Tokyo: They say it's just dating, but they're serious about it.

"Miss Yazhi, how did your examination go?"

“I’m a professional doctor, so I can only give you a professional conclusion, which is…” Shiraki Masako’s eyes, almost brimming with tears, glanced at Katsuhiko’s face, then she tilted her head and said, “Healthy, very handsome, I’ve never seen anyone so handsome…”

"Handsome?" Yingdai blinked, her face immediately turning red. She said irritably, "You're such a fangirl..."

Even if the test report is expedited, it won't arrive until the afternoon, which is already lunchtime.

Because she didn't want to hear her colleagues discussing "older women," Shiraki Masako never got a meal card or went to the cafeteria; she always ate out or ordered takeout.

The three of them then prepared to go out for dinner.

After taking the elevator down to the first floor, Mr. Kudo and Katsuhiko's father were still sitting on the lounge chairs in the medical hall.

Eiya clung to Katsuhiko's arm, shrank back, and whispered, "Honey, um, maybe I shouldn't go? Father-in-law only approves of Sayuri-chan."

“You’re already a wife, what are you afraid of?” Katsuhiko put one arm around her slender waist and grabbed Shiraki Masako’s wrist, who was still in a daze, with the other hand. “I’m sick, I’m right, you guys just eat.”

Eiyo definitely has to be at the table, and as for Shiraki Masayuki, the upcoming discussion will revolve around her, so she can't be absent; she had a day off today but still worked overtime...

Katsuhiko, with one arm around each other and holding the hand of the other, stepped out of the elevator.

Katsuhiko's father and Mr. Kudo turned around, their expressions changing simultaneously. They hurriedly got up and walked towards the door, waving haphazardly at Katsuhiko, signaling him to hurry up...

They probably thought Katsuhiko was too flamboyant.

Eiyo immediately realized what was happening, her face flushed as she pulled away from Katsuhiko, covering her head with her white bag, and sullenly walked towards the door, muttering, "How annoying, I'm going to become a useless wife too... You two can keep bickering! So annoying..."

Of course, Shiraki Masayuki was still immersed in the scolding she had received from Katsuhiko's father. By the time she came to her senses, Eiyo and her two living fathers had all run out of the hospital.

"Mr. Takenaka, I... I still don't want to..."

Before she could finish speaking, Sheng Yan grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her forward, then slapped her on the buttocks.

"Ouch~" Shiraki Masayu let out a soft exclamation, tilting her head back and whispering, "What are you doing?"

"It's nothing, just playing around." Katsuhiko didn't remove his hand from her buttocks, but slid it up to her waist. He continued, "Your matter needs to be resolved, especially with Mrs. Noda. We'll discuss it properly at the dinner table later. Besides ordering you to poison her and keeping a dozen male prostitutes, what other unspeakable things is Mrs. Noda doing?"

"It seems she's mortgaged a lot of assets and borrowed money from loan sharks; she can barely afford the interest payments..."

Masayuki Shiraki overheard the phone calls by chance, piecing together the information and making guesses bit by bit. Mrs. Noda also indirectly asked her about the amount of money and financial assistance she had given her...

Katsuhiko nodded, recalling "Mr. Oshima," the private detective's business card that Eiyo had obtained from the deceased Hiroji Sato.

The hospital gate faces a T-junction, and there's a barbecue restaurant at the diagonal corner.

Katsuhiko's father entered first, and Mr. Kudo muttered something to Eiyo before also entering. Eiyo then stood at the door, smiling and waving to Katsuhiko and Shiraki Masako.

"Honey, Sayuri's dad has no problem with me," Eiyo said with a grin, pulling away from Shiraki Masayuki and hugging Katsuhiko's arm.

“He has no problem with anyone.” Katsuhiko then casually took Shiraki Masako’s wrist and said, “Let’s go.”

Today, Masayuki Shiraki treated everyone to a meal, which cost 20,000 yen. The bulk of the bill came from Eiyo, who ordered two bottles of fine wine to entertain Katsuhiko's father and Mr. Kudo.

