SFS Chapter 164 The Style Bought
Chapter 164 The Style Bought
(There will be an extra chapter later...)
June 15, 1989.
Tokyo, Ginza 7-chome.
The rain during the plum rain season is like an endless thread, enveloping the entire city in a hazy, damp atmosphere. The asphalt road leading to the central thoroughfare is soaked and blackened by the rain, and the glow of the streetlights is stretched thin and distorted in the puddles.
G-7 CRYSTAL, a private gallery on the top floor.
The air here is strictly controlled at 22 degrees Celsius and 50% humidity by a constant temperature and humidity system. Thick bulletproof glass curtain walls block out the noisy rain outside, and the interior is so quiet that only the slight sound of leather shoes stepping on the dark gray wool carpet can be heard.
Several oil paintings, carefully illuminated by spotlights, hung on the wall.
Shuichi stood before a painting framed in heavy gold. The painting depicted a young girl in a Victorian-era dress, sitting sideways on a garden bench, reading.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir's work – "The Reading Girl".
"Satsuki".
Shuichi's voice echoed in the empty gallery, carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry.
"Will Seiji Tsutsumi really buy it? Three billion yen. Even though we're in the bubble economy, this painting is worth at least three times its face value. Besides, the Saison Group recently acquired the InterContinental Hotels Group, so their cash flow should be tight."
Satsuki sat on a velvet bench in the center of the gallery.
Today she wore a pure black high-necked sleeveless dress, with a string of warm-colored pearls around her neck. She held a FamilyMart quarterly financial report in her hand, flipping through it casually.
"Father."
Satsuki closed the briefing and placed it on her lap.
"In the past, he might have hesitated. But now, he happens to have a windfall in his pocket."
She stood up, walked to the Renoir painting, and stretched out her white-gloved fingers to trace the edge of the frame in the air.
"Thanks to S-Food's logistics reforms, FamilyMart's net profit increased by 40% last quarter. For Seiji Tsutsumi, this is money that our Saionji family helped him earn."
People are always exceptionally generous when it comes to "windfall gains." Moreover...
Satsuki turned around and looked out the window at Ginza shrouded in rain and mist.
"In his eyes, I am the hero who helped him turn the convenience store business, a 'low-end business,' into a money-printing machine. Since I can help him make money in business, he naturally considers my recommendations for art as a kind of 'value investment.'"
A crisp "ding" sounded from the elevator lobby.
Shuichi straightened the collar of his suit, and the worry on his face vanished instantly, replaced by the composure and poise characteristic of a former noble family head.
"They're here."
……
The elevator doors slid open.
Seiji Tsutsumi came out.
Compared to a year ago, the head of the Saison Group looked much better, a stark contrast to the image of him standing in front of a urinal. Although the group behind him was burdened with huge debts, the cash cow-like performance of the convenience store business gave him great confidence.
He wore a loose-fitting linen suit, without a tie, the collar open to reveal a white cotton shirt underneath. He wore tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses, and his hair was meticulously combed.
"Shuichi-kun! And Satsuki-san!"
Tsutsumi Kiyoji opened his arms wide and warmly greeted her. This warmth was no longer the insincere politeness, but rather the intimacy of seeing "one of his own".
"Mr. Seiji."
Xiuyi stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"I'm so sorry to trouble you to make the trip in this weather."
"Not at all."
Tsutsumi Seiji smiled and waved his hand, turning his gaze to Satsuki, his eyes full of admiration.
"I came here specifically to thank Ms. Satsuki. I saw FamilyMart's report last month, and S-Food's logistics system is simply miraculous. All the fresh produce that would have been wasted has now turned into profit."
He walked up to Satsuki and even bowed slightly to show his respect for this young ally.
"After seeing the cash flow statement, the bankers finally started giving Saison a friendly look. You're our lucky star!"
"Uncle Di, you flatter me."
Satsuki lifted her skirt and performed a proper curtsy, her smile sweet and humble.
"It was you who had the courage to adopt the reform plan. I only did some insignificant supporting work."
"Oh, that's too modest."
Tsutsumi Seiji was in a great mood.
The three of them took their seats.
The waiter served freshly brewed Darjeeling tea.
Without much small talk, Tsutsumi Seiji cut to the chase. In his view, the Saionji family were trustworthy business partners, and there was no need for such roundabout dealings.
"Shuichi-kun, you said on the phone that you have a 'good thing' you want to sell?"
Tsutsumi Seiji picked up his teacup and scanned the gallery with his eyes.
"I'm currently preparing for the new Saison Museum, and I'm in need of a few pieces that can truly command attention. Since it's from the Saionji family's collection, the taste is undoubtedly top-notch. After all, I've already witnessed your keen business acumen."
"It is indeed a rare and precious item."
Shuichi put down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the easel.
"My father brought this back from Paris during the Taisho era."
He grabbed a corner of the red velvet cloth and tugged it gently.
The velvet slipped off.
The colors characteristic of Renoir's later years, filled with a sense of airiness and happiness, flowed out under the lamplight. The rosy cheeks of the young girl and the blurred garden in the background exuded a captivating tranquility.
"oh……"
Tsutsumi Seiji paused for a moment, then stood up, took off his glasses, and leaned closer to examine them closely.
"So beautiful...the light, the brushstrokes."
