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

Over the next few days, Akemi and Chikako Ikeda became very close.

The two would meet every few days, either whispering in a corner of a coffee shop or meeting up outside.

Mingmei had a brand new folder in her hand, filled with various plans and figures—publishing contracts, the operation process of film and television adaptation rights, and the cycle and channels for royalty settlement.

She is genuinely committed to pushing this new project forward, and her efficiency is astonishing.

Sometimes, Lin Shen would sit by the bar and watch Mingmei bustling around, and he couldn't help but marvel at her boundless energy!

Her schedule is packed.

During the day, you need to run the coffee shop, greet customers, and take inventory.

I took some time this afternoon to learn piano from Sayuri Matsumoto. I heard she can already play "Für Elise" in its entirety.

I'm meeting with Chikako Ikeda tonight to discuss the details of the new project.

She's like a machine that never needs to be recharged; every day is fulfilling and efficient!

Then look at yourself...

Lin Shen leaned against the bar, holding a coffee cup, gazing blankly at the street scene outside the window.

He compared it to his own life.

Sleep until you naturally wake up, then go to the gym for an hour or two.

In the afternoon, I idly sat in a coffee shop to kill time, drinking coffee and looking at my phone.

That evening, I did some fun things with Yoko Okino at the villa!

He couldn't help but silently define his life in his mind: it's so boring and tedious!

But he likes this kind of monotonous life!

However, this "boring" life was disrupted this afternoon.

Just after four o'clock in the afternoon, the door of the coffee shop was pushed open, and Xiaolan walked in.

She was wearing her school uniform today, with a backpack slung over her shoulder. She greeted Lin Shen with a warm smile as she entered the room.

However, this time, another person followed her in.

Garden.

She was also wearing her school uniform today, and walked in with Xiaolan. As soon as she entered, she looked around and then her gaze locked onto Lin Shen behind the bar. She waved to him with a smile.

Lin Shen raised an eyebrow: "What's going on? Why are you two here together today?"

Xiaolan smiled helplessly and glanced at Sonoko beside her: "She said she also wants to experience what it's like to be a coffee shop employee."

Sonoko clasped her hands together, blinked one eye, and said with a confident enthusiasm, "Mr. Lin! I'd also like to try working as a shop assistant for a couple of days!"

"I'll work with Xiaolan! Just take me on! I don't need a salary, just meals are fine!"

Lin Shen had no reason to refuse, and readily agreed.

He stood up and said, "I remember there's a spare maid outfit; I'll go get it for you right away."

Sonoko was stunned for a moment, then looked down at her school uniform, and when she looked up again, her eyes lit up as if she had found a treasure.

She exclaimed "Yay!" and happily followed Xiaolan to the back dressing room.

A few minutes later, two girls dressed in matching maid outfits came out from backstage.

Xiao Lan was already quite adept at wearing that black and white maid outfit. She straightened her cuffs as she walked out, her movements natural.

Sonoko followed behind her, bent down and tugged at her skirt, then twirled around, the skirt fluttering slightly.

She ran up to Lin Shen, put her hands behind her back, bent down slightly, and asked with bright eyes, "How is it? Does it look good?"

Lin Shen, holding his coffee cup, looked her up and down, then nodded: "Beautiful. This dress looks like it was tailor-made for you."

Upon hearing his words, Sonoko blushed slightly, then grinned even more broadly.

Two high school girls started getting busy in the coffee shop.

Xiaolan was in charge of taking orders and serving drinks near the bar, while Yuanzi was responsible for carrying a tray and moving between seats to deliver food.

Some of the store's regular customers noticed that there was a new maid-style saleswoman today, and she was a very energetic high school student, which made the atmosphere much more lively than usual.

Lin Shen leaned against the bar counter, watching two beautiful high school girls bustling around in his coffee shop, each holding a hot Americano. His mood improved considerably.

After finishing her work, Yuanzi ran over and sat down next to Lin Shen.

She sat down in the chair next to him, turned slightly to the side, and said with a hint of apology in her voice, "Lin~~~ I'm sorry, my dad has been very busy lately, so busy that he hasn't even had time to treat you to a meal."

"His schedule is already booked until next month."

As Lin Shen listened to her speak and saw that she was sitting so close to him, he simply reached out and put his arm around her waist, picked her up, and placed her on his lap.

He had one arm around her waist, his hand resting naturally on her side, and casually replied, "Your dad must be a very busy man."

Sonoko was slightly startled when he hugged her like that, but then nodded with a smile.

