I'm in Detective Conan, and I start with the Grand Theft Auto system.

As Lin Shen was lost in thought and preparing to put the grilled beef tongue on his plate, he heard Xiao Lan gently call out to him, "President."

He turned his head and found Xiaolan looking at him with a slightly embarrassed but serious expression.

"Thank you for what you did this afternoon." Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.

Lin Shen glanced at her, his hands still turning the meat over: "What are you thanking me for?"

"About that... Ota Masaru thing at noon." Ran lowered her gaze, pursed her lips slightly, then looked up again, her eyes sparkling with sincerity. "Thank you for standing up for me."

Lin Shen chuckled lightly: "No need to be so polite. But given the situation at the time, didn't you have any plans of your own?"

"His hand was almost on your shoulder."

Xiaolan sighed helplessly, her tone carrying a softness she herself was unaware of:

"That's true... but in those situations, everyone was happy, and the atmosphere was quite lively."

"If I just reject him directly or push him away, he'll be really embarrassed, right? And the atmosphere will be ruined, won't it?"

She paused, then added softly, "And Sonoko and Ayako-nee are here too... I don't want to spoil the fun for everyone."

After listening, Lin Shen shook his head slightly in his heart.

He finally understood that Xiaolan was too kind-hearted, too concerned about other people's feelings, and not good at refusing others in social situations.

The blond guy loves these obedient girls; they can be manipulated at will!

Seeing this, Lin Shen put down the clip, reached out and put his arm around Xiao Lan's waist, pulling her into his embrace.

Xiaolan's body visibly stiffened for a moment.

Lin Shen's tone was also relaxed: "In that case, rather than letting others take advantage, I might as well take advantage first."

"After all, I've known you for a much longer time than they have, right?"

Xiaolan stood there, her mind blank for about two seconds.

Then her cheeks slowly began to warm up, like a glass of milk being slowly heated by warm water, warming up little by little from the bottom of the glass.

She subconsciously, almost instinctively, turned her head to look in the direction of the swimming pool.

The garden is still splashing in the water.

Ota Katsu and Kakutani Hiroki are pushing and shoving each other over who gets the microphone first.

Chikako Ikeda lay on the recliner, her eyes seemingly half-closed.

Ayako Suzuki was talking to Conan with her back to them.

Nobody noticed this corner!

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly reached out and removed Lin Shen's hand from her waist. The movement wasn't too forceful, but it was resolute.

A faint blush rose to her cheeks, and she said in a feignedly angry tone, "President...President! You can't do such a thing!"

Looking at her expression—clearly shy but trying hard to keep a straight face—Lin Shen found her anger rather endearing.

He didn't tease her any further, but still smiled and said, "Even if I don't do this kind of thing, someone like Ota Masaru will do it in the future."

"You can't always expect me to shield you from the bullet, can you?"

Xiaolan blushed and said in a very firm tone, "Then...then from now on, I'll refuse very decisively!"

She had barely finished speaking when a voice cut in from the side.

Ota Masaru walked over, holding a glass of beer, his clothes soaking wet, with an overly enthusiastic smile on his face, fueled by alcohol and the atmosphere.

"Xiao Lan, why are you just grilling over there? It's so boring!"

"Come on, let's go to the pool. I'll teach you how to dance and how to enjoy the party!!"

As he spoke, he reached out, trying to grab Xiaolan's wrist.

Xiao Lan didn't even look at his face.

Almost reflexively, she reached out with her right hand and grabbed the wrist that Ota Masaru was extending. Then, using her waist, she twisted and swung it cleanly and decisively.

A standard over-the-shoulder throw.

Ota Masaru's body drew a short, smooth arc in the air, and then with a thud, he landed flat on the wooden floor of the terrace.

The sound was loud, but thankfully the music was even louder.

Ota Masaru lay on the floor, completely dazed. The beer glass in his hand had long since flown away and rolled to the foot of the barbecue grill.

