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

Ying Sheng smiled as he walked out of the fire escape staircase: "I hope Ms. Yoko won't be startled by our rude behavior..."

He suddenly stopped speaking.

Xiao Lan also came out of the stairs, and stopped in confusion when she saw Ying Sheng looking in the direction he was looking. She saw a blonde woman in a white coat looking at them in shock in the middle of the corridor ahead, at the entrance of apartment 2502. Her lips were moving as if she was about to scream.

Xiao Lan's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, she'd been caught red-handed by the owners!

Her thoughts raced through the events of the previous night, pausing for the moment when they threatened Junerick with a gun inside the research institute. Xiaolan instinctively wanted to recreate that classic moment, but before she could realize she wasn't carrying a gun, she heard:

"Miss Yoko, I'm your fan!"

Ying Sheng spoke with fervor.

huh?

Xiaolan paused for a second, then noticed that Yoko Okino, who had been looking terrified, also had a look of surprise on her face. Combined with her delicate features, especially the confusion in her large, deep blue eyes, she looked quite adorable.

"Miss Yoko, we've come to visit you!"

Xiao Lan, who was a step behind, quickly added.

This prevented Yoko Okino from immediately panicking and hiding inside the house to call the police to catch the robbers. Hotaru and Ran didn't rush over either; they simply closed the door slowly and stood there chatting with Yoko Okino, or rather, confiding in her.

Basically, they just praised her performance as incredibly amazing and her singing as incredibly beautiful.

Ying Sheng's understanding of her was limited, and he could only give a general overview. However, Xiao Lan knew quite a lot about her career as an entertainer. When she mentioned that Ying Sheng had recently participated in a flower arranging variety show called "Hua Dao Jia Gen Ikebo Special Edition", the other person finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, she still looked worried. After hesitating for a moment, she asked cautiously, "Are you the ones who broke into my house?"

Ying Sheng and Xiao Lan were both slightly taken aback. They exchanged a glance, their eyes sharpening, before turning to look at Okino Yoko.

“This is our first time here, and we would never illegally trespass on a private residence,” Xiaolan said.

"Are you in some kind of trouble? Perhaps we can help," Ying Sheng said.

Yoko Okino hesitated again before asking a slightly strange question: "Are you two a couple?"

“Of course,” Ying Sheng said first.

Ran nodded, "Miss Yoko, don't worry, we will never do anything to harm you."

Yoko Okino finally relaxed her guard, nodded, and gave a polite and gentle smile befitting an idol.

"Welcome, please come inside and have a seat."

The girl opposite her was even prettier than her, so even if the other guy was a die-hard fan, there was really little chance he could hurt her. Besides, judging from her previous statements, it seemed the girl was the one who was her fan, and the guy was just accompanying her.

Ying Sheng and Xiao Lan thanked her, straightened the slightly bent latch, locked the door, and went forward first.

Ying Sheng glanced at Okino Yoko. Well, thankfully the angle was limited and she didn't see it, otherwise she would have been shocked again.

A moment later, Hotaru and Yoko sat on the dark brown sofa in Yoko Okino's house. Yoko Okino brought them tea and sat down on the red single sofa opposite them. Only then did she start talking about her recent troubles, which was also the reason why she hadn't dared to go inside for several minutes after returning home.

She was being followed by unknown individuals.

Every time I come home, the furniture has changed, I often receive strange photos in the mailbox downstairs, and I receive silent phone calls every day.

This is indeed very frightening for a frail woman living alone.

Ying Sheng glanced around: "Which pieces of furniture have been moved?"

"The dining table, chairs, coffee table, the ornaments on the display case, and the green plants on the flower stand," Yoko Okino pointed out one by one.

Ying Sheng got up, walked to the dining table, grasped the edge with both hands, lifted it to feel its weight, and leaned down to observe the marks on the rose-red carpet. It was a push, and not a one-time effort; there was a sense of abruptness in the force.