As a poet, he was utterly powerless against such romantic works.
"If it were someone else's painting, I might have to have an appraiser examine it." Tsutsumi Seiji turned to look at Satsuki and said with a smile, "But since it was recommended by Miss Satsuki, I have complete confidence in it. Your judgment, whether choosing a business or a painting, has never been wrong."
Satsuki walked to his side and whispered:
"Uncle Ti, I think the spirit of this painting matches your Saison culture perfectly. It represents a kind of 'serene abundance.' Isn't the money you earn from the convenience store precisely to support art like this?"
She paused briefly, as if it were mentioned unintentionally.
"Unlike some people... who only know how to buy land, build buildings, and then buy more land. That kind of wealth, which reeks of bulldozing, no matter how high it is piled up, can't bring this kind of tranquility."
This statement precisely struck at Tsutsumi Seiji's weak spot—his competitive spirit towards his younger brother, Tsutsumi Yoshiaki.
Seiji Tsutsumi's expression subtly changed, then a smug smile appeared on his face.
"You mean Yoshiaki?"
He put his glasses back on and looked at the painting, as if he saw evidence in it that he was superior to his brother.
"That guy really doesn't understand any of this. All he knows is filling Tokyo Bay with concrete. I heard the other day he was in Odaiba, and he had to follow the convoy of vehicles building in Saionji, getting covered in dust?"
"That's true."
Satsuki smiled, adding fuel to the fire of the conversation.
"Although Uncle Yoshiaki Tsutsumi is assertive, he is still very polite when it comes to 'rules' and 'historical background.' He even gave way to our convoy when he saw it."
"That's right."
Tsutsumi Seiji let out a long breath, feeling completely refreshed.
The family that even his arrogant younger brother had to give way to is now his ally, and they're going to sell him this painting that symbolizes "old aristocratic taste."
The act of buying paintings itself has lost much of its significance.
This is buying a kind of "I also belong to this circle" certification. It's using the "vulgar money" he earns at the convenience store to wash away the shadow cast by his nouveau riche brother.
"I'll take this painting."
Tsutsumi Seiji turned around and looked at Xiuichi with a determined gaze.
"Shuichi-kun, name your price."
Xiuyi held up three fingers.
"Three billion."
Seiji Tsutsumi's eyelids twitched. He knew, of course, that the price was too high, even exorbitant.
But he glanced at Satsuki beside him.
The money this girl helped him earn on FamilyMart far exceeded three billion yen. Moreover, if the Saionji family offered the price, then this painting must have its hidden value—such as the "power" that even Yoshiaki Tsutsumi had to bow to.
"it is good."
Tsutsumi Kiyoshi did not haggle.
He pulled out a checkbook from his inner pocket; it was FamilyMart's bonus account.
"Consider it... buying a 'soul' for the Saison Group."
He took out his pen and quickly wrote down a string of numbers on the check.
"Three billion."
He tore off the check and handed it to Xiu Yi.
"Shuichi-kun, Satsuki-san. This painting is mine."
Shuichi took the check and glanced at the number on it.
Citibank draft. Instantly cashable.
"I hope you like it." Shuichi smiled and shook hands with him.
……
The rain stopped.
Seiji Tsutsumi took the painting and left. The staff carefully packed the painting and put it into the bulletproof stretch Lincoln.
Before getting into the car, he made a point of shaking Satsuki's hand, thanking her again for her support of the convenience store business, and warmly inviting her to visit the soon-to-be-completed Saison Art Museum.
The convoy drove away from Ginza and disappeared into the bustling traffic.
The gallery returned to silence.
Shuichi held the thin check in his hand, feeling his fingertips getting hot.
"Three billion..."
Shuichi stared at the number, somewhat dazed.
"We helped him make money, and then he got that money back with a single painting?"
"This is called 'profit repatriation,' Father."
Satsuki walked over and took the check from her father's hand.
She held the check up to the light to confirm the anti-counterfeiting watermark.
"Mr. Seiji Tsutsumi is a good man. He works hard, runs the convenience store, and makes a profit. Then he gives those profits to us in exchange for his own style."
"Isn't that fair?"
She folded the checks and put them in her handbag.
"He gained face, we gained substance."
Satsuki walked to the window and looked down at the passersby with umbrellas, hurrying by.
"Moreover, this money will be more useful to us than to him."
As Shuichi watched her pull teeth out of the tiger's mouth as if it were perfectly natural, and even complain about the tiger's bad teeth, an indescribable sense of pride welled up in his heart.
This is my daughter.
She can dance gracefully in the world of fame and fortune while wearing the most expensive gowns, and she can also ruthlessly wield a butcher's knife to harvest those vain souls.
She's so reliable and so adorable.
"Yes, it's very fair."
Xiu smiled, his eyes full of doting affection.
"Now that we have the money, let Mr. Tsutsumi enjoy his 'class' dream."
"Click".
Satsuki pressed the switch on the wall.
The gallery's spotlights were turned off.
Darkness instantly swallowed the luxurious space, leaving only the huge floor-to-ceiling windows letting in light.
Outside the window, the rain was still falling in Ginza late at night.
The colorful neon lights were blurred by the rain, turning into flowing, colorful spots of light that silently projected onto the empty red velvet easel, like a grand yet illusory dream, playing out alone on an empty stage.