After watching Van and Souren Manranyama, who was dressed in disguise, leave, Uesugi Yui, who had been following me, chose to show herself.

WW I has just ended, and the WW II is about to begin. The history of my life is a history of wars.

"Ziongzong."

Since I knew in advance that Uesugi Yui was following me, I wasn't surprised at all, but in order to avoid her suspecting this, I still trembled a bit and turned to look at her, pretending to be surprised.

"Yui sister... why... are you here?"

Obviously, this was like being caught red-handed. Oh wait, no, it was like being caught in the act.

Although it was intentional on my part, as the saying goes, being too clever for one's own good, in short, being reckless, as the ancient saying goes, a stay-at-home man doesn't value his wisdom, and doesn't mind risking his life, that's the idea.

"Shh, don't be nervous. Speaking so loudly will disturb other customers."

Uesugi Yui raised her finger and smiled at me. This warm smile could even melt an iceberg that had been frozen for thousands of years. So, she was the main culprit behind the greenhouse effect.

After (pretending to) calm down, Uesugi Yui ordered coffee from the waiter.

I don't know if this was the calm before the storm or if she genuinely didn't care, but I was uneasy.

"Firstly, I want to apologize for following you."

Uesugi Yui clasped her hands together and bowed her head to me.

This genuinely surprised me. I thought she would come at me with a barrage of questions and accusations, but the first thing she did was apologize.

"No, it's nothing. I don't mind at all."

Not to exaggerate, but with just these two simple sentences, my prejudice that women are unreasonable creatures changed.

"Well, then, who was that beautiful sister you were sitting with earlier?"

Then, Uesugi Yui brought me back to reality.

If she didn't ask about what just happened, it would make me even more uneasy.

Since I allowed Uesugi Yui to follow me, it meant that I was mentally prepared to involve her in what would happen next.

I mentioned earlier that I prefer to act alone because I believe it is the most efficient way.

But after getting to know Ziongzong and reading about the life experiences of the persona "Ziongzong," I felt that it wouldn't hurt to change things up.

Uesugi Yui, to some extent, is an informed person. If I continue to leave her out of the loop, it won't be a good strategy.

On one hand, I would need to constantly fabricate lies to deceive her, which would only create a vicious cycle and eventually lead to the truth being exposed; on the other hand, Uesugi Yui is a proactive girl, which means she will explore things in her own way, and if things go wrong, she could become a hindrance to my actions.

Therefore, this time, I plan to bring her along.

"The sister I was sitting with earlier is named Fàn, she is a servant of the Wàn Lán Shān family."

"Fàn? That's such an exotic name. Wait, Wàn Lán Shān... is it the Wàn Lán Shān conglomerate?"

Uesugi Yui widened her eyes in disbelief, but fortunately, she was mature enough that even though she was surprised, her voice remained low.

"Yes, it's the Wàn Lán Shān conglomerate."

"Why would the famous Wàn Lán Shān conglomerate have something to do with you?"

"Well... they have a case they want to entrust me with for investigation."

"Hmm? Why you? Wouldn't it be better for them to hire the police or a professional detective? Why would they choose an ordinary high school student like you, who is plain and seemingly has no skills?"

Uesugi Yui bombarded me with questions like a hammer, one after another, knocking down my confidence to the ground.

She really underestimated me. I was hoping that "Ziongzong" could shape a capable younger brother image, but instead, I became a flatfish.

Although I may not be amazing, but using words like "plain" and "seemingly has no skills" to describe me doesn't seem appropriate, no matter how you look at it.

Feeling frustrated, I had to give Uesugi Yui a reasonable explanation here, otherwise, any cooperation in the future would just be in vain.

Therefore, it was necessary for me to tell some truths here."The reason is a bit long, so let me start from the beginning. I have known Souren Manranyama, the daughter of the Wanlanshan family, for a while now. The opportunity for us to meet was when she came to Xiamen..."

I briefly explained the process of how I met Souren Manranyama and explained that she wanted to investigate something without her father's knowledge for reasons unknown to me. Because of her father's connections, she couldn't use resources such as the "police" or "professional detectives" mentioned by Uesugi Yui earlier, so she approached me, someone who seemed incompetent but actually had some skills.

"I see. No wonder she comes from a wealthy family, sheltered from the world and lacking experience. That's why she can't judge people properly. Otherwise, how could she think that you have some skills? It's really beyond my comprehension."

Uesugi Yui scanned me from head to toe with a merciless gaze, her face showing a disappointed expression.

I endured...

Anyway, as long as Uesugi Yui accepts this scenario, the rest is to communicate with Souren Manranyama and make sure she doesn't say anything careless during their upcoming meeting.

Although lying or not speaking makes little difference to me, not speaking is still slightly more bearable. I will only provide Uesugi Yui with the necessary information and conceal everything else; that's my current plan for dealing with Uesugi Yui.

"So, do you think you can handle this request? Did you promise her?"

Uesugi Yui pushed her coffee aside and stared at me with a serious look, putting aside her previous belittlement towards me. She realized the importance of this matter.

"Well, I promised her, and I believe I can handle it."

I smiled as I answered, trying to appear more confident.

With Uesugi Yui's personality and sense of responsibility, she would never feel at ease without making sure I can handle it. My goal is not to involve her, but to allow her to help me while still giving me some personal space.

Otherwise, if we end up sticking together for twenty-four hours, no matter how pleasant it may be for me emotionally, rationally speaking, it will be detrimental to this assignment.

"I see, you already promised her..."

Uesugi Yui frowned, glanced elsewhere, and a melancholic expression briefly appeared.

What is she thinking?

I am not good at guessing others' thoughts, and Uesugi Yui's thoughts are far beyond my ability to speculate.

Perhaps she is just worried about me, and I have complicated simple emotions.

Hmm, it's best not to overthink.

"Alright then, Zhouzhong."

Uesugi Yui tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at me.

"Let me help with this assignment too?"