Ke Xue: Xiaolan delivers goods to your door at the beginning

“But it’s boring at home too.” The older woman shrugged indifferently. “Although it’s boring to ride in a car, it’s okay if Xiao Feng is driving. And the letter said that family members can come along.”

What do you mean by "I'm not bored while driving"? Does that actually have anything to do with the driver...?

Lin Xiaofeng thought to himself as he operated the steering wheel with one hand.

Just then, he suddenly noticed that Yukiko in the passenger seat next to him was doing something rather mysterious.

This older woman not only didn't put on the shoes she had taken off earlier, but she also took off her socks.

Actually, it's not a big deal. Anyway, it doesn't smell much, so going barefoot is fine.

But Lin Xiaofeng then noticed that two bare feet had crossed the barrier between the driver and passenger seats and were placed on his legs, and judging from their restless movements, they were probably going to…

"Hey, I'm still driving."

"Then be careful to slow down."

Yukiko giggled and used both feet to deftly pull open the zipper, using her toes to grip it, and brazenly slipped inside. This exploration extended what should have been an hour's journey by another twenty minutes.

……

An hour later, the black Audi stopped on the mountain road.

In the passenger seat, Yukiko was still carefully wiping her jade grape-like toes with a napkin. When she felt the car stop, she looked up curiously.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"look……"

Lin Xiaofeng gestured with his chin forward.

The sky darkens earlier in the mountains than in the city. Although it is only 5 p.m. in Tokyo, the twilight in the Gunma Mountains is already quite heavy. The natural forests that look beautiful during the day are now pitch black at night, accompanied by the rustling sound of swaying shadows, making them look like a bunch of menacing demons.

The only thing that could be clearly seen was a section of road directly in front of the car, illuminated by the headlights. It was a wooden bridge in the mountains, not very long, maybe only six or seven meters long, built between two cliffs. The construction looked quite solid, not like the kind that would break if you walked on it.

"This bridge reminds me of the only escape route that's bound to be burned down in a horror movie with a snowbound locked-in plot..." Yukiko aptly commented.

It's no wonder she said that, since, based on the contents of the only letter she had that could be used as a guide, this bridge seemed to be the only way to the Twilight Villa.

“If we drive from here, it will take at most five minutes to get to our destination, and walking will take at most twenty minutes.” Lin Xiaofeng turned to ask for opinions, “How about we park the car here and walk directly from here?”

"Hmm, my sister agrees with that."

Yukiko nodded in agreement without hesitation.

So the two got off the bus and began their 247-meter walk towards the Twilight Villa.

It was expected to take twenty minutes, but Lin Xiaofeng and Yukiko actually arrived in just ten minutes.

The reason was that it started to drizzle in the mountains when we were halfway there, and it looked like it was going to get heavier.

So the two had to give up walking slowly and start running instead.

Even so, I still got a little wet when I arrived.

"Uh, we've finally arrived."

At the entrance of the villa, Lin Xiaofeng, holding Yukiko who was running breathlessly behind him, stepped onto the steps through the rain and arrived at the brightly lit door, then pressed the doorbell.

ding dong~

The doorbell rang crisply and pleasantly. While waiting patiently, Lin Xiaofeng began to look around.

This twilight villa is a standard European-style mansion. Several cars were already parked side by side in the garden in front of the gate, ranging from Ferraris to Bentleys, and even Alfa Romeos... as well as an ordinary car that looked like it was rented from a car rental company.

It looks like quite a few people have already arrived.

Click.

Just as Lin Xiaofeng was thinking this, the sound of the door hinge turning came.

The next second, as the main entrance door opened a crack, a familiar little face peeked out from inside.

It was Conan! He looked up and was quite surprised to see Lin Xiaofeng outside the door.

"Huh? Brother Lin Jun?"

Before he could say anything more, Conan's gaze was subconsciously drawn to a middle-aged girl who was still holding hands tightly with Lin Xiaofeng.

