Chapter 030　 I only have this company, and you two.

  *

  When the weather cooled slightly in the evening, the two went to the station to get their transit cards (IC cards) and rode two stops to Skytree Tower to look around. They ascended the observation deck to see the 360°night view of Tokyo, searching for their small apartment building in the northeast direction.

  The next day, they went to Asakusa and Ueno. Life felt like an idol drama.

  However, on the third day, Zhao Nanfeng scheduled them to go to a driving school for practice. The company often required them to go out to meet clients, conduct site inspections, or look at various materials, so all employees needed to drive frequently. Both of them had Chinese driver's licenses, and they could exchange them for Japanese licenses with some procedures and a driving test. Naturally, the requirements were strict, and since the steering wheel position and driving direction are different from China, they needed a few practice sessions beforehand.

  This was self-funded, and the cost was not low.

  Su Xian, worried that Li Chengshi might not have enough money, voluntarily lent him 100,000 yen.

  "I don't know when I'll be able to pay it back, Team Leader."

  "If you can't pay it back, just keep owing it. I'm not in a hurry for the money."

  "But I still owe you the money for over half a year’s breakfast."

  Su Xian chuckled. Yes, this wily puppy not only poisoned her but also tricked her into buying him breakfast for over half a year. However, he always chose the cheaper items. When she finally tallied the cost, it was only about eight or nine hundred RMB. At Japanese prices, Li Chengshi could pay off the debt by cooking for her about 30 times.

  No, she'd rather let him keep owing her.

  **

  On the first day after the Summer Holiday (Natsu Yasumi) ended, the two arrived at the company a few minutes early, only to find the door locked. Zhao Nanfeng didn't reply to their WeChat messages. It wasn't until 8:59 AM that a young woman arrived, greeting them with bows and apologies.

  Although both of them had passed the N1 Japanese test, they hadn't interacted much directly with Japanese people, so their conversation was stuttering and clumsy.

  Eventually, they figured out that her name was Honda Yuuka and she humorously introduced herself as the "Zatsuyō-gakari" (odd-jobs person/general assistant).

  Honda gave them a quick tour of the office.

  Su Xian noticed a major problem: Was it just the three of them in the company besides Zhao Nanfeng? Moreover, the office was too empty. A closer look revealed scratches and dents on the floor and walls in multiple places.

  Honda noticed her confusion and led them to their desks, telling them to open their computers and familiarize themselves with the company's database first. Then she ran to a convenience store, bought a few bottles of water, and immediately started gossiping with them upon her return.

  Su Xian found this unbelievable; it was hard to imagine Zhao Nanfeng hiring an employee like this. But after listening to the whole story, she understood.

  *

  In mid-June, Honda came in for an interview for an administrative position after seeing a recruitment ad. Zhao Nanfeng was in a meeting with his partner, Wakui Ryo, so the receptionist asked her to wait in the meeting area. Shortly after, a fierce argument erupted in the meeting room. There were a few other employees present, and everyone stopped working to eavesdrop.

  The argument grew more intense, and then the two men stormed out, slamming the door, still hurling insults at each other. Essentially, Zhao Nanfeng accused Wakui of being despicable for stealing the company's clients when he didn't care about his sudden decision to leave, while Wakui said he deserved it because he had an inappropriate relationship with a client's wife, and the client had seen through him long ago.

  Up to this point, it was just a conflict of interest. But then, Zhao Nanfeng's wife arrived and immediately announced she was divorcing Zhao Nanfeng and going to be with Wakui. This made Zhao Nanfeng lose face, and he punched Wakui. The wife then rushed forward and joined Wakui in attacking him.

  *

  Su Xian and Li Chengshi exchanged glances, both looking shocked.

  "Okusan wa, Ono Mari-san no koto desu ne? (The wife refers to Ono Mari, right?)" Su Xian asked.

  "Chigaimasu. Tashika 'mio' to yobaremashita. (No. I think she was called 'Mio'.)"

  What?!

  They looked at each other, shocked again.

