He's in Detective Conan, and he's the mastermind behind everything.

And she couldn't explain her special relationship with Mizuki-kun to her mother, so in the end...

It will probably end badly.

Huh?

Thinking of this, Xiaolan immediately looked at Yingsheng: "Did you already think that if we met my mother now, some terrible things might happen?"

Ying Sheng smiled and said, "Probably. But how much to tell Attorney Fei is up to you. I don't think it'll be too bad. You can just say that we're just student lovers who comfort each other and nothing more."

Xiaolan pouted: "I already have to hide the matter of the operation from my mother, and I also have to hide my relationship with you... Ah... I'm so troubled. Almighty Shuiyue-kun, since you allowed this to happen, you must have a way to have the best of both worlds. Please give me some pointers."

"Um……"

Ying Sheng gently tapped the wine glass beside him, a slight smile playing on his lips: "I'll tell you after I drink one."

Xiao Lan glared at him, picked up her wine glass, and said, "Let's use tea instead of wine. You said last night that you would quit drinking."

"All right……"

Ying Sheng raised his glass with a disappointed look, clink—

As the glasses clinked gently, he suddenly noticed that, under the soft light, the iced tea seemed to shimmer with a hint of champagne. This slightly lifted his spirits, and he downed the glass, closing his eyes to savor the taste for a while.

Just barely enough.

Let's find some Kyoto Gyokuro to drink.

In the blink of an eye, Ying Sheng opened his eyes and looked at Xiao Lan, whose expression was quite expectant, a hint of a smile already appearing in his eyes: "Your slight reservation right now is..."

"It's not a grudge of mine."

Xiaolan interrupted, her tone wistful, "The moment I realized my terrible nature, I found that I had gotten used to maintaining this kind of relationship with you, Shuiyue-kun. I don't care what others say, but I don't want my mother to worry about me."

Ying Sheng was silent for a few moments: "Then isn't this still..."

Xiao Lan stared coldly: "No."

Okay, no.

Ying Sheng shrugged. He naturally understood Xiao Lan's feelings; it was just a matter of degree, since she was his mother after all.

"In short, the difficulty now is to get the old-fashioned lawyer Fei to believe that our financial dealings are normal, right?"

"That's incredibly outdated..."

Xiaolan muttered to herself and nodded.

It's more accurate to say that their ideas were too avant-garde...

"That's too simple, just use the official accounts, right?"

"Eh?"

"Let's start a firm, Ran."

"Eh???"

The debt will be made up.

Chapter 259 Ying Sheng and Xiao Lan's Daily Date

Set up a company, pay yourself a symbolic salary of one dollar, and let all daily expenses go through the company account under the guise of business expenses—a very simple trick.

Ordinary companies need to deal with tax audits, but the private investigation industry, which is in a gray area, is not well regulated even for illegal acts such as surveillance and invasion of privacy, and there is no need to worry about other aspects at all.

Two words: utter chaos.

Ying Sheng hadn't paid much attention to the detective profession before, but he started to care a little after getting together with Xiao Lan. Later, he unexpectedly discovered Amuro Tooru's three identities, and he realized that the name of a detective was indeed a useful brand.

You can run around anywhere you want, break into houses, or sneak into other people's homes without much trouble.

When the police found out, I said I was doing a commissioned job and asked who my client was.

I'm sorry, but I have principles and need to keep this confidential.

As for not being discovered, hey, doesn't that mean there are no taboos?

In short, by donning the skin of a detective, I can have a legitimate reason to go anywhere, and it doesn't matter if my financial situation is unclear. I've accepted a confidentiality request.

For an undercover agent like Amuro Tooru, this is the perfect cover, and Hotaru now wants to use this useful cover for himself.

"there is a question."

After Xiaolan understood Yingsheng's thoughts, she raised a question: "We are all minors, and it seems that there are restrictions on our business activities. To set up a detective agency, we need to register with the police before we can start operating. We simply cannot complete this step."

Ying Sheng nodded: "Minors are also subject to restrictions when signing contracts. Logically speaking, we, as Ai and Akechi's agents, are not qualified."

"........."

Xiao Lan was speechless. So, what they were saying was all a waste of time?

However, she knew that Ying Sheng would not say so much nonsense and must have other ideas. After a moment's thought, she said thoughtfully, "You want to find an adult to be our rubber stamp?"

"correct."

Ying Sheng smiled and said, "I'm planning to ask Miss Aida for help with this. What do you think?"

"Miss Aida..."

Xiao Lan pondered for a moment and said, "From what I can see, she does seem quite good. She has a very calm personality, and we saved her life. She might be in danger if she leaves you..." Xiao Lan paused, a hint of suspicion in her eyes, "Did you already have this idea back in the gymnasium at noon?"

"of course."

Ying Sheng said without any hesitation, "Even without the detective agency part, I was already planning to ask her to intervene just for the cooperation with the Suzuki Group."

But I have absolutely no malicious intent. Everything I said before was the truth. Adding this part now is simply to tie us even more tightly. In return, she will be set for life, enjoying wealth and status that she could never have achieved before.

