Chapter 933

After the dishes arrived, Eto Miyabi proactively picked up the wine flask and filled Uesugi Muneyuki's cup, then poured one for herself: "This Kobe Frosted Beef meal is on me. I should properly thank you."

Uesugi Muneyuki lifted his wine cup but didn't drink, just holding it in his hand: "Thank me for what?"

"Thank you for not revealing my matter at the press conference. If you had, I would never have been able to recover. Although many people now know I'm connected to Souda's situation, at least on the surface I haven't been convicted, haven't been prosecuted, haven't been imprisoned."

The room was filled with a faint, rich fragrance—the scent of "Portrait of a Noblewoman" perfume, a complex blend of rose, patchouli, and incense, smelling luxurious and decadent, rich and overpowering, drifting with the air in silken threads into her nostrils. She lounged lazily on the dark red velvet sofa, her black tight-fitting fish-tail gown clinging tightly to her body, outlining an astonishing hourglass curve.

The high slit design of the fish-tail gown dress exposed her right leg completely to the air, her leg wrapped in glossy gray horsefat micro-sheer stockings, appearing exceptionally delicate and smooth; the firelight made that layer of fabric, thin as a cicada's wing, reflect an oily yet cold luster, as if coating her already fair, smooth skin with a layer of liquid silver glaze, making her look even more elegant and mysterious.

The tulip cup in her hand swayed gently, deep amber liquor clinging to the glass wall, her body leaning slightly forward, the deep V-neck of her black gown drooping downward, her upper body like Snow Peak Teacher—round and full, proudly exposed, a deep arc forming between her ample valleys, just like Ryo Teacher, drawing the gaze involuntarily; and within the dress's slit, the transparent gray stockings beneath revealed a darkness so deep it nearly swallowed sight and thought, exuding the dangerous, toxic fragrance of a sinner.

"I... I don't know how to thank you;... after all, I've caused you trouble..." Eto Miyabi said somewhat embarrassedly. Uesugi Muneyuki glanced at her light purple eyeshadow, then suddenly laughed: "Your little tricks this time were just good luck. You used Souda Sosuke's schedule to make the Hyogo Prefectural Police target him; you exposed his affair to gain advantage in the divorce; you may have even leaked his whereabouts to some media beforehand. These things you did covertly, but that doesn't mean others can't see traces. This time you got lucky, because you encountered the Hyogo Prefectural Police, who prejudged Souda Sosuke as guilty, so they didn't dig into your issues."

"If I were handling this matter, Miss Eto, you wouldn't have been so lucky."

Eto Miyabi felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing this; she had been feeling proud earlier, her finger paused on the rim of the wine cup, her radiant smile hadn't faded but had dimmed somewhat: "Then what do you want me to do? Mr. Uesugi, I admit I've done some... not-so-glorious things. But I don't regret them. If I hadn't done those things, I might still be waiting at home for a man who never comes back, while he continues his affairs outside, and I could do nothing."

"That's exactly what I fear most." Uesugi Muneyuki closed his eyes: "Successful people are mostly somewhat arrogant."

"The famous anti-gambling streamer Jie Jie once said, gambling fears that you have won money; if someone starts gambling and loses, then keeps losing, they actually probably won't become a true gambling addict."

"What's feared is that he has won before, and won many times."

"That way, every time he loses, he recalls that time he won money, blames bad luck or failure to seize the opportunity, and this repetition is what truly creates a gambling addict."

Uesugi Muneyuki looked at her, his eyes holding an unintentional probing: "I'm glad you didn't kill anyone, didn't hire a killer, didn't indulge anyone to kill, and stopped at that line. But you've already reached the edge. If you take one more step forward, you'll find you can't turn back. Next time you encounter something similar, maybe you won't have such good luck."

"This time, you still managed to hold back—you only hired people to investigate, to follow, because as spouses you have a loyalty principle under the law, so whether this counts as illegal... I can't really say, but undoubtedly you're already in a gray area." Uesugi Muneyuki said with narrowed eyes: "Yes, you made a big sum this time, and also secured a five-year major contract; calculated this way, you didn't just get 300 million yen from Souda's side, but according to NHK's compensation, your annual income is stably over 7 million yen, right?"

