[System: Dear player, you have successfully unlocked: Xingfu Beef Fried Rice Recipe x1, Xingfu Eel Omelette Rice Recipe x1, Xingfu Curry Udon Recipe x1, Xingfu Seafood Ramen Recipe x1, Xingfu Cola Ice Cream Drink Recipe x1, Xingfu Rose Flavor Matcha Milk Recipe x1, Xingfu Sichuan-Style Hot and Sour Noodle Recipe x1, Xingfu Luosifen Recipe x1. We wish you a pleasant life.]
[System: Dear player, Xingfu Snack Shop has been upgraded from Lv.1 to Lv.2. We wish you a pleasant life.]
After resolving a series of troubles, Qianben Xixi finally had time to use the funds provided by the Organization to upgrade and unlock all available content in the Xingfu Snack Shop in one go. She instantly felt like a wealthy patron—spending money was truly exhilarating.
Furthermore, the novel she was serializing on Green Jinjiang had started generating some income, enough to cover her daily expenses. So, she was gradually turning a profit. Even without keeping the shop open all day, the profits were sufficient for her to save a considerable amount of money, freeing her from the worry of needing JJ Coins to upgrade the shop.
With the newly upgraded dishes, the kitchen facilities in the shop also underwent significant changes. Many noodle-cooking and stir-frying machines were added, all upgraded to the latest models and very user-friendly.
Although the menu had expanded, most steps didn't require her personal involvement. For example, for fried rice, she only needed to toss the ingredients provided by the System into the machine. Ten minutes later, the rice would be automatically stir-fried, and after adding some side dishes, it was ready to serve—truly Black Technology.
Today was the weekend, and the streets were bustling with pedestrians. Especially near Beika Park, many parents had brought their children to play. There were also quite a few couples taking advantage of the holiday to go on dates here.
Since morning, Qianben Xixi's shop had been continuously crowded with customers, and business was exceptionally good.
Particularly now that her shop had undergone a major renovation, the menu offered a richer variety of food, with flavors based on exclusive recipes unavailable elsewhere. It was easy to imagine how busy she was today.
Around 8 p.m., Qianben Xixi figured it was about time. After seeing off the last customer, she prepared to close up directly. Although there would likely be scattered customers later at night, she was so busy she hadn't even had time for dinner yet, so she decided to call it an early night.
"Um, excuse me… are you still open?" someone suddenly walked in from outside. It was a bespectacled young man with brown short hair and a warm, heartwarming smile on his face.
A gentle handsome guy, thought Qianben Xixi, who had been about to close. She paused and said with a smile, "If you don't mind, I was just about to have my dinner."
"Thank you for the trouble." The gentle, bespectacled handsome guy sat down and glanced at the menu beside him. "Just a bowl of ramen, please."
"Alright, please wait a moment." Qianben Xixi turned and walked into the kitchen behind her. Using the noodle-cooking machine, she prepared two bowls of noodles, added them to the pre-made seafood broth, then topped them with two shrimp, some shellfish, and a bit of vegetables for garnish. Soon, two specially made bowls of seafood ramen were freshly prepared.
Qianben Xixi gave one bowl to the customer and sat down beside him to eat her own.
"Wow, this tastes amazing," the other person praised after taking a sip of the broth. "It's a flavor I've never had before. No wonder Conan and the others recommended it so highly."
"You know Conan?" Qianben Xixi raised an eyebrow, turning to look at the gentle, handsome guy wearing glasses. He seemed somewhat familiar, but she couldn't recall exactly who he was.
"Yes, let me reintroduce myself," the man said. "I'm the school doctor at Teidan High School and the part-time acting coach for the basketball club. My name is Shin'ichi Araide."
"Ah, nice to meet you," Qianben Xixi also gave her name, then asked, "Do you have work today too?"
She remembered that Teidan High School was quite close by, just a five to ten-minute walk from here.
