CHAPTER 766: CHAPTER 625: SCREWED OVER BY MY OWN, HATANAKA ZIZI’S DESPERATE GAMBIT

"Ring ring! Ring ring!"

The telephone rang in the empty office.

"Moshi moshi, who is this?" Xiu Xin put down the document in his hand and picked up the receiver to answer.

"It’s me." Yanchuan Shilang’s robust and cheerful voice came through the receiver, with an uncontrollable joy in his words, "I just got the news that Yoshifu Yamanaka was beaten by Hatanaka Ichiro and his men at the city hall. When he left, he was staggering and shaky. Shortly after getting in a car, he was hit and is now in the hospital for emergency treatment. His life is uncertain at the moment. This is your handiwork, isn’t it, Xiu Xin?"

"Was the collision serious?" Xiu Xin’s face changed immediately. He had arranged for Nakamura Shinichi to handle this matter, but not with the intent to kill Yoshifu Yamanaka. If he died, it might not only fail to achieve the desired effect but could also lead to unexpected changes beyond control.

"It seems it really was arranged by you, Xiu Xin. Hahaha, well done. I knew you would never disappoint me. The cooperation between Hatanaka Zizi and Yamahana Shigeru is over." Yanchuan Shilang laughed heartily, his laughter full of relief, and then he answered Xiu Xin’s question: "I’ve heard that the car hit the roadbed, but he only passed out on the spot, with no obvious wounds or signs of bleeding. Thanks to timely treatment, he should be fine."

Hearing this, Xiu Xin felt relieved.

"Well then, I will congratulate you in advance, Grandpa, on forming a cabinet." Xiu Xin said respectfully.

"It’s almost certain." Yanchuan Shilang was not humble this time. As long as the Liberal Democratic Party didn’t make any mistakes and got attacked, the right to form a cabinet would only fall into his hands.

"Knock knock knock!" Suddenly, there was a sound of knocking on the door.

On the other end of the phone, Yanchuan Shilang also heard it and said, "You go ahead, Xiu Xin. Come to the house for dinner tonight, and we’ll have a few drinks to celebrate."

As it gets closer to the final stages, one must be extra cautious.

He was very happy now, but it was not suitable for grand celebrations. He could only indulge in private with the family.

Once the voting results are out, he would then hold a legitimate banquet to celebrate the victory.

"Yes!" Xiu Xin replied, and after the other side hung up the phone, he called out, "Come in."

"Minister!" Nakamura Shinichi rushed in, shutting the door behind him and said gravely, "There was an accident with Yoshifu Yamanaka’s incident. It seems he was beaten too severely by Hatanaka Ichiro and his men, and he lost consciousness after getting into the car, causing it to lose control. The person I arranged didn’t hit him; rather, he got hit by a normal moving vehicle. He was sent for emergency treatment, and his life is still uncertain."

If it had been his arranged man to hit, naturally the angle and strength would be controlled, ensuring Yoshifu Yamanaka wasn’t harmed too seriously. But now, since it was a genuine accident, his life was uncertain.

"I’m already aware of this. Now, we can only see how tough his life is." Xiu Xin sighed and shook his head, then said, "You’ve done very well with this matter. Handle the aftermath well; make sure no one can trace this incident back to us."

"Then why not make Bai He from Tanaka Field disappear forever?" Nakamura Shinichi said with a fierce glint in his eyes.

Xiu Xin shook his head, "That’s inappropriate. If she disappears now, it will instead make Hatanaka Zizi and Yamahana Shigeru certain that there’s something fishy. Naturally, they’ll suspect the Yanchuan family. They won’t need any evidence."

"Give her everything she’s entitled to while keeping her family under control. Use both threats and bribes to make sure she never dares to tell the truth under any circumstances. Additionally, have her report to the police if she encounters any threats so that we can intervene in due course."

"Once Hatanaka Zizi and Yamahana Shigeru can’t get anything out of her for a while, combined with our interference, they will naturally stop pestering Bai He and would never suspect us."

"As for that Xiao Ye beside Hatanaka Ichiro, there’s no need to say much to him. He knows the identities of Hatanaka Ichiro and Yoshifu Yamanaka and is aware of the consequences if things come to light. He certainly won’t want both families to know the role he played in this incident. Even with a knife to his throat, he won’t dare to speak nonsense."

As long as Bai He and Xiao Ye don’t speak the truth, Hatanaka Ichiro will take the full blame.

"Yes!" Nakamura Shinichi bowed deeply.

Meanwhile, in the Vice Premier’s office.

"Slap!"

Hatanaka Zizi, with a gloomy face, delivered a harsh slap to Hatanaka Ichiro’s face, scolding, "You fool!"

"Yes!" Hatanaka Ichiro kept his head down.

"You... you..." Hatanaka Zizi was so angry his chest heaved violently. Pointing at Hatanaka Ichiro’s face, he gritted his teeth and said, "Do you know how hard it was to get Yamahana Shigeru to agree to an alliance? But because of you, you bastard, it’s all gone down the drain! I’ve received no less than ten phone calls from members of the new party questioning me since you arrived. How am I supposed to account for this to them?"

The members of the new party supported him, not because of his great personal charm, but because they believed in him and hoped he could lead them to become the ruling party.

He even hinted at the party meeting before that Yamahana Shigeru had agreed to an alliance to boost morale after the Tengji Yu incident.

