I, the Buddhist who raises leopards in the Conan world

The fabric is incredibly soft, a premium cotton and linen blend, with a matching tie at the waist.

There are no patterns or logos, as pure as the night itself.

Before Shen Yuan could say thank you, the door slammed shut, almost hitting his nose.

"What a warm and welcoming way of hospitality!" Shen Yuan muttered to the closed door and slowly put on his bathrobe.

There was a very faint scent of juniper berries lingering on the fabric, as if it had been worn once or twice and then washed.

Back in the living room, Lightning had already taken up half of the sofa.

Shen Yuan turned off the lights and lay down quietly. The collar of his black bathrobe opened slightly with his movement, revealing his collarbone.

"Good night, Lightning!" He rubbed the cheetah's ears, and the cheetah purred contentedly, its tail resting gently on his calf.

In the darkness, Shen Yuan could hear very light footsteps coming from the bedroom, followed by the subtle sound of the mattress being pressed.

He closed his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth slightly - tonight's experience was like an absurd dream, but the bathrobe with the smell of a stranger and the faint smell of gunpowder in the air reminded him of the reality of all this.

Chapter 22 The Bloody Beauty Under the Moonlight 3

Shen Yuan was awakened by a sharp gaze.

He opened his eyes, and the morning light slanted in through the gaps in the curtains, casting a golden edge on Gin's long silver hair.

He was leaning against the weapons cabinet, with an incomprehensible scrutiny in his green eyes—as if he was wondering how someone could sleep so defenselessly in an unfamiliar environment, even under the watchful eyes of a killer.

"Good morning, Gin!" Shen Yuan sat up lazily. The ties of his black yukata had been loosened at some point, leaving his chest wide open.

He straightened his collar nonchalantly, and his slender fingers slowly and leisurely re-tied his belt, his movements as natural as if he were at home.

Gin's gaze lingered on his collarbone for a moment, then shifted away: "It's past nine!"

"Looks like I overslept!" Shen Yuan stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders.

His eyes fell on Gin's bandaged right arm, "Mr. Gin, it seems that it is not convenient for you to make breakfast, so I will make you breakfast on the way.

What do you want to eat?" Without waiting for an answer, he walked to the kitchen, casually opened the refrigerator door - and then froze.

The entire refrigerator was empty, with only a few bottles of mineral water and a row of beer neatly arranged, and the cold air formed a white mist under the light.

Gin's voice came from behind with a hint of sarcasm: "There are steaks underneath!" Shen Yuan bent down and opened the freezer, and sure enough, he saw several vacuum-packed steaks, with blood frozen into dark red ice crystals.

He sighed, turned around and leaned against the refrigerator door: "It's not appropriate to eat steak in the morning!" Suddenly he showed a bright smile, "Come to my house!" Before Gin could refuse, Shen Yuan strode to the bathroom, took out his dried clothes and put them on.

He bent down and patted Lightning's head: "Go home!" The cheetah stood up immediately, its ice-blue eyes like two crystal gems in the morning light.

Gin stood there without moving, his fingers unconsciously stroking the handle of the Beretta. Perhaps it was the fatigue after losing blood that lowered his vigilance, or perhaps it was because Lightning's expectant eyes were too obvious, Gin finally took a step forward.

His movements were slower than usual, but he still maintained that cheetah-like grace.

When walking through the corridor, Shen Yuan noticed that Gin had changed into a black turtleneck sweater and trousers, which perfectly covered all the bandages.

Only the slightly pale color of his lips revealed his discomfort.

As soon as the door opened, a warm aroma hit me—a stark contrast to the coldness of Gin's apartment.

There are several pots of green plants in Shen Yuan's living room, and thesis materials are scattered on the desk.

"Please sit down!" Shen Yuan pointed to the dining table and tied his apron skillfully. "How about a Chinese breakfast?" Gin didn't answer, but didn't leave either.

He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, the sunlight making his long silver hair almost transparent.

Lightning nuzzled his leg, then hopped onto the couch and curled up comfortably.

Shen Yuan took out eggs, chopped green onions and overnight rice from the refrigerator and started cooking with quick movements.

The sound of spatulas colliding, the sizzling of oil in a pan, the aroma of coffee - these everyday sounds and smells would never exist in Gin's apartment.

