Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"The key is whether there are people in this priority list who are ranked higher than you, and the pure feelings you want are mostly among them."

"You mean...love?"

"Generally speaking, feelings are more likely to develop after you have someone you like, because love is the emotion that makes people want to give their all. Many people will value their partner more than themselves after falling in love with them. The same principle applies to marriage. I am the best example of this myself."

Therefore, there are people who are ranked higher than herself, namely her husband and children, but she did not put her parents before herself, which shows that Anri's relationship with her parents was not particularly good.

Perhaps, when Anri's family chose to have her mother accept the arranged marriage, her mother harbored some resentment.

"But as I just said, it's not only love that can achieve this condition... However, it depends on your own thoughts, Hitomi."

"It refers to whether I can spontaneously value the other person more than myself."

Anri Emi couldn't help but show a delighted expression, appearing very satisfied.

Tong is indeed a smart child; she understands things very quickly.

"That's right. If you can't put the other person before yourself, then the kind of pure love you want is like a mirage, something you can only dream of but never reach."

However, Anri added a further explanation to prevent her daughter from foolishly giving away her money.

"Of course, I'm not asking you to be selfless and devoted all the time. After all, it would be too sad to give and not receive anything in return. Relationships should be two-way, so at the very least, the other person has to be someone who can reciprocate your feelings so that you can achieve mutual understanding."

"Um……"

At that moment, the first person that came to Anri Hitomi's mind was Kuroba Akira.

Is a wise ruler someone who can respond to his wishes?

No... at least for now, she can't think of anyone who is more important to him than money, not even Shion Murasaki, who lives with him.

"But before you give your heart away, you need to see clearly whether the other person is someone you are willing to give your heart to. It's like investing; it requires your judgment."

"However, unlike investments, which at least offer the expectation of returns, emotional investment can very well end up being a waste of time and effort... Therefore, it can be said that this is 'the biggest gamble in life,' because you can't be sure whether the other person will truly value you as much as you value them, placing you in a more important place in their heart than themselves..."

“I’m lucky because I won the bet, but I know there are many people who lose everything in this gamble… So, Hitomi, I won’t force you to interact with anyone anymore.”

Anri gave a wry smile. She didn't realize that she had been too stubborn before. She seemed to understand people's hearts, but in reality, she didn't even understand her own.

Because she was becoming happier and happier under her husband's care, she understood even more how hard-won this happiness was.

"Mother...Mom..."

Hitomi Asato once again called Amritsu Ei "Mom", a more intimate name, because she really felt her mother's care for her at this moment.

This time, what Amritsu said was all from the heart. It was a mother's teaching to her daughter, as well as her concern.

"If you just wanted money, or wanted to know how to manipulate people, I could teach you that. But what you want now is sincerity, and that's something even I can't guarantee I'll get..."

“It is so precious, so valuable that once you get it, you become cautious, afraid of losing it again.”

"So now that things have come to this, I think it's better for you to continue putting yourself first, Hitomi. That way, you won't 'develop a weakness'."

In the past, Anri Megumi had her own set of rules of conduct, which was also the Anri family's long-standing style. Even for a period of time after giving birth to Anri Hitomi, she still put herself first, which is why she forced Anri Hitomi to inherit it as well.

At that time, she was actually stronger than she is now, very powerful.

However, now Amritsu has obviously become much "weaker". Her personality, attitude, way of doing things, etc. have all become "weak".

"But...Mom, you're very happy now, aren't you?"

"Yeah... I'm very happy now, but I'm still not satisfied. I even want to make up for the mistakes I made in the past and repair my relationship with my daughter and mother-in-law... This is something I would never have thought of before."

"But it feels good, doesn't it?"

Asato smiled happily.

This was a heartwarming feeling of happiness that she had never experienced in Anri's home before her marriage.

"Yes...it's very warm."

"So Mom, you can actually show this kind of 'genuine smile' too."

"Because sincerity is such a terrifying thing; it can completely change a person, haha."

"Haha, Mom, you really have become a completely different person."

Anri Hitomi also smiled, but it wasn't the masked smile she usually wore; it was a natural, genuine smile.

The mother-daughter relationship in Anri's family has finally returned from negative to zero and has moved slightly towards positive.

She had already told her daughter everything she needed to, and Anri Hui would no longer interfere in her daughter's affairs as she had in the past. She also believed that the intelligent Hitomi would think for herself and make her own choice after hearing what she had to say.

After all, she knew that her daughter's greatest strength was 'studying'.

Then came the casual conversation, Anri asked her daughter.

