You are Toyokawa Shoko, then who am I?

But because there were outsiders present, she couldn't say much. She could only stare at Toyokawa Shoko with an apologetic look in the dark car. Toyokawa Shoko noticed her gaze, reached out his hand and gently placed it on Toyokawa Shoko's slender little hand, indicating that she didn't need to mind.

Shoko Toyokawa blushed a little at this bold move, but felt relieved that Sho Toyokawa understood her.

She tilted her head slightly to make sure that she and Toyokawa Sho, who were sitting with their backs to the driver, would not be seen by the driver in the rearview mirror. So she let her love take over her emotions, and with a slight blush on her cheeks, she gently held Toyokawa Sho's hand.

Want to go further.

But in the end, I didn’t dare to hold hands tightly.

He climbed into the carriage with the help of the neon lights outside the window. When he was able to see the other person's face for a brief moment, he opened his mouth and mouthed something to Toyokawa Sho.

【……sorry.】

Toyokawa Sho blinked, then smiled and mouthed a reply.

【It doesn't matter. 】

Seeing that the other party had no intention of blaming her at all, Toyokawa Shoko felt even more guilty.

She lowered her eyes and held Toyokawa Sho's hand until the car drove into the familiar mansion. Then she let go of his hand reluctantly and walked into Toyokawa Sadaharu's office with Toyokawa Sho.

Toyokawa Sho's eyes wandered around the spacious room. The decoration and furnishings were still as grand and elegant as he remembered.

The black leather sofa in front of you is a custom-made design by Visionnaire, a top Italian luxury brand. The bookcases on the left and right sides display a wide variety of books, including "The Tale of Genji" and "Dream of the Red Chamber", as well as a German version of "Das Kapital" that may be just for display. If you look closely, you can even find a few Young and Dangerous comics by Niu Lao.

Toyokawa Sho couldn't remember that the extremely old-fashioned and extremely strict grandfather in his memory would have such a wide range of interests, and he even read Hong Kong gangster comics.

He raised his eyes to look at the tall figure in front of him and found that the other person was watching him silently.

"Xiangzi, please go out."

The old man stared at Toyokawa Sho's face carefully for a while, then turned to Toyokawa Shoko and said.

"Grandfather, I—"

Shoko Toyokawa was worried about Sho Toyokawa staying here alone.

"How long has it been since you last visited your mother?"

The old man's tone became stern and he interrupted her ruthlessly.

"Don't make me say the same thing again. Leave here and go visit your mother. During the month you ran away from home, Ruisui was worried all day long and even her appetite became smaller. Have you ever considered your mother's feelings about your willfulness?"

"……I……"

Shoko Toyokawa was so shocked by the old man's words that she couldn't even raise her head. She bit her lower lip hard. Her delicate self-esteem was like shattered glass under this harsh rebuke, and her eyes soon turned red.

Her shattered pride made her want to escape from here as quickly as possible.

But the growth she experienced during this period pulled back her weakness, telling her that she should now hold her head high and tell her grandfather that she did care about her mother.

Just when she was at a loss and didn't know what to do.

A hand blocked her way.

It was like a shield that fell from the sky, blocking the surging torrent for her.

"It's true that Xiangzi wasn't able to go back to visit her mother, but there was a reason for it. She'd been trying hard to take care of her father for the past month, and she also had to balance schoolwork and a part-time job. For a 15 or 16-year-old girl, she'd done well enough."

Toyokawa Sho took a step forward, protecting Toyokawa Shoko behind him, and told her the memory of what he saw that day.

"Also, it's not like she doesn't care about her mother's feelings at all. Every once in a while, she'll call her mother to let her know she's safe, even though she sometimes can't help crying..."

"I, I'm not crying...!"

Toyokawa Shoko's cheeks flushed, and she almost jumped to defend herself, but her excuse was too pale and not convincing at all, "I was just, I was just cutting onions and accidentally got smoked...!"

Toyokawa Sho gave Toyokawa Shoko a blank look, then continued speaking to the old man in front of him.

