40: Chapter 40 Meeting with Ayako Suzuki

In the top-floor office of Lins Information Consulting Office, Lin Long sat in a large leather chair, a cigar between his fingers, his lazy gaze sweeping over the investigation report in his hand.

The cover of the report was stamped with the bold characters "Tomizawa Financial Group Member Investigation Report," and the edges of the paper still carried the faint scent of wet ink.

"Heh, these heirs of the tomizawa family are truly one more useless than the last."

Lin Long flipped to the evaluation pages for Tomizawa Yuzo, Daji Tomizawa, and Fuzawa Taichi, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

The report clearly stated: the third son, Tomizawa Yuzo, was addicted to art and knew nothing about business; the second son, Daji Tomizawa, was a compulsive gambler who had racked up huge debts; the eldest son, Fuzawa Taichi, was a womanizer who spent his time chasing skirts.

These three heirs, in whom the Fuzawa Family Head placed such high hopes, were, in Lin Long's eyes, simply hopeless cases.

Lin Long continued flipping through, and when he reached the last few pages, a glint of amusement flashed in his red eyes.

At the end of the report, a secret was recorded in encrypted text—

The Fuzawa Family Head had an illegitimate son named Fuzawa Seiji, twenty-three years old this year, who graduated from the MIT Department of Finance and was currently working as an analyst at a top Wall Street investment bank with outstanding performance.

More importantly, the Fuzawa Family Head had already secretly recalled him to Japan and arranged for him to serve as the general manager of a subsidiary under the Tomizawa Financial Group, clearly grooming him in secret.

"An old fox is still an old fox; on the surface, he lets his three sons mess around, but in secret, he's long since prepared a backup plan."

Lin Long tossed the report onto the desk with a soft "thud."

"The Suzuki Family wants to swallow the Tomizawa Financial Group? I'm afraid they're going to end up with nothing."

"But that has nothing to do with me."

Lin Long picked up his phone, scrolled to Suzuki Ayako's number, and tapped the screen gently.

The phone rang twice before being answered, and Suzuki Ayako's gentle yet slightly guarded voice came through:

"President Lin Long?"

"Miss Suzuki, I've obtained the things you wanted."

Lin Long's tone was nonchalant.

"Is it convenient for you to come to the manor? The information is a bit sensitive and not really suitable for transmission over the internet."

Suzuki Ayako was silent for a few seconds, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

Internal information on the Tomizawa Financial Group was crucial to the Suzuki Family; she couldn't give it up.

"Okay, I'll come over now."

After hanging up, Lin Long spoke to the empty air: "Shadow Guard."

A black shadow emerged silently from the corner of the wall and knelt on one knee: "Subordinate is here."

"Follow Suzuki Ayako to the Suzuki Family later and hide there."

Lin Long said calmly,

"After Suzuki Ayako gets the information, she will definitely call Mr. and Mrs. Suzuki. I want to know their reaction."

"Yes." The Shadow Guard acknowledged the order and merged back into the shadows.

Lin Long leaned back in his chair, looking at the sky outside the window.

The game between the Tomizawa Financial Group and the Suzuki Conglomerate was just two pieces on his chessboard.

The reason he intervened in this matter was, firstly, to do a favor for Suzuki Ayako (after all, she was Sonoko's sister, and Sonoko was Mouri Ran's best friend, so it was always right to build good relationships), and secondly... he was also quite interested in the sisters of the Suzuki Family.

...

Half an hour later, in the living room of Lin Family Manor.

Suzuki Ayako was wearing a well-tailored beige suit, her long hair pulled up into an elegant bun, and a perfectly measured smile on her face, hiding any internal anxiety.

She sat on the sofa, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the rim of her teacup, her gaze drifting toward the door from time to time.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Suzuki."

Lin Long pushed the door open and entered, tossing a sealed document bag onto the coffee table with a dull thud.

"President Lin Long." Suzuki Ayako stood up, her tone polite, "Thank you for the trouble."

"It's a small favor."

Lin Long sat down opposite her and signaled for Miyano Akemi (who happened to be delivering coffee) to pour more tea.

"However, Miss Suzuki, don't be too surprised after you read it."

Suzuki Ayako's heart tightened; she picked up the document bag, tore open the seal, and pulled out the investigation report inside. Her fingers were quick, clearly eager to know the results.

The first half of the report was much as she had expected—the three heirs of the tomizawa family were indeed incapable, which made her feel slightly relieved, thinking the Suzuki Family's plan had a higher chance of success.

But when she flipped to the last few pages and saw the record about "Fuzawa Seiji," the smile on her face froze instantly, and her pupils contracted sharply!

"An... an illegitimate son?!"

Suzuki Ayako's voice trembled, unable to believe her eyes,

"The Fuzawa Family Head actually has another son? And... he's still grooming him in secret?"

Attached to the report was a photo of Fuzawa Seiji—a young man in a suit with sharp eyes, seven parts similar to the Fuzawa Family Head, exuding the aura of an elite, a world of difference from his three useless brothers.

What shocked her even more was that the report detailed Fuzawa Seiji's resume:

MIT full scholarship recipient, Wall Street Analyst of the Year, had handled projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars without a single failure... Such a person, once he became the heir to the Tomizawa Financial Group, the Suzuki Family's plan would be completely ruined!

"What? Are you not satisfied with this information?"

Lin Long picked up his teacup, blew on the foam gently, his tone tinged with mockery.

Suzuki Ayako's face turned pale, then flushed, clutching the report tightly until her knuckles turned white.

She finally understood why Lin Long had said "don't be too surprised"—this information was a heavy blow to the Suzuki Family!

