Naga glanced at his father-in-law sitting on the bench across the corridor. The man, who had been navigating the business world for many years, did not directly reveal his emotions. However, a dark storm was brewing in his eyes. Only when he glanced at Naga's bandaged hand did his expression soften slightly.
"Ashi, you must spare that woman." After a few minutes of silence, Kengo Fujikawa stood up. It seemed that even though Ashi was lying in the hospital room, he wouldn't spend much time there. He seemed to have come only to confirm Ashi's opinion on how to handle the matter. "I'll let her go this time. If there's a next time, I will make her regret being born."
Looking at his father-in-law's tense back, Naga solemnly promised, "Please rest assured, nothing like this will ever happen again. I will take good care of Mizuhara."
"Okay, I'll handle things with the police. You don't need to worry about it." After giving these brief instructions, he walked somewhat stiffly toward the other exit. His capable secretary, who had been waiting there, immediately helped him put on his coat and quickly took out a small notebook, quietly outlining the upcoming itinerary.
Naga frowned, beginning to think that managing such a large company didn't seem like such an interesting thing.
After receiving a large amount of blood transfusions, Asami's life should be completely safe. When Naga opened the door and went in, Asami was lying on the hospital bed whispering something to Miku. When she saw him come in, the two sisters laughed together.
"What are you talking about? You seem so happy." Naga casually asked, shifting her shoulders wearily as she found a stool to sit on.
"You're talking about that silly husband of mine almost stabbing my sister in the stomach and causing a death." Miku glared at him without any politeness, then couldn't help but laugh. "If Ami dies like that, you'll become a murderer. People who don't know better will think you're avenging Mizuhara."
"Hey, I really didn't mean it! Do I have to apologize a hundred more times?"
Ashi smiled and shook her head. "No need."
Miku then added, "Yes, what if you bow too deeply and accidentally hit Ami in the stomach, causing her wound to reopen?"
Naga raised his hands in a gesture of surrender: "My dear wife, can we call it a day now, considering I'm also injured?"
Miku is ultimately a soft-hearted older sister. When she saw Ami lying on the hospital bed with a pale face, the complicated expression on her face was completely defeated by worry a few seconds later. Although she still said a few sarcastic words, her reddened eyes could not fool Ami at all.
Perhaps it was because of this that Asami was in such a good mood that she didn't look like a seriously injured person at all. If it weren't for the thick bandage wrapped around her wrist on top of the blanket, she would look more like a cheerful but tired new mother who had just been wheeled out of the delivery room.
"Brother-in-law, did Dad... agree to it? About Liangmei's matter."
Naga nodded. "Once the results of her mental evaluation are out, I'll make the arrangements. As long as my father can successfully suppress the police, it shouldn't be considered a criminal case."
"After truly facing death, it felt like I was reborn into the world." Asami's tone did indeed change subtly from before; that gentle and warm feeling was closer to Miku's quiet state.
However, Miku was clearly not quiet at this moment. She pouted and said while peeling an apple, "Really? That's great. I really hope that after you are reborn this time, you won't have any more improper fantasies about me."
Asami smiled for a while, then said ambiguously, "That's unlikely. Even if I'm no longer a lesbian, my favorite person is still you, my sister. I love you to no end."
Miku rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "You really are the only woman I'd rather have your eye on is my husband."
Asami glanced at Naga thoughtfully, but didn't respond to her question. Instead, she said, "Okay, sister, I promise I'll never cause you any trouble you don't like in the future, okay?"
"The word 'guarantee' is about to become your catchphrase." Miku cut off a slice of peeled apple. She was about to stick it in with a fruit knife, but after thinking about it, she put the knife aside, held it between her fingers, and brought it to her sister's mouth. "If I still believe it, I'm the biggest idiot in our family."
Ashi's eyes glistened with tears. She raised her neck slightly, took a bite, and ate it with satisfaction. Then she said, "It's okay, sister. I have plenty of time to rebuild my credibility. I promise."
"Eat an apple." Miku shrugged, clearly not taking the promise seriously.
Indeed, every time she had believed Aya's assurances before, the result was that she was left speechless with dissatisfaction, and it was only natural for her to have such a reaction.
Regardless, it's a believable fact that the sisters' relationship has improved, and Naga breathed a sigh of relief, finally finding a small reason to be happy about the attack.
But the next day, something even worse for him was laid bare before him.
Yoshimi Mizuhara smashed the bathroom mirror, locked herself in the toilet stall, and cut her slender neck.
Perhaps she really was a complicated girl. On Ashi's wrist, she cut wounds that needed to be reopened to continue bleeding, but on her own neck, she cleanly and decisively slashed open a terrible crack that almost revealed the cervical bone.
"Can you imagine... what it feels like to slowly and painstakingly cut through skin, muscle, blood vessels, and tendons with glass that isn't as sharp as a knife?"
Upon hearing this news, Ashi remained silent for a long time before slowly saying this.
"It turns out, she hated herself more than me..."
Asami closed her eyes, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes onto the pillow, leaving a glistening trail. She seemed to whisper an apology, but Naga wasn't sure if she had really heard it.
He couldn't even be sure whether the naked silhouette being killed piece by piece by the doll in the dream he glimpsed that night was Ami or Yoshimi herself...
The matter did not end with Yoshimi Mizuhara's death; on the contrary, that tragic death became the prelude to a new storm.
In her anger, Akane sent out videos and pictures that she had carefully selected to attack the other party. Naturally, besides Yoshimi, the main character in them was mostly Naga, whose face was not shown.
