Chapter 2 second quarter

At sunset, when Mizuho was chatting with Kaori in the living room, Zong Yan and his party returned home. "Long time no see, the little girl is getting more and more beautiful." Zong Yan made a rare joke and sat across from the two girls.Mizuho greeted him, Wahako and his party with a smile all over his face. Zong Yan suffered from gastrointestinal diseases in the past, so he looked quite thin and his complexion was not very healthy.I saw that his cheekbones were protruding and his eye sockets were sunken.Although he inherited the entire company due to Lai Zi's death, as the president of a large company, his image seems a bit too weak.He himself may have noticed this too, intending to cover up his weakness with a beard around his mouth and gold-rimmed glasses.

Contrary to his poor and weak image, Kazuki Kondo, Kazuko's husband, is much more imposing.Kondo's body is not tall, but because he has practiced judo in the past, he has broad shoulders and a thick chest.The glossy face expands horizontally, giving an impression of exuberance. "You seem to have gone to Australia, right? I heard that the men over there are a little too enthusiastic. I was always worried that our little sister Mizuho would be cheated away." Saying that, Katsuki laughed out loud.Mizuho noticed that this uncle's gaze was wandering around his thigh from just now.She is wearing a dark brown tight skirt today.

"Your worry is unnecessary, they are more gentlemen than some Japanese." Shui Sui made an insinuation, deliberately moving her legs tightly together exaggeratedly. He Hanako listened silently to their conversation with a smile on his face.Although she is petite and has a simple face, she can be said to be a Japanese beauty on the whole, which is the same as Laizi and Kaori.Among Koichiro's three women, only Mizuho's mother, Kotoho, has an exotic face, and Mizuho seems to have inherited this characteristic of her mother. In addition to Zongyan's relatives, there was also a woman in the group that Mizuho didn't know.This woman was wearing a monochrome uniform and skirt, and she looked young, maybe over thirty.She stood upright, holding her head high as if to show off her shapely figure.The slightly lifted pupils and the straight bridge of the nose are reminiscent of a cold and noble cat.

Through Zong Yan's introduction, Mizuho learned that this woman was called Mita Rieko and was Zong Yan's secretary. "Nice to meet you." She greeted Mizuho with her chest out like a model.Although the voice is small, it is crisp and round, quite charming. "Then, let's go back to the room for a short rest." Zongyan stood up after speaking, and walked towards the stairs with the Kondo couple.Mita Rieko also left behind them as a matter of course. "The woman was staring at the position of my father's stepwife." After watching the group leave, Kaori said to Mizuho in a rare and sinister tone.She seemed to be referring to Rieko.

"Is that the secretary?" Mizuho asked. "That's right, mom is still dead...she's gone too far!" Kaori lowered her head slightly, biting her lower lip angrily.It wasn't often that expression appeared on her face. Zong Yan's fascination, Mizuho still has some understanding.He has been changing his love partner since the past.It seems that the target this time is this female secretary. "Aunt, does she know about this?" Shui Sui asked in a low voice. "Of course, Mom already knew it by heart." Jiazhi replied. "Because that woman was originally my mother's secretary."

"Auntie's secretary!?" "Although my mother has been pretending not to know, she must have a clue in her heart. After all, even an outsider like me can see it." "That's it..." At this moment, Mizuho recalled a conversation with her mother Kotoe before coming here.Qin Hui said that she didn't come back this time not only because of work, but also because she didn't want to meet Zong Yan. "That person is not someone who would be desperate or insane that easily." —— Kotoe said in a tone that seemed to be suppressing the anger in his heart as he moved his hands on the canvas at that time.That person, of course, refers to Lai Zi.

"She actually chose to commit suicide...she must have been treated inhumanly. That man, despite his weak face, is actually extremely cruel." "That man? Uncle?" Facing Mizuho's question, the brush in Kotoe's hand became confused for an instant.Maybe it was because her daughter called that hateful man "uncle" that stimulated her nerves. Qin Hui turned her head to face Shui Sui, staring at her with burning eyes. "Mizuho, ​​after you return to the Shizi mansion, find out what happened in that mansion. Find out exactly how your aunt and son were forced to die."

