Tokyo: Starting with a fake boyfriend

Feeling her intensely intimidating gaze, Minami Yamabuki suddenly felt a little nervous.

My mother is too gentle. Even when my father cheated on me, she didn't get angry. She just sadly wiped away her tears alone, feeling sad and heartbroken.

That's why she always felt terrified when she saw her mother angry.

"Xiao Nan, I have something I want to talk to you about. Come to Mom's room."

Yamabuki took a deep breath and explained her purpose.

"Can't we say it here?"

I'd like to talk to you alone.

"Okay... Xiu Jun, please sit for a while. Excuse me, I'll be right back."

Minami Yamabuki agreed and couldn't help but turn to look at Osamu Shiratori.

He guessed everything correctly, such as his mother being angry and talking to him alone after dinner.

After saying this, she stood up and walked towards her mother, having waited for a long time.

"Shiratori-kun, are you thirsty? The barley tea I poured for you is still on the table in front of the sofa. Would you like me to bring it in?"

Seeing that her daughter still listened to her, Yamabuki was quite pleased, and then looked at the man sitting at the desk.

Her words were still polite and gentle, but her tone was not as mild as before.

"I am indeed a bit thirsty. Let's just leave it here; that would be too much trouble for you. I'll go out for a drink."

Shiratori Osamu was able to read her subtext and stood up to respond.

Clearly, Mrs. Yamabuki's affection for him had plummeted to negative levels, and she didn't want him, a man, to be alone in her beloved daughter's room during their conversation.

In other words, Mrs. Yamabuki has a very gentle personality. If it were her mother, who had a fiery temper and was domineering, she would probably have already issued an order to leave, without caring about her daughter's thoughts and feelings, let alone someone she disliked.

"Father-in-law, why don't you smoke anymore?"

Stepping out of the room, Shiratori Osamu came to the sofa in the living room and greeted Yamabuki Tomoya.

"I've had enough."

Hearing his warm greeting, Yamabuki Satoshi neither reacted nor refused, but instead looked at him with a smile.

If the husband and wife are of one mind, the profit will be cut off.

This petty thug probably has no idea what he's about to face.

"Really? That's a good thing. Smoking too much is bad for your health."

Seeing his smug smile, as if victory was assured, Shiratori Osamu also smiled.

Yamabuki Minami, go and turn the tide!

……

At the same time, Minami Yamabuki followed her mother into the room.

When she arrived at her parents' bedroom, she began to look around the room.

The room wasn't as tidy as before; the sheets were a bit messy, and there were many clothes scattered haphazardly on the bed, as if they had been taken out of the closet and were being picked out without being put back.

Based on the image of her father pulling a suitcase, she could imagine what had happened at home before she brought Shiratori-san back.

"Xiao Nan, let's sit down and talk."

Yamabuki closed the door, walked to the bedside, sat down, and patted the side beside her.

"Uh-huh."

Minami Yamabuki nodded and obediently sat down next to her.

Seeing that she was still as obedient as ever, Yamabuki felt heartened, but she was also angry.

She might care if the top student in the grade was dating the bottom student, but as long as her daughter was happy, she would understand and support her.

However, after learning about Shiratori Osamu's character and personality from Mrs. Yamada, as a mother, she could no longer sit idly by.

Moreover, in order to bring her boyfriend home for the night, Xiao Nan actually hoped that her father would go on a business trip soon, pushing her husband away to that philandering cat.

This is no longer just recklessness; it's naivety, stupidity, depravity, and selfishness!

"Minami, do you like Shiratori-kun?"

After clearing her mind, Yamabuki took a deep breath and prepared herself before speaking.

"do not like."

Faced with this question, Minami Yamabuki shook her head without hesitation.

"Actually, it's your freedom to like whomever you want. Mom didn't originally want to..." Upon hearing her response, Yamabuki subconsciously began reciting her prepared statement, but before she could finish, she realized something was wrong and exclaimed in surprise, "What did you just say?"

Did she mishear? Her daughter's answer was that she didn't like it?

"I don't like him."

Seeing her initially serious expression turn into an incredulous reaction because of her own words, Minami Yamabuki repeated with amusement.

Do you mean you love him?

When Yamabuki saw her daughter laughing, she realized she had made a fool of herself. She composed herself and corrected the problem with a serious expression.

She's hopelessly infatuated with love, both when she was young and now, so she can probably understand her daughter's way of thinking.

When you give your heart and soul to someone, it's not just about liking them; it's about loving them wholeheartedly.

"I don't love her." Minami Yamabuki shook her head.

"Huh?" Yamabuki was dumbfounded.

After making the phone call, she didn't knock on her daughter's door immediately, but instead thought about it for a while.

Two phone calls gave her the answer: she had to find a way to break up Konan and Shiratori Osamu.

In order to persuade her daughter and to avoid upsetting her too much, she considered many possibilities and even prepared her words and strategies in advance.

But her plans and considerations were all disrupted by her daughter at this moment. What exactly happened?

"Mom, Shiratori-san is actually an assistant I hired. I had him pretend to be my boyfriend to make Dad angry and stop him from going on a business trip with his female secretary."

