Seeing the look on Kogoro's face, Lin Maoxian guessed what he was thinking. Remembering his task, he took out a bankbook. "Mr. Mouri, I'll have to trouble you with this. There's ten million yen here for Conan's living expenses, as well as a thank-you for looking after him these past few days. Whatever he wants, just take the money out and buy it for him. If it runs out, you can contact Fumiyo, and he'll give you more."
"Ten million yen?" Kogoro immediately snatched the bankbook from him. When he saw the long string of zeros, he burst out laughing. "It really is ten million! Don't worry. Conan can stay as long as he likes. No problem at all. The truth is, I've always liked the kid."
Hearing this, Kudo Shinichi thought, I bet it's the money you like.
Only after hearing Kogoro's answer did Yukiko relax. "Since you agree, Mr. Mouri, I'll leave Conan here for a while. I'm sorry for the trouble."
Holding the bankbook, Kogoro laughed heartily. "It's no trouble at all. Just leave him with me. He can stay as long as he likes."
Lin Maoxian reminded her from the side, "Fumiyo, we still have things to take care of. It's about time we left."
Yukiko froze for a moment. Things to take care of? They didn't have anything to do. Still, she turned to Kudo Shinichi and said, "Conan, we're going to leave now. Remember not to cause anyone trouble while you're here, okay?"
"I know. You two can go now," Kudo Shinichi said gloomily. He was still bothered by the fact that he hadn't gotten the drug.
After saying goodbye to Mouri and his daughter, Lin Maoxian left with Yukiko. They went downstairs, got in the car, and drove off.
"You shouldn't have given him so much. I think a million would've been plenty." Yukiko was unhappy that Lin Maoxian had given Kogoro ten million yen. As far as she was concerned, there was no need to give him that much. Kogoro was sure to spend most of it on himself.
"Is it that much? Shinichi doesn't know how long he'll be living there. If we give Mr. Mouri a sum like that, he'll probably treat Shinichi better, which will make his investigations easier." Lin Maoxian casually made up an excuse. He couldn't exactly tell her he'd given Kogoro ten million yen because of a task. If he did, he'd have to explain what the task was.
"Fine, you're always right. You said you had something to take care of. What was it? Can you tell me now?" Changing the subject, Yukiko asked about what had been on her mind earlier.
"You know I'm from China. Since I've finished taking care of things in Japan, I'll be going back tomorrow. I need your help with something. Let's go to the hotel where I'm staying, and I'll explain everything once we get there." Lin Maoxian continued his bluff.
"Let's go to my place instead. I feel strange dressed like this. I want to go home and take off my makeup."
"That works. Your place is fine too," Lin Maoxian replied casually.
"You're so mysterious. Why can't you just tell me now?" Yukiko muttered, then fell silent. The car grew quiet.
When the sound of the car starting reached downstairs, Ran Mouri asked Conan, "Conan, do you know Mr. Lin very well? What's his relationship with your mother?"
"I only met him recently. He and my mother are just ordinary friends." Conan explained his relationship with Lin Maoxian, then asked curiously, "Why do you ask, Ran?"
"Nothing. I was just curious. Conan, can you tell me what kind of person he is?" After learning what her mother's relationship with Mr. Lin was, Ran wanted to know more about him. Since she'd seen him bring Conan over, she thought she'd ask.
"Ran, I don't really know either. Don't tell me you..." Conan thought of a troubling possibility.
"That's not what I mean! I was just asking. If you don't know, then forget it." Seeing Conan's expression, Ran knew he'd gotten the wrong idea. She'd only met the man a few times. How could she have that kind of relationship with him?
They hadn't driven long before they arrived at Yukiko's house. After getting out, the two of them went inside together.
"Lin, wait down here for a bit. I'm going upstairs to take off my makeup and have a shower. Then I'll come back down. You'll have to wait a while." Yukiko told Lin Maoxian, then went upstairs to her room to remove her makeup.
"Sure, go ahead," Lin Maoxian replied casually, then headed to the kitchen. When he saw the coffee machine, a smile crept across his face.
