Reborn in Tokyo: From Heiress to Global Tycoon

Chapter 9 Death Train

In July, Osaka is sweltering with heat.

The wind blowing from the Seto Inland Sea brought no coolness, but instead carried the smell of humid salt and industrial exhaust. As the car drove along the road leading to the port industrial park, the view outside the window consisted of hazy chimneys, huge oil storage tanks, and cranes operating at breakneck speed.

This is the heart of the Japanese economy—full of power, and full of restlessness.

Shuichi Saionji sat in the back seat, holding a folding fan and tapping it gently against his knees. He was wearing a dark gray linen suit today, and despite the hot weather, the buttons on his collar were still fastened tightly, and his back was ramrod straight.

"Satsuki," Shuichi said calmly, looking out the window at the dense scaffolding, "what do you see?"

Satsuki sat beside her father, holding an analysis report on land prices in the Osaka Industrial Zone. Today, she was wearing a light blue dress, looking like a well-behaved daughter accompanying her father to broaden her horizons.

"I see 'anxiety,' Father." Satsuki closed the report, her eyes calm. "Every machine here is operating beyond its capacity, every truck is speeding. Everyone is rushing as if they would be devoured by the monster behind them if they stopped for even a second."

Xiu turned his head, looked at his daughter, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

"You're right. This is called 'overheating'." Shuichi sighed. "Kenshiro is a product of this anxiety. He's too eager to prove himself, too eager to get rid of the 'separation' label. This mentality can be a powerful driving force in good times, but in adversity... it becomes a death sentence."

He reached out and gently touched his daughter's head.

"Although you're the one playing the role today, the Saionji family's reputation can't be lost in front of outsiders. If Kenjiro goes too far, I'll reprimand him. You just need to watch from the sidelines and learn how to manage this ambitious subordinate."

Satsuki nodded obediently, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Yes, Father. I will study hard."

At this moment, Shuichi was no longer the middle-aged man who worried about hundreds of millions of yen in his study, but an old lion who, although he had sheathed his claws, still had a sense of territory.

This is exactly the kind of ally Satsuki wanted.

As the car entered the construction site, a deafening sound of gongs and drums greeted us.

Red flags fluttered in the air, dozens of giant balloons floated in mid-air, and a banner read "Saionji Heavy Industries: A Bridge to the World".

Kenjiro, dressed in a gleaming silver-gray suit, stood at the end of the red carpet, beaming. Seeing the family car pull up, he strode forward, followed by a large group of bowing contractors and local councilors.

"Big brother! Patriarch!"

Kenjiro's voice was loud and clear, even carrying a hint of smugness. "Look at this grandeur! This was arranged according to the standards for inspections by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry! How about it, didn't it embarrass the Saionji family?"

He reached out, wanting to pat Shuichi on the shoulder as if he were treating a peer.

Shuichi didn't flinch, but simply stood there quietly, his gaze sweeping indifferently over Kenjiro's outstretched hand, then he slightly raised his chin and looked at the factory skeleton behind Kenjiro.

The movement was extremely subtle, yet it carried a condescending, scrutinizing quality.

Kenjiro's hand froze in mid-air, unsure whether to pat it down or retract it.

"Kenshiro," Shuichi finally spoke, his tone unhurried, "no matter how grand the spectacle, it's ultimately just for show. If the substance is empty, it will collapse with a gust of wind. Every brick and tile here was borrowed with the guarantee of our family."

These words, though spoken softly, were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Kenshiro's fervent enthusiasm.

The crowd that had been making a ruckus around them quieted down. Everyone suddenly remembered that no matter how successful Kenjiro was now, the land deed and the bank guarantee for this land were still stamped with the seal of "Shuichi Saionji".

Kenjiro's facial muscles twitched slightly, then he sheepishly withdrew his hand, forcing a dry laugh. "Big brother is right. But don't worry, once this batch of orders is completed, we'll not only be able to pay off the loan, but we can also buy two more plots of land!"

He turned to Satsuki, trying to change the subject: "Oh dear, Satsuki's here too! Come on, Uncle saved you the best seat!"

At this opportune moment, Satsuki revealed an expression of "admiration," lifted her skirt, and bowed, saying, "Uncle is so amazing! This factory is so big, it's like a castle!"

"Haha! Satsuki has good taste!" Kenjiro regained some face and waved his hand, "Come on! I'll take you to meet my God of Wealth, Mr. Smith from America!"

