Tokyo Three Generations

The conglomerate has become tied to the country, truly achieving the so-called "sharing the fate of the nation."

In other words, no matter what problems the Toyokawa Group encounters, it will still firmly occupy its position. Even if there is a major upheaval, the government will choose to protect it in order to avoid economic turmoil.

This is what is meant by "too big to fail".

This is also why the people have boundless confidence in it—even someone like Kenji Sakura, who is already considered an vassal of the upper class, subconsciously believes that the sacred mountain protecting the nation will never collapse, and that no matter what happens, the Toyokawa Group will be fine.

But for those directly involved, the situation is not so rosy.

This country is slowly declining, a reality that anyone, including the most stubborn, will acknowledge. In fact, the older people are, the more they have experienced the economic boom, the more they will feel that we are now in decline.

Jun Takasaki, who was by his grandfather's side, had seen him sigh like this countless times.

As a major domestic conglomerate, the Toyokawa Group has its reach into all aspects of the economy, so they would naturally feel the signs of "decline" more directly than Jun Takasaki.

The increasing bad debts, the failure to compete in emerging industries, the shrinking workforce due to population decline, and the ever-increasing burden of pensions... all these factors are damaging the conglomerate's financial situation.

What's even more unbearable is that this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, with no signs of improvement in sight.

The conglomerate has been under pressure for decades, and the losses it faces must be astronomical. Even with government orders and unlimited financial support from banks, it still feels immense pressure.

It was precisely because she felt this pressure that, while Toyokawa Mizuho was alive, she would privately spend time with her husband...

To drive the conglomerate's covert transformation.

Slowly cutting off stagnant industries, erasing bad debts, eliminating redundant employees, and promoting the outflow of capital... this is the best way they can find to reduce the burden on the conglomerate.

However, although this is the most beneficial course of action, the "state" will not easily allow them to do so.

From the perspective of the "nation," since the conglomerate has already benefited from "sharing the same fate as the nation," it should naturally bear the corresponding obligations. It is impossible for the conglomerate to think about reducing its burden and running away when the nation is declining.

Therefore, Mizuho Toyokawa's experience was not an accident, but an inevitable conflict that occurred when the interests of the conglomerate and the national interest were declining.

This country is, after all, still controlled by politics and government, so the will of the "state" can still overcome the efforts of conglomerates.

Therefore, the Toyokawa family had no choice but to admit defeat and try their best to apologize in order to escape punishment.

However, this is not the end of the story, nor can it be.

Clearly, the goal of capital is self-preservation. The Toyokawa Group is a capital group, and its instinct is to preserve itself and maximize its own profits.

So, will Kiyoshi Toyokawa and the decision-makers in the Toyokawa family really give up the idea of ​​"transformation" completely?

Just thinking about it makes it seem unlikely.

They can share in the nation's prosperity, but they cannot share in its decline—this is the true nature of chaebols. This was true in the imperial era, and it is likely to remain true in this day and age.

Therefore, if he chooses to stand on Xiangzi's side, he will inevitably be drawn into similar conflicts—in fact, it can be said that he has already been drawn into them.

What can he do about it?

Of course, we can only take it one step at a time.

In short, he wanted to protect Xiangzi as much as possible so that the Fengchuan Group could continue, at least not end in her generation.

He may not be able to become a son-in-law of the Toyokawa family, but at least he can become one of the guardians of the Toyokawa family.

With these thoughts in mind, he picked up his phone and wrote a message to Xiangzi: "Leave a message."

"Xiangzi, I'm all ready. I can come to your house anytime to start my internship... Please take good care of me in the future."

133, Past Events Reappear

"Xiangzi, I'm all ready. I can come to your house anytime to start my internship... Please take good care of me in the future."

Xiangzi, who was already preparing to go to bed, suddenly perked up.

After all, she had told him several times before, hinting and suggesting that he should join her company as soon as possible, but he kept putting it off. Unexpectedly, he suddenly took the initiative to cooperate today.

She didn't know what had happened in between, but this was the result she wanted to see.

"Huh?! You mean it?" Overjoyed, she couldn't help but confirm again.

“Would I joke about something like this?” Jun Takasaki retorted. “I’m definitely serious.”

"That's great." Xiangzi took a deep breath, then typed quickly on his phone screen with a hint of excitement, "I'll talk to Dad later, and he'll take care of the necessary procedures for you."

