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

"Hmm... what's the third point?"

"You are beautiful."

"Eh?"

Ying Sheng smiled and said, "Humans are visual creatures, and they feel pleasing to the eye when they see beautiful things."

Just like your name suggests, you are a beautiful orchid. When I rest on the green stones in the secluded stream, a gentle breeze blows, carrying a subtle fragrance; the scenery is truly exquisite.

Ying Sheng's gaze was so pure and clear, as if he were simply appreciating the natural scenery.

Xiaolan tilted her head slightly, facing the large floor-to-ceiling window, and gently pressed the back of her hand against her cheek.

On the glass, amidst the dazzling neon lights outside the window, a particularly beautiful blush appeared.

"Mizuki-kun is indeed very good at sweet talk."

"If telling the truth counts, then yes."

"Hmph, you've fooled quite a few people with this trick, haven't you?"

"You're the first person who wasn't fooled."

"I don't believe it. This is definitely another lie." Xiaolan turned around. "What's going on between you and Sonoko? I've never seen her hate someone so much."

Hotaru sighed, "I want to be in a relationship, and Suzuki is a sucker for good looks, so it's easy to understand, right?"

When you came to feed the cats on your first day at noon, you brought her along, and we exchanged contact information. That afternoon after school, I arranged to go to the amusement park with her.

"Nani?!"

Hearing this past that she didn't know, Xiaolan was completely dumbfounded. What's going on with you two?

Let's speed up the progress!

"Don't be so shocked. My goal is to find true love, not to seduce someone."

Ying Sheng sighed, "After visiting the amusement park that day, we went to a small shop on the street to eat ramen. Afterwards, we rented an AE86 from an unregulated car rental company and drove around the Capital Expressway, risking the car falling apart, and speeding around for a while."

It was nearly midnight when her mother called her. The excuse she gave her family was that she was with you and had just left, and would be home soon.

So I put her in a taxi.

"........."

Xiaolan was truly speechless, and could only grit her teeth and say, "You're really good at this!"

Ying Sheng rolled her eyes: "Hey, did she lose out in any way? I'm doing my best as her companion, taking her to experience new things. I'm not after money or sex. I'm practically a saint, okay?"

"But you deceived her feelings!"

"I was absolutely serious at the time, who knew that such a dramatic thing would happen later."

"what?"

"First of all, let me make one thing clear: although Suzuki has never revealed her identity in class, I knew within three minutes of meeting her that her Suzuki was definitely Suzuki from the Suzuki Group."

"Why? Sonoko dresses very simply, and she's very approachable when chatting with people."

"Confidence".

"Confidence?"

“A person who grows up in a well-off and harmonious family environment will have a more sound mind. The composure that comes from broad knowledge is something that cannot be made up for later in life.”

Xiao Lan was silent for a few moments, then looked at Ying Sheng, blinked, and her meaning was self-evident.

Ying Sheng smiled and said, "I'm the exception."

"Oh...and what about me?"

"At first I thought your family was very happy, but your excessive indulgence of someone made me feel that you might be lacking in love, which led to emotional projection."

You said your father was terrible, and that he even went to Ginza to cause trouble, which confirmed my suspicions.

And what about your mother?

Given that your father is terrible, you shouldn't completely avoid mentioning your mother, whether she's worse or your only light.

It's obvious she's absent from your life. Have your parents divorced?

Xiaolan's eyes dimmed: "Separation."

"How many years?"

"ten years."

“When you were seven years old…” Ying Sheng sighed, “I have to say, it’s a miracle that you can still maintain such a kind personality.”

By the way, was your father released on bail?

Xiaolan sighed softly, "Not yet."

"So, now that this person is no longer in the family, do you feel more relaxed, or what?"

Xiaolan remained silent for a long time before gently shaking her head.

“I don’t know. I was very angry with him, but when I got home, I felt a bit lonely.”

"After all, he is your father who has lived with you for many years, so it's normal for you to feel uncomfortable."

