Conan: The Man Behind the Romance

Chapter 257: Support?! Independence! The love of Eri Kisaki!

"Ai and Akechi are both very talented scientists. If their research results are simply transformed, they can create great wealth. They have the technology, and the Suzuki Foundation has the funds. They will be very good partners."

Yingsheng spoke the truth, pointed at himself and Xiaolan, and said with a smile: "As for you and me, let's just say we know both sides quite well, so we can be considered as cooperative guarantee agencies."

Xiaolan was a little stunned for a moment. Why did the topic suddenly shift to this aspect?
Yingsheng held her hand and ran quickly across the zebra crossing. The green light on the opposite side began to flash.

"I say, you are not thinking about love again, are you?" When they reached the other side of the street, Yingsheng smiled and poked Xiaolan's forehead with his hand, "You are a love-brained person. Even if you don't have confidence in me, at least you should have confidence in Yuanzi. She won't make the same mistake again."

The car that was waiting for the red light started again. Xiaolan saw the reflections of the two people on the slowly passing car window. She was suddenly a little embarrassed and annoyed, and snorted softly:
"I just have too much confidence in you. If you have any ideas about Yuanzi, she will never escape."

"Well, alas, my bad reputation has finally come back to bite me."

Yingsheng raised his hands in surrender, his eyes full of smiles: "But I say, you have to have some confidence in yourself. In order to avoid making you sad and letting you leave me, I will never hurt anyone related to you."

Xiaolan blushed slightly, but soon thought of what happened in the taxi before, and rolled her eyes at him: "And even if you hurt me, you won't let me know."

Hotaru shrugged: "Oh, so you still care about Mr. Maori."

"Just like what Shinichi said, he is my father after all, it's impossible for me not to be worried."

Xiaolan turned around and continued walking towards the restaurant: "Can Xiaoai and the others come out to conduct business activities normally?"

"Of course not at the moment. We need to be the agent, and the application project needs to be far away from the A drug series to avoid being noticed by the winery."

They went into the restaurant next door and sat down. After ordering, they handed the menu back to the waiter, and Yingsheng and Xiaolan raised their glasses to drink together.

After smacking the taste, Yingsheng shook his head: "Disappointed, it's just lemon iced tea. At first glance, I thought it was champagne."

Xiaolan looked doubtful: "You are not really addicted to alcohol, be careful not to end up like my father."

"When I feel bored or lack of energy, I want something stimulating, but now that I'm with you, I just mentioned it casually." Yingsheng smiled, "I found that you have developed a good habit recently."

Xiaolan sighed, "Isn't it that I'm even more extravagant and don't even look at the price when I buy things?"

"Being more relaxed is definitely a good thing, but you still sound concerned."

"Of course I care, and the more I think about it, the weirder it gets." Xiaolan counted on her fingers, "The decoration of the house, Dad's medical expenses, Miss Aida and the nurse's salary, my recent daily expenses, and the custom-made dress and suit."

She looked up at Yingsheng and snorted, "What's that? You can even say that I'm being kept by you."

"puff--!"

Fortunately, Yingsheng didn't drink the water, otherwise it would have caused a disaster: "Hey, Xiaolan, are you so bold now?"

Xiaolan said unhappily: "Just like what you just said, this is called being more calm, and I am telling the truth."

"Well... it's true that my state of mind has improved a lot. I don't care about appearances as much as before." Yingsheng tapped the table with his fingers and pondered for a few breaths. "But this is definitely not what you said. You can think of it as dividends. You deserve much more than you use."

"Eh?"

Xiaolan thought for two seconds: "So, Shuiyue-kun made a profit in the previous actions?"

Yingsheng nodded: "Almost, but the most important thing is the future. Ai and Akechi's cooperation with the Suzuki Group has made a fortune in the pharmaceutical industry. I don't know how many giants have been supported. What you are using now is just a drop in the bucket."

Xiaolan looked suspicious: "So this is why Suigetsu-kun wanted to save Ai in the first place?"

"........."

