree of freedom, and many things are discussed and decided together.

Creative freedom and high enthusiasm are the main reasons why Game Freak Studios can consistently produce hit games.

Xiuming's first impression upon entering the room was: crowded and messy.

The air was filled with a mixture of musty smells from old paper, the plastic smell from overheated electronic devices, the saltiness of instant noodle soup, the smell of coffee, and a faint smell of smoke and sweat.

In the corner, there was a mountain of empty instant noodle cups and energy drink bottles, as well as sleeping bags, folding beds, and stacks of external hard drives and MO optical disc drives.

The wall is covered with drafts of Super Mario Bros. characters.

A whiteboard for explanations stands against the wall, covered with incomprehensible flowcharts, mathematical formulas, and game level sketches. Of course, it has been erased and rewritten countless times, making it look dirty.

The floor was covered with winding, vine-like cables connecting several NEC pc-9801 and Sharp X68000 computers.

This is the most advanced game development machine currently available, but the machine is old and obviously second-hand, and the fan is very noisy.

Several programmers were busy at work, some wearing wrinkled T-shirts, others plaid shirts, and still others slippers, their heads covered in messy, oily hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in years.

Their bloodshot eyes stared intently and brightly at the computer screen, conveying a sense of weariness mixed with excitement.

They were all professional programmers, their mechanical keyboards clattering loudly, filling the air not only with the smell of fireworks but also with a pure, burning passion for their dreams.

Passing through the crowded work area where the programmers were, in the innermost small cubicle that resembled a solitary confinement room, there was only a small table.

On the table was a clear glass bottle, inside which a black beetle was crawling around. Next to the bottle was a notebook filled with messy handwriting.

Next to the table sat a young man with thick eyebrows and big, round eyes, who looked to be about 25 years old.

The young man's eyes also showed purplish-red pigmentation from long-term sleep deprivation.

He held his elbows with both hands, rested his arms flat on the table, and rested his chin on his arms to support his head, staring intently at the transparent glass bottle in front of him.

On the wall behind him, there was a handwritten slogan: Make sure to create fun games!

Through the glass, Hideaki saw Tajiri Satoshi's first impression: a student lying on his desk, intently studying insects.