Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

He coughed lightly and somewhat unnaturally, as if to cover up his momentary loss of composure, then sighed and said in a tone of pretended helplessness:

"...Don't be so self-indulgent."

His voice sounded a little tense, losing the ease and composure he had just had.

"I've said from the beginning that everything I've done is merely 'reward' for my temporary stay with you. I can't let you, the landlord, be eaten alive by others within three days of me, the 'tenant', leaving nothing behind because of some stupid mistake. Wouldn't that make me, a 'temporary mentor', look like a poor judge?"

A series of explanations that sounded logically impeccable and attributed everything to "transactions" and "face issues."

However, after hearing these words, Shoko Toyokawa did not get angry as before because of being called "stupid", nor did she make any rebuttal.

She just hummed softly and happily twice in her own consciousness.

It was a nasal tone that was slightly smug and slightly amusing, after seeing through the other person's pretense of strength.

She secretly gave the most accurate and concise evaluation in her heart:

Damn arrogant.

Chapter 144: You said earlier that you didn't know it was your granddaughter who did it

Toyokawa Group, Tokyo.

Although Toyokawa Takaaki's death temporarily covered up the filth underground, Toyokawa Sadaharu knew in his heart that the snow was falling too strangely.

He sat back down at the mahogany desk that symbolized the highest power in the Toyokawa family, and tapped his fingertips lightly on the smooth surface, making a dull and rhythmic sound.

The old man closed his eyes and began to review the whole incident.

He first ruled out the possibility of business rivals.

Kitagawa family?

They don't have the courage, let alone the ability.

The core of this incident is the precise use of the internal conflicts within the Toyokawa family, which shows that the mastermind behind the incident has a very deep understanding of the Toyokawa family, especially Takaaki.

So, is it other branches within the family?

Also unlikely.

Those short-sighted guys are still scheming against each other for petty gains. They don't have the vision and execution ability to plan such a grand conspiracy.

After eliminating the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how implausible, must be the truth.

The clues eventually pointed to the dark underground world that was incompatible with their upper class society.

Although Toyokawa Sadaharu's intelligence network was weakened during his "abdication", its foundation remained.

He did not alert anyone, but began to investigate secretly and from the outside through a few old subordinates who were absolutely loyal to him.

The first point of his investigation was the two people who last appeared in Toyokawa Takaaki's office.

The two men could only give oral accounts because the building's surveillance video was broken that day.

If his investigation is true, it means that all security systems seem to have turned a blind eye to the person who last entered Toyokawa Takaaki's office.

This shows that the other party possesses top-notch hacking technology and can silently paralyze or take over the security system of a top-level office building.

The second entry point of his investigation was the abandoned dock where Toyokawa Takaaki was arrested.

He sent people to investigate the ownership and history of the area.

Decades ago, that area was one of the most rampant smuggling areas in Tokyo Bay, and it was also the territory fought over by major underworld organizations.

Although it is now abandoned, it is still the default "gray area" for some underground forces.

The third and most important entry point is the frozen secret accounts of Toyokawa Takaaki.

He used some shady connections to obtain a vague report on the flow of funds from an insider at a Swiss bank.

The report shows that the huge amount of funds mobilized by Toyokawa Takaaki before his death did not eventually flow to any known business rivals, but was completely laundered through dozens of complex and untraceable cryptocurrency channels and eventually disappeared without a trace.

This money laundering method is professional, efficient, and ruthless, and bears the strong imprint of modern organized crime.

Hacking technology, underworld background, professional money laundering network, all clues point to underground forces.

And in Tokyo, the person most capable of organizing all of this...

——Yamaguchi-gumi?

As giants that have been entrenched in the Japanese underground world for many years, only they could possibly possess such vast, cross-domain capabilities at the same time.

However, when Toyokawa Sadaharu extended his investigation into the Yamaguchi-gumi, he discovered something that surprised him.

The Yamaguchi-gumi recently experienced an internal power reshuffle that was as bloody as the "upheaval of the lower classes" in the Warring States Period.

Many bigwigs of the older generation either retired mysteriously or died unexpectedly, and the power structure of the entire organization underwent drastic and earth-shaking changes.

The final winner, contrary to everyone's expectations, was neither the direct line leader with deep roots nor the leader of a faction with a large number of troops, but an unknown man who was just the "son" of a young leader.

——A middle-aged man named Ryuichi Yamamoto.

This Yamamoto Ryuichi has a very clean resume. He even studied abroad in his early years. He looks more like a corporate executive than a gang leader.

Before this reshuffle, he had almost no presence in the organization. But it was this person who, with a thunderous momentum, swept away all opponents and ascended to the throne of the actual leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi.

This is so abnormal.

Toyokawa Sadaharu keenly smelled something unusual.

He was almost certain that there was some inevitable connection between Yamamoto Ryuichi's rise to power and Toyokawa Takaaki's downfall.

Perhaps, Ryuichi Yamamoto is the mastermind behind this?

No, that's not right.

Toyokawa Sadaharu quickly denied this speculation.

Yamamoto Ryuichi may have the means, but Toyokawa Sadaharu still finds it hard to believe that he is the one who can manipulate Toyokawa Takaaki.

Just like how he inexplicably became the winner of the Yamaguchi-gumi, it seemed like there was another more powerful hand pushing him behind the scenes.

Ryuichi Yamamoto is most likely just a pawn.

A chess piece that is pushed to the front of the stage to attract everyone's attention.

But the person behind him, the real manipulator, is the one that Toyokawa Sadaharu is really interested in.

That person possesses amazing power and means.

