Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

The soundproofing of the door was excellent; after closing the door, only a tiny bit of Funakawa Yoshiko's voice could be heard.

Hideaki hadn't walked far when Funakawa Yoshiko opened the door again.

“Wait a minute, where are you going?” Funakawa Yoshiko said.

"The contract isn't being changed, so you can continue negotiating." Xiuming said dismissively and continued walking out.

"Who said we won't change it? I'm going to change it!" Funakawa Yoshiko suddenly shouted. "Is chuunibyou suggesting a 20/80 split? Then I'll give you an extra point, you get 90%, I get 100%, how about that?"

Hideaki paused, then turned back, looking at Funakawa Yoshiko's already reddened eyes.

"What are your conditions? If..."

Before Hideaki could finish speaking, Funakawa Yoshiko interrupted him, pointing at Shota with disdain and anger, saying, "I want to talk to you, and you have to sign it yourself. I don't want to talk to that chuunibyou."

After arriving at the company, Yoshiko Funakawa repeatedly asked Shota to call Hideaki over so she could have a face-to-face talk with him.

In fact, she didn't care at all about the conditions proposed by Shota. After all, the funds were indeed provided by Hideaki, and she really did get a great deal without spending any money.

As for why they insisted on meeting with Xiuming in person, it was naturally to sign another copy of his commitment agreement with him.

Although Funakawa Yoshiko became a widow, she had never experienced anything, not even the warmth of a family. Otherwise, her heartless parents would never have sold her to the old yakuza boss to remarry and bring him good luck.

She was also plotting to steal Xiuming away, after all, she had received great healing from Xiuming.

For example, when I had a high fever and was delirious, he went out in the rain to buy fever reducers. He was also so good at massage, gently rubbing my lower abdomen to help relieve menstrual cramps. For example, even after he had already seen me naked, he still changed my sanitary napkin by hand...

Since returning from her hometown in Fukushima with Hideaki, Funakawa Yoshiko has been secretly investigating Hideaki's situation. The information she found turned out to be fabricated by Ezaki, which greatly shocked her. How could he have two identities? On one hand, he is Riko's husband, and on the other hand, he is also the son-in-law of the Ezaki family?

Of course, she no longer had the authority to investigate his personal information further, and she didn't even know where his hometown was. However, she found out that there were quite a few women who were related to Xiuming, which made her more and more worried. Giving up was out of the question, so she decided to speed up the process of cheating on him.

It would be even better if Xiuming could personally go to the factory to check the accounts and supervise.

After all, he had personally overseen the layout of the new factory, and had even prepared a cozy little home for him in a secluded corner of the factory.

Shota refused, saying, "My lord is busy with official duties. There's no need to bother him with such a trivial matter." He even added, "Even if you're beautiful, it's useless. My lord cares most about Mrs. Riko. As for you, well, I won't give you any face. I'm sure my lord won't punish me."

Basically, it was like stabbing Funakawa Yoshiko in the heart, making her so angry that her chest ached, and she wished she could immediately order Yagami Katsumi to rip Shota's head off.

This made Funakawa Yoshiko even more eager for Hideaki to "inspect" the factory.

"what do you mean?"

Hideaki's face immediately darkened. He pushed Funakawa Yoshiko into the room, then closed the door and said loudly, "Are you looking down on my prime minister? Why don't you talk to him? If you look down on him, you're looking down on me. Am I that bad for you to look down on?"

We cannot let the "Prime Minister" lose heart...

Is this what I meant?

Funakawa Yoshiko was stunned, unable to understand Hideaki's thought process. However, his straightforward change of topic and question made her feel wronged, and she said loudly, "How could I look down on you? I just want you to sign the contract with me and not with him."

"You woman, do you even know what business cooperation is?"

Hideaki shrugged and continued, "I've delegated all the affairs of my company, big and small, to Shota. Anyway, it's all in the company's name, so it doesn't matter who I sign with."

Shota's loyalty is evident to all. Give him more responsibilities, provide more encouragement, and learn to delegate authority.

As for whether there will be betrayal or malfeasance, it is highly unlikely that there will be any problems before he finds a romantic partner. After all, many men are corrupted by the influence of love. Before that, they are definitely hot-blooded and immature teenagers.

Besides, this small company doesn't even amount to what I make in the stock market in a single morning. My entrepreneurship is just a hobby, and even if it were taken over, there are countless ways to get it back. The real focus is still Riko's supermarket, Ayako's embroidery, and Ezaki's foreign trade...