"As you can see, she still has many immature aspects. She was clearly crying but still insisted that she had chopped the onions herself. She is also not thoughtful in her actions. Her personality also needs improvement. But these shortcomings are not enough to outweigh her strengths. At least, in my opinion, Xiangzi is already a very good child. She has a very strong sense of responsibility."

"Faced with a father who had given up on himself, she didn't choose to escape. Instead, she took the initiative to take care of him wholeheartedly and tried her best to get him back on track..."

"For this reason alone, I think she deserves you to say to her in a gentler tone, 'Go see your mother.'"

Shoko Toyokawa's pupils shook slightly as she looked at Sho Toyokawa who was standing in front of her. The tears that were about to burst out of her eyes because of grievance were now slowly passing across her cheeks like a flag of emotion.

She rubbed her red eyes, took a deep breath, walked to Toyokawa Sho's side, and then bowed her head and spoke to the old man frankly.

"I'm sorry, Grandfather. I was inconsiderate. I didn't realize you and Mother would be worried about me, so I ran away from home without saying anything. I was wrong. I don't ask for your forgiveness, but at least... please don't make things difficult for him."

"To me... he is an indispensable existence in my life, a friend I cherish, a teacher who shows me the way forward, and also my—"

Toyokawa Shoko paused, feeling embarrassed about what she was going to say next.

But in order to protect Toyokawa Sho, just as Toyokawa Sho protected her, she opened the window of her heart and spoke it out openly.

“Family is the most important thing…!”

ha?

Probably because I've been with Lixi for too long.

Someone also learned Li Xi's speaking habits.

Toyokawa Sho turned his head and looked at Toyokawa Shoko, whose face was as red as a bright apple, in a daze.

In just a few days, he has evolved from the "person I like" we met last time to the "most important family member" now.

The favorability is increased too quickly.

To the extent that Toyokawa Sho feels that he can't keep up with the version iteration.

broken.

This dark history of saying such things in front of her grandfather.

Will I be able to escape from the clutches of the Toyokawa family in the future?

"...There's no need to say anything more."

The old man's tone slowed down visibly. In his heart, he was very surprised that Toyokawa Shoko could admit her mistake so frankly, but he would not show his emotions on the surface.

He looked at Toyokawa Sho with a deep gaze, and finally said to Toyokawa Shoko in a calm tone, "Mizuho is in the lounge over there in the courtyard. You can go over and see him. I have something I want to talk to him about privately, that's all."

“…Ah, okay, I understand.”

Shoko Toyokawa nodded slightly, and secretly glanced at Sho Toyokawa next to her out of the corner of her eye, but she retracted her eyes before she could see the other person's expression clearly.

After coughing a few times, Tactics left the room politely. Before closing the door, she took one last look at Toyokawa Sho. When she noticed that the old man glanced at her, she quickly closed the door and walked towards the courtyard.

There were only two people left in the spacious room.

The old man got up from his seat and slowly moved to the expensive sofa. He was a little surprised to see Toyokawa Sho reaching out to help him, but he didn't say much. He just pointed to the seat opposite and motioned Toyokawa Sho to sit down.

"Black tea or coffee."

The old man asked.

"Just plain tea."

Toyokawa Sho shook his head. He used to like drinking black tea, but as he worked more, he gradually became a coffee addict.

But later, Ruo Yemu was worried that his health would deteriorate, so he forcibly stopped him from drinking coffee and replaced it with the relatively milder tea. After a while, he finally got used to drinking tea.

"Not bad, you know how to drink tea."

The old man nodded approvingly, then waved to the waiter standing next to him. After a while, the waiter brought over a complete set of tea sets.

"Is this Shifeng Longjing tea? You've spent a lot of money."

Toyokawa Sho said as he looked at the small porcelain jar filled with tea leaves.

"I still have some red wine at home. If you don't like it, I'll change it for you."

The old man said with great wealth.

"No, no, I'm not an important guest and can't afford such courtesy."

Toyokawa Sho said politely.

"Don't say such distancing words. Xiangzi has admitted that you are her family. As her grandfather, I will naturally respect her decision."