  *

  In short, the three of them trashed the office. Honda pointed to two noticeably large empty spaces, saying that very elaborate architectural models used to be displayed there, but they were all smashed. The damage on the floor and walls was caused then.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Su Xian wanted to ask if no one tried to break up the fight, but she didn't know the word, so she just made a few gestures.

  Fortunately, Honda was perceptive and understood. She said she found it strange too; the rest of the staff just watched the three people fight until Zhao Nanfeng was pinned down by Wakui and punched a few times, bleeding from his nose and mouth, and his arm was severely cut by sharp material shards, losing a lot of blood. That's when they finally stopped.

  Oh, so that was the origin of the scar she had unintentionally seen that day. Su Xian suddenly understood.

  Afterward, Wakui took Mio and all the other employees with him, including the young woman who had greeted Honda. No wonder they didn't try to break up the fight—they were all on Wakui's side, and Wakui hadn't lost anything.

  Finally, Zhao Nanfeng was lying on the floor, unable to move. It was Honda who called the ambulance, accompanied him to the hospital for bandaging, and returned with him to sort out the mess. She subsequently and naturally became Zhao Nanfeng's only current formal employee.

  **

  Zhao Nanfeng walked into the office, but no one noticed him. Honda was vividly recounting her unusual job interview experience. When she was nearly done, he cleared his throat to get their attention.

  "Ah! Shachō! ( Ah! Boss!)" Honda stuck out her tongue, then subserviently went to meet him, took his briefcase, and opened a bottle of water to hand him.

  Zhao Nanfeng waved his hand, signaling her to get back to work. She smiled at Su Xian and Li Chengshi and left to attend to her duties.

  *

  Su Xian stood up, wanting to confront Zhao Nanfeng, but didn't know where to start. This man certainly deserved some karma, yet she couldn't bring herself to rub salt in his wounds.

  Zhao Nanfeng spread his arms wide to them. "This is the current state of Towa Design. The boss is notorious, the staff has run off, most of the clients are lost, and there might still be glass shards on the office floor. Well? Do you feel like you've been deceived?"

  "I only have one question."

  "Shoot."

  "Can you still pay us our salaries normally?"

  "Yes."

  "Okay, then I have no worries."

  "Su Xian, you truly are the person I can trust the most."

  Li Chengshi's eyes darted between the two of them. He felt uneasy. Even if he wasn't going to date Su Xian, he absolutely couldn't let her go back to Zhao Nanfeng. He reached out and poked her lower back with his finger.

  Su Xian turned around and whispered to him, "Don't worry, I know exactly where I stand."

  *

  Zhao Nanfeng confessed everything to them.

  He explained that after he brought his work back to Anliang and worked there for a few months last year, he noticed something was off with Wakui when he returned. He observed him for a while and discovered that Wakui was not only privately contacting company clients but also having an affair with his wife, Morikawa Mio.

  At that moment, he felt confused, but he didn't know how to save a relationship, nor did he care if she left him.

  "So, the 'fake wife' you brought to see us in Hokkaido in February was...?"

  "Mio was already unwilling to talk to me by then. I thought it was fortunate that I had never publicly disclosed her name or photos to of you on social media, so none of you knew her. I just found someone to pretend."

  This woman Mio is actually worse off than I am. It's good that she left. Su Xian felt fortunate for her. "Who is Ono Mari then?"

  "She runs a small bar in Ginza. I was feeling depressed then, drank there every day, and got involved with her. Nothing special."

  "Are you still seeing her now?"

  "How could I be?" Zhao Nanfeng gave a self-deprecating laugh. "She scammed 5 million yen from me and disappeared."

  "What about the bar?"

  "It wasn't hers at all. She was just a manager hired by the owner."

  "Wow, that woman is amazing." Su Xian was almost a little impressed with Ono Mari, for being the rare woman who made him suffer a loss.

  "Go ahead and laugh." He spun around in place. "I only have this company, and you two," he pointed at Su Xian and Li Chengshi.

  *