Conan: The Man Behind the Romance

Chapter 401 He is free! Lan Yuan is now absolutely eternal!

Saturday, 7:30 pm.

The layout of the lobby on the top floor of Suzuki Tower is simple and elegant. The beige walls and light gray wooden floors complement each other, and the soft star-like light falls on the slender branches of the ivy.

Ivy clings to neatly trimmed rubber trees, which rest against the edge of a large French window that covers an entire wall.

The night scene of the entire city unfolds under the starry sky. The cold steel forest is dotted with flashing neon lights, and it appears particularly soft in the eyes of people standing in front of the window.

There were quite a few guests talking behind me, but their conversations seemed to be restrained.

The atmosphere is as subtle as the fragrance that permeates the hall.

Yingsheng held a goblet in his hand, and in the goblet was clear water reflecting the colorful world.

He shook the light and shadow slightly and raised his glass to the person beside him.

"I was careless. I didn't realize the ceremony would be at night."

"..."

Xiaolan also raised her glass to Yingsheng, but in contrast to her mid-length sea-blue dress, the wine in her glass was deep red, shimmering like falling stars.

"Banquets are usually held at night, right? My classmates didn't leave until nearly eleven in the morning, and they probably just arrived in Kyoto now, so there won't be any activities tonight."

"The bus takes so long, it would be better to let the students take the Shinkansen, which will take at most three hours," said Yingsheng.

"Then there will be no feeling of a school trip. The anticipation on the bus and the scenery outside the window are both very important parts." Xiaolan took a sip of red wine. "Well, our journey is incomplete now. Let's take the bus when we come back."

"No problem, though I guess most of the time will be spent dozing off."

"That feels good, very relaxing."

"Yeah, I'm relaxing..." Hotaru looked at the dazzling city skyline in the distance, "Has there been any problems with Mr. Maori these past two days?"

"She does recovery training with the coach you hired during the day, and goes home exhausted at night, and nothing happens." Xiaolan heard the movement behind her and looked back, "Ms. Yuko is learning housework at home. Because of what happened before, it is impossible for her to return to the entertainment industry."

"It's just that we can't do that for now. Let's wait until she has rested for a while, and then ask her what she wants." Yingsheng also looked back.

Shiro Suzuki, wearing an orange suit, was walking down the red carpet from the second floor of the hall. He had a kind smile on his face and was greeting everyone enthusiastically.

Beside him, Suzuki Tomoko was wearing a dark purple dress suit with a snow-white shawl around her waist. She had her hands folded in front of her belly. She had a delicate appearance and the demeanor of a noble lady.

"Ying wants to enter the film and television industry in the future?" Xiaolan asked.

"If I don't occupy the public opinion position, others will. Film and television media are important means of propaganda." Yingsheng only glanced over there and then retracted his gaze. He and Xiaolan continued to chat in the same place. "In the past few decades, the main media in Japan have been basically controlled by the United States. They have done a lot of things."

"Eh? Is there such a thing?"

"The power of propaganda is significant. One of the main contributors to the collapse of the Soviet Union was the Voice of America, and the same is true of the general pro-American attitude in Japan," Yingsheng said. "Especially with the help of modern big data, the constant push of illusions that can fill a person's entire being can almost shape a person's soul."

"Um……"

"But controlling public opinion is a long-term plan. We don't have the power or the need to do so at this stage. We just need to cooperate with the major media." Yingsheng pointed to a calm middle-aged man in a white suit among the guests. "He is the current president of Nichimi TV. I have to go over and talk to him."

"Um……"

"Wait a minute, I'll be back soon, and this kind of thing is actually very simple, you don't need to worry about it."

Yingsheng walked towards the middle-aged man.

Xiaolan stood there and watched Yingsheng quickly get along well with the middle-aged man, who then took Yingsheng to meet other friends in the media industry. Soon, a lot of people gathered around them, and there was constant laughter and joy as they drank and chatted.

Xiaolan took another sip of red wine and sighed, "Sure enough, I am at the bottom."

"Lan is not right, and there is no clear definition of class in this world. It can change at any time. Don't take it to heart."

Yuanzi gently nudged Xiaolan's side with her shoulder. She was wearing a beige off-shoulder miniskirt, and looked even more simple and elegant than Xiaolan.

"Yuanzi? Why are you here?" Xiaolan tilted her head.

"I was accompanying my sister in the back. I came out after the son of the Tozawa family came." Sonoko took Xiaolan's arm and held out her left hand to clink glasses with hers. "We still have time to go to Kyoto tomorrow morning. Let's sleep together tonight."

