A Chance Encounter

When Lin Maoxian and Kisaki Eri arrived at the crime scene, they saw someone already there, observing and deducing. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Kudo Shinichi, who had returned to his original form.

Watching the young man actively deducing in the center of the scene, Kisaki Eri smiled and said, "Lin, this young man is quite impressive. I feel he's on par with you."

Lin Maoxian thought to himself that "on par" was an understatement; when it came to solving cases, the kid could easily outdo him ten times over. "Eri, I'm afraid you don't even know who this young man is, do you?"

Kisaki Eri asked with a puzzled look, "Oh? Who is he? The way you put it, it sounds like I should know him, but I truly don't."

"He is the so-called Sherlock Holmes of the Heisei era, the high school detective Kudo Shinichi. You should recognize that name, right?" Lin Maoxian said with a smile, revealing Kudo Shinichi's identity.

"Oh? It's him? I've heard of him. They say his ability to solve cases is formidable, and seeing him today, he is indeed extraordinary. Still, it's been so many years; that mischievous little brat has grown into a man. To think he's become such a famous detective—it's truly unexpected." Kisaki Eri was clearly quite surprised to hear the name Kudo Shinichi. The impression that little brat had left on her was nothing more than a troublemaker, and she never imagined he would change so much after all these years.

Lin Maoxian also sighed, "Indeed, the world is full of unpredictable changes. Who could have guessed? But since Kudo Shinichi is here, Ran must be nearby as well. Let's go look for her. With him on the case, there shouldn't be any issues, so we don't need to intervene."

Though Lin Maoxian said this, he was thinking to himself: Why didn't I receive a mission this time? Is there something wrong somewhere? What are the rules for the side missions provided by the space? It's truly unfathomable. I was hoping to earn some Source Points, and there didn't seem to be any danger, but now it seems things aren't that simple.

"What? You say Ran is here too? No way. Didn't I tell her not to get too close to that kid? She's actually ignoring my words now." Hearing that her daughter was here and on a date with her childhood sweetheart, Kisaki Eri felt a surge of anger.

Lin Maoxian and Kisaki Eri first searched through the crowd, but after finding no sign of Ran, they headed toward the dining area. Before long, they saw Ran sitting alone, lost in thought.

"Hi, Ran, so you're here. It seems I wasn't wrong; she did come here with Kudo Shinichi." Lin Maoxian greeted Ran first, then spoke to Kisaki Eri.

Ran Mouri, interrupted from her thoughts, saw Lin Maoxian and Kisaki Eri and asked in surprise, "Mom, why are you here? And why are you..."

"Why can't I be here? Only you and your childhood sweetheart are allowed to come? Didn't I tell you not to get too close to him? Why won't you listen to your mother?" Kisaki Eri angrily cut her daughter off.

Looking at her furious mother, Ran Mouri said in a low voice, "Mom, I didn't say you couldn't come. I was just curious why you were with Mr. Lin. Also, have you seen Shinichi?"

Hearing her daughter mention the man nearby, Kisaki Eri's eyes flickered. She softened her tone and said, "You don't need to worry about my business; you should worry about your own. We already saw him at the crime scene earlier. To leave his date behind just to go solve a case—it's just like him to think of something like that." Her tone turned sour again by the end of the sentence.

"Mom, I'm your daughter, aren't I? How can I not worry about your business? Besides, Shinichi isn't as bad as you say. I was the one who asked him to handle the case; it has nothing to do with him." Ran Mouri was very dissatisfied with her mother's assessment of her sweetheart. In her eyes, Shinichi had done nothing wrong, and she didn't think he should be criticized like that.

"You..."

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this. Eri, whether Kudo Shinichi is good or not is something Ran needs to judge for herself. All we can do is guide her. Besides, Ran is right; Kudo Shinichi isn't as bad as you describe. I find him to be quite handsome, intelligent, and very capable at solving cases. He's also very devoted to Ran. Aside from his obsession with cases, which occasionally makes him neglect Ran, he doesn't have many flaws. Just let them develop their relationship freely." Seeing Kisaki Eri's angry face, Lin Maoxian wisely interrupted to prevent a full-blown argument.

He also felt that Kudo Shinichi was a decent person—handsome, not one to flirt around, and devoted to Ran. He was, all things considered, a very good man. At the very least, he knew he couldn't be as devoted as Kudo Shinichi, so he couldn't help but put in a good word for him.

