Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 205 Playing True to Oneself

(5300 words~)

October 30, 1989, 10:00 AM.

Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. A secluded tea room in the annex of the Saionji main family residence.

The cold autumn rain pattered against the remaining maple leaves in the courtyard, and a few dark red maple leaves were knocked down by the rain and silently stuck to the wet and slippery bluestone slab.

Inside the tea room, wisps of white steam carrying the delicate fragrance of fine jade dew rose from the spout of a celadon teapot on a rosewood table.

Executive Director Endo knelt at the lower end of the table.

He took a meticulously bound intelligence summary from his black briefcase and handed it to the head of the table with both hands. At the top of the document was a strip of stock quotes printed that morning from the Bloomberg terminal, marked in black ink—[Nikkei Average: 35,920 points]

"Master, young lady."

Endo pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and lowered his voice.

"After the public opinion fermented over the past few days, and the tough stance we deliberately adopted at the real estate transaction hall, the external reaction has been completely solidified according to the predetermined trajectory."

Shuichi picked up his teacup, gently blew away the floating leaves on the water, and gestured for him to continue.

"Based on external communications and conversation records from business salons intercepted by SIS (Saionji Intelligence System)," Endo turned to the first page of the intelligence summary, "a highly unified consensus has now formed in the business world, especially within the Seibu Group."

"They believe that a serious power shift has occurred within the Saionji family. Due to the terrifying drain on resources from the two money-devouring beasts in Odaiba and Hokkaido, the conservative elders of the family have fallen into extreme panic. In order to uphold the bottom line of 'zero debt,' this group of elders forcibly took over the situation, bypassing the eldest daughter, and are currently in the predicament of selling off marginal assets to fill the infrastructure hole."

After hearing this, Xiu Yi couldn't help but shake his head and put the teacup back on the tray.

"These tycoons really have a vivid imagination. They can actually conjure up such absurd family infighting dramas."

Satsuki, sitting behind Xiu, had a very faint smile on her lips.

Today she was wearing a light blue kimono in a casual, home-style outfit, with her long hair casually tied back.

The Saionji family is currently in a state of extreme tension, pursuing a "dual-track approach"—the frenzied sale of domestic peripheral assets and the covert transfer of overseas funds are unfolding simultaneously, while the subsequent short-selling and strangulation plan targeting the entire Japanese financial market has entered an extremely complicated and deep-water zone of preparation.

Having spent the entire night calculating those intricate offshore trust accounts until the early hours of the morning, the young body finally succumbed to a degree of physical fatigue that was hard to resist.

She raised her hand, covered her lips with her wide sleeve, and yawned very slightly.

"Hmm... Since they're so eager for this truth," Satsuki lowered her hand, a hint of languidness in her voice, "then we'll personally package this 'truth' and deliver it to their table."

Her gaze pierced through the rising steam in the tea room and landed directly on the elder sitting opposite Endo.

Saionji Kensuke.

The most senior member of the family, and also the most heartbroken conservative representative at the Da Guangjian meeting a few days ago.

"Kensuke-sama." Satsuki's voice was gentle.

Kensuke, who had been resting with his eyes closed, immediately opened them and straightened his slightly hunched back upon hearing the young lady's call.

"Yes, young lady. What are your orders?"

"I would like to trouble you to personally represent the Saionji family at the Akasaka Prince Hotel."

Satsuki looked at this elder and calmly gave the instruction.

"Go and meet with Chairman Yoshiaki Tsutsumi. Give him the property transfer certificate for the Akasaka 'Pink Building'."

The air in the tea room seemed to freeze instantly.

Kensuke's entire body stiffened instantly. His eyes, clouded by age, widened in disbelief as he stared at the smiling girl before him.

"Huh? Should...should this old man step in?"

In the Saionji family, the elders have traditionally only been responsible for providing advice at family meetings or for maintaining the etiquette and decorum of the old Chinese society.

The actual business negotiations and the actual operations were all carried out by the young and promising executives led by the head of the family. Being suddenly singled out to carry out such negotiations involving the sacrifice of core assets was highly unusual in itself.

