Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

"Okay, go ahead. After you come back, we'll... um, you can watch me drink again!"

Zhen Yuanzhai took a swig of wine and said.

After leaving Athena Asamiya's house, Li Xin turned and went to Cat's Eye Cafe. It was the off-peak time for Cat's Eye Cafe. As soon as Li Xin entered, he was seen by Rui Kisei. Although Rui Kisei did not greet him directly, she still gave Li Xin a smile.

Upon seeing this smile, Li Xin felt a surge of joy. He remained seated in his usual window seat, and Lai Sheng Ai immediately approached him.

Upon seeing Ai, Li Xin took out a book and handed it to her: "Ai, thank you for your book."

This was a book about car repair. After taking it, Ai Laisheng casually put it aside.

This book belongs to Lai Sheng Ai. Before, Li Xin suddenly said he wanted to learn how to repair cars, and Lai Sheng Ai lent him this book without thinking twice.

Although Kiyosa Ai always felt like she was a burden, lacking both her eldest sister's strategic wisdom and her second sister's exceptional agility, in reality, her role in "Cat's Eye" was no less important than Kiyosa Rui and Kiyosa Hitomi's.

During the theft, all the tools used by "Cat's Eye" were either developed or modified by Kisugi Ai. For example, the gripper that was modified from a gastroscopy. If Suzuki Jirokichi hadn't been so rich and had so many treasures, Kisugi Ai might have been the first person to steal treasures from the legendary vault "Lithium Iron"!

"Brother Ashin, I've been practicing with Master Xiao Wu for a few days and I feel like I've improved a lot! Why don't you try my skills on me!"

Lai Sheng Ai enthusiastically told Li Xindao.

It's still spring break, so apart from the peak hours at the coffee shop, Kisugi Ai spends most of her time training with Mai Shiranui. Because she's keeping her martial arts training a secret from Kisugi Rui and Kisugi Hitomi, they just assume she's out having fun.

Both Lai Sheng Rui and Lai Sheng Tong doted on their little sister Lai Sheng Ai, and they trusted that she wouldn't do anything reckless, so they let her be. However, sometimes when they saw her occasionally letting out silly giggles (imagine that she had mastered martial arts and was able to display great power in action, turn the tide, and then receive admiring looks from her older sisters), they would have the urge to slap her.

Seeing Lai Sheng's excited and thrilled expression, Li Xin suddenly asked, "Wearing that new Taoist robe?"

Kiyosa Ai's face immediately turned red. Although the new uniform wasn't as unacceptable to her as Mai Shiranui's, it still made her feel a little shy.

"Brother Ashin, you're such a bad guy, I'm ignoring you!"

Lai Sheng Ai wrinkled her cute little nose at Li Xin and made a move to leave.

"Could I have a cup of hot water, please? Thank you."

Li Xin placed an order for his love of the next life.

Lai Sheng rolled her eyes and made a face at Li Xin, but still obediently went to boil water.

After Lai Sheng Ai left, Lai Sheng Lei walked over gracefully, sat down in front of Li Xin, rested her arm on the table, and said with her chin in her hand, "Xin, do you know what Xiao Ai has been up to lately?"

Although she believed that Kiyosa Ai wouldn't do anything bad, she was still a little worried. She knew that Li Xin might know what Kiyosa Ai had been doing recently, which was why she came to ask Li Xin.

After the "Empress's Tears" incident, Kisei Ai and Lee Shin's relationship became closer, to the point that Kisei Ai was even a little jealous.

It's all thanks to her hard work in raising Lai Sheng Ai. Now this little girl calls him "Brother A-Xin" all the time and hardly calls him "Big Sister" anymore, which makes Lai Sheng Lei want to give Lai Sheng Ai a good beating.

Looking at Laishenglei's beautiful face, Li Xin slowly said, "I know, but I promised Xiao Ai that I wouldn't tell you and Xiaotong."

Li Xin still has some principles; he won't betray Lai Sheng Ai just because of Lai Sheng Lei's words. Hmm, we should add something else, right?

Lai Shenglei asked casually, not because she necessarily needed to know. Since Li Xin didn't answer, she didn't press the matter further and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll go and attend to my own business."

Unlike Ai Kisugi, who is a very idle person, Rui Kisugi is very busy. Not only does she run a coffee shop, but she also collects and organizes information about her father's collections and remotely manages various businesses in Europe. It can be said that she worries from morning till night every day.