"Do you want me to check it... After checking it out, what are your plans, Mom?" "I don't know either. But, I can't sit here and wait to die!" Mizuho couldn't help but hold his breath and looked at his mother who gritted her teeth in hatred. ——Aunt Laizi was forced to commit suicide... Was it really caused by what Kaori said, uncle's repeated cheating? Kotoe's gloomy expression at that time appeared in Mizuho's mind, and Kaori seemed to see through what she was thinking, "Everyone hates Dad." She whispered, "Because everyone admires mom. However, everyone dare not speak out. Because dad is the head of the family now."

"Kaori, do you hate him too?" Mizuho asked.With one hand resting on her forehead, Kaori looked up in pain, and raised her head as if realizing something. "I hate him, very much." It was time for dinner soon, and when Mizuho was killing time in Kaori's room, Qingjiang Renyi came back.After Kaori responded to his knock, he knocked on the door lightly. "Can I treat you as a rival in love?" Qingjiang said in a dry voice, "I really should show you how excited Jiazhi was when she knew you were coming back. If I could share that happy smile with me, I would die of happiness."

The second half of the sentence was obviously meant for Jiazhi.After speaking, he walked into the room unceremoniously. "Don't say such strange things." Jiazhi said with a slightly angry face. "I'm telling the truth." Qingjiang did not see any wavering.It's been a year and a half since Shui Sui saw him last time, and his personality is really the same as before. "How is the graduate school?" Mizuho asked instead of greeting. "What else? I'm just bored. My major is chemistry, and I spend all my time and money on research that is useless to society."