Moreover, the current rumors circulating are about a "power grab by the chief retainer." The young lady has now sent him, the most typical conservative retainer, to meet with Tsutsumi Yoshiaki. Could this be... a test? Or a prelude to a purge?

Fear, like a cold, venomous snake, crept up Kensuke's spine. A scene from a year ago suddenly flashed through his mind: that troublesome collateral relative who, relying on seniority, had acted arrogantly and disobeyed the young lady's decisions at the villa. After a stormy night, that person's name mysteriously vanished from the family register, as if he had never existed.

Cold sweat instantly soaked the back of Kensuke's old underwear.

He didn't care about maintaining appearances as an elder at all, and suddenly fell forward. His hands pressed heavily onto the tatami mat, and his forehead almost touched the ground.

"Young Miss, please understand!" The old man of the Kensuke family trembled violently with extreme terror, speaking at an alarming pace. "My loyalty to the head of the family and to you is as clear as day! I have absolutely no intention of usurping power! Those rumors outside are utter nonsense; I would rather die than..."

"Lord Kensuke, you've misunderstood."

Satsuki gently interrupted him. She picked up the teapot on the table and poured herself a cup of hot tea. She stood up, her white cotton socks making no sound on the tatami mat.

She walked up to Kensuke's father, slowly knelt down, and gently pushed the cup of hot tea to the old man's side.

"Have some tea first to warm yourself up."

Satsuki's tone was gentle and reassuring.

Kensuke's father trembled as he raised his head. He looked at the steaming cup of tea, then at the young lady's clear, bright eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty. He picked up the teacup with both hands and took a shaky sip. The warm tea slightly eased his inner fear.

"I sent you because you are the most suitable."

Satsuki returned to her original position.

"Yoshiaki Tsutsumi is a suspicious and arrogantly intelligent man. If President Eguchi is sent, his youthful vigor will make it difficult for Yoshiaki to believe that the family has fallen into the control of the conservatives. He will suspect that this is a setup."

She looked at Kenjiro's father, a slight smile appearing on her lips.

"But you are different."

"You are the most senior member of the Saionji family. You possess the purest rigidity and pride of the old aristocracy. As long as you sit in front of him in a kimono, the piece of the puzzle in his heart about 'old-fashioned rule' will fit perfectly."

Kensuke's father finally understood. This wasn't a test; it was just a play. A play within a play that required him to play himself.

"I... understand." He exhaled a long breath and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "But Miss, I'm not good at business negotiations. Facing a top-tier tycoon like Chairman Tsutsumi, what if I give myself away with my words..."

"You don't need to put on an act," Satsuki interrupted his concerns. "You just need to recall that meeting a few days ago in the Grand Hall, when you heard that I was going to sell off the prime real estate in Tokyo, the genuine anger and heartache you felt, the feeling that your family's legacy was about to be destroyed."

"Carrying the most authentic pride of the old Chinese. Carrying the frustration of being forced to sell ancestral property to clean up the messes of the younger generation."

Satsuki's gaze deepened.

"You just need to show your true feelings to Yoshiaki Tsutsumi without any change."

Kensuke stared at the teacup in front of him. He thought of the Pink Building's massive and stable monthly cash flow, and the thought of handing over this golden goose to the Seibu Group. A surge of uncontrollable, intensely real pain and resentment welled up within him.

"I understand." Elder Kensuke straightened his back. The dignity that belonged to the old aristocratic family had returned to him.

"I will make sure he sees the 'stubborn' side of the Saionji family."

……

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Akasaka Prince Hotel. Royal Suite, Top Floor, New Building.

The indoor temperature control system was operating quietly.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was wearing a dark gray Italian-style bespoke suit. He sat upright in a leather sofa, casually toying with a gold cigar cutter in his left hand.

Secretary Shimada pushed open the heavy wooden door, walked quickly to the sofa, and bowed slightly.

"Chairman, the Saionji family has arrived."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi stopped what he was doing.

"Who's here? Tokuhiro Eguchi? Or that chief financial officer, Endo?"

"Neither." Shimada's expression was somewhat strange. "It's Kensuke Saionji who's here. The most senior member of the Saionji family's family."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's eyelids twitched suddenly.

