Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

In the ward, the nurses drew light blue curtains around the bed, and only the shadows of the moving people were projected onto the curtains.

Xiuming looked away.

Next to her, Funakawa Yoshiko was also looking at the ward through the glass. Her fair face and features were like an ice sculpture, and there was no emotion in her eyes, as if she were looking at a passerby.

Xiuming asked, "Does your husband... want to be cuckolded before he dies? Let me tell you, I have my bottom line, I can't..."

Hideaki's bottom line is that he won't interfere in a complete marriage, like in this situation: Funakawa Yoshiko and that old man aren't divorced, and that old man isn't dead yet. That won't do.

"Didn't I just tell you? Don't take it seriously."

Before Hideaki could finish speaking, Funakawa Yoshiko's ice-sculpted expression instantly shattered.

Her left eye twitched, and embarrassment and anger welled up in her eyes. She turned her head sharply, raised her arm, and said, "How long are you going to keep catching me?"

The situation was quite urgent just now. The nurses and doctors rushed in and pushed Hideaki and Funakawa Yoshiko out of the ward together.

It seemed that the doctor was deliberately pushing Funakawa Yoshiko into Hideaki's arms in order to take care of a sentimental woman.

After all, in normal people's logic, it's like a young couple visiting their seriously ill father.

"Oh, I'm sorry,"

Xiuming released the object with a "whoosh" as if he had accidentally grabbed a hot coal. To show that it was unintentional, he wiped it on his clothes and said, "I thought it was my wife's hand."

Riko's hands were warm, while hers were cold, similar to Tachibana's hands, except that Tachibana's hands were prone to sweating, while hers were not.

Anyway, it wasn't intentional. After all, my attention was completely focused on the hospital bed. When the doctor pushed Funakawa Yoshiko into his arms, he deliberately dodged, and even received a strange look of disdain from the doctor.

Funakawa Yoshiko twitched her eyes, staring at Hideaki's hand that had just been wiping on his clothes. She pursed her lips, gave a cold snort, and said nothing.

She almost blurted out, "Are you deliberately humiliating me?! Do you wipe your wife's hand like this after you've held hers?!"

Then, she took out a wet wipe from her pocket and wiped her hands as well.

She wiped very carefully, her palms, the backs of her hands, between her fingers, her fingernails... She kept glancing at Xiuming as she wiped.

Xiuming paused for a moment. The reason he wiped his hands was to show that he had no interest in her and to reassure her.

After all, she clearly didn't want the old man in the ward to play matchmaker for her; she was just putting on an act for him!

She's petty and extremely vengeful... Xiuming silently labeled her, and it seems she'll never stop trying to fix it...

Xiuming asked, "Your husband seems to be dying, but you don't seem sad at all?"

"What's there to be sad about?"

Funakawa Yoshiko continued wiping her hands, after all, she had been preparing ever since she married into the family, like a caregiver under the halo of a wife.

Because it's a VIP ward, I don't have to personally handle his bedpan, wipe his body, or do anything else. I just chat with him to keep him entertained and act as a "lucky charm" for him.

Clearly, it didn't ward off any illness or misfortune; instead, it earned it the reputation of being a "husband-killer."

In the ward, the light blue curtain covering the hospital bed was pulled back, and the old man's heartbeat returned.

After a busy day, a group of doctors took off their masks, their faces showing relief, and opened the ward door.

Xiuming asked in astonishment, "He's saved?"

The doctor frowned and said, "I'm very sorry, but you should go see your father one last time."

He seemed to be in a very bad mood. He didn't pause while speaking, went straight to the nurses' station, sat on a chair, and leaned over the nurses' table, probably planning to collect the old man's body later.

Xiuming wanted to explain that it was a "misunderstanding," but judging from the doctor's expression, it was clearly just something he said casually, and there was no need to explain further.

Funakawa Yoshiko glanced at Hideaki and asked, "Are you still going in?"

She was no longer as polite as before. Of course, Xiuming didn't like being polite either, and casually replied, "I've already put a hat on him, what's the point of going in?"

