Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

Finally, she succeeded. She and Mana formed Sumimi and became a well-known idol singer, standing in the spotlight and having the love and admiration of countless fans.

She finally... stepped into the world she had always dreamed of.

When Xiaoxiang found her and invited her to join Ave Mujica, she thought it was destiny's guidance and an opportunity for her to truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the "light" that led her forward.

She even... secretly hoped that with her current achievements, Xiaoxiang would look at her with new eyes and recognize her value.

However, reality gave her an unexpected answer.

After joining Ave Mujica, she didn't feel the distance between her and Xiaoxiang was shortened, but...it seemed as if she was further away from her.

Xiaoxiang now... has become more perfect, more powerful, and more... out of reach.

She is undoubtedly dazzling and admirable.

but...

A sense of disharmony arose in Chu Hua's heart.

The current Xiangzi is...perfect...but a little fake.

It's like wearing an exquisite mask, hiding all the real emotions under that calm appearance.

She rarely smiled as purely as she once did, and rarely did she show vulnerability or confusion.

She has become... less like a "person", more like... a perfectly programmed program, or... a god high above.

When did it start?

Xiaoxiang was fine...as she should be. She was getting stronger and better, which was what she expected to see.

But why...she always felt that something was wrong?

With this indescribable feeling of loss and confusion, Sanjiao Chuhua returned to his home.

She took off her high heels, threw her bag casually on the sofa, then walked straight into the bedroom, threw herself heavily onto the soft and comfortable big bed, and buried her face deeply in the velvet pillow.

"what---"

She let out a muffled cry, a little irritable and tired.

After a long while, she turned over and lay on her back on the bed, looking at the chandelier on the ceiling with a blank look in her eyes.

No, no! Triangle Chuhua! You can't be so depressed!

She encouraged herself in her heart. Xiaoxiang has become more powerful, which is a good thing!

As for her harmonious relationship... well, that's just living together!

It doesn't mean anything! I still have a chance! I absolutely cannot give up!

She slapped her cheeks hard, trying to cheer herself up.

Her cheeks turned a little red from being patted, which made her confused thoughts a little clearer.

At this moment, the mobile phone on the bedside table suddenly rang, indicating that a new email had been received.

Is it spam? Or work-related?

Chu Hua lazily reached out for his phone and clicked on the email notification.

The sender's address was a string of meaningless gibberish, apparently anonymous.

The subject line of the email is empty.

The main text contains only a short sentence:

"Do you think the current Shoko Toyokawa is still the Shoko Toyokawa you knew?"

..

Perhaps the girl concealed it very well, and Kujo Renji was not aware of what happened to Sankaku Hatsuka.

Life is still the same as usual.

The afternoon sun shines through the tall sycamore trees at the Hanaoka Girls' Academy, casting dappled, dancing spots of light on the leaf-covered path.

The school bell had already rung, and most of the students had left in groups of three or four, and the campus gradually returned to peace.

Renji Kujo was carrying his schoolbag and preparing to go to the school gate for the rehearsal he had agreed to have with the members of Ave Mujica.

As soon as I reached the corner of the teaching building, a familiar figure jogged after me.

"Xiao Xiang! Wait for me!"

It was Chihaya Aine, her long pink hair swaying gently as she ran.

"Aine? Haven't you gone home yet?"

Kujo Renji stopped and looked at the girl who ran to him, breathing slightly.

"Yeah! It's my turn to be on duty today, so I'm a little late."

Aine explained, and then smiled brightly again:

"Just in time to go with Xiaoxiang!"

The two walked side by side towards the school gate. Aiyin chattered about the interesting things that happened in class today and some minor issues with the MyGO band's recent rehearsal.

Kujo Renji listened quietly, occasionally responding, his eyes fixed on the girl's energetic profile.

However, he was observant enough to notice that there seemed to be a subtle hint of reluctance and grievance in Aine's smile today.

Although she tried hard to appear happy, a hint of sadness occasionally flashed in the depths of her gray eyes.

"what happened?"

Kujo Renji suddenly asked in a calm tone, "You look... not in a good mood?"

"Eh?"

Aine was taken aback by this sudden concern, and quickly waved her hands, trying to cover it up:

"No, no! I'm fine! Xiaoxiang, you must have seen it wrong!"

She didn't want to tell Xiaoxiang about the unpleasantness in the band.

Some time ago, because she always mentioned Xiaoxiang, Lixi was very unhappy. He felt that she did not consider Deng's feelings and scolded her severely.

Although she knew that Li Xi was doing it for Deng's own good, she still felt aggrieved after being scolded like that.

She felt that she had good intentions and wanted to help Deng and Xiaoxiang ease their relationship, so why was she treated as an ignorant troublemaker?

She didn't know how to express these complicated feelings to Xiaoxiang, nor did she want Xiaoxiang to worry about her affairs.

Therefore, she could only suppress the grievance deep in her heart and try to pretend that nothing had happened.

Kujo Renji looked at her expression that was trying to hide but only made it more obvious, and her eyes that were trying hard to force a smile but couldn't hide her loss, and he understood.

However, since Aine didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't force her to ask.

He simply reached out his hand, gently ruffled Aine's soft pink hair, and said in a gentle tone:

"If you encounter something unhappy, don't force yourself to smile all the time. You can rely on others occasionally."

The warm palm gently covers the top of the head, bringing a reassuring weight and warmth.

The girl's body stiffened slightly, and a heat flowed uncontrollably from her neck to her cheeks, even her ears became hot.

