Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

Of course, once you enter the world of martial arts, you are no longer in control of your own destiny, and you are also heavily in debt. Although you have repeatedly endured the contempt and difficulties from the Zhiyu family, you cannot leave until you have completely cleared your debts. After all, if you leave here, there will be no chance of turning your life around.

Let's get back to the topic of Xiuming. He is married with a wife, and it seems like their married life is going quite well, since he casually mentions that "his wife is calling him home for dinner."

This indirectly proves that he wouldn't have any ulterior motives towards Funakawa Yoshiko like the other investors he brought. Moreover, he provided funding for Funakawa Yoshiko, and Funakawa Yoshiko helped him solve a problem. It was a legitimate transaction, and neither of them owed the other anything.

What a perfect investor.

But just now, Hideaki and Kenichiro seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation, and many of the wealthy people who were originally willing to invest that Hideaki brought along were ruined by Kenichiro.

Funakawa Yoshiko was already somewhat uneasy, and when Hideaki suddenly said that he would no longer cooperate, she subconsciously took it seriously. The greater the hope she had before, the greater the despair she felt now.

At this moment, Hideaki's demeanor gave Funakawa Yoshiko the impression that he seemed very sincere, and that his earlier statement about "not cooperating" was probably meant for Kenichiro's ears... However, he seemed somewhat anxious now.

That makes sense. I had discussed a collaborative project to assassinate Fukai Ichiro with him before, and just now I directly revealed his identity as the investor, and also ruined Kenichiro and Fukai Ichiro's plan. I haven't even spoken to Fukai Ichiro yet, so he's probably already tacitly agreed to cancel the collaboration. Therefore, Fukai Ichiro will probably take matters into his own hands. I guess Mr. Yamanaka also thought of this, which is why he's so anxious, right?

I'm not in a hurry anymore. Only by raising the price can I vent my anger. I was so desperate just now... and he was even smiling... making fun of me with his 36-year-old son...

After a series of flashes of inspiration, Funakawa Yoshiko raised her hand and continued, "Yagami-kun, please go back to the ward and take out my bank card. I will return the money to Mr. Yamanaka right now."

"Hey~ no! no! no!" Xiuming subconsciously stood up and tried to press Funakawa Miko's raised hand back onto her leg, but he realized halfway there that it would be very impolite to her, since her husband was still lying in the hospital room, so he quickly withdrew it and said, "Even if the deal doesn't go through, we can still be friendly. We can talk whenever you're in a better mood."

Katsuya Yagami stepped forward, grabbed Hideaki's shoulder, and pressed him back into his seat. He turned to ask, "Ms. Funakawa, are you sure you want to do this? This is your last hope, after all, the old chairman can no longer hold on."

Funakawa Yoshiko was startled by Hideaki's sudden action and quickly pressed her hands to her legs. Yagami Katsu's words made her freeze again, and she immediately became embarrassed and annoyed, saying irritably, "You talk too much!"

"Sorry." Yagami Katsu stood up straight without any expression, seemingly without any intention of apologizing.

“Mr. Yagami, that’s not right of you. How can you boss your employer around?” Hideaki immediately chimed in, “Ms. Funakawa, I think you’re in a bad mood because of the interest on the funds, so I’ll only charge you 1% interest, which is equivalent to using 1.3 billion yen for free. If it works out, great. If not, I really have to find someone else. I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

Perhaps because of the sudden rejection, Funakawa Yoshiko was in a bad mood, so she acted out to vent her emotions.

A petty woman.

But dealing with Fukai Ichiro couldn't be delayed, and doing it personally would be risky. Too lazy to argue with her anymore, I'd give her a way out and get her to back down quickly. After all, she did look quite embarrassed, and I was worried she might suddenly decide to demand a refund, which would lead to another round of wrangling, and we wouldn't be able to take action until at least tomorrow.

"Since Mr. Yamanaka has said so, I cannot refuse him."

Because Funakawa Yoshiko's facial skin was too fair, even a slight blush was very noticeable, making her look like she had drunk too much. She seemed to realize her embarrassing state, and as she spoke, she quickly stood up, pushed open the ward door, and went inside.

Hideaki then stood up, moved closer to Yagami Katsumi, and whispered, "Mr. Yagami, if I may be so bold, do you have a crush on her?"

I remember in Japanese anime, there are many pure love stories like this. A man secretly loves someone his whole life but never dares to confess, worried that he won't even be able to be friends with him... So he silently protects the woman he loves, watching her flirt and date other men... He thinks that as long as he sees the woman he loves living a happy life, he will be content.

How romantic... hahaha...

As Hideaki was making his sinister speculations, Yagami Katsu rolled his eyes, his upward-rolling eyes causing his head to tilt to the side, revealing his high-raised chin covered with a thick black beard.

Although Yagami Katsu didn't say anything, his reaction gave Hideaki a sense of déjà vu. It seemed like Sugita Naoto often did this kind of thing.

Just then, Yoshiko Funakawa stepped halfway out of the room and took out the black leather bag again.

