Detective Conan: The Literary Genius is Actually a Great Scientist

"Truly, they're all people from Mikasa..."

Watching the group, after a brief moment of panic, return to their chatting and laughing as they went to the kitchen to serve dishes to the table, Lin Ran sighed softly.

They're all so carefree!

The bridge is broken, the phone lines are down, and there's a bandaged weirdo lurking outside, yet these guys are still chatting and laughing as they prepare to eat. Their mental fortitude is truly remarkable, befitting people living in a world with "Death."

Chikako Ikeda came down for dinner, but she still looked terrible and didn't say anything, just kept eating. Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the awkward incident from earlier.

Sonoko wanted to retort, but seeing her sister shake her head at her, she ultimately held back.

Lin Ran hummed as she went to pick up some food.

After dinner, it was still raining outside. Everyone sat around in the living room, and Hiroki Kakutani suggested playing cards.

"Great! Great!" Sonoko immediately responded, "Let's play cards! I know lots of different ways to play!"

When the young lady spoke, everyone immediately responded and sat around on the carpet in the living room, playing a popular Chinese card game called Dou Dizhu (Landlord).

He, Sonoko, Ota Masaru, and Takahashi Ryoichi exited the stage.

The obedient Xiaolan sat behind Lin Ran watching him fight. Suzuki Ayako prepared tea and fruit for them, while Ikeda Chikako sat on a single sofa with her arms crossed, watching coldly.

Hiroki Kakutani, who first suggested playing cards, then happily went to take photos, circling around them and recording every detail of the gathering.

"How much should we pay?"

"I'm such a money-grubber," Yuanzi asked.

Playing cards without betting money is like not playing cards at all.

Lin Ran, of course, didn't care: "I'm fine with anything."

Ota Masaru and Takahashi Ryoichi originally intended to just have some casual fun, since the other two were students. But then they thought again, no, neither of them is short of money. One is a rich young lady, and the other is a famous writer.

Ota Masaru quickly said, "Let's call it 100 then."

"It's so small..." Sonoko was not very satisfied.

Ryoichi Takahashi wiped the sweat from his brow: "Then double the number of bombs."

Once the rules are set, the cards will be dealt.

Lin Ran was the landlord in the first round, and got off to a winning start.

2650 received.

In the second round, Lin Ran was still the landlord and won again.

In the third round, she was finally not the landlord. However, Yuanzi, who was supposed to be the landlord, looked at her bad hand, pouted, and decisively gave up. The landlord position went to Lin Ran again.

As expected, I won again, and 3200 was credited to my account.

For some reason, Lin Ran felt that her luck was particularly good tonight. She started each hand with a bunch of bombs, and her random cards were never lower than the suit. The worst she got was a straight or a pair.

He beat them so badly they were all smiles, not because of winning money, but because the feeling of being the "chosen one" was just too exhilarating.

"Anyone want this royal flush? If no one wants it, I'm leaving~"

Lin Ran tossed out four kings, symbolically asked a question, then threw out the last three 3s with a pair of 2s, and waved her hand casually: "Xiao Lan, collect the money."

"Here it comes, here it comes."

Xiao Lan stepped forward with a smile to collect the money.

Lin Ran was worried that Xiao Lan would be bored, so she specially arranged for her to be in charge of collecting and giving change. Now the little angel's hands are cramping from counting money, and there is a small stack of banknotes and a pile of coins in front of her.

Lin Ran played for over an hour straight, and he lost count of how many rounds he played. He just kept winning, making the three opponents' faces turn green with envy.

Ryoichi Takahashi and Masaru Ota kept wiping the sweat from their brows. They hesitated for a long time before each card they played, afraid of giving it to Lin Ran. They had lost the most tonight and didn't have enough change on them, so they went to Ayako Suzuki to exchange some cash.

Seeing that Lin Ran was having such good luck, Suzuki Ayako prepared tea and came over to look at his hand. Then she smiled, sat down next to the garden, and offered her sister some advice.

"Sonoko, do you want it or not? I've been waiting for ages."

After Lin Ran threw out a small bomb, Takahashi Ryoichi and Ota Masaru thought for a moment and both chose to pass. Sonoko, acting as the "goalkeeper," looked at the only bomb in her hand, then at the hand Lin Ran still had, and gritted her teeth:

"No way! Eighteen cards! I refuse to believe you can beat me in a second!"

She boldly planted a flag.

Xiao Lan, who had been watching Lin Ran's hand the whole time, started laughing. Lin Ran laughed along with her, "Sorry, Sonoko, I really can beat you in a second."

He organized his hand and threw it all out at once: "3 to 8, a plane without wings~ Xiao Lan, collect the money."

Seeing Lin Ran throw down all her cards at once, Sonoko's eyes rolled back, and she almost fainted in her sister's arms.

"Waaaaah... Sister, he's bullying me!"

Sonoko clung to Ayako Suzuki's arm and pretended to cry.

"A bet's a bet," Ayako Suzuki said with a smile, patting her head.

This was Lin Ran's worst hand of the night, with very few bombs, but he still won in the end. The carpet next to him was piled high with the banknotes and coins that Xiao Lan had collected.

Looking at the three people in front of her who were already blushing, Lin Ran glanced at the time, stood up, and stretched.

Know when to stop.

"Xiaolan, I'm going to the restroom, can you help me with the call?"

"Ah! Me?" Xiaolan hesitated for a moment, "I'm not very good at it..."

"Don't worry, play however you want," Lin Ran said, pressing her shoulder to help her sit down. Her tone was relaxed. "If you lose, it's on me; if you win, we'll split the winnings."

