Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

He put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and spoke with a hint of earnestness:

"Didn't your grandfather teach you not to waste your time and energy on unimportant people and things? Your future should be on a broader stage, not entangled in these petty disputes."

He lightly defined Chuhua as an "unimportant person" and attributed Xiangzi's persistence to "petty quarrels", which made Toyokawa Xiangzi very angry.

Xiangzi asked to see Chuhua immediately, but Toyokawa Takaaki refused casually on the grounds that "Miss Chuhua is not feeling well and is resting, so it is inconvenient for her to meet with guests."

Xiangzi silently stared at Toyokawa Takaaki's face with a hypocritical smile. The suppressed anger in his heart strangely subsided and turned into a cold clarity.

She realized that the other party didn't take her seriously at all, and simple verbal negotiations would only bring humiliation to herself.

Moreover, she didn't know exactly where Chu Hua was at the moment.

So, she just looked at the other person deeply and chose to leave temporarily.

.........

The words "Lian Si, help me!" obviously provided a lot of help to the girl.

After leaving Toyokawa Takaaki, Xiaoxiang immediately returned home, trying to find something to threaten the other party.

She mobilized the limited intelligence network she had built up through Kujo Renji's "legacy" and her own explorations over time. After some not-so-easy screening and tracking, her sights were fixed on a fringe family business run by Toyokawa Takaaki—a small company that, under the guise of art investment, was actually engaging in shady transactions.

More specifically, it is the company's recent capital flow and some gray areas in its tax treatment that could be used as leverage.

These "handles" are not fatal enough.

But for a large family like the Toyokawa family that values ​​decency and internal balance, any stain may be infinitely magnified in certain circumstances, becoming a weapon for competitors to attack, or making him feel embarrassed in certain family meetings.

Xiangzi took a deep breath and sent the compiled anonymous materials to two targets via multiple layers of encrypted emails:

One is a senior figure within the Toyokawa family, who has always had a rift with Toyokawa Takaaki's faction and is known for his "integrity";

The other is a niche financial media that excels in reporting on upper-class secrets and business scandals, has a sharp style, but has a relatively small circulation.

After a few days, the effects began to show.

According to the vague information sent back by her almost negligible "spy" outside the Toyokawa family, Toyokawa Takaaki was criticized by the elder who received the email at an informal meeting within the family without naming him, and the words hinted at some "unruly" business practices.

At the same time, that niche financial media also published a report that was vague, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell what it was referring to. Although it did not mention anyone by name, it was enough to make Toyokawa Takaaki a little "famous" in the circle.

She originally wanted to give the other party a "knockdown" in this way.

But she miscalculated a little.

In the matter of Mikado Hsukaka, Toyokawa Takaaki had no decision-making power.

This is a matter that concerns the entire branch of the Toyokawa family.

"I've already said it, targeting one person alone is useless in this matter."

In my mind, Jiujo Renji's words revealed some helplessness:

"Xiaoxiang, you're still a little anxious."

"It's okay, I still have the advantage now!"

Toyokawa Shoko took a deep breath:

"Look at me, I'm going to seize the opportunity to win!"

........

The atmosphere in Toyokawa Takaaki's office was as depressing as the sea before a storm.

He hung up the phone with a gloomy face, and there seemed to be a lingering sound of "concern" from the other party, as well as some subtle gloating.

On the other end of the phone might be other family members waiting to laugh at him, or it might be a business partner with a keen sense of smell who expressed "doubts" about those groundless reports.

"I really underestimated this Miss Xiangzi."

Toyokawa Takaaki squeezed out these words from between his teeth, his eyes flashing with offended anger and a hint of solemnity as if he had finally faced his opponent.

He originally thought that Toyokawa Shoko was just a young, fledgling girl, and that he could make her back off by applying a little pressure or acting like an elder.

But she didn't expect that the other party could cause her such trouble.

After noticing Xiangzi's unexpected "aggressiveness", the collateral forces of the Toyokawa family quickly adjusted their strategy.

