novelraw Chapter 71 Miss Hanai, as long as you do it for me...
Chapter 71 Miss Hanai, as long as you do it for me...
"...What does that have to do with me?"
Hanai Akiko suddenly turned around, her eyes red-rimmed, glaring at Hayashi Xiuyi with resentment, her voice choked with sobs.
"This is a personal matter between Katsuhiko Takei and me, it has nothing to do with Naoko! Why are you forcing me to say these things!"
"I'm not forcing you. I'm helping Naoko, and I'm helping you too, Ms. Hanai."
Lin Xiu raised her hand, pointed to the chair beside her, and softened her tone.
"Sit down and talk it over."
Hanai Akiko remained silent for a long time before finally gritting her teeth, sitting back down in her chair, her hands clenched tightly, her aura still icy.
Seeing that she was unwilling to speak, Lin Xiu took the initiative to say, "If I'm not mistaken, you infiltrated Takei Katsuhiko's company as his secretary to seek revenge, right?"
Akiko Hanai bit her red lips, a flicker of pain and resolve flashing in her eyes, and slowly nodded.
"Yes, I did have that thought. I wanted him to pay for his crimes day and night!"
"But have you considered the consequences?" Lin Xiuyi asked seriously. "If you really kill Takei Katsuhiko, Naoko will lose her only family member, and knowing that the person she trusts most is her father's killer, she might go to extremes, even commit suicide. And..."
He paused, looked at Akiko Hanai, and uttered an extremely cruel statement.
"Was the death of your parents and younger brother truly entirely Katsuhiko Takei's fault?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Hanai Akiko suddenly raised her head, her eyebrows furrowed, and glared angrily at Hayashi Xiuyi.
"If it weren't for Katsuhiko Takei's malicious acquisition, how could my father's company have gone bankrupt? How could he have been driven to desperation, committing suicide with my mother and brother! It was all Katsuhiko Takei's fault!"
"Ms. Hanai, the business world is like a battlefield, where the survival of the fittest is the norm."
Lin Xiu pointed out the key point expressionlessly, her tone devoid of any bias.
"In my opinion, your father couldn't defeat his opponent, so he chose to drag his family down a dead end. This is not courage, but a sign of cowardice and incompetence."
"I won't allow you to speak of my father like that!"
Hanai Akiko retorted passionately, her eyes red-rimmed, but as soon as she finished speaking, her expression dimmed instantly, and her voice weakened considerably.
"I know... I know you're right, I just don't want to admit it."
"Since you know this, why persist on a wrong path of revenge?"
Lin Xiuyi's tone softened somewhat, and she began to gently persuade him.
"Katsuhiko Takei is a money-grubbing man whose obsession with money far outweighs his affection for family."
"If you could do what he did to your father—crush his company, acquire all his assets, and make him fall from grace, leaving him with nothing—how do you think he would feel?"
Akiko Hanai's eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had seen new hope, and her tone was filled with excitement.
"Given his personality, losing all his wealth would be worse than death for him; he would feel like he'd rather be dead, in unbearable agony!"
But this excitement lasted only a moment before being replaced by frustration. She hung her head, her voice filled with helplessness.
"But the Hanai family's business is long gone. I have nothing now, and it's impossible for me to do these things on my own."
"What if I give you a chance?"
Lin Xiuyi's lips curled slightly upwards, her tone carrying a hint of seduction.
"Miss Hanai, if you become my secretary, I can help you get revenge and make Katsuhiko Takei pay the price..."
Before he could finish speaking, a sharp "clang" suddenly came from the side.
Judy, who had been standing silently in the corner, suddenly lost her focus and bumped her elbow on the edge of the table, causing the glass on the table to fall to the ground with a crash, shards of glass scattering everywhere.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Judy hurriedly bent down to pick up the shards of glass, accidentally cutting her fingertip on a sharp piece, drawing blood without her noticing.
Her face was plastered with stiff apology, but her heart was bitter:
What does "You come and be my secretary" mean?
If Akiko Hanai comes, what about me?
Am I going to get fired as my current secretary?
That bastard Lin Xiuyi, he really does want to replace me!
Judy became increasingly panicked; her mission to infiltrate Lin Xiuyi's inner circle had made no progress whatsoever.
If I'm fired now, not only will I be unable to continue investigating Vermouth's trail, but I also won't be able to explain myself to the FBI headquarters when I get back.
This time, the undercover mission is truly doomed!
Countless anxious thoughts swirled in Judy's mind, making her face grow even paler.
Over here, Akiko Hanai finally calmed down from her reverie.
She straightened her slightly disheveled business suit, her tone carrying a hint of tactful questioning.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Lin, I think you might not be fully aware of Katsuhiko Takei's current strength."
"His businesses and factories are enormous, and he has over 500 million yen in readily available working capital alone..."
Akiko Hanai's words were brief, but the meaning couldn't be clearer:
As a counselor at Teitan High School, you probably don't have enough qualifications, just like me.
What makes you think you can help me deal with the wealthy and powerful Takei Katsuhiko? That's far too unrealistic.
"Over 500 million yen? That's only a little over 3 million US dollars." Lin Xiuyi couldn't help but laugh. "Is that a lot?"
"Isn't that a lot?"
Hanai Akiko was a little angry; she thought Hayashi Shuichi was deliberately teasing her.
"As far as I know, Dr. Lin, your annual salary at Teitan High School is only a little over ten million yen. And the five hundred million yen I just mentioned is only Katsuhiko Takei's working capital."
The woman took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and continued speaking.
"If you include fixed assets such as factory equipment, land and real estate, Katsuhiko Takei's total assets are at least four billion yen."
"That's equivalent to your salary if you worked for 400 years without eating or drinking at Teitan High School!"
After saying this, Akiko Hanai realized that her tone had been too sharp and quickly bowed slightly in apology.
"I'm sorry, perhaps I was being rude, but please, Dr. Lin, stop teasing me about my revenge. I really can't take it anymore."
"Teasing?"
Lin Xiuyi shook his head, reached into the inside pocket of his suit and took out a gold-embossed business card, gently pushing it in front of Hanai Akiko.
This business card was custom-made in the United States. It is printed entirely in English on both sides, with clear and neat handwriting, exuding understated luxury.
For Akiko Hanai, who graduated from a prestigious university and has a solid foundation in English, understanding the above content was naturally a piece of cake.
"Lin Xiuyi?"
Hanai Akiko first saw the name on the business card, then her pupils contracted sharply, and she looked up at Hayashi Xiuyi with a surprised expression.
"Dr. Lin, you...you're the author of the Harry Potter series?"