Sheng Yan's father had a dark expression throughout the entire process, and didn't say a word, but kept picking up food and drinking.

Mr. Kudo became a kind-hearted person who helped create a pleasant atmosphere.

The main topic revolves around the idea that after Deputy Warden Noda recovers, the two "living fathers" will visit him and, in a casual or storytelling manner, subtly reveal Mrs. Noda's misdeeds to alert Noda Ichiro.

Mr. Kudo tentatively suggested that he wanted Katsuhiko's father to fabricate a story about how he was secretly murdered by Katsuhiko's mother.

Sheng Yan's father smashed a cup on the spot.

Then Mr. Kudo had no choice but to say, "Then I'll use my wife's story to make up a story about how she secretly harmed me. You mustn't tell anyone, or I'll have a hard time."

Then a group of people discussed various details, mainly to imitate Shiraki Masayuki's crime-solving process.

Finally, Mr. Kudo's face darkened, and he angrily said, "No way, my wife would never support more than a dozen male escorts..."

Chapter 116 Factory Expansion

After lunch, around 1 p.m., a basic strategy was finalized.

They eliminated the element of fabricating stories based on personal experiences and instead sought out real-life cases from newspapers and magazines. While not as impactful as stories about people around them, these were still examples.

The main issue is that Mr. Kudo cannot accept being cuckolded, even if it's just a rumor.

Katsuhiko also gave Mr. Kudo the contact information for Mr. Oshima from the detective agency. He wanted the two "living fathers" to contact Oshima to gather evidence of Mrs. Noda's keeping over a dozen male escorts, mortgaging her assets, and taking out high-interest loans. They definitely couldn't reveal this directly to Noda Ichiro.

As for the specific operational methods, these two living fathers were quite clever, so Sheng Yan was too lazy to come up with any more bad ideas himself.

After leaving the barbecue restaurant, the two fathers bought a fruit basket from the fruit shop next door and then went to the hospital.

Eiyo, Masayuki Shiraki, and Katsuhiko got into the taxi again.

The taxi was rented by Masayuki Shiraki and needs to be returned this afternoon.

Sheng Yan started the car, drove out of the hospital gate, made a few turns, and stopped in front of a ramen restaurant in the office building area.

During the dinner, Shiraki Masayuki kept her head down and hunched her shoulders, gripping her chopsticks without moving an inch, not even drinking any water.

Eiyo only dared to reach for the nearest plate with her chopsticks. The plate closest to her contained two pieces of cucumber, which Mr. Kudo casually grabbed, dipped in sauce, and ate...

The ramen shop is usually busy with office workers during lunchtime. Now that lunchtime has passed, there are hardly any customers left.

The shop's layout is as simple as that of a Lanzhou ramen shop...

Katsuhiko ordered two bowls of ramen. Eiyo and Shiraki Masayuki sat facing each other at the long square table, while Katsuhiko sat in the aisle in the middle.

Eiyo stared intently at Shiraki Masayuki and said, "You should leave as soon as you finish eating! It's shameless of you to keep lingering like this. It's only because I'm easygoing that you're like this. If it were Mikoto or Sayuri, they would definitely give you a couple of loving slaps."

Eiyo secretly pondered whether to expose Shiraki Masayuki to Sayuri and Mikoto. After all, she was currently collecting "husband usage fees" from her, and if it were exposed, she would definitely not get any of it. Sayuri might even confiscate the pearl earrings, diamond gold necklace, and Cartier watch that she had worked so hard to get.

Yingdai's reason was: it wasn't that she was afraid of Xiaobaihe, she just didn't want to fall out with her.

“I haven’t done anything yet…” Shiraki Masako held her ramen bowl, glanced at Katsuhiko drinking juice, and whispered, “You have to go to my house at least once… You’ve already taken the money, you can’t go back on your word.”

