Chapter 080 Mountain Villa (I)
Dong Yexi had previously defused a crisis and defused a bomb at the amusement park, earning him two raffle tickets. Including the previous one, he now had sixteen. Since he already had so many, he might as well wait a little longer and get twenty straight.
However, the more he thought about this case, the less he remembered it. After his leg completely healed and he encountered no more danger, he even wondered if he had completely escaped the crisis.
Dong Yexi sat by the window of the club room, leaning back in the sun, feeling incredibly comfortable. Inwardly, he cursed himself: "I've had enough of the good life, and I'm actually hoping for an accident."
Just when he was thinking about whether to take the initiative to find Conan and trigger the case, Anda Shizuku ran in happily.
"I'm famous!" he shouted, holding a magazine in his hand. "This one of mine is a hit!"
Dong Yexi was lazily basking in the sun and said, "Congratulations~"
"Do you know how many copies of the previous issue were sold? It's doubled!" Adachi Shizuku handed him the magazine and pointed at the cover: "Look, I drew the cover of this issue!"
Dong Yexi asked curiously, "How do you know that the last issue went viral because of your work?"
"Of course, it's the readers' comments!" Anda Shizuku puffed out her chest. "The editorial department opened an official account just for this magazine, just to get real-time feedback from readers. There were a lot more comments this time, all for the cover I drew."
He said happily: "My editor said that this book has been decided to be published as a single volume~"
"Great, great!" Dong Yexi applauded out of respect.
He was like this, and Anda Shizuku felt a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and said, "Actually, I should thank you. If you hadn't provided me with so much material, I wouldn't be able to draw this chapter so well."
He had previously given Higashino amusement park tickets, hoping he'd help him pose for some reference. But the photos he ended up giving him were beyond his wildest dreams. The action, the composition, the atmosphere... every single one was so perfectly captured that an uninitiated person would have mistaken them for stills from a film.
Dong Yexi smiled and said, "Then give me a red envelope and I'll give it to the photographer." Of course, these photos weren't taken by him; he wasn't capable of such quality. They were taken by a photographer in the bodyguard group. I heard he'd briefly worked as a paparazzi to make money, and his candid photography skills were among the best in the industry.
Anda Shizuku nodded repeatedly: "Of course."
Photography is also subject to copyright. If someone didn't take this seriously and simply gave him the photos for reference, he couldn't be so tactless as to refuse to pay a cent.
He found a red envelope from the drawer and put several large bills into it.
Dong Yexi: "Wow! Looks like you got rich!"
Anda Shizuku handed him the red envelope with a smile and said, "Once the book comes out, my royalties will be even higher! If it becomes a big hit, there might even be a celebration party!"
"What celebration party?" Toyama Meizhen, who had just walked in, asked curiously.
Dong Yexi smiled and said, "Your Vice President Anda said that when he makes money, he will treat us to a big dinner."
"Really? Then I'll wait." Toyama Mima said with a smile.
Anda Shizuku secretly made a two-fingered kneeling gesture to Higashino Xi.
Dong Yexi blinked at him with an expression that said "you know it and I know it".
If he had only drawn girls' comics like before, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But now he's developed a new genre, and revealing it would not only affect his image but also raise questions about his sexual orientation. Not everyone can openly admit their same-sex attraction like Higashino Hiroshi does.
Higashino Xi: ...This is such a wonderful misunderstanding.
"However, I have to get there before Senior Ando," said Mima Toyama.
Higashino Teru and Adachi Shizuku looked at her in confusion.
Mima Toyama took out two books from her bag, handed them one by one, and said, "The novel I wrote has been published, and it's selling well. The editor said he would hold a small celebration party, and I would like to invite you to attend." She tried to keep her tone calm, but one could still hear her excitement.
The two took the book with confused faces, and saw the words "The Illustrated Book of Crime (I)", a masterpiece by a talented and beautiful young mystery writer" written on the golden cover.
Toyama Mima cleared her throat awkwardly. "That's the editor's slogan. I think it's a bit exaggerated, but he said it would be more eye-catching."
Higashino Xi: Isn’t it attractive? The three words “beautiful girl” are bigger than the title of the book. At first glance, he thought it was a love story.
Adachi Shizuku couldn't wait to open the book, and after reading for a while, she asked, "Are you writing about us?"
Higashino Hiroshi also felt the same way. Aren't the four main characters who appeared at the beginning him, Adachi Shizuku, Matsuzaki Toru, and Hatori Yuiichi?
Toyama Mima nodded and said, "Yes, the characters are based on your personalities."
The story tells of four college students who are interested in criminal investigation. They founded a detective agency because of their similar interests, and then solved cases one by one through modern criminal investigation methods.
"Oh~~ It's so well written!" Higashino Hiroshi wasn't exaggerating. Toyama Mima's writing is truly excellent. A simple opening hooks the reader's emotions and makes them want to read on. This is very difficult to achieve!
Adachi Shizuku also thinks it's good. If it didn't have this awful cover, this book would sell even better!
Toyama Meizhen pursed her lips shyly, her cheeks flushed red.
At this moment, Dong Yexi suddenly handed her a pen and turned the book to the title page. She looked at him puzzledly.
Dong Yexi said seriously, "Please give me an autograph, Mrs. Yuanshan! I want a signature and a message!"
"Ah! I want one too!" Anda Shizuku immediately realized and opened the book as well. "This is signed by the best-selling author!"
Toyama Meizhen felt even more embarrassed by their commotion, but she still took the two books and carefully wrote the signatures and messages.
