Chapter 53: They're All a Bunch of Sly, Dark-Hearted Guys!
Akio Shigematsu glanced at Morizono Kikuto and said, "Back then, Madam came here to find me, but Master misunderstood and thought Madam was in love with him, so he proposed to her."
"And then?" Morizono Kikuto pressed, "My mother agreed, didn't she?"
"Yes, Madam was moved by Master's passionate feelings, and that's why she married into the family," Akio Shigematsu sighed, "Master probably sensed something about what happened back then..."
"There's nothing between you and my mother, is there?" Morizono Kikuto finally asked, directly voicing his suspicion.
Akio Shigematsu realized what Morizono Kikuto meant, and became anxious and annoyed, "Young Master Kikuto, do you still not trust Madam? We accepted our fate back then and didn't get entangled afterward. This time, it's because Miss Xiaofeng and Yingting are very similar to us back then, but they still have time. I... I don't want to see such regret happen again."
Morizono Kikuto felt relieved. Good, there was nothing going on. He sat back on the Sofa. "I can cancel the Wedding, but not because you threatened me. You should have told me directly."
Akio Shigematsu bowed deeply. "I am very sorry, Young Master Kikuto!"
"Give me the evidence you have," Morizono Kikuto said, "I'll explain things to Pianling Feng and Yingting later. Of course, if you're not comfortable, you can wait until after the Wedding is cancelled to give it to me..."
"No, no need, I'll go get it now!"
Seeing that Morizono Kikuto was willing to cancel the Wedding first, Akio Shigematsu felt this trust and became even more guilty. He immediately left the Room to retrieve the Things.
Ten minutes later, in the same Room, the same three people were together again.
After Morizono Kikuto confirmed the Things were originals, he destroyed them. "Have you considered the serious Consequences of cancelling tomorrow's Wedding?"
Akio Shigematsu hesitated and looked at Morizono Kikuto, wondering if the Young Master was going to go back on his word.
"Don't worry, I won't go back on my word. I don't lack for women who like me, and I don't want to have to constantly watch out for my wife having an affair," Morizono Kikuto said, sitting back on the Sofa. "But to cancel the Wedding, we need a plausible Reason. Take Uncle Zhen Zhi Jie, for example. He's usually very busy, and to attend tomorrow's Wedding, he must have postponed important matters. That's a show of Goodwill towards the Senyuan Family. Other Guests might not all be like that, but some definitely are."
"This..." Cold sweat immediately broke out on Akio Shigematsu's brow.
He had only been focused on getting Morizono Kikuto to cancel the Wedding. Now that things were settled, he finally considered the Consequences of abruptly cancelling the Wedding.
Without a suitable Reason, if the Senyuan Family suddenly cancelled the Wedding on the eve of the Wedding, it would definitely invite a lot of discontent.
"The matter of cancelling the Wedding was caused by them, so they should also bear the responsibility," Morizono Kikuto stated directly, "Tomorrow, or after the Guests leave tonight, Pianling Feng will suddenly fall ill, seriously ill enough to be unable to hold the Wedding. We'll cancel the Wedding first, drag it out for a while, let the matter fade, and then they can separate. You and I will go talk to them together in a moment."
Akio Shigematsu nodded quickly. "Thank you, Young Master, I think they'll agree!"
Chi Feichi saw that the two had reached an agreement and didn't plan to linger. "Since things are settled, I'll head downstairs first. I'll keep today's events Confidential."
Watching Chi Feichi leave, Akio Shigematsu hesitated for a moment before asking, "Young Master Kikuto, these... were these ideas Hissashi's?"
"These?" Morizono Kikuto chuckled, "Which ones are you talking about?"
Akio Shigematsu frowned and thought back. He couldn't say exactly which ones, but he just felt that in today's conversation, he had completely lost control, as if everything had been planned out from the start.
He knew his Young Master, it was impossible for him to give him this feeling...
Morizono Kikuto didn't continue to press the matter, and changed the subject, "After this matter is handled, you're responsible for finding ways to fix those loopholes in the Company, find out who leaked the Rumors, dismiss those who should be dismissed, warn those who need warning, and take this opportunity to clean house!"
Akio Shigematsu was a little surprised, "Young Master Kikuto, you're still planning to keep me at the Company?"
"Is that so strange?" Morizono Kikuto countered.
Akio Shigematsu's expression softened a little, and he smiled wryly, "Perhaps it's because Young Master Hissashi was here just now that made me subconsciously think of Mr. Shinnosuke. If it were Mr. Shinnosuke, I'm afraid I'd have to leave immediately. But even if you're still willing to trust me, how can I have the face to stay at the Company..."
"Staying is fine," Morizono Kikuto said seriously, "Anyway, the Company won't be doing those things anymore."
"Young Master Kikuto?" Akio Shigematsu asked, surprised and confused.
Before, Morizono Kikuto was eager to make a Career to prove himself, and insisted on bribing High Officials. How did he suddenly figure things out now?
"My dad told me a long time ago that Uncle Zhen Zhi Jie is a very scary person..." Morizono Kikuto didn't continue, got up and walked out of the Room. "Have someone clean up here."
Although he wasn't clear on what happened in his younger years, his Mood now might be very similar to his father's back then.
He now felt that Chi Feichi was a scary person.
Earlier, when he suggested that he could let go of the Evidence first and then take it back, it wasn't out of trust at all, but because Chi Feichi had given him the confidence.
