Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"I don't think Minister Chibo would refuse such credit for solving a major case."

Lin Xiuyi's eyes were filled with confidence.
“At this critical juncture for his promotion, a case like this, which allows him to demonstrate his abilities and gain the appreciation of his superiors, is definitely of great importance to him.”

Upon hearing this, Ikeba Shizuka gave him a reproachful look, but her eyes held a hint of amusement, clearly indicating that she agreed with him.

“You really know his thoughts perfectly. Okay, I'll go call Uncle Gangsi.”

After saying that, she turned around and left.

Just as Tomizawa Chikage was about to speak to Hayashi Hideichi, Ikenami Shizuka suddenly stopped, uttering a light, teasing remark.

"See you later, Miss Phantom Thief."

"See you……"

Tomizawa Chikage subconsciously answered in the same manner.

The words had barely left her lips when she suddenly realized something was wrong. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she abruptly looked up at Chibo Jinghua.
"How...how did you know?"

She had kept her identity well hidden and had never revealed it to Ikeba Shizuka. How could the other party suddenly expose her disguise?
Chibo Jinghua turned around, her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes showing a mixture of understanding and annoyance.

"No wonder you came back so late yesterday. I thought it was a bit strange at the time, but I didn't think much of it."

She paused, then turned her gaze to Lin Xiuyi, her tone clearly reproachful, even tinged with anger.

"When I get back from this call, you'd better give me an explanation, you accomplice of the Phantom Thief Lady!"

After saying that, the girl didn't linger. She turned around briskly and walked out of the exhibition area to find a public phone booth to make a call.

Lin Xiuyi and Fu Zeqian were left standing there, looking at each other in an awkward silence.

Tomizawa Chikage hung her head, her face full of panic and helplessness, and asked Hayashi Hideichi in a low voice, barely audible, "What... what do we do now?"

Lin Xiuyi shrugged and rolled her eyes at her.
"How should I know? Who told you to react so quickly and agree so readily? Isn't that tantamount to admitting guilt?"

"Why don't you wait for her to come back and just kneel down and beg her to forgive you? Maybe she'll soften her heart and keep your secret."

"Hmph, I'm the Phantom Thief Lady!" Upon hearing this, Tomizawa Chikage reflexively straightened her back, put her hands on her hips, and tried to strike a proud pose. "It would be too shameful to kneel down and beg for mercy! I have my dignity!"

“Indeed,” Lin Xiuyi nodded in agreement, but there was a hint of mockery in his eyes. “Then you can just wait to go to prison. Don’t worry, I’ll come to see you once a year. I’ll bring you some good food that you can’t get in prison.”

“Every year? You’re so heartless!” Tomizawa Chikage pouted and protested, “You have to come see me at least once every two weeks! And you have to bring the latest art magazines and snacks!”

After saying that, the girl realized what she had said and quickly slapped her face, spitting out the bad luck as if to expel the words: "It's all your fault for teasing me with these words. What if it really comes back to haunt me? I don't want to go to jail!"

Seeing her flustered yet adorable appearance, Lin Xiuyi couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Don't worry, Miss Chibo isn't that kind of person. If she really wanted to expose you, she wouldn't have just said 'I'll explain when I get back,' she would have taken action directly."

"Oh, so you say 'she's not that kind of person'?" Tomizawa Chikage glanced at Hayashi Hideichi, her eyes filled with obvious displeasure and a hint of... jealousy? "What, you know her very well? So confident?" Hayashi Hideichi frowned at the question, a look of helplessness and impatience on his face.

He reached up and rubbed his throbbing temples, his tone tinged with a hint of sarcasm: "...Are these the kinds of things you women think about all the time?"

In his view, the most important thing right now is to investigate the volunteers and prevent the theft of the Terracotta Warriors, rather than getting caught up in such irrelevant interpersonal relationships. Tomizawa Chikage's sudden questioning really caught him off guard.

"Humph!"

Tomizawa Chikage was speechless for a moment after hearing his words. Her face darkened, she snorted heavily, turned her head away abruptly, crossed her arms, and looked like she couldn't be bothered to talk to him anymore. She was both angry and annoyed.

He was the one who gave vague answers first, and I only asked a couple more questions, yet he turned around and accused me of having no business on my mind. That's just too much!
The girl secretly glanced at Lin Xiuyi out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that he had no intention of coaxing her, she became even angrier, and the atmosphere around her seemed to drop even further.

Seeing her sulking, Lin Xiuyi shook his head helplessly and didn't say anything more. He just turned his gaze to the entrance of the exhibition hall and silently waited for Chi Bojinghua's news. In his mind, he was planning the details of questioning the volunteers and thinking about which angles to approach the issue from in order to find the flaws more quickly.

A silence fell between the two, the atmosphere becoming somewhat tense, the noise of the surrounding tourists only making their silence stand out even more.

Just then, Hattori Heizo arrived with Kawada Haeko, Yoshida Aoi, Ono Kayoko, and Maeda Yoto.

Hattori Heizo walked with a steady gait, his face still bearing a hint of seriousness, clearly still pondering the case. He walked up to Hayashi Hideaki and asked directly,

"How's it going? Any progress on Miss Chibo's side? Is her uncle willing to get involved in the investigation?"

His biggest concern was the police intervention, as that was the key to breaking the deadlock.

“Miss Chibo went to make a phone call,” Lin Xiuyi said calmly, his gaze still fixed on the entrance. “We’ll know the result when she comes back.”

Hattori Heizo nodded, about to say something, when Kawada Hako, standing beside him, keenly sensed that something was amiss.

Her eyes darted around, landing on Tomizawa Chikage, who was clearly sulking. Then she glanced at Hayashi Shuichi's slightly helpless expression, and her interest was piqued. A gossipy smile spread across her face as she leaned closer and whispered, "..."

"Hey? What's wrong with you two? Did you have a fight? Tomizawa looks really unhappy."

"I……"

Lin Xiuyi was about to speak, wanting to explain that it was just a small misunderstanding.

Chikage Tomizawa, standing nearby, spoke first, her tone tinged with grievance and accusation, deliberately raising her voice so everyone could hear.

"He just said that we women have nothing better to do than think about all sorts of nonsense!"

As she spoke, she deliberately raised her eyes and glared at Lin Xiuyi, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice and was trying to gain the support of others.

"Hey, Lin Xiuyi! What did we do to offend you?"

Upon hearing this, Kawada Haeko immediately put her hands on her hips, her tone indignant.
"How can we women be so careless? That's going too far!" (End of Chapter)