Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

The next day, early in the morning.

Everyone who stayed up until the wee hours last night is now getting out of bed with dark circles under their eyes, fighting off their sleepiness.

Rei Furuya rubbed his eyes, yawned widely, and had tears still clinging to the corners of his eyes.

Yamamura Misaki staggered as he walked, nearly bumping into the door frame.

Even Eri, who is usually the most energetic, leaned on Ruri, her steps a little unsteady.

"Cheer up, everyone!" Yukiko patted her cheeks, trying to clear her head. "We're reshooting my scenes today. Haven't you all been curious about how movies are made? I'll take you to the theater to see!"

The mere mention of filming instantly dispelled most of the drowsiness in the group.

Rei Furuya's eyes lit up, and he immediately straightened up; Misao Yamamura also forgot to yawn and excitedly asked, "Can we really go in and see? Won't it disturb their work?"

"Don't worry, I'll talk to the director, it should be fine."

Yukiko said confidently, then added,
"You guys wait for me outside for a bit. I'll go find the director so that he won't be in a difficult position with so many people around."

Everyone nodded and followed Yukiko toward the filming location.

……

Yukiko directed a film about the Meiji Restoration era.

The reason the production team chose this village as the filming location was because it has many old houses that are over a hundred years old, with simple wooden structures and stone-paved roads. With just a little renovation, the historical scenes can be perfectly recreated.

The scene Yukiko was reshooting today was in a dilapidated farmhouse courtyard.

The mottled earthen walls are covered with green vines, and the wooden door frame has faded, showing the marks of time.

Lin Xiuyi and the others arrived at the courtyard gate and could vaguely hear the director yelling "Cut!", the staff talking, and the crisp sounds of props colliding.

Yukiko gestured for everyone to wait outside, and she was about to push open the creaking wooden door.

At that moment, a gleaming black luxury sedan slowly pulled up at the entrance of the courtyard.

The car door opened, and a pair of feet wearing ten-centimeter high heels stepped out gracefully.

She was a well-dressed woman, wearing a designer dress, carrying a limited-edition handbag, with exquisite makeup and meticulously styled hair, standing out starkly from the simple mountain village environment around her.

"Isn't that Shizuka Horiuchi?" Kogoro Mouri suddenly said in a low voice, his tone tinged with surprise. "She used to be a fairly well-known actress, but she retired from the film industry after marrying into a wealthy family. What's she doing here? Is she making a comeback?"

The woman seemed to have heard Kogoro Mouri's words, and her slender eyebrows rose slightly.

She scrutinized Lin Xiuyi and the others with a critical eye, a hint of disdain playing on her lips.

“Horiuchi-senpai,” Yukiko quickly stepped forward to greet her, “you…”

Before she could finish speaking, Horiuchi Shizuka raised her hand, adorned with a diamond ring, and gestured to interrupt.
"Fujimine, are you bringing so many unauthorized people into the filming location?"

She deliberately emphasized the phrase "irrelevant people."

"I remember you were just a newcomer on set, right? When did you get such influence?"

Yukiko clenched her fist, but maintained a polite smile. "Horikui-senpai, I just wanted to ask the director if my friends could watch from the outside without disturbing the filming." "Ask the director?" Horiuchi Shizuka sneered. "You think the director would give you that kind of face?"

The woman took two steps closer, then suddenly lowered her voice, deliberately making sure everyone could hear her.

"Don't think I don't know that you got into this production entirely because of your parents' connections. As for acting skills, you're not even as good as an extra, so you can only get a role in this kind of small production."

These words were like a sharp knife, piercing Yukiko's heart.

She was so angry that she was trembling all over, and tears were welling up in her eyes, but she held them back from falling.

Yukiko opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but in the end she just bit her lower lip and swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

She didn't want to cause trouble for the production crew because of her own issues.

"Hey, how can you talk like that!" Hiromi Yabuuchi, Yukiko's best friend, was the first to stand up and retort, "Yukiko's acting skills are clearly very good!"

"Exactly!" Kogoro Mouri chimed in, "You've been out of the film industry for so long, and now you come back and start slandering others. That's incredibly rude!"

Although Eri Kisaki usually bickers with Yukiko, she stood by her side at this moment: "Ms. Horiuchi, please respect the facts when you speak. As for Yukiko's acting skills, the director will naturally judge them. It's not your place to criticize her, is it?"

Everyone chimed in, expressing their indignation on Yukiko's behalf.

Yukiko felt a surge of warmth in her heart as she looked at her friends who were protecting her, but she couldn't hold back her tears.

She blinked hard, trying not to let the tears fall, not wanting to show weakness in front of Horiuchi Shizuka.

Just then, Lin Xiuyi suddenly spoke up: "Alright, everyone, stop talking."

Upon hearing this, Yukiko's heart sank.

She never expected that when she needed support the most, Lin Xiuyi would ask everyone to stop speaking up for her.

Does he also think his acting is bad? Or is he afraid of trouble from Shizuka Horiuchi?
Disappointment surged into her heart like a tide, and the girl lowered her head in grievance. The tears that she had been stubbornly refusing to shed just moments before finally began to fall.

Horiuchi Shizuka became smug, glancing sideways at Lin Xiuyi as if looking at a timid and cowardly student: "You're the only one who's sensible. You know this isn't a place for you, so quickly take your friends and leave, don't embarrass yourselves here."

But what Lin Xiuyi said next stunned everyone.

He nodded to Horiuchi Shizuka, his tone sincere.
"Auntie, you're right. We really shouldn't be making noise here. It would be bad if it affected your mood."

"After all, you are getting old. Too much emotional fluctuation is not good for your health. If you get sick from getting angry, we can't bear the responsibility."

"Aunt?"

Horiuchi Shizuka's face changed instantly, and she screamed.
"You actually called me an old auntie! I've only just turned thirty, how am I old!"

"You're only in your thirties?"

Lin Xiuyi feigned surprise and widened her eyes.

"I thought you were over forty. After all, your makeup is so heavy, the wrinkles around your eyes are almost impossible to cover, and you speak with such an air of seniority, you must be a 'veteran' who has experienced a lot."

He paused and continued,
"But Auntie, even though you're getting on in years, you can't just slander others like that. Yukiko is younger and prettier than you. She got into the film crew through her own hard work, which is much better than someone like you who married into a wealthy family, retired from the film industry, and now wants to come back to ride on their coattails." (End of Chapter)