·46｜Exclusive to Jinjiang·46
Mr. Lai Chuan's memoirs.
Around noon, Raikawa Yomi finally opened her eyes groggily, snuggling against Hagiwara Kenji's arm. Still half-asleep and clutching the blanket, she was barely conscious when Hagiwara Kenji wrapped his arms around her waist and planted a kiss on her forehead.
A faint smile played on Kenji Hagiwara's lips, his deep voice softened: "Good afternoon, did you get enough sleep?"
"Hmm," Raikawa Yomi said, squinting like a big cat that hadn't woken up yet, looking up at Hagiwara, "Kenji, how long have you been awake? Why didn't you wake me up?"
Kenji Hagiwara had been awake for a long time. He lay on his side in bed, propping himself up with one hand, but said something completely contrary to the truth: "I just woke up too."
He ruffled Lai Chuan Huang Quan's messy, sticking-up black hair: "Are you hungry? I ordered a beef pizza, it should be here soon."
Upon hearing the word "pizza," Lai Chuan Huang Quan's previously misty eyes instantly brightened. Then, amidst Hagiwara Kenji's hearty laughter, she slowly shrank back into the blankets, revealing only the black whorl of hair on the top of her head.
The blanket muffled their voices, and Lai Chuan Huang Quan muttered, "What's so funny? That stinky second-year graduate student just knows how to make fun of me..."
"How could that be? I like you so much, how could I possibly laugh at you?"
"You were clearly laughing just now! You were definitely laughing at me for being greedy and gluttonous!"
"I'm innocent, Soft Bread Master," Kenji Hagiwara said pitifully, his eyebrows drooping. "I was laughing because you were so cute."
After saying that, Kenji Hagiwara grabbed the blanket wrapped around Yomi Raikawa and started pulling it down, trying to peel away the only candy in his beloved world as if peeling a candy coating. But before he could even meet Yomi Raikawa's bright almond-shaped eyes, the little girl pulled the blanket up and hid herself inside again.
Kenji Hagiwara chuckled: "Soft bread, come out quickly."
Lai Chuan Huang Quan squirmed under the covers and protested loudly, "I don't want to!"
Not only was she ashamed of Kenji Hagiwara's laughter, but also because... the feelings of loss from the night had subsided, and after calming down completely, Yomi Lai looked at her boyfriend's handsome face lying close to her on the pillow, and her brain was instantly cleared and formatted, leaving only a row of bold words "Kenji and I shared a bed" spinning back and forth.
Recalling the brutal scene she witnessed upon waking, Lai Chuan Huang Quan twisted even more violently, writhing back and forth under the covers.
Kenji Hagiwara glanced at the long, wriggling blanket and burst out laughing again: "Soft bread, you look like a big worm like this."
Yomi Laichuan: ...
The next second, she twisted even more violently, her whole body, wrapped in the blanket, thrashing about like a fish struggling desperately out of water: "Who says girls are insects? I'm angry!!"
Kenji Hagiwara certainly knew many other ways to describe high emotional intelligence, but in front of a loved one, besides routines and techniques, it was also necessary to occasionally reveal one's true self when relaxed. Moreover, Kenji Hagiwara always believed that couples should appropriately exchange harmless jokes; a balance of tension and relaxation is essential for maintaining a healthy relationship. Besides, no one can be tense all the time.
He chuckled and pulled Lai Chuan Huang Quan into a tight embrace through the blanket, restricting her movements: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that snake whose seven-inch mark was stepped on?"
Yomi Laichuan: …………
She yanked off the covers, baring her teeth and yelling, "Hagiwara Ken...!!"
Before she could utter the last word, the man whose name Lai Chuan Huang Quan had roared at lowered his head and kissed her lips.
"Alas!"
Yomi Laichuan remained motionless, maintaining her angry posture. She glared at Kenji Hagiwara, her face flushed red as a blush spread from her neck upwards. After a brief eye contact, Yomi Laichuan abruptly grabbed the blanket and burrowed back under it.
"I'm angry!! You idiot second-year graduate student, I haven't settled the score with you for peeping yesterday! You're so annoying!"
"After Xiaozhenping is discharged from the hospital, I'll take you to eat some super luxurious five-star cuisine, how about that?"
During last night's robbery, Matsuda Jinpei was struck in the neck with a gun butt. The night shift doctor, who was woken by a nurse, took X-rays of Matsuda and informed them that his injury wasn't serious but not minor either. Just in case, the doctor advised Matsuda to rest in the hospital for two days to assess his condition before being discharged to recuperate at home.
Kenji Hagiwara used the promise of gourmet food to coax Yomi Raikawa, successfully pausing her writhing movements for a moment. The next second, however, she started writhing even more violently: "Oden! I want oden!"
Now?
"Okay, now! Buy me some delicious oden and I'll forgive you!"
Kenji Hagiwara smiled helplessly: "Okay, I'll go downstairs and buy it for you now."
He got up, took the casual clothes he had taken off the night before, and went into the bathroom—this was Hagiwara Kenji's residence, so it was only natural that his pajamas would be in the closet. He had changed into his pajamas in the bathroom last night.