"Mom? And Brother Xiaofeng too!"

398. Mom, is it appropriate for you to say such things to your son?

The mother and son reunited in this desolate wilderness... let's just call it that for now.

More importantly, she was caught holding hands with another man by her own son, a serious mistake that would cause any other mother to panic. But Yukiko simply blinked and composed herself, strode forward, reached into the doorway, and lifted Conan out, giving him a high hoist.

"Oh, isn't this our Conan? Come here and let your big sister give you a hug~"

"Oh dear... Auntie, please let go of me!"

In his frantic struggle, Conan almost blurted out "Mom!" but thankfully he realized his mistake and stopped himself in time.

But sometimes it's better not to accept it at all than to accept it.

Hearing this kid address Yukiko as "Yukiko," he raised an eyebrow and his tone instantly turned malicious.

"Ke-chan, what did you just call me? I didn't hear you clearly. What's 'old'? Say it again."

It's full of threats.

Conan, with his strong survival instinct, quickly retorted, "No, no, you're an auntie."

"Aunt?"

Yukiko emphasized the word "read" again.

Conan broke out in a cold sweat. Yukiko had always liked to force him to call her "older sister" since he was a child, because calling her "mother" made her sound old.

Calling her own mother "sister" is just too weird!

But there's also a saying: a wise man doesn't suffer a loss he can avoid...

Just as Conan was in a dilemma, at the crucial moment, Kogoro Mouri's slightly impatient voice came from inside the door.

"What's going on, you little brat? You've been shouting at the door. Who is it?"

As he spoke, his voice grew closer and closer. Pulling open the door, he saw Lin Xiaofeng standing innocently at the doorway, while Yukiko was holding Conan and torturing him.

"Yukiko...and you too, kid. What are you doing here?" Kogoro Mouri was taken aback.

"What else could it be? Of course, it's because we received an invitation."

Lin Xiaofeng picked up the letter in his hand and waved it without changing his expression.

"What? You received it too?" Kogoro Mouri seemed a little incredulous.

"After all, Brother Lin Jun is also a detective, so he was probably chosen by the organizers."

Conan spoke up for him.

"Unfortunately, Conan, you deduced wrong!" Yukiko patted Lin Xiaofeng on the shoulder. "Lin Xiaofeng is here in place of Shinichi Kudo."

"Okay, but... uh, why did Yukiko-neechan come too?"

"Lin Xiaofeng gave Shinichi Kudo a beautiful mother, and then kidnapped Shinichi Kudo's beautiful mother."

Conan was speechless. "I am Shinichi Kudo, your own son! Mom, is it appropriate for you to say something like that?"

"Hey... Yukiko, you could actually consider me too, after all, we're old classmates." Kogoro Mouri chuckled.

"No way. He's already in Lin Xiaofeng's shape, Kogoro, you should just go to bed." Yukiko bluntly rejected Kogoro Mouri's suggestion.

Lin Xiaofeng reached out and put his arm around Yukiko's shoulder, pulling her closer to him. The once imposing Yukiko instantly transformed into a petite and charming woman, her body reacting immediately to Lin Xiaofeng's touch.

Kogoro Mouri and Conan weren't fools either. Seeing Yukiko's state, they knew she'd been completely manipulated by Lin Xiaofeng. They could only secretly envy and resent Lin Xiaofeng, abandoning their unrealistic ideas.

"Alright, let's go upstairs and see who the other detectives are."

Soon, Lin Xiaofeng and Yukiko, who was carrying Conan, arrived at the second floor of the annex.

The structure of the villa is actually somewhat similar to that of a traditional Chinese courtyard house, with buildings on all four sides enclosing a courtyard in the middle. However, the main gate of a traditional Chinese courtyard house is located in the southeast corner, while the main gate of this European-style villa is located in the due south.