At the dinner just now, although Shiramu Masako kept her head down and didn't dare to utter a sound, she was secretly observing Katsuhiko's father's attitude. His attitude was tough, but Katsuhiko didn't listen to him at all.

Shiraki Masayuki's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down completely.

As for Yingdai's attempts to drive them away, they can be ignored, since she has already been paid...

"You've been in the room for so long, how could you have done nothing?"

“That was just a medical check-up, a normal auxiliary procedure, not a chargeable item. The things I gave you are worth at least ten million yen, and not a single penny has been spent yet.”

“Do you think I’m stupid? I don’t believe you didn’t eat…” Yingdai poked at the noodles with her chopsticks. Seeing someone glancing in their direction, she was too embarrassed to say it aloud. She paused for a moment, then continued, “If I go to your house, there’s an extra charge. It’s five million yen per visit. You have to pay in advance, cash.”

Masako Shiraki's face was already flushed. She glanced at Katsuhiko again, took out a bank card from her pocket, slammed it on the table, and said, "There are ten million yen in here. The next time..."

“The price has gone up now, it’s ten million yen per time,” Eiyo said, grabbing the bank card and stuffing it into her bag before Shiraki Masako could finish speaking. “This ten million yen is time-limited, it can only be used today.”

Seeing that Ying had accepted the money readily, Shiraki Masako promptly revealed the password and then said, "You should leave here now; we need to go home after we finish eating."

Yingdai memorized the password and said with a grin, "Ask my husband if he'd like to go home with you."

Shiraki Masako lowered her head, glancing furtively at Katsuhiko, her eyes filled with anticipation and longing. She even deliberately pursed her lips, putting on a pitiful look...

"It's already two o'clock. I have an appointment with the editor of the weekly teen magazine at three, so I have to go home and wait." Katsuhiko put the juice bottle on the table and adjusted his watch.

Yingdai covered her mouth and laughed.

After a long pause, Shiraki Masako whispered, "Why didn't you say anything when she asked me for money earlier?"

“You guys are having such a lively conversation, I’m too embarrassed to interrupt, I don’t want to disturb you,” Sheng Yan said perfunctorily, then took out his mobile phone and dialed Qin Ye’s landline number, saying, “Stop talking, hurry up and eat, I need to make a call.”

When Kotoha sent the manga, she used her home address and phone number. The Weekly Shonen editor must have visited Kotoha's house. As the manga's assistant, Yuma Kamisaki must have been waiting at Kotoha's house to ask if she had finished the manga outline...

The phone rang only twice before Kanzaki Yumi answered, yelling, "When are you coming back? Let that shameless woman Eiyo clear her name! She stole my husband, I'm going to beat her to death..."

Katsuhiko didn't try to avoid it, and Yumi's angry roar came through the receiver.

Yingdai chuckled and said, "I'm already your legal wife, how can you fight me? You mistress, idiot, moron, you don't know your place, I'll beat you to death when I get back..."

Yumi Kanzaki was so angry that she yelled, but Katsuhiko interrupted their argument and let Yuma Kanzaki answer the phone.

Yuma Kanzaki's voice was filled with grievance and trepidation. She first explained why they couldn't register together: she had been ambushed by Yumi Kanzaki and ended up with panda eyes. Her ID photo would look terrible, and it would be a lifelong trauma. She didn't want to have a stain on her record...

Katsuhiko didn't care at all about who registered first. Of course, he also fully understood Yuma Kanzaki's tragic experience and said that they would register after her eyes had healed.

Shinsaki Yuma was overjoyed. She was still struggling with how to bring it up when Katsuhiko gave her the answer she wanted right away.

Considering that Yumi was listening nearby and worried that she might ruin things again next time, she didn't dare to set a specific time. Instead, she talked about the completion status of the manga outline. It was basically finished, but she didn't want to hang up, so she stayed on the phone and discussed the unfinished plot with Katsuhiko...