"Speaking of which, Ruiqing reported to me that you, Tong, seemed to have gone to 'that house' some time ago?"

"Yes, I went there once, but I didn't go inside."

An Litong deliberately emphasized this point because she still remembered that her mother had once told her not to enter that house without permission, especially after the owner of that house passed away. Now is a sensitive period and she should not act rashly.

"Is it because you missed her? But she still comes to our house occasionally to see you and Jing, right? Or is there another reason?"

"It's for some other reason. My friend lives there."

"Your friend... lives in that house?"

"Ah."

"I see……"

Anri immediately understood many things, and her smile carried a hint of intrigue before she spoke to her daughter.

"Tong, you don't need to care about what I said to you before. You can go whenever you want, and you can come inside."

"Is it okay? Won't it affect Dad?"

Anri Hitomi has strictly adhered to this agreement since childhood, not because she is afraid of her mother, but because she is afraid of affecting her father's career.

“It doesn’t matter now. You’re all grown up now, and your father has been keeping a low profile for a long time. He won’t be affected by such a small matter.”

Moreover, that home was originally his home, and he will return to the place where he was born and raised sooner or later to reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to him.

It can't be snatched away by an "outsider" who appears out of nowhere.

Anri thought to herself.

For Hitomi Asato, although she doesn't know the specific details, this is undoubtedly a huge "lifting of the ban".

Because this means that she can now break into the territory that originally belonged only to Shion Murasaki!

Of course, before fighting her, Anri Hitomi needs to think it over carefully and seriously...

Is Kuroba Akira truly the kind of man who can be placed first in one's priorities, someone more important than oneself?

She's only in reserve right now, mainly because she hasn't figured out what kind of identity to give Kuroba Akira, and that this will affect the kind of feelings that will develop later.

Just as her mother said, love is the purest emotion that is easiest to develop, and marriage is the fastest way, but she also wanted to explore whether there were other possibilities.

Because she was unsure whether Kuroba Akira would reciprocate her love after she gave it to him.

In fact, she knew that it was probably not the case.

The main reason is that Anri Hitomi feels that based on her understanding of Kuroba Akira, he will definitely be a playboy.

Because no woman can be ranked first in his heart, any woman who is beautiful, talented, easy to get along with, and fun to be around can become the woman he likes.

He likes 'everyone' very much, and he himself is probably 'one of the people'.

Ultimately, it's still not special enough.

After getting married and becoming a wife, he naturally becomes special. However, Kuroba Akira is not a monogamous man like his father. If he meets a woman who understands him, he will most likely cheat on her.

Ultimately, it's because Hitomi Anri lacks the confidence to become Akira Kuroba's first choice in his heart through love.

If Shion Murasaki is overwhelmingly "love-obsessed," then Hitomi Anri is completely "anti-love-obsessed."

No, in the end, women don't really matter.

The most important thing in his mind is money...

To become more important than money?

how can that be!

No, it’s still wrong. Think carefully about what my mother said. Money is just a tool to measure value and exchange things. Comparing people with tools is inherently biased.

Anri Hitomi realized that her thinking had gone a bit astray, so she began to review the situation again.

Let's reverse our thinking: instead of being against money, let's stand on the side of money?

In other words, you need to tie yourself to money...

So that's how it is. No wonder Mom's initial idea was to 'make the other person your own,' which specifically involved buying them with money.

The problem is that I don't have enough capital to buy the other person's life. Although I don't know how much my dowry is, it would be very difficult to buy a wise ruler in one go.

In fact, Mingjun is not in deep debt crisis, so now is not the right time to enter the market.

In other words, we need to wait for the right opportunity and then 'invest' at the appropriate time.

That way, he'll always think of me whenever he thinks about money.

In this way, I became a part of his life.

If you wait until then and then reveal your true feelings, he will think, 'She's given me so much money and is so good to me, how can I accept this?'

Then, even under the weight of guilt, one begins to give back more.

With a unique way of thinking, Anri Hitomi came up with a relationship that transcended love and was more 'worldly'.

That is, the creditor and the debtor.

The strongest relationship in the world is one bound together by money.

I'll make you owe me for a lifetime, a debt you can never repay until you die, so you'll think of me all the time and dream about me.

Although dreams like this are mostly nightmares.

But this is for the best.

In any case, in this way, I have become an unforgettable presence engraved in your memory, and left an indelible mark in your heart... Isn't this kind of longing the purest form of affection?

Then, I will never feel frustrated again because I can't be seen by you.

Great... My worries are over.