“I…” Funakawa Yoshiko stamped her foot, panting for a moment, and then said, “Since it doesn’t matter who you sign with, and you happen to be here, there shouldn’t be any problem with you signing!”

"Then we won't change the contract; the extra commission can be your pocket money."

Hideaki really couldn't understand why Funakawa Yoshiko would insist on such a thing. Her insistence made him suspect that she had some ulterior motive, since she was not only not taking any benefits but also giving them away.

"I have my reasons, and a scumbag like you would never understand."

As she spoke, Funakawa Yoshiko quickly grabbed a folder from the table, pulled out a blank sheet of paper, and then stuffed the pen and paper into Hideaki's hand, saying, "The new contract hasn't been printed yet, so write your name on it first and let your 'Prime Minister' supervise so he won't do anything underhanded."

"There's no need to write anything; just affix the company seal."

It's a blank piece of paper after all. What if she signs it and then runs away with it?

While there's a high probability I won't be framed by her, there's a small chance she might turn evil. Maybe she'll suddenly become a yandere and trick me.

Speaking of which, ever since she came back, I feel like she's turning to the dark side. If it weren't for the fact that I need to quickly make money to buy a building these days, I would definitely keep an eye on her and see what kind of wicked ideas she's hiding in her head.

Let's test the waters first...

He immediately said, "If you insist on me signing, print out the contract and come find me at the supermarket across the street downstairs. I'll be working at the massage parlor in the supermarket for the next few days. If you also want a massage, you can go there and get a membership card. I'm going to run my own massage parlor."

Funakawa Yoshiko nodded thoughtfully and said nothing more.

Hideaki gave Shota a few more words of encouragement. Thinking of the workspace outside the office, where the programmers were typing away at their keyboards with such intense focus, he was really worried about the possibility of them dying from overwork.

The work habits of "super overtime," "corporate warriors," and "24/7" that emerged during the economic boom and bubble period have persisted and will likely continue for a long time. Moreover, the current economic downturn is becoming increasingly apparent, which will make them work even harder. If one of them dies, the boss will have to pay a lot of money, since the company uses the "lifetime employment system" that other companies are gradually phasing out.

Hideaki then continued to instruct Shota on some employee welfare issues, such as organizing regular social events and giving them more personal space. After all, most office workers nowadays live a very stressful work environment, which can drive them crazy.

Finally, Hideaki took a look around Satoshi Tajiri's workspace and Eri's newly hired "anime production team," but there wasn't much to see. The feedback he received was that the offices were a bit small...

All told, the company already has more than 150 employees.

Chapter 222 Massage Room in the Supermarket

As Hideaki walked out of Shota's office, turned into the corridor, and reached his work area, it was just past five o'clock, the end of the workday.

The employees at their workstations also stopped what they were doing, some getting up to get water, some listening to music to relax, and some looking down at comics, remaining quiet.

The unfamiliar employees didn't recognize Xiuming either. When Xiuming observed them, they looked at him with puzzled expressions. However, most of them were sneaking glances in the direction of Xiangtai's office, even though there was a winding corridor that made it impossible to see the office door.

Hideaki didn't care whether his employees knew him or not; he just felt like they were living in a high-pressure environment created by Shota.

They all seemed to be terrified of Shota... and Shota's personality did indeed reveal a lust for power.

Although it's not quite appropriate to describe him as a high-ranking official close to the emperor, he might often be overly strict in order to improve company profits and present good results to satisfy himself.

Being in such a high-pressure environment for a long time, the mental torment is more likely to destroy a person than the physical torment. It not only increases the risk of sudden cardiac death, but also greatly increases the risk of cancer.

In an era obsessed with fame and fortune, it is not uncommon for young people to be diagnosed with terminal illnesses.

The increasingly declining economic situation has caused too many people to lose their sense of security and become physically and mentally exhausted.

It seems that simply instructing Shota won't be enough; I should try to organize things myself and develop a healthy and sustainable corporate culture plan.

"Mr. Hideaki, are you going downstairs?"

Kimiko Matsuzaka, who was originally standing at the cashier in the supermarket downstairs, came over with three male employees, pushing a cart full of bento boxes. One employee pushed the cart to Riko and Ezaki's company across the street, while the other two employees were to push it into Hideaki's company.

Riko Supermarket's bento boxes have now expanded into fast food delivery services, delivering meals to other floors in addition to their own company on this floor.

They offer fast food delivery services every day at noon, afternoon, and even at night, along with other supermarket items.

