Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 555 A loving father and a filial daughter! (Please give me a monthly ticket!)

"Ms. Hanai's room is on the second floor, right?"

Kogoro Mori asked loudly as he climbed the stairs briskly. His voice echoed in the corridor with a hint of urgency and certainty.

When he stepped onto the stairs, he paused deliberately, raised his eyes and stared at the ceiling. His gaze was so sharp that it seemed to be able to drill through the floor and reach Secretary Hanai's room.

As for why they had to go to the second floor to find Secretary Hanai to inquire about Takei Naoko's situation even though she was already in the room?
The reason was very simple. When he asked Secretary Hanai about Takei Naoko, his emotions suddenly went out of control like a flood. He collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably. He cried bitterly, and his grief-stricken look seemed to let out all the pain that had been pent up in his heart for a long time. He cried so hard that he almost fainted.

Seeing this scene, everyone couldn't bear it, so they hurriedly asked Mao Lilan, who couldn't bear to watch it, to step forward, comfort her softly, and carefully helped her walk to the room on the second floor, hoping that she could calm down in a quiet environment.

Originally, everyone didn't want to disturb Secretary Hua Jing until she had calmed down.

After all, everyone can see that she is in a terrible state now.

But who could have imagined that the investigation into the case would soon come to a standstill, and all the clues disappeared without a trace like a kite with a broken string.

However, Secretary Hanai's various behaviors make people feel that she must have the key information to solve the mystery.

Therefore, although they felt very reluctant, Kogoro Mori and his group decided to go to the second floor and ask Secretary Hanai about the situation again.

"Yes, that's what President Takei said." Bai Ye nodded, with a hint of indifference in his tone, "He also said that Miss Hanai might know something important, but she is not emotionally stable right now, so he suggested that we wait until she calms down before asking her."

Maori Kogoro took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling violently, his face showing a mixture of seriousness and helplessness: "I know, but time waits for no one. We must find clues as soon as possible, otherwise the case may become more complicated, and Miss Takei Naoko's safety may also hang in the balance."

Conan followed behind Kogoro Mouri and Byakuya, his little brows tightly furrowed into the shape of a "川" character, and the scene of Secretary Hanai crying kept replaying in his mind.

He always felt that there was some unknown secret behind those tears.

After all, there are always unknown secrets hidden behind those seemingly simple emotional breakdowns.

What's more, as the father of Takei Naoko, President Takei was visibly saddened after his daughter was kidnapped, but he still maintained a certain degree of restraint.

Secretary Hanai, on the other hand, cried bitterly and almost fainted. This was somewhat unreasonable no matter how you looked at it.

You know, after all, Secretary Hanai is just President Takei's secretary, not Takei Naoko's close relative!
"Secretary Hanai's abnormal mood must be closely related to the case!"

While Conan was pondering secretly, he was carefully sorting out every detail of the case in his mind, not missing any possible clues.

Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something, his footsteps paused slightly, and his eyes lit up instantly, "Could it be because...she has a special relationship with Takei Naoko? Or does she know some secrets that will threaten me?"

A series of bold speculations flashed through Conan's mind. Although these ideas were bizarre, they could explain the unreasonable behavior of Secretary Hanai.

Thinking of this, Conan narrowed his eyes slightly and quickened his pace to catch up with the others. He planned to verify his guess from Secretary Hanai's reaction after meeting her...

……

Soon, everyone arrived at the second floor.

In the quiet corridor, dim and soft lights poured down, but they could not dispel the solemn atmosphere that seemed to be materialized all around.

The group came to the door of Secretary Hanai's room. Kogoro Mori just raised his broad palm and was about to knock on the door. However, before his rough knuckles touched the door panel, the door shook slightly and slowly opened.

The next second, a girl with skin as white as snow and pretty face, as if she had walked out of a painting, walked out of the room gracefully.

