Conan: Ran turns into an elementary school student and calls me dad.

Chapter 51 Trading

"but……"

Tomoko Suzuki abruptly changed the subject, her tone becoming serious, and her brows furrowing slightly.

"Suzuki Shiro and his damned cousin Suzuki Jirokichi aren't idiots either."

"After I forced them to retreat at the beginning, the two of them changed their strategy."

Her voice lowered, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

"Shiro Suzuki stayed in the country and colluded with those old guys who have always opposed me, constantly making things difficult for me."

"As for that old guy Suzuki Jirokichi, on the surface, I ostracized him and sent him abroad, so he can only travel around to relax."

"But in reality, he used this opportunity to contact allies in many countries and build up his strength."

"A large portion of them are American millionaires."

Suzuki Tomoko's tone was tinged with worry as she looked at Hayashi Shuichi and spoke, word by word.

"I've received word that in a few months, that old guy will return to Japan and reunite with Shiro Suzuki."

"At that time, they will use both domestic and foreign forces to force me to hand over the Suzuki family's power."

"I'm not worried about the situation in China."

She sighed softly, a hint of confidence in her eyes.

"Although Shiro Suzuki has gathered quite a few people, he is still far behind my side."

"My main concern is overseas, especially in the United States."

Tomoko Suzuki's expression turned serious, and her tone carried a hint of helplessness: "You know the situation in Japan. Once the American government puts pressure on them, even a behemoth like the Suzuki Group will find it difficult to hold on."

Lin Xiuyi leaned back on the sofa, her fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, and calmly confirmed, "So you want me to help you resolve the trouble in America?"

Tomoko Suzuki immediately straightened her back and nodded vigorously: "That's right. As long as we can deal with the forces in America and prevent their government from interfering in this matter, Shiro Suzuki in the country is nothing to fear. I am 100% confident that I can resolve this crisis."

After she finished speaking, she gazed at Lin Xiuyi quietly, patiently waiting for his reply.

Lin Xiuyi's lips curled into a smile, her tone carrying a hint of genuine warmth.

"Given our past relationship, I personally would really like to help you. But..."

He paused deliberately, his fingertips tracing the carvings on the edge of the sofa, then changed the subject.

"I'm not alone in America; I have solid partners, and I can't make decisions on my own. So, you need me to present something substantial enough to convince my friends to take action, right?"

"Shuichi, you really are heartless."

Tomoko Suzuki clicked her tongue lightly, her tone tinged with reproach, but her eyes showed little surprise, clearly having already anticipated his demands.

She turned slightly to the side, one hand resting on the sofa armrest, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a stray strand of hair by her temple, her expression calm as if she had already prepared a plan.

"If you can help me get through this crisis, I can give you and your partner one-tenth of the shares under the names of Suzuki Shiro and Suzuki Jirokichi."

"At least 30%." Lin Xiuyi refused without hesitation. "A behemoth like the Suzuki Group has far-reaching consequences. Without sufficiently tempting benefits, no one would be willing to risk offending it and stand up for us."

"At most one-fifth!"

Suzuki Tomoko's tone also turned serious. She leaned closer, her neckline revealing glimpses of her skin, but her eyes still held a resolute look.

Seeing Lin Xiuyi's brows furrow slightly, as if she was about to argue, she immediately raised her hand to stop her, her tone carrying a hint of urgent compromise.

"This is truly the bottom line I can accept!"

The woman took a deep breath and softened her tone.

"The core of the Suzuki Group is ultimately the Suzuki family. The reason I was able to win over so many family members to my side is largely because I had promised long ago that I would hand over everything in the group to my daughter, Sonoko Suzuki."

"If I give away too many shares to outsiders this time in order to win you over, I'm afraid my clansmen will start fighting amongst themselves before I even deal with Suzuki Shiro and the others. Then I'll really be attacked from both sides."

"The garden..."

Lin Xiu paused slightly upon hearing the name.

He was silent for a moment, then looked up at Tomoko Suzuki and said solemnly, "I can agree to help you, but you must also agree to one request of me."

"What are your requirements?"

Tomoko Suzuki's eyes instantly sharpened, and her body tensed slightly.

"If you go too far, even if it's you, I won't agree."

She has worked her way up to her current position for over a decade, paying a price that most people can hardly imagine. She would never easily relinquish the power she has gained.

Whether it was the Suzuki brothers or Hayashi Shuichi, she had no room to compromise on the ownership of power within the Suzuki family.

"Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you."

Lin Xiuyi smiled faintly, her tone softening.

"Moreover, the shares allocated to my side can be reduced to one-tenth of what you initially mentioned."

Upon hearing this, Tomoko Suzuki became even more alert than before, her brows furrowing tightly.

She understood the principle that "to take, one must first give" better than anyone else.

Lin Xiuyi's willingness to concede must have been driven by deeper considerations, which made her uneasy.

However, Lin Xiuyi's next words greatly exceeded her expectations.

"My only request is that you give all the remaining shares to Sonoko."

"What???"

Tomoko Suzuki abruptly stood up from the sofa, her composure shattered, and she glared at Shuichi Hayashi with a trembling voice.

"You...you already knew?"

Her heart pounded wildly; the secret that had been buried for over a decade had been so easily exposed.

"Yes." Lin Xiu nodded without any concealment, "Because of an accident, Yuanzi and I did a DNA test, and that's how we found out she's my daughter."

"Accident?"

Tomoko Suzuki sighed helplessly, slowly sat back on the sofa, her eyes vacant, her tone carrying a sense of fatalism.

"Is this fate? I originally wanted to keep this secret from everyone and let it rot inside me."

She turned to look out the window, where green hills and clear waters unfolded before her eyes, but her thoughts drifted back to more than a decade ago.

"Actually, if Sonoko were a boy, I wouldn't be in all this trouble now."

The woman's voice carried a hint of self-mockery.

"When we first got together, my plan was simple: I wanted to have a boy with you."

"Back then, those old guys from the Suzuki family were constantly making trouble for me and sowing discord."

"And that coward Suzuki Shiro didn't dare to stand up and protect me at all; he just kept running away and backing down."

"From that moment on, I never wanted that idiot to touch me again."