wavenovel Chapter 1270-1279, A Storm is Coming: Who is the Mole?!
Chapter 1270-1279, A Storm is Coming: Who is the Mole?!
Chapter 1270-1279, A Storm is Coming. Who is the Mole?!
The entertainment industry in Tokyo remains very active in the latter half of August.
However, just like the gloomy weather before a typhoon, it always makes you feel like something is brewing.
Meanwhile, inside the Asahi Shimbun office, the two men sitting there were silently smoking.
"What are you still hesitating about!"
Fukui Ryuta said to the editor-in-chief, Watanabe Takeo,
"As journalists, once we know something, we should naturally expose it!"
"."
Editor-in-Chief Takeo Watanabe smoked a cigarette, looking at the photos in his hand. Inside was a file of photographic materials. It was clear that the photographer was in a hurry and didn't even have time to focus, as the words on the document were somewhat blurry.
However, one could vaguely make out the list of stock transferees, and some of the names looked familiar.
Takeo Watanabe works in the media and newspaper industry, so he is most familiar with former Minister of Education Yoshiro Mori!
"Fukui, this is no small matter!"
Watanabe Takeo stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and looked up.
"There are many famous people inside!"
"so what!"
Fukui Ryuta's eyes flashed with anger and excitement; this was information he had stolen at great cost.
"They all accepted bribes!"
“There are government officials, politicians, and police officers involved; the impact is too great,” Watanabe Takeo said slowly. “You can’t prove anything with just this one photo.”
"Once the news is published and attracts attention, professionals will naturally investigate."
Fukui Ryuta slammed his hand on the table and said,
"I believe that there is still conscience and justice in this society!"
“Justice is always delayed,” Watanabe Takeo said. “And it will only arrive after we’ve both been fired, or maybe even after we’ve both sunk into Tokyo Bay.”
"It's impossible for Asahi Shimbun to take down such a massive network of vested interests by our own efforts alone!"
"What does Watanabe-san mean?"
"We're going to drag the entire media industry down with us!"
Fukui Ryuta was stunned for a moment.
"Watanabe-san, what are you going to do?"
"Fukui, you just said you only started investigating after receiving a tip-off, right?!"
"Hi"
“Is the information credible?”
"An investigation has confirmed that Recruit and Hideki Komatsu did have equity transactions, but specific figures are not yet available and may require further investigation."
"Further investigations cannot be conducted by ourselves alone. We will also use the same method to send the whistleblower materials to other newspapers, but this time they will include more information, including other people who may be involved."
Watanabe Takeo spoke slowly.
“When we started our reporting, we began with Licourt’s intelligence building, limiting our coverage to this land transaction.”
"Then, based on external reactions, the coverage will gradually expand, and by this point, the entire media industry will likely follow suit."
"Is this okay?"
"Once the public outcry starts, we won't have to worry about this interest group anymore."
Watanabe Takeo lit another cigarette and said...
"Fukui, you're a journalist, you should understand our line of work better. Once we create an opening, the others will chase after us like hyenas!"
"."
Fukui Ryuta paused for a moment, then spoke.
"Watanabe-san, you're calling yourself a dog."
"."
"Get out of here, you bastard!"
"Hi"
"Also, hurry up and finish writing the first report! It'll be in tomorrow's morning paper!"
Akina Nakamori's "Nanpasen" (The Shipwrecked Boat) injected a breath of fresh air into the entertainment industry. The sad and heartbreaking song slightly diluted the heat and calmed the hearts of fans and listeners.
Furthermore, Akina Nakamori's new album style, which differs from her previous works, has surprised many. Her deep voice in the enka even exudes a sense of grandeur.
"The rankings for 'The Lost Ship' are rising very quickly!"
Yoshiaki Tanaka excitedly stated this in the Akina Foods publicity department.
"I expect to be number one next week."
"That would be perfect timing to connect with 'THE BEST TEN' and raise the song's popularity to another level!"
The other group members also seemed very enthusiastic and cheered.
Just then, Akina came out of the dressing room and went to the office area.
"What are they talking about? They all seem very happy?"
Seeing how excited everyone on her team was, Akina couldn't help but ask.
"Ah, we were just talking about De Cai's new song, and it's trending upwards very quickly."
Tanaka Yoshiaki said,
"We're considering increasing our exposure~"
"Haha~" Akina laughed too, "That's perfect, Hiroshi-san and I just made a kimono outfit for our performance!"
