Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

For female celebrities in the entertainment industry, the most taboo thing is having their age mentioned.

Lin Xiuyi's words were full of the word "old," like small knives stabbing Horiuchi Shizuka's most vulnerable spot.

She was so angry that she trembled all over, and a few strands of her carefully styled hair fell loose. Her finger pointing at Lin Xiuyi trembled uncontrollably, and she could only utter a complete sentence for a long time.

"You don't need to thank me," Lin Xiuyi said with a gentle smile. "Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a virtue that we should all abide by, don't you think?"

He turned to look at his companions and winked.

Kogoro Mouri immediately understood and deliberately raised his voice: "Yes, ma'am, it's truly admirable that you're still working at your age!"

After he finished speaking, he gave an exaggerated bow, which made everyone burst into laughter.

Rei Furuya chimed in, "Grandma, calm down, or your blood pressure will spike!"

The crowd started chattering and jeering, calling her "old auntie," "senior," and "grandma" all at once.

Horiuchi Shizuka listened to the shouts of the crowd and was so angry that she almost fainted. Just as she was about to lash out, the wooden door of the courtyard was pushed open from the inside with a creak.

A production assistant peeked out and his eyes lit up when he saw Yukiko: "Come with me! It's almost your turn to shoot, the makeup artist is getting impatient!"

Yukiko nodded quickly, then took the opportunity to ask, "Brother production assistant, my friends want to go to the filming location to take a look, I wonder..."

The stagehand looked troubled and scratched his head: "This... I can't make that decision."

Seeing this, Horiuchi Shizuka immediately started being sarcastic again: "I told you, how could the director let these outsiders in? Yukiko, you'd better not waste your energy and go get your makeup done. Don't let your situation delay the filming schedule."

The production assistant cleared his throat awkwardly: "I'll go in and ask the director. You guys wait here for a bit."

“Even if you ask the director, the result will be the same,” Horiuchi Shizuka said smugly, raising her chin as she looked at Yukiko. “You’d better tell your friends to leave quickly, or you’ll embarrass yourself here.”

As she spoke, she picked up her handbag and started to walk into the courtyard, as if she were the person with the most say in the film crew.

But just as Horiuchi Shizuka took two steps, a loud voice came from the courtyard: "Where is Mr. Hayashi Hideichi?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged man walking out quickly, looking around.

When he saw Lin Xiuyi, his eyes lit up instantly, and he warmly extended his hand: "Mr. Lin Xiuyi, it really is you! Welcome, welcome! I didn't expect you to come to our crew!"

Lin Xiuyi was somewhat surprised: "Director, do you know me?"

"Of course I know him!" the director said with a smile. "A famous high school detective in Tokyo, an investigation consultant for the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division, how could I not know him!"

As he spoke, he patted Lin Xiuyi's shoulder enthusiastically, completely unaware of Horiuchi Shizuka's livid face beside him.

After some pleasantries, the director noticed Horiuchi Shizuka. His smile vanished instantly, and his tone turned serious: "Mrs. Horiuchi, what are you still doing here? Didn't I tell you to deal with your husband's matter quickly?"

Horiuchi Shizuka's body stiffened abruptly, her eyes darting around: "Director, I..."

"Don't give me excuses!" the director interrupted her, his voice filled with anger. "Your husband's parents are spreading rumors that you killed him, and the reporters are practically breaking down the doors of the film set!" "I'm warning you, you'd better clean up this mess of rumors right now, or I'd rather cut all the scenes involving you from the movie than let my film be released with this stain on it!"

Horiuchi Shizuka trembled with fear and nodded hurriedly, "I understand, Director, I'll handle it right away, please don't be angry..."

She dared not linger any longer, and left in a disheveled state with her head down.

After Horiuchi Shizuka left, Yukiko asked curiously, "Director, what happened to Horiuchi-senpai's husband? Why do you say she killed him?"

The director sighed, his face full of helplessness, and rubbed his throbbing temples: "Her husband was robbed at home last week and was shot dead by the robbers."

"Everyone initially thought it was just a simple robbery and murder case, and the police were investigating in that direction as well."

"Unexpectedly, her husband's parents suddenly came forward and told the media that their son was not killed by the robbers, but by Shizuka Horiuchi."

"They also said that Shizuka Horiuchi and her husband had long been estranged and were arguing about getting a divorce. In order to get a larger share of the property, she deliberately planned this 'burglary' and actually hired a hitman to pose as a robber."

As the director spoke, he glanced at Lin Xiuyi seemingly casually, but the latter simply put his hands in his pockets and showed no intention of responding.
“The media outside are going crazy right now, calling every day to interview Shizuka Horiuchi, and all sorts of rumors are spreading like wildfire, which is not good for our film.”

"You've been in the village these past few days and haven't seen today's entertainment news, so you don't know about this."

Yukiko suddenly realized why Horiuchi Shizuka's attitude had been so hostile earlier; it turned out that something terrible had happened at home, and she wanted to vent her anger on others.

"Alright, stop thinking about these things," the director patted Yukiko on the shoulder. "Go get your makeup done, your scenes are still waiting to be filmed."

He turned to Lin Xiuyi and the others, and said with a smile,

"Since you are friends of Yukiko, please come in. Just be careful not to disturb the filming."

"Great!"

The crowd cheered and followed the director into the courtyard.

Everyone was excited as they looked at the busy staff, the various props, and the huge camera inside.

"Tsk tsk, you really have a lot of influence," Kogoro Mouri nudged his friend with his elbow, his eyes full of envy. "Even a big director is so enthusiastic towards you."

“When you give a gift, you must have something in mind,” Lin Xiuyi shook his head in annoyance. “I don’t have that much influence. He clearly needs my help, so he did me a favor by giving Yukiko a favor.”

"Is it the case of Horiuchi Shizuka's husband?" Eri Kisaki pushed up her glasses. "He kept glancing at you while he was talking, clearly wanting your help in the investigation."

“Most likely,” Lin Xiuyi nodded. “He just said that if this matter isn’t resolved, the movie will be affected. I just didn’t respond. I guess he’ll contact Yukiko soon and have her talk to me.”

“I see,” Kogoro Mouri said, suddenly realizing. “But investigating cases is a piece of cake for you.”

Lin Xiu smiled but didn't reply. What he was really concerned about was something else entirely… (End of Chapter)