Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

After hanging up the phone, Midori Umezu hurriedly tidied up the house, stuffing her husband's various belongings into hidden corners...

Xiuming hung up the phone and quickly ran to the intersection to find a taxi. He could roughly guess that Umezu Midori would definitely pack her things, and it would be best to catch her in the act.

Ichiro Shiraishi's taxi squeezed past an approaching taxi and stopped in front of Hideaki.

The taxi driver, who had been pushed aside, stuck his head out of the window to yell and curse. Shiraishi Ichiro tossed him a pack of cigarettes, which he glanced at before walking away happily.

Hideaki got into the passenger seat, gave Midori Umezu's home address, and then said, "Mr. Shiraishi, how about you become my personal driver from now on? I'll give you a formal employment contract with a monthly salary of 50 yen."

His driving skills are truly superb; he's both steady and fast.

Ichiro Shiraishi remained silent, but Hideaki deciphered a question from his eager and shining eyes: "Do you have a car?"

He was tempted when Xiuming mentioned offering him a formal employment contract.

Driving a taxi, the salary is not stable at all; it all depends on driving like crazy.

I don't want to do this anymore, but recently more and more companies are using informal employment contracts, either for part-time or temporary workers, and the wages are very low.

Putting aside Xiuming's lifestyle issues, he is genuinely wealthy. If given a formal employment contract, his salary, no matter how low, would never be below market value.

"Drop me off when we get to Okubo, then you can go look at cars," Hideaki thought for a moment. Although Esaki, Midori Umezu, Ayako, and Yoshiko Funakawa all had cars, they needed to use them themselves, so he decided not to take theirs. He then said, "Choose a car you like, then call the supermarket and have my wife pay for it."

This is the time to test a seasoned driver's credibility and judgment.

As soon as Hideaki finished speaking, Ichiro Shiraishi's expressionless face twitched. He quickly held up five fingers and said in a slightly trembling voice, "510 million yen. I want to buy the top-of-the-line Toyota Crown."

As a taxi driver with over 30 years of experience, I have a deep appreciation for the reliability of the Toyota brand and the comfort of the Crown.

A top-of-the-line Toyota Crown is a "star" and a "dream" among taxi drivers; it's not only very practical but also makes them look very prestigious.

I just sat in the supermarket for a while. His daughter, Shiraishi Hitomi, was handing coffee to Riko with a fawning smile. When she saw me, Riko glared at me...

The old father's heart was breaking.

That unfilial daughter is better off gone! From now on, we can only be colleagues.

…Which 4S dealership should I go to look at cars? The saleswoman at the 4S dealership in Ginza is the prettiest, but I should quit this lousy job first. I've been fed up with the boss for a long time. I'll go to the 4S dealership when I've finally gotten my revenge…

This time, Shiraishi Ichiro didn't ask for a fare. Hideaki got out of the taxi, and as soon as he closed the door, the taxi sped away.

Shinjuku Okubo 2-chome.

In the future, Okubo will have a large number of foreigners, with a huge Koreatown and Islamic Yokocho. However, at present, it is only just beginning to show signs of a multicultural district, with a few small shops serving foreign residents.

However, most of them still retain the traditional living atmosphere.

The surrounding residential buildings are all detached apartment buildings constructed of reinforced concrete. Their exterior styles are quite simple, decorated with beige or warm brown facing bricks or paint.

Hideaki walked along the narrow, clean cement street, searching for the apartment building number of Midori Umezu's family.

The sun was shining at four in the afternoon, the streets were almost deserted, and the rhythmic sound of a train passing by could be heard in the distance.

A nine-story reinforced concrete apartment building. To the right of the entrance is a 24-hour izakaya (Japanese pub) with red lanterns hanging on it, and to the left is a general store selling Korean kimchi and soju.

Just as Xiuming was about to ring the doorbell, a series of footsteps came from the stairwell. Then, Meijin Midori, covered in sweat and panting heavily, opened the door.

She was wearing a thin, light green floral dress and a white apron, which was covered in dust.

Her long, wavy, curly hair was messy like weeds, but her rosy cheeks were quite radiant.

Sweat trickled down her flushed cheeks, down her neck, and into her rapidly heaving chest.

"Xiu, Xiumingjun, you, you've come! Come in quickly..."

