Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

Of course, this assessment was made before Midori Umezu personally approached Hideaki to discuss business, and now it's impossible to determine whether Tachibana was lucky or unlucky.

After all, Minister Umezu had already used his honey trap on Mr. Hideaki. In addition, Masae Sato of Nomura Securities and Ikuyo Shiraki of Ichiwa Securities must have done the same, otherwise it would have been impossible to invest so much money in them.

And just now when I was greeting Xiuming at the door, I saw two strange women acting very intimately with him, like a family of three...

Seriously, wasn't Minister Umezu supposed to be vehemently opposed to philandering men? What happened? Just now, upon hearing that Mr. Hideaki was coming, she was secretly putting on makeup! Her image is ruined! If she's exposed, her subordinates will gossip about her…

Okay, so what if you're rich... I can't be envious of that. After all, even if I work hard and earn money, my youth will have already faded like the setting sun.

I can only hope that Tachibana-chan can take it easy.

In such a society, although the troubles of the rich can only be unlocked after they become rich, the poor are the majority of the population, so having money to spend is the most practical, happiest, and most mainstream desire.

Ichiro Suzuki led Hideaki to the door of Midori Umezu's office, knocked on the door, and then bowed as he retreated, also dispelling some curious glances that were peeking over.

"Please come in." Midori Umezu's cool voice came from behind the door.

She was sitting behind a large mahogany office desk. Her flaxen hair, which had been dyed back to black, was still wavy. She wore only a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms. She wasn't wearing any jewelry. The top two buttons of her collar were undone, revealing a cleavage below her fair neck. It was second only to Ayako's bust size. Was it a white bra? There wasn't a trace of it.

"Hey, you look pretty good with your hair back after dyeing it," Xiuming said, sitting down on the sofa opposite her at the coffee table.

The wall clock shows 11:40. Let's wait another twenty minutes!

"Ahem!" Midori Umezu glanced at the door, coughed as she stood up, a smile in her eyes, and said in a low voice, "Mr. Yamanaka, this is a public place, please have some self-respect."

With the soft click of her high heels, she stepped out from behind her desk. She wore high-waisted black straight-leg trousers, the hems of which covered her heels and hung low on the floor. Her white shirt was tucked into her black belt, making her legs appear long and straight.

She closed the office door, then turned and walked back to her desk. After sitting down, she looked at Xiuming with a smile and asked, "I wonder what brings you here, Mr. Yamanaka?"

"What kind of role-playing?" Hideaki grabbed a neck pillow and eye mask from the sofa, put them on his head, then took off his shoes, lay on his side on the sofa with his back to Umezu Midori, and said, "I'm going to sleep for a while. Wake me up in twenty minutes."

Umezu Midori was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, "You just came here for a nap?"

"Shut up, don't disturb my sleep."

"..."

While Hideaki was taking a nap, Ayako and Eri had already returned to the Miyamoto 100-yen department store in Shinjuku Ward in Ichiro Shiraishi's Toyota Crown.

That despicable Eri, she won't let Ayako draw a wedding photo of her and Hideaki.

Although it is indeed infuriating, if you look at it on the bright side, then you have a reason to beat her up anytime, which is not bad. You can just pick it up and beat her up like you would a naughty child, which is very stress-relieving.

Currently, only two sales assistants and Kimiko Matsuzaka, who is acting as the temporary store manager, are at the cashier.

Because the other twelve stores will all open tomorrow, and this store is already in a stable period, many employees have been reassigned to help out.

Hitomi Shiraishi and Chieko also took over from Riko and Misako as temporary managers to inspect and supervise the store.

Although Riko and Misako had been busy all night, they couldn't sleep at noon, so they sat in the restaurant's dining area, eating and discussing the store's upcoming promotions and future plans.

Because of the booming success of Hideaki's game development company in the building across the street, which attracted many newspaper reporters, Misako suggested that Riko also invite some reporters to interview them and then publish a report about the store in the newspaper.

After all, in such a sluggish economic situation, the ability to open thirteen chain supermarkets at once, with hundreds of employees and top-notch benefits, is absolutely inspiring.

Ideally, we should collaborate with Hideaki's game development company and Ezaki's foreign trade company on a related front. This would create thousands of jobs, potentially tens of thousands in the future, and the government would definitely provide strong support...

Riko nodded in agreement, and she also agreed with Misako's suggestion.

Although Riko is gentle and shy, she only acts "shamelessly" towards Hideaki.