"You certainly have a way with words." Although her tone was still a bit sharp, Kisaki Eri's expression had clearly softened compared to before. She didn't want to have a conflict with her daughter, so she took the opportunity to step down.

Seeing that Kisaki Eri had calmed down, Lin Maoxian advised Ran, "Ran, although your mother's words might be biased, she still has your best interests at heart. If you weren't mother and daughter, but strangers, I'm sure she wouldn't bother saying those things. Why don't you apologize to her and let her cool off? Don't let things get so heated." As he spoke, he winked at Ran, urging her to act.

"Mom, I'm sorry. My tone was a bit harsh just now. I won't do it again, please forgive me." Ran Mouri took Lin Maoxian's advice and immediately began acting spoiled toward Kisaki Eri.

"It's good that you know. Regardless, I've said what I needed to say. If something happens in the future, don't blame me." Kisaki Eri said to her daughter, then turned to Lin Maoxian. "Lin, was I really that angry just now? Is my temper really that bad?"

Looking at Kisaki Eri's current expression, Lin Maoxian wisely replied, "Not at all, Eri. In my eyes, you are the gentlest person."

"Hmph." Hearing this, Kisaki Eri felt very satisfied. She gave a coquettish huff and said nothing more.

Seeing this, Lin Maoxian quickly changed the subject and said to Ran, "Ran, I didn't lie to you, did I? I told you that you would see him again. I always keep my word."

"Did Mr. Lin bring Shinichi back? Thank you so much for letting me see him again." Hearing that Lin Maoxian was the one who brought Kudo Shinichi back, Ran Mouri said gratefully.

"Haha, it's nothing. I was going to look for him anyway; helping you was just a side benefit, Ran." Lin Maoxian smiled and took the credit, feeling he hadn't lied. Without him, Kudo Shinichi would surely still be in the form of Conan, and Ran wouldn't have been able to see him. It was only right that she thanked him.

"Lin, I have something to discuss with Ran. Could you go over to Kudo Shinichi's side and see how the situation is?" While Lin Maoxian was lost in thought, Kisaki Eri's voice interrupted him.

Lin Maoxian was stunned for a moment, but he smiled and said, "Alright then, I'll go see how that famous detective is doing with his case. You two go ahead and talk." Lin Maoxian stood up and headed toward the crime scene. Although he was curious about what this mother and daughter needed to discuss in secret, he chose to leave and give them space, so as not to be a nuisance.

Watching Lin Maoxian's retreating back, Ran Mouri asked her mother, "Mom, what did you want to tell me that required sending Mr. Lin away?"

Kisaki Eri first gently brushed a few strands of hair from her forehead before saying to her daughter, "Ran, Mom isn't against you dating Kudo Shinichi, but I hope you'll keep your guard up. Don't commit to him so early; observe him more so that you won't have any regrets later, understand?"

Seeing her mother's calm expression, Ran Mouri said softly, "Mom, I understand. Please don't talk about this anymore. I'm not a child; I know what I'm doing. You didn't just send Mr. Lin away to tell me this, did you?" Seeing her mother bring up the old topic again, Ran Mouri responded and quickly changed the subject. Although she knew her mother meant well, she had her own judgment.

"You child." Seeing that her daughter wasn't paying much attention to her words, Kisaki Eri sighed and dropped the subject.

"Lin confessed his feelings to me earlier. He hopes that in the future, we can live together." Kisaki Eri revealed to her daughter what Lin Maoxian had confessed to her earlier.

Hearing her mother's words, Ran Mouri became anxious. "Mom, did you agree? What about Dad? Are you planning to divorce him?"

"Ran, don't be anxious. I haven't agreed to Lin yet. I feel like I haven't known him long enough, which makes this feel very surreal. I told him that I have a good impression of him, but I hope we can spend more time together, and then things will naturally fall into place. I didn't expect him to be returning to China, and I don't know when he'll be back in Japan."

Saying this, a saddened Kisaki Eri looked at her daughter. "As for your father, I lost hope in him long ago; I have no feelings left for him now. Even if I don't end up with Lin, a divorce is inevitable. Ran, I'm telling you this because I want you to be prepared. I don't want to hurt you, and I hope you can understand me."

"But... but... Mom, Dad is still a good person, and he still misses you very much. I also hope our family can be together forever." Hearing that her parents were definitely going to divorce, tears streamed down Ran Mouri's face. She had always hoped her mother would reconcile with her father so they could be a happy family again. She never expected to hear from her mother's own lips that she intended to divorce her father, and she felt heartbroken.