Conan: I'm a zaibatsu in Tokyo

Shoichi was still swayed by Momiji's offer of 1.99 million yen.

"I'm here to keep you company, not because of the money."

Zheng Yi walked slowly behind the two of them and said in a calm tone, "I have hundreds of millions of yen to my name every minute, so I don't care about two million yen. I just want to keep you company."

"How about you return the money to Hongye?"

“That won’t do. One thing at a time.” Zheng Yi shook his head. “You have to have a sense of contract. You’ve all agreed to something, how can you go back on your word?”

Ai pouted, took Momiji's hand and walked ahead, ignoring him completely.

Ai glanced down at her clothes, frowned, but didn't resist too much.

Momiji's dream of becoming a fashion designer hasn't been shattered; she continues to design various clothes. The clothes Ai and Masakazu are wearing today were provided by Momiji.

However, Hongye's aesthetic sense has changed significantly and is no longer as shocking as before.

Although Ai's outfit this time still didn't quite suit her taste, it was only a bit childish. She could tolerate it for the time being because Koyo bought her a bag.

Thinking this, Ai turned around and glanced at Shoichi.

Zheng Yi wore a white crew-neck cashmere sweater underneath a workwear-style jacket in olive green.

She wore a pair of dark gray straight-leg casual pants and clean white leather sneakers, a simple and versatile style.

The clothes are very normal, but Zheng Yi looks older than 19.

Hongye also gave Zhengyi a pair of glasses, making him look more mature.

Hongye was wearing a light gray V-neck cashmere knit sweater, the color of which matched Zhengyi's casual pants perfectly.

She paired it with khaki high-waisted wide-leg pants, making her look breezy as she walked.

He wore an olive green trench coat over his clothes, which was in the same color family as his shirt.

Ai frowned, thinking that Momiji's aesthetic sense was terrible.

Is this the kind of clothing someone your age should be wearing?

Do you know you're only seventeen?
But today was a good day, so Ai didn't go to upset Momiji and happily let Momiji pull her into the shop.

The afternoon sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting its light on the display shelves and making the leather even more alluring.

Ai's eyes began to glow.

The automatic door slid open silently, and Shoichi, Momiji Ooka, and Ai Haibara walked in.

Xiao Lin, a senior sales clerk who was tidying up the counter, quickly adjusted her demeanor the moment her eyes fell on the three people, put on the most perfect professional smile, and hurried over to greet them.

"Welcome." Kobayashi bowed slightly, his gaze sweeping over Zheng Yi and Hongye with remarkable ease. "Please feel free to browse. We just received a lot of new arrivals today."

Zheng Yi simply nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over a men's briefcase in the shop window.

He wasn't interested in the bags, but Hongye said she was treating, so he figured he might as well accept.

Hongye turned around, gently nudged Xiao Ai beside her, and said in an unusually gentle tone, "Xiao Ai, which one do you like? I promised to buy it for you today. Besides the latest model, you can also choose another one."

Ai's eyes lit up as she happily scanned the counter.

Xiaolin's smile froze for a moment.

Buying this kind of bag for such a young child?
Kobayashi's gaze involuntarily fell on Ai.

This child looks to be no more than seven or eight years old, right?

At this age, while other children are playing in the mud or watching cartoons, this "rich girl" is actually picking out designer bags?
The child seemed quite interested.

Kobayashi shook his head slightly.

The toys that rich people had when they were kids were different from those of others.

She immediately bent down, bringing her eyes level with Ai's, and her tone became even more enthusiastic.

"Little friend, what kind of bag do you want?" Xiaolin pointed to a row of mini handbags next to her. "We have a few here that are the perfect size for you."

Ai ignored Kobayashi's enthusiasm; the bags she recommended were all for children.

"Um." Ai stretched out her finger and gently tapped it.

Xiaolin paused for a moment, then realized what was happening, quickly put on white gloves, and carefully took out the bag.

“You have a really good eye. This is a hidden piece from our collection this season. The leather is incredibly fine.” Kobayashi handed the bag to Ai with both hands, while glancing at Masakazu and Momiji out of the corner of her eye.

Zheng Yi walked to the sofa in the rest area and sat down, picking up a fashion magazine, showing no interest in choosing a bag.