When Takahashi Ryoichi and Ota Masaru saw Lin Ran leaving and being replaced by a little girl, they breathed a sigh of relief and quickly chimed in, "Yes, Ran, play a couple of rounds together, it's alright."

"Oh well……"

Xiao Lan hesitated for a moment, then agreed to go on stage.

Seeing the three men rubbing their hands together, eager to win back all the money they had just lost, Lin Ran smiled and got up to go upstairs.

You have no idea what you're about to face!

……

Lin Ran never returned after leaving.

After using the restroom, he stood by the window for a while, watching the night view and listening to the rain to calm his mind. Then he took out his books and manuscript paper from his bag and spread them out on his desk.

The most important thing for a writer is perseverance.

It doesn't matter how much or how little you write, the key is to write every day to maintain your writing skills and keep your mind active. Otherwise, if you don't write for a day, your writing skills will become rusty; if you don't write for two days, you'll forget how to write; and if you don't write for three days, you'll be useless.

Outside the window, the wind and rain were gloomy, but inside the house, the lights were warm.

Lin Ran opened the book and read a few pages, drawing some inspiration. Perhaps it was because she had gone out for a walk today and been in contact with nature that she quickly found the right state to write.

Just as he was about to begin writing, Xiaolan's clear and cheerful voice suddenly came from downstairs:

"A royal flush! Eight twos! Pay up!"

Lin Ran smiled knowingly.

It seems the little angel has found his rhythm at the poker table.

He shook his head, no longer distracted, took out the blue fountain pen that Eri had given him, filled it with ink, and began to write.

The pen tip glides across the manuscript paper, making a soft rustling sound, like the gentle tapping of rain on the windowpane.

During this time, Yuanzi came upstairs and wanted to call Lin Ran back to play cards.

Xiao Lan went on a killing spree down there.

Although Lin Ran had been winning all the way, she didn't have many bombs, so her losses weren't too bad. But after Xiao Lan switched to her, the little angel started every game with four kings and eight 2s, and had a lot of straights in a row. Who would play with her?

In just over half an hour, Xiao Lan had doubled the money Lin Ran had won earlier, and she was still winning.

Ryoichi Takahashi and Masaru Ota were so defeated that their faces turned pale.

Chikako Ikeda was just watching from the sidelines, but seeing how lucky Ran was, she couldn't resist trying her hand at the game. She lost 5,000 yen in one go and quit with a dark face.

The only thing to do is to quickly send Yuanzi up to call Lin Ran back. At least Lin Ran will "show mercy" and won't use all her lucky cards.

However, when Sonoko pushed open Lin Ran's door and saw her beloved boy sitting at his desk, intently writing, the light illuminating his handsome profile, exuding a calm and charming aura...

Sonoko smiled slightly, tiptoed out of the room, and gently closed the door.

Oh well, it's just losing a little money.

Her family may not have much else, but they have a lot of money!

Downstairs, Ryoichi Takahashi and Katsumi Ota, who had been waiting anxiously, were utterly dismayed when they saw Sonoko come down alone.

"Where is Lin Ran?" Ota Katsu asked.

"He's upstairs writing," Sonoko said. "He's not coming down."

"Writing?" Ryoichi Takahashi wiped the sweat from his brow. "Still writing while out having fun?"

"Yes," Sonoko sat down again, her tone serious. "Lin Ran writes every day; he says it's a required course for writers."

Chikako Ikeda, who had been watching silently, suddenly spoke up, her voice somewhat low: "Is it what the newspaper said... about his upcoming book?"

Sonoko turned around and said proudly, "That's right! It's that one! Lin Ran said it's almost finished, and it'll probably be published soon!"

Chikako Ikeda lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Ayako Suzuki, who was playing cards for her sister, glanced up at her almost imperceptibly, her eyes deep.

Hiroki Kakutani, who had been filming the whole time, put down his camera and exclaimed, "If a genius like Lin Ran works this hard, what reason do we ordinary people have not to work hard?"

Katsuya Ota nodded: "No wonder they were able to succeed."

Everyone sighed in admiration, and their opinion of Lin Ran rose even higher.

Knowing that Lin Ran was writing upstairs, everyone consciously lowered the volume of their card games.

The game continues.

But the atmosphere was clearly different from before.

Ran was still on a winning streak, but Ryoichi Takahashi and Masaru Ota had lost all fighting spirit and were numb to their losses.

Chikako Ikeda sat silently to the side, her eyes occasionally glancing toward the stairs, lost in thought.

After returning the seat to her sister, Ayako Suzuki quietly brewed tea, occasionally glancing out the window and at the crowd, a gentle smile always on her face.

Time passed second by second.

The clock on the wall pointed to 11 p.m.

"Ah... I'm not playing anymore, I'm not playing anymore," Ota Masaru was the first to surrender, throwing the last few cards in his hand onto the table. "If I keep playing, I'll lose two months' worth of salary."

Ryoichi Takahashi nodded quickly, "Yes, it's too late, everyone should get some rest."

Xiao Lan, who had gone on a killing spree tonight, looked at the mountain of money in front of her and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Um... should I return the money to you?"

"No need, no need," Ota Masaru waved his hand, "A bet is a bet, we were simply outmatched."

Ryoichi Takahashi also chuckled and said, "Yes, Ran, you're incredibly lucky. We're completely convinced."

Ayako Suzuki stood up: "Then everyone should get some rest. Remember to lock the doors and windows at night, and don't open the door easily if you hear any noise."

Everyone nodded and went upstairs.

Chikako Ikeda walked last, and before going upstairs, she glanced back at the living room's floor-to-ceiling windows.

Outside the window, the rain is still falling.