"East Field Construction’s shares...shares?"
Dongye Yuusei blurted out in astonishment, his gaze at Aoyama Xiu Xin suddenly filled with wariness and suspicion.
After all, many were eyeing the shares he held.
Yet Aoyama Xiu Xin, seemingly oblivious to the change in his expression, nodded calmly and said in a gentle tone, "Yes, Dongye, you must understand that with my status, I inherently don’t have much money. To lend you such a large sum, I can only get it from Nozawa Financial Corporation, and this corporation isn’t owned solely by me. Two billion US dollars—it’s an astronomical figure, and I can’t just move that amount privately."
"So even if you agree, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to lend it to you. I’d need to convince the other shareholders too. After all, I have a connection with you, but others don’t; they’ll only consider the profits."
This statement was half-true, half-false. It was true he personally didn’t hold two billion US dollars, but he still had the one billion US dollars in ransom money contributed by Dongye Yuusei earlier.
Listening to all this, Dongye Yuusei’s gaze gradually softened because what Aoyama Xiu Xin had said made sense, just as his father, even as a major shareholder, couldn’t arbitrarily pull large sums from the company.
Moreover, the frankness and openness Aoyama Xiu Xin displayed moved him, showing that he genuinely wanted to lend him the money but couldn’t make the call alone.
However, the matter concerned the largest inheritance left by his father, causing him to hesitate and stand there, his face shifting between hope and despair, as he battled with himself.
He quickly calculated his other personal assets, including houses, cars, and shares in several other companies and eventually sighed in resignation.
Even if he sold all these, it wouldn’t amount to two billion US dollars.
The sellable assets had been undersold previously when gathering the one billion US dollars in ransom.
"Don’t rush, this is an important matter; go back and think it over," Aoyama Xiu Xin said, reading his difficulty and understandingly offering a comforting smile.
"No need," Dongye Yuusei let out a breath and lifted his head, bowing seriously, "Thank you for your help, Police Chief Aoyama. I’ll do as you suggested and pledge the shares of East Field Construction Corporation to borrow two billion US dollars, for a term of one year."
The casino that dared target him was clearly aware of his identity and confident that he’d repay, the conviction likely backed by powerful supporters he couldn’t afford to offend.
He must repay this loan, and with Aoyama Xiu Xin’s help to save steep interest rates, he was effectively making a gain.
"A year might be too short; how about three years?" Aoyama Xiu Xin carefully weighed his words and added with a smile that suggested an overemphasis, "Of course, I’m not questioning Dongye’s ability to repay and redeem the shares within a year, but it’s best to be absolutely sure."
His following words, as soon as they were spoken, instantly solidified Dongye Yuusei’s resolve. Taking a deep breath, he said in a resolute tone, "Just one year. I also need to put some pressure on myself to keep moving forward."
Although Aoyama Xiu Xin’s words were tactful, he still felt the skepticism in his speech, which severely wounded his pride.
He resolved to make a mark within the year, to make everyone view him with newfound respect!
And even if he didn’t achieve much within the year, by scraping together his fixed assets, he could still redeem the shares.
"Since Dongye is so confident, then I’ll hold on to these shares for a year," Aoyama Xiu Xin laughed heartily, his heart blooming with joy.
Dongye Yuusei bowed deeply, "I’m counting on you!"
"Don’t mention it," Aoyama Xiu Xin replied and glanced at his watch, pondering for a moment, "Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll arrange the money on my end and if there are no issues, we can invite a lawyer and Minister Chiba Rikim to sign the contract tonight."
"Understood!" Dongye Yuusei responded and then took his leave, "Then I won’t disturb your work any longer."
"Please take care," Aoyama Xiu Xin nodded.
As Dongye Yuusei turned and exited the office, he felt relieved yet simultaneously burdened by a weighty pressure, a contradictory yet genuine emotion.
With no worries on his mind, he decided to find a new venue to play a few rounds, after all, even though the shares of East Field Construction were pledged, he still had no shortage of money to spend.
However, he was unaware that any somewhat reputable casino in Tokyo was operated by major violent organizations like the Yamaguchi Group and the Daokuan Association, which were all closely affiliated with Aoyama Xiu Xin.
Thus, whenever Aoyama Xiu Xin made a call, no matter which casino he entered, he would be cheated and manipulated.
Aoyama Xiu Xin wouldn’t let him win if he chose not to.
In a sense, he was the deity of gambling, deciding who won and who lost.
In the office, after sending Dongye Yuusei away, Aoyama Xiu Xin called Nozawa Yi, asking her to prepare two billion US dollars in advance—it would merely pass through Dongye Yuusei’s hands before returning to his own.
Just after hanging up, the desk phone rang again, and Aoyama Xiu Xin picked up the receiver.
"This is Aoyama Xiu Xin, what is it?" he said.
"Chief of Police, this is Nakamura Shinichi." Nakamura Shinichi introduced himself before saying in a grave voice, "There’s been a hiccup. The woman I set up to trap Dongye Yuusei has gotten greedy, unsatisfied with the previously agreed reward, and now wants to raise the price last minute."