While she was signing, Anda Shizuku leaned over to Higashino Xi's ear and whispered, "When my book comes out, I'll sign it for you, too."
Dong Yexi glanced at him and replied, "I wouldn't dare take it back even if you gave it to me."
Adachi Shizuku: ...Alas! Why is he drawing BL manga? I can't even send out autographed copies!
Dong Yexi consoled him, "However, you can just sign it, and then I'll sell it online. I'm sure someone will pay a high price for it."
Adachi Shizuku: ...You don’t seem that happy either?
After signing the books, Mima Toyama gave them to them and signed several more books, preparing to give them to other members of the club.
She said there would be a celebration party tomorrow and she wanted to invite everyone to join her.
"The editor directly rented a villa in a mountain forest scenic area. There was an open-air barbecue in the evening, and the next morning we could climb the mountain to watch the sunrise."
Dong Yexi frowned.
A villa in the mountains, staying overnight, is something going to happen?
As the club secretary and the only female member of the management team, Toyama Mima was far more attentive than the other three. Since she was planning to invite everyone to play, she wouldn't forget anyone. So, the next day, Hatori Yuichi, who rarely participated in club activities, and Okiya Subaru, a non-member, arrived at the meeting place on time.
She directly rented a minibus from the scenic area and the driver came to pick her up.
Subaru Okiya was quite interested in suspense books, and as soon as he got in the car, he started reading the new book that Toyama Mei gave them.
Dong Yexi was very impressed when he saw this in the back seat.
When Yui Hatori heard Higashino Hiroshi say that a character in the book was based on his image, he also became interested and wanted to take a look at the book.
Dong Yexi reminded: "You will feel dizzy if you read in the car."
Hatori Yuiichi thought for a moment and asked, "Senior, have you finished reading this?"
Dong Yexi nodded. He had stayed up most of the night before to finish reading it.
Hatori Yuiichi said, "Then tell me about it."
"That's not good." Higashino Xi pointed at Subaru Okiya, "They're still watching, I can't spoil it for them."
Hatori Yuiichi closed the book, moved closer to him, and whispered, "Keep your voice down and just say no to me. Otherwise, the journey will be too boring."
The drive took at least an hour, and Dong Yexi thought he should find something to do, so he told him a story in a low voice.
Subaru Okiya, who has a very sharp ear: ...
He closed the book helplessly.
Never mind, I'd rather listen to a story and give my eyes a rest. Reading with squinting eyes is tiring.
The car drove to the parking lot of the scenic spot, and the driver left after everyone got off. He had to pick up other groups and would send them back tomorrow.
There is a distance between the parking lot and the villa area, and the scenic area's shuttle bus can take people up. If you drive here yourself, you can also drive directly to the villa.
Sitting on the open-air shuttle bus, Dong Yexi's mood suddenly brightened. He felt that even if something unexpected happened today, he could forgive the criminal because of this beautiful scenery.
Well, that's too brutal.
The shuttle bus stopped on the mountainside. Their villa's address was "3", and not far away was "5", about twenty meters apart.
"Isn't there Villa No. 4 here?" someone asked.
The shuttle bus driver, a scenic area employee, smiled and said, "Yes. The villas here are not arranged in descending order, but by the time they were completed. Villa No. 4 is a little higher up."
"Oh~" Everyone suddenly understood. Although they didn't know what the point of doing this was.
Everyone took their bags down and found that someone was already in the villa.
"Hello, I'm Toyama's editor, Koizumi Kon." Toyama Mima's editor is a thin man wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, looking a little feminine.
Higashino was a bit surprised. He'd thought the editor who'd created such an ugly cover would be a bit more greasy. He hadn't expected this to be another example of "don't judge a book by its cover."
To complement the scenic area's atmosphere, the villa was decorated with special materials in a log-style design, creating a cabin-like experience without the flammability of wood. Furthermore, the villa's ceiling features a fire sprinkler every ten square meters, ensuring guests feel at ease.
The above is what the shuttle bus driver said.
He also reminded me that the sprinkler heads are very sensitive and linked, so if two start spraying, the others will start spraying as well, so smoking indoors is not an option. Getting wet is a minor issue, but having to move to another villa is a major problem.
Because there are enough rooms, each person has a room this time.
The first floor contains other spaces, so there are only four guest rooms. The second floor is arranged in two rows, 201 to 204 in one row and 208 to 205 in the other row.
Editor Koizumi Kon lived in room 101, while the other two boys stayed in rooms 103 and 104. The girls chose rooms 4, 5, and 6 on the second floor, near the interior. Adachi Shizuku lived in room 201, while Matsuzaki Tetsu lived across from him in room 208. Higashino Hiroshi chose room 202, Hatori Yui lived next to him in room 203, and Okiya Subaru lived across from him in room 207.
After Dong Yexi entered the room, he threw his backpack on the bed, pushed open the sliding door to the balcony and walked out.
Hatori Yuiichi also came out of the room.
The two stood facing each other, with only ten centimeters between them on the windowsill.
Dong Yexi suddenly realized: "No wonder you chose the room next door!" It was such a short distance that they could just stretch their legs and crawl over.
Hatori Yui said innocently, "I just found out about this too."
Dong Yexi's face was full of disbelief.
As they looked at each other, they suddenly smiled at each other.
At this moment, a "click" sound came from behind.
Higashino turned around and saw Anda Shizuku holding her phone. He smiled contentedly and said, "You guys continue, leave me alone."
Higashino Hi: ...
Hatori Yui:?
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