Chapter 20 Undercurrent

Yuushi Oshitari woke up from a short light sleep. The morning sunlight was cut into clear fragments by the blinds and cast into his eyes, which were faintly bloodshot. As if his eyes were hurt by the bright sunlight, the lazy Kansai handsome man squinted his eyes, took the plain glasses from the desk, and put them on his nose.

The expert consultation last night lasted until very late. He remembered that when he returned to the office, the sky over Tokyo was already pale.

The chairman of the Atobe Zaibatsu was seriously ill and was hospitalized. Moreover, it was an emergency in a public place. Even the Nikkei index could not avoid falling by hundreds of points.

He sighed, got up from the sofa and went to wash up.

After a quick breakfast, it was time for rounds.

"Because of the stroke caused by myocardial infarction, I suggest coronary artery bypass surgery. Of course, the specific plan needs further discussion."

In the snow-white VIP ward, the old man over 50 years old seemed to have aged a lot in an instant. He was sleeping in the plain quilt with an IV drip on his wrist. Oshitari Yuushi remembered how he was in the past and couldn't help feeling a little sad. He looked up at the two people who came to visit him early in the morning, briefly introduced the situation, and pushed the resin lens calmly.

Atobe Yuichi, vice president of the Atobe Zaibatsu, and Sugiyama Keisuke, assistant to the chairman.

With President Atobe Keigo stranded in Europe, he should be the most stable figure among the top executives of the Atobe Group. After Atobe Keiji announced his retirement, Sugiyama Keisuke's involvement in the group's affairs has also decreased accordingly. The real person of importance should be Atobe, the cousin of the original family.

Oshitari curled the corners of his mouth. Although Uncle Atobe's condition was serious, the operation was not difficult. If someone hadn't done it intentionally, the foundation of the Atobe zaibatsu would not have caused the stock market to be so sensitively affected.

"Thank you so much, Yushi." Atobe Yuichi smiled, "The group is in a mess right now, I can't spare much time, please take care of me here."

"You're welcome, uncle." Oshitari responded with an elegant smile, "How is Atobe, should he be back?"

"I've sent someone to call him, he should be on his way back." When Atobe Keigo was mentioned, Atobe Yuichi's mouth stagnated slightly, and then rose up imperceptibly.

At this time, a call came in, he took out his phone and answered it, his face suddenly became gloomy, and after the other party finished speaking, he only gave a few instructions and hung up in a hurry.

"Vice President, what happened?"

Sugiyama looked at him suspiciously, and the latter frowned involuntarily, looked at the young man in a white coat opposite him, and suddenly sighed,

"Well, anyway, Yushi is not an outsider, I will tell you directly." He paused, "The news from the Rome branch is that Jingwu encountered a melee among the Italian mafia on the way last night, and was shot in the chest. He has been sent to the hospital."

His breathing suddenly stagnated. Oshitari

subconsciously held his eyes that were about to fall down, and the white light flashing on the resin lens covered up the shocked and panicked expression in his eyes.

Sugiyama Keisuke was already so angry that he could not stop saying, "Impossible, how could the young master... someone must have done it on purpose!"

"It's useless to say this now. The news will soon spread and the situation will get even more out of control. All we can do is to stabilize people's hearts." Atobe Yuichi frowned, sighed and was about to leave, "It seems that I have to go back to the headquarters. The president, please take care of Assistant Sugiyama here."

He turned and walked out of the ward. The accompanying assistant immediately followed him, and they walked out of the hospital gate and got into the eye-catching Lincoln RV.

Immediately, a phone call came in. The man rolled up the brown car window and pursed his lips slightly, "It's news from the Rome branch. I will further verify the details, but no matter what, I think the media will not let go of this explosive news." "

I'm sure you are happy to see the situation of no leader." The young man's voice was low, and he seemed to laugh softly, without emotion.

Atobe Yuichi raised his lips: "It's mutual, but the aftermath of Hokkaido needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."

"I know, I will settle it." He said calmly, and hung up.

The black Lincoln RV sped away on the gray-white road. Oshitari Yuushi looked down from the window of the high-rise building. The chilly spring breeze lifted his white coat, revealing a striking white color.

"Hokkaido Futong Logistics encountered a financial crisis before the merger and acquisition. It had to lay off a large number of employees and repeatedly defaulted on the wages and liquidated damages that should have been paid. After Futong Logistics went bankrupt and was acquired by AX Logistics, no one compensated the losses of these unemployed people, including the parties involved this time, Kei Sakamoto and others, who were beaten because they came to the door to beg for payment of the overdue wages and liquidated damages."