"Okay, but we have to get up very early tomorrow."

"That's not bad. At the speed that guy is driving, it will probably take more than two hours to get there."

"...Then he should drive at least 120 miles per hour, which is seriously speeding." Xiaolan sighed, "Although he is an outlaw, there will be safety risks."

"Well... just fasten your seat belts."

"...No, absolutely not."

"Oh... Teacher Judy just posted a photo in the group. Lan, did you see that there is a light-up event at Kiyomizu Temple during the maple leaf season? It's so beautiful."

"…Come to think of it, will they stay at the temple tonight? Is it a big camp?"

"Then I must grab a spot on the suspended platform tomorrow night. Lan, come with me. When we sleep, there will be lush forests and the night view of Kyoto above our heads."

"It sounds good. There are stars up there, but I don't think we can camp there."

The two girls were chatting casually. Although they were watching the scene in the hall, they seemed to be spectators of the world. The engagement ceremony had nothing to do with them at all.

Yingsheng occasionally looked back. Xiaolan sometimes noticed his gaze, and sometimes not. When she noticed it, she would just smile at him and continue chatting with Sonoko.

This made Yingsheng feel particularly relaxed, and he quietly took a photo of Xiaolan and Sonoko with the starry sky as the background.

Simply perfect.

Definitely worthy of a Pulitzer Prize!
After a while, the protagonist of the ceremony also appeared on the second-floor platform, and the hall gradually became quiet.

Suzuki Ayako has slightly curly brown medium-length hair and wears a light pink long dress. Her makeup is not gorgeous. Her eyes are habitually narrowed and there is a smile at the corner of her lips. She looks very gentle.

The man next to him had a slightly darker complexion, black hair parted in the middle, and wore a light blue suit. His unrecognizable face had a bit of stiffness and a blush of happiness.

Shiro Suzuki and the elders of the Tozawa family went up the steps on both sides and announced that the two were engaged. There was no particularly solemn and rigorous ceremony, and the atmosphere was very harmonious and casual.

Yingsheng stood in the crowd, watching the two with a smile, and when the two held hands at the end of the ceremony, he raised his glass with everyone else and gave his blessings.

Taking a sip of water, Yingsheng continued to discuss cooperation with the people around him regarding the new achievements of Kurosawa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Nebulizer treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

The results of Generick.

Although under various strict regulations, it will take a long time for new drugs to be launched on the market.

But first publicize it and recruit volunteers to try the medicine. This is a little bit out of the ordinary, but it is not completely impossible.

Seeing Yingsheng's performance, several people who had been secretly paying attention to this side breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sonoko, you don't think it's possible for Hotaru to steal the bride, do you?"

Noticing the relaxation of the people around her, Xiaolan asked with a smile.

"That's not the case. He's not capable of doing such a thing." Sonoko shook her head. "But people like him have an explosive presence wherever they go. Since he dated my sister before, people might be a little concerned. It's not that I have any particular concerns."

"It's okay. Ying has been attending school normally these days and no one comes to see him specifically." Xiaolan said.

"I find it strange too. Logically speaking, he is definitely one of the best in the world right now. Our school gate should be packed with people." Yuanzi opened a forum on her phone. "Lan, look, the discussion about him on the Internet is almost overshadowing the martial arts association."

"They said they only wanted to see the fireflies, not the beast fights."

"But in reality, I only heard that Kabukicho was packed with people every night, and our school was clearly exposed, but few people came to visit."

"why is that?"

"Hmm..." Xiaolan thought for a moment, "Maybe those people are here for the fireflies, and they are not interested in 'Water Moon Firefly'."

“Isn’t there such a story?”

"Jesus preached and gathered thousands of disciples, but the people in his hometown knew that he was the son of a carpenter, so they did not respect him at all, let alone believe in him."

"Hmm... that makes sense, but..." Sonoko spread her hands, "This probably explains why the attitudes of his acquaintances haven't changed. But there are always people causing trouble in Kabukicho, who are even scarier than the fanatical fans of celebrities. This kind of people doesn't apply to him at all."

"Could it be that there are people from the Sumiyoshi-kai on duty around the school?" Xiaolan also found it a little strange.

"Even if they surround the school completely, so many people will always cause some noise." Yuanzi stroked his chin and pondered, "It doesn't make sense for the authorities to come out and say hello. There is no relevant information on the Internet. Even if there is, it has no binding effect at all."

"The current condition of Shuiyue-kun is like..."

