Kitaoka Ryoko waited inside for a moment, then heard the sound of wooden clogs walking outside, and her spirits lifted.
Sure enough, the door opened, and Ning Zhiheng pushed it open and entered. Looking at Kitaoka Ryoko, he took a few steps forward and said with a smile, "I'm so sorry, Ms. Ryoko, I have some urgent business to attend to. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"You flatter me. Fujiwara-kun is very busy. I am already very grateful that you were able to take the time to meet with me!"
After a few simple pleasantries, Ning Zhiheng gestured for her to sit down and said with a smile, "I've already prepared some tea. Please enjoy it, Miss Liangzi, and let's chat at our leisure."
After saying this, he went to the tea table, took off his wooden clogs, sat cross-legged on the tea table, picked up the purple clay teapot, arranged the teacups on the tray, and slowly poured in the brewed tea.
"Thank you! Let me serve tea to Fujiwara-kun!"
Kitaoka Ryoko did not refuse. She stepped forward, took off her boots, knelt down opposite Ning Zhiheng, took the exquisite teapot, and poured tea for Ning Zhiheng.
Ning Zhiheng smiled kindly, raised his teacup, and gestured for Kitaoka Ryoko to drink from the same cup.
Kitaoka Ryoko hesitated for a moment before raising her glass in invitation. She wasn't worried about any problems with the tea, since the truth hadn't been revealed yet and Fujiwara Tomohito didn't know her true intentions. Even if he was angry later, he wouldn't harm her at the Muran Academy.
The two took a sip of tea. Ning Zhiheng put down his teacup, chuckled, and spoke first: "Miss Liangzi, you've come in a hurry today. Why are you dressed like this?"
Kitaoka Ryoko quickly refilled Ning Zhiheng's teacup and bowed slightly as she replied, "I do have urgent business to attend to today, so I had to take the liberty of meeting you, Fujiwara-kun. If you enjoy seeing Ryoko in a kimono, I will dress you up for you next time."
Ning Zhiheng waved his hand, ignoring her words, and asked directly, "Miss Ryoko, you're busy with military affairs, so let's get straight to the point. Hirayama Jiro has completely disappeared since he assassinated me. I've mobilized so many people from the military police and police station to search the entire city of Shanghai, and offered a reward of 200,000 yuan, but we still haven't found him. I wonder how Miss Ryoko found him?"
When Kitaoka Ryoko saw that Ning Zhiheng did not respond to her, she felt a pang of sadness. She forced a smile and said, "We only just found his trail by chance, so we rushed to report to you."
“Oh! Where is Hirayama Jiro now? Shouldn’t Miss Ryoko bring him to me after you’ve captured him?” Ning Zhiheng asked with a smile, his tone playful, his eyes scrutinizing Kitaoka Ryoko.
Kitaoka Ryoko hadn't expected Ning Zhiheng's gaze to be so oppressive; Ning Zhiheng's demeanor had never been so assertive before.
Kitaoka Ryoko calmly said, "It is my honor to be able to share Fujiwara-kun's burdens. Capturing Hirayama Jiro was just a piece of cake. But Fujiwara-kun is a person of noble birth. I have eliminated this threat for you, so you should at least show some appreciation!"
As soon as Kitaoka Ryoko spoke, Ning Zhiheng burst into laughter: "So, Miss Ryoko is worried that I won't keep my promise! Please rest assured, Miss Ryoko, Fujiwara Company may not have much else, but it certainly doesn't lack funds. So, if Miss Ryoko helps me, I will double the reward I offer to show my sincerity!"
Kitaoka Ryoko was secretly shocked. Fujiwara Tomohito's casual doubling of the 200,000 yen reward was enough to prove his strong financial strength. It was evident that the Fujiwara Company's smuggling profits were so great. She had long heard that Fujiwara Tomohito was the controller of this underground smuggling kingdom in Shanghai. He was indeed rich and powerful. This huge sum of money, which was an astronomical figure for others, was just a matter of a word for Fujiwara Tomohito.
"But I don't need these bounties!"
Ning Zhiheng was taken aback by Kitaoka Ryoko's words. His expression turned serious, and he asked in a deep voice, "Miss Ryoko, what do you need?"
“I need your support, I need the support of the Fujiwara family behind you! I need your unequivocal support for my teacher, General Tsuchihara, to completely seize power in the Tsuchihara Organization,” Kitaoka Ryoko said loudly.
"Heh, just based on Hirayama Jiro?" Ning Zhiheng sat up straight, looking coldly at Kitaoka Ryoko, laughing angrily. "Gaining my support is not an easy thing. Then please tell me in detail, Miss Ryoko, and let's see if it's worth it!"
This is about to become a formal confrontation. Kitaoka Ryoko's expression turned serious. She took out a document from her briefcase and handed it to Ning Zhiheng, saying, "After Hirayama Jiro attempted to assassinate you, I specifically sent people to Suzhou City to conduct a detailed investigation. The truth of the matter opened my eyes."
Upon reaching this point, she glanced at Ning Zhiheng's expression and, seeing that he remained calm and composed, nodded to herself. To get to this point, Fujiwara Tomohito was indeed no ordinary person.
She continued, "The real reason is that Shirakawa Hidee, the president of the Fujiwara Company's Suzhou branch, wanted to annex the Miyata Trading Company, which was supported by Lieutenant Colonel Hirayama Tokumoto, the commander of the Suzhou garrison. However, Hirayama Tokumoto refused, so Shirakawa Hidee ordered a gunman to kill Lieutenant Colonel Hirayama Tokumoto and forced Miyata Yasuhisa to flee Suzhou. However, he did not expect that Hirayama Tokumoto had a younger brother, Hirayama Jiro, who was also serving in the same unit. Miyata Yasuhisa told Hirayama Jiro the truth, so Hirayama Jiro assassinated Shirakawa Hidee that night and then fled Suzhou. This matter caused a great uproar in Suzhou. Anyone who cares knows what happened, and I believe Fujiwara-kun knows it too!"
Ning Zhiheng was not surprised. These situations were investigated by Iwai Nosuke in Suzhou, and Iwai Nosuke naturally reported them to Ning Zhiheng in detail.
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