Tokyo Three Generations

Next, Jun Takasaki told his father the whole story of how he gave Shoko Toyokawa advice and then persuaded Kiyoko Toyokawa (of course, to avoid upsetting his father, he didn't mention the details of how he beat and threatened Kiyoko Toyokawa).

Hiroshi Takasaki listened silently, utterly dumbfounded.

His initial reaction was disbelief, thinking his son was making up a story for him. But from his son's narration and expression, he felt it must be true.

Wait, so that means his own son stirred things up, which resulted in a "palace coup" in the Toyokawa family, leading to Toyokawa Sadaharu being forced to step down?

He had known Toyokawa Sadaharu for many years. He remembered that when his father was still in power, he had worked with him before, and Toyokawa's arrogant and conceited attitude had left a deep impression on him.

Now that he sees Toyokawa Sadaharu about to be in trouble, he must be a little happy.

However, the thought that a powerful figure who had dominated the world for decades would end up in such an unexpected way, and that he would be tripped up by a child, made him feel a little sad.

This feeling of regret then turned into lingering fear and anger.

"You're being too self-willed, aren't you? Don't you know how risky this is? What if you get into trouble for our family?"

“I’m just offering suggestions. Whether they adopt them or not is their business, not something I can decide.” Jun Takasaki was not intimidated by his father’s words. “Besides, at least the result is good, so that’s enough.”

"This isn't about the outcome, it's about you acting on your own!" Takasaki Hiroshi frowned. "Listen, don't cause me trouble like this again. If there's anything similar, at least tell me beforehand and get my permission before you do it!"

"Okay, okay." Jun Takasaki nodded repeatedly, but he was clearly not convinced.

Hiroshi Takasaki had no way to deal with his son's unruly behavior and could only sigh inwardly.

However, he quickly regained his spirits. The news his son brought him was tantamount to saying that "Toyokawa Sadaharu is about to fall," a message that no one else knew at the moment.

It is conceivable that when this news was suddenly announced, the entire market was shaken, and the stocks of related companies of Fengchuan Group would inevitably experience a sharp fluctuation.

This means he can preemptively short those stocks before anyone else and make a hefty profit from it.

Of course, this kind of thing must be done discreetly and not exposed to the public.

A jumble of thoughts flashed through his mind, so much so that he momentarily forgot to get angry with his son.

After he had figured things out, his initial anger had mostly dissipated.

After all, he wasn't the type to show off in front of his son.

"Alright, I understand." Finally, he gently let his son go, waving his hand impatiently. "Go to sleep, don't bother me here!"

However, Jun Takasaki didn't leave. Instead, he reached out his hand to his father. "Dad, I've done so much work, I should at least get some compensation for my trouble..."

Hiroshi Takasaki looked puzzled. "Didn't I just have Kenji transfer your living expenses? What, did he forget?"

Takasaki Hiroshi shook his head, then gave his father an answer that sent his blood pressure soaring, "I lost control for a second and it all went to waste."

"You brat!" Takasaki Hiroshi couldn't hold back any longer and cursed angrily, "What a spendthrift!"

After scolding his son a few times, his heart softened again when he thought about how his son's news could make him some money.

So he softened his tone and earnestly advised his son, "These young people nowadays, I really don't know what's wrong with them, they all like to spend so much money on the internet! I just don't understand, why do you spend so much money on things you can't see or touch?"

"How could an old Showa-era guy like you possibly understand the fun in this?" Jun Takasaki thought to himself with a sneer.

"Well then, since you're an adult now, why don't you come with me sometime?" Takasaki Hiroshi sighed. "Those crappy games are nothing compared to real people."

Now it was Jun Takasaki's turn to shake his head.

He didn't really hate this kind of thing, but the thought of going out with his son to drink and become the subject of gossip gave him a psychological aversion.

"No, no need, I'm not interested in that."

After saying that, he quickly got up to say goodbye to his father, "Goodnight, Dad, I'm going to sleep now. Remember about the money! Please give it to me as soon as possible."

"Useless!" All that remained behind him was his father's disappointed sigh.

12. Respect the King and Punish the Traitor

After successfully reporting his "victory" to his father and returning to his room with the money he had received, Jun Takasaki turned on his computer with satisfaction and began brainstorming and writing documents on the computer.

After making some revisions, he looked at it again and was quite satisfied.