Like a thief, Midori Umezu peered out the door, grabbed Hideaki's arm, dragged him into the stairwell, and quickly closed the door.

"Are you worried about being seen...?" Xiuming said with a dark face, "What are you afraid of? I've been suspicious of you since last night. Are you really that stubborn?"

This was a perfectly reasonable reason to suspect them, and they went to great lengths to prevent Ezaki's betrayal from being exposed.

“I, of course I’m scared,” Umezu Midori said, her eyes widening with confidence. “You have a wife, and I’m still single. How could I not be scared? If someone I know finds out, I’ll be so embarrassed. I’ll have no face to live.”

As she tidied the room, she racked her brains and came up with a brilliant plan, secretly pleased with herself.

The elevator doors opened, and Midori Umezu pressed the button for the 8th floor.

"Do you take me for a child?" Xiuming followed him into the elevator and continued, "You didn't say a word even when you were unconscious last night, but now you're saying it so easily?"

“Oh dear,” Midori Umezu leaned to the side, burying her head in Hideaki’s chest, “How could you say such shameful things like that…”

"Stand up straight!" Xiuming grabbed her shoulders and helped her straighten up, then said, "I'll be staying at your place for the next few days. Let's see how long you can keep this a secret."

She's really quick-witted; when she can't think of any excuses, she'll even use her gender advantage and shyness to play the fool.

It would be great to have such a capable employee in the company, not only for her professional skills but also for her patience. Unfortunately, she has a husband... Maybe we should just betray Jiang Qi and then discuss divorce with her?

Let's forget about it. Ezaki is very concerned about her image. After all, it's only a few days' stay here. Let's give her husband a surprise.

Xiuming was speechless at the thought of having to negotiate with her husband as a stranger.

Of course, she absolutely cannot abandon her principles before getting a divorce.

"You're staying here?" Umezu Midori had just opened the door when she turned around abruptly, a fleeting look of panic in her eyes. She stammered, "Stay...stay for a few days?"

The room was spacious and bright. Being on a high floor, the living room faced a large balcony with a wide view, including the silhouettes of Shinjuku skyscrapers. On the other side of the building, in a low-rise area, was the uniquely chaotic street scene of Okubo.

The interior floor was covered with a light gray carpet, which looked quite high.

"I'll wait until you tell me why you were crying and saying sorry last night,"

Xiuming walked past Meijin Midori and into the entryway paved with gleaming white marble. As he took off his shoes, he coaxed, "You don't really need to worry about anything. Even if you make a huge mistake, I'll forgive you. Think about it carefully. I have such a wonderful wife at home and so many girlfriends outside, yet I chose to come to you and even want to stay at your house for several days. How charming do you have to be? Doesn't that prove something?"

Xiuming's words revealed serious issues with his lifestyle, yet he spoke with such self-righteousness. After all, he was only talking about things the two of them knew.

Umezu Midori shuddered, slammed the door shut, and tears welled up in her eyes. She then threw herself into Hideaki's arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his face, whispering, "Hideaki-kun, thank you... I... I..."

She was so moved that she almost lost her mind. After all, as a wife who had suffered from her husband's cold and hot violence, abuse and suppression for many years, her inner suffering had almost driven her crazy. In fact, she had reached a breaking point and was just waiting for her husband to come home so she could stab him with a fruit knife.

At this moment, Xiuming's identity is exactly what she likes and is satisfied with. He is like a savior, giving her the motivation to live. She was most worried about being abandoned by him. Now that she is being praised like this, she feels a sweet warmth in her heart.

She clung to Xiuming like a koala, tears streaming down her face, as she tugged at his collar, trying to unbutton his clothes...

She had no idea how to express her feelings of emotion and joy, so she just did it on instinct.

No! No! No!

Xiuming jumped in surprise and screamed. Before he could put the shoes back in the shoe cabinet, he grabbed her restless hands, rushed into the living room, pulled her off him, and then threw her onto the leather sofa. While buttoning his shirt, he said, "Can't you be a little more reserved?"

The principles cannot be broken again, they cannot be broken again... Xiuming silently repeated three times in his heart.

“No one has ever been so kind to me before, how could I possibly bear it…” Umezu Midori sat up from the sofa, pressed her left hand to her chest, panted heavily, looked up at Hideaki with tears in her eyes, and asked, “Is what you’re saying true?”

