Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

Sofia didn't dare to waste too much time, so she could only temporarily follow the advice and pretend using her exotic face. But how could she pretend? She had no idea.

The waitress helped Sophia put on a white coat and high heels, then pulled her toward the door.

"Don't walk so fast, you'll expose yourself..."

Sofia's face felt uncomfortably hot, and she clutched her white coat tightly, taking small, quick steps to follow, always feeling a cool breeze seeping into her coat.

"Wasn't he going to take you home? He obviously still cares about you," the waitress said, ignoring what she was saying and encouraging her. "He even said he wanted you to be his secretary. He's so rich, he must work for a big company, he'll pay you a lot of money. This is a great opportunity to prove yourself! After all, you just annoyed him."

"I..." Her words only made Sophia more nervous, and she instinctively asked, "What should I do?"

"When you get to your doorstep, tell him that your cat can do backflips. He'll be very curious and will ask to come upstairs to see it..."

"But I don't have a cat."

"It's just a reason you made up on the spot. As long as you say it, he'll definitely understand what it means."

What do you mean?

The waitress was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Don't worry about it, as long as he knows."

“Okay!” Sofia tightened her white coat again. “Then, what happens next? After all, I don’t have a cat, so he’ll keep asking me questions, right? What should I say?”

"Don't worry! Once we're in the room, he definitely won't ask about the cat anymore. You can ask him if he wants water, if he's hot, if he wants to play games, or read a book together... whatever the reason, just sit right next to him."

"What if he doesn't need it? After all, we didn't follow the script just now."

“You can do things differently! Just walk in and say it’s too hot in the room, then take off your white coat right away. I don’t believe he can resist.”

"No, no, I can't do it, it's too shameful."

"You're a foreigner, what are you afraid of? We've seen how open the foreign women who work in our shop are, and no one says they're shameless. After all, they've been like that since they were little. They're so direct, I even envy their freedom..."

"Okay, I'll try... So what should I do after I take off my white coat?"

"Uh..." The waitress bit her finger, "Just keep drinking your water and reading, don't look at him, and don't pay any attention to him. Let him do whatever he wants..."

Xiuming, who was waiting impatiently at the door, knocked on the door frame and said, "Are you guys done whispering? I'm in a hurry."

"Alright, alright," the waitress said, pulling Sophia, who was clutching her collar, back to the doorway. She bowed to Hideaki and said, "Mr. Ezaki, thank you for waiting. Have a pleasant evening."

Sofia was taken aback, suddenly feeling like she'd been sold out. But it wasn't so bad; she just didn't know how Xiuming would treat her…

Half past ten.

Xiuming stood in the elevator with a lunchbox in his arms and pressed the button for the first floor. Sophia took small, quick steps toward him. Even though there was no one in the hallway, she still looked around furtively like a thief, her face flushed. She pulled her white coat down as if it were the hem of a skirt, as if afraid of exposing herself.

"Can you walk faster?" Xiuming said impatiently.

“Okay…” Sophia’s shoulders trembled, she quickly glanced around, gritted her teeth, strode into the elevator, and pressed the close button.

As the elevator doors closed, Sophia breathed a sigh of relief.

What are you wearing under your white coat?

Xiuming, who was behind her, suddenly leaned his head over her shoulder, and his warm breath touched Sophia's neck. Sophia's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly realized that she must have been seen when she ran over.

Suddenly feeling dizzy and disoriented, I didn't know how to respond. I deeply regretted listening to the waitress's advice and wished I could just crash into the elevator and die.

I felt a lump in my throat and a surge of grievance welled up inside me, so I instinctively wanted to squat down.

But just as she squatted down halfway, Xiuming placed a hand under her armpit and whispered, "Don't move around, what if someone sees us?"

"I...I don't want to wear it, it's..."

Sophia was overcome with shame and instinctively wanted to explain, but before she could finish, Xiuming interrupted her: "I understand, I understand, don't explain. You look fine, I won't rush you, walk slowly."

Her figure, just from that glimpse, was even more captivating than that leg-raising dance.

I suspect they were misled by the female hotel staff.