Hideaki really didn't want to stay in the hospital anymore; the matter of Fukai Ichiro was basically settled.

The project to develop a pachinko machine manufacturing plant with Yoshiko Funakawa will only be funded after she has completely broken free of her yakuza background.

“That’s fake, don’t just say it like that,” Funakawa Yoshiko said in a low voice, her voice filled with shame and anger, “Wait until Yagami-kun comes back before you leave.”

Masataka Okitama is going to pass away tonight, so Kenichiro, as his successor, has to come back, along with a group of his family members.

Then Funakawa Yoshiko will have to face everyone alone.

Although she could use the funds transferred from Hideaki as leverage to resolve most of the debts, she could then express her intention to "part ways" with Kenichiro.

However, his relationship with his family members is actually not good at all. He only manages to maintain the status quo because of Masataka Okitama's protection and the intimidation of Katsuya Yagami.

If it were just one person, who knows what would happen? Would they be torn to pieces? One person's spit could drown them.

"When will that be? I need to go home and sleep."

The watch showed that it was already 2 a.m., and Xiuming was indeed a little sleepy.

"No, you, you have to wait for him to come back before you leave." Funakawa Yoshiko subconsciously grabbed Hideaki's sleeve, biting her lower lip and whispering, "After the old chairman passed away, Kenichiro will have to come, and I can't handle it all by myself... You can't just stand by and watch him die. We still have a cooperative project, and you don't want all the money you invested in me to go down the drain, do you?"

Funakawa Yoshiko explained the situation haltingly: she planned to pay the money and lay all her cards on the table later, then leave with nothing, but she was worried that he would take the money and then deny it.

As she finished speaking, she tilted her head, raised her chin, and pouted, looking pitiful. Her eyes held a mixture of pleading and reluctance, as if it were a humiliating thing.

"He wouldn't be planning to do something to you..." Xiuming subconsciously thought of many scenes from Japanese dramas—too daring, he quickly cut it off! He continued, "...a criminal act?"

"You're so disgusting!" Funakawa Yoshiko said, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger. "That's not what I'm worried about. After all, even large families care a lot about their reputation. I'm just worried that I won't be able to keep the money you lent me."

If you're forced to sign and put your fingerprint on something, there's really nothing you can do.

"Kenichiro told me before that he wouldn't allow your existence, but I don't know if that's true or not. Tell me, what is his ultimate goal?"

How is this sordid? The first lesson police officers learn is: you can't have a good eye; everyone is a suspect, and everyone is a potential criminal.

The money invested in her now was merely to assist Ichiro Fukai with his business, and the matter is now settled.

If they were to confront a nationwide yakuza organization because of Funakawa Yoshiko, it would obviously be a thankless and arduous task.

If Kenichiro only wants to seize the assets under her name, that's fine, but if he wants to take everything from her, then he should think carefully, since that's how it's portrayed in Japanese dramas.

Although I'm not a police officer, I can learn from them: I can't have eyes for good people!

"They mean I have to leave with nothing, I'm not allowed to take anything with me..."

"My soon-to-be widow, please stop acting all coquettish with me, or I'll make you make a mistake." Xiuming flicked his sleeves and walked into the ward.

That's reassuring. It's just a matter of kicking someone out. We can talk... I want this person.

Funakawa Yoshiko stood frozen in the doorway, her fair face flushed red. She lowered her head, staring intently at her tightly clenched fists, and muttered to herself, "If he keeps toying with me like this, I won't pay him back..."

The old man on the hospital bed may have been given adrenaline, as his withered cheeks showed a rosy glow as if in a final burst of energy.

The headboard was shaken up, and he lay half-reclined, a glimmer of light in his cloudy eyes, but he was wearing a breathing mask and couldn't speak yet.