"That's really great~"
"."
The group chatted about work in the workroom. Akina, who had entered the mature stage of her career, had her own rhythm for all the promotional steps, which made the entire operations team very relaxed.
Just then, Hanami Kagami came out of his office and called Akina over.
"Hana-san" Akina sat on the sofa in her office. "What did you call me over for?"
"It's about singing a duet with Michael Jackson in September."
Hanami Kaku said directly.
"At the end of the month, Michael Jackson and his team will come to Yokohama for an advance rehearsal."
Michael Jackson is currently on the "Awesome" world tour, and the next stop is Yokohama, so it's normal for him to rehearse in advance.
"How's Akina-chan's song practice going?"
"Huh? Is Michael Jackson coming?" Akina suddenly became a little nervous. "I can already sing the songs fluently."
"That's good!"
Hanami He said with a smile.
"Then Akina should go to the rehearsal too. She can also meet this pop king while she's there."
"!!!"
Akina suddenly felt conflicted.
"But my English isn't good enough for fluent conversation yet."
Even with her husband as a conversational partner, correcting Japanese-accented English is not something that can be resolved quickly.
"Haha, you're such a jerk," Hanami Kagami said with a laugh. "Then help me find a translator~"
This is quite common, after all, not every celebrity can speak a foreign language fluently.
"."
Akina's eyes darted around, and suddenly an idea popped into her mind.
"We can have Naoki-san as the translator! He's the one who translated for us when we traveled abroad before!"
"Um, this..."
Hanami He was somewhat speechless.
"Naoki-san as a translator? That's... not a good idea~"
"Yes, Naoki-san speaks four, no, five languages. He'd be a perfect translator!"
Akina spoke of her husband with great confidence.
It's not that Naoki-san can't be a translator.
Hanami Kagami gritted her teeth.
"But Naoki-san is the chairman of the Shuyu Group, and he's also a well-known author. We might not be able to afford the fees he pays."
"."
Akina paused for a moment, then a smile bloomed on her face.
"Leave that to me! Don't worry, Hanami-san."
Paying fees doesn't necessarily require money.
Naoki Nagayama was awakened by thunder early the next morning.
The long-awaited thunderstorm finally arrived, bringing sudden winds, heavy rain, lightning, and thunder, even knocking many leaves off the roadside trees.
The outside light briefly illuminated the window, followed by a "click," and then the patter of raindrops hitting the glass.
"Is this... a typhoon?"
Naoki Nagayama rubbed his eyes, and when he put the smooth, delicate body in his arms and got out of bed, he found that his back and legs were a little sore and weak.
"."
After Akina came back yesterday, she said that at the end of the month she would help with translation for two days to help her communicate with Michael Jackson.
Naoki Nagayama readily agreed; he himself wanted to meet this legendary superstar.
However, Akina insisted on paying for it, and then said that she couldn't afford the payment, so she would pay with her body. This left Naoki Nagayama with no choice but to grit his teeth and agree.
Naoki Nagayama glanced at Akina, who had turned over and fallen into a deep sleep again, and shook his head. "Men over 25 really do have a lot to cry about."
"It seems like Japan also has goji berries; I'll get some to brew and drink next time."
After washing up and stretching, Naoki Nagayama finally felt refreshed.
After going downstairs, Nonaka Mari had already woken up Natsuka, and they were waiting for breakfast in the dining room.
Naoki Nagayama quickly stepped forward and cuddled with his daughter for a while.
"Naoki Mulberry".
Nonaka Mari brought out breakfast and asked, somewhat puzzled,
"Doesn't Akina-chan eat breakfast?"
"She's off today, so she wants to sleep in," Naoki Nagayama said with a smile. "Let her wake up naturally."
"Hi~"
The experienced Nonaka Mari naturally didn't ask any questions. In fact, one of her important principles as a nanny was not to ask what shouldn't be asked. She simply kept the breakfast warm.
After serving breakfast to his daughter and seeing that she could eat normally, Naoki Nagayama began to read the newspaper while eating.
"Corruption involving power and money!! Such a transaction involving prime real estate in Kawasaki City!!!"
The Asahi Shimbun's cover story immediately caught Naoki Nagayama's attention!
"Huh, so fast? It's started?"