In public, when interviewed by reporters or even when facing hundreds of employees, he exudes a unique aura and can handle the situation with ease.

This was also thanks to the fact that when they were training together on the 28th floor, Misako always intentionally let Riko stand up alone and speak to the employees below.

For introverted and shy people, as long as they have more opportunities to speak in public, whether it's self-introduction or just rambling, as long as they can stand up and speak, they'll become more outgoing. Once they're outgoing, their minds will become more flexible, and they won't be afraid of large audiences. They'll see everyone as just another person, with no difference between them. Their on-the-spot reactions will become quick, and they'll learn to control the situation with ease.

As the two finalized the details, Ayako and Eri walked into the store.

Just as Eri was about to jump over and shout, Ayako grabbed her by the back of the neck, lifted her up, and covered her mouth.

While Riko and Misako were discussing something, Ayako, though not hearing everything, overheard phrases like "Ezaki's company," "Hideaki's company," and "Riko's supermarket," suggesting a possible collaboration with a reporter...

This made Ayako instantly feel ostracized.

But then I thought about my embroidery company, which no longer has an office space, and the interview is scheduled for tomorrow. Even if I rent a space on the 29th floor now, it's too late. It doesn't seem like I'm being deliberately ostracized. I'll just pretend I don't know for now and make a scene when they really start ostracizing me.

However, the studio was originally located here, but it was transformed into Riko's supermarket, and even the only three female embroiderers became Riko's employees...

That bastard Hideaki gave everything to Riko, and no matter how I think about it, I still feel wronged.

Ayako grew angrier the more she thought about it. She left Eri behind and walked toward the dining area, deliberately making a "thump-thump" sound with her wooden clogs to attract Riko's attention.

When Riko and Misako turned around, Ayako walked up to Riko, deliberately puffing out her chest and using her ample bosom to block Riko's face.

Okay, I still don't want to see Riko. She's too enviable. I'm so envious I want to slap her on the back of the head. That annoying Hideaki is so biased towards her, I don't dare to hit her...

Ayako, filled with resentment, looked down at Misako with a condescending and disdainful attitude.

"What's your name?" Ayako asked.

As for Misako, although it is still unknown what her relationship with Hideaki is, it seems like they have a romantic relationship. Just now she called him "Hideaki-kun~" so affectionately.

And Riko's reaction? Absolutely no reaction at all. What an incompetent wife.

You can deduce certain things from Riko. For example, if Riko becomes best friends with someone, there's a high probability that she's having an affair with Hideaki.

“My name is Misako,” Misako said, pursing her lips slightly. She stood up, extended her hand to Ayako, and continued, “You must be Miss Ayako, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

When Misako first joined the store, Ayako was also on her way to an embroidery exhibition with her suitcase. Ayako had made threatening remarks while strolling around the supermarket, and Ayako had also met her.

In addition, Chieko's caution towards Ayako, and Riko's undisguised dislike of Ayako, also made Misako very careful.

She originally intended to keep it a secret, but because of Riko's excessive tolerance and friendliness, she unconsciously turned her guilt towards Riko into gratitude, forgot to continue hiding, and even couldn't help but ask Riko about her deep-seated desire to "have a wedding with Hideaki".

When she first asked the question, she was almost scared to death, but after a moment of surprise, Riko realized that Hideaki had promised, so she nodded.

Therefore, Misako was completely open and unguarded when facing Riko, and she did not hide her feelings for Hideaki during their conversation.

At this moment, Misako also realized this, and it was estimated that Ayako had already discovered it.

Misako didn't want any conflict with anyone and tried her best to maintain a proper attitude.

"Of course you're happy, you stole my husband."

Ayako crossed her arms over her elbows, rested her forearms on her chest, raised her fair chin, and said, "I don't want to shake your hand. You stole my house while I was away. Shameless."

Misako's face stiffened and turned red.

"We don't want to shake your hand either,"

As Riko spoke, she grabbed Misako's hand, which was frozen in mid-air, then pulled the chair back a little, stood up, and said, "He's my husband, and he's my home. You're the shameless one who stole my house."

Ayako lifted her chest again, continuing to block Riko's face, and said, "Did I steal it? Didn't you see it with your own eyes?"

"Then you've stolen it, and you're shameless, a robber." Riko's face flushed red, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

"You were clearly heading to my house, and you came along too." Ayako lowered her arms slightly, glancing at Riko's expression. Riko seemed to be able to handle it, but she looked quite busy, so it wasn't convenient to continue bothering her. She'd just say one more thing, otherwise she'd feel uncomfortable holding it in... Then she raised her arms again and said, "Not only can you not control your household, but you also bring other women home. It's really hard to judge you. How about I be your wife for a year, and you can learn how to be a proper wife?"

