Chapter 28: A Visit
In the evening, Yashida Ichiro and Yashida Jiro both returned to Yashida Corporation in downtown Los Angeles. They were only allowed into the office after having the secretary call to announce their arrival.
In the twilight, within a luxurious office on the fifteenth floor of the building, large French windows offered a panoramic view of the beautiful scenery outside.
A middle-aged man in a black suit stood by the window, holding a glass of whiskey, slowly enjoying the beautiful view outside.
"Father." Yashida Ichiro and Yashida Jiro instinctively lowered their voices in front of their father, Shizhi Xuan.
"You two are back. Did you make any progress today?" Shizhi Xuan stood by the window, his back to them, and asked in a low voice.
Yashida Jiro spoke first, "Reporting, Father. Since Qin Ming is already living in Zhang Xiaotian's house, we couldn't directly target him. So, we started investigating everyone around him. Over a dozen suspects were reviewed in a single day, but not one perfectly matched the characteristics of the person wearing the monkey mask that night."
"Oh, is that all you're capable of?" Shizhi Xuan's voice was soft, but Yashida Ichiro and Yashida Jiro couldn't help but shiver simultaneously.
"Father." Yashida Ichiro stepped forward and respectfully said, "Father, although we didn't find anyone who perfectly matched the characteristics of that person that night, we did discover a key suspect."
"Hmm! Tell me!" As the sun set, Shizhi Xuan turned to face his two sons. Although he should have been around fifty years old, he looked only about thirty. If not for a three-centimeter-long thin scar on his forehead, his jade-like complexion might even lead people to believe he was twenty, and many would agree.
"Yes, Father!" Yashida Ichiro didn't even glance at his younger brother and said in a deep voice, "Father, this person is Ling Xiao. He is a third-year student at UCLA and currently runs a traditional Chinese Pharmacy in Chinatown. According to our investigation, he has intricate connections with the Si Hai Gang. His father was killed in a gang conflict over a decade ago, and he and Qin Ming grew up together."
At this point, Yashida Ichiro looked back at his brother and said with a slight chuckle, "This afternoon, Jiro went to the Pharmacy and had direct contact with that person, and even a small skirmish. I think Jiro should tell you the rest."
Hearing his elder brother say this, Yashida Jiro couldn't help but grit his teeth. With a gloomy expression, he turned to Shizhi Xuan and said, "Reporting, Father, this Ling Xiao's physique is very similar to the person who fought me that night, but his voice is quite different. Moreover, his strength is more than a notch higher than the person who fought me yesterday; even my elder brother would likely be three points inferior to him. So, it's unlikely he's the person from that night."
"There's such a person? Indeed, the Chinese hide Dragons and crouching tigers!" Shizhi Xuan sighed, looked up at Yashida Ichiro, and softly said, "Ichiro, since your brother says your strength is inferior to that person's, then you should go tonight. Don't disappoint me!"
"Yes, Father! I was just thinking the same." Yashida Ichiro immediately became excited when he heard his father say this. Although Shizhi Xuan hadn't explicitly said it, Yashida Ichiro knew perfectly well that his father wanted him to take that person's life.
If that person was indeed the one who stole their box, Yashida Ichiro would simply kill him and retrieve the box. If Yashida Ichiro unexpectedly failed, it would indicate that the person's strength was indeed as Jiro had said, superior to Ichiro's, and thus it was highly probable that the person was not the one they were looking for.
And if Yashida Ichiro went out tonight and didn't return, then the failed person would no longer be worthy of discussion.
"Father!" Yashida Jiro did not object to Ichiro's trip. Although he had already anticipated that his elder brother might return in disgrace, there were still some things he had to remind his father of. Yashida Jiro said in a deep voice, "Father, during our contact with Ling Xiao today, there were some unexpected occurrences. When we arrived at the Pharmacy, there was another person in a dark suit sitting opposite him, drinking tea. Although it was hard to tell his strength, I can confirm that he was definitely a federal police officer."
"Yes, Father!" Yashida Ichiro also stepped forward and said, "Not only that, but in another car outside the Pharmacy, there was another Chinese woman dressed similarly. That woman's strength is definitely not below mine, and if it came to a fight to the death, I have a premonition, Father, that the one who would die would likely be me."
"Oh!" His two sons' words piqued Shizhi Xuan's interest. He looked at his eldest son, Ichiro, and said with a slight laugh, "Rare, indeed rare. Ichiro, who is usually so arrogant and conceited, actually admits defeat to a woman, and a Chinese woman at that. Good, good, Ichiro, you've improved a lot. Since you two say so, then go investigate the backgrounds of those two people thoroughly."
"Yes, Father." Yashida Ichiro and Jiro both bowed to their father simultaneously, then carefully exited the office.
"Interesting, interesting!" Shizhi Xuan looked at the bustling traffic below and the dazzling lights of the beautiful city, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.
Yashida Jiro walked out of the office and couldn't help but habitually let out a sigh of relief. In front of his father, he always felt an invisible pressure weighing on his heart, making it difficult to breathe.
Looking up at his elder brother, Ichiro, Yashida Jiro couldn't help but ask, "Ichiro, are you still going to Ling's Pharmacy tonight?"
"Yes. Father didn't cancel the plan, so why wouldn't I go?" Yashida Ichiro turned and gave his brother a cold look. The pretense of brotherly respect he had shown in front of their father had long since vanished.
With that, Ichiro strode away. Yashida Jiro watched his retreating figure, his eyes gradually narrowing.
The next moment, Yashida Jiro's expression changed, and a somewhat dissolute playboy reappeared before everyone.
As he passed the company's reception desk, Yashida Jiro stopped and looked at a beautiful woman in uniform standing there. He leaned in with a smile and said, "Young Miss Kuriyama, it's almost time to leave work. Would you like to go out for a drink?"
Looking at Yashida Jiro, who had approached her, Kuriyama Midori couldn't help but blush. The last time she went out with Yashida Jiro, he almost took advantage of her. So, she quickly waved her hand and said to Yashida Jiro, "No, no, Jiro, I have something to do tonight."
"Is there anything you can tell me about?" Yashida Jiro was shamelessly persistent and refused to leave.
"Mr. Yashida Jiro, please don't disturb our work, okay?" At this moment, a somewhat firm voice sounded from the side. A tall, slender young woman in a light blue suit walked over and said coldly, "Mr. Jiro, it's not time to leave work yet. Even if it were, we have a small meeting to attend today, so Young Miss Kuriyama doesn't have time to go out with you. Isn't that right, Young Miss Kuriyama?"
"Yes, yes, we have a meeting later." Kuriyama Midori nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at Yashida Jiro.
"Oh, if that's the case, then I'll be going." Yashida Jiro sighed in disappointment, nodded to the two women, and bid them farewell, "Goodbye, Young Miss Kuriyama, Young Miss Kujo. We'll be in touch later."
With that, Yashida Jiro gave a frivolous smile, then turned and walked out of the company without looking back.
Seeing Yashida Jiro leave, Kuriyama Midori finally breathed a huge sigh of relief. She bowed to Kujo Reiko and thanked her, "Thank you, Young Miss Kujo."
"It's nothing!" Kujo Reiko's expression was very calm; for her, getting rid of Yashida Jiro was no big deal. However, she still warned Kuriyama Midori in a deep voice, "Young Miss Kuriyama, remember to stay away from that playboy in the future. Also, leave work right after you finish tonight, don't let that guy run into you again."
"I understand, thank you, Young Miss Kujo!" Kuriyama Midori bowed again, very grateful. Kujo Reiko nodded and turned to leave.