After Kenji Hagiwara left, Yomi Rikawa sprang up from the bed with a jolt.
She deliberately sent Kenji Hagiwara away.
"Administrator, are you there?"
There was a brief silence, followed by the faint electrical hum characteristic of a newly connected signal.
"I am here."
“Administrator, I realized something very serious last night,” Lai Chuan Huang Quan said in a low voice, “My personality has changed drastically, to the point of being like heaven and earth.”
Lai Chuan Huang Quan slowly recounted his analysis from the previous night, from her past personality and behavior patterns to the reasons that might have caused her dramatic change.
“Administrator, I have been your employee since I was a child. You should know everything about me. Even if I can’t know every single detail, you are absolutely aware of the major events I have been through.”
The administrator sighed, "Yes, I know. But..."
“But you’re not going to tell me,” Lai Chuan Huang Quan interrupted the administrator for the first time, snorting coldly and saying unhappily, “I reviewed some things last night. I’m now quite certain that I’ve forgotten something, something that caused my personality to change drastically. If I ask you for the details, you’ll definitely say something like, ‘It’s not the time for you to know yet.’”
"Administrator, can you answer me what I've forgotten?"
Even if it's just a reminder, a concept.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan stared at the pale wall, her brows furrowed, her face showing an unprecedented seriousness and determination.
"Administrator, answer me."
After a long silence, the administrator was the first to give in. He slowly spoke: "Do you really want to know what you've forgotten?"
"Yes."
The administrator sighed, utterly exhausted: "A heart full of hatred and boundless despair—that's what you've forgotten."
The administrator didn't know whether this forgetting was a blessing or a curse for Lai Chuan Huang Quan.
But at least she's happy now, isn't she?
...
In a high-end villa area, Mr. Lai Chuan, dressed in a suit, sat upright at the dining table. Regardless of wind or rain, he always got up exceptionally early. By the time Lai Chuan Huang Quan appeared in the living room, lightly made up, he had already quickly reviewed the new documents sent by his subordinates on his phone.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan, with her hair styled in a gentle updo, neatly coiled her red curls at the back of her head: "Good morning, Dad."
"Yes, good morning," Mr. Raikawa nodded to Raikawa Yomi, "Come and have breakfast."
This breakfast couldn't possibly have been made by Mr. Lai Chuan; his cooking skills are just as terrible as those of another being from a higher plane, 'Lai Chuan Huang Quan'. Moreover, he never does housework, leaving it all to his highly paid maids.
When Yomi Laichuan sat down, she straightened her back and ate her toast with elegant grace, like a well-educated young lady. In terms of family background and education, Yomi Laichuan certainly fit the description of a wealthy heiress. It's just that Suzuki's family was in business, while her father was a government official, though she herself was unaware of this.
Lai Chuan Huang Quan always thought his father was just a mid-to-high-level manager in a multinational corporation with a generous salary. But he was frequently sent abroad by the company to negotiate business deals, or he would work overtime at the company for days on end without coming home.
Not only Lai Chuan Huang Quan, but also his ex-wife, Lai Chuan Huang Quan's biological mother, who divorced and remarried, thought so. Mrs. Lai Chuan was beautiful, possessing an undeniable charm. Mr. Lai Chuan's frequent absences from home greatly displeased Huang Quan's mother. The year Huang Quan entered junior high school, Mrs. Lai Chuan was rushed to the emergency room due to a sudden illness. She suffered convulsions and vomiting at the hospital, but even so, Mr. Lai Chuan did not appear.
"I'm sorry, I'm currently abroad and there's really no way I can get to you right away."
This is how Mr. Raikawa explained it.
Unlike the precocious Ran Mouri, the Lai Chuan family had maids to take care of everything, so Lai Chuan Yomi naturally didn't know how to take care of people. Moreover, Mr. Lai Chuan, in order to cultivate Lai Chuan Yomi into an elite like himself, had always pushed her very hard in her studies and artistic endeavors. With her husband unable to return, her daughter rarely visiting her in the hospital, and her parents far away in the United States, Mrs. Lai Chuan chose to divorce after a long and lonely two-week hospital stay.
When a divorce agreement was thrown in front of Mr. Lai Chuan, he only paused briefly before signing his name. He already felt guilty towards Mrs. Lai Chuan, so he not only voluntarily transferred his existing property to her, but also paid her alimony far exceeding the legal limit every month until she remarried.
Mr. Lai Chuan had only one request: that Lai Chuan be raised by him in the afterlife.
Japan has always been a country that advocates men working outside the home and women staying at home, at least for now. Moreover, the divorce was many years ago, when many Japanese men considered it shameful for their wives to work outside the home; only men who lacked ability would let their wives work. Mrs. Raikawa, who had always considered herself a housewife—and in reality, she didn't need to do housework as Mr. Raikawa hired a maid—was indeed unable to continue providing Raikawa Yosen with a comfortable life after the divorce. Therefore, Raikawa Yosen naturally went to live with her father.
Initially, Mrs. Ryukawa visited Yomi frequently. However, a year later, she immigrated to the United States and remarried in Washington, D.C., after which she could only maintain communication with Yomi by telephone.
