Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"I have a feeling that the three of you are deliberately trying to trick me..."

Lin Xiuyi sighed helplessly, a sense of foreboding creeping into her heart.

Eri and Yukiko are definitely up to no good; they probably already know what questions they're going to ask.

"Then it's settled! Let's deal the cards!"

Yukiko immediately seized the opportunity, quickly shuffling and cutting the cards, and then dealing them one by one to the four people.

It's unclear whether it was just bad luck for Hayashi Hideichi, or whether Yukiko had tampered with the cards all along.

After the first round of dealing, the playing card representing "ghost" landed right in Lin Xiuyi's hand.

"Hehehe... It's my turn!"

Yukiko grinned mischievously, like a little fox spotting its prey, her eyes fixed intently on the deck of cards in Hayashi Shuichi's hand.

She stretched out her slender fingers and slowly moved them across the cards Lin Xiuyi had laid out, pretending to draw one card and then moving to another, while her large eyes were fixed on Lin Xiuyi's face, trying to catch clues from the most subtle changes in his expression.

Unexpectedly, Lin Xiuyi maintained a poker face, his eyes calm and unwavering. No matter which card Yukiko's finger hovered over, he remained as still as a meditating monk, showing no reaction whatsoever, not even changing the frequency of his breathing.

Yukiko's hands repeatedly explored his deck of cards, and she gradually lost confidence.

Why isn't this guy reacting at all?

Just as Yukiko touched the last card, Hayashi Shuichi's lips suddenly curled up slightly.

Upon seeing this, Yukiko was overjoyed, thinking that she had drawn the Joker card. She quickly withdrew her hand and drew a card from the side without hesitation.

However, when she held the card up to her eyes and saw the image of a clown wearing a crown and smiling mockingly, her smile froze instantly. She puffed out her cheeks in anger and exclaimed in frustration, "How could this be! You lied!"

Heh, you little brat, trying to play mind games with me?
Lin Xiuyi smiled smugly to himself, but his face remained calm and composed.

His micro-expression just now was a deliberate act to show Yukiko.

All's fair in war; this is the wisdom of our ancestors.

The game continues.

Lin Xiu turned around with a smile and began to draw cards from Lingzi's hand.

Of the four, Yukiko is, after all, a future star in the entertainment industry. She has talent and basic acting skills. At first, she just didn't expect that Hayashi Hideichi would be so cunning as to turn the tables on her, and she suffered a silent loss.

Upon discovering the problem, she immediately became extremely alert and began to imitate the behavior, trying to control her facial muscles and make some deceptive micro-expressions.

Although Eri Kisaki doesn't have the same professional acting skills as Yukiko, she has a naturally aloof personality and reserved emotions. Once she deliberately puts on a serious face and tightens her lips, it is indeed difficult for people to read any useful information from her face.

Needless to say, Lin Xiuyi's experience of living two lives has given him a composure and mental fortitude far beyond his peers. Even if his pure acting skills cannot compare to Yukiko's talent, they are more than enough to fool and observe these young girls.

Only Lingzi, the little girl, tried hard to imitate her older brothers and sisters, keeping a straight face and pretending to be profound. However, she was still young and simple-minded. Often, unintentionally, a subconscious pursing of her lips, a fleeting glance, or a slightly furrowed brow would easily reveal the quality of the cards she was playing.

After several rounds of intense psychological warfare, Eri Kisaki was a bit unlucky and lost a round, while Reiko unfortunately lost two rounds and was temporarily at the bottom. Yukiko looked at the result and was clearly very dissatisfied, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed together.

She quietly nudged Eri Kisaki and Reiko across from her from under the table with her toes. Then, just as Hayashi Shuichi turned his head to check on Kogoro Mouri and the others' battle, she gestured with the corner of her mouth toward Hayashi Shuichi, signaling the three of them to deal with him together.

Eri and Reiko immediately understood what she meant.

Although they sometimes bicker, the three girls always agree on the matter of "tricking Lin Xiuyi".

In the next game, Lin Xiuyi quickly realized that something was wrong.

When it was Yukiko's turn to draw a card from him, Reiko, who was sitting next to Hayashi Shuichi, would always snuggle into his arms, her little head almost blocking his view of the cards.

Lin Xiuyi became suspicious. With a quick glance, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the little girl's hand, hidden under the table, was secretly and subtly gesturing numbers and positions to Yukiko.

They were actually tipping them off!

"...Reiko, cheating in games is not a good thing..."

Lin Xiu glanced at her younger sister, her tone carrying a hint of warning, yet she couldn't bring herself to be harsh.

The little girl immediately looked up as if her tail had been stepped on, revealing a pitiful, wronged expression, as if she was about to cry at any moment.

This "cuteness to get by" tactic was extremely effective against Lin Xiuyi. He was instantly defeated and could only helplessly look away, sigh inwardly, pretend that he hadn't seen anything, and grit his teeth and continue the game.

Oh well, she's my own sister, what else can I do but spoil her?

With Reiko acting as an "insider" and providing accurate intelligence, the battle situation was instantly reversed.

In the next two rounds, Lin Xiuyi suffered consecutive defeats, as if the Joker cards had chosen him as their target, frequently appearing in his hand.

As the statistics showed, if he lost just one more game, he would "ascend" to the throne of the most lost games and be forced to accept the "truth or dare" interrogation from the three girls.

Lin Xiuyi made a quick decision; he could no longer sit idly by and wait for his doom!
He quickly put the cards on the table, clutched his stomach, and forced a perfectly convincing expression of pain onto his face.

"Oh dear, I suddenly feel a bit unwell in my stomach. I need to go to the restroom. You guys go ahead and play, don't wait for me."

As he spoke, he stood up and made a move to walk towards the restroom in the connecting area between the carriages.

Yukiko reacted quickly, and was about to reach out and grab him to stop his obvious "strategic retreat," but was stopped by Eri Kisaki's eyes.

"Let him go. Anyway, there are still more than forty minutes before the train arrives in Osaka. Does he think he can hide in the bathroom forever?"

Just as Lin Xiuyi was about to leave, he naturally heard what Fei Yingli said and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The train was so big, it wasn't just the restroom that was available.

He had made up his mind to go to the dining car to buy a cup of coffee, then wander around the carriages, determined to stay until the train arrived at the station before going back.

Otherwise, if he gets tricked by the three girls and loses another round, it will be really troublesome when answering the questions.

Lin Xiuyi had only taken a couple of steps when he heard hurried footsteps behind him. (End of Chapter)