"Yes, the basketball club has a match today, so I came over," Shin'ichi Araide said while eating noodles and chatting with Qianben Xixi. "By the way, I'm also quite familiar with Ayumi and the others. Those kids mentioned you too. It seems you're quite popular with children?"
"Not really, maybe it's because I often bring them tasty snacks," Qianben Xixi replied casually, unsure whether he was probing for information or just making small talk. "You know, kids have no resistance to food."
"True, even I think the food here is delicious, let alone the kids," Shin'ichi Araide took a sip of soup and continued, "Actually, Mouri and Suzuki mentioned it too—there's a really good shop near Teidan Elementary School. Oh, right, they recommended the egg pancake to me."
"If you have the chance, come by in the morning and try it," Qianben Xixi said, busy eating her noodles and not particularly keen on talking, even though the guy was quite handsome.
"That sounds wonderful. Miss Qianben, you're as kind as you are beautiful," Shin'ichi Araide said, putting down his chopsticks and smiling. "By the way, don't you think Conan is a very smart kid? I saw him deducing something today—he's really impressive. When I was his age, I couldn't do anything like that."
Qianben Xixi paused for a moment, thinking to herself, Is this finally the point of the conversation? Could he be trying to investigate Conan's identity?
She sized up the school doctor named Shin'ichi Araide and said, "He is indeed smart, but it's not that unusual. There are always some geniuses in the world."
"Yes, yes, he's truly remarkable," Shin'ichi Araide sighed. "Well, I'm finished. Thanks for the meal."
It seemed he had achieved his goal, as he stood up, paid the bill, and even threw a wink at Qianben Xixi before leaving. "I'll come again next time."
Qianben Xixi: …
What's going on? This sudden wink left her a bit confused. Something feels off.
"System, what does it mean when a guy suddenly winks at you?" Qianben Xixi half-jokingly complained. "Could my charm really be that great now?"
[System: Dear player, it's unclear how high your charm stat is, but the other person is female. Wishing you a pleasant life.]
Qianben Xixi: …
No wonder she felt something strange and off about him, especially when he winked—it wasn't the least bit cringey but felt completely natural.
Alright, combined with what Gin said the other day, she suddenly realized who this person was.
Vermouth. She really did come here. Not only that, but she was also probing about Conan. Strictly speaking, she was probing for my attitude toward Conan.
Qianben Xixi now had a clearer understanding of Vermouth's intentions. She's afraid I might suspect Conan's identity and report it to the Organization, isn't she?
[System: Dear player, you have completed the mission "A Full House of Guests" and received a reward of 1000 JJ Coins.]
Qianben Xixi's train of thought was interrupted by the System's sudden notification. She asked in surprise, "I actually completed that mission already?"
[System: Yes, dear player. You just sold your 1000th serving of food.]
"Are there any other missions I can take on now?" Qianben Xixi inquired.
[System: Mission "Open a New Shop." Completion reward: 5000 JJ Coins, Random Reward x1.]
Wow, this stingy System is directly offering 5000 JJ Coins.
Qianben Xixi felt a bit tempted. "What are the conditions for unlocking a new shop?"
[System: Upgrade current shop to Lv.3. New shop unlock cost: 5000 JJ Coins.]
She was already at Lv.2. Given her current business situation, reaching level three wouldn't be difficult. As for the 5000 JJ Coins, it seemed like a lot, but it wasn't an impossible goal. If absolutely necessary, she could always try to swindle some funds from the Organization.
Thinking this, Qianben Xixi opened her phone, eager to send an email to Rum. But wouldn't that be too frequent? She had just received a sum of funding a few days ago. Better wait another week. She felt a bit embarrassed asking for a salary after only working for two days.
Just as she was about to put her phone away, a new email notification popped up on the screen. It was from her editor, who hadn't contacted her in a long time.
[Hello, we plan to serialize your novel simultaneously in the Detective Fiction Magazine. Please come to our Mihana Town branch tomorrow at 9:30 AM to discuss the details.—Your dear editor, 'Zongzi Must Be Sweet']
Qianben Xixi was somewhat surprised. Her Infinite Flow novel? Being serialized in a detective fiction magazine?