"President Lin Long, is this information... accurate?"

She asked with a glimmer of hope, her voice dry.

"My people never make mistakes."

Lin Long put down the teacup, his red eyes filled with certainty.

"Fuzawa Seiji is already serving as the general manager of a new energy company under the Tomizawa Financial Group. He just signed a 1 billion yen cooperation agreement last week, and his methods are quite sophisticated."

Suzuki Ayako's heart sank completely. She knew Lin Long had no reason to lie to her.

"It seems your Suzuki Conglomerate's plans are likely to go bankrupt."

Lin Long's voice was like a needle, piercing her last shred of luck.

Suzuki Ayako was not surprised that Lin Long knew about her family's plan to annex the Tomizawa Financial Group; after all, that was Lin Long's line of work.

Suzuki Ayako took a deep breath, trying to calm her surging emotions.

She forced herself to calm down, folded the report carefully, and put it into her briefcase:

"Thank you for the information, President Lin Long. This is very valuable."

"You're welcome." Lin Long smiled, "Just remember to pay the balance."

"I will." Suzuki Ayako stood up, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

She had to go back immediately, tell her parents, and re-negotiate their strategy.

"Take care." Lin Long didn't ask her to stay.

Watching Suzuki Ayako's retreating figure, the smile on Lin Long's lips deepened. He said to the air:

"Follow her, and listen carefully."

In the shadows, a black figure quietly followed Suzuki Ayako's car.

...

Inside the Suzuki Family villa, Suzuki Shiro and Suzuki Tomoko were sitting in the living room, discussing the details of the marriage alliance with the tomizawa family.

"There should be news from Ayako soon."

Suzuki Shiro held his teacup, his tone filled with pride,

"I investigated those three boys from the tomizawa family a long time ago; they aren't cut out for business. Once Ayako marries in, within three years, the Tomizawa Financial Group will be ours!"

Suzuki Tomoko also nodded with a smile:

"You always have foresight, Shiro. Once we swallow the Tomizawa Financial Group, our Suzuki Family's status in Tokyo will rise to a new level."

Just then, the villa's front door was pushed open violently, and Suzuki Ayako rushed in, pale-faced, clutching her briefcase tightly.

"Dad! Mom!"

"What's wrong?"

Suzuki Shiro frowned, "Why are you in such a panic? Did you get the information?"

Suzuki Ayako didn't speak; she threw her briefcase onto the coffee table, took out the investigation report, and slammed it down in front of her parents:

"See for yourselves! The Fuzawa Family Head doesn't just have three sons! He has another illegitimate son named Fuzawa Seiji, who has already been recalled to Japan to take over the financial group!"

Suzuki Shiro and Suzuki Tomoko looked at each other, seeing the shock in each other's eyes. They hurriedly picked up the report and flipped through it quickly.

The more they read, the uglier their expressions became, until they finally sank completely.

"Th-this, how is this possible?"

Suzuki Tomoko screamed,

"We've been investigating for so long, how have we never heard of this person?"

"That old fox, Fuzawa Tetsuji! To think he hid it so deeply!"

Suzuki Shiro was trembling with rage, throwing the report onto the floor,

"No wonder he ignored his three sons' antics; it turns out he had a backup plan all along!"

Their plan was based on the incompetence of the heirs of the tomizawa family.

But now, a capable illegitimate son had suddenly appeared, and all their layouts had become a joke!

"What do we do now?"

Suzuki Tomoko paced back and forth anxiously,

"If Fuzawa Seiji really becomes the heir, not only will we fail to swallow the Tomizawa Financial Group, but if Ayako marries in, she might even be plotted against by him!"

Suzuki Ayako's expression was also very ugly:

"I think the marriage alliance must be canceled immediately."

In fact, Suzuki Ayako wasn't very willing to marry into the Tomizawa Financial Group; after all, what woman doesn't hope to marry the person she loves, rather than this kind of political marriage full of dirty schemes?

"Cancel it?"

Suzuki Shiro frowned,

"If we cancel now, wouldn't we be the laughingstock of the outside world? Besides, if the tomizawa family finds out about our plan, they will definitely retaliate!"

"But we can't let Ayako jump into a fire pit!"

Suzuki Tomoko retorted, "This Fuzawa Seiji person doesn't look like a pushover!"

The living room descended into chaotic arguing.

Suzuki Shiro advocated for holding off for now and finding out the details about Fuzawa Seiji first; Suzuki Tomoko insisted on canceling the marriage immediately to avoid further complications; Suzuki Ayako sat silently to the side, her expression heavy—she knew she had no choice but to follow her parents' arrangements.

And all of this was clearly transmitted to Lin Long's ears through the Shadow Guards.

In the office of Lin Family Manor, Lin Long leaned back in his chair, listening to the arguments coming through his earpiece, a playful smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"It's really gotten chaotic."

He picked up the red wine on the table and poured himself a glass,

"Fuzawa Seiji, Suzuki Ayako... now we have a good show to watch."

He had no interest in the outcome between the Tomizawa Financial Group and the Suzuki Conglomerate; what he wanted was Suzuki Ayako.

Lin Long had long seen that Suzuki Ayako was not willing to marry an incompetent second-generation heir.

As long as he offered to help when Suzuki Ayako was wavering, then... hehe.

"Shadow Guards."

Lin Long called out again.

A black shadow appeared: "Subordinate is here."

"Keep watching the tomizawa family and the Suzuki Family."

Lin Long ordered, "Especially that Fuzawa Seiji, I want to know his every move."

"Yes!"

After the Shadow Guards withdrew, Lin Long held his red wine, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, toasted the bright moonlight outside, and then drank the red wine in one gulp.