Model worker and his little darling

"Brother Pingqing, Xiaolan... what should I do?"

Hirai lay curled up on the sofa, ignoring Conan's incessant chatter. This early in the morning, Conan had come to him to pour out his heart, his frustrations, and his guilt for deceiving Ran. Hirai was thoroughly exasperated.

However, seeing Conan's happy yet bittersweet expression when talking about Ran made him really want to show off his own Koto-chan in front of the Grim Reaper elementary school student.

That scene must have been spectacular, but unfortunately, this wish is destined to remain unfulfilled.

"Your situation is too complicated, I don't know what to do."

"Did I do something wrong?"

Seeing Conan's dejected look, Hirakiyo's lips twitched. Just as he was about to say something impactful, there was a knock on the door.

Conan instinctively ran over to open the door.

"Oh? Sister Xiaolan, what brings you here?"

"Have you forgotten? Today, Dad is going to record the opening line for a mystery drama. Dad is ready to leave now."

Conan said "Oh," and remembered that there was indeed such a thing.

As soon as the three of them went downstairs, they saw Uncle Mori wearing a brand-new white suit, looking particularly handsome.

——(*^▽^*)——

"Good evening, everyone. I am private detective Kogoro Mouri. Today's stage is located in this secluded villa. This complex and intricate mystery, shrouded in love and hate, hinges primarily on—color..."

"Very good, click!"

"That was fantastic, Mr. Mori, you acted wonderfully!"

When the director yelled "Cut!", the people around him started clapping, and the director even went up to shake Uncle Mori's hand and thanked him repeatedly.

"Mr. Mori, I really have to thank you for your help this time. The actor who was supposed to do the opening lines had a cold and I was so worried."

Hearing this, Uncle Mori became quite smug. "Don't mention it. Feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything. And if your mystery drama needs a special guest appearance, I'm open to it too."

The director waved his hands repeatedly, "That's not necessary."

At this moment, the actor next to him, Yoshiki Kazami, with a cigarette in his mouth, began to make sarcastic remarks, looking like he was about to die.

"I'm afraid there's no way around it, Mr. Mori. Because in this episode, the only other characters besides the deceased, his wife, her flirtatious daughter, and her elderly butler are me, the detective."

The sarcastic remarks greatly displeased the actors standing nearby.

Just then, the director glanced at his watch and frowned slightly. "Speaking of which, why hasn't Miss Yu Cheng arrived yet?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaolan and the uncle were both very excited. "Are you talking about Miss Yucheng Liuli, who is known as the number one choice for healing songs? Does that mean we'll be able to meet her soon?"

The director looked bewildered. "Of course, and the person who specifically asked you to give the opening remarks was Ms. Yu Cheng."

Seeing this, Yoshiki Kazami continued to mock, "I only feel disgusted by her songs. That kind of old lady is outdated."

Yu Cheng Liuli arrived late and immediately retorted in a sarcastic tone, "You want to hear me sing? I wouldn't dare. You're not an idol at all. I can't possibly be worthy of you."

Upon seeing the beautiful woman appear, Uncle Mori walked straight over and greeted her.

Yu Cheng Liuli pointed to the corner of her mouth and said, "Look at this mole under my lip, don't you remember me, Kogoro?"

Uncle Mori was a little confused, and an image of a cute girl with glasses gradually appeared in his mind. "So you're Riri, it's been so long since we last met."

"That's right, we haven't seen each other since junior high school."

After the initial surprise, Uncle Mori inquired about his old classmate's marriage prospects, asking, "Why aren't you married yet?"

Yu Cheng Liuli gave an ambiguous answer, "You silly girl, of course I've always been in love with you, that's why I can't stand other men."

Seeing Uncle Mori getting cocky, Ran quickly said, "Please stop joking with my dad, he'll take it seriously."

This caused Uncle Mori to immediately sever ties, saying, "She's someone who lives near my house..."

Before Uncle Mori could finish speaking, Ran grabbed her father's arm, her face contorted with rage, "I am his daughter, Ran."

Ping Qing's lips twitched. This uncle would say anything for a beautiful woman.

He actually wanted to break off his relationship with Xiaolan on the spot!

If Eri Kisaki finds out, the separation will turn into a divorce.

"You're Eri's daughter? I've been her classmate from kindergarten to junior high. I still find it hard to believe that Eri, who's known as the most talented girl in our school, ended up dating the most irresponsible Kogoro Mouri and eventually married him."

Upon hearing Ruri Amashiro mention Eri Kisaki and Uncle Mori, Conan secretly remarked, "She's probably unconscious."

Pingqing slapped Conan on the head, "If they hadn't gotten together, you wouldn't have had a wife."

Childhood sweethearts, bickering lovers, a beautiful and academically gifted girl, and a charmingly roguish boy—this is definitely a typical youth campus romance novel!

Conan opened his mouth, but found he couldn't refute Hirai's words.

After the pleasantries were over, filming officially began.

Yoshiki Kazami, who was playing the detective, suddenly changed his lines and turned his attention to Uncle Mori, saying, "Mr. Mori, I think you should be the one to solve this mystery tonight."

Uncle Mori's explanation, however, was not the real answer.

This prompted Kazami Yoshiteru to start mocking again, glancing at Amashiro Ruri, "Hmph, I don't think your friend is anything special."

Ruri Amashiro looked at Uncle Mori and said, "Show me your true skills, Kogoro."

Kazami Yoshiteru continued to fan the flames, saying, "I think we should just give up. This old man is probably not that capable."

Pingqing nudged Conan, "Your father-in-law is being bullied, why don't you go help him?"

The mention of "father-in-law" made Conan blush, but he still quickly ran over and gave Uncle Mori a crucial hint in an innocent tone.

With strong external support, Uncle Mori successfully redeemed himself and once again won rounds of applause from the crowd.

Seeing that the problem was solved, Ran looked at Conan with a gentle expression.

Hirai narrowed his eyes slightly. Conan's actions hadn't completely dispelled Ran's suspicions. In fact, they seemed to have only strengthened Ran's belief that Conan was indeed Shinichi Kudo.

Hmm~, I'm really looking forward to seeing when these two will finally talk things out.

Seeing everyone start praising Uncle Mori, Yoshiteru Kazami's face darkened even more, and he kicked Nobuharu Nagumo in the back.

"Why are you moving around like a corpse? Lie down properly."

Kasumi Namihara couldn't bear to watch any longer and rushed over to check on her. However, Yoshiteru Kazami teased her, saying she'd just dumped her boyfriend and already had her eye on Nobuharu Nagumo.

Nan Yunxiao grabbed Kazami Yoshiki by the collar, "You better watch your words."

"Hey old man, you'd better be polite to me. I've heard that you're having secret rendezvous with your little lover every night. I'm not sure who she is yet, but I can guess."