Twenty minutes later, two bowls of golden fried rice, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, a small dish of homemade chili sauce, shredded chicken breast and two cups of black coffee were served on the table.

Shen Yuan also specially prepared a version without seasoning for Lightning.

"Try it?" Shen Yuan pulled out a chair and sat down, "Although I'm not as good as a professional chef!" Gin stared at the food in front of him for a few seconds, as if checking if it was poisonous.

Finally, he picked up the spoon with such grace that it didn't feel like he was eating homemade fried rice, but rather like he was enjoying a meal at a Michelin restaurant.

"How is the wound?" Shen Yuan asked casually after taking a sip of coffee.

Gin looked up, a warning flashing in his green eyes: "No problem!"

"That's good!" Shen Yuan tactfully changed the subject. "Are we still going to the Science Park today?"

"Three o'clock in the afternoon!" Gin answered briefly, but his tone was softer than last night.

The sunlight poured through the window onto the dining table, illuminating the hands of both of them - Shen Yuan's fingers were long and clean, with neatly trimmed nails; a few old scars were faintly visible on Gin's knuckles.

Lightning had jumped onto the chair next to Gin without him noticing, his ice-blue eyes staring straight at his bowl.

"It wants your fried rice!" Shen Yuan said with a smile, "But it can't eat too much seasoning!" Gin looked at Lightning, then looked at the food he had hardly touched, suddenly scooped out a small piece with a spoon, stood up, rinsed it in clean water, and then put it on the table.

The cheetah immediately went over and began to lick it carefully.

Shen Yuan raised his eyebrows: "I didn't expect Mr. Gin to be so caring!" Gin glanced at him coldly, but did not retract his hand.

The sunlight shining on this picture gives it a strange feeling of warmth.

After breakfast, Gin unexpectedly did not leave immediately.

He leaned on the newly-changed sofa in Shen Yuan's house, combing Lightning's fur intermittently with his slender fingers.

The cheetah narrowed its ice-blue eyes comfortably, purring softly, its huge head resting on Gin's thigh, its majestic presence completely lost.

After Shen Yuan cleaned up the dishes, he wiped his hands and said, "I'm going to take care of some work!" He pointed to the study, "Call me if you need anything!" The study door closed gently, and Gin paused slightly.

He looked around—this living room, full of life, was completely different from his cold and hard safe house.

Two professional books were casually spread out on the coffee table, and in the corner stood a giant cat climbing frame, which was obviously specially made for Lightning; on the wall hung several landscape photos, which looked like casual travel souvenirs from the angles they were taken.

In the photo frame on the bookshelf, Shen Yuan looks only fifteen or sixteen years old, standing between a middle-aged couple, with a famous scenic spot with flowers in the background.

His fingers tightened unconsciously, and Lightning let out an unhappy "ow". Only then did Gin come back to his senses and continue stroking.

At around two o'clock in the afternoon, the two took the elevator down to the underground parking lot and stood side by side.

In the underground garage, Vodka was already waiting next to Gin's Porsche 356A.

When he saw the two of them appear together, his eyes behind his sunglasses widened and his mouth opened slightly.

"Brother..." Vodka stammered, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.

——Why did Big Brother show up with this newcomer? Gin glanced at him coldly, and Vodka immediately shut up and hurriedly opened the car door.

After the car started, Vodka kept stealing glances at the two people sitting in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

Shen Yuan could clearly see the curiosity and shock in his eyes.

"Concentrate on driving!" Gin suddenly spoke, his voice as cold as ice.

Vodka shuddered and almost stepped on the accelerator by mistake.

He quickly looked straight ahead, not daring to look around anymore, but the knuckles of his fingers gripping the steering wheel turned white.

Shen Yuan looked at this scene and couldn't help but chuckle.

Gin glanced at him sideways, an unreadable emotion flashing in his green eyes.

Chapter 23 Invitation to the Cafe

On Wednesday morning, in the office that Gin lent to Shen Yuan in Beika Town Science Park, sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting mottled light and shadows on Shen Yuan's computer keyboard.

He had just finished a simulation report on a quantum algorithm, stretched, and turned to look out the window - the cherry blossoms were blooming again.

