Chapter 096　 Can we... postpone our date?

  *

  Back at the parking lot near his residence in Suitengu, Zhao Nanfeng parked his car and was about to head out with his suitcase when he noticed a silver Lexus LS500h parked nearby. He couldn't help but take a few extra looks. This model of low-key luxury had always been a favorite of his. Although he could afford one with his annual income, he knew he wasn't particularly careful with his vehicles, so he usually opted for more "economical and practical" cars where a few scratches wouldn't bother him.

  But this car was truly captivating. Even though it was also silver, the paint made the surrounding cars look utterly mediocre. He walked around to the front and was shocked to find that the license plate was his birthday: 08-15.

  Just as he was thinking, What a strange coincidence!, he heard a voice from behind: "好きですか？(Do you like it?)"

  That voice?! He spun around and found Ono Mari standing there in an exquisite kimono, looking at him with a beaming smile.

  *

  Zhao Nanfeng escorted Ono Mari upstairs, his heart pounding wildly the entire way. He didn't say a single word until they were inside and the door was shut. Then, he asked nervously, "どうしてここにる？(Why are you here?)"

  Ono gave a gentle smile, placed her hands on his chest, stood on her tiptoes, and leaned in for a kiss with longing eyes.

  Zhao Nanfeng tilted his head slightly to avoid it, his gaze drifting upward. He knew clearly that he should refuse.

  Ono sensed his hesitation. "今交際中の女いる，ね？(You have a woman you're seeing now, don't you?)"

  "はい。（Yes.)"

  "いいわ。私は２番でも３番でもいいよ。（That’s fine. I don’t mind being Number 2 or Number 3.)"

  "違う。今回は本気で、彼女と真剣に暮らしたい。(No. This time it’s for real. I want to live seriously with her.)"

  Tears welled up in Ono’s eyes, but she restrained her emotions, facing him with a sad smile. "なら、片思いをさせて。(Then... let me love you one-sidedly.)"

  Not knowing how to comfort her—since he rarely refused women—he could only hold her in a tight embrace. In his mind, a hug was not a sexual language.

  *

  After a glass of red wine, Ono began to tell the story of her legendary experience.

  On December 24th of last year, she fled to Italy and later made her way to the United States. In Miami, she met a Japanese-American venture capitalist. Together, they established a small fund. she poured all the illicit gains she had laundered offshore into it and applied massive leverage to invest in new concept fields like AI compute rental platforms and quantum battery energy storage. In less than a year, the assets grew nearly tenfold. After paying her partner’s fees and taxes, she was left with 33 million USD—roughly 5 billion yen.

  For the first time in his life, Zhao Nanfeng was truly stunned. Just as he felt at least half of the tech billionaire Fujikawa Koki’s wealth reflected his talent, Ono Mari’s 5 billion yen reflected another kind of intelligence. Regardless, the money was now "clean."

  *

  A few months ago, she decided to return to Japan. She commissioned a lawyer in advance to return the stolen money to the victims in full, obtaining their forgiveness and letters of settlement. After returning to the country, she apologized in person and then surrendered to the police. Ultimately, she was sentenced to 3 years in prison, suspended for 5 years.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  A suspended sentence. Meaning...

  "つまり、今は自由の身？（So, you're a free person now?)" Zhao Nanfeng asked in surprise. No wonder she dared to appear before him so boldly.

  "その通り。（Exactly.)" She looked at him with eyes full of affection. "南丰，君に会いたいから帰ってきたよ。（Nanfeng, I came back because I wanted to see you.)"

  Zhao Nanfeng didn't know how to respond. Of all the women he had ever dated, Ono Mari was the most unconventional. He had to admit she possessed a fatal attraction, but times had changed. "小野さん...(Ono-san...)"

  "芽生で呼んで。（Call me Mei.)"

  "芽生って、本名ですか？(Is Mei your real name?)"

  "はい、黒田芽生です。（Yes. I’m Kuroda Mei.)"

  *

  Kuroda Mei was still living in a hotel but had already secured a luxury mansion. She had planned to invite Zhao Nanfeng to move in with her once the paperwork was finished. "タイミングが悪いね。（The timing is bad, isn't it?)" she said with regret, her eyes turning moist again.

  Zhao Nanfeng was filled with apology.

  The two of them talked for a long time, drinking glass after glass of wine. When he woke up in the morning, they were embracing naked in bed.

  Zhao Nanfeng sat up on the edge of the bed, admitting to himself that he was beyond redemption.

  Kuroda reached out from behind and wrapped her arms tenderly around him. "ごめんなさい、君の人生を破壊した。(I'm sorry. I destroyed your life.)"

  "君のせいじゃない。（It’s not your fault.)"

  *

  After washing up and getting ready, Zhao Nanfeng prepared to leave for the office. Kuroda had just stepped out of the shower. He told her to keep resting and that she could just lock the door and leave the key behind the decorative shelf when she left.

  Kuroda smiled and said she would help tidy up the room for him.

  As he turned toward the door, she called out to him and pulled the keys to the Lexus out of her bag, saying she had bought it for him to drive.

  Zhao Nanfeng immediately refused; he wasn't used to accepting gifts from women.

  "好きだと言ったでしょ。（You said you liked it, didn't you?)"

  Zhao Nanfeng was grateful she remembered those words. "会社に行くのはそんな高級車はいらないよ。それに、私はこれを使ったら、君は？（I don't need such a luxury car to go to the office. Besides, if I take this, what about you?）"

  "自分が運転するより、タクシーが好きです。（I prefer taking taxis over driving myself.)" Kuroda stuffed the keys into his hand. "使うかどうか、君の決まり。（Whether you use it or not is up to you.)"

  **

  Seeing the car from a distance, Zhao Nanfeng pressed the key. The lights flashed once, emitting a pleasant "beep," but he still chose to drive his original car away.

  Near the office building, he saw Su Xian coming out after buying a sandwich.

  "Morning!" She had a brilliant smile. "I bought one for you too. Come on, let's go eat at there again."

  The mornings were quite cool now, but there were still many people in the small park. After eating his sandwich in a few bites, Su Xian pulled a bottle of hot tea from her shopping bag, unscrewed it, and handed it to him.

  She leaned into him naturally, her arm or hand bumping his occasionally as she spoke. He knew very well that this was her way of expressing love; she loved physical contact with the person she liked.

  Zhao Nanfeng was instantly flooded with guilt and unease. He had to sever ties with Ono Mari this weekend.

  "Su Xian, there’s some urgent business I need to handle this weekend. Can we... postpone our date?"

  "What’s so serious? Do you need my help? I don’t have any plans this weekend anyway."

  He asked with a smile, "Are you getting impatient?"

  "Pfft. I can definitely wait longer than you can."

  **