"It was as if he had stripped the identity of Liuying from himself. Everyone else thought that Liuying was Liuying and Shuiyue Yingsheng was Shuiyue Yingsheng. They didn't equate them."

"However, his semi-public information clearly states that Liuying is Shuiyue Yingsheng. What does this mean?"

“I find it inexplicable.”

Xiaolan's heart moved. It couldn't be explained by common sense, and it was very unreasonable... Could it be magic?

Was it Koizumi who helped Hotaru?
Xiaolan thought so, but she naturally wouldn't say it out loud. She just said, "How could this be possible? I guess his charm is not that great. The comments on the Internet are all exaggerated and have little reference value."

"Well... that's true. Every day, they say 'I will die if I can't see fireflies', but it's impossible for anyone to really die." Sonoko let go of Xiaolan's hand, "But I still find it strange. I'll just go and ask him."

Sonoko walked towards Hotaru.

Xiaolan didn't know if this would have any impact, but out of caution, she quickly grabbed Yuanzi's hand and said, "You don't have to ask now. You can ask him privately later."

"It's mainly out of curiosity. This guy is definitely not an ordinary person." Sonoko said, but still paused, "I don't mean to say something weird, Ran, but judging by his current performance, there are simply too many things that don't make sense."

"I also know that everything is a blessing from Xuantian. This is Ying's own explanation." Xiaolan said.

"...If believing in Xuantian can bring me so many benefits, I also want to believe in him."

"...Sonoko, you're not talking about your final exam results, are you? You did pretty well."

"Haha, I'm so bad that I have nothing to say, okay." Sonoko rolled her eyes, "That guy always slept in class, but he got first place in the class in the exam. Kiyoko was second, you were third, Chisou was fourth, and I was ranked in the 30th place."

"Hey..." Xiaolan tilted her head, "Yuanzi, do you think that Xuesong and I also believe in Xuantian?"

"Isn't it? Lan, you were chatting with Yaoguang before, what's your code name?"

"...an attack helicopter."

“Pfft!” Sonoko couldn’t help laughing out loud. She bent over with laughter, and the red wine in the glass spilled onto her skirt. “What? Armaments… Hahahaha, Lan, what the hell are you talking about, helicopters or something, hahahaha… I…”

Xiaolan helplessly held her forehead with her hand, took Yuanzi's wine glass, went to the side table to put it down together with her own glass, then came back to help Yuanzi up.

"Let's go change clothes."

"Sorry, sorry." Sonoko clasped her hands together, "Your code name is a secret, right? I was wrong. I will never tell it again, and I will never mention it to anyone else."

"It's nothing, but instead of waiting for Xuantian, you might as well study hard on your own. Ying emphasizes subjective initiative very much." Xiaolan said.

“Hi, hi, but please give me some knowledge, Master Xuantian, so that I can get fifth place.”

"...Xuantian is not a personal god."

"........."

The two of them walked past the guests coming and going in the hall, quickly went around to the back, and went down the stairs to the lounge.

"The top four floors are connected. We originally wanted to decorate it in a castle style, but my mother thought that would not be original, so we adopted a modern style," said Sonoko.

"It's really very..."

Xiaolan suddenly paused, and hurriedly pulled Yuanzi to the corner of the corridor and covered her mouth with her hand.

Yuanzi was confused when she suddenly heard a familiar voice and her eyes widened immediately.

"Alas, why didn't you hinder my daughter's engagement ceremony? I am a little disappointed."

This is Tomoko Suzuki's voice.

"Because you have seen too many sad dramas, Madam. Your daughter and I are in love but polite. At most, we just hold hands. Our relationship is not that deep. I am just an ordinary person. How can anyone forget me after just a little contact with me?"

This is undoubtedly Yingsheng's voice.

"But my two daughters care about you very much and have been secretly investigating you."

"You know the game called Do Not Feed the Monkeys? They're following me, just like they're going to the zoo, just to have some free time and observe the behavior of a monkey in its natural habitat."

"I don't think so. I know my daughters. They haven't forgotten you." Suzuki Tomoko said. "What's the point? They won't forget that the sky is blue and the sun is warm." Hotaru said.

"You mean you're just a natural phenomenon?"

"To everyone except Xiaolan, I am essentially a gigolo, a central air conditioner."

"I don't understand what's so special about Mao Lilan."

"I don't understand either. Madam, why did you ask me to come down alone? Is there something going on?"

"I have put a lot of effort into your proposal these days, and my body has accumulated a lot of fatigue."