"Um, Xiao Lei!"

Li Xin suddenly called out to Lai Sheng Lei.

He came here to say goodbye to Lai Sheng with tears in his eyes, but even though it was just a simple farewell, Li Xin felt like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat and couldn't say it no matter what.

Li Xin could only lower his voice and ask, "Have there been any operations recently?"

The coffee shop was less crowded, but not empty, so Li Xin and Lai Sheng Lei deliberately lowered their voices when discussing "Cat's Eye".

Lai Sheng Lei thought for a moment and said, "Not yet. I haven't heard of any of my father's collections being exhibited in Tokyo, or any news of any wealthy person acquiring my father's collection."

It makes sense. With so many items in Michael Heinz's collection, it's unlikely that they would all be concentrated in Tokyo. It's just that Tokyo is a famous international city, and Japan became incredibly wealthy due to the "bubble economy," buying up items all over the world. That's why so many of Michael Heinz's collections appeared in Tokyo.

However, apart from those collections that are publicly displayed, most of the collections are probably lying in the private collection room of some collector. Unless there is a suitable opportunity, they will probably not be easily displayed to the public. Now, all Lai Sheng Lei can do is keep asking around and wait for the right opportunity to appear.

"I see..."

Li Xinxin said absentmindedly.

Lai Sheng Lei was incredibly perceptive. In the past, when she was unfamiliar with Li Xin, she was prone to misjudging things. But as she became more and more familiar with Li Xin, how could she not sense his unspoken words?

"Ah-Xin, is there something you want to tell me?"

Lai Sheng Lei went straight to the point.

Li Xin was startled, not expecting that Lai Sheng Lei could see through his thoughts so quickly. He hesitated for a moment, then could only tell the truth: "That's right. Actually, I just received a very important request and need to leave Tokyo for a while."

"Leaving Tokyo? For how long?"

Lai Sheng Lei hurriedly asked.

"Uh, about half a month, or maybe a few more days."

Li Xin replied that, in addition to his bodyguard duties, he had also promised Zhen Yuanzhai to visit his old friend and deliver medicine, so he had no idea how long it would take.

Lai Shenglei breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, judging from Li Xin's tone, she thought he was going to leave for a year or two. It gave her quite a fright!

Lai Sheng Lei smiled and said to Li Xin, "I've heard that Hong Kong is very prosperous. Xiao Tong, Xiao Ai, and I have wanted to travel to Hong Kong for a long time. If you go to Hong Kong, please find out what fun places there are for us. That way, we can save a lot of trouble when we go to Hong Kong in the future!"

A mature woman knows how to speak in a way that makes a man happy and invigorated. After Lai Sheng Lei said this, Li Xin was immediately pleased and said to Lai Sheng Lei, "Okay, Xiao Lei, I will look out for fun places in Hong Kong. I am going to Hong Kong to protect someone, and his purpose in going to Hong Kong is also for tourism and vacation."

Upon hearing Li Xin's words, Lai Sheng Lei couldn't help but laugh and said, "Does what you're saying mean that when the three of us sisters go to Hong Kong for tourism, we can drag you along to be our tour guide?"

"Uh……"

Li Xin was speechless for a moment, and could only stammer, "Of course, as long as you're willing to pay me a tour guide fee..."

Suddenly, a mischievous thought popped into her head. She said to Li Xin, "A tour guide fee? Sure, but I'm afraid I can't give you much. After all, I paid you ten million yen before, which was a huge expense. Plus, you'll definitely be shopping in Hong Kong, so the tour guide fee I can give you won't be much. Is that alright?"

Of course, this was a lie to Li Xin. The money that Yi Sheng Lei had previously paid Li Xin, let alone ten million yen, or even ten million US dollars, would not have been a serious loss, not even a scratch. So this was just a way of teasing Li Xin.

"Oh, I see..."

Li Xin swallowed hard and said with great difficulty, "Then just cover my food and lodging, I don't need anything else."

Seeing Li Xin's dazed expression, Lai Sheng Lei couldn't help but laugh.

This wasn't the polite, businesslike smile she usually wore; it was a more genuine smile, tinged with a relaxed and even unrestrained quality.

Feeling that her smile was somewhat inappropriate, Lai Shenglei couldn't help but lightly cover her lips. She pursed her lips and then said, "Ah Xin, tell me honestly, am I the first client you've ever commissioned without charging you?"

Li Xin thought about it carefully, then nodded and said, "Yes."