Her tone carried a mix of helplessness and acceptance: "Yes, he basically flies all over the world to handle various affairs of the Suzuki Group, and he's rarely at home."

"My mom has been traveling with her friends recently, so it's just my sister and me at home now."

Lin Shen smiled and said, "It's nothing. I didn't save you because I wanted that meal."

After he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something and tilted his head slightly: "By the way, I recently discovered a very touching romance movie. Want to watch it together?"

Sonoko's eyes lit up immediately: "Huh? What movie is it?"

Lin Shen's lips curled up slightly, deliberately keeping it a secret: "Keep it a secret for now, it'll lose its charm if I tell you. Come on, I'll take you to the lounge to see."

As he spoke, he stood up, naturally took Sonoko's hand, and led her toward the lounge behind the coffee shop.

Xiaolan stood behind the bar, wiping the counter with a rag in her hand.

She overheard their conversation, and when she saw Lin Shen leading Yuanzi into the corridor leading to the lounge, her gaze unconsciously followed them for a few steps before returning to its original direction.

She was naturally very curious about what kind of romance movie it was that Lin Shen described as "very touching".

But she also knew that the two of them were alone at the moment, and she definitely couldn't interfere and disturb them.

Xiaolan continued wiping the bar counter with her head down, but as she wiped, her movements slowed down.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window onto the table, and her gaze fell on the patch of light, but she wasn't really looking at it.

Images involuntarily surfaced in her mind—the flickering firelight inside the cave, the warmth of dry skin pressed together.

That subtle, indescribable feeling...

Xiao Lan was startled and quickly shook her head violently, as if trying to shake those images out of her mind!

Then she turned around and made herself an iced coffee, added several ice cubes, picked it up and took a big gulp.

The cool liquid slid down her throat, and she felt that she could concentrate a little more.

"No, I can't think about it anymore!" Xiaolan patted her slightly flushed cheeks and muttered, "I need to focus on my work!!"

.........

About an hour later, the door to the lounge opened.

Lin Shen and Yuanzi walked out from the corridor.

Sonoko's eyes were red, and her voice had a slight nasal tone from crying as she sobbed:

"Wow, this movie is amazing!! Lin, I want to see it again next time!"

Lin Shen walked beside her, smiling and nodding: "Sure, we'll see when you have time to come over again!"

Sonoko nodded vigorously, then wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

She went into the changing room to change back into her school uniform. After coming out, she said to Xiaolan, "I'm leaving now," then ran to the bar to say hello to Lin Shen before pushing open the door of the cafe and walking out.

Xiaolan waited until Yuanzi's figure had completely disappeared around the street corner before putting down her cup, walking over to Lin Shen, and speaking with undisguised curiosity:

"President, what movie did you guys just watch? Sonoko was so moved."

Lin Shen leaned against the bar, glanced at her, and smiled slightly: "You really want to know?"

Xiaolan nodded vigorously.

Lin Shen paused deliberately for two seconds, then said, "It wouldn't be fun to just tell you directly. I'll take you to see it next time you have time."

Xiao Lan became even more curious after he piqued her interest like that.

But she knew that Lin Shen wouldn't tell her now if she pressed him for an answer, so she nodded and said, "Hmm... okay."

Just then, Xiaolan's cell phone rang.

She picked it up and saw the caller ID on the screen—Conan.

She answered the phone and asked in a normal tone, "Conan? What's up?"

Her expression changed instantly as she listened to the voice on the other end of the phone.

Her voice involuntarily rose: "Huh?! What?! Dad was attacked by an assassin... and he's in the hospital now?!"

She tightened her grip on the phone slightly.

"Okay...I...I'm coming over now." After she hung up the phone, the expression on her face changed to one that was a mixture of tension and worry.

Lin Shen, standing to the side, had already heard the gist of it.

Without asking any further questions, he put down his teacup and replied crisply, "I'll take you there. Go change your clothes."

Xiaolan nodded nervously, quickly walked back to the kitchen to turn off the coffee machine, and then rushed into the changing room to change her clothes.

Lin Shen had already taken the car keys and was standing at the door waiting for her.

The two left the coffee shop and got into the car.

Lin Shen started the engine, and the car smoothly drove onto the street.

He gripped the steering wheel while secretly pondering to himself.

What kind of trouble has Kogoro Mouri gotten himself into this time? He even got attacked by an assassin and ended up in the hospital?

He glanced at Ran in the passenger seat; she was looking down at her phone, her brow furrowed, her fingers swiping rapidly across the screen, probably texting Conan for more details.

He didn't disturb her, turning his attention back to the road ahead, and the car drove smoothly toward the hospital.