"Oh? Kensuke..." He chewed on the name repeatedly.

A slight, disdainful smile slowly bloomed at the corner of his mouth.

As expected, the rumors of internal family strife were true.

In a normal commercial transaction, it would be impossible to send an old fogey who knows nothing about modern finance to negotiate the sale of such a core asset.

"Please let him in." Yoshiaki Tsutsumi tossed the cigar cutter onto the coffee table and straightened his tie. "Serve this esteemed gentleman the finest tea."

Steady footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Kenjiro strode into the Royal Suite.

He wore an exquisitely tailored traditional black haori (traditional Japanese kimono) made using the Nishijin weaving technique from Kyoto. This old-fashioned formal attire, reserved for extremely formal occasions, created a stark visual contrast with the modern, luxurious Western-style suite.

The attendant following behind him also did not carry a leather briefcase, but instead held a wooden box wrapped in a dark purple silk furoshiki with extremely respectful hands.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi sat on the sofa, taking in everything. This old-fashioned, outrageous behavior dispelled the last vestige of doubt in his heart.

Ah, so modern Japan still has these kinds of old-fashioned things.

"Mr. Kensuke. I'm a rare visitor."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi stood up and stepped forward to greet him. His face wore the impeccable politeness of a junior addressing a senior.

"What brings you here today, the pillar of your family, to personally inspect my humble abode?"

This polite remark conceals a highly aggressive probing.

Kensuke did not respond immediately. His slightly cloudy eyes swept around the luxurious suite before finally settling on Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's face.

The old man's eyes lacked strength; instead, they held a deep weariness and resentment.

"Chairman Tsutsumi."

Kensuke's voice was hoarse, with a hint of stubborn coldness.

"I'm not here for tea today."

He walked to the marble coffee table but did not sit down. He turned his head and nodded slightly to the attendants behind him.

The attendant immediately stepped forward, placed the furoshiki wrapping on the table, and carefully untied the sash. He then opened the inner, moisture-proof paulownia wood box.

Kensuke stretched out his hands, which were covered with age spots.

Upon touching that document, a profound grief caused his fingers to tremble slightly uncontrollably.

He took a deep breath, took out the "Letter of Intent for the Transfer of Property Rights of the Akasaka Pink Building," and placed it in front of Yoshiaki Tsutsumi.

"These are all the land deeds and title documents for the Akasaka Pink Building."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi's gaze fell on the document. Although he was somewhat prepared, his breath still caught in his throat when this beloved property, located in the heart of Tokyo and generating huge daily revenue, was actually placed before him.

"Mr. Kensuke, what do you mean by this?" Tsutsumi Yoshiaki looked up, feigning surprise. "This building is the Saionji family's cash cow in Minato Ward. How could Shuichi-kun and Ms. Satsuki bear to part with it?"

These words seemed to have set off a bomb. Kensuke's father abruptly raised his head, his previously somewhat cloudy eyes blazing with intense anger. His usually dignified face flushed crimson with rage.

"Don't mention that arrogant girl to me!" Kensuke's cane slammed heavily on the marble floor with a dull thud.

"Young people these days go to Wall Street, witness a few days of American financial tricks, and think they can buy the whole world with a few financial statements!"

Kensuke's chest heaved violently, and spittle even sprayed onto the edge of the coffee table.

"She certainly has talent. I admit she's made money in clothing and convenience stores. But she's too arrogant! That deep-sea crater in Odaiba, and that flashy glass dome in Hokkaido! Those two monsters are draining the family dry every day!"

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi sat quietly on the sofa. He picked up the black coffee that had just been brought to him, trying to hide the increasingly barely suppressed smile on his lips.

"Our Saionji family has stood strong for a thousand years. What has it relied on? It has relied on meticulous planning and the confidence to never owe the bank a single penny!"

Kensuke pounded the table forcefully, displaying the rigidity and stubbornness typical of Showa-era elders.

"In order to prevent that ignorant little girl from dragging the whole family into the quagmire of high-interest loans, we old folks had no choice but to take over the situation."