After Yukiko had showered and changed, she came downstairs and found Lin Maoxian sitting there drinking coffee. "You look pretty relaxed. Make me a cup too. Now, can you tell me what you need my help with?"
Lin Maoxian poured her a cup. Once she'd taken a drink, he said, "I know you're close to Dr. Agasa. I'd like you to give him this money to fund his research. If I get the chance to return to Japan, I hope he'll give me some of his inventions." As he spoke, he handed her a bankbook.
Yukiko took it, glanced at it, and tossed it onto the table. "That's a small favor. Agasa will be happy to hear you're willing to fund his research. Surely that's not all you need my help with?"
"Of course not." He took out another bankbook and added, "Once I go back this time, I honestly don't know if I'll ever be able to return to Japan. I'd like you to give this money to Eri. I hope it'll make her life a little better." He placed it beside the first one.
But Yukiko picked up the bankbook Lin Maoxian had just set down and looked at it. Fifty million yen. "Lin, you're pretty generous. You only gave Agasa ten million to support his research, but you're giving Eri fifty million. Tell me, how far have things gone between you two?" Her curiosity and love of gossip were getting the better of her.
Seeing the excitement on Yukiko's face, Lin Maoxian smiled wryly. "How far could things have gone? It's not like that. Since I'm leaving, I finally worked up the nerve to tell her how I feel. She said she likes me too, but we haven't known each other long enough, so she wants to think it over for now. She said that when I come to Japan again, I should go see her, and she'll give me an answer. But even I don't know whether I'll ever get the chance to come back. I know she doesn't need the money. Giving it to her is just a small gesture, so she knows there's someone who truly cares about her."
"Really? I thought you two had already gotten somewhere. I'm so jealous that Eri has someone so devoted to her," Yukiko said enviously.
Lin Maoxian gave Yukiko a smoldering look. "If you were the woman I loved, I'd treat you the same way."
"What does that have to do with me?" Yukiko was startled by the heat in Lin Maoxian's gaze. She saw admiration, desire, and excitement in his eyes. For some reason, as he looked at her, she felt a fire burning inside her, as though it would reduce her to ashes.
"Lin, are you hot? I feel kind of hot," Yukiko said as she took off her jacket and laid it on the sofa beside her.
Lin Maoxian gave her a once-over, then couldn't take his eyes off her. She'd just showered, so her body was still a little damp. Through the thin fabric of her underwear, the softness of her skin was faintly visible. Her voluptuous figure was alluring, and her long, wavy golden hair shone brilliantly. Her long legs, clad in a pale blue miniskirt, showed off her perfect figure. The sight was enough to tempt anyone into sin.
Lin Maoxian swallowed before answering. "I didn't feel hot before, but now I do. There's a fire burning inside me. I can feel that if I don't put it out, it'll burn me to ashes."
Seeing the look in Lin Maoxian's eyes, Yukiko didn't need to guess what it meant. She'd seen that look plenty of times. Deliberately blinking at him with a playful, flirtatious air, she said, "Oh? That won't do, Lin. You'd better put that fire out quickly."
At Yukiko's coquettish wink, Lin Maoxian knew he couldn't hold back any longer. He stood up, walked over to her, and gently lifted her chin with his hand.
"What are you doing? Don't do anything reckless, or I'll tell Eri on you." Seeing the man before her hold her chin and gaze at her ardently, Yukiko realized she'd taken the joke too far. If she didn't warn him to stop, something bad would happen.
"Yukiko, you're the one who can put out this fire. Even if Eri finds out, I was only trying to save myself. I'm sure she won't blame me." Lin Maoxian teased her. At this point, it wasn't so easy to stop. Even if he could agree, his 'brother' wouldn't—'he' had already rebelled and refused to obey.
"You..." Yukiko was angered by his words. What kind of twisted logic was that? He was the one who wanted to do something like this, and he was still making excuses.
Lin Maoxian cut off what Yukiko was about to say with his actions. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her red lips hard.
Before you continue