It was lunch time when Sakai Otomu returned from the accounting firm. She came straight to the restaurant with a bag of information. She was too late for the formal report. She only briefly mentioned it to the stern senior in front of her while waiting in line for food.

Tezuka Kunimitsu cast a sharp look from behind his cold glasses and pondered for a moment: "Show me the information after lunch. Maybe I will go to the detective agency next afternoon. You prepare the materials for the prosecution." "

So, senior Tezuka is really going to take this case?"

"Is there anything wrong?"

Tezuka Kunimitsu glanced at her indifferently, took the plate and found a seat to sit down.

The restaurant was bustling at noon. On the huge electronic screen on the wall, the beautiful female anchor of NHK was mechanically reporting the noon news.

"But President Seiyama has already appointed Attorney Kudo to handle this case."

"Using the name of bankruptcy to avoid losses, ignoring the painful experience of employees, and even beating them up, I don't think it's the job of a lawyer to allow such a thing to happen or even cover up the crime."

"But..." Sakai looked at his narrow eyes behind the lenses and bit her lip, "We don't have enough evidence now, and we don't have the support of the firm. The chance of winning is too low, and... if Senior Ji was here, he wouldn't agree."

The dazzling sun at noon shone into the bright glass window, and a white light flashed across Tezuka's lenses.

In the infringement case on his hands, what he had to worry about was not the lack of strong evidence so far, but the huge economic power behind the other party. The confrontation between law and power sometimes seemed powerless and pale.

If someone were here, he would definitely ridicule his justice, which was not ignorant but fearless.

She is a different person from you, Tezuka.

Thinking of Oshitari's casual words, Tezuka Kunimitsu couldn't help but frown. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't avoid the fact that they had drifted apart.

The original controlling shareholder of Hokkaido Futong Logistics was Hasegawa Company. No matter how much she disliked this sensitive surname, based on the morality of friendship, should he inform her?

The slender and smooth bamboo chopsticks stayed in his palm for a long time. His mind turned and he was a little absent-minded.

"Clang--" The crisp sound of metal collision brought him back to reality. The capable female assistant in front of him didn't bother to pick up the chopsticks that had just fallen on the ground. She looked at the large electronic screen on the wall, stunned and speechless.

"After the chairman of the Atobe Zaibatsu, Atobe Keiji, was hospitalized due to illness, the only son and first-line heir of the Atobe Zaibatsu, Atobe Keigo, who was on his honeymoon in Rome, was also involved in a scuffle between the Italian police and the mafia on his way to the airport and was seriously injured. He is currently stranded in a local hospital in Rome for emergency surgery and treatment. So far, the Atobe Group has not released more specific information, and Atobe Keigo's newlywed wife has not appeared in front of the media. But it is certain that Mr. Atobe Keigo is currently unable to return to Tokyo to preside over the overall situation of the consortium, and the power transfer within the Atobe Consortium and the confidence of shareholders will be further affected..."

The female anchor's sweet voice without any emotion, the flashing images in the time and space switching, and the surrounding air suddenly became cold and empty.

The pale yellow bamboo chopsticks slipped from his hands, and the crisp sound of knocking on the ground awakened Sakai Otonashi who was in a petrified state. The young female assistant turned around, and Tezuka Kunimitsu picked up the chopsticks on the ground with a stiff face, pushed the frame of his glasses that had slipped a little, and took out his slide-covered mobile phone.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is powered off..."

An inorganic notification sound came from the distant European continent. The young man's fingers clenched the phone tightly, and cold sweat oozed out. After a long time, he threw the phone on the table in front of him with a stiff face.

The news that Keigo Atobe was seriously injured was soon confirmed. Although there was no worse bad news, there were signs of people's hearts floating inside the chaebol. Atobe Yuichi presided over the affairs of the chaebol. Several major shareholders held different opinions at the high-level meeting and eventually left unhappily. The internal disputes soon affected the increasingly turbulent stock market. The stocks under the name of the chaebol have continued to fall for two weeks. The Nikkei index has been stumbling all the way and ultimately failed to reverse the downward trend. The Tokyo Stock Exchange was in chaos.