Although it did have some suspenseful elements… was this really appropriate?
However, Qianben Xixi was only surprised for a moment. Since her editor wanted to serialize her novel in a physical magazine, she was naturally very willing.
After all, the internet in this world was far less developed than in her previous life. Compared to serializing online, physical magazine sales were much higher.
Therefore, very willingly, she arrived at the Beika Park bus stop early the next morning, ready to take the bus to the publishing house.
There probably wouldn't be another murder case this time, right? Qianben Xixi suddenly remembered her last experience going there to sign the contract. Generally, according to the conventions of The Conan-style world, if a location has had one murder case, it's unlikely to have a second.
Holding onto this thought, Qianben Xixi stood at the bus stop quite relaxed, waiting for the bus to arrive.
But as she waited, the bus didn't come. Instead, she first encountered Vermouth disguised as Shin'ichi Araide.
Fortunately, he didn't see her, as he was being approached by another blonde foreign beauty.
Qianben Xixi quietly moved to stand in a corner, inwardly sighing in relief.
Soon, the bus arrived. She was the first to hop on, paid her fare, and prepared to move inside.
But after taking only a few steps, she regretted it.
What did she see? She saw the neatly assembled Junior Detective Team, along with Professor Agasa.
May I ask, is it still too late to jump off the bus now?
Of course it was too late, because Vermouth also boarded the bus right behind her.
It was truly a case of a tiger in front and a wolf behind.
Melancholy was indeed the right word. She knew her trip to the publishing house today was probably going to be fraught with trouble again.
"Sister Xiaxi!" Ayumi was the first to spot her, greeting her excitedly. "What a coincidence, are you going skiing too?"
Ayumi's call drew everyone's attention, including Vermouth who had just boarded the bus, and the blonde foreign woman behind Vermouth.
"What a coincidence, Miss Qianben," Vermouth disguised as Shin'ichi Shinobu asked with a smile.
"Yeah, what a coincidence, Dr. Shinobu," Qianben Xixi forced a slight smile. After greeting everyone one by one, she went directly to the row behind Conan and Ai Haibara, sitting by the window.
"Going to the publishing house?" Conan immediately deduced from the direction she was traveling.
"Yes," Qianben Xixi felt there was nothing to hide, so she nodded. "My editor asked me to sign a magazine contract, and I agreed."
"Is it that detective fiction magazine?" Conan's eyes lit up as he mentioned it. "Will your Infinite Flow novel be serialized there?"
Qianben Xixi was surprised. "You read it?"
She knew Conan was aware of her pen name but didn’t expect him to actually read her work.
Conan nodded, as if he had found a kindred spirit and rival. "No wonder you solve cases so quickly. The suspenseful plots you write are quite good. Next time we have a chance to compete, I won’t lose to you again."
Qianben Xixi:…
When did she ever say she wanted to compete with Conan in deduction?
"Ahem, excuse me, could you move over a bit?"
While the two were whispering, someone suddenly approached and interrupted their conversation.
Qianben Xixi looked up and saw a very tall man wearing a black knit cap and a white mask, coughing incessantly.
"Sorry," Qianben Xixi shifted closer to the window to make room for him.
"Thank you, ahem," the man nodded politely and sat down beside her.
The bus finally started moving. Qianben Xixi glanced at the man beside her. A few strands of ramen-like bangs under the knit cap swayed with the bumps of the road and his deliberate coughing, swaying uncomfortably and coughing uncomfortably.
"Did you only get a perm for your bangs?" Qianben Xixi couldn’t help but ask.
She actually wanted to ask if he needed some cough medicine from Professor Agasa, but for some reason, the words came out differently.
Shuichi Akai:…
Conan in the front row also heard her remark. He turned around with a half-lidded glare, unable to resist an internal complaint.
Hey, hey, your flirting skills are really terrible.