He read it carefully and found that it was indeed about Likurote Company obtaining the land by bribing the head of the Planning and Adjustment Bureau, Hideki Komatsu. However, they did not release specific share data, only using the phrase "great profits".
"Oh? It seems this is hiding some information?"
"Is the Asahi Shimbun afraid to expose it all at once?"
With all sorts of thoughts running through his mind, Naoki Nagayama continued reading.
All the sources in the Asahi Shimbun were anonymous, but the report also showed that the reporter had gone to Kawasaki City to investigate and found solid evidence.
The bolded "To be continued" at the end really hooked all the readers!
"It finally begins!"
Naoki Nagayama nodded in satisfaction.
"However, at this point, we haven't yet reached those members of the Takeshita faction, so we can now send out the second report."
Meanwhile, at a hotel, Likurote Chairman Jiang Fuhao was still suffering from a hangover.
"Ring ring ring" "Ring ring ring" "..."
The mobile phone on the bedside table emitted a piercing ringtone, finally causing Jiang Fuhao to open his eyes in annoyance.
"Baka! Who is that guy?! If it weren't for something important, I would have let you have it."
Even with a splitting headache and a terrible morning grumpiness, this business tycoon still tried his best to calm himself down. He knew that everyone who had his number was extremely important, and making that call meant something significant.
He pressed the answer button:
"What's wrong?!"
"President!!"
A somewhat panicked voice came from the mobile phone, but Gao Suyang instructed the assistant to explain the situation in the fewest possible words.
"The Asahi Shimbun reported that we bribed Hidehi Komatsu to get the land!"
"."
The sudden bombshell news left Jiang Haozheng momentarily stunned.
"It's already been reported?"
"Hey, this is today's headline."
"."
After a pause, Jiang Fuhao immediately spoke.
"Call Komatsu Hideki and tell him not to admit to anything else, and to hand it over to us."
"Hi"
"Then, find out who conducted the investigation for the Asahi Shimbun, and also why our contacts weren't notified."
"Hi"
"at last."
Jiang Fuhao looked around the presidential suite and heard the sound of rain outside.
"Someone bring me a copy of the Asahi Shimbun!!!"
"Hi!!!"
The assistant was startled when the call was disconnected; he had no idea where his boss was. However, he quickly realized that the driver would definitely know, so he immediately called the driver.
About ten minutes later, Jiang Fuhao finished washing up with cold water and finally sobered up from his hangover.
The presidential suite was very large. After walking out of the bedroom, I saw that the driver had already brought out some breakfast and placed it on the coffee table in the living room, along with a copy of the Asahi Shimbun that was wet with rain.
"President, this newspaper was just bought from outside, it's a little damp."
"Go get my dry-cleaned clothes first," Jiang Fuhao interrupted him directly, "Then get the car ready, I'm leaving soon."
The driver nodded quickly and immediately got out.
Jiang Fuhao, who had little appetite, took a sip of orange juice. The sour taste eased his headache a little, and then he picked up the newspaper to read.
What followed was an increasingly furrowed brow.
As the protagonist, Jiang Fuhao knew that the Asahi Shimbun's report was absolutely true, and that the writing was also very skillful, fairly and objectively pointing out the essence of the power-money transaction. It was very credible!
Undoubtedly, this report will cause a huge public outcry, and Hideki Komatsu will definitely be investigated, and might even lose her job.
However, this wasn't a big deal for Recruit. At most, they'd send a department manager to cover for him, saying he'd done something irrational for the sake of performance and would at most face a two-year prison sentence.
With a net worth of over 10 billion, Jiang Fuhao was more than confident that he could make his underlings take the blame.
"."
Forcing himself to calm down, Jiang Fuhao was thinking about something else entirely.
"Who's the mole?!"
Such bribery transactions are highly secretive, involving only a handful of trusted confidants throughout the company. Could someone have betrayed us?!
More importantly, whoever the mole was, he knew about more than just one bribery case!
How can we stop him from continuing to leak information to the media?
With his eyes closed, Jiang Fuhao's mind drifted to the people closest to him. These people usually fawned over him, as if he were their master.
But now, behind those once respectful faces, it seems, lies the狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) face of a traitor.
A loud crackling sound rang out, startling Jiang Fuhao so much that his face turned pale.
The shirt on my back was suddenly soaked with cold sweat without me even noticing.
(End of this chapter)