Conan: Ran turns into an elementary school student and calls me dad.

Chapter 61 A Fat Sheep is Good!

Fat sheep? Or barren lambs?

Judy paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked down at her curvaceous figure, and then at the slender girl in front of her wearing a loose school uniform. She instantly realized what Lin Xiuyi was teasing her about.

Compared to their own full curves, these high school girls do appear much thinner.

The female secretary bit her red lips, suppressing her embarrassment and awkwardness, and said in a hesitant tone,

"...That child's name is Takei Naoko."

So focused on being wary of those young girls, he forgot that he himself was also being targeted by this lecherous man!

Judy secretly became vigilant and resolved to keep her distance from Lin Xiuyi from now on, to be more wary, and never give him any opportunity to take advantage of her!

After saying the girl's name, the female secretary turned around to comfort Naoko Takei, but was stopped again by Hideaki Hayashi: "Wait, let me handle this."

"What? Boss, you don't really...?"

Judy turned her head instantly, her tone questioning.

"Don't overthink it." Lin Xiu waved his hand. "It's just that this girl's family situation is a bit complicated. You're too headstrong and don't understand the intricacies of the situation. If you go, you'll most likely mess it up."

"……Oh well."

Although Judy was somewhat skeptical, she nodded upon seeing Lin Xiuyi's unusually serious expression.

However, out of a sense of duty to supervise, she did not leave. Instead, she moved a chair and sat down next to him, keeping her eyes fixed on Lin Xiuyi, wanting to see if what he said was true, and also guarding against him taking the opportunity to play tricks.

……

Naoko Takei sat awkwardly on the sofa, her body slightly tense, her legs together, her eyes fixed on her toes, not daring to lift her head.

Clearly, for someone as shy as her, having the courage to step into the counseling room was a huge psychological hurdle to overcome.

Lin Xiuyi gestured for Jodie to bring over a cup of hot cocoa, which he then handed to Takei Naoko.

"Don't be nervous, speak slowly, we won't tell anyone what you have to say."

He didn't rush to ask any questions, but simply chatted with the girl casually, from the weather outside the window to her school classes.

The warm cocoa slid down her throat, dispelling the unease in her heart. With the patient guidance and gentle attitude of Hayashi Hideichi, Naoko Takei gradually relaxed and finally slowly raised her head to quietly recount her experience.

The matter is actually not complicated. Naoko Takei is the eldest daughter of a wealthy family in Tokyo. She comes from a well-off family, lives in a spacious villa, and wears designer clothes, but she has never felt any warmth from her family.

Her father was a complete businessman, with only profit and money in his eyes. He was indifferent to his wife and daughter, and was always busy with business, rarely coming home.

Even when his wife was seriously ill and hospitalized, on the verge of death, he didn't take the time to visit her in the hospital. He was still focused on making money and even had his assistant pay the medical bills for him.

"Damn it! This kind of scum doesn't deserve to be a father!"

Upon hearing this, Judy could no longer contain herself and abruptly stood up.

"In America, people who neglect their families and disregard kinship would have long been stripped of guardianship by the courts!"

"Are you sure?" Lin Xiuyi asked with a smile. "Her father is a very wealthy man with considerable influence in Tokyo's business world."

"This..." Judy was speechless for a moment, a sheepish look on her face, and she swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

She naturally understood what Lin Xiuyi meant.

While American law appears fair and impartial, it actually shows leniency towards the wealthy, and the same is true in Japan.

Take Naoko Takei's case as an example. The court wanted to strip her father of his guardianship rights, and her father could have easily hired a bunch of lawyers to stall the court for time.

If this drags on for a few years until Naoko Takei reaches adulthood, the court's ruling will naturally become invalid.

Hearing the two discussing her father, Naoko Takei's eyes dimmed slightly. After a long silence, she finally looked up and said hesitantly,

"Actually... I've gotten used to my father's indifference towards me. I'm seeing Dr. Lin for something else."

After saying that, she lowered her head again, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.

Seeing this, Judy's face suddenly stiffened, and a terrible guess flashed through her mind.

The female secretary suddenly rushed to Naoko Takei's side, her tone filled with urgency and anger: "Did your bastard father do something else terrible to you?"

"Hello!"

Lin Xiuyi quickly reached out and pulled Judy behind him.

Naoko Takei paused for a few seconds before belatedly realizing what Judy meant, and immediately began waving her hands in a panic.

"No, no! How could that be! He's my father... Even if he's cold-hearted, he wouldn't do such a thing."

Judy then realized that she had been in America for too long and had gotten used to the unpleasant things there, which led her to think the wrong way and make a big misunderstanding.

The female secretary scratched her head awkwardly, quickly picked up the water glass on the table, and pretended to drink water to hide her embarrassment.

"Judging from your expression, you probably want to ask about relationship issues, right?"

Lin Xiu paused, her gaze falling on the reddened tips of Takei Naoko's ears.

"You wouldn't happen to have fallen for one of the women who works with your father, would you?"

"puff……"

Judy had just put the water in her mouth and hadn't even had a chance to swallow it when she suddenly spat it all out.

She slammed down her water glass, staring at Lin Xiuyi with a look of helplessness and shock: "Boss! I already thought I'd made a fool of myself, but you've gone even further..."

Halfway through her sentence, she caught a glimpse of Naoko Takei's reaction out of the corner of her eye. The girl didn't refute it; instead, she buried her head almost to her chest, clearly feeling that her secret had been exposed and afraid that someone would see her flushed cheeks and flustered expression.

"Uh, no way..."

Judy's eyes widened, her face showing utter despair.

"Such a quiet and reserved girl, how could she fall in love with her stepmother?"

"No! That's not it!" Naoko Takei suddenly looked up, her voice filled with a sense of urgency as she tried to explain.

"Ms. Hanai is not that kind of person! She is just my father's secretary, and there is absolutely no romantic relationship between them!"

After shouting those words, the girl realized that Lin Xiuyi and Judy were both staring at her in a daze.

Only then did she belatedly realize that she had blurted out the key person in her haste. She panicked instantly, stood up quickly, and tried to escape from the counseling room.

Without Lin Xiuyi's instruction, Judy had already taken the lead and stood in front of the door, gently pressing on Takei Naoko's shoulder to signal her to calm down.

"Why did you run away?" Lin Xiuyi chuckled. "There are many kinds of liking someone. You might just see that Miss Hanai as an older sister, or even someone like a mother."

"Don't you like your sister and mother?"