Such an opportunity is something many people would kill for.

Xiaolan remained silent for a long time: "What if she doesn't want to? What if she doesn't yearn for this kind of life?"

Ying Sheng smiled slightly: "She will be willing."

These words seemed to contain a peculiar meaning, suppressing the conversation of everyone in the restaurant. Ying Sheng and Xiao Lan also ate in silence, and afterwards they went for a walk in the nearby garden in silence. The atmosphere seemed a little strange, but the two of them still held hands and did not let go.

Until the warm golden veil in the small garden gently receded, the shadows of the trees stretched longer and longer on the ground, dappled with light and shadow, trembling gently.

Xiao Lan gazed at the golden sunset on the horizon and finally let out a soft sigh.

"I always feel like I've become the bad guy."

“We’re still far from there,” Ying Sheng said.

Another aimless stroll ensued. The sun slowly sank below the horizon, its golden rays gradually fading, and the garden was enveloped in a soft twilight.

Ran said softly, "I admit that Miss Aida is the best choice. Given all the coincidences, there is no one more suitable than her. Even Suigetsu-kun didn't expect Gin to survive. This was definitely not pre-planned."

Ying Sheng turned his gaze away from the horizon: "I'm very happy that you can think so rationally."

"Sorry, I'm just not used to it yet."

"There's nothing to apologize for."

"Then I apologize to myself."

"Then tell her again, you did a fantastic job, you were amazing, the charm of growth is unparalleled, and that guy next to you is completely smitten with you."

The sunset glow on the horizon had completely dissipated, but at this moment, a wisp of crimson color inexplicably drifted down onto Xiaolan's cheek.

There was no more speech after that. A tranquil harmony flowed in the air. Xiaolan's long hair danced gently in the breeze, occasionally brushing against Yingsheng's shoulder, as light as a feather, yet bringing a gentle touch.

Without the fading sunlight, the fragrance of flowers in the garden became even purer. As their long shadows swept across the small fountain, Ying Sheng was almost intoxicated by this late spring.

the phone is ringing.

A fleeting sense of melancholy crossed his mind. Hotaru answered the phone. It was a report from a member of the Sumiyoshi-kai's surveillance team that Yoko Okino had returned to the Ian Apartments and was getting out of her car.

After hanging up the phone, Ying Sheng looked at Xiao Lan and said, "I actually think it's not a big deal if we skip vodka."

"Let's forget it. I don't want to keep holding you back and delaying your important business."

Xiaolan walked towards the park exit first.

Ying Sheng was pulled along: "This doesn't seem to be anything serious, it's just about getting closer to Vodka at most."

Xiaolan shook her head: "Interpersonal communication is the most important thing. Shuiyue-kun understands this very well. He is definitely a first-class expert in terms of emotions and social skills."

Suddenly remembering something, she turned around curiously: "Isn't Tian Shu supposed to be dominated by rationality? Why would he care so much about these things?"

Ying Sheng smiled and said, "Because reason tells me that every place in this world, from ancient times to the present, is a society based on human relationships. If I want to do something and get things done, of course I have to follow these rules and strive to do them to the best of my ability."

Humans are not cold, lifeless machines. Even if many things are simply based on pure self-interest, it would be too rigid and always requires some degree of smoothing.

Being overly polite is never a bad thing; it has always been that way.

The Japanese, in particular, place great importance on pre-construction culture, which could be called hypocrisy. Hotaru wasn't some rebellious teenager, so of course he had to follow local customs.

Ran, as one of the top students in Teitan High School's home economics class, is well-versed in the Ogasawara school of etiquette and is naturally familiar with it. She nodded in agreement, and based on her recent experiences, she had other insights:

"The main thing is 'invisible,' right? What kind of posture you adopt depends on what the other party expects. Secondly, it's about being neither humble nor arrogant, and maintaining your own identity."

Ying Sheng chuckled lightly: "I say, you've completely been led astray by me. In ordinary interactions, you don't need to consider so many things."

"But it is indeed a very efficient method. That's why fireflies are so successful."

"What, are you going to become a gigolo?"

"........."

Xiao Lan rolled her eyes at him: "You're giving the wrong example. Tian Shu also uses this method to gather information during missions, so of course I should learn it too."

"Hmm, that's true, but it's alright. This kind of thing is very simple. It mainly depends on your looks. You already have excellent basic grades."

"Sigh...how realistic."

Chatting casually, the two took the elevator to the 26th floor of the Ian Apartments. Because the elevator floor was determined by swiping a card, they couldn't go directly there and had to walk one floor.

There are latches on the outside of the fire escape stairs, but no padlocks.

Opening the door on the 26th floor was easy, but opening the door on the 25th floor was difficult. However, this was a piece of cake for Xiaolan. The fire escape door opened inwards. She grabbed the edge and pulled hard, and the pale light from the corridor suddenly shone through the less than half-centimeter gap in the dark door.

The latch was bent, but it was still firmly in place. Ying Sheng reached out his hand through the gap, and a second later, the door opened wide. Xiao Lan held the door open, preventing it from making a sound.

"I think we could probably become master thieves."