Kimiko Matsuzaka, dressed in a light green dress, clutched a blue folder containing registration forms to her chest, her collar taut...

If Ayako wore a dress like that, she would definitely look better than Kimiko.

"Come downstairs right away," Hideaki said, stepping aside to let two employees pushing carts into the company's aisle. He then asked, "Is Ayako still downstairs?"

"Yes, I'm here. I just told you to tell you to come down quickly, as Miss Tachibana is waiting."

"What do you want?" Xiuming asked.

Ji Shizi glanced around, blinked, then suddenly leaned closer to Xiuming, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear, "It's probably about jealousy..."

When she suddenly leaned closer, she let the folder she was holding in front of her chest hang down to her side, and her H-cup breasts naturally bumped against Xiuming's arm.

Women are made of water... This line of text flashed through Xiuming's mind. He stood firm and took the hit, then suddenly turned his head. Their noses brushed against each other. Ji Shizi's eyes widened in surprise, and she jumped back as if frightened.

Xiuming asked without changing his expression, "Are you jealous?"

Ji Shizi's face flushed red instantly, and she tilted her head, saying, "Mr. Xiuming, please don't joke with me like that, I'll take it seriously."

"It's okay, it's just for fun. I won't take it seriously. Is your boyfriend an artist? I heard he has very progressive ideas."

"You really are a heartless scumbag, I'm ignoring you now..."

Ji Shizi smiled, and as she spoke, she stomped her foot. With a surge of emotion, she turned and went through the glass door.

Men are just despicable... To avoid scolding himself alone, Xiuming could only kidnap all the men and scold them together.

What I hate most is waiting for the elevator during rush hour.

Especially on the 28th floor, which is almost the top floor, people on lower floors squeeze into the elevator to reserve a spot while it's going up, leaving those on higher floors to wait until the very end to go down.

Every time the elevator doors open, a series of numb faces almost rush towards you.

After Xiuming missed two elevators, he finally managed to squeeze onto the third one.

The entire elevator car was shrouded in a somber atmosphere. Almost everyone there was like a robot, staring blankly at the decreasing floor numbers on the elevator display screen. Some people who couldn't see the numbers turned their faces toward the stainless steel elevator car panel, looking at the elevator advertisements with lifeless eyes.

Absolutely no one is eyeing anyone else.

They were all young faces. In this fast-paced era, it seems that every working person has become a flower that cannot bear fruit. The dreams and wishes from childhood have all been lost.

Xiuming stepped out of the elevator and mingled with the groups of office workers as he walked out of the building.

Most people headed straight to the nearest platform, while a small number went straight to the "Miyamoto 100 Yen Supermarket" across the street. Their entertainment consisted only of magazines and comics, and they also had some quirks, such as buying snacks but not eating them, instead collecting the cards inside, thus becoming "enemies of children."

Now, it's Ai Iijima standing at the cashier, still a nineteen-year-old girl. I wonder if she still has the American Dream and went to New York to study at her own expense?

There were quite a few customers at the time, and she kept her head down, collecting money and packing for customers. Xiuming didn't get close and went straight to the massage room with excellent soundproofing.

In massage parlors nowadays.

Ayako was drinking tea, while Tachibana stood angrily at the door, waiting for Hideaki to come and knock.

She had just asked Ji Shizi to tell Xiuming to come down.

Before this, when Tachibana was being beaten up by Ayako, the arrogant Ayako accidentally let slip, saying, "Don't think you're safe just because you're on good terms with Riko. I'll replace that idiot who can't control her husband sooner or later..."

Tachibana was stunned for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean? Riko has a husband? And you're still taking her place?"

Ayako realized she had let something slip and, feeling guilty, stopped hitting her. When Tachibana pressed her for answers, she stammered and even became angry and embarrassed. If she was asked again, she would continue to hit her.

Although Ayako didn't answer directly, Tachibana realized what was going on and understood. After a long pause, she concluded, "My best friend has become the biggest spy."

Her mind was in turmoil. She felt wronged, angry, and amused all at the same time about Riko lying to her. It turned out that the "cuckold fetishist" and "pervert" she had been calling her were Riko. No wonder Ayako, whom she disliked, had been laughing so happily back then...

But my dear sister, how could you be so perverted?

But if you combine Hideaki's womanizing personality with Riko's personality, it seems like it's really impossible to control him...

As for myself, I was misled by Ayako from the very beginning. Of course, there was also the annoying Hideaki, who always implied that "Ayako gave him a lot of money" and "without Ayako giving me money, how would I buy you bags and nice clothes?"