Yingsheng was speechless: "At first I really didn't think about these things. My money was all blown by the wind, and I never cared about it. But if you want to live a normal life, Xiaoai and Mingzhi also have to live a normal life, so of course you need money.

It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Xiao Ai and Ming Zhi have such excellent talents, so of course they should be used.

This is by no means exploiting them. They are happy to do this. After all, even if we have a close relationship like you and I, we still care about the differences between each other.

Even if I could raise them for their entire lives without any concern, they would inevitably feel like they were living under someone else's roof.

Have you heard a saying?

Only when you are financially independent can you talk about personal independence.

I don't want to raise them into personality-dependent pets, because if that were the case, what would be the point of rescuing them from the winery? It would just be like moving from an iron box to an exquisite birdcage. They might seem completely different, but in fact, they are both deprived of freedom.

You can do whatever you want and not do what you don’t want. Such freedom undoubtedly needs to be based on sufficient economic foundation.

With their talents, they could easily obtain these.”

Seeing Xiaolan was a little dazed, Yingsheng smiled and said, "Compared to them, the two of us are actually more like the ones being taken care of. After all, we have to rely on their skills. When you think about it this way, has your impression of them changed a little bit?"

Xiaolan thought for a while, then said hesitantly: "Xiao Ai is still Xiao Ai, it seems... nothing."

Yingsheng shook his head and said, "Some problems cannot be generalized. You have to look at the details. After you took Ai and Mingzhi away from the izakaya last night, you should have taken them to buy daily toiletries. Did you notice their choices? And their enthusiasm for other things."

Xiaolan thought about it and said uncertainly: "They seem to be very casual about their daily lives and don't take it too seriously."

Yingsheng sighed: "Well, that means you are not observant enough. I don't know if Mingzhi cares or not, but Xiaoai can't help but care. Have you forgotten our encounter at Fushahui that day? She knows a lot about luxury goods.

She acted casually at that time, probably because she was just adapting sensibly.

At about 11:30 last night, I asked the boutique to deliver some things to Maori's house. Although it can't be used in time for Xiao Ai's daily necessities last night, it should be available this morning. Did you notice that she changed her supplies?"

Xiaolan opened her mouth and lowered her head in self-blame: "I'm sorry, this morning when I saw Xiaoai change her water cup, I asked her excessively if she didn't like the one she had yesterday? She was planning to change it back later..."

Yingsheng chuckled: "You will always refuse this."

Xiaolan nodded quickly: "Of course, I'm not really that stupid." "That's fine, Xiaoai is smart and can understand that you are just asking, and there is no other meaning."

Seeing Xiaolan slightly relieved, Yingsheng became more serious: "But this is enough to explain a lot of problems. Have you noticed that when one party is in a strong position, his words and deeds, even if they have no deep meaning, will make people think too much.

This kind of thing is very common in family education, and you should have a deep understanding of it.

In the past, even if it was a legitimate need of the school, when you asked Mr. Maori for money, if he said a few words, even if he gave you the money in the end, would you still have a vague sense of guilt? "

Xiaolan nodded as if she understood something: "I do feel that way..." She raised the corners of her mouth, "But I didn't care too much, because he would give me money in the end anyway. Later, after I learned karate, I would punch him when I was really angry."

"Haha, the lady has a good mind. I admire you."

Yingsheng smiled and said, "That's why I always say you're amazing. You've grown up to be what you are now. Are you born optimistic? If other children were faced with your situation, their mental state would definitely be worse."

Xiaolan blinked and said, "What about you, Suigetsu-kun?"

"Maybe it's Shuiyue Yingsheng, but it doesn't matter now." Yingsheng smiled, "The past does have a profound impact on a person's growth, but it is definitely not all. Now that you have grown up and understand the truth, it's nothing more than raising yourself again."

"Well, looking at it this way, it turns out that Suigetsu-kun is more powerful. I have never thought about this before."

Xiaolan clasped her hands in front of her chest, her eyes full of memories of the past and gratitude to her friends: "In fact, Sonoko has had a great influence on me. If it weren't for her, I might have become a very bad person.

