Chapter Twenty A Decision

  Fujiwara Shō returned to the room, his mind preoccupied and distant. His wife, Yamaguchi Mireiko, who had been with him for half a century, couldn't help but notice that something was amiss. However, she knew that if her husband wanted to talk about it, he would tell her himself. If not, then there was no need to pry. Everyone has some small secrets in their heart, and trust is the most fundamental bottom line between spouses. Yet, even until they went to sleep, Fujiwara Shō didn't show any inclination to open up, remaining as quiet as usual.

  "Win, say it." Mizuko was in the bed, looking at Shō Fujiki lying beside her, a faint sentence without a head or tail.

  Tong Guo had just finished his morning exercise and was pondering this question. For so many years, he had been studying the problem of changing one's voice, but to no avail. Then, Li Qiu's single cry deeply resonated with him, who seemed to have seen a glimmer of light in the midst of confusion, yet felt lost in a labyrinth. Suddenly, it was as if he had found the starting point again, allowing him to re-examine the results of his research over the years. After spending a whole day reorganizing decades' worth of research materials, he finally discovered the reason why he had not succeeded all these years. Li Qiu, this child, was the crucial starting point for verifying this reason.

  "Wife, that child, are you planning to take him in and start teaching him?" Which of her students hadn't he seen before? How many times hadn't he been by their side during the test? This test, for her students, was at most two days and two nights, and at least half a day. But among those people, the majority were adults. Adults and children are different, adults' thinking is more mature, while children's thoughts are more sensitive. If a child can stay in a dark room for an entire day, it means his temperament and psychological endurance have surpassed that of many adults.

  "Hmm, he passed this test too. Moreover, he's still the foster son of his own son. You won't be jealous just because I'm helping his descendant, will you? But, he looks quite lovely." Yamaguchi Mirei smiled, and despite the marks of age, her peerless charm was still unmistakable.

  "Wife, after all these years, I've been with you through this relationship. Do you think I'd still be like this now?"

  "Got it, win, thank you, all those years, always with me."

  "Beautiful Bell."

  "Hmm..." Yamaguchi Mireiko's face, which showed no signs of aging, flushed slightly. Since their marriage, Fujiki Masaru rarely called her by name, instead using "wife" or "old lady". Before, when he directly called her name, it meant something (you know what).

  "Haha, we've both grown old, yes, old!" Tōnoki Masaru turned over and hugged Yamaguchi Mireiko through the blanket. It had been a long time since they'd last hugged each other. "Wife, you know that for so many years I've been searching for a way to change my voice, but until I'm old, even if I believe it will happen in a few more years, I won't be able to succeed."

  "What was that? You will definitely succeed." The study, when it was first built, wasn't specifically for Yamaguchi Mireiko, but rather a special room established by her for Fujiki Masaru. The books inside were mostly reference materials for Fujiki's research, ranging from medicine to psychology and biology, filling the shelves to the brim. Her own books only occupied one row against the wall, not even full. To help her husband, she had even read through every single book once, but unfortunately, her talent was limited, and she didn't understand a thing about medicine and biology. So, all she could do was flip through some materials for him when he needed them, reminding him from time to time.

  "I didn't have much expectation to begin with, but today, that child gave me hope. For so many years, I had a faint feeling that I was wrong about something, and it wasn't until today that I realized the reason for my failure all along was that I started too late."

  "Do you want to use that child to continue your experiment?"

  "It's very difficult, isn't it? He is Minhe's adopted son and you have promised to cultivate him well. If I were to train him, it would undoubtedly delay your lessons with him. And if we were to teach separately, our time seems insufficient..."

  "Victory, don't say it, years are just sedimentation, time is not much, and we should cherish it more. I know, I'll help you! For so many years, I've never truly helped you in any way. This time, I'm willing to help you!"

  "Isn't it bad for that child?" Tohno Masaru was puzzled, his wife said she wanted to help him, how could she help?

