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

In the black and white portrait of Kenta, he smiles brightly.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Before heading to the factory, Katsuhiko, carrying the intercepted recording, entered the First Industrial Bank as Mikoto's husband and inquired about the mortgage loan. He also managed to sneak into the bank's office area and find Sato Hiroji's boss, Department Head Miyamoto.

When Kenta jumped off the building, Katsuhiko had seen him on the rooftop and easily found the right person.

Then Katsuhiko handed the small tape recorder to Miyamoto.

After hearing Sato Hiroji's self-destructive recording, Miyamoto's face turned unusually ashen. His thin cheeks, stretched taut by his well-developed jaw muscles, almost gave him a baby-fat appearance.

After Miyamoto put away the tape recorder, he asked Katsuhiko what his requests were.

To reassure Miyamoto, Katsuhiko briefly explained his past conflict with Sato Hiroji, indicating that he was harmless to him.

He didn't make any excessive demands, but simply stated that his father-in-law was currently in jail, and to avoid any complications, he hoped that Miyamoto could discuss certain issues with Sato Hiroji after Mr. Kudo was released.

Incidentally, I also inquired about the earliest time his wife, Mikoto, would receive the funds from her mortgage loan.

Minister Miyamoto agreed to all of them.

Because Miyamoto also needed to make plans on how to deal with that insubordinate Sato Hiroji.

Regarding the mortgage, he said that he would make the payment before noon, and even if he couldn't pay the full amount, he could pay a portion. He also specially opened a bank account for Shengyan, saying that the money would be transferred to this bank account.

Mikoto submitted complete materials, the collateral was very strong, there was no underhanded dealing involved, and the process was handled very quickly with the personal supervision of mid-to-high-level management at the ministerial level.

Since Katsuhiko is Mikoto's legal husband, it's perfectly reasonable for him to transfer money to her bank account.

After a private conversation that lasted for more than ten minutes, as it was about to end, Chief Miyamoto invited Katsuhiko to have lunch together.

Katsuhiko declined, citing his busy schedule, but said he would definitely do it next time...

After leaving the bank, Katsuhiko called Tanaka Yutaka from a roadside public phone booth, telling him the factory address and asking him to bring everyone there to start the factory renovation plan so that everyone could work together.

Around 10 a.m., Katsuhiko drove to the factory area in Daejeon Ward.

It was another sunny day, with wispy white clouds drifting across the azure sky and a gentle breeze blowing.

It would be very pleasant to go on a picnic, but unfortunately this factory area has no green lawns, only piles of garbage and weeds.

The surrounding factory buildings were dilapidated, and there were hardly any workers to be seen along the way.

The black iron gate of the "Watanabe Food Processing Plant" has collapsed, and the glass windows of the gatehouse, where the newspapers that used to be pasted on the windows, have been torn to shreds, leaving them empty.

Two young men in black suits were standing at the main entrance.

As soon as Katsuhiko drove up to the gate, the two men waved to him; they were Tanaka Yutaka's two underlings.

Tanaka Yutaka arrived about twenty minutes early. He had more than forty underlings and a dozen or so actresses with him.

Of course, the factory workers arrived even earlier than Tanaka Yutaka.

The workers had come for nothing yesterday, thinking the factory had closed down, but some were still hoping and came back today to take another look. Since their wages hadn't been paid yet, and a few ringleaders egged them on, they also started moving their belongings home.

When Tanaka Yutaka led a large group of his underlings to stand at the gate, the workers behaved themselves and there were no violent conflicts.

The workers were resentful because they hadn't received their wages, and they wanted to move some things as compensation.

Tanaka Yutaka simply informed them that the factory had been acquired and the owner had changed, then gathered them in the small square in front of the office building, waiting for the owner to arrive and decide what to do.

As soon as Sheng Yan drove his car through the gate, the workers in the small square stirred slightly.

Sheng Yan quickly inquired about the situation. The factory hadn't suffered much damage; they were missing half a warehouse of pre-prepared meals, as well as a few first-aid kits, wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, etc.

Katsuhiko said he would pay them their salaries that afternoon and fire the ringleaders on the spot.

Although they shouted that it was just a "moment of impulse," "it's understandable," and "they didn't get anything valuable," Katsuhiko ignored them, took down their names and bank card numbers, and had Tanaka Yutaka direct his men to drag them out.

After all, they were in the line of fire; it's already merciful that they didn't call the police.

In the end, only about twenty trembling workers remained.

Katsuhiko decided to hold a large meeting directly in the square.