Ying Sheng thought for a moment, "But please forgive my bluntness, it is very irrational to be deceived by the inertia of life. I know that people's memories always beautify the past, dilute the pain, and leave only the beautiful warmth."

But this is the source of many tragedies.

Before your father is released on bail, you might have a good chance to compare your current life with your past life.

Don't rely on unreliable memories; use pen and paper.

Make a table listing your free time, fatigue level, self-improvement, emotional value, etc. Rate yourself daily and compare it to past performance for a more intuitive understanding.

Ultimately, whatever choice you make, I think it will make you feel less regretful.

Xiaolan sighed softly again: "I'll consider it."

"Don't worry about money. If you decide to move out and live alone, you can ask Suzuki for help. She'll be very happy," Hotaru said with a smile.

"Ha, I thought Shuiyue-kun would sponsor me."

"Of course I can, but I don't think you would accept it."

"Let's talk about it later, I'm really confused right now." Xiaolan changed the subject. "What happened between you and Sonoko after that? By the way, why didn't she tell me about this?"

"Of course, I told her to keep it a secret, and you can guess why."

"Ha, what a jerk, is this what you call sincerity?"

"Alright, I'm guilty, I repent, but it's too late now." Hotaru sighed, "Getting back to the point, Suzuki-kun has an older sister, did you know that?"

"..."

Xiaolan was speechless: "Don't tell me it's that kind of thing."

"Unfortunately, this world is sometimes so insignificant," Ying Sheng said helplessly. "You should have heard by now that I have a little reputation in that world."

"It's so famous it's practically an urban legend." Xiaolan frowned. "By the way, why did you choose such a...soft-sounding stage name like 'Firefly'?"

"Isn't this how it is in this industry? It combines my own characteristics to highlight the fragility of youth."

"...I shouldn't have asked. Let's continue."

Chapter 29 To Alice, To the Scum

Ying Sheng continued his story:

One evening, Ms. Ayako, Suzuki's older sister, was dragged by her college classmate to Kabukicho to see me. She was somewhat reserved and quite quiet, sitting on the far side of the sofa, and I began to take notice of her.

The details are unnecessary to elaborate on, but in short, on the evening of the third day, I asked her out to a movie alone, and she agreed. We went on two more dates after that.

She used an alias, and I don't know her real identity. Or rather, I never imagined that such a coincidence could happen in this world.

A week after I met Ms. Ayako, Suzuki mentioned her family during a date with me. She said that her usually gentle older sister had a fight with her fiancé. I comforted her and told her to have a good talk with her sister.

The next day, Miss Ayako told me that her sister wanted to see me, and I agreed.

That concludes the story.

Xiao Lan was so shocked that her mouth dropped open, and she couldn't speak for a long time. Finally, she managed to squeeze out two words in frustration.

"Scumbag!"

"I don't argue."

"They didn't just chop you up with a machete on the spot?!"

"I am truly grateful to them for their generosity in allowing me to survive."

"Damn it! Don't you feel ashamed?!"

"Shame is a useless emotion. I sincerely apologized to the two of them and expressed my willingness to do everything I could to make amends. I will treat those days as a dream."

And they,

Suzuki slapped me, turned around and left, saying that she should just pretend I was blind before.

Miss Ayako said nothing, simply placed the gift she had prepared for me that day down and left. Since then, we haven't had any further contact.

Snap——

Xiaolan slumped heavily against the backrest, her eyes vacant, and after a long while she murmured softly.

"You will go to hell."

"would not."

"Um?!"

Xiaolan sat up abruptly, her eyes blazing with anger. She had never seen such a shameless person!

Ying Sheng calmly said, "In fact, I don't think I did anything wrong. Just like all public relations professions, just like the current trend of renting girlfriends in Japan, the dating experience I provided to them free of charge was at least of a high standard."

Bang! ! !

Xiao Lan slammed her hand on the table, jumped to her feet, glared at Ying Sheng, and gritted her teeth.