harleyscars Page 122
Page 122
The eldest son of the Gattuso family is free.
Out of respect for Genjiro's warm hospitality, Caesar agreed to give the Snake-Headed Eight Families five days.
Chu Zihang looked at Gao Kui.
Gao Kui's breathing gradually quickened, revealing some anxiety and impatience: "Five days is too long, let's make it three days. If the house arrest isn't lifted by sunset on the 25th, I'll go with you to Genji Heavy Industries and stab that brat Genji to death."
Some people often ponder, think about, and analyze uncertain events that have not yet occurred, as well as possible negative causes or consequences. This behavior is often referred to as mental exhaustion or "taking out a loan to eat shit."
This behavior often leads to mental fatigue due to excessive thinking, which in turn induces negative emotions such as anxiety and depression.
A rational person would never fall into excessive mental exhaustion, and Gao Kui is clearly not one of them; he has already taken out a loan to eat shit.
"Don't worry about things that haven't happened yet. Whatever you want to do, there's no one or no rule on this island who can stop you."
Seeing that Gao Kui was becoming increasingly anxious and depressed, Chu Zihang immediately comforted him.
"Ah."
Gao Kui nodded, took out his phone, and started composing a text message to chat with Asou Makoto, inquiring about the girl's grandmother's health and whether she had encountered any trouble in Bunkyo Ward...
Most of it was just boring nonsense between couples, but Gao Kui enjoyed it immensely, which effectively relieved his excessive mental strain.
While Gao Kui was busy chatting with his girlfriend, the game of chess between Caesar and Chu Zihang also came to a conclusion.
"I lost."
Chu Zihang calmly admitted defeat without any expression. Even though he racked his brains, he couldn't kill Caesar's king general. Instead, he was routed by Caesar.
"I gained some advantage in this game. The rules of Japanese shogi are more similar to those of international chess. Rules such as promotion do not exist in Chinese chess, which you are good at."
After ten games, the gap in skill between us will likely be closed.
Caesar, who had utterly routed Chu Zihang, did not consider himself the winner. Even though both were novices, there was a significant difference in their understanding and adaptation to the rules of shogi. As a chess expert, he was able to pick up Japanese shogi much faster.
"continue?"
"continue."
Caesar and Chu Zihang quickly rearranged the chessboard.
In the girl's cozy little house, Asou Makoto, with her little feet up and holding her phone, happily rolled around on her small bed. Any form of communication and interaction with her boyfriend, and any words of concern from him, made the girl feel incredibly happy.
The retired grandmother stood at the door of the girl's bedroom, peeking through the crack to see the girl lying on the bed like a magpie, and felt happy for the girl as well.
The grandmother was quite pleased with her granddaughter's sudden decision to bring her boyfriend home.
He was impeccable in every way—figure and looks—and most importantly, he came from a distinguished family and was incredibly generous. As soon as they started dating, he helped Aso Makoto solve a series of problems in her life, moving the grandfather and granddaughter from their cramped old apartment in Adachi Ward to a new apartment in Bunkyo Ward, and quickly transferring the girl to one of the top schools in the area…
It's romantic, but also realistic.
For the grandmother and granddaughter, who were struggling financially and facing a bleak future, this financial assistance, which was completely insignificant to Chen Motong, Jiu Demai, and others, was far more romantic and touching.
He's like a prince charming straight out of a fairy tale, or a domineering CEO from a Mary Sue novel. Even Grandma admits that if she were a young woman and met such an outstanding boy, she wouldn't be able to resist falling for him in no time.
However, this relationship was not perfect in the absolute sense. The social status, economic strength, and even personal conditions of the two parties were seriously unequal.
His granddaughter was not good enough for him at all.
A few minutes later, the chat ended.
The girl put down her phone, hugged her blanket tightly, and rolled around on the bed a few times, her heart filled with joy. Just as she looked up, she saw her grandmother peeking in from the doorway.
"Oh, Grandma!"
The girl immediately blushed and buried her face in the blankets, pretending to be an ostrich. It was so embarrassing to be seen like this by her elders.
"I've come to deliver a book to you."
Grandma stopped peeping and walked into her granddaughter's bedroom with a motherly smile. She chuckled and teased her granddaughter, who was head over heels in love: "I didn't see a single bit of your infatuated look when you were texting your boyfriend."
"Oh, Grandma, you're still saying that..."