The groundbreaking ceremony was unremarkable, consisting of nothing more than shoveling soil, cutting ribbons, and shouting slogans.

Shuichi maintained a reserved smile throughout, neither appearing cold nor overly enthusiastic. He was like a pillar of strength; as long as he stood there, no matter how much Kenshiro jumped around, he seemed like a butler doing the work, not the master.

After the ceremony, the group arrived at the temporary VIP lounge.

The air conditioning was blasting, and the table was laden with expensive champagne.

Smith, the U.S. purchasing representative, was a typical Texas redneck: burly and loud.

"Sai-on-ji!" Smith exclaimed in broken Japanese, raising his glass. "Good job! If you can get those five million sets of gardening tools to Seattle by November, Walmart's shelves will be full of yours next year!"

Kenjiro smugly pulled a thick contract from his briefcase and handed it to Shuichi: "Big brother, take a look. This is the deal I got by drinking myself to death at the dinner table! The advance payment has already been transferred, thirty percent!"

Shuichi took the contract, but he wasn't blinded by the advance payment figure. He put on his glasses and began to carefully review it.

The lounge gradually quieted down. Kenjiro impatiently shook his leg, feeling that his older brother was deliberately nitpicking.

"Kenshiro," Shuichi closed the contract, his brow furrowing slightly, "Five million sets, delivered in three months? Even with the current production line running at full capacity, it can barely produce three million sets. Are you planning to conjure up the remaining two million sets?"

"Outsourcing!" Kenjiro said matter-of-factly. "I contacted more than a dozen small factories around Osaka to subcontract the parts, and then they assemble them here. The profit margin is a bit thin, but the volume is huge!"

"Outsourcing?" Xiu's eyes narrowed. "How will you control the quality? This is a product exported to the United States. If there are any quality problems..."

"Hey bro! You're being too cautious!" Kenjiro waved his hand dismissively. "That's a garden shovel, not a precision instrument! As long as it can dig, that's enough. Americans aren't that fussy."

At this moment, Satsuki, who had been sitting obediently drinking orange juice, suddenly put down her cup.

She held up her finger and pointed to a line of small print on the second-to-last page of the contract.

"Uncle," her voice was clear and crisp in the quiet room, "what does this word mean? 'Liquidated Damages'?"

Smith raised an eyebrow upon hearing the word and glanced at the doll-like little girl with some surprise.

Kenjiro paused for a moment, then casually said, "Oh, that means we get fined if we're late. It's standard business practice."

"But..." Satsuki tilted her head, reading the numbers on the document with an innocent look, "It says here that if the delivery is delayed by more than 15 days, the total contract amount will be compensated by 300%... Also, if the failure rate of quality inspection exceeds 1%, the compensation will also be 300%."

She looked up at Kenjiro with her big, blinking eyes: "Uncle, can those outsourced factories really guarantee that every shovel is up to standard? If a box of shovels breaks, do we have to compensate Uncle Smith with the entire factory?"

This sentence, like a needle, precisely punctured the balloon called "get rich quick".

Xiu's face instantly darkened. He had been so focused on the production capacity terms that he had almost missed this ridiculously harsh compensation clause.

300% compensation. This isn't doing business; it's practically signing a contract of servitude!

"Kenshiro!" Shuichi slammed his fist on the table, his voice filled with genuine rage. "You dare sign this kind of clause?! Do you want the Saionji family to die even sooner?!"

Kenjiro was startled by the roar, then became enraged: "Brother! What do you know! Mr. Smith said this is the standard template for major clients! Walmart is a big company, of course they have more rules. As long as we deliver on time and the quality is up to standard, it's just a piece of waste paper! Can you stop being so hesitant? In business, the most important thing is to have guts! If we listened to you and weren't willing to take any risks, the Saionji family would have starved to death long ago!"

Although Smith couldn't understand what they were arguing about, he guessed the gist from their expressions. He shrugged and said in English, "Mr. Kenjirou, risk and reward go hand in hand."

Kenshiro immediately put on a smiling face and bowed obsequiously to Smith: "Yes! Yes! No problem!"

Looking at his younger brother's fawning and crazed face, Shuichi's anger suddenly subsided.

Instead, there was a profound sense of disappointment.

Hopeless.

This person has been blinded by greed; even if there is an abyss ahead, he would proudly jump in.

Shuichi took a deep breath, took off his glasses, and rubbed his temples.

"Alright." Shuichi's voice became unusually calm. "Since you're running your business independently and responsible for your own profits and losses, then you'd better take care of yourself."