Katsuhiko had completely forgotten about it and wasn't interested in the subsequent plot. The only thing he was interested in was finding out which school the original manga author, Kishimoto, who was only nineteen years old this year, was attending...

Eiyo noticed Katsuhiko's perfunctory attitude and chuckled to herself. She seized the opportunity to interject and ask where Kotoha was.

After all, Qinye deserves the most credit for my registration, and I can't let my good sister feel disappointed... Qinye wasn't home; Tanaka Yutaka called her to work overtime at the factory.

While they were talking, Yingdai's pager went off, and Qinye called back.

Katsuhiko was on the phone with Yuma Kanzaki when Eiyo pointed at Masayuki Shiraki, who was eavesdropping with her ear askew, and said, "Give me your portable phone."

Masayuki Shiraki pursed her lips and took out her mobile phone.

At this moment, Yingdai lost all her authority. It turned out her status as a wife was stolen from someone else… Speaking of which, do I even have a chance? Forget it… I'd be lucky to even have her as a girlfriend. I'm so envious… With the status of a legal wife, she wouldn't be a mistress anymore…

While drinking his noodles, Yingdai dialed the factory office's landline number.

Qin Ye answered the phone and said two words: "I need money."

Thanks to the advertising effect of NHK television, not only did Watanabe Food Processing Plant experience a surge in orders, but the "Focus-Enhancing Energy Drink" that Tanaka Yutaka distributed to reporters at a previous press conference also gained attention. Reporters, whose profession relies heavily on their brains, noticed that after drinking a bottle, their minds were clearer, and their memory improved significantly. They placed large orders and even spontaneously wrote articles praising Watanabe Food Processing Plant as a conscientious company…

Because Qinye was in charge of the company's finances, after the surge in orders, production couldn't keep up. Not only did they have to purchase raw materials, but they also had to expand production lines and hire new employees... The company's cash reserves were insufficient.

Kotoha first dialed Katsuhiko's number, but it was busy, so she contacted Eiyo instead.

When Eiyo realized it wasn't her business, she handed the phone to Katsuhiko and hung up on Yuma Kanzaki.

Sheng Yan was somewhat surprised.

Although the initial funding for the company was borrowed from banks by Mikoto through mortgaging her convenience stores and real estate, "Xia Ying She" is now profitable, with music copyright licensing fees alone amounting to hundreds of millions of yen. Furthermore, the inclusion of Yumi Kanzaki's music video at the end of the films has elevated their artistic level significantly, leveraging Kanzaki's immense popularity. Not only are they fetching high prices, but they are also in high demand and short supply.

Although Yumi Kanzaki's reputation isn't great in mainstream media, she's been featured on the cover of non-mainstream gossip magazines, who also dubbed her "Lotus Beauty," implying she's pure and untainted, a twin lotus blooming on the same stem...

Kotoha said, "Vice President Tanaka disagrees; he wants to expand 'Kage-sei-sha'..."

Tanaka Yutaka wanted to keep the money to expand and operate "Xia Ying She": a manga studio, an animation department, a regular feature film studio, a TV series studio, a music department, a record label... all of these would cost money, and even mortgaging "Xia Ying She" for a loan wouldn't be enough...

After a moment's thought, Katsuhiko understood Tanaka Yutaka's wishes. After all, he had already regarded "Kageeisha" as his life's work, a very promising company. And when Kotoha's "Watanabe Food Processing Plant" was losing money, he even suggested that it be bankrupted so that she wouldn't waste money there.

Although the situation has changed drastically and factories are overwhelmed with orders, Tanaka Yutaka is still not optimistic about this kind of traditional physical industry. With the general decline in consumption, the boom is only temporary and will not last long. It would be better to give up the land and build an entertainment and media building.

Kotoha estimates that at least 300 million yen will be needed to get through the initial surge in orders... Currently, the factory has not been expanded, there are not enough employees, and Tanaka Yutaka is not optimistic. She is worried about making mistakes and dares not collect deposits in advance.