"I heard you're going to finish your master's degree this year?" "Thank God I was able to successfully complete my studies, and my employment is basically confirmed. Next, as long as I find a suitable partner, most of the game in life is over." Qingjiang said so, and looked at Jiazhi meaningfully, but she ignored it. Qingjiang Ren has lived in this villa since he was in college.This was approved by Mizuho and the others' grandfather Koichiro.Aoe's grandfather helped Koichiro during the war, and he has a dark past when both his parents died in a traffic accident.Although Koichiro's old friend has passed away, Koichiro seems to have made an agreement before his death that Qingjiang will be taken care of by the Takemiya family until he graduates from university.Now that Koichiro has passed away, Shizuka will continue to fulfill this promise. To be honest, not only the relationship with the benefactor's grandson, Koichiro himself seems to be quite fond of Qingjiang.Mizuho remembered Koichiro had a conversation with her when he first started living here. "Renichi is a very clever kid, who can always face emergencies calmly and calmly. No wonder that old guy Qingjiang is so proud. It might be a good idea to bring him in as Kaori's husband. I don't Will care about the old idea of ​​being in the right place." I remember Koichiro did say that. Mizuho has also had many contacts with Qingjiang so far, and he can't help showing no dislike for Kaori's leg disease, he still seems to have love for her, and it can even be said that he has expressed this love frankly.This straightforward personality is easy to win the favor of others, not to mention that he is a handsome and handsome man, but Kaori seems to have no idea about him. After Jiang Qing left the room, "Don't you like him?" Mizuho asked Kaori. "It's not that I don't like it." Kaori seemed a little embarrassed to say, "As a woman...even if it's not a woman with an inconvenient body like me, he must be an ideal partner. So, a disabled girl like me , to be accompanied by such a man should be the most blissful thing, but..." Having said that, she was silent for a moment. "However, I can't feel the warmth and warmth of human feelings from him anyway. He is a person who will never reveal his true emotions. Does a man of his age really have such a person?" "Sentimental men are annoying." Mizuho told the truth, such annoying men are everywhere. "But it feels real like this. That person is like a machine." "Grandpa liked him very much before he was alive, and even said that he wanted to let him study imperialism." "Because grandfather valued such people. But mother doesn't like him." "yes?" "Well, Mom should have the same opinion of that man as I do. Also, Dad is trying to avoid him as much as possible." "Why?" Suho asked. Shui Sui raised her finger and pointed at her own head, "Because he's a bit too smart," she said, "Father is afraid of that person's brain. Unlike my grandfather, my father would never choose Qingjiang to be my husband-in-law." Mizuho can somewhat see through Zongyan's mind.Qingjiang was basically among the best in college, and after entering graduate school, his papers were published overseas many times.If such an extremely intelligent person were added to the family, it would not be surprising that it would pose a threat to Zong Yan's status as a male master. "It seems that if Qingjiang wants to marry you, he must first please his uncle." "That's true, but I don't think he's likely to succeed." Listen to her tone, as if the matter has nothing to do with her. "What's your idea, Jiazhi? Excluding Qingjiang, what kind of man do you want to choose?" Hearing Mizuho's question, Kaori first moved her eyes in confusion, and then shrugged mischievously. "I will never marry in my life. Just stay here and enjoy a happy single life." But in the next moment, she fell into deep thought as if she suddenly remembered something, all of which did not escape Mizuho's eyes. Dinner starts at six o'clock. The dining table was filled with a mix of Western and Japanese dishes, and the Takemiya family and family members sat around the dining table. The dining table was a long table dedicated to dinner parties, Zong Yan sat at the top of the host seat, and Mita Rieko was nowhere to be seen at the table.Mizuho casually asked the maid Suzue about this, and it turned out that Rieko had gone back an hour ago. "Because today is Madam Lai Zi's forty-ninth day, she didn't dare to stay." There was a bit of sinister in Suzue's gentle words.She has also worked in this family for dozens of years. Lai Zi has known her since she was a young girl, and her bond with this family is much deeper than that of Zong Yan and others.Thinking about it this way, even Mizuho could see through his feelings towards Sohiko and Mita Rieko. As for Suzue, she was silently delivering the dishes. As always, the one that jazzes up the dinner scene always wins.Holding the wine glass in one hand, he talked loudly.Topics range from golf to overseas failures.His words and deeds helped everyone to get rid of the dark atmosphere of Laizi 49th, but for him, maybe he did this just to gain the dominance of the scene. As the listener, Zong Yan just smiled slightly and echoed a few words appropriately.In the eyes of Shui Sui beside him, he seemed to be talking about such things as