He stood up, without even glancing at Smith, and took Satsuki's hand.

"Satsuki, let's go."

……

On the train back home.

This is a private compartment, with only Shuichi and Satsuki inside.

Outside the window, the setting sun dyed the entire Osaka Plain blood red, and in the distance, rows of factories spewed black smoke, like a group of steel behemoths feeding.

Shuichi looked out the window and remained silent for a long time.

"Father," Satsuki broke the silence, peeling an orange with graceful movements, "Are you worried about Uncle?"

"Worried?" Shuichi sneered, turning his head. "I'm worried that when he dies, his blood will splatter too far and soil the main family's clothes."

He took a segment of orange from Satsuki, put it in his mouth, and the sweet and sour juice exploded on his tongue.

"Satsuki, that contract...you pointed it out on purpose, didn't you?" Shuichi looked at his daughter, his eyes sharp. "You saw through it a long time ago."

Satsuki wiped her hands, not denying it. She leaned back in her chair, her once clear, childlike eyes now appearing deep and profound.

"If we don't let him sign that contract, he'll feel that Father is blocking his path to wealth, and he'll hate you for the rest of his life," Satsuki said calmly. "Moreover, if we don't sign that contract, the mess of debts that the family has accumulated due to reckless expansion will never be cleared up."

"Clean up?" Xiu Yi pondered the word.

"Yes, clean it up." Satsuki sat up straight, her voice still childish, but her tone was like that of a seasoned chess player. "Father, Saionji Heavy Industries may be a mess right now, but it's not entirely useless. The land in Osaka is in a great location, those German-imported production lines are top-notch, and those hundreds of master craftsmen who have worked there for over a decade are the Saionji family's wealth."

"But all that wealth is now tied to unpaid debts and my uncle's foolish decisions."

Satsuki stretched out her hands and made a "cutting" motion.

"We can't save Uncle, because that's a bottomless pit. But we can save Saionji Heavy Industries."

Shuichi's eyes lit up. He leaned forward, staring intently at his daughter: "You mean...?"

"By November, the default clauses will be triggered, the family will face huge claims, and bankruptcy liquidation will be inevitable," Satsuki calmly analyzed. "At that time, Mr. Smith will not be able to get the money and will only be able to auction off the factory assets to pay off the debts."

"At that time, all of Japan's export companies were lamenting that no one dared to take on such heavy asset projects. Except—"

Satsuki pointed to herself, then to Shuichi.

"Except for those of us who converted our funds into US dollars long ago and shorted the market at high prices."

"We can buy back the land, the machinery, and the best workers from the liquidators for dirt cheap. As for the debts, the shoddy outsourcing contracts, and Uncle's personal guarantee... let them disappear with the division of the family property."

This is called "asset stripping" or "bankruptcy reorganization." On Wall Street, this is the most common vulture tactic. But in Japan in 1985, this method of driving relatives to their deaths and then cannibalizing their corpses seemed too advanced and cold-blooded.

After listening, Xiu Yi remained silent for a long time.

The train roared through the tunnel, plunging the compartment into a brief darkness.

When light returned, Shuichi's gaze towards his daughter changed. It was no longer merely the gaze of a father looking at his daughter, but the gaze of a patriarch looking at his most perfect heir.

It has both ruthless methods and a compassionate heart (although it is a compassionate heart towards assets).

"What a clever escape," Shuichi exclaimed, his tone tinged with a mix of emotion and relief. "Satsuki, you're more ruthless than me. But I'm glad you are."

As the patriarch who maintains the status quo, Shuichi knows his weakness is that he is too attached to old feelings. But in this impending chaotic world, only a ruthless helmsman like Satsuki can steer the family ship through the storm.

"That's not being ruthless, Father."

Satsuki looked at the fleeting scenery outside the window and said softly.

"It's like pruning a pine tree in the yard. If you don't cut off the diseased and dead branches, the whole tree will die. Uncle is that diseased branch."

"In order for the Saionji family tree to remain evergreen, some people must become fertilizer."

Xiu nodded, his eyes regaining their firmness.

"After I get back, I'll have the finance department make preparations. We'll set up a new shell company in Osaka, and we'll name it... 'Saionji Jitsugyo'."

The train sped towards Tokyo.

Behind them, the bustling Osaka factory and the dreaming Kenshiro have become a thing of the past.

The train of death has already departed, and the Saionji father and daughter, holding the only brake in their hands, have no intention of pulling it.