"I don't understand what you mean, ma'am, but I have to go. I have to discuss drug testing with your husband and then go on a school trip with your daughter."

As soon as Yingsheng finished speaking, footsteps were heard in the corridor.

Xiaolan hurriedly pushed Yuanzi back. They had just gone downstairs, and this was the only way for Yingsheng to pass.

"Didn't you say you were a gigolo?" Suzuki Tomoko's voice rang out again, "Mr. Liuying, you said you welcome nominations, so why can't I?"

"I now suspect that you are Vermouth. Tear your face off immediately." Yingsheng's words were followed by the sound of a gun being loaded.

“You can come and verify it yourself.”

"I'll only give you three seconds, three."

The noise above suddenly faded away and the air fell into silence. Xiaolan and Sonoko held their breath, not quite understanding the current situation.

"two."

Yingsheng's tone was cold.

"one."

Suzuki Tomoko did not respond.

"boom--!"

The gunshots actually happened.

Yuanzi's heart trembled, and she almost couldn't help but rush out, but Xiaolan still held her tightly, and the next second she heard Yingsheng's voice again:
"It's really inexplicable. You actually didn't hide. Do you have any hidden cards?"

"Anyway, you have the Qingli Resurrection Pill. As long as you don't shoot me in the head, I won't die." Suzuki Tomoko said.

"Death is not the most terrible thing, because I am also an expert in torture." Yingsheng said, "Before I hit your other leg, can you tear your face first?"

"Alas, you are really a cold-blooded man."

After a moment of silence.

"You are actually me? Oh, I see. You were helping Xiaolan test me. You are really an admirable elder. This is the elixir. Goodbye, Madam. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first. I wish your daughter a happy marriage and a son soon."

After Yingsheng finished speaking, the sound of footsteps was heard again, a little faster than last time.

It was too late for Xiaolan to leave, so Yingsheng didn't go upstairs, but went downstairs again.

Xiaolan hurriedly pulled Yuanzi back upstairs quietly. Yuanzi looked like a fool throughout the whole process.

"I'm very sorry, Sonoko. This is a test I asked Aunt Tomoko to give to Hotaru." Xiaolan said seriously.

Sonoko looked up blankly, "Suigetsu Hotaru, that guy is definitely a succubus."

"........."

Xiaolan didn't know what to say, but the next second a phone call came in. She took a look and answered it. Yingsheng's voice came from the receiver:

"Lan, I didn't find you at the venue. I'm going to leave the lounge first. Do you want to go to Kyoto now?"

"Okay, but Yuanzi needs to go home to change clothes first, so please wait a moment." Xiaolan said.

"Okay, I'll go downstairs and wait for you."

Yingsheng said and hung up the phone.

Xiaolan forcibly pulled Sonoko up and took her downstairs, "Let's go, it's fun to travel to Kyoto at night."

“…Lan, I don’t understand.”

"Nothing to think about, it's just what I said, I'm so sorry..."

Xiaolan paused again, and this time, what she heard made her eyes filled with disbelief.

"I knew you wouldn't leave. A man like you won't let anyone down."

"!!!!!!!" ×2
Xiaolan and Sonoko looked at each other and felt as if the world was about to collapse. What on earth was going on? !

"I just suddenly thought of something, Aunt Tomoko, have you heard of Mara?" Yingsheng asked.

"The Sixth Heavenly Demon King? Oda Nobunaga? Also, can you please not call me auntie?"

"Okay, Auntie. No problem, Auntie." Yingsheng sighed, "In short, this demon is the leader of the Heaven of Transformation and Freedom. His path is not to manifest himself with tools for pleasure, but to use the world to transform, to pretend to be happy, and to play freely..."

"I don't understand. Can you speak Japanese?" Suzuki Tomoko interrupted.

“…I speak Japanese.”

"Then use modern Japanese."

"…What I mean is that I have already attained the [Transmutation of Freedom], and you probably fell for it without knowing it. I'm very sorry, but there should be a way to get rid of it. All appearances are false, Aunt Pengzi, have you read the Diamond Sutra?"

"...The information says that you are a religious lunatic. I didn't think that was possible at first."

"Okay, please recite 'Avalokitesvara'."

"Avalokitesvara, and then what?"

"…Then it's the Heart Sutra. Go search it online. You need to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures for a month, and then live happily with Mr. Shilang until old age. Do you understand?" Yingsheng said in an annoyed tone.

"I don't quite understand, you can..."

"No, bye."

The footsteps that came up hurriedly disappeared again hurriedly.