He also had Tanaka Yutaka gather his underlings and the dozen or so actresses who had gathered at the entrance of the office building to watch the commotion.

Katsuhiko first stated that he had 250 million yen in start-up capital.

Then, as planned, I explained the factory's future plans to them, painting a grand picture for over half an hour. The gist of it was that the factory would be integrated and transformed into a large conglomerate, a cross-industry entity encompassing not only food processing but also film and entertainment, animation and gaming, high-tech, foreign trade, and overseas expansion…

Katsuhiko didn't care whether they understood or not; as long as they were "impressed but didn't understand," that was enough.

Apart from Tanaka Yutaka, who looked completely bewildered, everyone present was flushed with excitement, their clenched fists trembling...

After making empty promises, they started assigning tasks.

Food processing production lines cannot be fully operational yet, as supply exceeds demand.

Katsuhiko considered that the loan would arrive in the afternoon, and there was no need to make them work in shifts just to cut salaries. So he assigned some workers to the production line, and others to join Tanaka Yutaka's team to do odd jobs in the workshop, in preparation for the next phase of the studio renovations…

After dismissing everyone, Katsuhiko kept Tanaka Yutaka behind and assigned him several tasks:

We'll contact recycling companies to sell the abandoned equipment in the workshop. While we're at it, we'll look for a beverage manufacturer nearby and buy their equipment. And while we're at it, we'll take the "Watanabe Food Processing Plant" business license to the relevant departments to apply for the necessary permits for changing the factory equipment... and so on.

In short, the tasks originally assigned to Eiyo were all handed over to Tanaka Yutaka to handle.

As a former assistant to the head of the household, he is quite capable, and his interpersonal and management skills are indeed superior to those of Eideyo.

Tanaka Yutaka didn't refuse. He had plenty of capable underlings, and since it was all just errand-running work without decision-making, it didn't matter who did it. If he made a mistake on such a small matter, his underlings wouldn't forgive themselves even if they chopped off their own fingers.

When Tanaka Yutaka learned that Katsuhiko would have the money that afternoon, he took out the list of various equipment needed for the "videotape company" that he had prepared.

"President Takenaka, I've contacted several bankrupt film studios, and they have a lot of professional talent. They not only have camera equipment, but also a few even better, more professional girls. This afternoon, I'll have the finance department approve 20 million yen. I can not only bring them all over, but also convert half of the factory workshop into a makeshift soundstage. At most, within a month, our 'Kageyosha Co., Ltd.' films will be able to be sold in theaters..."

The videotape company is now called "Kageyosha Co., Ltd.", a name given to them by Tanaka Yutaka at the request of Kanzaki Yumi, representing the chivalrous spirit of their yakuza brothers.

Katsuhiko didn't care what name he was called; it was a private company, and Takenaka Katsuhiko was the president, while Tanaka Yutaka was the vice president.

Sheng Yan considered that he was a rare talent who had contributed both manpower and effort, and was essentially a "fully responsible person who brought the team". Therefore, he decided to sign a 30% core equity agreement with him, which meant that he would become a co-founder.

After conducting market research over the past few days, Tanaka Yutaka has found that this industry indeed has the potential to grow and thrive, and its future is promising.

On his side, besides a bunch of freeloaders, he truly had nothing, and due to his underworld background, finding work was difficult. Sheng Yan's offer of 30% of the shares was quite sincere. He would become the second-largest shareholder of this company, a career he could dedicate his life to.

However, he was not entirely at ease with Sheng Yan. The promises Sheng Yan had made to the employees were too grandiose, and he worried that he might also be taken advantage of by Sheng Yan.

I was terrified of being tricked by Hiroji Sato before; he used me for three years...

“As for the agreement, you can draft it first,” Tanaka Yutaka waved his hand dismissively, then continued, “I’ll take it home and take a look before making a decision.”

Tanaka Yutaka decides that after obtaining the agreement, he will secretly go to Kanzaki Yumi, who is studying law at the University of Tokyo, to review it. As for Kanzaki Yuma from Waseda University, the karate captain of the literature department, she is already ruined and recently has been fantasizing about turning her life around by drawing manga and writing novels to pay off her debts...

Katsuhiko also agreed with Tanaka Yutaka's decision, since a legally binding formal contract was indeed needed when it involved future equity.

Let Yingdai draft a fair and just agreement; after all, she is a professional lawyer.

At lunchtime, everyone was in the factory workshop eating freshly prepared meals.

The taste was so-so, similar to what I used to eat in the school cafeteria.

After dinner, Katsuhiko finished making arrangements and didn't stay at the factory for long. He drove straight to Kotoha's house.