the initiative to associate with relatives, you can take it as you like. There is another person besides Zong Yan who is listening to Katsuyuki.This short, chubby man was named Ryoshi Matsuzaki.Unlike Sheng Zhi's strong character, the drooping corners of his eyes gave him a docile feeling. "Uncle Matsuzaki is still the same." Mizuho whispered to Jiazhi beside her. "Always smiling, never stealing the limelight." "But he's a little too good-natured." Kaori whispered in response: "I have been hiding behind my uncle's shadow, and I heard that I also keep a low profile in the company." "That's true." Mizuho once again turned his gaze to the short man. Ryounori Matsuzaki's father is Koichiro Takemiya's older brother and the founder of the company Takemiya Sangyo.However, due to her father's untimely death, Liang changed her surname to her mother's.He is three years older than Zong Yan and is a director in the company. Sitting with Hanako and Shizuka away from the three men, they were immersed in their own topics.And Nagashima sat beside Shizuka and listened to the conversation between the two, and joined Mizuho and the others from time to time. "I was curious before..." Qing Jiang, who was sitting across from Shui Sui, lightly touched the arm of Yong Dao next door and said, "Why isn't Mr. Yong Dao married yet? Are you looking for someone with such conditions as you?" Yong Dao swallowed the food in his mouth in embarrassment, and hurriedly took a sip of beer. "To be asked such a question by you, I really didn't react. Haven't you always been uninterested in such topics?" "It's not that I'm not interested at all. It's even more interesting to say that you are Mr. Yongshima. Is there any reason why you haven't married yet?" "There's no reason." Yong Dao replied with a wry smile: "It's just that I haven't found a suitable one, and I haven't had time to think about this aspect until now. If I can find a suitable one, I can't wait to get the certificate right away." "I'm relieved to hear you say that." "Don't worry? That's interesting." Nagashima moved the side of the chair and turned his body to Aoe. "Besides, you just said that I was the only one who attracted you? It's so strange, why do you care whether I want to get married or not. " Qing Jiang held up his wine glass, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. "This is related to my lifelong happiness. I don't want to have an attractive unmarried man like you by the side of my cherished person." "Mr. Qing Jiang!" Kaori, who had been silently listening to the conversation between the two until now, finally couldn't help but interrupted: "Please don't say such strange things again, it's too rude to Mr. Nagashima." Yong Dao exchanged glances at her and Qing Jiang's expressions, and then burst out laughing. "Interesting and interesting, do you think I am a competitor? Is it really okay to say such things in front of Ms. Kaori?" "Kaori won't mind. Right? Miss Kaori?" Jiazhi stared at Qingjiang fiercely, but he still had an indifferent expression. "Besides, it is debatable whether Mr. Nagashima and Kaori are legally allowed to marry. It is true that in Japanese law, there is a provision that direct relatives and collateral relatives within three generations cannot marry?" "Qing Jiang!" This time it was Shui Sui Liu Mei's turn to stare at him, then secretly turned to look at Shizuka.His gaffes could hurt all kinds of people.Fortunately, the conversation just now didn't seem to reach Shizuka's ears. "Your mouth is too loose." Shui Sui warned in a low voice. But Qing Jiang didn't feel much shame for his violation of the "taboo", he just shrugged helplessly. "But, the law can't restrict other people's unrequited love and yearning, right? I just want to save her from such a boring world as soon as possible. So—" Qing Jiang's innocent gaze suddenly turned to Shui Sui, "So, we have to get rid of Miss Shui Sui too." "Stupid." Jiazhi recited the stupid words very emphatically, "Mr. Yongdao, Sister Mizuho, ​​please ignore what this person said. Do you still think of me as a little girl who dreams all day long?" "That's exactly what you are." Qing Jiang replied.Although he had a playful smile on his face, there was a trace of seriousness hidden in his words, which made Mizuho's heart throb slightly. "You haven't noticed that you haven't transformed from girlhood at all. I advise you to realize this quickly. It's better to shed your girlish skin earlier." "Is that all you want to say?" "yes." "Thank you for your advice. Unfortunately, it never occurred to me to seek your help." Faced with Kaori's stern declaration, Qing Jiang just blinked, and then returned to smiling.Mizuho could sense his momentary embarrassment from this series of actions. After the dinner, Zong Yan left the table and ordered Lingzhi to prepare wine and go to the reception room. Katsuyuki and Matsuzaki also followed him to the reception room.On the other side, He Hanako accompanied Shizuka back to the room.It seems that tonight's dinner has come to an end. Mizuho continued to talk with Kaori and Nagashima while drinking tea on the sofa in the living room.Qing Jiang on the side seemed to be playing with Zong Yan's collection of puzzle-solving toys again, but from time to time he inserted a few words into the conversation between Mizuho and the others.And when