Aso buried her head even deeper, her delicate toes curled tightly, and her snow-white neck covered in a blush.
"What's there to be shy about? It's just dating. When I was dating, I even consulted your great-grandmother."
"Did Grandma also start dating in high school?" Asou Makoto stopped pretending to be an ostrich, pulled back a corner of the blanket, and glanced at his grandmother with a hint of disbelief.
"Even earlier than you, I started dating your grandfather when I was fifteen. At that time, the Japanese Civil Code stipulated that women could marry at the age of 16..."
Grandma sat down on the edge of the bed and softly recounted some amusing stories from when she was dating Grandpa Aso. The girl listened intently, eventually crawling out of bed and sitting down next to her grandmother to listen carefully.
It was a very ordinary story of getting to know each other, companionship, and friendship, but it also carried the unique sense of the times and romance of that era, which Aso Makoto listened to with great interest.
"It was thanks to the tricks your great-grandmother taught me that I defeated my competitors. Your grandfather was very popular back then."
"So Grandma also has some tricks up her sleeve to lower my standards?"
The girl's eyes lit up. Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. With her grandmother's guidance, she would surely be able to maintain this relationship for longer.
After the initial joy, the girl's eyes quickly dimmed as she realized that there was a class divide between her and the boy that was as high as the sky and as deep as the sea.
Even though she had never eaten pork, she had seen pigs run. The girl knew that the views of the powerful, wealthy and tycoons were completely different from those of ordinary people, and the experience taught by her grandmother was probably not very useful.
"Gao Kuijun is a man who is a hundred times more outstanding than your grandfather. My experience and tricks are probably of no use."
However, Grandma found you a book that might come in handy. Grandma waved the somewhat worn book in her hand.
Aso Shin took the phone and held it on his lap. The old book cover had the words "Admonitions for Women" written in traditional Chinese characters, but when he opened the book, the contents were in Japanese.
“In ancient China, every bride from a prominent family would read a bridal textbook. It is said that during the Edo period, many noblewomen of Japanese aristocracy would also learn these ancient books from China from their mothers before getting married.”
"Gao Kuijun is from a prominent Chinese family, isn't he? You mentioned that one of his ancestors was an emperor of China. This book will definitely come in handy."
Chapter 150 Mission Completed
On September 22, at 9:16 PM, the school bell rang on time at Komagome High School, and Makoto Aso packed his schoolbag.
The high school that Gao Kui found for her was a top-tier school with a deviation score as high as 72. It was located in the center of Bunkyo Ward, less than 15 centimeters away from Akihabara and the University of Tokyo.
This high school admits only 360 students each year, and these 360 students are divided into three departments with different focuses based on their goals.
The first department is the "Advanced Science" department, which is for students aiming for the science, engineering, and medical schools of the ten public universities in the country.
The second department is the "Super Course" department, which is for students aiming for science and engineering majors at domestic universities such as the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Keio University.
Makoto Aso enrolled in the third department, "International Liberal Arts," which is attended by students aiming for top domestic universities' foreign language, international, or history departments, or overseas universities.
Of the three departments, the International Liberal Arts program is the most superficial; when it comes to studying abroad, everyone knows what that means. Even so, the workload at Komagome High School is far beyond what Aso Makoto could handle.
After enrolling, Makoto Aso took a small test, and her results were far from ideal. Out of 26 students in the class, she ranked only 25th.
A true bottom student.
Even so, no teacher or student dared to openly discriminate against or isolate Aso Makoto.
Aso Makoto was admitted to Komagome High School through connections arranged by Takagi. Takagi made a phone call to Angers, who in turn made a phone call to the president of the University of Chicago, which ultimately led to Aso Makoto being admitted to the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Chicago early, just as he was in his second year of high school, and receiving a letter of introduction to Komagome High School.
On the day of enrollment, even members of the school board came to the school in person to accompany Makoto Aso through the enrollment procedures.
Everyone knows that this seemingly "ordinary" girl actually has a remarkable background. Those who can enter Komagome High School either come from prominent families or are from elite families but have outstanding personal abilities; they have already recognized the importance of connections and influence.
Just as Zhao Menghua and Su Xiaoqiang were popular at Shilan High School, Aso Makoto was just as popular at Komagome High School.