"This is the magic of Conan's world," Shen Yuan rubbed his temples, "It was still late autumn last week, but it's already summer this week!" He glanced at the calendar and found it even more outrageous, "And there haven't been any large classes this semester... If this continues, I'm going to forget that I'm still a graduate student!" The phone suddenly vibrated, and the screen lit up, showing a group message from the "Poirot Cafe Special Team."

[Miss Sonoko]: [Image: Today's Special at Poirot Café] [Miss Sonoko]: @Shen Yuan, we agreed to go to the café this afternoon! You didn't forget, did you?! [Miss Sonoko]: [Angry Cat Emoji] Shen Yuan chuckled and quickly replied: [Shen Yuan]: Yes, but Mr. Amuro, do you mind if I bring Lightning? I want him to meet new friends.

Almost immediately, Toru Amuro replied: [Toru Amuro]: I will prepare special desserts for everyone on time.

Lightning has a good personality and won't cause any trouble.

[Toru Amuro]: [Picture: Handmade Jerky] We have prepared high-quality, specially made, low-salt venison jerky for Lightning. Mr. Shen is welcome to bring Lightning along.

Then came a message from Xiaolan: [Mauri Ran]: Ah! Is Mr. Shen bringing his cat? I'm so excited! [Edogawa Conan]: Brother Shen, come! I brought you a Sherlock Holmes collection! Shen Yuan looked at the constantly flashing messages in the group chat, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up.

He replied, "See you this afternoon," then turned off his computer and started packing his briefcase.

Back at the Platinum Terrace Apartment, Shen Yuan made a simple lunch - pan-fried salmon with seasonal vegetable salad.

He cut a small piece of beef for Lightning: "Eat less at noon. I'll take you to meet new friends in the afternoon. There will be some deer to eat then!" Lightning sniffed the meat in Shen Yuan's hand, then picked up the piece of meat gracefully and jumped to the exclusive seat by the window to enjoy it slowly.

After lunch, Shen Yuan cleared the dishes, turned to look at Lightning who was licking his paws, and sighed: "Lightning, you must take a shower today!" He put his hands on his hips, and said in an unquestionable tone, "You have to leave a good impression on your new friends!" Lightning tilted his head, as if thinking, and after a long time he reluctantly jumped down from his seat and slowly walked into the bathroom.

Shen Yuan squatted down, turned on the shower, tested the water temperature, and then carefully wet Lightning's hair.

The cheetah shook its head, water droplets splashed everywhere, and Shen Yuan's T-shirt was instantly wet.

"Don't move!" Shen Yuan held its back helplessly, squeezed some pet shower gel, and rubbed foam on its silver-gray fur.

Although Lightning was reluctant, he cooperated and only scratched the floor with his claws occasionally to express his dissatisfaction.

After taking a shower, Shen Yuan picked up the hair dryer and patiently dried his hair.

Lightning's fur was fluffy and soft in the warm breeze, with a healthy sheen, and his ice-blue eyes looked particularly bright in the mist.

"Okay, it's clean!" Shen Yuan patted its back, and Lightning immediately showed his jumping ability. Water droplets splashed again, and Shen Yuan's clothes were completely wet.

"..." Shen Yuan pushed Lightning out of the bathroom with an expressionless face, closed the door, and took a shower himself.

Then he changed into a dark blue casual short-sleeved shirt and black trousers. The simple combination made his figure look slender and energetic.

"Let's go!" He picked up the leash, and Lightning immediately came over and obediently let him put on the collar.

Along the way, the adult cheetah attracted the attention of many passers-by.

Some people widened their eyes in surprise, some took a few steps back subconsciously, and a few brave young people raised their mobile phones to take pictures secretly.

Lightning ignored all this and walked beside Shen Yuan with his head held high, his posture as elegant as if he was patrolling his territory.

When they arrived at the Poirot Café, a "Closed" sign was hung on the door.

Shen Yuan pushed open the door, and Sonoko, Xiaolan and Conan all turned their heads, their eyes fell on Lightning, and their expressions froze instantly.

Xiaolan swallowed, her voice trembling a little: "Shen... Mr. Shen, is this the 'big cat' you raised?" Shen Yuan smiled and nodded: "Yes, isn't the silver hair beautiful?" Lightning tilted his head, his ice-blue eyes scanning the people in front of him, and his tail swayed gently.