As for Mr. Lai Chuan, he continues to use "company business" as a pretext to stay away from home year-round. He claims to be abroad negotiating cooperation, but in reality, he sits comfortably in his office in the police headquarters building a few kilometers away, eliminating all obstacles as one of the police headquarters' strategists.
Mr. Lai Chuan was known for his decisive and efficient work style at the police station. His inherent decisiveness and strong will meant that he never felt there was anything wrong with letting Lai Chuan Huang Quan grow up on his own.
Moreover, Mr. Lai Chuan had experienced poverty in his childhood, and compared to something as intangible as "companionship," he felt that material things were more tangible. Therefore, Mr. Lai Chuan's most direct way of expressing his love was to spend money on everything, from food and clothing to transportation and education. As long as he could afford it, he would replace everything with the best.
The microcosm of that era is inevitably imprinted in the blood of everyone who lived through it. Mr. Raikawa was no different from countless Japanese men of that time, with an indelible sense of male chauvinism flowing in his veins.
Mr. Raikawa always demanded that Raikawa Yomi obey him.
Fortunately, Lai Chuan Huangquan was indeed obedient and, following his plan, successfully gained admission to the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo a few years ago. He has now been recommended for postgraduate studies and has become a genius envied by everyone. With exceptional talent and outstanding ability, Lai Chuan Huangquan is the "other people's child" praised by thousands, and also the pride that Mr. Lai Chuan is very proud of.
but……
Mr. Lai Chuan stared silently at the woman in front of him, who was feeding herself raw carrots with a fork. His gaze was deep, and a new storm was brewing between his brows.
“Huang Quan,” Mr. Lai Chuan suddenly spoke, his voice unhurried, “Do you like carrots?”
Adhering to the principle of not speaking while eating, Lai Chuan Huang Quan first swallowed the carrot piece in his mouth, placed the fork in the correct position, and then smiled brightly: "Mmm, I like it very much."
She tilted her head and looked at Mr. Lai Chuan: "What's wrong, Dad?"
“It’s nothing, just asking casually,” Mr. Lai Chuan said in a normal tone, showing no sign of anything amiss. “What are your plans for today?”
“I’ve made plans with Mami to go to the library, then we’ll go shopping for a bit. I don’t have any plans for tonight,” Raikawa Yomi said with a smile after explaining her schedule. “Is that okay, Dad?”
"Um."
After responding, Mr. Raikawa didn't say anything more. He got up and sat on the leather sofa in the living room, switched the TV channel to Nichiuri TV, which was broadcasting the morning news, and sat there until Raikawa Yomi finished his meal and got up to leave.
After making breakfast, the maid went straight back to her room on the basement level and wouldn't come up to wash the dishes for another half hour. The spacious living room was so quiet that only the sound of the LCD TV could be heard. Mr. Lai Chuan stared at the constantly changing news programs, his rapidly working brain already sorting out some things.
Lai Chuan and Huang Quan are intelligent, obedient, and sensible, and they don't even go through the rebellious phase that most children experience. This makes Mr. Lai Chuan very gratified, reassured, and at ease.
On the other hand, there's 'Yomi Yorikawa,' who suddenly appeared and got involved with Rei Furuya. She has two little topknots that Mr. Yorikawa thinks are too avant-garde, and she's staying at the home of a sniper in the Mobile Suit Gundam. She doesn't go to school or work, and spends all her time eating, drinking, and having fun.
Whenever Mr. Lai Chuan recalls the reports his subordinates submitted about Ms. Lai Chuan's lifestyle, he can't help but frown—thankfully, his child isn't her.
but……
Mr. Lai Chuan had noticed something unusual long before Miss Lai Chuan appeared—his precious only daughter seemed to be too obedient. She didn't even have the selfish desires that a human being should have in front of him, and she was as obedient as a delicate marionette.
But selfish desires are an integral part of being human.
It's impossible for a normal, living person to be without desires. Unless he or she is already dead, or not a normal person at all.
More importantly, in Mr. Lai Chuan's memory, Lai Chuan Huang Quan hated carrots. So much so that when he forced her to eat them with a stern face, she would swallow them while crying, tears streaming down her face.
Sometimes, when Lai Chuan Huang Quan wasn't looking, she would secretly pour the leftover carrots from her bowl into flower pots, trash cans, under the table, and other places. When he discovered this, she would frown, cry, and run to her mother.
Mr. Raikawa pinched his chin and began to carefully recall when Raikawa Yomi had started to show signs of liking carrots.
It seems that after he divorced his wife in junior high school, Raikawa Yomi suddenly developed a craving for carrots one morning. From that time on, Raikawa Yomi became as obedient as a rag doll, no longer showing any selfishness or greed in front of him.
On the contrary, it was Miss Lai Chuan who suddenly appeared out of nowhere; she was lively, flamboyant, and rebellious.
Most importantly,
She hates eating carrots.
[Author's Note]
You wouldn't believe it, but in Chapter 43, when Mr. Raikawa asked if the soft bread ate carrots, he was actually thinking about this.
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