"Yes." Eto Miyabi nodded, she pressed her lips together and put down the wine cup, remained silent for a long while, a breeze blew through the courtyard outside the window, the stone lantern's light shimmered on the water surface once, then she lifted her head to look at Uesugi Muneyuki: "You've lectured me correctly. I did get carried away with pride. I will remember your words today. If one day I really get into trouble, I will definitely come to trouble you."

"I'm just worried about this, Eto-san—windfall wealth is certainly great, but you must remember that this time your scheming not only caused a pile of deaths, but also nearly dragged you in yourself; next time, you may not have this luck, and I may not necessarily be arranged to come rescue people." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded.

"I just... Uesugi-san, I also hope you understand one thing... I used to work as a local idol, you should know that, right?" Eto Miyabi sighed, she gave a bitter smile and said: "Back then I was terrified of poverty, I am a woman, women need security, I lacked security, so I needed a lot of money; I married Souda thinking I would have security, but this guy cheated again, you know, in this country Japan, women's work is heavily discriminated against with a ceiling right there, and entertainment industry income also..."

When the two spoke to this point, the music in the club changed.

It became Korean artist B0A's "Eternal."

Eto Miyabi followed the mood and said: "Just like Korean artists, just like Girls' Generation."

"Pfft!" Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't hold back, laughed, but still showed understanding by nodding.

Korean artists are notorious sweatshop factories; many artists, after debuting, besides a few hundred thousand won monthly living expenses, even owe the company a large sum, because all training costs are charged to them.

But when Korean artists become famous, making money is truly making money.

Take Girls' Generation as an example.

The 2008 Girls' Generation was a typical "negative income" group; due to the Black Sea incident and various chart-pushing, appearance fees, besides YoonA, the other members earned only a few million won each this year after settlement, and still owed the company money to offset, meaning some might get almost nothing.

But by 2009, with Gee's explosion and Genie's explosion, Girls' Generation's year-end settlement averaged 20-30 billion won per person (won and yen roughly equivalent at 10:1).

Meanwhile, on the Japanese idol side, top idol Sashihara Rino's annual income is only 50 million yen (and strictly speaking, Sashihara's income mainly comes from variety shows; pure idols can't even cross the 30 million yen threshold).

Those who can reach 200-300 million yen annual income are only national treasures like Aragaki Yui, Aya-se Haruka, or superstars like Bīnqí Bù. And during Girls' Generation's peak years 11-14, Kim Tae-yeon and YoonA's annual settlement exceeded 10 billion won, which in Japan only someone like Beat Takeshi could reach.

Mai Xuejie, by contrast, earns 1.5 billion yen annually, but her main income doesn't come from the entertainment industry.

So by 2014, Girls' Generation collectively bought luxury mansions in Cheongdam-dong and similar areas, each becoming ultra-wealthy.

Another example: Kwon Ji-yong, his agency settlement alone is 65 billion won per year.

K-pop sweatshop is real sweatshop; to truly earn is truly to earn.

This is very Korean.

But Japan's stable work is something Koreans lack; Japanese agencies support large numbers of non-earning artists, Koreans don't. "You can't only be happy about your stable wage when others are in debt at debut, and then seek security when they're making big money." Uesugi Muneyuki casually remarked: "Anyway, you really made a killing this time—enough, right?"

Eto Miyabi slightly turned her body, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment: "This time, I truly owe it to you. If you're willing... I can find a time to thank you alone."

Uesugi Muneyuki looked at her, not moving his gaze: "Thank you. But not now. Wait until your heart is truly ready to say it. And you must first completely walk out of Souda Sosuke's shadow. Then we can talk again."

Eto Miyabi softly responded, without asking further.

She lifted her wine cup and took a sip, her gaze falling on the stone lantern in the courtyard outside. The water surface in the courtyard regained its calm, the reflection clear and complete, as if nothing had just happened.

Only Uesugi Muneyuki's complexion looked not very good.

Actually he himself doesn't mind, Eto Miyabi is indeed a beautiful woman.

But... his Seishokurin cracked a tooth sound!

That is, he now can't normally boki tooth sound!

He must wait for Mai Xuejie to use One Lotus Together Born to heal before he can regain vigor! So he cannot possibly agree to Eto Miyabi's request!

Cannot Be! I, the esteemed Pervert of the Metropolitan Police, will actually have a day of inability?!??

Mai Xuejie save me tooth sound!!!