The girl's skin was as white as snow, delicate and almost transparent, like the purest first snow in spring, with delicate features and a pair of lively lavender eyes, which seemed to be able to touch people's hearts every time she looked at them. The bangs in front of her forehead fell softly on her forehead, just right to modify her beautiful face, and a playful curl on the top of her hair slightly protruded forward, adding a bit of liveliness and playfulness to her originally gentle temperament.

It was Mao Lilan.

The moment he saw Maori Ran, Maori Kogoro was slightly startled, a flash of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then his face was full of concern. He strode forward and asked anxiously: "Xiaolan, how is Miss Hanai?"

"father!"

Hearing her father's concerned question, Mao Lilan slowly raised her head. In the past, her pretty face, which was always full of youthful vitality, was as bright as the warm spring sun. But now, it was shrouded in a faint sadness, just like the dark clouds that passed by in spring, covering up the past brilliance, no longer as bright and moving as before. "Naoko seems to rely on Miss Hanai as if she were her own sister. Their relationship is particularly deep."

She paused for a moment, as if trying to calm her surging emotions, and then continued slowly, "Since Naoko's mother passed away a long time ago, Miss Hanai has been by her side like a family member over the years, taking care of her meticulously and showing great concern. To Naoko, Miss Hanai has long been an indispensable relative in her life, like breathing, so she respects and relies deeply on Miss Hanai from the bottom of her heart."

Conan listened quietly to Ran Mouri's narration, and subconsciously looked up at the bed frame next to Secretary Hanai's bed.

There, a photo of Takei Naoko and Secretary Hanai came into view. In the photo, the two stood side by side, their smiles as bright as the warm spring sun, snuggling together intimately, their body language full of trust and dependence.

Seeing them like that, people who didn't know the truth would really think they were a pair of sisters who were connected by blood and had a deep friendship.

At this moment, Conan suddenly realized and finally understood why Secretary Hanai cried so heartbreakingly when he learned the bad news about Takei Naoko.

The reason is very simple. After so many years of living together day and night, Takei Naoko treated her as her own sister, and Secretary Hanai also treated her as his closest relative.
The person whom he regarded as his own sister was kidnapped and her life or death was in danger. Anyone would be sad and upset about such a thing, let alone Secretary Hanai, who regarded the other person as a blood relative!

Maori Kogoro nodded slightly and said thoughtfully: "It turns out that Takei Naoko has always regarded her father's secretary, Ms. Hanai, as her own sister. No wonder they have such a deep relationship."

I just don't know whether the deep friendship between Secretary Hanai and Takei Naoko is inextricably linked to this case.

But on second thought, Kogoro Mouri felt that this kidnapping case was most likely not related to Secretary Hanai.

After all, in that photo, Secretary Hanai and Naoko Takei were snuggling up to each other with sincere smiles. The natural intimacy between them could not be faked in any way. It was a kind of trust and dependence that came from the heart and could not be created by deliberate flattery.

"Yes, Secretary Hanai is also concerned about Naoko. She cried so hard and was so emotional that she fell asleep."

Mao Lilan frowned slightly, turned her head and glanced at Secretary Hanai who was sleeping on the bed in the room. Her beautiful brows were full of worry and sympathy.

At this moment, Secretary Hanai looked pale and had a frown on his face, as if he could not get rid of the pain of losing Naoko even in his sleep.

"correct……"

As she spoke, Ran Maori blinked her beautiful eyes, as if she had thought of something important. Then she looked at Maori Kogoro, who was thinking, with concern, "Dad, have you asked President Takei for a list of possible business enemies?"

If they could find a suitable suspect, they would be able to unravel the case and find the real culprit behind the scenes in the shortest possible time and rescue Takei Naoko, who is in deep trouble, safely.

Hearing what Mao Lilan said, Mao Li Kogoro sighed helplessly. That sigh was full of helplessness and frustration, and his face was full of worry. "Alas, President Takei's reaction was particularly intense. It's not easy to force further questioning. This is a bit troublesome."

When Kogoro Mori recalled his conversation with President Takei, he felt a headache.

