Tokyo: Starting with taking on his wife's debts

Because Eri's alarm clock was set to ring at 10 a.m., she was still asleep, and she hadn't even changed her sleeping posture, still lying face down with her butt sticking out. Despite being heavily in debt, her sleep quality was really good, which also indirectly proves that she must be full of hope and have confidence in the future.

On both sides of the 10-meter-wide main road of the Financial Street, there are rows of mobile breakfast carts.

Groups of financial industry professionals in suits, leather shoes, and briefcases lined up at the stall to buy breakfast.

Although there were quite a few people, the atmosphere was quiet, with only hushed conversations and the sound of car exhaust pipes in the distance.

Hideaki spent 200 yen on a chicken and egg rice bowl and ate it as he walked toward the train station.

Because there were hardly any trash cans on the roadside, Xiuming threw his empty lunchbox into the smelly, garbage-filled Qiaochuan River.

Many office workers deliberately arrive early to avoid the pain of squeezing onto crowded trains.

Great, all the hardworking people have the same idea.

A huge crowd of people, carrying breakfast, lined up to squeeze onto the tram.

Xiuming's attire stood out among a group of people dressed in formal suits.

His navy blue shirt was completely unbuttoned, revealing his strong pectoral muscles and well-defined eight-pack abs. Given the rampant gang activity at the time, coupled with his height of 1.79 meters, he was extremely intimidating to ordinary office workers.

After he boarded the tram in line with his monthly pass, the man behind him had just stepped onto the steps when he was pushed by the person behind him, and he bumped his head into Xiuming's back.

Xiuming frowned and turned around. The man's expression changed drastically. He cried out "I'm sorry" and hurriedly retreated. After that, no one else got on the bus.

I arrived home 30 minutes later and used the access control card to open the door.

Riko knelt upright in the entrance hall, her high bun meticulously combed.

She was wearing a very loose blue slip dress, her hands were outstretched and folded on her thighs, her upper body was leaning forward, her head was slightly tilted back, her forehead was covered with a layer of fine sweat, her eyes were bloodshot, and her eyes were filled with expectation, trepidation and caution.

She looked like she hadn't slept all night and looked quite haggard.

"Honey, welcome back... Have you had breakfast yet? I'll make you some."

Just now, when Xiuming walked into the courtyard gate, she saw him through the window. He said he would be back around 12 o'clock.

Ayako, still heartless, laughed: "Don't wait anymore, I'm definitely not coming back tonight. Go wash up and go to sleep!"

Riko didn't believe it and kept waiting. Because she was so tired, she quickly took a shower and hasn't closed her eyes since.

"You still have the nerve to come back?" Ayako shouted from the second floor, her voice full of sarcasm. "Your wife waited for you all night~ and didn't even have breakfast! Don't you feel even a little bit guilty?"

"Something's happened, and there's no phone call from there..."

As Xiuming casually spoke, he kicked off his canvas shoes and put on disposable slippers. Seeing Riko about to pick up her canvas shoes, Xiuming grabbed her and pulled her up. "Stop it, stop it. Go back to your room and catch up on your sleep. I'll make you breakfast. Take these things upstairs!"

Hideaki shoved the cane and briefcase into Riko's hands and headed straight for the kitchen.

Riko, however, followed behind, clutching her crutches and briefcase, looking cautious and pitiful, as if she could be blown away in a breath.

Xiuming frowned, waved his hand and said, "Hurry up and wait. I'll call you when the food is ready."

"Hmm..." Riko pursed her lips, but still didn't move.

"Alright, alright, watch it here! Once the food is ready, I'll just pour it into your mouth, so I won't have to call you downstairs."

As Xiuming spoke, he kicked a small stool next to her, gesturing for her to sit down, and then began to get busy.

The fire was lit and the stove was started, accompanied by the "clatter" of a chopping board.

"Husband?" Riko glanced at the busy Hideaki and spoke cautiously.

"What?" Xiuming replied irritably.

"No...nothing..."

Riko wanted to remind him whether he should wear an apron.

But after I said it, I suddenly found the way he cooked really appealing, so I subconsciously didn't want to remind him anymore.