But now that the alliance has fallen through, there’s basically no hope of winning the election. The external battle is over, with no external enemies for the Liberal Democratic Party to deal with.

Naturally, it would now turn to internal strife.

Now the phone inquiry is just an appetizer. Next, they will definitely force him to resign from the party leader position to apologize.

"Enough, Hatanaka-kun. At this point, what’s the use of you beating Ichiro?" Ozawa Ichiro said with a sullen face, then looked coldly at Hatanaka Ichiro and asked, "Why did you go to that izakaya?"

"It was Xiao Ye-kun who took me." Hatanaka Ichiro replied. He understood what Ozawa Ichiro meant and honestly said, "Uncle Ozawa, Xiao Ye-kun is a very good friend of mine. He often takes me to various places to eat and drink. That night, I had drunk too much and lost my mind. Although he tried to persuade me, I was used to it and made a big mistake. This matter has nothing to do with him."

He felt that neither his father nor Ozawa Ichiro knew Xiao Ye-kun well, but he understood him very well and also understood himself. That’s why he was sure Xiao Ye-kun had no issues; it was purely because he couldn’t control himself.

"Hehe, should I praise you for being self-aware?" Hatanaka Zizi said with a fake smile.

Hatanaka Ichiro hung his head in shame, clenching his fist, "Father! I have realized my mistake deeply. From now on, I’ll quit alcohol and indulgence, live a low-profile life, work diligently, and never cause trouble for you."

He genuinely decided to start anew, to reform himself, and to no longer be a playboy.

"This little bastard may be reckless, but he’s never dared to lie to me. I have seen that Xiao Ye-kun once, he’s just a sycophantic lackey by his side." Hatanaka Zizi remarked to Ozawa Ichiro.

Ozawa Ichiro slowly nodded, "If Xiao Ye isn’t the problem, then maybe the woman around Yoshifu Yamanaka is. Yoshifu Yamanaka is a gentle and kind person, easily deceived and used by others."

"I know where she lives. I’ll go and interrogate her personally now." Hatanaka Ichiro volunteered.

Hatanaka Zizi waved his hand.

After bowing, Hatanaka Ichiro turned and left.

Ozawa Ichiro exhaled, "If it can be proven that a third party is involved, cooperation with Yamahana Shigeru will be smoother. Otherwise, forget about cooperation; he’ll become a formidable enemy in the future."

"Can we bribe that woman called Bai He to pour dirt on Yanchuan Shilang and pin the matter on the Liberal Democratic Party? Regardless, we should muddy the waters first." Hatanaka Zizi thought, frowning.

Ozawa Ichiro shook his head with a wry smile, "After this incident happened, Yanchuan Shilang probably got wind of it long ago. Whether he’s behind it or not, he’s sure to have someone protect that girl named Bai He."

"Sigh, how did things suddenly escalate like this?" Hatanaka Zizi sighed wearily, "The party is probably demanding my resignation."

"I’ll try to buy you some time." Ozawa Ichiro said, "Now we need to see if we can turn Miyazaki Junichi against them. If we can retaliate against the Liberal Democratic Party on the issue involving Tengji Yu, the party won’t be so quick to force your resignation, and public sentiment will be stabilized."

"We can’t just rely on this matter." Hatanaka Zizi narrowed his eyes and suddenly remembered something. He went to the desk and called his secretary in.

After entering, the secretary Fujimoto Ryoji bowed to Ozawa Ichiro before turning to Hatanaka Zizi and asking, "Prime Minister, what can I do for you?"

"Didn’t you have an undercover placed beside Aoyama Xiu Xin before?" Hatanaka Zizi asked calmly.

"Yes!" Fujimoto Ryoji replied with a nod, "The person was quite trusted by Aoyama Xiu Xin while in Hokkaido, but after returning to Tokyo, Aoyama Xiu Xin was too busy to pay much attention to him."

"We’ve invested so many resources to gain Aoyama Xiu Xin’s trust in him; he must have some role to play." Hatanaka Zizi nodded and then revealed his plan, "You tell him to do this..."

"Understood, I’ll immediately convey the instructions to him." Fujimoto Ryoji nodded in agreement.

After Fujimoto Ryoji left, Ozawa Ichiro frowned and said, "Your plan is not very reliable."

It seems like a desperate last resort, hard to execute.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. Anyway, the undercover is just a throwaway pawn; if he can be of use, great. If not, the loss is acceptable." Hatanaka Zizi said indifferently.

Hatanaka Ichiro hurriedly arrived at Bai He’s house with two people and knocked on the door loudly.

"Why are you coming for me again? I already told you, I know nothing." Bai He cried from inside the door.

Yamahana Shigeru had just personally visited, and facing his suspicion, Bai He had stripped to reveal her body covered in bruises, tearfully questioning why those wealthy and powerful would bully her like this, and why they wouldn’t give her a way to live?

Seeing the injured young girl, combined with his understanding of Hatanaka Ichiro, Yamahana Shigeru believed her and apologized sincerely before leaving with his men.

"Bitch! Open the door!" Hatanaka Ichiro shouted.

"It...it’s you!" Bai He shuddered at the sound of Hatanaka Ichiro’s voice; she was terrified of this pervert. She didn’t know how she survived that night, "What...what do you want?"

As she spoke, she called the police as Ogamoto Shinichi had advised before leaving.