Hongye stood beside Ai, looking at her with a smile in her eyes, occasionally tidying up Ai's hair that had been messed up by the wind.

Ai felt that Koyo was acting strangely today; she was unusually gentle and kind to her.

She looked up at Hongye and thought to herself, "You don't have any bad intentions towards me, do you?"
“This color is very dirt-resistant and goes well with trench coats.” Momiji said to Ai with a smile, then turned to Kobayashi and said, “Please wrap this up for us. Also, get me the dark purple one.”

“Yes, madam,” Kobayashi replied immediately, and began packing quickly.

"Madam?" Ai paused for a moment, then looked at Momiji's clothes and began to suppress her laughter.

Hongye's sense of aesthetics is definitely questionable; she makes people mistake her age.

A high school student was called "wife".

Then Hongye didn't seem angry and continued to pick out her favorite bags.

Ai was stunned for a moment.

Did you not hear me?

Kobayashi followed behind Koyo, his mouth dripping with honey as he launched into a full-on, unfiltered praise tirade.

“Madam, look at this ‘Midnight Blue’ color, it’s practically tailor-made for you.” Kobayashi’s voice was full of amazement.

"This color is both sophisticated and elegant, and it complements your skin tone perfectly. When you stand here, the bag looks like an accessory to you, rather than something you're carrying."

Hongye nodded slightly, her gaze fixed on the bag, but the smile on her lips was clearly because she had heard something agreeable.

"And then," Kobayashi changed the subject, glancing past Koyo and at Seiichi sitting on the sofa not far away, her voice tinged with envy, "your husband is truly a rare and wonderful man."

Hongye raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Lin said, "You don't know, these days, men who are willing to patiently accompany their wives to luxury stores are even rarer than pandas!"

“But your husband not only doesn’t find it annoying, he’s sitting here with you, his eyes never leaving you for a moment.”

The smile on Hongye's face hadn't completely disappeared when she opened her mouth, wanting to retort.

"As for this young lady..." Kobayashi spoke faster and more rapidly than Koyo: "She is so sensible."

At this moment, Ai was staring blankly at them.

When Kobayashi mentioned the word 'husband,' Ai started staring at them.

"Other kids who come into the store either roll around on the floor demanding toys, or they touch everything and make a mess of things," Xiaolin said with a smile.

"But what about your daughter? She's so young yet already has such a refined air about her. It's clear she inherited your good genes and your husband's composure. And she even shares your interests."

As Xiaolin spoke, she carefully placed the bags that Hongye had selected on the counter, her eyes filled with longing for the commission.

"To be honest, in all my years in this industry, I've rarely seen a wife like you with such a happy and enviable family life. You're not here to buy a bag, you're here to show off your happy life."

"and many more!"

Ai quickly called for Kobayashi to stop.

"What's wrong, little one?" Kobayashi asked, crouching down. Ai replied sternly, "I'm not her daughter."

"Huh?" Kobayashi was slightly taken aback.

Hongye nodded and pulled Xiao Ai aside, saying, "She's not my daughter, and the one sitting over there isn't my husband either."

"And who are you?"

“She is my sister,” Hongye said.

Kobayashi's gaze kept shifting between Momiji, Shoichi, and Ai.

At your age, you seem to fit the image of a family of three.
She smiled and said softly, "You're not just taking care of children, you've clearly become sisters. You get along so well."

Ai said with a dark face, "I've already told you I'm not her daughter!"

I'm a year older than her!

Ai's protest, tinged with anger, froze Kobayashi's smile. She looked at the little girl in front of her, then at Momiji beside her, somewhat at a loss.

How come they're not mother and daughter?
When I was chatting with that 'lady,' she didn't object. Why did this little girl suddenly become unwilling?

Why are you suddenly getting angry? Did I say something wrong?

Xiao Lin was completely bewildered. "Does this mean I'll lose my commission?"
"Oh dear, Ai, don't be angry." Hongye reached out and gently tidied Ai's hair.

Then she turned to Kobayashi beside her and said, "Miss, you've misunderstood. We are indeed not mother and daughter."

She paused, then looked back at Ai: "She's my friend."

