The Tyrant Billionaire

In Japan in October

October was a beautiful season for travel.

After reading the latest news about the Korean war, Hardy decided to take a break and clear his mind.

He called Sayuri and asked her to prepare for a trip. Sayuri was thrilled. For some time now, she had been serving Hardy, but their encounters were brief and fleeting—he never even allowed her to stay the night.

She felt like a fleeting firefly.

Even so, Sayuri was grateful. After all, this was Mr. Hardy—the most powerful and wealthiest man in Japan. Serving him was an honor.

Sayuri dressed in her most exquisite kimono and boarded the car sent to pick her up. After a winding journey, they arrived at a small town at the foot of Mount Fuji.

On a wooden bridge, Sayuri spotted Hardy. She ran toward him in her wooden sandals, the rhythmic clattering of her steps filling the air. Hardy, who had been admiring the early autumn scenery, turned at the sound. He saw Sayuri approaching in a violet kimono, her pace brisk and light.

Sayuri was only 21—still a young woman. Explore more adventures at NovelBin.Côm

"Apologies for being late, Mr. Hardy," she said, slightly out of breath and bowing in apology.

"Come with me to the mountains. Let’s enjoy the scenery," Hardy said.

"Of course," Sayuri nodded obediently.

The two strolled along the mountain paths. In early autumn, the mountain’s layered colors were rich and vibrant. Sayuri’s wooden sandals clicked against the stone-paved road, creating a soothing rhythm.

In that moment, Hardy was reminded of a movie he had once seen,The Dancing Girl of Izu. In it, Yamaguchi Momoe wore a kimono and wooden sandals as she walked alongside Miura Tomokazu, the sound of the sandals punctuating their journey.

"Have you ever thought about acting in a movie?" Hardy asked.

"Ah—!" Sayuri was taken aback.

They had been walking in silence until Hardy’s first words caught her completely off guard. The suggestion of starring in a movie left her momentarily dazed.

"I…I’ve never studied acting," she stammered.

"Acting is primarily about being natural. I’m simply asking if you’d like to be in a movie," Hardy pressed.

"I…" Sayuri glanced at Hardy’s profile.

"I’ve thought about it before."

Hardy nodded. "Have you read Kawabata Yasunari’s novel,The Dancing Girl of Izu? Watching you walk just now reminded me of the protagonist. Let’s adapt it into a movie, and you’ll play the dancing girl."

Although Sayuri’s age was a bit older than the character, she looked youthful enough. A skilled makeup artist could make her appear even younger.

Sayuri gazed at the man.

This was the mindset of a truly powerful individual—he could conceive an idea and immediately set it into motion without hesitation.

For ordinary people, even if they envisioned such a scene, they wouldn’t dare consider turning it into a film. Producing a movie required immense funds, an unattainable luxury for most. For Hardy, however, it was trivial.

Sayuri’s heart raced with excitement. If she could star in a movie and have her image immortalized on screen, perhaps people would remember her forever.

They stopped at a traditional hot spring inn halfway up the mountain—a building entirely constructed of wood.

Hardy’s bodyguards had already made arrangements in advance.

The innkeeper bowed deeply to Hardy before welcoming him and Sayuri inside.

In the room, Sayuri’s kimono was slowly peeled away, layer by layer.

The scene resembled something straight out of a romance film.

In the hot spring, Hardy soaked comfortably in the steaming water, while Sayuri gently scrubbed his shoulders. She wore nothing, in keeping with the traditional Japanese hot spring customs.

As the evening deepened...

Sayuri finally slept beside Hardy.

This left her both excited and nervous.

After spending two days traveling, they returned to Tokyo, where Hardy received two telegrams. After reading them, his brow furrowed slightly.

The first telegram was from Andy.

Andy had learned that, following the CCP’s decision to deploy troops, Congress was deliberating further political isolation and economic sanctions against China—measures harsher than those aimed at the Soviet Union. This was both a punishment and a warning to other nations: not everyone can go to war with the U.S. to distract their people from political failures within their own countries.

The telegram mentioned that Congress was even considering shutting down Hong Kong and Macau. Their proximity to the China made entanglements inevitable, and the U.S. government wanted to ensure not even a single screw made its way into the Chinese hands.

While Hardy couldn’t care less about China’s isolation, since his investment there was so meager that the revenue from it didn’t even make it to the reports on his desk. Shutting down Hong Kong would severely impact its economy. Hardy had substantial investments in Hong Kong, and most of his factories there relied on raw materials imported from the U.S. If exports to Hong Kong were banned, those factories would grind to a halt.

This was something Hardy could not tolerate. @@novelbin@@

The second telegram came from the Actors Guild.

Hardy, as the president of the Actors Guild, relied on Reagan, his vice president, to manage most of its affairs. While Reagan’s acting might have been average, he was competent in administrative matters. Hardy rarely had time for the guild’s day to day operations, leaving Reagan to handle them unless something significant arose—this time, it had.

The McCarthyism wave was sweeping through Hollywood, causing severe disruptions to the film industry. Directors and actors alike were under immense pressure, with many companies halting production for fear of being accused of Communist sympathies. This situation was escalating.

Hardy knew well who McCarthy was. Back in February 1950, McCarthy, a U.S. senator, had caused an uproar by claiming to possess a list of 205 individuals suspected of Communist ties. This led to a nationwide frenzy.

The real backdrop to this chaos was the intensifying Cold War. Labor unions had organized tens of thousands of strikes over several years—yes, tens of thousands, averaging several strikes daily. This labor unrest was one of the reasons Hardy’s Japanese factories were thriving. With frequent strikes in the U.S., American production became unreliable, making Japanese goods cheaper even with shipping costs factored in, driving a flood of orders to Japan.

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