As the elevator doors opened, Xiuming suggested, "I think it's inconvenient for you to walk like this, especially with so many people on the street. Why don't you carry the lunchbox and I'll carry you?"

"Thank you, please... I'm sorry to trouble you..." Sophia also realized that every time she took a step, the pink openwork ribbon on her long legs would be exposed, which was really too embarrassing.

Actually, there's nothing wrong with showing skin. There are many young women in short skirts standing on the street who show skin too. The problem is that her white coat is too loose, letting in the wind. It always feels like she could be blown away at any moment.

As for how to hold her, Xiuming suggested letting her rest her head on his shoulder, then hugging her thighs through his white coat and half-carrying her on his shoulder.

Sofia didn't know what to do, so she used the lunchbox to cover her flushed face and followed his advice.

Of course, after picking him up, Xiuming felt a little uncomfortable and said, "Don't move your legs around, or everyone will feel awkward... We're on the street..."

After all, the zipper on his pants was broken.

Fortunately, after only a few steps, Ichiro Shiraishi slowly pulled up in his Toyota Crown.

He was very responsible and a good driver.

Xiuming pulled out the back seat and sat down with Sophia in his arms.

With a cold, robotic expression, Shiraishi Ichiro said, "The police are coming. Although I'm just a driver, I feel it's necessary to remind you that you have a wife at home and so many girlfriends outside, so don't try to snatch people from the street anymore."

After all, if Xiuming gets arrested, he will lose his job.

"Stop talking nonsense and get going," Xiuming said irritably, then asked Sophia, who was panting heavily with her eyes closed, "Where do you live?"

“Okubo…” Sophia stammered, giving the apartment address. Hearing Shiraishi Ichiro’s words, her heart sank. Hideaki has a wife? And many girlfriends? What’s going on? Sensing Hideaki’s unusual behavior, she suppressed her shame and whispered, “Could you put me down? You’re making things very difficult for me…”

Sophia was pretty sure that Xiuming was the kind of guy who was looking for fun. After all, he was a married man. Although she felt a pang of heartbreak, she couldn't show it too obviously and could only hold back her tears.

"What's so difficult about it? This is fine." Xiuming didn't let go.

Ichiro Shiraishi drove quite fast. Although the car had shock absorbers, the cabin would still bounce slightly when it occasionally went over small bumps.

"So... in this way, am I considered to be providing you with a service?"

Sofia didn't dare to press Xiuming about his love life. She knew she'd run into people like that in nightclubs, right? Then she added, "Could you give me a tip? I need to pay my rent."

After all, the stipend for intern doctors is simply not enough to cover my mother's medical expenses. Even if I pass the internship, there's still the medical licensing exam, which will waste a lot of time. Besides, even if I pass the exam, I don't know if I'll be able to find a job.

I urgently need money.

As for what Hideaki had mentioned before about the high-salary secretary, she figured there was no hope for that now, so she could only set her sights on the 600,000 yen in the lunchbox and started to regret the brainless things she had said at the hotel.

It was already delivered to me... I regret it so much, my heart aches so much...

“Let’s not talk about such embarrassing topics. We didn’t do anything at all, we were just sitting a little close together,” Hideaki gestured to Ichiro Shiraishi in the driver’s seat, and continued, “What if I put you down and this old man sees it? I’ll be very troubled.”

Sofia froze, unable to move.

Ichiro Shiraishi's face darkened. He had no time for such thoughts, and besides, he had deliberately turned off the car lights to avoid suspicion, so nothing could be seen.

"We've arrived!" Ichiro Shiraishi slammed on the brakes.

It seems that Ichiro Shiraishi has been hurt.

Xiuming carried Sophia out of the car, revved the engine, and drove off.

Chapter 189 Night Road

I had just left the Okubo residential area in the early evening, and then returned here again around 10 p.m.

However, Umezu Midori's home is separated from a commercial street where many foreigners live, and from Okubo Park, which is dimly lit but pitch black.

It may have really hurt Ichiro Shiraishi's feelings, because he didn't drive the car to his destination.

