Chapter 1457: Chapter 1506: The Attitude of the Aoki Family
Aoki Ryota spent a few minutes digesting the news, mainly because it was truly shocking.
Li Yifei kept smiling at him, occasionally picking up a dish to savor, while Sophia quietly ate beside him.
Aoki Reiko looked at him, then at her father.
Aoki Ryota exhaled a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "Yifei, you really are... shocking. Just when I manage to accept it, the next news is even more surprising."
Li Yifei gave a faint smile, "Hehe, what does President Aoki plan to do?"
"What do you mean by what to do?" Aoki Ryota asked, puzzled.
Li Yifei replied, "I’m not joking; with Yanagio Inujiro, it’s either you die, or I live."
Saying this, Li Yifei picked up a piece of sashimi, placed it in his mouth, and chewed lightly. The fresh seafood flavor mixed with a faint fishy taste and the taste of wasabi and other dipping sauces felt very good.
Aoki Ryota stared at Li Yifei in a daze, suddenly burst out laughing, his facial features relaxed, and said, "Yifei, you are a friend of the Aoki family and a benefactor to my little girl. We are also partners. As long as you don’t act against the Aoki family, I won’t care what you do. Whether it’s the Martial God or the God of Death, it’s all the same. The Aoki family is also a centuries-old family, and we’ve always stayed out of Yanagio Inujiro’s way."
"So, if he did something wrong and you kill him, that’s between you. It has nothing to do with the Aoki family. We are only businessmen and don’t care about martial arts matters. So, I still say, Aoki Ryota is hosting a friend."
Hearing this, Li Yifei also smiled, raised his glass, and said, "President Aoki, you are honorable, I toast to you."
"No need to mention it, after all, right and wrong should be clear." Aoki Ryota returned the toast.
Aoki Reiko breathed a sigh of relief, released her grip on her thigh, looked at her father, then at Li Yifei, and began to laugh too. She understood that if her father had handled things poorly, the two families might have broken off, and she wouldn’t be able to be friends with Li Yifei anymore.
Yanagio Inujiro’s reputation in Japan was enough to stop children from crying at night, with both good and bad reputation. Aoki Ryota daring to speak directly to Li Yifei represented the Aoki family challenging Yanagio Inujiro’s authority.
This required a great cost, and Aoki Ryota was gambling, betting that Li Yifei could take out Yanagio Inujiro, otherwise, if he came back for trouble, the Aoki family wouldn’t be able to handle it.
A mature family head should have been polite and let Li Yifei leave, rather than continue to host him for a meal and even let him stay the night.
Sophia brought up her left hand, glanced lightly at Aoki Ryota, then continued to eat. If Aoki Ryota had spoken impertinently just now, she might have acted, although Li Yifei would definitely have stopped her.
As they continued to eat, Li Yifei and Aoki Ryota exchanged drinks, going back and forth. Even though sake is light, drinking too much can still make one drunk, and Aoki Ryota got drunk, singing loudly for a while, then raised his glass to Li Yifei and said, "Feijun, you needn’t worry. The people of the Aoki family always keep their word, and we never break promises. Since we are friends, we will always be friends, and the Aoki family will not do anything to betray friends."
Li Yifei also chuckled and said, "The Li family is the same."
Aoki Reiko was the happiest person, seeing her father and Li Yifei continue drinking, the little girl beamed with joy.
After drinking, Aoki Ryota was drunk, lying down and snoring loudly. Aoki Reiko, somewhat embarrassed, said, "My father... is like this. Yifei, Dad said you should stay the night, so I’ll go prepare a room for you now."
Li Yifei declined, and Aoki Reiko bit her lip, blocking Li Yifei and said, "Yifei, whatever my father says, he will always follow through. He said he wouldn’t harm you, so he definitely won’t, so you can rest assured to stay at our house."
Li Yifei smiled at Aoki Reiko and chuckled, "Silly girl, it’s not that I don’t trust your father, but I’m afraid of causing trouble for your family. This time I’m facing one of the two most powerful people in Japan’s martial arts world. If I win, it’s fine, but if I lose, and they learn about our friendship, it would be a big problem for your family."
Aoki Reiko’s eyes widened, her hands still blocking Li Yifei, she shook her head firmly and said, "What does it matter? No matter how powerful they are, it’s now a law-governed society..."
"Alright, I’ll stay here for a few days, but don’t spread it around." Li Yifei softened and said.
Seeing Li Yifei agree, Aoki Reiko immediately smiled happily, nodded vigorously, and said, "I’ll go prepare the guest room for you."
Sophia remained silent, still playing the role of the aloof woman who never showed emotion or spoke in front of others. After Aoki Reiko left, Sophia said, "Master, are you sure you want to stay here?"