The old man took out a piece of paper from under his pillow. It was a simple will, with all the contents written down. It was a cheesy "Western-style wedding declaration," roughly meaning that someone was willing to marry someone else, and that they would not care about being poor or rich... and that if they broke the promise, they would have to donate a certain amount of money to charity... Finally, he signed and put his fingerprint on the document. The notary's name was Masataka Oki, and there was also his fingerprint and seal.

Xiuming felt a chill run down his spine.

Funakawa Yoshiko also looked surprised; she clearly hadn't expected this challenge.

The old man, who was about to die, had such hopeful eyes that it was impossible to refuse him.

It's just acting; it won't work once he dies... But I feel so uneasy, like I've been sold out again... Funakawa Yoshiko closed her eyes and signed and pressed her fingerprint...

Xiuming didn't care; it was just acting!

The old man's eyes showed a sense of relief, and he finally pressed Hideaki's hand together with Funakawa Yoshiko's hand.

Funakawa Yoshiko leaned her head against Hideaki's shoulder, her cheeks flushed, her eyes filled with a shy and timid look, but also with concern for the old man's safety and the sadness of impending separation.

Xiuming silently presented her with a small golden statuette.

The old man's eyes remained fixed on Xiuming, as if he wanted a verbal promise from him.

As a dying person's final request, giving him the answer he wants should be understandable, right?

Even though he wants someone else to take over his burden... let's go all the way! We need to act according to the actual psychology of men... completely dispel the old man's concerns...

Xiuming asked, "Excuse me, sir, if I may ask, do you have children?"

After all, no man wants to raise someone else's child for nothing, right? That's what Xiuming thought.

The old man's eyes widened, as if he hadn't quite grasped what was happening.

Funakawa Yoshiko then tilted her head back sharply.

She roughly understood what Xiuming meant, which was acting.

But do I sound like someone who has given birth?

I'm not paying him back; he's being very presumptuous!

"Me and Miko-chan fell in love at first sight! But we also need to plan for the future. Actually, it's fine whether we have children or not. Having children would be even better, as it would save us some trouble, right? I will definitely treat Miko-chan well. What I mean is, we need to have a plan in mind... Doctor! Doctor!"

Drip—drip—

The old man died with a smile on his face.

A group of doctors and nurses entered the ward. Instead of chasing away Hideaki and Funakawa Yoshiko, they first removed the old man's oxygen tube, covered his head with a white cloth, then stood around the bed, bowed deeply, and left one by one.

Xiuming said with a sigh, "Did he believe it or not? Does that mean he was put on the bandage? I had a feeling he was about to laugh, but he didn't, and then he suddenly died?"

"How could I possibly know?" Funakawa Yoshiko silently stood up, her face expressionless as she looked at Hideaki, and said irritably, "Why don't you catch up with him and ask him yourself?"

Funakawa Yoshiko also understood what the old president meant: he wanted Hideaki to give a promise.

She was very uneasy, worried that Xiuming might do something outrageous.

Although Xiuming behaved very well, remained still, and was not taken advantage of, there was a feeling that he was being deliberately distanced.

Thinking back to how I wiped my hands earlier, and the inexplicable feeling of something missing in my heart when I signed the document, my mood worsened.

"Can this fruit basket be opened?" Xiuming ignored her sarcastic tone, casually tossed the marriage declaration contract signed by the three of them onto the bedside table, then picked up the fruit basket next to him and said casually, "I haven't eaten yet."

"Whatever!" Funakawa Yoshiko picked up the contract paper.

She was in a bad mood because Xiuming had thrown the paper away like trash.

Her reasoning was: her name is on it, her name, and it cannot be trampled on! She wanted to take it off and eat it.

A series of footsteps echoed through the hallway, followed by Kenichiro's wailing: "Father—Father, my dear father—"

The first people to rush into the ward were not Kenichiro, but two male lawyers who looked like fitness instructors.

The lawyer's stern face and sharp eyes suddenly fixed on the contract in Funakawa Yoshiko's hand, who was about to tear off her name. His expression changed, and he roared, "Don't move!"

Funakawa Yoshiko was startled and dropped the contract paper to the ground.