Although President Takei verbally promised to fully cooperate with his investigation, once sensitive issues concerning the company were touched upon, he seemed like a different person. He would either talk about other things with flickering eyes, trying to change the subject, or he would be vague and give ambiguous answers without any substantive content.

After some questioning, Kogoro Mori felt like he was groping blindly in a fog, gaining nothing and failing to get any valuable clues from the other party.

Not only that, if he remembered correctly, the information he obtained from Inspector Megure indicated that the so-called ransom prepared by President Takei when he was negotiating with the kidnappers appeared to be stacks of thick banknotes, but in fact, they were all wrapped in newspapers!

Newspapers were disguised as ransom to negotiate with the kidnappers. When the police and detectives were investigating the intelligence, they were perfunctory and evasive. The information they provided was evasive, half-true and half-false, making people confused.

If he didn't know for sure that Naoko Takei and President Takei were biological father and daughter, Kogoro Mori would really have to doubt whether Naoko Takei was President Takei's biological daughter.

As soon as these words came out, Mao Lilan's heart suddenly became extremely heavy, as if she was being pressed down by a huge rock. Her voice also lowered unconsciously, and her tone was full of sympathy and concern for Takei Naoko. "Takei Naoko, her life or death is still unknown, but her father refuses to cooperate with the police detective work. Oh, she is so pitiful."

Conan stood aside, listening to their conversation quietly, his eyes behind the lenses flashing sharply.

He silently sorted out the known clues in his mind: President Takei's unusual behavior, the special relationship between Secretary Hanai and Takei Naoko; all of this seemed like a tangled mess that needed to be unravelled.

To be honest, he really couldn't understand President Takei's series of actions. Money is important, and the future of the company cannot be ignored, but no matter how important it is, can it be compared with his only daughter, Takei Naoko? You know, Takei Naoko is his closest relative in this world! On the one hand, President Takei kept saying that he would do his best to save his daughter, but on the other hand, he used newspapers to fool the kidnappers. This contradiction is really incredible.

As he thought about it, Conan frowned slightly, and a bold idea suddenly flashed through his mind: "Could it be that President Takei has some fatal handle firmly in the hands of the kidnappers, so he dare not cooperate with the investigation, and can only take the risk of trading with a fake ransom? Or, behind this seemingly simple kidnapping case, there is a deeper and more complicated conspiracy?"

Taking in the expression on Conan's face, Byakuya frowned slightly, then walked to Ran Maori's side, patiently comforting her, trying to reassure her, "Ran, don't be too sad. The fact that Takei Naoko was not found in the van just proves that she is very likely still alive. Moreover, since the criminal dared to kidnap President Takei's daughter, he must have expected the police to intervene. Coupled with the long-planned car accident, maybe Takei Naoko was not in the car at all, just as we previously speculated."

A glimmer of hope flashed across Mao Lilan's eyes, but it was replaced by doubt in an instant: "But, hasn't President Takei confirmed that it was Naoko? As a father, he wouldn't mistake his own daughter, right?"

Bai Ye shook his head slightly, his eyes revealing wisdom and calmness. "Does it mean it is definitely her? You know, with the car window between us and her eyes and mouth covered, who can be sure that it is Miss Takei Naoko? Maybe the criminal used some kind of sleight of hand to deliberately mislead everyone."

Mao Lilan's eyes lit up and she felt a little relieved. "Now that you put it, it seems to make sense. Naoko may still be alive!"

But before long, her mood became depressed again: "Even if that's the case, the criminal was forced to drive his car into the river. In this case, how could he leave Naoko alive?"

Bai Ye explained slowly, "On the contrary, the criminal didn't get the money, and his identity wasn't exposed. He will definitely continue to contact President Takei and try to gain benefits. So, don't worry too much!"

While comforting Mao Lilan, Bai Ye did not forget to flatter Mao Li Kogoro, trying to make the depressing atmosphere more relaxed. "Besides, think about it on the bright side. Uncle Mao Li is so capable, he will surely solve the case quickly and rescue Takei Naoko, right, Uncle Mao Li!"

(End of this chapter)