This is indeed Ayako's biggest unresolved issue; she doesn't have a proper identity, and she feels guilty even when she's with a mistress.

Judging from Hideaki's current attitude towards him, he's already showing signs of becoming inseparable from him. If he can get through to Riko, then everything will be much easier.

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore,” Riko said, turning her head away and raising her voice slightly. “Go away and don’t disturb our work.”

"Fine, I'm leaving. I don't want to talk to you."

Ayako turned and left with a smirk in her heart, not noticing Eri hiding behind her. She almost tripped over her, staggered three steps, and only regained her balance by holding onto the shelf.

Eri smiled and asked, "Are you alright?"

Riko, standing next to her, covered her mouth and chuckled.

Ayako immediately realized that the two of them were in cahoots. However, if she showed anger, it would make them feel good. So she suppressed her anger and waved her hand, saying, "I'm fine, but are you alright? I thought I kicked a little mouse, after all, you're so short... sigh?"

Tachibana suddenly appeared on the roadside outside the supermarket...

Ayako was taken aback, and the anger she felt instantly dissipated. Then she glanced at Eri and Riko with ill intent.

Chapter 215 Ayako: I'm the real deal now.

Ayako already knew that Riko deliberately concealed her identity as Hideaki's wife in order to avoid embarrassing Tachibana, who claimed to be "Hideaki's official girlfriend." Perhaps she was worried that Tachibana would not be able to accept the truth and might do something rash, but it's also possible that she had a "cuckold fetish."

Of course, if we're going to pinpoint the main responsibility, it's definitely that bastard Hideaki's fault. But things are what they are now, so there's no point in dwelling on the past. What we should be thinking about is the present and the future.

Hmm... Just this morning, about an hour ago, Ayako had a conversation with Tachibana about marrying Hideaki without her consent and taking on the role of Hideaki's wife.

This was acknowledged by Tachibana. Thanks to that bastard Hideaki for inventing the "cooling-off period after a breakup," Tachibana, who would otherwise have been very likely to have a change of heart, now has something to think about. It can be basically concluded that even if Hideaki has several more girlfriends, she will not have a change of heart.

Ayako thought about Riko's personality again. Riko was the kind of person who would continue to back down and tolerate things as long as she wasn't pushed to the brink, even if there was only a millimeter of room left.

Correspondingly, once Tachibana arrives, as long as the fact that Riko and Hideaki are husband and wife is not completely exposed, Riko will definitely continue to hide it.

Doesn't that mean I can stand on Riko's head and claim to be Hideaki's official wife? Maybe Riko will even acknowledge it herself...

Ayako became more and more excited as she thought about it, so she stared straight at Riko and chuckled.

Riko felt a chill run down her spine as Ayako stared at her with a sly grin, and instinctively pulled Eri into her arms.

Why are you looking at me like that? If you look at me again, I'm going to get angry.

Riko's impression of Ayako was that she was an annoying woman with an enviable figure who was always thinking of replacing her, and who knew how to act cute.

I also have to admit one of my weaknesses, for example: Ayako's two breasts combined are bigger than my head.

Xiuming has said more than once that if he has too many babies in the future and there is not enough breast milk, Ayako can help.

Riko could only silently feel wronged: I'm not bad myself. Even if I have several babies and can't feed them all, I'd rather have Chieko, or Miss Umezu Midori, or Misako...

Although this was just something Hideaki said casually, it also reflects that Hideaki likes big things, and Ayako's advantages are unmatched.

Riko still harbors this unresolved feeling: Hideaki suddenly barged into her home and became her husband.

Although we went to the government service center together to update the "household registration transcript" and "marriage registration", we used my deceased husband's name, and it still feels like a dream.

Even though Xiuming has repeatedly given you a sense of security that he will "never abandon or give up on you," you can't get stuck on it and think about it too deeply, otherwise it will seem less and less real.

Riko was also intrigued by Misako's sudden mention of wanting to "hold a wedding".

Wouldn't it feel more authentic if I participated in a wedding myself?

She never dared to use her status as the "first wife" to suppress anyone unless someone wanted to take that status from her, such as Ayako.

However, she was also worried about upsetting Hideaki, so she didn't dare to go too far with Ayako. Usually, Ayako would attack first, and she would defend and counterattack.

Overall, the two of them were both envious and wary of each other.