"Yes, anyway, I’m going to find Yanagio Inujiro the day after tomorrow, so I’ll stay here for a day," Li Yifei nodded and said, "Do you feel there’s something different about me lately?"
Sophia instinctively nodded, then quickly shook her head, "No, Master is still the same."
"Hehe, not honest," Li Yifei smiled and said, "Go and bring our things over, don’t forget to bring the medicine."
Sophia nodded, her figure disappearing into the darkness.
Li Yifei waited alone for Aoki Reiko.
Before long, Aoki Reiko came running back. Although she understood the danger Li Yifei was about to face, she wasn’t fully aware of it, so among everyone who knew about the situation, Aoki Reiko was the most relaxed. She always wore a bright smile when facing Li Yifei.
The gentle beauty of Japanese women was also reflected in Aoki Reiko, somewhat different from her past self. During this period, Aoki Reiko had rigorously learned many things a woman should know, such as cooking, tidying up the house, and how to treat men. She couldn’t even explain the purpose of learning these things, but Aoki Ryota understood that his daughter had grown up.
Taking Li Yifei to the guest room, it was actually next to Aoki Reiko’s room, while Sophia’s room was separated by another room.
Aoki Reiko had replaced the bedding and, considering that Li Yifei might not be accustomed to Japanese tatami, had added a mattress.
Aoki Reiko looked at Li Yifei with some anticipation, saying, "It was a bit rushed; I don’t know if it will be comfortable!"
Li Yifei gently patted Aoki Reiko’s head and said, "It’s as good as a five-star hotel, how could it not be comfortable."
Only then did Aoki Reiko feel relieved. Soon, she brought a yukata and other things to Li Yifei and said, "You can take a bath in my room; there’s a bathtub where you can soak and relax. If you don’t like it, we can also go to the hot spring in the backyard."
Li Yifei nodded and said, "Let’s go to the hot spring then."
Aoki Reiko gladly went to prepare. It seemed she was very happy to serve Li Yifei, of course as a gesture of friendship.
When Sophia returned, she found Li Yifei and Aoki Reiko soaking in the hot spring, chatting happily about something. Sophia secretly pouted. She had an injury on her leg and couldn’t get in the water, so she didn’t disturb the two enjoying the hot spring.
But the pout was inevitable; Sophia even wanted to humph, surprising herself with this emotion, which she quickly dispelled before turning and leaving.
Li Yifei sensed Sophia’s presence but didn’t say anything, immersing his whole body into the hot spring. He held his breath for over a minute before emerging, only to see Aoki Reiko’s anxious face. With a towel wrapped around her, Aoki Reiko appeared more shapely after the hot spring, the towel clinging tightly to her figure.
Li Yifei just took one glance before shifting his gaze, fearing that if he looked too much, he might start having untoward thoughts.
Aoki Reiko was evidently unaware of this situation. Seeing Li Yifei emerge from the water, she patted her chest and said, "You scared me, I thought something happened to you."
Li Yifei smiled, shook his head, and seeing Aoki Reiko inching closer, he submerged again.
This time, he held his breath for five or six minutes, and in the clear water, his senses became more attuned. Li Yifei found his awareness of the surroundings enhanced.
Even Aoki Reiko’s every breath, heartbeat, blink, or neck movement was perceptible to him.
This perception was peculiar. When Li Yifei emerged from the water, he felt he had grasped something but upon reflection, found nothing.
Shaking his head, Li Yifei decided not to dwell on it for the time being.
Aoki Reiko finally caught Li Yifei, held onto his arm, not allowing him to submerge again, leaned close, and started asking about the women back home.
Li Yifei answered one by one, and Aoki Reiko couldn’t help but laugh, remembering the past.
They soaked for more than an hour before Aoki Reiko reluctantly left the water, taking a towel to drape over Li Yifei.
Seeing the crisscrossing scars on his body, Aoki Reiko couldn’t help but blush a little.
She had to say goodbye, standing at Li Yifei’s room door with a small reluctance in her heart, but still said to Li Yifei, "Feijun, goodnight."
Li Yifei nodded and said, "Goodnight, and thank you for your hospitality today; it must have been hard on you."
Aoki Reiko quickly shook her head and said, "The meal was put together hastily; I hope you liked it."
"I loved it; it’s the best seafood I’ve ever had."
"That’s good. In the future... I can make it for you every day," Aoki Reiko eagerly said.
Watching Aoki Reiko run back to her room like a startled little rabbit, Li Yifei smiled, shook his head, and just as he was about to return to his room, he saw Sophia standing at the other end, with a lingering gaze.