The Tyrant Billionaire

They want to live that kind of life, rather than being like their mothers, who spent their entire lives serving their husbands, families, and children.

The station manager escorted Hardy to the children's program section, where they were in the middle of a recording session. The show was similar to later children's programs like

Okaasan to Issho

,

PythagoraSwitch

,

Inai Inai Baa!

, or

Shimajiro no Wow!

, with a cheerful female host playing and engaging in educational games with the kids.

Hardy found the host familiar. His excellent memory quickly reminded him: this was Ayako Sasaki, the personal assistant Yoshida Shigeru had arranged for him.

Back then, she was introduced as a performance arts student, and now she was hosting on ABC Television.

Hardy and his team quietly observed from a distance as the young woman led the children. Today, she wasn't dressed in a kimono. In fact, modern Japanese people wore kimonos only on special occasions or at home.

The young woman had a round, apple-like face with a hint of baby fat, rosy cheeks full of collagen, and her most striking feature was her eyes, clear and pure, without a trace of impurity.

She wasn't particularly short, standing around 160 cm, wearing a cute dress, radiating youthful energy.

"Mr. Hardy, this is Ms. Sasaki, our popular children's program host. She's already quite well-known among the Japanese public," the station manager introduced.

Hardy nodded slightly.

Ayako Sasaki, who was busy recording, did not notice Hardy. He continued on with the station executives to a meeting room. "The station's programming needs something exciting," Hardy said. "I think a new talent singing competition could generate buzz."

"Do you mean something like 'Super Idol'?" the manager asked excitedly.

"Something like that, but it doesn't need to be as extravagant. Just a straightforward singing contest, open to all of Japan, with rounds of selections until we find a winner. You can coordinate with headquarters; our talent agency has a full operational model for this."

"Japan is still an entertainment desert. Even a simple singing competition can captivate the entire country."

After wrapping up the children's program, Ayako Sasaki bid farewell to the kids and entered the control room. "Director, how did the recording go?" she asked.

"No issues, everything was great," the director replied.

"In that case, if there's nothing else, I'll clock out," Ayako said, preparing to bow and leave.

"Wait, Ms. Sasaki! There's an important announcement: tonight, the station is hosting a reception, and our big boss, Mr. Hardy, will be attending," the director informed.

Ayako froze in surprise.

A company reception, with Mr. Hardy present.

"Why is Mr. Hardy attending our reception?" she asked in astonishment.

"It's not sudden. Mr. Hardy visited the station today, and the director invited him to join for dinner to meet all the staff," the director explained.

"Mr. Hardy came to inspect the station, and I didn't even know?" Ayako was even more surprised.

"He even visited our program section. You were busy recording, so he watched for a bit before leaving with the director," the director said.
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"Did… did Mr. Hardy see me?" Ayako asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes, he stood right here watching for quite a while, then left with the director," the director said, resuming his work.

Ayako stood there, lost in thought.

It had been half a year since she last saw Hardy. Back then, she had been assigned as his assistant, convincing herself daily to serve him with dedication, only to find herself genuinely falling for him.

In the end, Hardy never accepted her.

Later, she heard that Hardy had not been involved with any other Japanese woman, which made her respect him even more, seeing him as a man of integrity.

Later, when ABC Television began recruiting, it presented a rare opportunity for her. She decided to give it a try and, to her surprise, passed the selection process smoothly, becoming a host at ABC Television. Knowing this company belonged to Mr. Hardy made her genuinely happy to work there.

Moreover, it was an enviable job. Being an American company, the pay and benefits were very generous. As a host, she earned over 50 dollars per month, plus additional allowances for recorded shows, totaling around 80 dollars per month—a very high salary in Japan at that time.

Today, Mr. Hardy came to the company for an inspection, and she felt disappointed that she didn't get to see him.

However, Mr. Hardy would be attending the evening reception, so perhaps she still had a chance to meet him?

Bidding farewell to the director, the young woman quickly left the control room. Being a well-known host now, she had her own office, where she eagerly searched her wardrobe, trying to find her most beautiful outfit.

The reception was set at the prestigious Otemachi Fuji Residence in Tokyo.

Owned by the Fuji conglomerate, it was one of Japan's most renowned venues, designed in a traditional Japanese style, sprawling and spacious. Even without a meal, simply walking around was a delightful experience, especially in April, with the green grass and blooming flowers making it ideal for leisurely strolls.

Attendance at the reception was restricted to senior management, department heads and deputy heads, show hosts, and key directors and technicians—about thirty to forty people in total. Ordinary workers were not eligible to attend.

In essence, the reception was arranged for Mr. Hardy to meet the key personnel of ABC Television's Japan division.

The dining area featured long Japanese-style tables, with sliding wooden doors opening into four adjoining rooms. When Hardy entered, accompanied by the station director and others, everyone bowed deeply to welcome him.

Hardy was not just the television station's owner. ABC Television's Japan division was merely one branch among his numerous international enterprises.

He was the head of Hardy Group, owning dozens of major corporations. He was also a British baron, the Governor of the Cayman Islands, and Japan's Special Envoy for Economic and Cultural Affairs. In Japan, even the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers treated him with utmost respect.