Jiazhi showed his intention to do something, he helped push the wheelchair, and fetched the things she wanted, so it can be said that he took care of everything.But Jiazhi still didn't seem to calm down about what Qingjiang said just now, deliberately ignoring his rare gentlemanly behavior. This state lasted until eleven o'clock, when Suzuki came to the living room and informed everyone that the beds had been made and they could go to bed at any time.Mizuho's room is across from Kaori's, and Nagashima's is across from Munehiko's. "Your room has been cleaned up." Suzuki said to Yongdao with a smile on her face. "Clean up what?" Mizuho asked. "It's all my fault for being careless..." Jiazhi interrupted. "Four days ago, when Mr. Yongdao came to stay at home, I went to his room to chat before going to bed. I accidentally knocked over the vase next to the pillow and got the whole bed wet..." "It's not your fault, Miss, it's all my fault for putting the vase in such a place because of my lack of consideration." Lingzhi said hastily. "Then I asked Mr. Nagashima to go to Dad's room for a while... Oh, Dad slept in the music room that night." "Oh, how dare you tell me to use Mr. Zong Yan's room without authorization." "So where did Mr. Nagashima sleep that night?" Mizuho asked. "It's so troublesome, I just slept in my own room. It's just that the bed is a little wet, nothing to worry about." "Anyway, I've cleaned up tonight, and I've put the vase away." Suzuki smiled. "By the way, uncle, what are they doing in the reception room?" Qing Jiang asked Suzue with a bored face. "Master is playing with his puzzle. Mr. Katsuyuki and Mr. Matsuzaki seem to be playing with him too." "I really sympathize with the two of them." Qing Jiang said with a curled lip. Then everyone came to the second floor, just like Suzue's arrangement, Mizuho's room was opposite Kaori.This is a Western-style room, the area is estimated to be about ten tatami or more.There is a bed, a square table, and a pair of simple round tables and chairs in the room.There is also a bathroom in one corner of the room. "Does Mr. Nagashima often come to stay overnight?" Mizuho asked Kaori who accompanied her to the room, and she remembered the conversation just now. "Not very often." Kaori stroked her hair and replied, then looked at Mizuho tentatively. "You must not pay attention to what Qing Jiang said at dinner just now." "What Qing Jiang said? Oh, are you talking about that..." "That person was drunk, so he spit out some inexplicable drunk words." "I don't care at all." Shui Sui smiled. "Kaori, you are too serious. Just ignore this kind of thing." Kaori lowered her head and twisted her fingers. "Qing Jiang told me the reason why that person didn't get married before." "that person?" Mizuho's hand, which was unbuttoning her skirt, stopped for a moment. "That person? Mr. Nagashima?" Kaori nodded slightly, licked her dry lips, swallowed and said: "Mr. Yongdao, he loves my mother, and he can't forget my mother until now—that's what Qing Jiang told me." "Mr. Yongdao loves Auntie?" "Yeah." This is really surprising. "How did he know about Qingjiang?" "It's not just Qingjiang, everyone who comes in and out of this house may be able to see signs of it. Me too, even if no one tells me, I know it in my heart. That person often looks at my mother with warm eyes. But I dare not Just pointing it out in person. Because for that person, mother should be her half-sister." "Kaori!" Mizuho stopped her with a reproachful tone. "I'm sorry." Kaori apologized in a low voice. "I didn't mean to bring it up." Mizuho took off her skirt with a rustle, and put on the burqa that was placed on the bed.After that, he sat down on the chair beside him, crossed his legs and looked at Kaori. "Then, is it your turn to restrain your love now? Love to Mr. Nagashima." Jiazhi's head shook violently, "I won't allow you to say that!" She suddenly shouted.Shui Sui's delicate body trembled in her tone of sternness that was not seen in normal times. "Oops, I'm out of control again." Jiazhi apologized in an inaudible voice: "It's really embarrassing to make yourself look like a neurotic menopausal woman." "It's better for you to go to bed early tonight. I'll take you to bed." Mizuho stood up. "Well, that's fine, but my head really hurts. Sister Shuisui, are my words boring?" "It's not boring at all, it's very interesting. Let's talk about the rest tomorrow." "Well, see you tomorrow." After Mizuho put Kaori in the meeting room and rested on the bed, she went back to her own room and locked the door from the inside, then sat on the bed and breathed a sigh of relief. first love... Talking with Kaori brought this nostalgic word to her mind.It's clear that Kaori has fallen in love.But just like what Qing Jiang said, her love affair will definitely not bear fruit. Nagashima started visiting Takemiya's house about ten years ago, and Koichiro invited him to come and cut his hair specially.Mizuho and the others were very curious about who this character was.But Mizuho felt that if she asked, something would be bad, so she didn't dare to ask. But it didn't take long for Mizuho to learn from his mother that he was the son of Koichiro and his lover.Of course, Shizuka also knew about this matter, and she seemed to have had quite a dispute with Koichiro about this matter at the time.But