Kogoro Mouri led them to a place on the second floor that looked like a chess and card lounge. When they pushed open the door, there were already several people sitting inside.

Some were playing cards, some were playing chess, and some were even playing with birds instead of cards or chess.

Kogoro Mouri introduced them one by one.

He first pointed to the woman in her sixties who appeared to be the oldest among everyone present and was playing chess.

"This is Detective Senma."

After speaking, he turned to a dashing middle-aged man whose attire and appearance seemed to have stepped out of a Cowboy Bebop movie set.

"This is Detective Mogi."

Then there's the long-legged, wavy-haired woman in a high-slit dress.

"This is Detective Gunda."

Finally, there was the handsome, brown-haired boy who was pausing on his arm with a bald eagle.

"And this is Superintendent Hakuba's son, Hakuba Saguru, a high school detective... There's also a great detective who took charge of dinner himself because the chef wasn't here today, and he's busy in the kitchen right now."

After the introductions, Lin Xiaofeng had a general understanding of the other five detectives who had come.

Just then, Hakuba Tan raised the falcon that was perched on his hand and smiled as he gestured.

“Mr. Mori forgot to introduce him, so I’ll introduce him myself. He’s also my partner, named Walterson.”

Walter?

Lin Xiaofeng raised an eyebrow.

Although Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes stories is generally referred to as Watson, his real name in English is actually Watson.

Especially considering that 99 out of 100 detective enthusiasts in the world know Sherlock Holmes, it doesn't seem so incomprehensible that someone would name their pet hawk Walterson.

"My name is Lin Xiaofeng. Nice to meet you detectives."

Lin Xiaofeng, following local customs, introduced himself.

399. Yukiko is teasing Conan again.

The first person to speak to Lin Xiaofeng was Detective Mogi. He had been playing cards with the tall, slender, high-slit detective Gunta, and when he saw another person arrive, he turned around, put one hand on the back of his chair, and waved the playing cards in his hand.

"Hey newbie, how about a game?"

"Um……"

Lin Xiaofeng didn't answer immediately, but stared at the playing cards in Mogi's hand for a while. Right now, this Detective Mogi claimed to be playing cards, but it seemed like he had ulterior motives.

"Okay."

So the number of people playing cards changed from two to three, which was just enough for a game of Dou Dizhu.

As soon as Lin Xiaofeng sat down, the tall, mature female detective sitting next to him leaned over and gently blew a breath into his earlobe.

"Good luck, little detective! Just a friendly reminder, this uncle is really cunning when he plays cards, be careful not to get tricked by him!"

"Hello..."

Mogi felt somewhat helpless that he was being told this before the first match even started.

Lin Xiaofeng didn't care about any of that. Just as Ikumi Gunda came over to talk, he suddenly felt a gaze from elsewhere fall on his back.

Instinctively, I followed the gaze and looked back. The only person I saw in the corresponding direction was Yukiko, who was teasing Conan.

The older woman seemed completely unaware of what was going on until Lin Xiaofeng stared at her for a full three seconds before she snapped out of it, turned her head, blinked, and gave him a questioning look.

The general meaning is something like, "What's wrong? Is there something you need?"

Lin Xiaofeng gave him a look, meaning—it's okay, you can continue.

Lin Xiaofeng guessed that Yukiko might have also picked up his hobby—teasing Conan.

At the same time, Harufumi Mogi's voice came from the front.

"Hey, Lin, stop daydreaming! I'm about to start dealing the cards. Miss Gunda said that if you don't keep a close eye on things, I'll cheat you."

"……fine."

Lin Xiaofeng shook his head and looked away, turning to the table in front of him to watch Mogi deal the cards one by one.

Mogi's card dealing technique was quite fluent. He quickly and accurately switched the direction of the cards between the three players with his thumb. Basically, before the previous card even landed on the table, the next card was already flying in mid-air.

Even so, it still takes about ten seconds to deal all the cards.