The feeling at this moment is like an unprecedented surprise and happiness. My husband not only didn't yell at me, but his tone of voice was also much gentler.

"Just say what you have to say, don't make me ask questions." Xiuming felt that she must have accumulated a lot of grievances, so he might as well explain to her, "Something really happened last night, I couldn't take that bubble bath, and Ayako-nii reported the prepaid card lost. I'll settle the score with Ayako later."

"Oh..." Riko pursed her lips tightly, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

Because Ayako called her brother right after Hideaki left with the prepaid card, it's clear she didn't manage to get the bath done.

As for why he didn't come back all night, I actually figured it out last night. Besides Ayako's occasional sarcastic remarks that "he must have gone to see that mysterious lady," Hideaki had also said many times that "men make mistakes."

But suddenly explaining it to myself like this makes me feel cared for, and it makes me so happy...

Xiuming made two servings of soft and fluffy tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet), seasoned with dashi broth.

"Come on, come on, come on, eat up!" Xiuming placed the plate in front of Riko, and took the black briefcase and metal cane from her arms. "You sit here and eat. I'll go upstairs and take it to that vixen. Oh, by the way, has she completed the twenty dolls task?"

"Yes, it's all done..." Riko sniffed the tamagoyaki on the plate and swallowed. She didn't want to care about anything between Hideaki and Ayako anymore. If Hideaki continued to talk to her like this, she would already be very happy.

Chapter 46 The Man Who Married to Endure Torment in order to Conceal the Truth

"What time did you say you'd be back? Tell me now, say it out loud! Didn't you say you always kept your promises and never lied? Were you even listening to me? Turn your face around and look me in the eyes, hehe~"

On the white mattress, Ayako propped her upper body up on the bedside table with her right elbow, leaning against it at an angle, her legs spread apart, her right leg extended straight out, and her left leg still hanging from the metal bracket next to her.

She was holding a tamagoyaki between her left fingertips, biting into it while incessantly mocking Hideaki, who was facing away from her, sewing a Pikachu doll.

This feeling is amazing!

Ayako wanted to stand with her hands on her hips and laugh for ten minutes straight.

I wonder if he would agree to sign the transfer agreement now?

Being manipulated like this makes me feel uncomfortable all over.

"Hey!" Ayako stepped on Hideaki's back with her bare right foot. What a solid back! It felt so good to step on. "Didn't we have a verbal agreement? Why are you sewing things yourself again? What if someone finds out? I'll be ruined!"

"Who's in charge of your family's doll factory?" Xiuming asked, stuffing cotton wool into the dolls.

Ayako's throat tightened, and she blurted out, "Why are you asking this?"

Xiuming stuffed the cotton wool in, sewed up the opening, and a round "Pikachu" was born.

"What do you think of this plush toy?" Hideaki tossed the Pikachu to Ayako's lap.

Ayako instinctively grabbed the "Pikachu," a very unique chibi-style animal she had never seen before. It resembled a bamboo rat or a squirrel, but she had never seen one with yellow fur like this before. She asked, "What an adorable little thing! What is it?"

“These are freshly made and haven’t been named yet,” Xiuming said, pulling the comic strips out of his black leather bag and arranging them one by one on the white mattress. “These are all here. Do you want to sell them? Then we’ll sign an authorization agreement.”

“So that’s how it is,” Ayako breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had discovered something… “It’s better to give me a personal contract than a contract for my family’s factory. I have a studio and can also start a plush toy business.”

The doll business belongs to the Sugita family; Ayako is just a high-level employee who has been plotting to cut ties and start her own business.

“Aren’t you money? I need a deposit of 100 million yen right now.”

Hideaki needs to unfreeze his bank card. Due to overdue mortgage payments, any money deposited into either Riko's or his bank card is immediately withdrawn. At least 20 yen needs to be deposited for the account to return to normal.

As for personal credit, it's already ruined, so it doesn't matter. Anyway, next month, the country will also become a worthless piece of trash with no credibility.