If Akio Shigematsu went back on his word later, the Anonymous Report Letter he prepared would be sent out tonight, reporting that his Company had Illegal Issues in some area, providing some ambiguous Evidence. After the Rumors spread, he would cooperate with the investigation at top speed to clear any Suspicion.
Afterwards, make a fuss once or twice from other angles, creating the illusion that someone was maliciously targeting him.
When Akio Shigematsu tried to use the Evidence to threaten him, he could completely ignore it, make some slight changes to some Details in the Company, and make people suspect that it was just another ambiguous piece of Evidence.
If the public was in doubt during this buffer period, he could use other Things to divert public attention, let the matter fade and then deal with it, or clear himself, find a High Official to take the blame, and then have that person turn around and implicate whoever he wanted, creating the illusion that he was being persecuted, or...
Chi Feichi had proposed too many operational Methods. At worst, the Company would suffer losses, but neither he nor the Company would be completely ruined.
In short—
That little threat was nothing. Letting the other party hold Leverage wasn't much of a threat. That was the solution!
And Akio Shigematsu's choice also determined his attitude towards Akio Shigematsu.
If Akio Shigematsu hadn't trusted him, and hadn't handed over the Evidence to him first, he wouldn't have let Akio Shigematsu stay at the Company.
Chi Feichi had a saying that was very true: once trust is broken, no matter how much you try to repair it, it's hard to restore it to its original state.
In fact, he still had reservations about Akio Shigematsu. However, Akio Shigematsu staying at the Company could help him more. As long as the Company was no longer involved in Illegal Issues, and he had no Leverage for people to exploit, he could slowly observe and confirm.
Before, he was unscrupulous and single-mindedly climbed upwards, but now he felt that his methods weren't real methods, and it was better to be down-to-earth.
Okay, he was just being a coward.
Thinking about his father's past evaluation of Uncle Zhen Zhi Jie, and then looking at Chi Feichi, he suddenly felt that those at the top were all a bunch of sly and dark-hearted guys.
What could he do if he couldn't outplay them?
It was better to learn from his father, carefully manage things, and just get by, so as not to be plotted against and completely ruined...
...
Half an hour later, dinner was served in the Dining Room on the First Floor.
Morizono Mikio heard Akio Shigematsu mention the identities of the Guests, and was immediately intrigued by Mori Kogoro. "Oh, you're that famous great Detective!"
Mori Kogoro beamed and tried to look serious, "Hello, I'm Mori Kogoro, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
"It's my honor to dine with someone like you." Morizono Mikio said with a smile.
"Not at all, you're too kind!" Mori Kogoro replied politely.
Servants brought Food and Drinks to the Dining Table.
Morizono Kikuto didn't stay in his Room, and arrived at the Dining Room early, sitting with Pianling Feng. Both of them seemed a little awkward.
Beside them, Morizono Yurie was holding Rebeca, and Chi Feichi was holding Hissashi. The two sat side-by-side, and both Pets were wrapped in circles of Gauze.
Across the Dining Table, Conan first noticed the strange atmosphere between Morizono Kikuto and Pianling Feng, and was puzzled. Then he looked at the others, and when he saw Hissashi with half his body draped over the Dining Table, he almost burst out laughing, and quickly lowered his head to stifle his laughter.
It was the first time he had seen a Snake wrapped up like this. It looked really pathetic!
Hissashi was staying there bored, and saw Conan lowering his head and his face twitching. He stared at him for a long time, and said in surprise, "Master, look! Conan is acting weird! Is he going to transform? Will he suddenly turn into Kudo Shinichi?"
Chi Feichi hadn't spoken the whole time, but he had noticed the Situation at the Dining Table. He said in a low voice, "He's laughing at you."
Hissashi suddenly straightened up, and stopped flicking his Snake Tongue, staring straight at Conan.
Kitten Rebeca noticed Hissashi's movement, and also stood up from Morizono Yurie's lap, and curiously patted Hissashi's body with her front paws, claws retracted.
"Stop it!" Hissashi used his Tail to flick away Rebeca's paws.
Rebeca's cat eyes lit up, as if she remembered what happened last night, thinking that Hissashi was going to play with her again, and pounced.
"I didn't expect Hissashi to know Mr. Mouri before, and also know Shizuka's son. That's quite a surprise!" Morizono Mikio had just heard Morizono Yurie mention this, and was still musing over it when he heard Rebeca's sharp yowl.
"Meow-rowr!" Rebeca, looking fierce, pounced towards the table in front of Chi Feichi.
Hissashi subconsciously used his Tail to lash out, then shifted his Location, and quickly slithered under the table.
Rebeca was swiped, and after regaining her balance, she stepped on Chi Feichi's leg and jumped off the table, excitedly chasing after him, "Meow-woo!"
The commotion here immediately drew the attention of Mori Kogoro and the others, but they only saw a flash of cat fur dart under the table.
"Ah!"
Mouri Ran and Kazuha Toyama were startled. The two girls jumped in surprise.
Under the table, chaos erupted, and the sound of table legs being hit kept coming, sometimes from the left and sometimes from the right, accompanied by Rebeca's fierce growls.
Morizono Yurie was taken aback for a moment, and said with a helpless sigh, "They're at it again..."
"Hey, hey, shouldn't we stop them?" Hattori Heiji quickly lifted his feet a little, and suddenly felt a bit envious of Conan's short legs, not having to worry about his feet getting accidentally hurt.
"No need to worry, they'll settle down after a while." Morizono Mikio looked calm. Compared to last night, without the Crow joining in, this is just a minor skirmish.
(End of Chapter)