Actually, it should be the second one, because there was another client before, and Li Xin didn't take any money from her either. That was Nogami Saeko, but she was a female swindler, ugh, a bad woman!

Lai Sheng Rui bit her lip, wanting to say something, but held back.

Her primary goal now is to collect her father's collection, to find clues about him, and to locate him. Everything else should take a backseat to this objective.

"So, Ashin, when are you leaving?"

In the next life, I will ask Li Xin about his faith with tears in my eyes.

"This afternoon."

Li Xin replied.

"So rushed this afternoon?"

Lai Sheng Lei was somewhat surprised; she had thought it would take several days at the earliest.

"It's very urgent."

Li Xin nodded.

If it weren't for the rush, he would actually prefer to wait for Crocodile to return before going to Hong Kong. Crocodile was a local from Hong Kong, and with him by his side, Li Xin would naturally feel more at ease.

However, Ueyama Hiroji was so sincere that Li Xin had no choice but to follow his arrangements.

Lai Sheng Lei suddenly felt a pang of reluctance, but she managed to control herself and smiled at Li Xin, saying, "Then, come back soon!"

Li Xin nodded: "Yes, go and come back soon!"

"Brother Ashin, the hot water is here... Big sister, why are you sitting in my seat!"

Suddenly, Lai Sheng's love intervened, abruptly interrupting Li Xin and Lai Sheng's tearful farewell, causing their emotions to become somewhat disjointed.

After Lai Sheng Lei was silent for a while, she pulled Lai Sheng Ai away by her ear after Lai Sheng Ai put down the hot water: "Xiao Ai, you can help me clean the coffee cup when you have free time. Don't keep bothering A Xin!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, big sister, it hurts!"

Watching Lai Sheng Ai being led away, Li Xin couldn't help but smile. He picked up the hot water and, this time without waiting for it to cool down, drank it all in one gulp.

....................................

"Mr. Ashin, you've arrived."

At Haneda Airport, Hiroji Ueyama looked at Li Xin with a big smile. Behind him, a man with slicked-back hair, exuding confidence and composure, smiled slightly and nodded at Li Xin as a greeting.

Ueyama Hiroji pulled Li Xin to the man with the slicked-back hair and said to Li Xin, "This is Mr. Gao Jin, the gambling expert I invited. For the next two weeks, Mr. Gao Jin's safety will be in Mr. Xin's hands."

After introducing "Big Back Hair" Gao Jin, Ueyama Hiroji introduced two people next to Gao Jin to Li Xin: a beautiful woman with curly hair and a man who looked refined.

"And these two are Mr. Gao Jin's girlfriend, Miss Janet, and Mr. Gao Jin's cousin, Mr. Gao Yi."

Janet and Gao Yi nodded to Li Xin in greeting.

"And this one too."

Finally, Ueyama Hiroji solemnly introduced a man with a strong murderous aura between his brows to Li Xin: "This is my good friend, Mr. Long Wu. He is from Hong Kong and is very familiar with Hong Kong. In addition to you, Mr. Xin, I have also specially invited Mr. Long Wu to protect Mr. Gao Jin. I believe that with the two of you working together, Mr. Gao Jin will definitely be safe and sound."

Li Xin and the man named Long Wu exchanged a glance, both sensing that the other was no ordinary person. They shook hands, announcing the official start of their cooperation.

"Alright, the plane is almost here. Everyone, let's talk about getting to know each other once we're on board."

Ueyama Hiroji addressed the group, and thus, with the plane landing, Li Xin's trip to Hong Kong officially began.

Chapter Forty-Six: Just Everyday Life

"Mr. Ashin, would you like some chocolate?"

On the plane, Gao Jin, the person Li Xin was protecting, handed Li Xin a piece of chocolate to the person sitting behind him.

Li Xin looked at the chocolate, which was much darker than his face, thought for a moment, then took the chocolate and said to Gao Jin, "Thank you."

He already knew Gao Jin's identity; he was a professional gambler known as the "God of Gamblers," who was said to have never lost a bet.

Originally, Li Xin didn't have a good impression of professional gamblers, but after hearing from Ueyama Hiroji that Gao Jin, although a gambler, had given away most of his winnings to charity, Li Xin admired Gao Jin more and became even more determined to protect him.

Gao Jin smiled slightly, then sat back down in his seat. His girlfriend Janet, who was sitting next to him, said with a smile, "It's rare to see someone give chocolates as gifts."