The old man's eyes were deep, and it was impossible to tell what was hidden in them. He first waved his hand to signal the waiter to leave the room, then picked up a file bag from beside the sofa and handed it to Toyokawa Sho.

"I looked into your background and found no information about you at all. It's as if you appeared out of thin air in this world. This sounds like something that would happen in the Heian period. It's really unbelievable, but I have no intention of delving into your origins."

The old man took a sip of hot tea and explained to Toyokawa Sho what was in the briefcase.

"I've arranged everything for you: your bank card, birth certificate, household registration, school registration, and social security and medical insurance. If you want, you can be my grandson, just like Xiangzi."

"This is a thank-you gift from Xiangzi to you."

"Thanks to you, Xiangzi seems to have grown a lot."

106

Chapter 106 Come, I will teach you how to jump ten boats.

Looking at the folder in his hand that was as light as a feather yet seemed as heavy as Mount Tai, Toyokawa Sho's mouth twitched slightly.

He knew clearly that the old man in front of him was talking nicely, saying that he didn't care about his origins and his past, but in fact, these were all lies. In his heart, he must be as curious as a cat that has been scratched.

But those in power are always good at showing off. They usually don’t express their interests themselves, but let people around them talk about it.

After someone started talking, he would act as if he didn't care, and his attitude was very ambiguous, like the clouds in the distance, floating and uncertain, making it difficult to grasp.

Toyokawa Sho could understand this behavior. The Toyokawa family taught him at a very young age that those in a superior position should not show their emotions on their faces, and should not let others know about their likes and interests. Instead, they should know about the likes and interests of others.

Only when you are mysterious enough and demonstrate enough ability, your position will be as solid as a rock, and your ability to control your subordinates will naturally become more and more refined.

Toyokawa Sho felt that these words made sense, but deep down he actually did not like this condescending educational philosophy.

Looking at the old man's gaze, his eyes were indeed shackled by the turbidity of age, no longer youthful and vigorous, no longer dressed in fine clothes and riding a horse, but the brilliance hidden in his pupils still flickered, a symbol of power and a manifestation of status.

He really looks like a majestic lion that is majestic without even getting angry.

Toyokawa Sho sighed silently in his heart.

He understood that the other party gave him this bag of documents that were extremely important to him, not just to thank him for correcting Toyokawa Shoko's personality towards a normal one.

There are no kind-hearted capitalists in the world. It is a rare good person if he is willing to trade fairly with you.

Presumably, for the old man, this bag of documents was a token of his sincerity. As for what he wanted to know, it was undoubtedly the numerous memes surrounding him.

"What do you want to know?"

Toyokawa Sho is not stubborn. Since you give it to me, I will accept it. There is nothing to mind.

"I can't say I know everything. After all, there are some things I don't quite understand, but I think it's no problem to answer the questions you're interested in."

"Not bad, quite intelligent, not pretending not to understand, nor is he pretentious."

The old man nodded with satisfaction again, "I admire your attitude of neither servility nor arrogance. This is what a Toyokawa family member should be like. Give up that outdated old rock and stay with Xiangzi in the Toyokawa family."

"Old, outdated rock?"

Toyokawa Sho muttered the word softly to himself, and it took him a moment to realize that the other party was talking about the Tsuzuki Poetry Ship.

Perhaps in the eyes of the other party, the once popular legendary band Miracle Red was just a group of people who were not up to the standard.

"Do you know my boss?"

"I had someone investigate you, and naturally I know the woman who let you live in my house."

The old man disagreed.

"May I ask when did it start...?"

Toyokawa Sho asked.

"I knew you from the moment you walked out of Xiangzi's house."

The old man answered.

Toyokawa Sho took a deep breath and let out a slight hissing sound.

If the old man noticed him from the first day he came here, then wouldn't he know everything that happened to him after that?

Then he thought of another possibility. Many things that happened to him were too coincidental. Could it be that the Toyokawa family was also behind this?

No.

Gotta ask.

Toyokawa Sho leaned forward a little and asked the old man.