Having kept vigil for Kenta all night, Kotoha should get some fresh air too. Let's take her to the insurance company and apply for Kenta's death benefit...

Chapter 46 The Wedding Speech

Katsuhiko didn't have a key to Kotoha's house, so when he saw the door was closed, he rang the doorbell.

Kotoha answered the intercom, and then Mrs. Kudo opened the door.

She was wearing a checkered apron from the kitchen, and the smell of cooking oil still lingered on her.

His kind face held a hint of restraint as he greeted "Katsuhiko-kun" somewhat awkwardly, then asked, "Have you eaten?"

Sheng Yan didn't stand on ceremony. He called out "Mom" and walked towards the house, saying, "I haven't eaten, I'm starving! I can already smell the food coming from the kitchen, I'm going to try it..."

Although I've eaten in the factory, machine-produced food always has a lifeless, mechanical taste, and it certainly can't compare to the vivid, handmade cooking.

Mrs. Kudo immediately smiled and said, "Just a moment," before disappearing into the kitchen and quickly getting to work.

Kotoha was still wearing the black kimono worn by the widow, kneeling in front of the mourning hall.

As Sheng Yan was changing his shoes in the entryway, she was glancing back when he turned to look at her. She immediately turned back and lowered her head.

Katsuhiko glanced at the kitchen again, where Mrs. Kudo was busy with something and smiling.

Katsuhiko quickly walked to Kotoha's side, gestured to the kitchen, and whispered, "Isn't it Mikoto who's bringing the food?"

“Sister Mikoto doesn’t dare come over anymore; she’s afraid of being found out,” Qin Ye said, glancing at the kitchen as she added softly, “She said your mother-in-law is like a detective, and from now on, Sister Mikoto won’t go anywhere she’s around…”

Mikoto left Kotoha's house this morning, prepared breakfast for Kotoha and Eiyo, and then took Chinatsu with her to deliver it. She didn't even go inside the gate, but handed the lunchbox to Sayuri and ran off immediately.

After breakfast, Eiyo, Sayuri, and Mrs. Kudo were supposed to go to the prosecutor's office, but Kotoha would feel too lonely staying at home alone. Mrs. Kudo then claimed that she wanted to "leave her husband, who had committed a crime, out in the cold," so Sayuri and Eiyo went to the prosecutor's office together.

It was noon, so Mrs. Kudo went to the market to buy some groceries and started cooking in the kitchen.

Katsuhiko recalled Mrs. Kudo's previous assessment of Mr. Kudo: "Aside from flirting with other women, he hasn't done anything wrong."

She was so terrified, yet she still can't forget it. She probably has plenty of evidence and has developed an exceptionally sharp eye...

However, as her son-in-law, he knew her heart wouldn't always be with him. He just needed to let Mr. Kudo continue to be a leopard that can't change its spots... A man in his forties is in the prime of his life.

Dealing with your mother-in-law is a piece of cake.

“I trusted her so much,” Katsuhiko shrugged, leaned closer to Kotoha, and whispered, “I entrusted her with handling your relationship issues back then, but now she’s become a coward, which is quite disappointing. Do you want to take over her job?”

Qin Ye pursed her lips tightly, remaining silent, her fair face flushed red.

Katsuhiko continued, "I think you're quite suitable. Guess how Eiya treated me when I woke up this morning? She bit my nose and threatened me, saying that I had to only like her, and if I didn't do what she said, she would bite it off. How terrible is that? How could I possibly do something like that? You're not bad either, and you're quite cute. I'd definitely like you too, right?"

"Don't say anymore..." Kotoha frantically clutched the kneeling cushion, moving a little further away from Tokuhiko, and whispered in a trembling voice, "My mind is so confused... Kenta's still watching..."

"Oh right!" Katsuhiko slapped his forehead, stood up, and picked up Kenta's portrait. "Brother, you'll understand, right!"

Qin Ye, who was kneeling, stiffened and lowered her head again.

Just as Sheng Yan was about to put down the portrait, he noticed the platinum ring on the table. He raised an eyebrow, then pushed the ring further in and covered it with the portrait.

"Let's go to the insurance company this afternoon and see when the compensation application will be processed." Sheng Yan sat down again and continued, "People who are alive have to work, earn money, and eat."

Qinye kept her head down and remained silent.

“From now on, you’ll be my accountant!” Katsuhiko paused for a moment, then added, “I don’t trust anyone else.”

Qin Ye jumped up, ran into the bathroom with her head down, and whispered, "It's time to get ready for dinner..."