"What? What a weirdo."

Suzuki Tomoko complained and walked away.

Because she had been shot in the leg before, Xiaolan guessed that she had gone to change clothes. After hearing the door closing, she pulled Yuanzi downstairs and looked for bloodstains on the red carpet in the corridor.

Results were not found.

Xiaolan probably didn't lose much blood, and it was hard to find her on the red carpet and in the dim light, so she didn't care too much and continued to go to Sonoko's room.

After entering the room, Yuanzi leaned against the door, first touched her own forehead, then put the back of her hand against Xiaolan's forehead, feeling it carefully for a while.

"Are we all running a fever?"

"I don't know either, but Ying is usually very mysterious, you know."

Xiaolan asked Sonoko to change her clothes and took out her cell phone, hesitating whether to call Masayo Aida or Akako Koizumi, who knew more about other angles of Hotaru.

But in the end she called Aoyagi Chiso, the person who understood Hotaru 100%.

The call was connected after half a minute. Xiaolan finished telling what she had heard before. Qing Liu Qian Su was silent for a moment and then chuckled:

"That's just Hotaru's excuse. Don't take it too seriously. He's always good at changing the subject. As for Mrs. Suzuki's behavior, just understand it as a noblewoman looking for excitement when she has nothing to do. Isn't that the way it is among the upper classes, starting from the European courts?"

"...I think so too, but I've seen the conversation between Ying and her, and there's no ambiguous content at all." Xiaolan said.

"Maybe the other side likes serious men. Didn't Hotaru reject them? If you are worried, you can report it directly to Mr. Shirou."

"...Then forget it."

"Relax, you are special." Aoyagi Chiso said, "By the way, Teacher Judy has something to say to you. Can you go with Sonoko and turn on the speakerphone?"

"Wait a minute." Xiaolan ran to the door of the locker room, knocked on the door and told Sonoko about it, then turned on the speakerphone, "Okay."

"Just a quick question, who is the person you trust the most?" Qingliu Qiansu asked.

"What do you say?"

"OK, Teacher Judy is here."

【Qiongsu Aoyagi applies for permission】

【Approved by Tianshu】

[Love -2, Use Skill: Delusion]

……

……

9:30 pm, locker room.

Xiaolan woke up slowly, and the white ceiling came into view, with dark red curtains with intricate golden patterns on the side.

She felt a warm and soft feeling on her chest. She lowered her eyes slightly and saw a little brown ball sleeping soundly on her chest.

Behind the little ball is the girl’s pure white body, which is almost dazzling under the soft light.

The ocean of the subconscious mind suddenly surged, and countless memories rushed out from the depths of the mind and poured into Xiaolan's conscious mind.

Her expression was completely frozen.

The little brown ball suddenly trembled slightly, and Xiaolan quickly reached out and stroked her back.

Yuanzi's trembling stopped immediately, and then she raised her head slightly, looking at Xiaolan with infinite tenderness in her eyes that almost seemed to drip out.

"Get dressed, we should go."

Xiaolan stood up, found the clothes she had placed here before, and started to put them on one by one.

"Ah."

The sound in the garden is faint like a mosquito's buzz.

……

Ten minutes later, Xiaolan called Yingsheng and the voice on the other end was quite noisy. There was no doubt that the atmosphere in the hall upstairs was more lively than before.

"Hina, can we go to Kyoto now?"

"Of course. Where are you? I'll say goodbye to the receptionist and go down right away." Yingsheng said.

"Yuanzi and I have already gone downstairs. We were a little drunk and wanted to get rid of the smell of alcohol." Xiaolan said.

"Do you want to rest for a while?"

"No, go to Kyoto and rest. You can enjoy the scenery better tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll be there soon."

After hanging up the phone, Hotaru went to say goodbye to the president and others of Nichimi TV, then went to say goodbye to Shiro Suzuki, and told him that he would drive Sonoko to Kyoto.

"Thank you for your help, Brother Shuiyue." Suzuki Shiro said with a smile.

"This generation is a little strange, Brother Suzuki, I saw Sister Tomoko drunk before, why didn't you go and accompany her?" Yingsheng said with a smile.

"Haha, I just went to see him, he was sleeping soundly, take your time, bro, I won't see you off."

Yingseo praised Suzuki Shiro for being a good man, turned around and went downstairs, going straight to the underground parking lot, where Xiaolan and Sonoko were chatting and waiting by the car.

"Let's go to Kyoto."

Yingsheng walked towards the vehicle.

(End of this chapter)