Toru Amuro walked out from behind the bar with the prepared venison jerky in his hand. He squatted down and handed it to Lightning: "Lightning, long time no see!" The cheetah sniffed it, then lowered his head, picked up the jerky, and chewed it slowly.

Amuro Toru reached out and gently touched its head. Lightning did not resist, but rubbed his palm instead.

"Yes, Lightning is beautiful and polite!" Amuro Toru stood up and said with a smile.

Shen Yuan looked around and saw that they were the only people in the coffee shop, so he asked, "Mr. Amuro, aren't you planning to open the shop this afternoon?" Amuro Toru nodded helplessly, "Well, I'm afraid another case will happen and affect everyone's dinner!" Shen Yuan and Amuro Toru's eyes fell on Conan at the same time. They looked at each other and read deep helplessness in each other's eyes - it was really too possible.

Conan: "..." What kind of look is that looking at him! He looked at them with dead fish eyes, and complained crazily in his heart: "Do you, a few adult men in their twenties, have any misunderstandings about 'cats'?!" Sonoko's eyes lit up, and she moved closer excitedly: "Brother Shen Yuan! This is the 'big cat' you raised? So handsome!" She stretched out her hand eagerly, "Can I touch it?" Shen Yuan smiled: "Feed Lightning a piece of dried meat first and see if it likes you!" Amuro Toru handed over a piece of venison dried meat at the right time. Sonoko took it carefully, squatted down, and handed it to Lightning: "Lightning, come, try it?" Lightning lowered his head and sniffed, then elegantly took the dried meat away. After eating slowly, he actually took the initiative to rub Sonoko's hand with his head.

"Ahhh! It likes me!" Sonoko shouted excitedly, her fingers gently stroking Lightning's fur, "So soft! So smooth!" Seeing this, Xiaolan also plucked up the courage and stretched out her hand tentatively: "I, I'll try too..." Lightning tilted his head to look at her, and then allowed her touch.

Conan stood aside, pushed his glasses, and looked at the scene in front of him with complicated feelings: "Isn't the social ability of this cheetah a little too strong?" He hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help but move forward, looked up and asked with sparkling eyes: "Brother Shen, can I, can I touch Lightning too?" Shen Yuan looked down at Conan's expectant little face, then looked at the lazily lying Lightning, smiled and nodded: "Of course, but..." He deliberately dragged out the tone, "Lightning may be stricter with children!" Conan just stretched out his hand, and Lightning suddenly raised his head, staring at him with ice-blue eyes.

The little boy's hand suddenly froze in mid-air, and a drop of cold sweat seeped out of his forehead.

"Don't be nervous," Toru Amuro handed over a piece of dried meat at the right time, "Try this first!" Conan took the dried meat and carefully handed it to Lightning.

The cheetah sniffed gracefully, then suddenly stuck out its tongue and licked both the dried meat and Conan's fingers.

"Wow!" Conan exclaimed, but soon laughed, "What a rough tongue!" Lightning seemed very satisfied with this reaction, and took the initiative to move his head over and rub it in Conan's palm.

Conan happily stroked its silver-gray fur, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses: "Amazing! He's really touching a cheetah!" Sonoko was taking pictures frantically with her mobile phone: "Conan, stand closer! This composition is great!" Xiaolan also came over, and the three of them surrounded Lightning, as if they were visiting some rare animal.

Lightning lay lazily, enjoying everyone's caress, and occasionally patted the ground with his tail, looking like "I'm very satisfied".

Amuro Toru watched this scene, the corners of his mouth slightly raised: "It seems that Lightning is very popular!" Shen Yuan picked up the coffee cup and chuckled: "It is not usually so docile. Today it may be..." He glanced at the dried meat in Amuro Toru's hand, "It was bribed.

It seems Mr. Amuro is quite good at making jerky!" Outside the window, the afternoon sun streamed in through the glass, gilding the lightning-silver-gray fur.

The coffee shop was filled with the aroma of desserts and the sound of lighthearted laughter. The warmth of this moment seemed to make people forget that this was Beika Town, where murders were frequent.

Chapter 24 Sweet Party

Shen Yuan picked up the cut sandwich and took a bite.

Soft toast wraps tender ham and refreshing vegetables, and the special sauce brings out rich layers of flavor on the tip of your tongue.