Naga was thus thrown into the storm without any prior warning.
Over the next ten days or so, the initials N·Y, which almost directly pointed to Naga, became the focus of numerous news reports. As Mizuhara Yoshimi's superior, having had an ambiguous relationship confirmed by multiple anonymous individuals, and being a womanizing young man, with physical characteristics largely matching the leaked photos, this evidence was almost enough for the police to come to Yoshimi's door with an investigation warrant in the package used to threaten her boyfriend.
Even with Kengo Fujikawa's help, it still took Naga a lot of effort to block these overwhelming attacks.
The greatest help from her father-in-law came from a 35-year-old woman named Kaoru Oshima, who was transferred from head office to Naga's public relations department and appointed as its head. After receiving full authority from Naga, the woman, who always wore a mask-like smile, quickly began to act.
First, a reporter "accidentally" photographed Naga and his newlywed wife sharing a sweet kiss in front of their home. Then, the "secret" that Naga's wife was actually the illegitimate daughter of the wealthy Fujikawa appeared in various tabloids within three days. Several newspapers' reports unanimously implied that Naga had no status at home and was purely henpecked.
Following this, a girl waiting to debut at Naga's agency came forward to accuse Naga of using opportunities in the entertainment industry as bait to lure young girls into sexual exploitation. Two days later, the girl was sued for defamation by Naga's company. Meanwhile, the evidence presented by the girl was deemed by all parties to be software-modified and forged.
The girl tearfully apologized in various newspapers, admitting that she had only tried to retaliate after her seduction attempt failed. The following day, Naga's company withdrew the lawsuit.
During this period, artists under the company who had debuted or were about to debut gave interviews from different perspectives. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the idols that Naga was preparing to launch were able to easily gain prominent positions in the entertainment media.
"That guy Mengye must be promoting his idol. He even takes advantage of the opportunity when someone dies in the company. What a ruthless guy."
"Tsk tsk, putting on a Casanova act, but he's just trying to blackmail people with fake photos, isn't he?"
"President Yumeno's wife is so beautiful, and she has an even more beautiful mixed-race sister-in-law by her side. It's impossible for her to coerce a female subordinate who looks like that."
... Various contradictory viewpoints began to seek opponents and engage in fierce debates. In less than a week, the so-called death incident and the so-called truth of coercion were no longer of concern and were hidden from the media's view.
Amidst this indescribably chaotic storm, a rather inconspicuous news item briefly flashed by before being swallowed up by the tide of gossip and tidbits.
It's not over yet. After an afternoon of discussions between Minister Oshima and Naga, they took advantage of the momentum and started the promotional plan for the second batch of artists ahead of schedule.
The curtain rises on a gossip headline published in a popular magazine: "Breaking News! Scandal-ridden CEO N.Y. caught by reporters again!" Below the headline is a collage of photos that takes up an entire A4 magazine page.
In the photos, Naga, wearing large sunglasses, and a conservatively dressed young woman wearing a mask enter a love hotel one after the other. Only one photo captures the woman without her mask; through the hotel window, her blurry face is deliberately magnified using technology, revealing a charming appearance that is both cute and sexy.
"Oshima, is this... really okay?" Naga asked, sitting in a chair with a magazine in her hand, somewhat doubtfully. "I finally managed to escape from the reporters' siege. Is it alright for me to be back in the public eye like this?"
Oshima maintained his unchanging smile and calmly replied, "There won't be any problems. Involving you in this publicity stunt is also to reinforce the public's impression of the previous incident. Furthermore, it allows us to perfectly capitalize on the aftermath of the event without wasting attention. Next, it's time for the second-generation artists to make their mark in the media."
"Isn't it disgusting to hear all this negative news?" Naga scratched his head. In the past, he would feel nauseous for days if his favorite idol was involved in a scandal. Now, that feeling had resurfaced, making him feel itchy all over.
"Rest assured, the artists I've included in the plan are definitely the kind who don't need to desperately protect their image. For these artists, whether it's negative news or sex scandals, as long as they can attract attention, they're considered successful. Idols like Akane Rika will only play harmless roles and borrow a little popularity within a limited scope."
"Hmm, when will I be able to completely extricate myself? I don't really like always appearing in newspapers and magazines." Naga disliked Oshima's methods, but had to admit that she was more suited to lead this whole situation than he was.
"Soon." Department Head Oshima adjusted his glasses and said without any change in tone, "In the next two weeks, there will be some press releases featuring other people with you as a foil. Once the attention shifts to the target, the media outlets that previously published those photos will publish apology statements in inconspicuous places, revealing the truth. At that time, you can go back to your old life."
"The truth?" Naga paused for a moment, then asked in a low voice.
Minister Oshima replied calmly, "That's right. Regarding the man's attempt to blackmail money with altered photos, those media outlets failed to discern the truth that they were being exploited."
"Is this the truth?" Naga leaned back in his chair with a wry smile, wondering what kind of despair the man who had lost the evidence, lost his lover, and was about to lose the truth would feel.
"People just need the truth they want. The groundwork has been laid enough, and I can guarantee that this is the truth everyone wants right now."
When Oshima said this, her smile remained unchanged, but in her eyes, Naga showed no sign of a smile.
Naga shook his head slightly, then nodded, and waved his hand, ending the conversation that had lasted quite a long time.
It was getting dark outside the window. He took a deep breath, took out his phone, and dialed Miku's number.
Today is the day Yashi is discharged from the hospital.