They realized that simply controlling Mikado Chuhua might not be enough to make Toyokawa Shoko surrender.

Moreover, this girl seemed to have become as troublesome as Toyokawa Sadaharu without realizing it.

This is obviously not what they want to see.

So, their focus began to cleverly shift to "restricting" Toyokawa Shoko herself.

A silent, comprehensive pressure from the "superiors" quietly enveloped Xiangzi like a dense spider web.

First, an independent bank account under Xiangzi's name suddenly received a polite notice from the bank, claiming that the account was "abnormally frozen" due to "routine system review" and that she needed to cooperate in providing a series of cumbersome supporting documents.

This was undoubtedly the collateral branches using their influence in the financial system to try to cut off Xiangzi's possible sources of funds.

More importantly, the side branches began to mobilize their network of relationships that were deeply rooted in all levels of society to conduct a comprehensive investigation into all of Xiangzi's recent unusual financial transactions and contacts.

They obviously wanted to find out the "possible supporters" behind Xiangzi.

——Although they never dreamed that the "supporter" would exist in such a strange way.

Immediately afterwards, Xiangzi received a call from a senior lawyer in the legal department of the Toyokawa family.

"Ms. Xiangzi..."

The lawyer's voice came through the receiver, clear and firm:

"We've noticed that some of your recent actions may have had a potentially negative impact on the overall reputation of the Toyokawa family. According to the terms of the family trust fund and internal family agreements, we reserve the right to 'temporarily adjust' and 'strictly supervise' some of your interests until you can act in the 'overall interests of the family' and cease your current actions that 'damage the family's reputation.' This is not a threat, Ms. Xiangzi, but simply a friendly reminder based on family rules."

The pressure, wrapped in laws and family rules, is cold and, to some extent, irrefutable.

What makes Xiangzi feel even more difficult is that the other party seems to be well aware of the existence of certain "interest transactions" between her and the Yamaguchi-gumi.

Of course, they were not aware of the actual status and influence that Kujo Renji had established within the Yamaguchi-gumi with her identity. They only thought that she was colluding with some low-level members of the organization to obtain some shady "conveniences".

The branch of the Toyokawa family issued a warning to the Yamaguchi-gumi through some channel, suggesting that they should not interfere in the "family affairs" of the Toyokawa family, and expressed great dissatisfaction and contempt for Shoko's involvement with the "despicable" organization.

In the eyes of those who claim to be "superior citizens", the intersection of the Toyokawa family's bloodline with the underworld is itself a form of self-degradation and a serious stain on the family's reputation.

Soon, Yamamoto Ryuichi called with a hint of doubt and concern, asking if Shoko was in trouble and whether the Yamaguchi-gumi needed any "help".

Xiangzi held the phone, his fingertips feeling a little cold.

She hesitated.

There is still a way out.

She knew very well that if the resources and power that Jiujo Liansi had developed with her identity when she was in her body were fully mobilized, it would be enough to give the side branches of the Fengchuan family a hard time, and it would not even be impossible to force them to hand over Chuhua.

Those contacts hidden in the dark, those seemingly insignificant pawns that can play a role at critical moments, and those huge networks whose specific operations she doesn't even fully understand.

Her intuition told her that it was a power far beyond her imagination.

But she wasn't sure.

She was not sure if she could control these complex forces as accurately and efficiently as Jiujo Liansi.

She was even more worried that with a layman like her reckless operation, not only would she fail to achieve the desired effect, but all of Kujo Renji's previous careful planning would be wasted, and even lead to more uncontrollable catastrophic consequences.

It felt like a child who had just learned to drive a toy car and was suddenly stuffed into the cab of a heavy tank. In front of him were densely packed dashboards and joysticks, and outside was a real battlefield with continuous artillery fire.

It is difficult for outsiders to truly intervene in the "affairs" within the family.

Once the matter gets completely out of hand and a force like the Yamaguchi-gumi is brought to the fore, it could cause irreparable harm to Chuhua, Ave Mujica, and even herself.