The chaotic situation and loss of confidence became a breeding ground for rumors. "Atobe Keigo has been assassinated," "Atobe Zaibatsu is facing restructuring and mergers," or "Vice President Atobe Yuichi is about to take over all the affairs of the consortium," and other rumors spread in every corner of the streets and alleys and in irresponsible tabloids. The early cherry blossoms in Tokyo bloomed one after another, with deep and light crimson, depicting a beautiful scene of cruelty and despair. At this time in Rome, the mafia gangs frequently provoked, and the bright spring light could not cover up the fact that the undercurrent was surging. Terashima Yuuki

woke up from a nightmare. The pale moonlight at midnight sprinkled into the window lattice, and the mottled silhouettes intertwined a haze on the bed curtains and quilts.

There was a faint pain in her left shoulder. When she closed her eyes, it seemed as if it was that chaotic and terrible night again. The bullet penetrated her skin, and the blood flowed freely. I don't know who was anxiously roaring in my ears, and the world was spinning.

She struggled to sit up, panting slightly, and the white moonlight flowed on her dazed face.

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed. The wound gradually healed. For safety reasons, she moved from the hospital to Mrs. Eleanor's private villa. In addition to recuperating every day, she would browse the recent news. The war in Tokyo , which was not covered by gunpowder, finally kicked off.

When she just woke up and heard the news that Atobe Keigo had returned home first, she was only slightly startled. Her calm and pale face had no extra expression.

"It's really unbelievable calmness. A newlywed was injured on her honeymoon and was left alone in a dangerous foreign country by her husband. Shouldn't she usually show a sad and lonely expression?"

Eleanor once sighed like this, but she smiled indifferently. It should be like this.

This woman didn't like her. This seemed to be a long-standing prejudice buried under her warmth and diligence. She was keenly aware of this when they first met.

However, it was harmless.

At least for now, she was under her protection and bathed in the sunshine of the Mediterranean.

She got up and put on her coat, walked to the window, and opened the milky white gauze curtain. The dark night and the pale moonlight intertwined, the mottled shadows of the trees throbbed like a song, the shrill horns of cars whistled from far away, and the headlights cast a dazzling white light from afar, sweeping across her cheeks, the woman's pale face was like a sculpture.

Then there was a scattered noise from downstairs, which was first deliberately suppressed, and then became intense and lasting. She frowned, put on her coat hastily and walked out.

"Calm people's hearts and stabilize the overall situation. Isn't this what the CEO of the branch company should do?! Knowing that Mrs. Ji is weak, you still come to disturb her late at night. Do you think it's appropriate, Mr. Takiguchi?"

"I'm really sorry to disturb Madam so late at night, but Mr. Feng, the president has not shown up yet. The major shareholders of the branch company and even the senior executives of various European institutions are already panicking. They demanded a high-level meeting or even a visit to the president. The situation is no longer something that you and I can settle."

The flower hall on the first floor was brightly lit. Takiguchi Hideyuki, dressed in dust, stood under the bright chandelier. Looking at the gentle and elegant silver-haired young man in front of him who seldom exuded a sharp aura, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he curled the corners of his mouth without making a sound.

"So, what do you want Madam to do?"

"Mr. Feng, you and I are just subordinates. When we can't make a decision, we can only ask Madam for instructions."

Feng Changtaro looked at the impeccable and elegant smile of the middle-aged man in front of him. He didn't have time to catch the hidden meaning behind the smile, but he vaguely felt uneasy and bit his mouth: "Excuse me, it is also the duty of subordinates to make appropriate suggestions."

Eleanor Siforza stood by the closed door, leaning against the pink and white wall, and glanced at the beautiful woman who just came down from upstairs. She couldn't help but raise her lips: "Kagego's subordinates are all very capable, huh?"

Terajima Yuki raised her eyebrows slightly, turned the door lock, and there was a crisp sound. There was a gorgeous chandelier in the room, and the bright yellow light filled the simple clothes.

"It's really presumptuous to come here late at night." Takiguchi Hideyuki bowed deeply, polite and respectful.

It was early spring, and the nights were as cool as water. Terajima Yuki simply put on a small suit and sat on the sofa. She raised her arm and rested it on the armrest, and supported her cheek with her index finger. Her eyes were distant and pale, as if she was looking at something far away, but it was actually on him.

Takiguchi Hideyuki didn't like this feeling, and frowned slightly, but heard the woman say faintly: "If it weren't for the emergency, I believe Takiguchi wouldn't have resorted to such a desperate measure. Let's skip this meaningless greeting."

"Yes." Takiguchi licked his lips and got to the point: "After the news of the president's assassination came out, the hearts of the branch shareholders began to waver. Executives of other branches in continental Europe also challenged me one after another and jointly requested to hold a European affairs meeting. I hope Mrs. Yuki can at least show up."

