He's in Detective Conan, and he's the mastermind behind everything.

"And what about your life?"

Xiao Lan remained silent.

After a long silence, she sighed softly, "Did Mizuki-kun try to wake me up? But unfortunately, he failed."

"I really didn't expect you to be that strong. I should have used the backup hidden energy switch earlier." Ying Sheng smiled. "But it should have had some effect, I guess. I consider myself a pretty good punching bag."

"Yes Yes Yes."

Xiao Lan snorted softly, glancing at the pile of folding chairs next to Ying Sheng, quite speechless.

"Arm guards, elbow guards, wrist guards, leg armor, chest armor, plus the helmet and gloves you wore before the match, why didn't you just wear a full suit of armor?"

"Haha, that's too obvious, it can't be hidden."

"So you really did plan this all along, right?"

"It's just to prevent any potential problems, lest I be killed by the heroine's punch that could shatter stone tablets."

"Hmph, I did control my strength at the beginning."

“That’s right, that kick almost knocked me out.” Ying Sheng said helplessly, “I originally planned to beat you in karate, but after that, I didn’t dare to take a direct hit even when I was wearing protective gear, so I could only use some tricks.”

"Because I noticed that you started using your full strength after you put on protective gear."

"Oh, so it was all my own fault."

"That's what makes a proper punching bag," Xiaolan chuckled. "It would be even better if you couldn't dodge."

"Hey—then why don't you go and hit the telephone pole?"

"No way! Mizuki-kun, you should improve your physical fitness as soon as possible, so we can practice together better."

"I try my best... By the way, so you mean you always hold back when you spar with others?"

"What else can we do?"

"If Teitan High School has no rivals, then go find them at other schools. Suppressing yourself all the time will only waste your talent."

Xiao Lan was silent for a few moments, her voice muffled.

"Oh."

"Well, you didn't never think about this before, and you were always thinking about how to go on a date with Kudo, did you?"

"Why are you bringing him up again?"

"You were the one who thought of it first."

"No."

"Alright, then I'll just pretend I'm making conversation. What did you say to him after you went back yesterday? Things seem a bit off today."

Xiaolan said helplessly, "I haven't told him yet."

"why?"

"Do not want to tell you."

Ying Sheng pouted, "I can guess pretty much it. You must have inexplicably fallen into a state of depression, staggered home, and had to take care of your drunken, awful father. Time flew by, and you didn't call Kudo."

Xiaolan glanced at her sideways: "You're not a stalker, are you?"

Ying Sheng shrugged. "Does this even need to be followed? You look so downcast, who can't tell?"

"My dad didn't notice."

"That's why I'm convinced he was drunk. Otherwise, he would have noticed his own daughter's obvious psychological problems. After all, he's a detective."

Xiaolan opened her mouth, wanting to say that even when her father was sober, he was actually quite unreliable.

But I'll let it go, I'll save him some face.

"Let's get back to Kudo."

Ying Sheng thought for a moment, "You must have tried to wake him up this morning but failed, right? Judging from this, he seems quite concerned about the accident the day before yesterday. Until he stops on his own, you shouldn't take the initiative to look for him, otherwise he will only become more resentful towards you."

"I know, you meant it yesterday, that you were dragging us down."

Ran sighed softly, "I wonder what kind of troublesome case it is that even Shinichi couldn't solve quickly."

She suddenly turned to look at Hotaru: "Didn't you spend the afternoon before yesterday with Shinichi, Suigetsu-kun? Could you...?"

"No."

"Hey, I haven't finished speaking yet."

“It was something you didn’t want to hear yesterday, and I don’t want to talk about it now.” Ying Sheng glanced at her. “Anyway, you can’t help with anything, so it’s useless for you to know.”

Xiao Lan remained silent for a long time, then gritted her teeth and said, "Does Shuiyue-jun have to be so sharp in his words?"

Ying Sheng smiled slightly. "Not bad."

"what?"

"You're able to express your dissatisfaction with me directly, instead of just holding it in. Isn't that a big improvement compared to yesterday? It shows that at least I'm not doing useless work."

Xiao Lan stared at him intently for a long time before gently pursing her lips.

"why?"

"I told you, I'm just here to enjoy the flowers."

"But doesn't Mizuki-kun want to be in a relationship? Many people in the classroom and dojo saw what happened this afternoon, and they might misunderstand."

"A teenager's head isn't filled with nothing but pink bubbles, right? Passion, bonds, and friendship—that's the main theme of shonen manga."

"..."

Xiaolan was speechless: "You're going through puberty too."

"That's why I consider you both a senior and a partner," Ying Sheng invited. "I'm going to cause trouble for a loan shark company this Friday night, and there might be a conflict. Could you please help me out?"

"Huh?" Xiaolan was slightly taken aback.

"Are you serious?"

Chapter 21 Target: Loan Sharks!

"Of course I'm serious."

Ying Sheng looked at Xiao Lan with a serious expression.

"You have no idea how despicable those loan shark companies are, forcing so many people to go bankrupt and break up their families. To give you an example, just the other morning when I was jogging in Beika Central Park, I heard a homeless man tell me about his tragic life."

Due to temporary cash flow problems, he mistakenly trusted a friend and borrowed money at high interest rates, which resulted in him being unable to repay the loan due to the compounding interest.

They were subjected to violent debt collection at their home, their wives were nearly humiliated, and their landlord, fearing trouble, stopped renting them apartments. Beset by internal and external troubles, they made a mistake at work and were fired.

Thus, he became a vagrant.

Ying Sheng's narration was straightforward and lacked emotional depth, so Xiao Lan didn't feel much after listening to it, and just asked in a daze.

"Where is his wife?"

"Who knows, she's probably picking up customers somewhere."

"!!!"

In an instant, Xiaolan felt as if her scalp was about to explode, and she was so shocked that she almost jumped up.

God knows……

She stared intently at Ying Sheng's calm face, wanting to ask: How could you say such terrifying things so calmly?!

But she didn't ask that question after all.

Even under that slightly mocking gaze, the complex emotions surging in her heart were quickly cooled down as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over them.

Seeing her lips move as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, Ying Sheng nodded slightly and turned her head away.

Do you watch international news?

Xiaolan didn't quite understand what he meant, but she still answered truthfully.

"rare."

"Do you know what the neonatal mortality rate is in Zimbabwe, Africa?"

Xiaolan remained silent for a few moments, then lowered her head in disappointment.

"I don't know, Mizuki-kun..."

"I do not know either."

"Um?!"

Xiao Lan suddenly looked up, her eyes darting around.

Ying Sheng shrugged: "That's how humans are. They only favor those who are close to us and ignore those who are far away. If it's something we can't see or hear, then no matter how tragic it is, it simply doesn't exist."

Xiao Lan seemed thoughtful. "What Shuiyue-jun means is that we should pay more attention to other things..."

"What I mean is, don't overthink it."

"Ah?"

Xiao Lan tilted her head in confusion.

Ying Sheng laughed and said, "Anything you want to do, just do it. Whether there are rational reasons or not, it doesn't matter. For example, Friday night, which is the night after tomorrow, I plan to go and cause trouble for the loan sharks. That's it."

He turned to look at Xiaolan, "So, are you going?"

Xiao Lan hesitated. To be honest, she was a little dizzy and didn't know what to say.

"No rush, just give me an answer before Friday night. I'm going alone anyway." Ying Sheng said nonchalantly. "And don't worry about me being in danger. I'll use a secret weapon that day."

"What?" Xiaolan asked curiously.

"I already said it's a secret."

"Oh...and your stamina?"

"If you can't hold on, just run. It's not like you have to finish the game in one life."