"Well then, I'll be looking after you from now on, Miss," Jun Takasaki said, half-seriously and half-jokingly.

"There's no need to take it so seriously..." Xiangzi was a little embarrassed. "If you keep calling me like that every day, I can't stand it!"

“Then I can’t tarnish your dignity in front of outsiders, can I?” Jun Takasaki retorted. “After all, you’re carrying the weight of the Toyokawa Group’s reputation.”

Xiangzi knew this was true, but she didn't like putting on airs in front of others, especially Chun.

After all, in her eyes, the two of them might be spending many years together in the future, and it would be no fun if Takasaki Jun got used to being overly respectful to her.

She carefully recalled the moments she shared with her father when her mother was alive. Her mother was quite strict with outsiders, but at home, she was generally kind and gentle to her family members. She rarely argued with her father, and when problems arose, she would use a consultative tone rather than issuing orders.

Having been influenced by what she saw and heard, she also longed for this kind of future life.

After a brief moment of hesitation, she cautiously replied, "Remember, we made an agreement last time about what we could do in front of others and what we could do in private..."

"Ah, I don't quite remember. Are you talking about the time I was allowed to touch your head?" Jun Takasaki asked.

You bastard! You're definitely doing this on purpose! You're deliberately teasing me!

Xiangzi angrily slammed her phone down, but in an instant, she couldn't help but smile slightly, because she also recalled the fun she had back then.

Hmph, this guy can be infuriating at times, but he's forgivable for now.

With this thought in mind, she finally gathered her thoughts and reorganized her words. "Yes, it was that time. I think the current situation is essentially the same as last time. After you join the company, you can call me 'Miss' in front of outsiders, but in private we can still act the same way... okay?"

“Sure, no problem.” Jun Takasaki immediately agreed.

Actually, he also hated being overly respectful to someone every day (even if that person was Xiangzi), so he was just teasing her just now. He himself also hoped that the two of them could continue to get along in this way.

"Can I call you 'Miss' while patting your head?" He suddenly felt like teasing her again, and asked deliberately, "I feel like that would be quite interesting, and even more taboo..."

"..." Xiangzi originally wanted to scold him for joking around, but she swallowed the words back.

She recalled the romance novels from the Taisho era that she had secretly read in the Tsukimori Academy library, about the forbidden love between a noble lady and her young butler.

She was still deeply moved by this passionate but doomed romance back then, but now Jun Takasaki's words made her feel as if she were experiencing it herself.

If he really was shouting that while...

I must say, it really did have that forbidden thrill.

No, I can't think about this anymore! Do you even deserve the upbringing of the Toyokawa family?

Xiangzi realized he was blushing and quickly cut off his thoughts.

At this moment, she felt both hatred and shame. She hated him for deliberately teasing her and making her lose her composure, and she wished she could punch him twice in front of her.

However, after swiping his hand across the phone screen for a long time, he still couldn't bring himself to utter any harsh words of rebuke.

Finally, as if giving up, she quickly typed a few words on her phone and replied.

"Whatever! I can't control you anyway!"

After losing, she was still a little unwilling to accept defeat, so she finally said something harsh: "But if you go too far, I'll tell Auntie!"

Jun Takasaki was speechless.

He wasn't afraid of Xiangzi, but he was genuinely afraid of his mother. Although Xiangzi's move to tell his parents was a bit naive, it still hit the nail on the head.

It seems we can't keep teasing each other any longer.

"Okay. I know my limits, Xiangzi. Let's get along well from now on."

"Um... I hope you'll take good care of me from now on," Xiangzi replied earnestly.

Please protect me well, Your Highness. She only murmured these words in her heart, never uttering them aloud.

Then, the two confirmed the relevant matters again, and as they talked, Xiangzi turned the topic to Aiyin.

"By the way, how's Chihaya doing? How's the band stuff going?"

"She's still the same as always. As for the band, it's only just begun, there's no progress at all, and she's still asking me to help her find teammates," Jun Takasaki said honestly.

A smug look appeared on Xiangzi's face, but it was quickly replaced by concern.

"I see... That must be really tough. Now that I think about it, was I a bit too harsh on her? She's already busy with her studies, and now she has to spend all her energy on the band... I feel a little bad about it. How about this, maybe I should just give her a way out? I don't really care about winning or losing in the band anyway, it's just a pastime for me."