He rolled over, lying on his back with his eyes wide open, like a fish that had just been thrown ashore from the water, completely bewildered as to how he had taken flight.

Xiaolan clapped her hands, looked down at him, and said in a calm tone devoid of any warmth, "Go have fun by yourself. Don't bother me."

Ota Masaru opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He silently got up, looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one else had noticed what was happening.

He awkwardly smiled to the side, said "sorry, sorry" a few times, and then slunk back to the pool without even looking back.

Xiao Lan watched his figure disappear into the direction of the pool, then turned around and glanced at Lin Shen standing beside her.

She raised her chin slightly, a small, smug smile playing on her lips, and let out a soft hum through her nose.

Lin Shen couldn't help but laugh when he saw her smug look.

He didn't say anything, but simply raised his right hand and gave her a thumbs up.

When Xiaolan saw his thumbs-up, her pride deepened a little, and a different kind of joy welled up inside her, one that was different from when she won the karate tournament.

That kind of happiness carried a sense of satisfaction from being "seen," but she herself couldn't quite explain what it was.

Then a wet figure climbed out of the pool and ran all the way to the terrace.

Sonoko was dripping wet, her hair clinging to her face, but she didn't care at all.

She ran up to Lin Shen, grabbed his arm, her eyes sparkling with excitement, and her voice filled with an irresistible passion:

"Mr. Lin! Stop grilling! Come swimming! The water feels amazing!"

Lin Shen stumbled forward as she pulled him, but he didn't resist. He was half-pushed and half-dragged towards the edge of the pool by her pull.

He wasn't the type of person to spoil the fun at parties.

Since we're here, let's have fun.

As he passed the edge of the terrace, he took off his apron and threw it on a chair. Then, Sonoko pulled him along, and he jumped into the pool with a "plop."

Water splashed everywhere, and the laughter from the garden rang out especially clearly in the night.

Xiaolan stood beside the barbecue grill, still holding the pair of tongs in her hand, her eyes following Lin Shen and Yuanzi as they played in the pool.

She saw Yuanzi laughing as she splashed water on Lin Shen, and then saw Lin Shen dodge for a moment before splashing water back at her.

She should be happy.

The atmosphere was great, everyone was having fun, Yuanzi was her best friend, and Lin Shen was also someone who helped her.

But she always felt that her feelings were somewhat complicated.

She couldn't quite describe the feeling, but she just couldn't shake it off.

Just then, a faint rustling sound reached her ears.

The sound wasn't loud, but it seemed out of place amidst the music and laughter.

It felt like something was gently rubbing against the bushes at the edge of the terrace, or like someone was lightly stepping on fallen leaves.

Xiaolan's attention was instantly drawn back from the pool.

She turned her head and looked at the shadowy area on the right side of the terrace where the light did not reach.

She hesitated for a moment, just about to put down the clip in her hand and go over to see what was going on, when a gentle voice came from behind her.

"Ran?" Ayako Suzuki had walked up to her without her noticing.

She smiled gently, "Thank you for your hard work... Wow!! You've baked so many?"

"No need to bake anymore, there's enough to eat. Come on, take off your apron and play with us for a while."

Ran snapped out of her daze and quickly waved her hand, a signature embarrassed smile on her face: "No need, Ayako-nee. You guys have fun, I'll just watch the grill here."

Ayako Suzuki did not give her a chance to refuse.

She reached out and gently grasped Xiaolan's wrist, her smile still gentle, but her tone carrying an undeniable insistence:

"Come on, it's no fun grilling here all by yourself."

Xiaolan couldn't refuse the other party, so she had to put down the tongs in her hand, neatly arrange the already grilled meat on a plate, and place it on the table on the terrace.

Then, led by Ayako Suzuki, she walked into the dance floor area, which was surrounded by warm yellow lights and music.

Ayako Suzuki carefully taught Ran how to dance.