Moreover, judging from the outcome of this incident with the Toyokawa family, the other party seemed to have no ill will towards Toyokawa Sadaharu.

Otherwise, the other party could have continued to create chaos after overthrowing Xiaoming and dragged the entire Toyokawa family into the quagmire of internal strife, instead of perfectly returning power to his hands as it is now.

In a sense, the other party did him a great favor.

A mysterious ally who is so powerful and has no obvious hostility towards him?

A long-lost urge to make friends surged in Toyokawa Sadaharu's heart.

He decided to personally meet the new star of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Mr. Ryuichi Yamamoto.

...

The meeting place was not chosen on either party's territory, but was set in an extremely private restaurant in Ginza that was not open to the public.

Toyokawa Sadaharu arrived early, accompanied only by a personal bodyguard. He knelt on the tatami, a cup of cold Gyokuro tea in front of him, his eyes calmly fixed on the paper door.

Not long after, the paper door was gently opened.

Yamamoto Ryuichi walked in. He was wearing a well-tailored dark suit instead of the traditional kimono.

With a square face, sharp eyes and slightly bulging temples, he certainly doesn't look like a traditional Yakuza.

"I'm really sorry to have kept Mr. Fengchuan waiting for so long."

Yamamoto Ryuichi bowed slightly, his posture was very humble, but his tone was neither humble nor arrogant.

"No, I'm early. It's an honor for me to have Mr. Yamamoto come here."

Toyokawa Sadaharu had a warm smile on his face, like a kind old grandfather next door.

The two sat opposite each other and began the standard Japanese social greetings.

They talked about everything from the weather to the tea ceremony, from the economic situation to the latest Kabuki performances, as if they were not a chaebol family head and a gang leader, but two old friends who had known each other for many years.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Toyokawa Sadaharu knew it was time.

He put down the wine glass in his hand and sighed casually:

"Speaking of which, regarding the recent incident at the Toyokawa Group, it was really thanks to Mr. Yamamoto's help in maintaining order that the situation was prevented from escalating further. I'm here to offer you a toast."

Yamamoto Ryuichi picked up his glass, clinked it with his, and drank it all in one gulp, his face still expressionless.

"Mr. Fengchuan, you are too kind. We just did our part and don't want to take credit for it."

His answer was flawless, neither admitting nor denying.

In fact, this was a rather cautious answer on his part.

After all, Toyokawa Sadaharu is Miss Shoko's grandfather and the nominal head of the Toyokawa family. He actually has no idea whether this old man is involved in Miss Shoko's plan.

So on the one hand, he needs to avoid the connection between this matter and himself to avoid making a misunderstanding, and on the other hand, he needs to be careful about his attitude.

After all, he really didn't dare to take credit for this matter.

Toyokawa Sadaharu smiled, and his eyes became a little deeper:

"Mr. Yamamoto is too modest. It's a pity, but Takaaki's fate was his own fault. However, I've always been curious about the kind of hero who could have pushed Takaaki to that point and orchestrated the entire Yamaguchi-gumi. Mr. Yamamoto was so young, yet he was able to unite the entire Yamaguchi-gumi. Such skill and courage truly put me to shame."

This was a test, but also a compliment. He was hinting that he had guessed that Yamamoto Ryuichi was involved in this matter, and he praised Yamamoto Ryuichi to the level of a "hero."

Yamamoto Ryuichi's eyes narrowed slightly, and he knew that the main topic had arrived.

——Is this Miss Xiangzi testing whether he has any intention of rebelling?

He was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke:

"Mr. Fengchuan, you are too kind. I am just a hero made by the times, and I am lucky to have been valued by such a noble person."

"Noble?"

Toyokawa Sadaharu keenly grasped these four words and immediately understood.

Sure enough, there is someone behind him!

Toyokawa Sadaharu's heartbeat quickened slightly, and he felt that he was one step closer to the mysterious truth.

He leaned forward slightly and said in a sincere and heartfelt tone:

"I see, Mr. Yamamoto. I've taken the liberty of coming here today not only to express my gratitude, but also... to ask a favor."

He paused, observing Yamamoto Ryuichi's expression, and then continued:

"The noble man behind you has no ill will towards my Toyokawa family, and he even indirectly helped me a great favor. I am truly grateful to him. I wonder if Mr. Yamamoto could make an introduction for me? I hope to have the opportunity to offer a toast to him in person..."

He was humble and spoke sincerely, like someone who truly wanted to repay a favor.

He believed that no one would refuse to establish a friendship with the head of the Toyokawa family. This would be a valuable political asset for any faction.

However, what was beyond Toyokawa Sadaharu's expectations was that after he said this, the expression on Yamamoto Ryuichi's face opposite him suddenly became strange.

It was a complex expression that was a mixture of shock, astonishment, and understanding.

Yamamoto Ryuichi looked at the old man in front of him who was a powerful and shrewd man in the Japanese business world, and saw the sincere expression on his face that showed his desire to make friends with the "person behind the scenes". For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Shoko Toyokawa is the granddaughter of Sadaharu Toyokawa.

But at this moment, this grandfather was here, happily wanting to make friends with that "noble man".

Yamamoto Takashi figured everything out in an instant.

I'm afraid that Xiangzi's relationship with his grandfather is not as harmonious as he imagined.

In fact, it could be said to be quite bad. Otherwise, that adult wouldn't have needed to hide his true identity from him throughout the entire plan.

After realizing this, Yamamoto Ryuichi's originally polite attitude gradually became cold.

——Damn it, I worried for nothing.

He slowly put down the wine glass in his hand, making a crisp sound.

"Mr. Toyokawa..."

His voice no longer had the respect it had before: