“No, I plan to enter the entertainment industry myself.
My family isn’t exactly supportive of it,” Shouichi said very sincerely.
“I see,” Yamagishi Eiichi nodded, his enthusiasm fading slightly.
If it were the Sumitomo family, there would be absolutely no need to hesitate.
But if it was just Shouichi alone, it wasn’t worth the risk.
Without the Sumitomo family’s backing, Shouichi was no different from any ordinary person stumbling into the entertainment industry—he would be eaten alive by those sharks.
Having struggled in the entertainment circle for years, Yamagishi Eiichi knew just how deep those waters ran.
Even some conglomerates that entered the market ended up getting scammed miserably.
What Okino Yoko needed right now were resources to climb higher, not to act as the figurehead for Shouichi’s small company with an uncertain future.
Okino Yoko blinked at Yamagishi Eiichi.
Her meaning was clear: she didn’t want to rely on this rich kid.
He might just be playing around, and she didn’t dare gamble her future career on him.
Yamagishi Eiichi was a bit afraid to speak up.
A manager’s job was inherently to say the things that were too awkward for the artist to say themselves.
But rejecting Shouichi…
he didn’t quite have the guts.
According to rumors, the guy who stole Shouichi’s construction project was shot in the back eight times and was almost ruled to have died of poisoning.
The man who owed Shouichi money had his daughter killed and was personally subjected to death threats.
He didn’t dare imagine what the consequences of rejecting Shouichi would be.
“I am incredibly sorry!
Miss Yoko has already made an agreement with her company.
Although it’s only a verbal agreement, she doesn’t want to be someone who breaks her promises.
It’s truly a shame that we met you too late,” Yamagishi Eiichi bowed sincerely to Shouichi.
In his entire life, he had never bowed so sincerely.
In his entire life, he had never been as courageous as he was right now.
Shouichi took a sip of tea, then used the serving chopsticks to place some food on Ai’s plate.
His face showed neither joy nor anger.
Okino Yoko and Yamagishi Eiichi’s hearts were in their throats.
They stood perfectly still, as if waiting for Shouichi’s judgment.
“It’s fine.
Even if the deal falls through, the goodwill remains.
There’s always the possibility of cooperating in the future,” Shouichi said nonchalantly.
Shouichi looked incredibly sincere.
Okino Yoko breathed a slight sigh of relief.
“If you ever need my help in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Okino Yoko said.
“Alright, let’s eat.”
Shouichi waved his hand dismissively.
With Shouichi sitting nearby, Okino Yoko and Yamagishi Eiichi were both extremely uncomfortable.
They only dared to sit on the edge of their seats, only picked at the dishes directly in front of them, and didn’t dare make a sound while chewing.
After a tasteless meal, the two fled the private room as if escaping.
Ai patted her stomach and couldn’t resist pointing out, “There was absolutely no need for you to be so clear.
If you had been vague about whether the Sumitomo family was entering the entertainment industry, she might have actually joined your company.”
Shouichi shook his head and said to Ai, “You’re still young.
You don’t understand business.”
Ai, having her head patted until she lost all her temper, stared at Shouichi without a word.
Shouichi said, “The most important thing in doing business and negotiating partnerships is sincerity.
I believe that with my sincerity, I can absolutely make Okino Yoko change her mind.”
Ai held back a laugh.
Even she, someone who had never been involved in business, knew that not a single word out of a capitalist’s mouth was true.
‘He wants to rely on sincerity?
He’ll go bankrupt sooner or later.’
‘My earlier reminder was just my way of thanking him for taking care of me these past few days.’
‘However, the blood feud over my sister’s death is irreconcilable.’
‘Then again, with Shouichi’s approach to entrepreneurship, I might not even need to take revenge.
He’ll probably fail in his business, rack up massive debts, and jump off a building to commit suicide.’
In the car outside the restaurant, Okino Yoko and Yamagishi Eiichi were panting heavily.
The pressure they had just been under was immense.
Yamagishi Eiichi grinned and said, “When Young Master Shouichi first asked to meet you, I thought he had taken a fancy to you.”
It wasn’t uncommon for young masters from conglomerates to want to ‘pursue’ female artists.
Okino Yoko didn’t lack ‘suitors’ either, but since these ‘suitors’ didn’t carry enough weight, they were all blocked by the company.
She was the company’s cash cow.
Until she lost her value, Okino Yoko was relatively safe.
Okino Yoko shook her head.
“He doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”
Shouichi had left a very good impression on her.
He didn’t have the domineering arrogance of a conglomerate’s young master.
He was easy to talk to, and he wasn’t as cruel and violent as the rumors suggested.
His personality actually seemed somewhat gentle.
Yamagishi Eiichi gave her a weird look.
You just met him, how do you know he isn’t that kind of person?
He said, “Actually, there would be benefits to joining Young Master Shouichi’s company.
Spending day and night together, you might just marry straight into a wealthy family.”
“Haha,” Okino Yoko chuckled.
She didn’t dare harbor such fantasies.
That was the Sumitomo family.
Why would they ever marry her into their household?
Her career was what mattered most; everything else was just an illusion.
Yamagishi Eiichi had just been saying it casually.
He warned, “Rumor has it that Young Master Shouichi is quite petty.
We rejected his invitation this time, so we need to be careful.”
Okino Yoko nodded.
But thinking of Shouichi’s demeanor, she whispered, “But I feel like he’s a very sincere person, not like the rumors say.”
…
Okino Yoko knew now that her feelings had been completely wrong.
Sure enough, the best actors were never in the entertainment industry.
When they met, he had acted so sincere, proper, and approachable, yet the moment she left, he decisively bared his fangs.
“The furniture in my room…
it looks like it’s been moved,” Okino Yoko said in terror.
Yamagishi Eiichi frowned.
Okino Yoko continued, “And I can feel it—it’s like someone is following me.
What should we do?
Could it be Sumitomo Shouichi’s people?”
Yamagishi Eiichi gritted his teeth and said, “Don’t overthink it.
It’s definitely not Young Master Shouichi’s people.”
The recent murder cases had absolutely nothing to do with Young Master Shouichi, and mere stalking had even less to do with him.
“But…
but I…”
Okino Yoko’s expressive eyes were filled with panic, her hands unconsciously hugging her own arms.
Yamagishi Eiichi said, “Don’t be afraid.
It’s just some ordinary stalker.
We can hire a detective to root him out.”
“Okay,” Okino Yoko nodded.
“Let’s go to Mouri Kogorou,” the manager said.
“Mouri Kogorou?” Okino Yoko frowned.
Mouri Kogorou was a famous detective who had recently risen to prominence.
The title ‘Sleeping Kogorou’ could already be seen in the newspapers.
She was a relatively well-known public figure.
When something like this happened, they should try to minimize the fallout as much as possible.
She had been thinking it would be best to find an unknown, small-time detective.
Yamagishi Eiichi said, “Rumor has it that Mouri Kogorou is Young Master Shouichi’s lack…
er, business partner.
He’ll definitely be able to find that stalker.”
Okino Yoko finally understood.
She nodded and said, “I understand.”