The old man stared intently at the property certificate, a genuine glint of tears welling up in his eyes.

"This pink building is indeed a goose that lays golden eggs. But to fill the infrastructure gaps, for the sake of the family's health..."

He clenched his teeth, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Today, even I, an old man, must part with it."

The only sound in the suite was the faint hum of the central air conditioning.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi took a sip of coffee.

The bitter liquid spread across his tongue, but his heart was filled with a sweet sweetness.

The anger of disappointment at the lack of progress. The heartache of being forced to clean up the messes of young people. The stubborn adherence to the zero-debt bottom line.

Every word Kensuke said, every expression he made, even his slightly trembling hands.

Everything is so wonderful.

Good, as long as he's afraid, many things will be easier to handle.

The Saionji family is now in power by a group of old-fashioned people who don't understand modern finance and only know how to stick to rules and face.

This is a golden opportunity.

But he also knew that this situation of the old guard in power couldn't last long. He didn't know what fatal mistake Saionji Satsuki had made internally that allowed these elders to temporarily seize control of the family. However, he knew the girl's capabilities well; with her abilities, she would undoubtedly launch a counterattack in a very short time and regain absolute control of the family.

Therefore, this excellent window of opportunity to take advantage of the situation is fleeting, and we must seize every minute and second.

For the Seibu Group, which has unlimited credit support, buying this building wouldn't cause them any serious harm. He had to give these old fogies the utmost "respect" and "support".

Only by letting them taste the sweetness of selling off properties to cover their losses, thereby stabilizing Kensuke's position as the conservative leader and delaying the girl's return to power as much as possible, will these old fogies continue this foolish dumping behavior. Until even that Hokkaido pleasure house is obediently delivered to his desk.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi put down his coffee cup. He didn't try to squeeze any price, and he even skipped the haggling process.

He pulled his special checkbook directly from his inner pocket and took out his pen.

With a stroke of the pen, he signed that astronomical sum at an astonishingly high premium.

He tore off the check, stood up, and, holding it by the two corners with both hands, leaned slightly forward, presenting it to Kensuke with the solemnity one would only show when facing a "head of the household" of equal status.

"Mr. Kensuke." Yoshiaki Tsutsumi looked at the old man, his tone filled with a sense of mutual respect and appreciation. "It is a blessing not only for the Saionji family to have such a steady and insightful elder as you, who stepped forward to take charge in times of crisis, but also for us, their longtime allies."

He sighed, as if he were genuinely worried about the future of an old friend's family.

"Young people these days are too easily blinded by numbers on paper after a few days of travel abroad. That little girl is indeed intelligent, but she ultimately lacks the composure to steer such a century-old conglomerate."

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi handed the check forward another half inch, his eyes sincere.

"We hope this funding will help you stabilize the family situation as soon as possible."

Kensuke stared at the check. He gritted his teeth, the humiliation he felt from being forced to sell his ancestral property greatly soothed by Yoshiaki's flattery, which gave him ample face and a way out.

Instead, there was a tragic sense of "enduring humiliation for the sake of the family," and a complex expression of relief after receiving the life-saving funds.

He slowly extended his hands and accepted the check.

"Thank you for your generosity, Chairman Ti."

Kensuke did not linger.

He turned around and, supported by his attendants, walked with slightly unsteady steps toward the door.

The heavy wooden door was pulled open and then closed again.

The suite fell silent once more. Only the wall lamp cast a dim, yellowish glow.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi held the half-finished cup of black coffee.

He turned around and slowly walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window, the autumn rain continues to fall.

His gaze pierced through the rain.

A few blocks away, the iconic pink building's exterior sign was blurred by the mist, emitting an alluring, hazy glow.

Yoshiaki Tsutsumi slightly raised his chin and pasted the property certificate directly onto the cold glass window.

The white paper perfectly covered the building's reflection in the rainy night.

He stared at the bright red seal on the paper, which represented the Saionji family's retreat and weakness, and greedily rubbed it with his fingertips.

"The next one should be the Paradise Pavilion."

The low murmur dissipated into the fine, continuous patter of the autumn rain outside the window.