Since the "hero saving the beauty" incident, Aoyama Xiu Xin had started to aggressively pursue Hashimoto Youko, while Hashimoto Youko, despite her rejections, repeatedly accepted his date invitations. Under these circumstances, their "relationship" logically progressed quickly.

Time swiftly moved on to the end of July.

That day, as soon as Hashimoto Youko arrived at work, Zhongshan Junmei called her to the office, "Auntie, you wanted to see me?"

"Mm, Youko, you're here." Zhongshan Junmei stopped her work, looked up, and asked, "You've been quite close with Aoyama Xiu Xin these past few weeks. How's the plan progressing? How far has it gotten?"

While Aoyama Xiu Xin was pursuing Hashimoto Youko, he was nonetheless ruthless in his dealings with Zhongshan Junmei.

Zhongshan Junmei was suffering indescribable grievances.

"It's going fairly well," Hashimoto Youko said calmly, "from his words and actions, his desire to win my heart seems to be growing stronger, but I feel it's not the right time yet. I want to reel him in a bit more."

She felt that capturing Aoyama Xiu Xin was within easy reach.

Zhongshan Runmei pondered for a while, took a slow breath, closed her eyes, and said, "Please, as fast as you can."

"Auntie, what's wrong?" Hashimoto Youko asked.

Previously, Zhongshan Junmei had not been in such a rush.

Zhongshan Junmei opened her eyes, her words delivered through gritted teeth, "On the gun control issue, I suspect he's pulling a fast one on me. Ever since I proposed a crackdown on gun trafficking last month, the Criminal Department and the local police stations have frequently reported the eradication of various gun trafficking gangs, time and again telling me about the progress and achievements."

"But what about the results? Criminal gun possession in Hokkaido hasn't decreased at all. In fact, there have been even two minor skirmishes involving Violent Gangs with guns. Wasn't the gun control supposed to be effective? Where did these guns come from?"

The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, grabbing today's newspaper from in front of her and slamming it violently onto the desk.

The front page of the newspaper featured a conspicuous headline: "Gun Control in Hokkaido Effectiveness Questionable? What Is the Real Truth?"

In this article, the reporter sharply questioned Zhongshan Junmei, pointing out that in just one month since her appointment, she held five press conferences boasting about the efficiency of the gun control policy, yet this month's gun-related crimes were significantly higher than the previous month.

On one hand, the police continuously claim to be victorious in battling gun trafficking gangs, and on the other hand, the visibly worsening proliferation of firearms, why is there such a contradiction?

"Is... what's written in the newspaper true, Auntie?" Hashimoto Youko asked, incredulous.

Zhongshan Junmei's expression was grim, her face as dark as if she had just lost a mother, "Hokkaido News certainly wouldn't fabricate stories. If they dare to make such claims, it must be after careful investigation and statistics. So, there's only one possibility: Aoyama Xiu Xin intentionally showed me the reports about eradicating gun trafficking gangs, but deliberately concealed the ongoing gun-related cases."

She had been marginalized by Aoyama Xiu Xin. Aoyama Xiu Xin was controlling what she could see.

Aoyama Xiu Xin made her see the apparent success of her gun control plan, leading her to continuously take credit at press conferences related to the cases.

Yet he never let her see the gun-related cases added this month, leading her to truly believe that her gun control actions had successfully reduced gun incidents.

Now that the reporters have exposed it, she felt like her spirited and eloquent speeches at the press conferences were like a joke, like a clown!

Moreover, she could imagine that, after the widespread circulation of this report, the people of Hokkaido, who had always suffered from the proliferation of guns affecting their lives and property, would also rise in skepticism and mockery towards her. Her attempt to gain a foothold through gun control was nothing but a pipe dream.

"But the gun control achievements we made this month are real! The eradication of those gun trafficking gangs is also true! Why then, has firearm proliferation gotten worse? Could it be that those successful raids on gun trafficking gangs are all fabricated?" Hashimoto Youko's mind was a whirlwind of confusion.

"It shouldn't be. I've carefully reviewed all the reports submitted, and the loot was even displayed at the first two press conferences." Zhongshan Junmei shook her head, dismissing this suspicion, her eyes narrowed, and she spoke in a low, chilling tone, "So there's only one truth."

Hashimoto Youko waited to hear her aunt's insight.

"Aoyama Xiu Xin is insane," Zhongshan Junmei said through gritted teeth. "On one hand, he's implementing my suggestion to crack down on gun trafficking, and on the other, he's overlooking it."

"Ah!" Hashimoto Youko exclaimed, her face a mix of disbelief and anger, "How could he do such a thing? To undermine your authority, he actually committed such a heinous act. Doesn't he realize that condoning gun trafficking could lead to so many serious incidents?"

"Yes, I never thought he could be so devoid of conscience, and I subconsciously believed that on the gun control issue, he and I had the same stance." Zhongshan Junmei muttered to herself, speculating further, "Since he's capable of such actions, he might even profit from it, taking bribes from some gun trafficking gangs to help eliminate their competitors. That way, he can create the illusion that my gun control initiative is winning, while actually allowing the proliferation of guns, staining my reputation and undermining my authority."

She felt that the only mistake she made in this matter was overestimating Aoyama Xiu Xin's conscience. She hadn't realized that he could be so bad, so cruel, so venomous.

He's Japanese too! How could he be so heartless, inflaming the proliferation of firearms and threatening the lives of so many of his compatriots for a power struggle?

"Idiot! Aoyama Xiu Xin, this despicable scumbag deserves to die a thousand deaths!" Hashimoto Youko trembled with rage, her complexion pale, breaths fast and uneven as she cursed.

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