Her heart seemed to be gently bumped by something, skipping a beat, and then began to thump wildly again, beating against her chest like a drum.

It was clearly just a simple action and a simple sentence, but it was like a ray of warm sunshine, instantly dispelling the haze in her heart.

The grievances caused by Li Xi's scolding, the entanglement of wanting to talk but not knowing how to start, the loss that I tried hard to hide but was easily seen through... at this moment, it seemed that they no longer mattered.

All the worries and unhappiness seemed to melt and disappear under this gentle caress.

All that was left was an indescribable, warm feeling of security and...throbbing that almost enveloped her entire body.

She lowered her head, her long eyelashes trembling gently like butterfly wings, blocking the hazy mist in her eyes and concealing her uncontrollable, fluttering emotions at the moment.

She looked at the fallen leaf in front of her shoe, which was dyed golden by the setting sun, and murmured "hmm" in a low, nasal voice.

The two continued to walk forward in silence, the setting sun stretching their shadows very long.

Aiyin secretly raised her eyes to glance at the profile of "Xiangzi" beside her. The calmness and reliability of the man made her troubled mood gradually calm down.

Although my cheeks were still burning and my heartbeat hadn't completely calmed down, the strong sense of grievance I had felt before had indeed dissipated for the most part.

As they approached the school gate, Aine took a deep breath, regrouped, and put on her signature energetic smile again. This time, it was less forced and more relaxed and dependent from the heart.

"Xiao Xiang, I'm going to the rehearsal room first! You should come quickly too!"

"Yeah." Kujo Renji nodded.

Watching Aiyin skipping away like a recharged bunny, Kujo Renji's gaze lingered on her back for a few seconds before he turned around and prepared to leave in another direction.

However, just as he took a step, a completely black car with smooth and luxurious lines slid silently in front of him and stopped steadily, blocking his way.

The car logo is the noble double M - Maybach.

Kujo Renji paused.

He recognized this car... Or rather, he recognized it through the memory of "Toyokawa Shoko."

Under Kujo Renji's calm gaze, the dark-colored window of the back seat slowly lowered, revealing an old but still vigorous face with unquestionable majesty. His gray hair was meticulously combed, and his deep eyes were filled with the wisdom of time and the aura of a long-time superior.

He is Shoko Toyokawa's grandfather and the actual person in charge of the Toyokawa Group - Sadaharu Toyokawa.

The old man's eyes fell precisely on Jiujo Renji. Without any unnecessary greetings or emotional fluctuations, he spoke slowly in a calm tone, yet with an irresistible force:

"Xiangzi, go home."

.

PS: This chapter has 10,000 words. It should be back to normal after tomorrow. I will update more later to make up for it.

In addition, we are about to enter the line of Chuhua and the Toyokawa family. The previous plot has been dragged on for too long.

The subsequent updates will take into account both daily life and the main storyline. I will publish a special chapter for the daily plot as a transition. At that time, the daily updated word count should be around 15,000, which can be regarded as an apology for this period of time.

Chapter 102: Grandpa, You Taught Me So Well (1W6)

——Toyokawa Sadaharu.

To be honest, although he had had several indirect "confrontations" with his grandfather before because of the investigation of the firm and some undercurrents earlier, this was the first time that Kujo Renji, in the identity of "Toyokawa Shoko", met the legendary family helmsman face to face in the true sense.

Jiujo Renji was not particularly surprised that the other party would come to him at this time and in this way.

The joint investigation by the tax bureau and the cultural department is likely a prelude to some kind of "showdown".

However, he was in the situation and was still able to remain calm and analyze, but the real Miss Toyokawa Shoko in his mind was far less calm than him at the moment.

"Grandpa..."

Xiangzi's voice was obviously nervous.

"What is he doing here?"

Although in her memory, Toyokawa Shoko always tried to act neither humble nor arrogant when facing her grandfather, in fact, the girl was still quite afraid of this grandfather who controlled the fate of the family and never showed his emotions.

Or to be more precise, Toyokawa Shoko is actually instinctively afraid of many things that are beyond her control or that make her feel stressed. However, she is used to arming herself with an almost "tough" attitude and deliberate "alienation" to try to cover up her inner anxiety and vulnerability and make herself appear less afraid.

Perhaps this is also the reason why Toyokawa Shoko used to subconsciously make threatening gestures like "breathing" when she felt nervous or wanted to emphasize her position?

Use a seemingly aggressive posture to cover up inner weakness.

Kujo Renji quickly put aside this brief analysis of Miss Xiangzi's character and returned his attention to reality.

He noticed that because of the overly eye-catching Maybach and the high popularity of "Toyokawa Shoko" in the school, many curious students and passers-by stopped to watch at the school gate, and whispers were heard one after another.

It would not be wise to engage in any form of dispute or confrontation with Toyokawa Sadaharu in public.

He nodded slightly towards the car, without saying anything, opened the door and got in.

.

Chihaya Aine had just said goodbye to Xiao Xiang and was humming a tuneless little song, happily preparing to go to the band rehearsal room. But out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the extremely eye-catching black Maybach at the school gate, and... Toyokawa Shoko, who was bending over to get into the car.

"Eh?!!"

Aine’s steps suddenly stopped.

That car... Although she was not a car enthusiast, she could recognize that it was definitely a top-of-the-line luxury car.

Moreover, judging from the aura of the old man revealed when the car window was lowered, he was not an ordinary person.