To get to Sofia's rented studio apartment, you need to walk through Okubo Park.

The park has nice landscaping and lots of benches for resting.

On both sides of the gravel road are waist-high green belts. The lights on the white poles can only illuminate a small area, barely the size of a palm, and you can't even see the faces of the people sitting on the benches under the streetlights.

Many of the rest chairs were occupied.

Either a woman was sitting alone smoking, or a man and a woman who looked like a couple, almost all in the throes of new love, either clinging to each other affectionately, or the woman straddling the man's lap, their bodies wrapped in a wide trench coat, and it was unclear what they were doing.

On some of the unoccupied benches, you'll often see a woman's handbag lying on it, and then you'll hear strange noises coming from the bushes behind the benches.

Xiuming glanced at the green belt and felt that there were people all around in the bushes. However, the streetlights were not on and the path was dark. He could not see their faces after three or four steps. So Xiuming put Sophia down.

After all, carrying her like this all the time would give the impression that I was deliberately taking advantage of her.

After landing, Sofia swayed a little and her steps were unsteady, but she quickly regained her balance and followed behind with small, quick steps.

Xiuming and Sophia walked past the benches, but the people on the benches continued doing what they were doing and didn't pay them any attention. It seemed that anyone who entered the park at this time knew what they were there for.

If everyone does it this way, then there's nothing awkward or embarrassing about it.

Is the economic situation really that bad?

"Um, you, your lunchbox, aren't you going to take it?" Sofia hugged the lunchbox tightly to her chest like a treasure, glancing around furtively as if afraid someone would hear her, and then whispered, "After all, there's so much money in there. If it gets stolen, I can't afford to pay for it."

“You walk away so casually that no one will suspect there’s 670,000 yen inside.”

As soon as Xiuming finished speaking, the rustling sounds around them suddenly fell silent.

"Don't be so loud..." Sophia, holding the lunchbox in her right hand, ran quickly to Xiuming's side, wrapped her left arm around Xiuming's arm, bent over and hunched her neck, her eyes full of tension and urgency, and said, "They're not moving, they must have heard it."

However, no sooner had she finished speaking than another voice rang out from the dark bushes, slightly louder than before, seemingly refuting Sophia's "unfounded malicious speculation."

"See? Everyone's busy with important matters, they don't care about such a small amount of money." Xiuming shrugged and strode forward.

Sofia had just taken a long stride when she quickly released Xiuming's arm with her left hand, grabbed the hem of his white coat, and pulled it down while shuffling after him, saying urgently, "Don't walk so fast, it's inconvenient for me..."

Xiuming said irritably, "It's so dark around here, I can't even see clearly, why would I worry that they can't see me either? You're not naked... uh..."

Before Xiuming could finish speaking, a dozen steps away, under a lamppost, a person was holding a rope, with a person crawling on the other end. Her skin was very white in the lamplight. Seemingly noticing that Xiuming was watching them, she disappeared into the bushes.

Has a pervert who only appears in comics actually appeared in real life...?

Sophia followed Xiuming's gaze and saw it too. She seemed shocked and stunned because it was the first time she had seen such a scene.

"Let's get out of here. There's a bunch of perverts in this park. I can't stand them..." Xiuming muttered, grabbing the lunchbox from Sophia's arms and quickening his pace to leave.

"Wait for me..." Sofia called out, grabbing her clothes as she chased after her, "Don't walk so fast."

As they left the park and turned into a narrow alley, the surroundings were quiet and deserted. Sofia relaxed a little and stopped chasing after them with her small, quick steps.

"Um, what does your company do?" Sophia asked in a low voice.

When I came out of the hotel room, Hideaki mentioned that his company was hiring a secretary. Someone who doesn't even care about 670,000 yen must be from a big company. The salary must be pretty high, right?

"Game development." Xiuming slowed his pace after leaving the park.

"Is what you said before about the job still valid?" Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. If it was a game development company, she should be able to handle it. "Although I've never done secretarial work before, I've taught myself a lot of professional knowledge and I'm also very interested in games. I've read a lot of game fan comics."