"Zhen, do you want to join the calligraphy club? The head of the calligraphy club is my older sister. She said you have a lot of talent for calligraphy and asked me to make sure you are invited to join the calligraphy club."
"What's so great about the calligraphy club? Of course, it's joining our drama club! Our drama club's instructor used to be a male role performer in the Takarazuka Revue!"
"Why don't you join our light music club..."
Several girls who were close to Asou Makoto swarmed over and surrounded him, inviting him to join their clubs and departments.
Most high schools in Japan have a semi-mandatory requirement for students to join a school club and participate in club activities. When Makoto Aso was at Toryo High School, he didn't join any clubs because he had to work part-time, and he would leave school immediately after each day's classes.
Komagome High School, on the other hand, does not allow students to work part-time after school. In other words, Makoto Aso must choose a club to join before the deadline given by the school.
The classmates were very enthusiastic about this girl who was both impressive and approachable, and was also quite cute, and they all extended olive branches to her.
This unprecedented enthusiasm and high-class atmosphere left Aso Makoto momentarily at a loss.
Aso Makoto from the calligraphy club had been there. On the second day of school, he was dragged there by the sister of the calligraphy club president. The club's activity room was filled with various medals and award-winning works. According to the calligraphy club president, their club had achieved good results in the "Shodo Performance Koshien Tournament" for two consecutive years.
Aso Makoto, who had also been to the drama club, admitted that she couldn't tell how good the acting skills of the drama club members were, but she knew how good the acting teacher the drama club had funded to hire was.
The Takarazuka Revue is Japan's premier musical theater company, and all its members are unmarried women. The company's motto is "purity, integrity, and beauty."
Because the Takarazuka Revue is entirely composed of women, female members are required to play male roles during performances, a practice commonly known as "otokoyaku" (male role roles). Only the most outstanding members of the Takarazuka Revue are eligible to take on these roles.
If Ochanomizu University students are the brides-to-be of Tokyo University students, then the members of the Takarazuka Revue are the brides-to-be of Japanese politicians, social activists, and members of parliament. Many members have married famous political figures after graduation.
His classmates were all very sophisticated, and his conversations were filled with learned scholars. Aso felt like a husky that had wandered into a pack of wolves. He wouldn't say he was completely out of place, but for a short time he did feel quite lost.
After being enthusiastically invited by her classmates, Zhen finally realized what was happening and awkwardly took out the "Admonitions for Women" that her grandmother had given her from her schoolbag.
"I'm really sorry, I haven't decided which club to join yet, and I have some very important things to do recently. I want to finish reading this book before the deadline set by the school."
"The Admonitions for Women?"
The female student from the calligraphy club immediately recognized the title: "Mana-san, you've started your bride training so early?"
"Oh, does Yukari recognize this book?" Aso Makoto was slightly taken aback.
"Of course, this is a very popular bridal training textbook in Japan's high society!"
The female student from the calligraphy club puffed out her chest and told the other curious female students what she knew.
China had aristocratic families, the West had nobility, and Japan had its own nobility. Although the official class system was abolished, class differences actually persisted. The former nobility continued to occupy their places of origin, engaging in political activities or various high-status professions.
In the West, aristocrats and members of large families would provide brides with pre-wedding training, and the same was true in Japan. "Admonitions for Women" was one of the training textbooks for Japanese aristocratic brides. In a sense, the Takarazuka Revue and Ochanomizu University could also be considered bridal training academies for Japan's upper class.
This time, it was the female students who were shocked.
Ya Bai, I knew all along that she really had a powerful background, but I didn't realize it was this powerful. She's actually going to start training as a bride from the old-fashioned Chinese noblewoman class right now.
Even for them, who come from wealthy and noble families, this level is too high.
"Is your fiancé the boy who helped you with your enrollment procedures with the school board on the day you enrolled?" The drama club girl steered the conversation toward Gao Kui.
“No, not my fiancé, just my boyfriend…” Asou Makoto’s cheeks flushed slightly.
The female students pressed on, asking questions like, "Is your boyfriend Japanese? Where does he study? Does he have any single friends he could introduce us to?"
The girls bombarded the room with questions, extracting every detail about Gao Kui.
After dealing with her female classmates, Masayuki Aso rushed to the study room, took out her phone and chatted with her boyfriend for a while, telling him about what she had seen and heard at school that day. Then she began to seriously study the bridal textbook that her grandmother and classmates highly praised.