Looking at the chair next to him, he saw that the carpet marks indicated it had been raised and lowered. He asked Yoko Okino for a flashlight and squinted to examine the top of the backrest carefully.

Got nothing.

As you gradually turn toward the smooth wooden backrest, you finally discover two palm prints, one on the left and one on the right, in a rather symmetrical position.

Ying Sheng also grasped the area below the two palm lines with both hands and placed the chair back on the edge of the dining table. The weight was average; did the person need to move it like that because they lacked strength?

Then compare the palm print with your own; it's slightly narrower. If the other person is an adult, it's most likely a woman.

A beautiful figure in a blue dress suddenly flashed through his mind, and Ying Sheng realized that he, blessed by Lady Luck, might have inadvertently stumbled upon the answer.

Turning to look at Yoko Okino, who stood to the side with a worried yet expectant expression, Hotaru asked directly:

Do you know Yuko Ikezawa? What's your relationship with her?

Yoko Okino paused for a moment, then quickly nodded and said, "I know her. She's my colleague. We used to get along well, but recently I replaced her as the lead in a TV series, so our relationship has become a little strained."

Having said that, she naturally understood what Ying Sheng meant, and hesitantly asked, "Could it be that the person who has been secretly monitoring me is her?"

Ying Sheng remained noncommittal: "Does she live here?"

Yoko Okino quickly shook her head: "She lives in Enya Apartments in Beikacho 1-chome, not here."

"Have you ever lost your key or any spare keys?"

“I don’t have the key on me, but my manager has a spare key…” Yoko Okino paused, her eyes becoming somewhat complicated. “My manager told me that he lost his key yesterday, and it was in the TV station’s dressing room.”

“This raises suspicion about Yuko Ikezawa, but,” Hotaru frowned slightly, “the key was only lost yesterday, so how many days have these unusual phenomena you mentioned been occurring?”

Yoko Okino thought back for a moment and also noticed something suspicious. She hesitated and said, "It's been almost a week already."

Ying Sheng gave her a strange look: "You've been illegally entered for a week and you still haven't moved out?"

“No, it’s just that I’ve been getting harassed by phone calls and letters for almost a week now. The furniture was only moved yesterday and today. I was planning to see a detective tomorrow.” Yoko Okino looked at Hotaru hopefully. “Are you a detective too?”

"That's it for now."

Ying Sheng thought for a moment: "Judging from the current situation, Ikezawa Yuko is highly suspicious, but she seems to only want to torment you mentally, not to the point of murder for money. In that case, we have a lot of room to maneuver, and we can just wait and see."

Ying Sheng pointed to a potted plant on the balcony that faced the door: "I plan to install a pinhole camera there. Tomorrow, do everything as usual and don't pay too much attention to Ikezawa Yuko. See if she runs into it."

Yoko Okino breathed a sigh of relief and bowed slightly: "Thank you for your help, Detective."

"My name is Shuiyue," Yingsheng said with a smile.

"My name is Ran Mouri." Ran then introduced herself, adding with a smile, "My dad is a huge fan of Ms. Yoko. He actually watched every single episode of your shows repeatedly, so I often heard about them."

"Eh?"

Yoko Okino asked in confusion, "So you came here for...?"

Ying Sheng spoke frankly: "I hope to find Ms. Kusano through you. A friend of mine wants to get her autographed photo."

"........."

"Could I have one of your autographed photos as a gift?"

"...Am I a freebie?"

"No, it's for Mr. Mori. He's been feeling down lately, and getting his dream autographed photo from his idol will surely cheer him up."

The fact that she wasn't completely ignored made Yoko Okino feel a little better, but the thought that even Kaoru Kusano didn't know these two made her feel increasingly strange.

"Don't you know that she also works at Nichiri TV? We're colleagues."

"Eh?"

Ying Sheng and Xiao Lan exchanged a glance. Rena Mizunashi, Yoko Okino, and Kaoru Kusano—these three are all from the same TV station?

