Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

The third candidate for parliament was Eisaku Tokiwa.

Professor of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Teito University, a scholar of "pure and unconventional" character who enjoys a high reputation in the academic world.

When Zheng Yi confirmed the identity of his opponent, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"As a person bursting with a sense of justice, how could I stand by and watch a hypocrite covered in scandals sit in a seat in the House of Representatives?"

That is not only a desecration of the law, but also a betrayal of the entire population.

After seeing this guy's dirty secrets, Zheng Yi's sense of justice was stirred.

Thus, the operation codenamed "Upholding Justice" officially began.

Overnight, the front page of the Justice Daily was flooded with Eisaku Tokiwa's dark history:

[Academic fraud]: In order to obtain high research funding and pharmaceutical company investment, he dared to tamper with the clinical trial data of new drugs, treating the health of countless patients as a joke!

[Patent theft]: Using complex offshore company structures, researchers appropriating research results belonging to the country and universities, and laundering money through exorbitant patent licensing fees!
[Academic bullying]: Taking advantage of the supervisor's authority, they forcibly add the name of "corresponding author" to the students' painstaking research results, and seize the honors and bonuses!
[Sex for Power]: The inhumane and exploitative practices employed against female students and young researchers...

These accusations, enough to destroy any academic career, poured down like a torrential downpour.

The day after these scandals surfaced, Senju Junji also began to suffer.

His scandals were released with the same level of publicity.

As a top-tier actor, his scandals are obviously more entertaining and explosive.

"There's nothing money can't buy—The dark family rules of the prestigious Qian Tou family exposed!"

The True Face of the "Emperor" Who Forced Police to Kneel at an Accident Scene!

[Outrageous] National Idol Transforms into "Murderer"! The Full Picture of the Father's 10 Billion Yen "Hush Money" Scheme!

In addition, old scandals such as hunting for female celebrities and fake charitable donations were also thoroughly exposed.

In an instant, Sentou Shunji went from being a "national heartthrob" to a "street rat" that everyone wanted to beat.

In just two days, the air in Tokyo was thick with the scandal surrounding these two men.

As Senju Junji watched the negative news escalate in real time, he felt dizzy and disoriented.

"With such a bad reputation, how can I still run for parliament? My political career... is probably over before it even begins."

He glanced at the news about his rival, Eisaku Tokiwa, and found that Tokiwa's reputation was now equally tarnished, almost on par with his own.

Some media outlets even conducted a poll titled "The Most Hated Person Among Japanese People Today".

The result was astonishing: Junji Senzu and Eisaku Tokiwa tied for first place.

Zheng Yi, who was originally at the top of the list, has quietly slipped to outside the top 100 and is almost never mentioned.

Qiantou realized he had fallen into a trap.

He became a tool to diminish the influence of the Zhengyi sect.

Now the entire Japanese public is criticizing me and Tokiwa. Who remembers what he, Seiichi, did?
There's also this damn company called Justice Security, which goes around saying that Japan is unsafe because of these scoundrels.

In order to protect themselves from being harmed by these powerful and influential people, the public should spend a small amount of money to hire security personnel to protect themselves.

Damn!

He had hired this lousy company before; the prices were outrageously high, and that was no small amount of money.

"We've been set up by Zheng Yi," Qian Tou said.

Qiantou then looked at the public opinion surrounding Tumen Kanghui.

There wasn't a single negative story about him in the newspapers.

Now, all sorts of scandals about him and Tokiwa are flying around, and only Tsuchimon Koki remains clean-cut. Even if the public votes with their feet, they won't choose him and Tokiwa.

Worried, Qiantou called Zhengyi.

Zheng Yi comforted Qian Tou over the phone.

Qiantou asked worriedly, "Mr. Zhengyi, what about the election?"

"Don't worry, I'll arrange everything for you," Zheng Yi said.

Qiantou said, "But the situation is not good right now. Tumen Kanghui's approval rating is too high."

If he is elected, he might promote some bad legislation.

"Don't worry, I've already found people to deal with Tumen Kanghui. He definitely won't be elected as a member of parliament," Zhengyi said.

"And as for Tokiwa, I'll find someone else to deal with him, so you can rest assured."

"Alright, alright, then I'll trouble you, Mr. Zhengyi," Qiantou said.

Home.

After hanging up the phone, Zheng Yi pursed his lips.