A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, as if this was something quite amusing, but she quickly concealed it, handed the black leather bag to Yagami Katsumi, and said in a casual tone, "Yagami-kun has his own life, please don't be so presumptuous, Mr. Yamanaka."

"Alright, alright, forgive my intrusion," Hideaki said dismissively, then continued, "Mr. Yagami, let's go!"

Yagami Katsu looked puzzled.

Xiuming deciphered various meanings from his face: "Why are you following me?" "You're not planning anything against me, are you?" "I'm going to kill someone, and you're the employer. Why are you following me? Are you out of your mind?" "Shouldn't you consider hiding your suspicion?"...

Of course, this is just Hideaki's own interpretation.

Katsuya Yagami glanced at it briefly, said nothing, and walked straight to the elevator with his black briefcase.

It seemed he didn't want me to be with him... Xiuming reminded me, "That old guy is checking my information at the pachinko parlor!"

Katsuya Yagami paused slightly before stepping into the elevator.

[Sometime within the next 12 hours, Ichiro Fukai met with Katsuya Yagami.]

[Sometime within the next 12 hours, Ichiro Fukai received your photo.]

[Sometime within the next 12 hours, Ichiro Fukai was suffocated to death by Katsuya Yagami in a secret room.]

That's really professional... As long as nothing unexpected happens... there won't be any more surprises.

…I can go home and sleep with Riko now. I wonder how Misako and Riko are getting along. After all, Misako keeps saying she's sorry to Riko. Of course, Chieko said the same thing before, but she and Riko have become good friends now.

This is Riko's personal charm.

"Ms. Funakawa, if you're not in a hurry, how about I transfer the remaining 400 million yen to you in three days?"

Today we wasted another opportunity to earn over a billion yen, and also suffered the loss of not getting a "good review," since Ichiro Fukai really can't get a good review.

"Are you short of funds?" Funakawa Yoshiko asked, blinking.

"If it had been a few days later, I could have earned an extra billion yen."

Four hundred million yen is quite a lot. I might as well lock in the stock market at noon tomorrow, invest it, and make another profit. Then make several more profits over the next three days, and I'll have tens of billions of yen in cash. Human life is really worthless then... I'm experiencing the allure of having a lot of money...

"Over a billion?" Funakawa Yoshiko was stunned, her face clearly saying, "Are you kidding me?" "How is that possible?" "Do you think I'm a child?"

"Although it's somewhat unbelievable, it really is unbelievable. Just consider it unbelievable! Of course, if you really need it urgently, I'll transfer the money to you. Compared to my income this morning, 400 million yen really isn't much."

Funakawa Yoshiko's eyes darted around, and she said softly, "If I want it now, you'll give it to me. But if I don't want it for now, I'll leave the money with you. How much can you earn with 400 million yen in three days?"

The 900 million yen that Hideaki gave her solved her immediate problem, while the 400 million yen was not really a pressing issue.

"Probably around two billion yen!" Hideaki casually replied.

It should be about right. Of course, the Nikkei 225 index really does fluctuate around 25,000 points, with each fluctuation generally exceeding 1000 points. One point of the index equals 1000 yen. If you have 400 million yen with 20x leverage, you could earn about 300 million yen. Then, if you reinvest that 300 million yen, the profit plus the principal would result in an exponential return, making 3 billion yen not impossible...

"What?!" Funakawa Yoshiko almost jumped up. This was simply unbelievable. She controlled her emotions well and continued, "I'll take the 400 million yen for now. Consider it as money I've deposited with you. In three days, I won't ask for more. You give me 1 billion yen, and I'll consider the remaining 1 billion yen as repayment of my debt. How about that?"

He's really joking; I don't believe a word of it.

"Are you going to give me billions for free?" Xiuming said irritably. "That's a joke."

"You were joking first! That's just bragging." Funakawa Yoshiko pouted, then took out her bank card and said, "Transfer the money! Yagami-kun can't possibly fail. I'm going to use this money to acquire a pachinko machine manufacturing plant. That's the project that can make money!"

Indeed, the more popular pachinko parlors are these days, the more miserable the pinball machines are. They are on call 24/7, suffering violent abuse and destruction from gamblers. Even machines made of iron can't withstand such torment, and the manufacturers are making a fortune.

This was also a promising project that Xiuming had planned before.

Xiuming casually retorted, "It is indeed profitable, but I think your 36-year-old son would never allow you to get rich. Which manufacturing plant do you want to acquire? I can acquire it for you first."

Nowadays, pinball machine manufacturers are all making a fortune quietly. It's difficult to get involved even with capital investment, let alone transfer ownership. Building your own factory would be too much trouble.

"You're really something... hurry up and transfer the money!"

Funakawa Yoshiko's face instantly turned cold. How annoying, how awful, how presumptuous... Don't mention her eldest son again... So annoying!

Xiuming used the hospital's landline to transfer money.

Funakawa Yoshiko was seething with resentment. She was a young girl in the prime of her life, but she was "sold off" in middle school, chauffeured around, and had no classmates. Then, her irresponsible parents sold her off for money. In this inexplicable marriage, she experienced nothing and ended up with a son more than ten years older than her, and was about to become a widow... It was so frustrating...