Xiaolin nodded blankly. Although she was still full of doubts, she was afraid that her commission would slip away, so she didn't dare to ask any more questions.

She could only force a laugh and try to smooth things over: "Oh, so you're friends. That's...that's a really special friendship. No wonder the little girl looks so much more mature than her peers."

Hongye simply smiled slightly and turned her attention back to the handbags on the counter.

After selecting the bag, Hongye...

Xiaolin respectfully handed over the neatly packaged paper bag with both hands.

Zhengyi naturally accepted it. The two million yen from Hongye wasn't for nothing; he'd have to do the hard work.

"Thank you for your patronage. Please take care." Kobayashi bowed slightly and watched them leave.

Hongye nodded in acknowledgment, then took Xiao Ai's hand.

Stepping out of the store, Ai turned to Momiji and asked, "Where to next?"

"Let's go have afternoon tea, I'm a little tired," Hongye said.

"it is good."

Neither Zhengyi nor Xiao Ai had any objections. Their eyes swept across the street, as if they were looking for a suitable place to go.

Ai is fine with going anywhere by herself, so she thoughtfully asked her sugar daddy, "Where should we go for a drink?"

Hongye lowered her head and said, "Come with me, I know a good shop."

The sunlight on the street was a bit dazzling, but Xiao Ai felt that the eyes of those pedestrians were even more dazzling.

That kind of gaze is perfectly normal, as normal as watching a young couple taking their daughter out for a stroll.

Ai suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Hongye turned around, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Ai?" Hongye asked softly.

Ai didn't answer; she looked up at Momiji.

"Did you do this on purpose?" Ai asked.

"What do you mean by doing it on purpose?" Hongye blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering, her face full of innocence, as if she really couldn't understand what Ai was saying.

"You made us wear these clothes, didn't you? Are you trying to make people think you're my mother?"

Ai glared angrily at Kureha, suddenly sensing that Kureha harbored treacherous intentions.

Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting between the two, but he remained silent, quietly observing them.

The innocence on Hongye's face lasted only a second before she leaned down slightly, her gaze level with Xiao Ai's.

"Oh dear, Ai, what are you thinking about?" Hongye stretched out a finger and gently tapped Ai's forehead.

"I'm only seventeen. I'm not old enough to want to be a mother yet. Besides, why would I want to be your mother? You're overthinking things."

"Am I really overthinking things?" Ai crossed her arms and looked at Momiji expressionlessly.

Hongye nodded and swayed Xiao Ai by the shoulder.

"You're overthinking it. I'm not that bored," Hongye said.

Ai stared silently at the red leaves.

You knew Zheng Yi when you were a child, so isn't it normal that you picked up some bad things from him?

"Alright, alright, don't be angry." Hongye straightened up and took Xiao Ai's hand again: "As compensation, I'll order whatever you want for afternoon tea later, okay?"

"So, you admit you did it on purpose?" Ai asked.

Hongye blinked but didn't say anything.

"Humph!"

Xiao Ai snorted coldly.

Look! Even his feigned innocence is exactly the same as Zheng Yi's.

"I really didn't have that thought." Momiji shook Ai's arm.

Ai Haibara remained silent.

This shameless behavior has some of the true essence of Zheng Yi's style.

"How about I treat you to a sandwich with peanut butter and blueberry jam?"

Ai pursed her lips.

"How about I take you to buy Prada and Fusae tomorrow? We can buy whatever you like," Hongye continued.

Ai finally turned her head away and gave a soft "humph," which was considered an acceptance of the compensation plan.

Since Hongye apologized so sincerely, she was willing to accept it.

If Shoichi were as sincere as Momiji when he apologized, that would be wonderful.

Hongye smiled with satisfaction. Her actions had wasted another day of Xiao Ai's research time.

Ai's mood improved, and she took Momiji's hand to go for afternoon tea.

The three of them went to a coffee shop, sat by the window, and ordered coffee and dessert.

"Why do we drink coffee instead of tea for afternoon tea?" Zhengyi asked.

"Oh, there's no particular rule about it."

Soon, the waiter brought over three cups of coffee and, in a rather cheeky tone, remarked, "Your daughter is so cute."

Ai's face instantly turned ashen. (End of Chapter)