Yuki leaned against the back of the sofa, and glanced at Hou Changtaro standing beside him with an indifferent look. The latter nodded solemnly.

So she smiled faintly: "Oh my god, what else can I say?"

Atobe Keigo had already flown to Japan. Even she could not know his whereabouts. He was lurking in the dark and watching the development of the situation, waiting for the opportunity of a new round of counterattack. The plummeting stocks and the turbulent people's hearts might not be out of his control.

Takiguchi was slightly stunned: "At least, it can make everyone feel at ease."

"Then who can make me feel at ease?" You Ji asked coldly, suddenly raised his head, his face looked pale because of the initial recovery from the injury, and a cold and sharp light flashed in his pale eyes. He deliberately emphasized the words, "You, Takiguchi?"

Takiguchi Xiuxing was attracted by her sharp eyes and shuddered slightly: "Mrs. You Ji..."

"Close the door, Feng!" The woman closed her eyes lazily, and then slowly opened them again, crossed her legs and leaned against the back of the sofa. Her plain face was as pale as a flower, and suddenly there was a cold and murderous aura.

"What did the other party promise you, Mr. Takiguchi?"

She ignored the other party's slightly stiff face and just spoke slowly. Feng beside her changed color slightly because of surprise.

Takiguchi's heart skipped a beat: "Madam, I don't understand what you mean."

"My injury is my shoulder, not my brain. Do I need to make it clearer?" She raised her head and looked at the elegant and gentle face in front of her. She raised the corners of her lips slightly, but a hint of coldness emerged. "We were shot on the way to the tarmac. If it was just a mafia melee, it would be too coincidental. There would be no one else who could mobilize the vehicles and arrange the route, right?"

"Are you doubting me?" Takiguchi frowned. "I have no intention of defending myself, but please think about it, madam. If that was the case, how could the president leave Rome safely, and how could you recover here safely? Even if Madam Eleanor has a wide network of contacts and influence in Rome, as long as I leak the slightest news, the vice president will take action immediately."

"I really want to thank you for this, but, Takiguchi-kun." Youji paused, with a sly smile on her lips, "I haven't been married to the Atobe family for long, and I don't have direct knowledge of his enemies. How do you know that the person who is dealing with him is Yuichi Atobe, the vice president of the Atobe Zaibatsu?" Takiguchi

Hideyuki was stunned, his stiff expression looked pale under the light, his hands pressed against the seams of his pants on both sides were secretly clenched into fists, and after a long time, they loosened dejectedly.

Youji's eyes flowed slowly over him like water, with a gentle and cold smile: "Takiguchi-kun is a very capable person, I believe that my uncle must have thought of many ways to win you over, but why don't you follow his wishes to the end, or are you still waiting and watching?"

The living room was silent, and the old European-style pendant clock hanging on the wall ticked and made a crisp sound.

Takiguchi Hideyuki bowed his head and said nothing.

The woman on the sofa sighed faintly: "You just want to see who is more qualified to win this competition, but please don't forget that when the winner is already decided, it is meaningless to place a bet. As for Atobe Keigo, you'd better believe in him unconditionally!"

She straightened up, took out a long and exquisite recording pen from her sleeve, and put it heavily on the coffee table in front of her. The metal body knocked against the glass, and the crisp and pleasant sound was thrilling.

Takiguchi Hideyuki couldn't help showing a shocked expression, and fine beads of sweat gradually ooze out of his forehead.

"Don't be nervous, just leave a witness. If it's not necessary, I won't hand it over to the police." She smiled softly, as if lifting a heavy weight with ease, ethereal like a song.

Takiguchi Hideyuki sighed, took out a tissue to wipe the sweat from his face, and laughed self-deprecatingly: "Madam, you have such powerful means, no wonder the president... no, Master Jingwu looks at you differently."

"You are very capable, Takiguchi-kun, I hope I can trust you." She raised her head and looked at him quietly, "This will be good for both you and me."

"First Vice President Atobe Yuuji once promised me the agency rights in Southern Europe."

"I will nominate it at the board meeting."

Takiguchi Hideyuki was surprised at her straightforwardness and took a deep breath: "I heard that you were a lawyer before. Are you always so uncompromising when negotiating?"

"As long as I can win more benefits for my client."

She stood up, with a shrewd and capable smile, and stretched out her hand.

After clasping their hands, Takiguchi Hideyuki slightly curled the corners of his mouth: "I am happy to serve you, ma'am."