Chapter 285: The Informant

The abruptly sounding voice interrupted everyone's train of thought.

Akiwara Yuto saw the phone number and was momentarily stunned.

Akiwara Yuto said bluntly, "We're fine on this side; if you have something to attend to, go take the call first."

Satake Maki bowed slightly, said "Sorry," and walked to the balcony to answer the call.

After about 5 minutes, she walked back, looked at Akiwara Yuto with an uneasy expression, and said, "Akiwara, Xidao wants to see you alone."

Xidao?

Akiwara Yuto thought for a moment, then recalled the name "Xidao Zongtai."

The other party was a former colleague of Satake Maki and was also a member of the founding team of Anjiu Bookstore, responsible for the marketing and publicity of the publishing business.

After Anjiu Bookstore expanded, many previous employees left due to various issues, but Xidao Zongtai had always remained at Anjiu Bookstore.

Therefore, he could be considered a "trusted aide" of Anjiu Jingangyi.

However, ever since he entrusted his bookstore docking business to Asano Aiko, the other party had not been in contact with him at all; why would he want to see him now of all times?

Could it be that there is some hidden agenda behind this contract?

Akiwara Yuto thought it over and decided to agree to this private meeting, and had Asano Aiko reply to Anjiu Jingangyi that he needed some time to consider it.

……

The following afternoon, the appointed time arrived.

Akiwara Yuto hosted Xidao Zongtai in his living room.

He took the initiative to pour a cup of tea for the other party and said gently, "Xidao, it's been about a year since we last met, hasn't it?"

Although polite on the surface, the implication was: since it's been so long, what is the purpose of this visit?

"About a year and two months," Xidao Zongtai took the tea, thanked him, and then said, "Teacher Akiwara, I came here this time because something very important to you has happened."

"Something important."

Akiwara Yuto frowned and stared at Xidao Zongtai for a while, finding that he could not see any expression on the other party's face.

He pondered for a moment, understood the other party's meaning, and replied, "Xidao, among the many folk tales in Japan, my favorite is the story of the crane repaying a favor. So, if someone is helpful to me, I will certainly not be stingy with my rewards."

Xidao Zongtai received the reply he wanted and felt relieved.

After a while, he pretended to be "struggling" and said, "Teacher Akiwara, President Anjiu may have betrayed you."

Betrayed me? May have?

Although Akiwara Yuto had a vague mental preparation, he still felt it was incredible after hearing this answer.

Since his debut, all his works had been handed over to Anjiu Bookstore for publication, and he had conceded many benefits to the other party to ensure the profitability of their business operations.

Under such a cooperation model, his works were becoming increasingly popular, and Anjiu Bookstore had also come this far from being a small publisher, gaining quite a bit of fame in the industry.

He really couldn't think of a reason for the other party to betray him.

Xidao Zongtai continued, "About three days ago, a lady named Hosome Reiko specifically made an appointment to meet President Anjiu, and then the two of them left the publishing house."

"I didn't think anything was strange at the time, but the next day, President Anjiu summoned the heads of the personnel and finance departments and held a small, private meeting."

Akiwara Yuto waved his hand and asked in return, "Isn't it normal to hold private meetings?"

In the operation of the foundation, he himself would also meet with heads of individual departments to discuss specific matters.

Xidao Zongtai nodded and said, "But the location of their meeting was not inside Anjiu Bookstore, but somewhere else, and both department heads even took sick leave."

"Xidao, then how did you know they held a private meeting?" Akiwara Yuto asked suspiciously.

"Teacher Akiwara, I am, after all, the person in charge of marketing and publicity. I can obtain information through various channels that President Anjiu himself doesn't know."

Because it involved privacy, he deliberately avoided this topic and continued, "Because of this meeting, I became suspicious and investigated that lady named Hosome Reiko. I discovered that she is the executive of the business intelligence department of Jingfan Society."

Jingfan Society?!

Akiwara Yuto frowned and began to think; the other party was one of the four major publishing houses.

Although it had been at the bottom of the four major publishers for years and the gap with the other three was growing, it still had considerable influence in the industry.

So, what was the purpose of Jingfan Society seeking out Anjiu Jingangyi?

Xidao Zongtai continued, "Teacher Akiwara, has Jingfan Society approached you before to discuss copyright?"

Akiwara Yuto nodded, "They previously wanted me to hand over the reprint rights of my works to Jingfan Society for publication, but I refused."

Xidao Zongtai was not surprised, but smiled instead: "Teacher Akiwara, it's no wonder they view you as a thorn in their side."

A thorn in their side?

Akiwara Yuto was somewhat puzzled; truthfully, his only enemy was Mantan Society, and although they were unhappy with him, they had reached a reconciliation due to a series of events.

Besides, he was a writer; what reason would he have to make an enemy of a publishing house?

Xidao Zongtai seemed to see through Akiwara Yuto's confusion and explained, "Teacher Akiwara, last year, Jingfan Society held about 70% of the mystery publication market share, but this year, because of your works, their market share has plummeted, and it's not even two-thirds of what it was at the same time in previous years."

"You moved their cheese, so it's normal for them to view you as a competitor."

He continued, "Teacher Akiwara, although you don't hold any shares in Anjiu Bookstore, the biggest beneficiary of the profits after the books are released is still you. Compared to you, the meager profits of Anjiu Bookstore can only be considered pocket change."

"Do you really think President Anjiu can be satisfied with just earning this bit of hard-earned money?"

"Although I don't know what President Anjiu is planning to do right now, he and Jingfan Society are both dissatisfied with you, and they have even met privately and held several meetings. These facts alone are enough to prove a lot."

After hearing this explanation, Akiwara Yuto sorted out the cause and effect, and also understood why Xidao Zongtai said Anjiu Jingangyi "may" have betrayed him.

After all, without direct evidence, everything was just speculation.

And even if he were to betray him, what kind of action would the other party take?

At this moment, Akiwara Yuto associated this with the 10-year exclusive contract, and a different thought vaguely emerged in his mind.

Perhaps the key to everything lies in this contract!

Besides that, he also needs to investigate that person named Hosome Reiko!