What's more, although Toyokawa Takaaki and his people acted in a despicable manner, they were also cautious enough, making it difficult to obtain any substantial "criminal evidence" from them. Everything was covered up under the legal guise of "internal family adjustments" and "business operations."

She felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

This was not due to a lack of courage or wisdom, but because she was not yet prepared for an all-out war with the entire Toyokawa family branch, a behemoth with vast resources and profound background.

More importantly, she wasn't sure she could win.

Just then——

A voice, or rather, a consciousness, like a candlelight quietly lit at the end of a dark tunnel, echoed calmly and clearly in the deepest part of her mind.

The voice was familiar, but at this moment, it was unexpectedly mixed with a hint of gentleness.

"Okay, Xiangzi."

The sound was neither fast nor slow, like the sunlight shining through the gaps in the leaves on a spring afternoon.

"You've tried hard enough."

Yes, I tried hard.

From her initial confusion, to her clumsy use of methods that "did not belong" to her, to gradually attracting the attention of the collateral branches to herself, and even creating trouble for them.

All of this has been a near-complete transformation for Toyokawa Shoko, who once only knew how to express herself through music.

"indeed..."

Kujo Renji's voice rang out again, as if giving a satisfactory score to a student's excellent answer: "You've done very well."

This sudden recognition seemed to give the girl an outlet to vent her suppressed grievances, anger, fatigue, and clear awareness of the limits of her own abilities.

Then, she heard the words that she had perhaps been waiting for subconsciously.

"Next, leave it to me."

The moment the words fell, Xiangzi felt a strange sense of detachment.

The familiar, almost "natural" feeling of control came like a tide, and Toyokawa Shoko's consciousness seemed to be gently pushed aside, turning her into a bystander.

To be honest, this feeling made her very uncomfortable every time.

It’s like your home is being freely entered and exited by a roommate who is highly skilled but never says hello, and who also takes care of all your troubles in an orderly manner, leaving you feeling powerless to even complain.

"You bastard..."

Xiangzi's consciousness issued a clear, deeply dissatisfied "accusation" on the spiritual level, although she knew that this "accusation" was probably no different from a cat's breath to the dominant Kujo Renji at the moment:

"You took over my body again without a word!"

These words were spoken with gritted teeth, but if one listened carefully, the tone seemed to lack some of the real sharpness, and instead sounded more like a routine complaint.

It’s like before every exam I always complain a few words, “Ah, another exam, so annoying”, but in fact I have already prepared myself mentally.

Kujo Renji's consciousness chuckled in her mind.

"How about I change it back?"

"..."

Xiangzi's consciousness paused for a moment.

Although she was reluctant to admit it, when Kujo Renji said "Leave it to me", her nerves that had been tense for several days suddenly relaxed as if they were cut off.

It felt like she was sailing a leaky little boat alone in a storm that could capsize at any time, but suddenly, the helm was taken over by an experienced old captain, and she was allowed to return to the cabin and drink a cup of hot tea.

This damn sense of security.

And a little gratitude.

"...I'll reluctantly allow you to occupy it for a while."

........

PS: One more chapter, the total volume together with the chapter during the day is 10,000?

Chapter 137: Tooth for Tooth

Even in the middle of the night, Tokyo's night sky is filled with an ambiguous halo of countless neon lights and desires.

However, what was hanging over the ancient mansion of the Toyokawa family at this moment was a deeper and more depressing haze.

This haze did not come from the sky, but from the thunder that was detonated within the family.

——The head of the family, Toyokawa Sadaharu, actually had an illegitimate daughter outside of marriage, Mikado Hatsuka, no, now she should be called Toyokawa Hatsune.

The Toyokawa family is a giant that has stood in the business world for a century with the "son-in-law adopting sons" system as its cornerstone.

Almost every generation of family heads would marry the daughter of the family and change the family name to inherit the family name, thus closely binding the family bloodline and interests.

Toyokawa Sadaharu himself was a beneficiary of this system and its most steadfast defender.

However, it was this head of the family who was regarded as a "model son-in-law and adopted son" who was revealed to have a secret that was enough to subvert his personality.