As for the remaining 80 yen, we will purchase a batch of inexpensive daily necessities from the wholesale market, following the strategy of Daiso founder Hirotake, and strictly control the practicality of the products: such as kitchen tools, cleaning supplies, stationery, etc.

Then rent a small storefront, set uniform prices: advertise "all items 100-200 yen" to attract price-sensitive customers, and then have Riko become the boss.

After all, the overall consumption environment is also downgrading, shifting from luxury to practicality, which is the best time.

Once we've accumulated enough strength, we'll optimize our supply chain and reduce intermediate costs: we'll connect with Zhejiang and Guangdong in China, where things are cheaper.

“How could I possibly give you that much money?” Ayako threw Pikachu onto her lap. “Although it’s cute, it has no story. Once the merchandise is rolled out, people will get tired of it soon, and I’ll go bankrupt.”

“I can come up with a complete plan, from game development to anime derivatives and merchandise operation... What’s the point of talking to you? Call the person in charge.”

Xiuming is also preparing to create such a plan to facilitate the submission of materials when registering copyright at the Cultural Affairs Bureau later. They generally don't care about the authenticity of the plan, only whether the material in front of them is created by the applicant. However, the more complete the materials are, the faster the review process will be.

"Please prepare the proposal first, and let me take a look."

Ayako pulled the plush toy over and hugged it to her chest. The football-sized Pikachu looked a bit small against her chest; if it were alive, it would probably suffocate.

"I don't talk business with useless people."

This woman is taking advantage of her position as a woman and is always thinking about getting something for free. Although I have no interest in embroidery skills at all, it's still not right to let her get away with it for free. I won't give her any more opportunities to get something for free until I recoup my costs.

"How do you know I'm useless!" Ayako snapped, her face flushed red. "I can borrow 100 million yen right now, do you believe me?"

Xiuming just stared at her without saying a word.

Ayako rolled her eyes, picked up Pikachu, and asked, "If I give you 100 million yen, how about you give me the copyright to this creation? I'll be the inventor."

"Isn't being the originator of a new embroidery technique enough for you? How come you dare to take on everything?"

“I want to be a genius!” Ayako said confidently. “Even if I can’t think of one, I can take someone else’s. I want to gain both fame and fortune, and you won’t lose out either, since I’ve already given you the money.”

"Don't even think about it, you can't afford that." It also needs to be bundled with Nintendo game consoles. Once it becomes a huge hit, they'll be after the copyright, and negotiations will definitely break down. Who knows, there might even be assassination attempts...

"Let's compromise then! Sign the embroidery transfer contract, and I'll give you a loan right away."

Xiuming almost burst out laughing; it turned out her real purpose was still the embroidery technique.

"Given our relationship, you can just take it and use it. Are you afraid I'll betray you? I'm the kind of person who keeps my promises the most."

"Yes, he said he'd be home by midnight, but he only arrived this morning." Ayako tugged at her collar. "Don't you know how long your wife's been waiting?"

"Write another contract! I'm going to check on Riko." Hideaki walked straight out of the room.

It's also an embroidery technique that's not needed. Anyway, in this era of economic downturn, her plan to build a real business is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Then we'll have her switch to selling game and anime merchandise, charging her exorbitant licensing fees that will drain her wallet.

Riko had already finished breakfast. Amidst Hideaki and Ayako's conversation, she quietly returned to the nanny's room next door, curled up on her side, and went to sleep on the single bed.

She was wearing only a thin blue slip dress that clung to her body, showing off a perfect waist and hip curve.

"husband?"

When Hideaki pushed open the door, Riko quickly turned around and sat up to get out of bed.

The nightgown was very loose on her, especially the neckline, which swayed freely with her movements.

It should be Ayako's clothes.

“Go back to sleep,” Xiuming walked to the bedside, held her shoulders, and helped her lie face down on the small bed. He gently massaged her shoulders and back. “I’m going to open a small daily necessities retail store. Would you be interested in working there?”

"Huh?" Riko looked bewildered.

Weren't we always given orders before? Why are we discussing it now? But how should I answer? I have no idea if I'm even interested... Will I get yelled at if I answer like this?

so hard!