If you can be as clean as me, why would you need to use extra methods to deal with Tokiwa?
Compared to these politicians, Zheng Yi is far too clean.

Zheng Yi was thinking about whether he should try running for a seat in the legislature.

She is completely innocent and has no fear of digging up dirt on each other.

Moreover, he has a strong sense of charity.

Whenever there's a disaster or calamity in Japan, he's always the first to organize his company employees to fold origami cranes.

but,

Zheng Yi touched his chin. He didn't seem to be a Japanese citizen. Could someone who wasn't a Japanese citizen run for parliament?

You should ask someone.

Ai held a cool glass, the orange juice swirling between the clear glass walls.

She walked up to Zheng Yi, her steps light, yet carrying a strange scrutinizing air.

"You're the one who orchestrated those scandals involving those two congressmen?" Ai asked, tilting her head up.

Zheng Yi leaned back lazily on the sofa and nodded.

"Yes."

Tokiwa's scandals were exposed by the Justice Daily.
But the thousand-headed ones are not.

As soon as other media outlets broke the news, Zhengyi's newspapers immediately followed suit, exaggerating the story.

Since Qiantou's reputation is already ruined, you might as well take advantage of this buzz.

Zheng Yi put down the newspaper, sat up straight, and a solemn, almost sacred look appeared on his face.

He looked at Ai with clear eyes, like a true messenger of justice.

Zheng Yi slowly opened his mouth and said in a somber tone, "If all Japanese parliamentarians are like this, then Japan is really doomed."

So I exposed the dirty secrets of these two people. I just wanted to open the public's eyes and let them see what kind of people they are.

We can't let them be fooled by those guys.

She held out the juice and said, "So... you did do a good deed?"

“That’s right.” Zheng Yi nodded firmly.

Xiao Ai looked at him suspiciously.

Nobody believes you would do a good deed for no reason.
Zheng Yi smiled and reached out, instinctively wanting to ruffle her hair.

However, the hand froze the moment it touched Ai's hair.

Zheng Yi's expression changed, and his brows furrowed sharply.

"Wait," he said in a deep voice.

Ai was stunned for a moment when she saw Masakazu's sudden change in expression.

"What are you doing at home?" Zhengyi asked.

"It's a day off today, isn't it normal for you to be at home?" Ai retorted irritably.

Do you want me to go shopping with that bunch of boring high school girls?
I thought Zheng Yi's sudden change of expression was because of something important, but it turns out he just forgot the date.

"Shouldn't you be in the lab?" Zhengyi asked.

"what?"

Ai's brain went blank for a moment, and her body froze.

Yes... lab.

Her expression changed slightly, and she quickly picked up the juice glass in her hand and covered her mouth.

"The lab... I think we should go to that place," Ai mumbled incoherently.

She slammed down her cup, pointed at Zheng Yi's nose, and righteously and sternly rebuked him:

"You didn't drive me! The lab is so far from home, are you expecting me to walk there?" She decided to strike first and seize the moral high ground.

"Conan's father got cramps from writing a book, and his mother..."

Anyway, it was all Zheng Yi's mistake, it was all his fault.

Zheng Yi looked at Xiao Ai and was genuinely reflecting on his mistakes.

"This was indeed my oversight." Zheng Yi nodded repeatedly, appearing to humbly accept the criticism.

He pondered for a moment.

"How about I hire a driver for you?" Zheng Yi looked at Xiao Ai and suggested, "I'll provide you with a car to pick you up and drop you off at school and work every day, rain or shine."

"what?"

Ai's eyes widened instantly.

She stammered for a while: "Use...use the money sponsored by Conan to hire a driver for me? That's not a good idea, is it?"

“Then I’ll pay for your driver myself.” Zheng Yi waved his hand and said generously, “Personal expenses are not included in the debt you owe me.”

The color drained from Ai's face, and her eyes lost their usual luster, becoming dull and lifeless.

After spending a fortune on Ai Haibara, Masakazu picked up his phone and started calling Conan.

He still can't live without Conan.

Without Conan, Shoichi feels he can't accomplish anything.

"Hey, Conan..."

……

"Do you like it? This is Yoko Okino's 4-Minute Kitchen today. Our guests today are Kogoro Mouri and Yukiko Kudo."

Okay, see you at the same time next week.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

The television station has just finished a live broadcast.

Yoko Okino said to Yukiko:
"Yukiko-senpai, I never imagined you would participate in my program one day. It is such an honor."