Haha, this world really is very small.

While Xiaolan and Okino Yoko chatted, Ying Sheng went downstairs to contact Sumiyoshi to install a pinhole camera. He returned shortly afterward. After the installation was completed, Ying Sheng carefully examined it from various angles and found that it was perfectly hidden in the dark gaps between the green plants. He nodded in satisfaction.

"It can't connect to the internet and has independent data storage, so Ms. Yoko doesn't need to worry about me spying on her," Hotaru explained to Yoko Okino, who looked a little embarrassed.

Yoko Okino felt a slight sense of relief and thanked him repeatedly. After contacting Kaoru Kusano, she readily signed three more autographed photos, each with the following inscription:

Presented to Mr. Kogoro.

Although the visit was somewhat strange, it was generally considered a success. Before leaving, Ying Sheng reminded her, "Just in case, Miss Yangzi should stay at a hotel tonight."

Yoko Okino thought for a moment, then grabbed her handbag from home, turned off the lights, closed the door from the outside, and explained to the two with a smile:

"It's been a long time since I've spent the night with Xiaoxun. Let's go together."

Of course, Hotaru and Ran wouldn't refuse. With an introduction from an acquaintance, the visit went smoothly. In order not to disturb Yoko Okino and Kaoru Kusano's overnight stay, Hotaru and Ran left after a short while. They walked to the street, looked at the dim sky, and breathed a sigh of relief.

The time is 8:10 PM.

"Miss Yoko is so gentle, she doesn't have any airs of a celebrity at all. No wonder my dad likes her so much." Ran took out three autographed photos from her pocket and snorted, "I can't just hand them over to Dad like that. I'm going to tell him that he can only get them if he behaves well."

Ying Sheng nodded approvingly: "That's a good idea. We still have plenty of time. Let's get Vodka's autographed photo and then head to the hospital."

Hotaru also picked up the autographed photo and glanced at it. It was a still from a TV drama. The girl was wearing a light green kimono, turning her head and smiling gently, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. She was about the same height as Yoko Okino, but her body was a little thinner, and she had short brown hair.

Ying Sheng clicked his tongue: "Vodka actually likes this type? Underneath that burly body, is there a pink-hearted girl at heart?"

As they headed to the roadside to hail a taxi, Xiaolan asked curiously, "I've never seen vodka before. What does it look like?"

“A typical Slavic big man, always wearing a black top hat and sunglasses, doesn’t look like a good guy.” Ying Sheng stroked his chin. “But considering the extremely high water content of the distillery, he might actually be a former KGB undercover agent.”

"...It can't be that bad, there are always loyalists in the distillery."

"Their boss is definitely loyal to them, but who knows about the others until the very last moment."

Shortly after getting into the taxi, Ai Haibara called:

“Ms. Rena Mizunashi wanted to interview me face-to-face, saying that would allow her to better understand my true feelings.”

"So what?" Ying Sheng asked doubtfully, "You can't possibly agree to that, can you?"

"Of course I refused. She said that the things I revealed were too bombshells, and she needed to sort them out carefully, list out the questions one by one, and then conduct an in-depth interview with me."

I didn't want to go into too much detail with her, and told her that was enough. She then said that these kinds of things always need some solid evidence, at least a complete logical chain, otherwise they'll be considered sensationalist fake news and rejected by the editorial department.

Ai Haibara explained.

Ying Sheng nodded approvingly: "She does sound quite responsible and won't blindly chase trends and create fake news. But it seems we don't need someone as responsible as her. Should we get a more casual reporter instead?"

"As long as the editorial department's review standards remain unchanged, this still won't pass. If we switch to other tabloids, the reach will be too small."

"What do you think?"

Did you catch any fish today, wise of you?

"Not at all. That guy is all bundled up, like a vampire who can't stand the sun. Is he next to you? Hey, Akechi, it's over thirty degrees today, aren't you hot?"

"It's... not bad."

Junairik said weakly.