Shuiyue, you know, I was hesitant about whether to learn karate, and it was Sonoko who encouraged me to make up my mind. After practicing karate, my spirit has improved a lot, and I am no longer like before...

Puff——"

Xiaolan suddenly thought of something and smiled: "Someone actually said that I was a crybaby before, but I gradually changed later."

Without even thinking about it, Yingsheng knew that the person was Kudo Shinichi, but he didn't care. He just sighed: "I am so lucky to meet such a friend. I am also lucky to be able to learn martial arts and strengthen my spirit and body. Can I ask what the opportunity is?"

Xiaolan's eyes immediately lit up with admiration: "It's Senior Maeda Satoshi. He is the All-Japan Karate Champion and my idol. I started learning karate since I was a child because of him. As for the specific opportunity...

Well, I think I just happened to see him on TV, thought he was very handsome, and wanted to learn from him. "

Yingsheng nodded: "Then this should be due to your strong character since childhood. I feel that it is closely related to the education of Lawyer Fei. Yes, although your mother didn't take care of you much later, she has left a very important background in your spiritual world."

"Eh?"

Xiaolan, as she said, had never deeply analyzed these issues. Now that Yingsheng had pointed them out one by one, it seemed...

When she was a child, whenever she encountered difficulties or grievances, her mother would always guide her in a gentle but firm manner on what to do and how to overcome the difficulties. If she was bullied, she should respond with a strong attitude...

As scenes of memories flowed through her mind, Xiaolan's eyes gradually softened.

“Indeed, my mother taught me a lot.

Combined with what Shuiyue-kun said now, I was not dragged down by the next ten years. Apart from Sonoko and karate, my real childhood was with my mother, so it didn’t seem too bad. My foundation was stable. "

Yingsheng smiled softly: "In that case, how about inviting Attorney Fei to watch your game tomorrow? You can express your gratitude to her tonight or tomorrow morning."

"of course yes."

Xiaolan nodded, looked at Hotaru for a few seconds, and added: "We'll have to wait and see the time after visiting Miss Kusano, and you have to go with me."

Yingsheng shook his head: "Of course the previous one happened, but why would I go over to see you and Lawyer Fei having a heart-to-heart? It would be too much of an eyesore.

Last time, weren't you a little disappointed that you didn't fully express your true feelings, but listened to my advice and acted a little. Now you know more and no longer need my guidance in this regard, which just makes up for the regret last time."

Xiaolan looked directly into Yingsheng's eyes: "Are you serious?"

Yingsheng did not evade the question and asked, "What else? It can't be that I'm afraid of meeting your parents. I'm a scumbag, and I can easily handle such a thing."

"........."

Xiaolan was speechless: "I really think so, but now that you said that, I think even if it comes to the end, I still don't want to let you go."

Yingsheng laughed: "This kind of thing should be left to nature. I will not avoid it, nor will I actively pursue that kind of ritual. Of course, if you want to use this method to determine something, can I ask Lawyer Fei about her preferences so that I can prepare a gift."

"Let's forget about it this time. You're right, but," Xiaolan said seriously, "my mother said last time that she was very surprised at my changes and asked me if I had read any books or met any people, but I just brushed it off.

If she asks again this time, I will mention you, and she might invite you to visit her later."

"my pleasure."

Yingsheng smiled and said, "But if Attorney Fei wants to show me his cooking skills, I hope you can help me smooth things over, Xiaolan, so that we can go to a restaurant outside to eat."

"What the hell, you guy?"

Xiaolan rolled her eyes at him, but her heart was already filled with joy, and the world became brighter.

However, she recalled Yingsheng's usual attitude and restrained herself a little. She said cautiously, "I promise not to mention it on my own initiative. I'm not trying to force Shuiyuejun to express his opinion. I know it won't work for you."

Yingsheng sighed: "I was wrong, why don't I take the initiative to call Lawyer Fei."

Xiaolan quickly shook her head: "That's not the case. I know what Shuiyue-kun is thinking, but... um..."

"You seem too calm, aren't you?" Yingsheng asked.

Xiaolan nodded weakly, then quickly shook her head:

"I understand!"

(End of this chapter)