Next, he created a table on his computer, listing all possible unexpected situations and corresponding suggested wording, even noting the appropriate tone and other precautions.

After all this was over, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Next, he opened the chat software and found Toyokawa Shoko.

"Xiangzi, I've taken care of it."

He left a message first, and then sent over all the documents he had just compiled.

Soon, a response came from the other end.

"So fast?"

Even without seeing the face, Jun Takasaki could imagine the incredulous look in the other person's eyes.

"Time is of the essence, so I have to speed things up."

"Thank you~" This time, Toyokawa Shoko's response was not only one of gratitude, but also included a cat emoji.

After receiving the document, she couldn't wait to open it and take a look, then secretly clicked her tongue in amazement.

"There are so many?"

"There's no way around it. I didn't have to be so verbose, but considering that this is your first time facing such a situation, I wrote a bit more."

"Very thoughtful, I'm very satisfied." Toyokawa Shoko was extremely grateful. "Then let's begin!"

Then, the two of them began "rehearsing".

The two connected on the phone. Toyokawa Shoko read from the document, while Takasaki Jun listened and offered various suggestions.

As night deepened, both of them were quite exhausted, but they also felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

Because they are really close to success, and the current results are already quite satisfactory.

"Xiangzi, you must have good grades, right?" Takasaki Jun asked.

"It's alright... Why do you ask that?" Toyokawa Shoko asked in return.

"Because you have really good talent. Not everyone can get into the zone so easily, and not everyone can memorize so much stuff in one go." Jun Takasaki sincerely praised her. "Even among the classmates and juniors I've met, you are considered very outstanding."

After being praised by Jun Takasaki, Shoko Toyokawa felt both embarrassed and a little proud.

"Actually, I did have pretty good grades in school, and I planned to rely on my own abilities to get into the best university."

"That's really impressive," Jun Takasaki continued to praise. "To have everything already, yet still be willing to work so hard, that's truly remarkable."

“…It’s not that amazing.” Toyokawa Shoko smiled sheepishly. “Actually…what I like most isn’t going to school or studying, but music.”

"music?"

“Yes, I’ve loved all kinds of music since I was a child, whether it’s classical or pop.” Speaking of this, the usually modest Toyokawa Shoko now showed a hint of pride. “To be honest, I can even compose my own music…”

"Oh? Really?"

“If you don’t believe me, I can show you later,” Toyokawa Shoko replied. “Although I wouldn’t presume to boast, I think I’m one of the most talented musicians my age.”

"Is he that amazing?" Jun Takasaki was truly shocked this time.

Although this sounds surprising at first glance, upon closer inspection, it's not so surprising after all.

With the wealth and connections of the Toyokawa family, Toyokawa Shoko was naturally raised as an elite from a young age. If she wanted, she could summon the top professionals to her side as her teachers at will.

Jun Takasaki suddenly remembered that when he visited the Toyokawa family's private residence, he saw the expensive piano in the living room, which must be the place where she had shed her sweat.

On the other hand, for these top-tier rich kids, what they lack in their life's journey is not resources, nor even talent, but perseverance. When someone has everything from birth, expecting them to settle down and do thousands of tedious and boring exercises is really difficult; it's absolutely impossible without a certain level of mental fortitude.

This showed that Toyokawa Shoko was even more capable than he had originally thought. He admired her even more.

"Isn't this going from SSR to USR...?" he thought to himself.

The Toyokawa family may seem to be declining in recent years, but they are not to be underestimated in the future.

These random thoughts in his mind made him even more tired.

"I hope to have the opportunity to enjoy your performance in the future, but let me make it clear beforehand that I don't know much about this kind of thing... I can only listen for fun."

“Of course there will be opportunities, or rather, I’d be very happy if you could be my audience,” Toyokawa Shoko replied with a smile. “As for anything else, you don’t need to worry. Good music should be able to easily move ordinary people, shouldn’t it?”

"Then it's settled. We'll give it a try whenever we have the chance." So Jun Takasaki readily agreed, as he really wanted to see her abilities.

Now that everything is settled, it's time to rest.

Goodnight, Xiangzi.

Goodnight, Chun.

==============================

After making ample preparations, feeling the urgency of time, Toyokawa Shoko quickly began her plan, starting by informing her relatives.

As a super-large enterprise, Toyokawa Group naturally has its own OA system, so Toyokawa Shoko does not need to obtain the phone numbers of those relatives. He can find the corresponding people simply by using his father's system account.