It's always Gao Jin who asks others to buy him chocolates; it's very rare to see him give chocolates away.

Gao Jin chuckled and whispered something in Janet's ear, and Janet laughed and playfully hit Gao Jin.

Although Gao Jin spoke very softly, Li Xin still heard him. Gao Jin said that it was rare to see someone who was almost as dark as dark chocolate, so he wanted to see who was darker.

Well, although there was a hint of joking in the words, it didn't involve any personal insults. Li Xin wasn't the kind of person who couldn't take a joke, and besides, this was someone his employer had asked him to protect, so Li Xin just listened and didn't take it to heart, instead silently eating his chocolate.

Well, this was the first time he had ever eaten chocolate. He had always heard people say that chocolate was delicious, but the price made Li Xin hesitate, so he never knew what chocolate tasted like.

It was somewhat bitter, but mostly sweet, with the bitter and sweet flavors intertwined and a smooth texture. In short, it tasted wonderfully, a flavor Li Xin had never experienced before. No wonder so many people liked it. Of course, it was absolutely impossible for Li Xin to buy it for himself.

Li Xin, who was eating chocolate, looked up and saw Gao Jin peeking at him through the gap between the seats. Gao Jin was a little embarrassed and said to Li Xin, "Excuse me."

Whether this apology was only for peeking at Li Xin, or included an apology for joking with Li Xin earlier, remains unknown.

Li Xin didn't mind and said to Gao Jin, "Thank you for the chocolate."

Li Xin's candid demeanor made Gao Jin even more embarrassed. He felt that he had been a bit malicious just now, and said to Li Xin, "If you like it, I'll treat you to something even better next time!"

After Gao Jin turned around, Li Xin had also finished his chocolate. Sitting in front of Li Xin were Gao Jin, Janet, and Gao Yi. The three of them were sitting together in a row, with Gao Jin in the middle.

On Li Xin's side, Li Xin, Ueyama Hiroji, and Ryugo sat in a row, with Li Xin in the middle.

The flight was rather boring, so Li Xin couldn't help but ask Ueyama Hiroji, "Mr. Ueyama, I'd like to ask you something. Your Black Tiger Society is no ordinary organization in Japan, so it's understandable that you would hire Mr. Long Wu as your bodyguard. After all, Mr. Long Wu is from Hong Kong and is familiar with the local area. But... why did you hire me as your bodyguard? Your Black Tiger Society must have some experts too, right?"

Li Xin wasn't a complete novice anymore. When someone entrusted him with a task, he had to find out what kind of person they were. However, he didn't go looking for underworld figures like Gao Jie or Haitang. He didn't want to deal with them. So, he asked A-Jie and Tie Tou instead.

Ah Jie and Tie Tou have been in Japan for a long time and have been involved in the underworld, so they inevitably have to deal with the yakuza and have some understanding of yakuza affairs, including the Black Tiger Society.

Without a doubt, the number one yakuza group in Japan is the Yamaguchi-gumi. The Yamaguchi-gumi has many second- and third-tier gangs under its command, among which the Black Tiger Gang is the most powerful. The reason is simple: money. The Black Tiger Gang is specifically responsible for cracking down on gambling within the Yamaguchi-gumi, so making money is naturally a quick way to make money.

In Japan, a capitalist country, money often means power. Given the Black Tiger Society's influence, Li Xin didn't think there weren't highly skilled martial artists within the society. So why go to the trouble of spending two million US dollars to hire him as Gao Jin's bodyguard? Surely they couldn't just be burning money?

Hiroji Ueyama frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "This is a family scandal, and I didn't want to talk about it, but since Mr. Oshin asked, it would be disrespectful to him if I didn't answer, so I'll just say it anyway."

After thinking for a moment, Ueyama Hiroji said to Li Xin, "Three years ago, our Black Tiger Gang and the Crescent Moon Group were vying for the casino profits in Osaka. We made a bet, and my father was the chairman of the Black Tiger Gang at the time. He represented the Black Tiger Gang in the bet, while the Crescent Moon Group invited 'Gambling King' Chen Jincheng to bet against my father. Chen Jincheng cheated and won against my father, who committed suicide out of shame and anger. To avenge my father, I trained hard for three years, but I still didn't have the confidence to defeat Chen Jincheng. That's why I asked Mr. Gao Jin to fight in my place and defeat Chen Jincheng to avenge my father."

Li Xin suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."