Tokyo Mystery Writers

Chapter 83 The Right Choice

A red BMW M1 was parked at the entrance of the Jimbocho used book market.

As soon as Jiang Liumei got out of the car, she headed towards the old bookstore marked "Mystery".

Soon, a familiar figure was spotted inside an antique bookstore.

After all, that handsome suit was one I bought myself, so it couldn't be anything wrong with it.

The only unfamiliar thing was that shorter hairstyle.

"Teacher Wu Cheng"

Jiang Liu Meili walked into the store and greeted people softly, and soon received a response from Mai Cheng Jingjie.

"Miss Jiang Liu!"

Maishiro Kyosuke turned around, pointed to the yellowed manuscript inside the transparent safe beside him, and smiled somewhat embarrassedly:

"Miss Jiang Liu, I'm sorry, I was planning to wait for you at the coffee shop after I finished getting my hair done."

"But... it was still early, so I suddenly had a whim and went to Jimbocho for a stroll."

"But I never expected... to find Thomas Burke's manuscript of 'Mr. Altmore's Hands' here!"

"Ms. Jiang Liu, you were once the editor-in-chief of Hayakawa Shobo's *Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine*, so there's no way you wouldn't know Thomas Burke's *Mr. Oldmore's Hands*, is there?"

Jiang Liu Meili only belatedly realized what was going on when she heard Mai Shiro Kyosuke's words. She wondered what Mai Shiro Kyosuke meant by saying that her heart had been kidnapped.

It turns out I was captivated by the manuscript of "Mr. Ultraman's Hands"!

Thinking of all this, Jiang Liumei moved closer to the transparent safe and carefully looked at the yellowed manuscript paper inside.

After a long while, Jiang Liumei finally came to her senses and looked at the shop owner, asking:

"Boss, please don't mind, but this manuscript is priced at fifty million yen. Can you guarantee it's genuine?"

The shop owner, upon hearing Jiang Liumei's words, didn't seem to mind. He pointed to the manuscript in the safe and nodded solemnly.

"Miss, you can rest assured. Manuscripts are very difficult to forge because both the production date of the paper and the author's handwriting are unique."

"Although I'm asking for 50 million yen for this manuscript of 'Mr. Altmore's Hands,' the overall value of my antique bookstore is far more than 50 million yen!"

"If I dare to sell counterfeit goods and damage the reputation of Jimbocho, even if you spare me, the Jimbocho management committee will never let me off the hook."

Jiang Liumei glanced around the bookstore and then looked at the manuscript in the safe.

He then reached out and grabbed the hem of Maishiro Kyosuke's shirt, who was staring intently at the manuscript, pulling him down to his level. He then whispered in Maishiro Kyosuke's ear:

"Ms. Maishiro... you want to borrow 50 million yen from me just for this manuscript?"

Upon hearing Jiang Liu Meili's words, Mai Shiro Kyosuke's face surprisingly showed a hint of childlike innocence:

"Yes! This is it! I want it!"

"Miss Jiang Liu, you know, that's 'Mr. Ultraman's Hands'!"

"That's 'Mr. Altmore's Hands,' which beat Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Stolen Letter,' Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Red-Headed League,' and was praised by Professor Quinn as 'the most brilliant crime story ever!'"

"The world's only surviving manuscript!"

"If I had never seen it before, I probably wouldn't have wanted to own it, but I came across it today, and if I can't bring it home, it might be a regret for the rest of my life!"

Maijo Kyosuke, having only spoken halfway through his sentence, showed a rare expression of embarrassment:

"Miss Jiang Liu, if I didn't truly like you, I certainly wouldn't have asked you for this, but..."

"You're the first person I thought of...that's why I called you..."

Jiang Liu Meili thought of herself first when she heard the name Mai Cheng Jingjie. Although her expression didn't change much, she felt a little smug inside.

"It's just a manuscript, why are you making it sound like a life-or-death separation?"

"However, I can tell that you really like this manuscript, Mr. Maishiro."

"How about this, I'll call my mom and see if I can borrow this much money for you."

"However, I must say this first!"

"I can't afford this money either. If you have the money, you need to pay me back as soon as possible."

When Maijo Kyosuke heard that Jiang Liu Meili was willing to help him obtain the manuscript of "Mr. Ultraman's Hands," his excitement was beyond words. He immediately patted his chest and guaranteed it:

"Don't worry, Miss Jiang Liu! I'll pay you back as soon as I get my royalties. And if that's not enough, there's always 'Summer of the Ubume'!"

Jiang Liu Meili wasn't worried that Mai Shiro Jingjie wouldn't be able to repay the money, after all, she had already obtained definite information from the sales department that the sales of the "new book judgment" of "The Astrological Murder Mystery" had reached hundreds of thousands of copies!

The design department is also designing new covers and new bindings for the "paperback edition" and the "collector's edition".

Even excluding the unreleased "paperback" and "collector's editions," just considering the 200,000 copies of "The Tokyo Zodiac Murders," at a price of 2,000 yen per book, the minimum royalty would be 12%.

With just one book, "The Tokyo Zodiac Murder Mystery," Maijo Kyosuke could earn 48 million yen in royalties before tax. Even though Japanese royalties are subject to a tax of over 40%, Maijo Kyosuke could still earn at least 28 million yen in royalties!

However, these are not the things Jiang Liumei needs to consider most. She is now facing a huge decision.

How can I convince my mother to lend me this money?

Jiang Liumei took the phone from the store manager and dialed the number. Mai Chengjingjie stood quietly beside her, hoping that his beloved manuscript would arrive soon.

"Please connect me to the phone of Futabasha's president, Eri Bessou, and tell her that Eri Meili has something urgent to discuss with her."

After the call connected, Jiang Liumei hesitated for a long time before slowly speaking:

"Mom... could you give me fifty million yen? I need it urgently..."

Jiang Liu Meili helps Mai Shiro Jingjie borrow money, of course, hoping that Mai Shiro Jingjie can get his beloved manuscript.

But this is clearly a compromise.

From the somewhat restrained and awkward demeanor of Eri, Maijo Kyosuke could tell that asking her and her mother for money was a very embarrassing thing.

"Mom, don't ask so many questions! I urgently need the money, just think of it as wanting to buy a new sports car!"

"What? You'll give me the money, but you want me to go back to Futabasha to help out? No way! No way! Absolutely not!"

"Okay, Mom, let's change the condition! Nothing else will do! I'll agree to anything you want!"

Maijo Kyosuke couldn't hear what Eri Bessou was saying on the phone.

However, it is clear that Jiang Liu Meili has begun to use coquettish tricks to deceive Jiang Liu Bieji.

Seeing the once capable Jiang Liu Meili transformed into this awkward state because of him, Mai Shiro Kyosuke felt he was being a terrible person.

Is it really the right choice to make Jiang Liumei do this for me just because of my own special preferences?