Soon, she made her first call to Toyokawa Masanori, a member of a collateral branch of the Toyokawa family. He was also the head of Toyokawa Real Estate, an important subsidiary of the Toyokawa Group, and one of the family's powerful shareholders.

He was arguably the most powerful member of his clan, which is why Xiangzi made him his first target for persuasion. If he could convince him, the matter would be more than half resolved.

The call was answered quickly.

"Mr. Qinggao? What can I do for you?" A puzzled middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Hello, Uncle. I'm sorry, I'm Xiangzi." As rehearsed beforehand, Toyokawa Xiangzi calmly answered the other party.

"...Miss Xiangzi!"

Although they weren't face-to-face, it was obvious that the other person suddenly flinched.

And it was quite obvious that he immediately sat up straight in his office chair.

Toyokawa Shoko had never flaunted her power to anyone in her life so far, yet this seemingly insignificant phone call gave her, for the first time in her life, a real understanding of the weight of the title "head of a conglomerate."

Mom, were you like this before?

With a touch of emotion and longing, Toyokawa Shoko continued, "I apologize for bothering you so abruptly. I'm using my father's account to contact you because it's about a critical matter that concerns the very survival of the Toyokawa family..."

The other party did not reply immediately, clearly indicating that the old man was urgently adapting to the unexpected situation and calculating how he could gain more benefits from it.

After a moment, Toyokawa Masanori cautiously replied, "What situation are you referring to?"

“Before that, I’d like to ask you a question,” Toyokawa Shoko changed the subject.

"Please ask!" the other party responded immediately.

“Since my mother’s untimely death, our family has suffered a series of misfortunes, plunging us into a deep crisis. Now, if we want to overcome this crisis, we must make a firm decision. Although I am still young, as my mother’s only child and the heir of the Toyokawa family, I believe that in this situation, I have an inescapable responsibility… I must muster the courage to face this. Uncle, would you be willing to stand by my side and be my support?”

This section is actually the core of the rhetoric that Jun Takasaki and she decided on after careful consideration.

No matter how much these branch families secretly despised their eldest daughter, they outwardly raised the banner of "honoring the emperor and punishing the traitors" to launch an attack on Toyokawa Sadaharu and Toyokawa Kiyoshi.

Because they were under the banner of "honoring the emperor and punishing the traitors," whether they were pretending or not, they had to be respectful to Xiangzi on the surface and act as loyal subjects of the family.

As expected, Toyokawa Masanori immediately replied, "What are you saying? As a member of the Toyokawa family, of course I must obey the head of the family's orders... Please tell me what you need."

Now that the other party has put it this way, the "legitimate cause" has been established, making the subsequent actions much easier.

"I've considered this carefully. The crisis our family is facing is partly due to unwarranted interference in our business strategies, but on the other hand, we can't ignore the business mistakes we've made over the years. It's precisely because of our own problems that the malice from the outside world has been amplified, ultimately forcing us into this predicament. Therefore, I believe that if we want to get out of this predicament, we must present a completely new image and let the outside world feel our determination. The previous management team should also undergo changes to adequately explain our situation to the outside world. What do you think?"

After Xiangzi finished speaking, he threw the question back to the other party.

Toyokawa Masanori pondered for a moment longer.

He could certainly tell that although Xiangzi spoke subtly, the implied meaning was very clear—someone in the Toyokawa family's management had to be sacrificed to give an explanation to the outside world.

So who will be the one to "explain" things?

He didn't believe that the young lady was so young to be able to say such things, so it was obvious that someone had taught her these things.

In the current circumstances, he could only suspect that the mastermind behind it all was her father, Toyokawa Kiyoko.

Considering that she used her father's OA account to make the call, Miss Xiangzi's stance becomes quite clear.

Ah, as expected, Dad is closer to me than Grandpa.

He wasn't surprised by Toyokawa Shoko's choice, but he was still quite amazed that Miss Shoko would take the initiative to interfere in family affairs.

So impressive at such a young age, she's bound to be a force to be reckoned with in the future...

So, what should he do?

This isn't really a problem.

For him, as a member of the Toyokawa family, he would be happy no matter which of his two sons-in-law, Toyokawa Sadaharu and Toyokawa Kiyoyuki, was unlucky—of course, it would be even better if both of them were to perish.