Xiangzi's words may seem virtuous and upright, but in reality, she only speaks this way when she has the upper hand.

When she felt she was the "winner," she could be more magnanimous than anyone else. Now that Chun had taken the initiative to come over, she felt there was no need to hold a grudge against Aine, a "little girl."

But if she is the "loser," then the situation is completely different.

Although Jun Takasaki has never seen Xiangzi break down and become enraged, he can tell that Xiangzi is just saying nice things and it won't help.

"Forget it. Things have come to this point. It's no longer a matter of giving her a way out. Aine is determined to see the competition through to the end. Saying you're being lenient now will only make her feel more humiliated and angry."

Therefore, I don't expect you to stop halfway. Just don't make sarcastic remarks or provoke her too much after you've reached a conclusion. Leave her some dignity.

"Of course, you don't need to remind me. I'm not the kind of mean-spirited person who holds a grudge even when he's in the right," Xiangzi immediately assured him. "Actually, I really, really want to be friends with her, after all, she's your good friend too."

Although the two are the same age, Xiangzi has subconsciously placed Aine in his mind as an "immature little sister".

Since she's just a young girl who doesn't know any better, a little lesson is enough; there's no need to push her to the brink.

Since Xiangzi made such a guarantee, Gao Qijun stopped worrying about it. After all, he had many more important things to do now, and he would let the girls be.

After chatting for a while, he felt that it was about time, so he took the initiative to say goodbye to Xiangzi.

"It's getting late, so I won't disturb you any longer. You should get some rest."

"Good night!" Xiangzi responded warmly. "See you tomorrow! Just come to my house."

After the two lost contact, Xiangzi threw his phone aside, but the excitement he had just felt was hard to calm down.

She hugged the pillow on the bed, and the smile on her face lingered.

Jun Takasaki's decision to come to her family's company was, in her view, a sign that they were "actively approaching" her.

This feeling of "mutual attraction" perfectly matched her romantic ideal.

The long-awaited dream would finally come true. The happiness of her dreams was just ahead… With a sweet smile, she finally drifted off to sleep.

————————————————————

The next day, as agreed with Shoko, Jun Takasaki visited the Toyokawa family's mansion once again.

As before, Xiangzi came to the front gate to meet him. Then he led him through the front courtyard and into the mansion.

Then, she led Jun Takasaki to her father's study, where Kiyotaka Toyokawa was already sitting upright and waiting.

Upon seeing Jun Takasaki, his expression was somewhat complicated, but he didn't speak immediately. Instead, he turned to look at his daughter.

"Xiangzi, you go out first, I need to talk to him."

Xiangzi remembered that the last time the two met, they had a fight that ended badly, which worried her for a long time. So this time she hesitated and wanted to stay here to act as a buffer between the two men.

However, these were her father's words after all, and she didn't want to disobey them.

So she gave her father a worried look, hinting that he shouldn't lose his temper with Chun this time.

Then, she reluctantly bowed to her father, left the room, and closed the door.

As the door closed, Jun Takasaki had a surreal feeling of "time flowing backwards."

Last time, it was right here that he pointed to the windowsill and said he would rather jump than become a son-in-law of the Toyokawa family.

Not much time had passed, so the memory was still vivid, and he himself felt a little embarrassed.

Toyokawa Kiyotaka seemed to be organizing his thoughts as well, remaining silent. So the two of them just stared at each other, neither saying a word.

After a long silence, Toyokawa Kiyoko finally spoke.

"I never expected you to volunteer to join us... What, have you changed your mind?"

“Serving Xiangzi and the Toyokawa Group is different from becoming a son-in-law of the Toyokawa family,” Takasaki Jun reminded him neither humbly nor arrogantly. “Mr. Qinggao, to this day I have never considered changing my mind. I am only moved by Xiangzi’s kind invitation and the Toyokawa family’s help to our family, so I want to repay them in any way I can…”

"You little brat who got a good deal and still acts innocent!" Toyokawa Kiyoko frowned.

In his opinion, things had already come to this point, and this brat was still being coy and refusing to give in, which was really annoying.

If he were making the decision alone, he would have stopped giving this kid a friendly look and just kicked him out.

But there was nothing he could do; Xiangzi was head over heels in love with him.

What Xiangzi insisted on was something even his father found difficult to overturn.

So, we have no choice but to take it slowly.