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

Seeing Lin Shen's unyielding attitude, Eri knew that force wouldn't work.

Having been a lawyer for so many years, she has dealt with all sorts of people.

People who cower at the slightest intimidation are easy to deal with, and those who confront others head-on are not difficult to handle either.

But Lin Shen, the kind of guy who's tougher on you and won't listen to your soft tactics, is actually the most troublesome type.

She paused for a few seconds, quickly adjusting her strategy in her mind.

If hard tactics don't work, then try softer ones!

Eri's expression softened slightly, and her tone shifted from the professional pressure she had just displayed to one that sounded more like helplessness:

"President Lin, you know Xiao Lan too."

"She has a very strong personality and her own ideas."

"If I don't let her come here to work, she definitely won't listen."

She sighed at just the right moment, much like a mother who couldn't do anything about her daughter.

Lin Shen leaned back in his chair and didn't rush to reply after listening to Eri's words.

He held his coffee cup, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on Eri Kisaki's face for a couple of seconds, before suddenly asking, "Attorney Kisaki, do you know why Ran came here to work?"

Eri Kisaki was visibly taken aback when she heard the question.

She clearly hadn't expected Lin Shen to ask that question.

And this was a question she hadn't really thought about before.

She put down her coffee cup, her slender fingers gently stroking the rim as if she were refining her words.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, "Well... to supplement the family income!"

"Besides, it's close to her home, and she doesn't seem to have much work pressure."

"She said she wanted to experience what society is like beforehand..."

After listening, Lin Shen's lips curled slightly, revealing a meaningful smile: "It seems that Xiao Lan didn't tell you the truth."

These words made Eri Kisaki frown slightly, realizing that there was something wrong, and her lawyer-like keen awareness immediately surfaced.

She unconsciously sat up straighter, a hint of unease in her voice: "What is Xiaolan hiding from me?"

Lin Shen did not answer immediately.

He slowly picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and put the cup down before speaking in a calm tone: "Some time ago, Ran and Mr. Mori got involved in a kidnapping case."

He paused for a moment: "They originally went to rescue people, but later they also became hostages."

"In the end, it was Sonoko from the Suzuki family who paid for their redemption."

"Xiaolan felt guilty and wanted to work hard to earn money to repay the ransom to Sonoko!"

After hearing those words, Eri Kisaki's expression seemed to change several times in a very short period of time.

First came astonishment, then confusion, and then a complex mix of heartache and dissatisfaction.

Her voice unconsciously rose a little, and she said with a hint of complaint, "Is that so? This child... never told me anything about it."

She picked up her coffee cup and took a big gulp, as if using this action to calm herself down.

After putting down the cup, she frowned slightly, clearly uncomfortable about being kept in the dark.

Lin Shen looked at her expression, chuckled, and said with a gentle teasing tone, "This just means Xiao Lan has grown up."

"I'm starting to learn to solve problems on my own, and I don't want my mom to worry."

"Besides, I heard her say that you are a very busy person who doesn't even have time to rest, so I don't want to trouble you."

After hearing this, Eri Kisaki remained silent for a long while, finally letting out a soft sigh: "That's true..."

She didn't finish the second half of her sentence.

But the worrying thought in her mind hadn't dissipated; this shop didn't look like a legitimate business at all!

She still didn't want Xiaolan to get involved in places like that.

She put down her coffee cup, looked up at Lin Shen, and pressed on from a different angle, "How much was the ransom?"

Lin Shen calmly stated the number: "One hundred million yen per person. Two people would be two hundred million."

As the number hovered in the air, Eri Kisaki's fingers twitched slightly on the table. She exclaimed in astonishment, "What? Two hundred million yen in debt?"

Her hand holding the coffee cup hovered in the air for a moment before she slowly put the cup down.

She finally understood why Xiaolan hadn't told her.

Two hundred million yen!!

It's not two million, it's not twenty million.

It's two hundred million!!

Even Eri Kisaki couldn't come up with that amount.

Although she is a top-level lawyer, she also runs her own law firm.

The monthly expenses can be quite substantial.

In addition to the rent for living in a high-end apartment, there are also necessary expenses for regularly attending various high-end social events to maintain connections and expand business.

And then there's the cost of image management – ​​all of these things cost money!

All these expenses add up to a considerable amount each month!

Furthermore, in Japan, women also face differential treatment in terms of pay in the workplace!

Even female lawyers at the top of the pyramid earn only about half the income of their male counterparts!

In addition, she also has to cover the tuition and living expenses for Lana's private high school in London.

She couldn't possibly leave all the remaining money in the bank to wait for it to depreciate.

Part of it was invested, and part was used to buy funds and stocks.

The maximum amount of liquid funds she can readily access is only a few million yen.

She really can't come up with 200 million!

Eri Kisaki remained silent for a long time.

She now understood why Xiaolan hadn't told her about this.

Besides causing unnecessary trouble, saying it serves no other purpose.

Furthermore, since this was something Kogoro Mouri had caused, Ran was even more afraid to tell her, lest she scold Kogoro Mouri.

Finally, Eri Kisaki picked up the half-cold coffee, took a sip, then put the cup down and said in a bitter and helpless tone:

"I bet... this kidnapping case is definitely related to that Kogoro guy, right?"

Lin Shen didn't answer directly, but just smiled and said, "You should ask Xiao Lan about the specifics yourself."

Eri Kisaki gave a bitter smile and nodded: "That's true."

Before she could finish speaking, the coffee shop door was suddenly pushed open.

It wasn't the kind of polite pushing of the door; it was smashed open with brute force, the glass door slamming against the wall with a loud "bang."