Faced with her mother's astonishment, Yamabuki Minami put away her smile, took her hand, and laid her cards on the table.

Chapter 17 The Wife's Betrayal

"Spend money? Get help? Pretend to be a boyfriend?"

The sudden turn of events completely baffled Yamabuki.

In her astonishment, she met her daughter's gaze.

At that moment, she noticed that the girl's innocent and naive look had vanished, replaced by calmness and resolve.

Meeting her gaze, Yamabuki Minami took a deep breath and began to speak her mind:

“Mom, you and Dad started dating in your second year of high school. You were in love for many years and even had a period of mutual support. Even though Dad cheated on you, you didn’t hate him and still loved him. I can understand that.”

“I know that Dad is very good to you and to me. He has sacrificed a lot for this family. He was just temporarily blinded by a woman who cheated on him.”

"But Mom, if we do nothing, this family will be destroyed by that philandering cat sooner or later."

“That woman who cheated on you is very ambitious. She not only wants a promotion and a raise, but she also came to our house the other day. She clearly wants to take your place.”

"You have a very gentle personality and don't like to compete with others. That's not a bad thing. It's okay, let me help you fight for it!"

Although most of these lines were written for her by Shiratori Shu, they expressed her true feelings.

She could understand her mother's actions and difficulties, which is why she risked approaching Shiratori Osamu, the most dangerous delinquent in the school.

"But……"

After listening to her long speech, Yamabuki was speechless for a moment.

She knew her daughter was right; that philandering cat was too dangerous, and they couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

But even knowing this, she still dared not fight for it.

Because she was a full-time housewife, she often interacted with other wives and had heard countless gossips.

For example, if a husband cheats on his wife, she might fly into a rage and even threaten to jump off a building to commit suicide. They might reconcile at the time, but the marriage would end in divorce not long after.

For example, if someone divorces their husband and, because they are a full-time housewife with no clear income, the husband gets custody of their son.

So many examples demonstrate one thing: fighting and being aggressive will only lead to a bitter end and a broken relationship.

Only understanding and compromise can maintain family harmony.

She could only wait until her husband's initial excitement wore off, at which point he would naturally turn his attention back to the home.

Moreover, Xiao Nan is in her final year of high school, a crucial stage where she needs to focus on preparing for university entrance exams. If she has a major argument with her husband, it might affect her daughter's studies.

Seeing that she was speechless, Yamabuki Minami continued to offer advice and express her stance:

“Mom, I know you don’t want to argue with Dad, and you don’t want Dad to think you’ve changed, so let me do this kind of thing.”

"You don't have to do anything. You just need to be gentle and considerate like before, and be that virtuous and capable Mrs. Yamabuki. I will find a way to help you sort everything out."

"Mom, I will protect your gentleness and this family!"

Yamabuki stared blankly at her daughter, taken aback by her resolute determination to do anything.

So... that's how it is?

She thought her daughter had been led astray by a bad man, becoming reckless, naive, and even selfish, completely disregarding what would become of the family.

Little did they expect that their daughter had gone to such lengths for the family. The reason she brought Shiratori home was simply because she was protecting the family in her own way.

As a result, she had a hysterical argument with her father, almost turning them into bitter enemies.

Xiao Nan personally tore apart the image of a good daughter, just to maintain her image as a good wife.

"Xiao Nan... my silly girl."

Thinking of this, Yamabuki could no longer control herself and hugged her daughter tightly, tears streaming down her face like a dam bursting.

Her previous anger, resentment, and misunderstanding all transformed into gratitude, heartache, and guilt at this moment.

She's so useless. She's supposed to be a mother, but she expects her daughter to protect her dignity.

Nestled in her arms, Minami was initially moved by this tender moment between mother and daughter, but she soon began to feel short of breath:

"Mom, I can't breathe."

……

In the living room, two grown men sat facing each other in silence.

As enemies, they had nothing to talk about, except for the occasional eye contact.

They are all waiting, waiting for the next change.

A smile that never seemed to fade remained on Tomoya Yamabuki's face.

If you can't tell, then you can't tell. Whether Shiratori Osamu is an actor hired by his daughter or his real boyfriend, it doesn't matter.

Because the moment his wife joined the battle, the outcome of the match was already decided.

"Click".

The living room was deathly silent until the sound of a door closing came from the other end of the room.

Soon, two figures walked out one after the other.

Yamabuki walked ahead, a smile on her pretty face, looking like she was in a good mood.

Minami Yamabuki walked behind her mother, looking very well-behaved.

Seeing his wife so happy, Tomoya Yamabuki's smile deepened.

"Match over!"

"The meeting with Mr. Miyamoto is at 15:30 PM tomorrow... I'm flying to Hokkaido tomorrow morning, so I should be able to make it. I don't know if Rio has contacted Mr. Miyamoto about canceling the meeting. I'll call and ask later."

"We must find a way to secure this order worth 180 billion."

Anticipating the prospect of the young thug being kicked out, Tomoya Yamabuki felt a sense of relief and his mind wandered. He couldn't help but gather his thoughts and try to get everything back on track.

"Shiratori-kun".