  "All these years, I haven't cultivated an artist yet! That kid, let's cultivate him together! You're in charge of his vocals, I'll handle the backing, and those students we've cultivated over the years should also be bothered with this!"

  "But this method may not necessarily work!"

  "I will make the artist I, Miki Yakumo, raise stand at the top even if they don't have a earth-shaking voice!"

  "Beautiful child..."

  "Let's have our first collaboration in the final stage of life, win!"

  "Mei Lingzi, thank you!"

  "We're husband and wife, aren't we?"

  "Hehe, okay! Wife." Toguchi Katsu felt that the most correct decision he had made in his life was marrying Yamaguchi Mirei. His hands unconsciously tightened their grip, as if wanting to merge her into his own body. Suddenly, Toguchi Katsu thought of a very important issue, "Wife, that child won't speak Japanese! And I don't speak Korean either, we can't communicate!"

  ……

  Kim Min-hee drove dazedly, having just returned to Tokyo from Kurashiki the day before yesterday, only to return again today. After receiving a phone call this morning, his whole body felt chilled, and his first reaction was that Lee Chiu must not have passed Miho's test; otherwise, it would take about a week, but now it had only been two days. At noon, Kim Min-hee returned to the small house covered with ivy again, holding Lee Chiu's hand, but Miho didn't say a word and let them leave.

  On the way back to Tokyo, Kim Min-hee looked at Lee Qiu with a complex expression, as if she had eaten a bitter melon, from her throat to her heart, and finally squeezed out a sentence that seemed to comfort herself and Lee Qiu, "Little Autumn, I'll teach you."

  "What are you teaching?" Li Qiu held a thick Japanese dictionary, flipping through it page by page.

  "Although I can't guarantee that you'll become a top-notch producer, I have confidence in cultivating you into one who is no less than my own producers."

  "Not necessary."

  "Do you still want to be an artist? Your conditions are not suitable!"

  "No, this morning, Yamaguchi threw this book at me and told me to read it thoroughly within two months." Li Qiu closed the Japanese dictionary in her hand and showed it to Kim Min-hee. Yamaguchi Mirei didn't directly say that she wanted him to learn Japanese well before going to find her, but instead threw a Japanese dictionary and said, "Two months, before you finish this semester, read it thoroughly and come back on leave of absence, if not, just stay in your school, no need to come." Li Qiu is not stupid, now it's almost June, one dictionary in two months, even someone with a photographic memory can't read it thoroughly. Obviously, Yamaguchi Mirei meant to let him learn Japanese well before going back.

  "This... you mean, she's taken you in?" Kim Min-hee parked the car at a nearby rest stop and asked Li Qiu urgently, he wasn't an idiot either, what kind of subtle language hadn't he heard before, just thinking about it for a moment, he already understood the meaning of Yamaguchi Mirei's words, only he didn't dare to confirm it yet.

  "If I'm not mistaken, it should be over, but she's going to teach what..." Li Qiu's words were cut off as he was suddenly hugged by Jin Min-hee, who was shouting loudly with excitement. But Li Qiu seemed to want to savor this hug, which felt a bit like the legendary "fatherly love".

  "Xiao Qiu! Haha! Xiao Qiu! Haha!"

  "Uncle Minhe, I only have two months! Two months to learn a language well, I don't even believe in myself."

  "Ahh! A kid who's not even 10 years old yet ran to my office and said they have no confidence! Immediately return to Tokyo, I'll hire the best Japanese teacher for you!"

  If the first half of the return to Tokyo was in a desolate and icy wilderness, then the second half was like being in a paradise of flowers. The excited Kim Min-hee would occasionally burst out with a loud shout, her voice piercing through the train carriage and soaring into the sky...

  "Uncle Minhe, thank you. If I may, I'd like to call you something too..." Li Qiu flipped through the Japanese dictionary and found that word which represented a senior and affection - Father.

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