I've always considered you my idol since I entered the industry. In fact, the reason I chose to enter the film and television industry was because I became interested in it after seeing one of your movies.

"Oh, don't be so reserved, you're making me feel embarrassed," Yukiko said with a smile.

Yoko Okino looked very excited and invited Yukiko, "May I treat you to a meal?"

Yoko Okino's eyes sparkled like stars.

Yukiko didn't refuse: "Of course..."

"Ms. Yukiko!"

Just as Yukiko was about to agree, her manager came over and said, "You have to go to record another program."

The manager smiled apologetically at Yoko Okino: "I'm sorry, but there will be a penalty for canceling the show."

"It's alright, it's alright." Yoko Okino waved her hand and said, "Next time I have the chance, I must treat Yukiko-senpai to a simple meal."

A look of dejection appeared on Yukiko's face.

Who knows when the opportunity will come?

Yukiko felt that someone in the company was targeting her. Why was her schedule so tight? They were treating her like a slave!

Yukiko smiled at Yoko Okino and said, "I have a concert next month, can I invite you to be a guest?"

“Of course,” Yoko Okino said excitedly. “It would be my honor.”

"Then I'll leave it to you." Yukiko smiled.

Free guest vocals included.

Yukiko got up, walked over to Conan, and gave his face a good pinch.

"Conan is so cute," Yukiko said with a smile. "I wonder if he'd be even cuter in women's clothing."

Conan took several steps back in fear.

Fortunately, Yukiko's manager kept urging her on, preventing her from toying with Conan indefinitely.

After Yukiko left, Conan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

But when Conan looked up, he saw that Ran was looking at him strangely, her eyes were darting around, as if she was thinking about what he looked like in women's clothing.

"Sister Xiaolan, what are you thinking about?"

"No, it's nothing." Xiaolan shook her head.

"I have a feeling that Ran is thinking something very rude," Conan said quietly.

After Yukiko left, Yoko Okino began praising Kogoro Mouri.

They weren't nervous at all during the live broadcast and performed better than many professionals.

Because it was a 7 PM program being recorded, Ran and Conan, who came with Kogoro, hadn't eaten yet.

After the program ended, Yoko Okino suggested, "If it's convenient, let's have breakfast together at the restaurant downstairs from the TV station."

“Of course it’s convenient!” Kogoro Mouri said with a smile.

Yoko Okino smiled and said, "Then please wait for me, Mr. Mori. I'd like to introduce a friend to you. I'll call her over right away."

Conan rubbed his stomach.

He was indeed very hungry.

"Beep, beep, beep~"

Just as Kogoro was about to take Ran and Conan downstairs for breakfast, Conan's phone rang.

"Brother Zhengyi? What does he want with me at this time?"

Conan answered the phone, puzzled.

"Hey, Brother Zhengyi."

"Conan, is it a convenient time for you to take this call?"

……

After recording this program, Yukiko will go to another TV station to record another program.

Even breakfast had to be eaten in the car.

Although breakfast tasted good and was very nutritious, Yukiko was still very unhappy.

"Is your company trying to work me to death?" Yukiko said angrily to her manager.

"Could it be that Zheng Yi knows I often speak ill of him, so he's deliberately targeting me?"

"Ms. Yukiko, why would you think that?" The manager handed Yukiko a bottle of mineral water.

Yukiko drank half a bottle in one go before her anger subsided somewhat.

The agent said with a smile, "Mr. Zhengyi said that you are the mother of his friend, so he asked us to take special care of you."

Please let us know if you need anything, and we will try our best to cooperate.

"Furthermore," the agent said softly, "Mr. Zhengyi is very busy and cannot possibly have time to pay excessive attention to such trivial matters as your work schedule."

“I want to rest now,” Yukiko said.

"Of course," the agent readily agreed.

This situation, however, left Yukiko uncertain.

The agent said, "Alright then, would you like to rest for a few days?"

“One, no, it’s two…three days! I need to rest for three days,” Yukiko said.

The agent nodded: "You have five shows to participate in over the next three days, and two commercial shoots. If you cancel them all, you'll have to pay a penalty fee..."

"Stop talking, I'm not resting anymore!"

"Damn vampires."

……

"Ah!"

Inside a bar, Vermouth rubbed her nose.

She glanced around, then raised her glass of red wine and swirled it. (End of Chapter)