with a deep understanding of Yongdao's personal character, Shizuka also tacitly accepted that he went in and out of Takemiya's house. Even if Koichiro's betrayal was unforgivable, Yongdao himself, as a descendant, has no responsibility. In this way, Yongdao, who was working in a small beauty salon at the time, began to specialize in Shizuka's hair care.I heard that his technique is also very good.Naturally, he also became Kaori's exclusive beautician. ——It is only natural that Kaori would have a crush on Nagashima to a certain extent. But fate has tricked people, Jiazhi's belated first love is doomed not to bear fruit. After taking a bath, Mizuho went to bed after treating her hair and skin.The clock hanging on the wall said twelve o'clock.She looked at the antique decoration on the clock, and the words of the weird puppeteer came to mind. That clown will invite "tragedy"—— "How is it possible?" Shui Sui laughed at himself, reaching out to turn off the desk lamp beside the pillow. (clown perspective) Suddenly the door is opened, then the lights are turned on, and our world is brightened. I have seen the man who entered the room.If my memory is correct, this man's name should be Zong Yan.He wears gold-rimmed glasses and has a beard around his mouth. Zong Yan was wearing a golden-brown robe, and the hat attached to the robe tightly covered his head.He squatted down in front of me, making rustling noises, not knowing what he was doing.My lower shelf is a record case, it seems he is looking for a record. After a while, he finally found the record he wanted, and walked towards the record player with the record.Then light up the stand lamp on the side, and carefully put the needle on the record. Surrounded by various audio equipment and speakers, a set of comfortable-looking sofas sits in the center of the room.But Zong Yan didn't immediately sit on the sofa to enjoy the music, but went back to the entrance again and turned off the light in the room.In the spacious audio room, only the rack lamp next to the record player glowed faintly. Only then did Zong Yan adjust the volume of the speaker with satisfaction, sank heavily into the soft sofa, stretched his limbs, and closed his eyes to enjoy the music. This state has been going on for some time. During this period, Zong Yan did not move at all, only his chest rose and fell regularly, it seemed that he was asleep. Just as I was observing Zong Yan, the door was suddenly opened with a gap.The faint light of the rack lamp is blocked by the storage rack and the sofa, and cannot reach the door.Although it can basically be regarded as pitch black, I can see a little bit of it. The gap in the door lasted like this for a while, and then it was slowly opened, and a group of black figures swiftly invaded the room.As soon as Hei Ying entered the room, he lowered his body and stood motionless for a while, apparently observing Zong Yan's state. Zong Yan was still lying on the sofa motionless as usual, his posture remained the same as before. The shadow seemed to notice that he was asleep, and began to crawl slowly in the dark.He tried his best to make his life disappear into the darkness without making a sound. The shadow started moving towards me, then crouched in front of the storage rack where I was. What is the purpose of this black shadow here?Now, what on earth was he doing in the dark? Just when I was wondering, there was a slight change in this wonderful state.Zong Shu, who had been sleeping soundly until now, suddenly turned his head lazily.Then, he seemed to have sensed the strange atmosphere in the room, and he stood up from the sofa with an agility that was completely different from before, and turned towards the storage shelf. Zong Yan seemed to be aware of the existence of the lurker in the darkness, his face showed surprise, and the next moment he had already rushed towards the lurker.The storage rack was hit violently, and I could see two black shadows fighting in front of my eyes.The golden edge of Zong Yan's robe shone faintly under the reflection of the rack lamp. This fight lasted for a few seconds, and suddenly the actions of both sides stopped abruptly, as if pressing the pause button.Then, one of them slowly spread to the ground, while the other got up and stood.Only now can my eyes see the details of the scene. The person who fell was Sohiko.He lay on the ground motionless, as if the knife on his right abdomen had been inserted by himself.Though the hood of the robe was still on his head and I couldn't see its face, it must have lost all signs of life. The intruder stood beside the dead Zong Yan. He stood there in awe for a few seconds, then backed up a few steps with weak feet, and hit the storage shelf where I was.There was a sound above my head, and something fell on the glass box in which I was placed.It turned out to be the Napoleon puzzle box.The lid of the box was lifted halfway, and the puzzle pieces inside spilled out. At this time, the intruder seemed to have finally come to his senses, he hurriedly escaped from the room away from the corpse, and closed the door forcefully.A gust of wind pressure from closing the door made the puzzle box, which was delicately balanced on my head, slide down and block my eyes. I sigh helplessly. My host seems to be dead again. Thanks to it, I can't see anything again.