"It's genuine, absolutely genuine." Xiuming took a small step back and continued, "If there's anything you're hiding from me, just tell me. I'll forgive you."

“Well…” Umezu Midori’s eyes flickered, her face flushed, and she lowered her head, biting her lower lip as she whispered, “Then let’s go to the bedroom to talk… okay…”

She was still a little worried because Xiuming had left her with a bad impression of being ruthless and heartless.

At this moment, she was secretly contemplating the most desperate ending. At least, before that despair appeared, she wanted to repay his kindness or experience his loving tenderness and care one more time... After he left because he couldn't accept it, there was no point in living anymore. So she turned on the gas stove, waited for the dead man to come home, and then struck a match...

"You don't trust me? You've disappointed me so much," Xiuming shook his head with a melancholy face. "Oh well, what can I do? I'm too soft-hearted. Go take a shower first; you're covered in dirt, it's spoiling your mood..."

Let's use this as a delaying tactic first. Once we find her husband's things, we won't have to worry about betraying Ezaki; we can just confront her directly...

"Hmm..." Midori Umezu nodded obediently, turning back every few steps as she entered the bathroom.

"Close the bathroom door, let's keep it a little mysterious, okay?"

Just as Hideaki was about to take the opportunity to search the room, he turned around and saw Umezu Midori opening the bathroom door and starting to take off her skirt, so he could only remind her.

"This is good..."

Umezu Midori, suppressing her shame, also peeked outside, her face flushed. She was worried that Hideaki might accidentally find something he shouldn't have, like the box of men's cigarettes under the coffee table...

I didn't even notice it when I was cleaning the room.

"Do whatever you want!" Xiuming said, wandering around the three-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, one-bathroom apartment. "I'm just looking around..."

Chapter 179: I'm impressed, just 300 words short.

Xiuming first set his sights on the TV cabinet.

In the compartment under the TV cabinet, there was a brand new VHS recorder.

Video rental shops were very popular in Japan during this period.

Especially in the current economic downturn, compared to the high cost of going out, more and more people are choosing to rent videotapes for home entertainment.

The market also launched "V Cinema" films that were not shown in theaters but were instead produced for the videotape market.

These films are bold in subject matter, rich in detail, and include everything, often involving 18+, as well as A, R, and other things that are not allowed to be seen by teenagers.

Xiuming pulled open the drawer next to him, revealing a drawer full of videotapes, typical of black cases with white labels, especially V Cinema films, including "International Girl," "Crime Novel," and "Afterwards"...

They are all crime films.

That crime novel involved cyanide poisoning, and it detailed how the characters obtained the poison, how they administered it, and how they handled the evidence…

Hideaki also found a torn piece of newspaper at the bottom of the drawer, with a large headline: Tokyo-Saitama Serial Cyanide Murders.

This is a major case that has shocked the entire country of Japan. Next year, a crime film titled "Heaven's Great Sin" will be adapted based on this incident.

That's all.

"International Girl" enlightened her by exploring the idea that women can also actively resort to violence. "Crime Novels" and the Tokyo-Saitama serial hydride murders broadened her horizons. Finally, "Afterwards," with its concept that "murder is an art," helped her understand the calm mindset and meticulous planning required to commit crimes.

This is so Japanese.

It's as if Midori Umezu crawled out of hell; she watched the videotape repeatedly, so she must have been planning this for a long time.

Xiuming could even expand on that association.

A wife who had long suffered abuse and oppression from her husband would sit alone in front of the television late at night while he was away, holding a notebook and the remote control, repeatedly rewinding, pausing, recording, and studying the key steps. The flickering light of the television reflected on her focused yet numb face.

Xiuming turned his head to look at the bathroom.

In the bathroom with the door open, Midori Umezu had already taken off her skirt and apron and stuffed them into the washing machine, which was making a "whooshing" sound as water filled up.

She was barefoot, wearing only a light green bra, with her back to Xiuming. She unhooked the light green bra with her left hand, then supported her chest with her left arm, turned slightly to the side, and hung the bra in her right hand on the clothes hook on the wall.

Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes, which seemed to be filled with something on their minds, suddenly glanced over.

"You, you shouldn't stare at me like that, it's so embarrassing..."

Umezu Midori opened her right hand and covered her eyes. The blush on her cheeks quickly spread to her ears and neck. Through her raised right armpit, a very round and fair curve could be seen.