"Once I pay off my debts, I will return the assets that the former president gave me to Kenichiro, and then I will leave the organization. I bought the pachinko factory myself with borrowed money, so he can't have any reason to stop me anymore. Moreover, I will have no relationship with their entire family anymore. Do you understand?"

After transferring the money, Xiuming hung up the phone and asked, "And then?"

It seems that this money has really relieved the burden on Funakawa Yoshiko's heart. She not only talks more, but her emotions are also overflowing from her face, giving people the feeling that she has to get it off her chest.

"So please don't mention 'good eldest son' again, because I'm very angry."

"Anyway, that's the truth, so you're just fooling yourself." Funakawa Yoshiko's fair face flushed red and crumpled, her fair hands clenching. Hideaki quickly changed the subject, saying, "A pachinko machine manufacturing plant must be expensive! Four hundred million yen probably won't be enough, right? Even if you acquire it, there won't be any extra money left for production and operation, will there?"

Funakawa Yoshiko loosened her clenched fist, tilted her head and asked with a sidelong glance, "You want to invest?"

"How about it? Think about it! I also have a positive outlook on the pinball machine manufacturing industry. I'll just provide the money and take a share of the profits, without participating in any strategy or operations."

How much are you planning to offer?

As Hideaki had guessed, the pachinko factory that Funakawa Yoshiko had her eye on was just a small factory that had just been set up and had not yet expanded its business. The factory owner suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized, urgently needing money. When the bank saw that he was in trouble, it didn't care about the factory's profit potential. Or perhaps it was because it coveted the factory, so it hurriedly withdrew its loan and forced the owner to give up the factory.

The factory owner almost hated the bank that wanted to profit from the factory. He would rather borrow money at high interest rates to repay the debt than hand over the factory to the bank. Then he found Funakawa Yoshiko. Of course, after finding Funakawa Yoshiko, the owner was pressured by the bank again, which aggravated his condition, and he died of anger. The owner's family inherited his will and did not want to benefit the bank, so they benefited Funakawa Yoshiko instead.

Although Funakawa Yoshiko was also tempted, she didn't have much money, so she could only put it off for the time being...

Xiuming is truly a generous and magnanimous benefactor, declaring he'll make up for any shortfall.

Afterwards, Yoshiko Funakawa borrowed paper and pen from a nurse and signed a draft agreement: the profits would be split proportionally.

Just as the two signed the agreement, the call bell suddenly rang at the nurses' station.

A young nurse peeked halfway out of Masataka Oki's hospital room and called out, "Family members, come quickly! The patient has woken up and wants to see you..."

"Ok."

Funakawa Yoshiko carefully put away the agreement and quickly walked into the ward, with Hideaki subconsciously following her in.

The elderly man, in his sixties or seventies, had a ventilator in his mouth, was as thin as a bundle of dry wood, and had an electrocardiogram monitor next to him.

Those cloudy eyes were wide open, giving the impression that they had entered a sleepwalking state.

His gaze first fell on Funakawa Yoshiko, then settled on Hideaki's face, and then he raised his hand towards Hideaki.

As Hideaki was taken aback, Funakawa Yoshiko's face suddenly stiffened. She stepped in front of Hideaki, then knelt down beside the bed, pressed the old man's withered, twig-like hand onto the bed, and asked softly, "Team leader?"

The old man pulled his hand away, swung his arm with what seemed like all his strength, and struck Funakawa Yoshiko's shoulder. Funakawa Yoshiko was unaffected, but her face instantly fell. She leaned close to the old man's ear and whispered, "He's no good..."

The old man seemed not to hear her and continued to hit her with his arm. Then, the old man's eyes continued to be fixed on Xiuming, his bloodless lips slightly parted, as if he had something to say.

Xiuming leaned closer and asked, "What's wrong?"

Funakawa Yoshiko stiffened, her fair face instantly turning bright red. She glanced back at Hideaki with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance, then slowly rose, turning her back to the old man, and whispered to Hideaki, "Please don't take what happens next seriously..."

"Oh?"

Hideaki sat cross-legged at the head of the old man's bed, full of suspicion. To his surprise, Funakawa Yoshiko was kneeling next to him, very close to him.

The old man's wide eyes relaxed, and then he grasped Xiuming's hand and pressed it against the slightly cool back of Funakawa Yoshiko's hand.

Funakawa Yoshiko's hand trembled slightly, and she slowly lowered her head, a shy blush spreading across her face.

"What's going on?" Xiuming asked. "Is it a dying wish?"

Funakawa Yoshiko pursed her lips and whispered in a voice barely above a mosquito's buzz: "Shut up..."

The old man seemed to have heard, and his relaxed gaze seemed to say, "I am very satisfied."

"This isn't right... Uh, doctor! Come quick!"

Before Xiuming could finish speaking, the electrocardiogram monitor emitted a piercing "beep—"

Immediately afterwards, a group of nurses rushed in and pushed Hideaki and Funakawa Yoshiko out of the ward.

Chapter 154: Does it count as putting a hat on him?