Chapter 109 The Prodigal Son Returns (VI)
With the atmosphere ruined by his second uncle, Higashino Hi could no longer cry, so he wiped away his tears and asked Hatori Yuiichi to let go of the people hanging on him.
He checked on his second uncle and found that he was just drunk and weak, and was not choked by the smoke. At this time, most of the people in the other villas had gotten up, and many people hurried over to check on the situation.
When my second uncle's friends saw him collapsed on the ground, they thought he was injured and hurriedly surrounded him to ask about his well-being.
Meanwhile, Higashino Hiji was still keeping an eye on the other person that Hatori Yui brought out. It was a woman, and he brushed aside her long hair, only to discover that it was not his future second aunt, Shiramizu Mae.
Dong Yexi examined her and found that she must have been given sleeping pills, which was why she was unconscious.
After confirming that the woman had no external injuries, Dong Yexi ordered the bodyguards to carry her onto a stretcher and temporarily send her to another room to rest. He turned to look at his second uncle in the crowd and asked, "Second uncle, do you know that person?"
The second uncle was wrapped in a blanket and shook his head, saying, "I don't know him."
At this time, a staff member who was helping to put out the fire said, "She's also an employee on the island, her name is Saka Aimiya." He explained, "She's responsible for coordinating and managing the staffing of the entire island. She generally doesn't appear in villas where guests are already staying. She only goes to help appease guests if they complain about the staff."
Hatori Yui's eyebrows twitched, and he fell silent. He glanced at Dong Yelang, then leaned over to Dong Yexi's ear and whispered, "But I found her in your second uncle's bed."
Higashino Teru looked at him in shock. Seeing him nod seriously, he couldn't help but frown in thought.
Since Second Uncle loved his future Second Aunt so much, he certainly wouldn't cheat on her on the eve of their wedding. This wouldn't be in line with his relationship principles. So why was she in Second Uncle's "bridal room"? And in a coma?
As a suspect, she fainted in the fire and nearly burned to death, so she was ruled out as a suspect? If we also rule out the best friend who would never harm Second Uncle, then the only suspect left is the potential Second Aunt?
Also, Shiramizu Mahui hasn't come over to check on the situation yet. I don't know whether she doesn't care about her second uncle or she doesn't dare to return to the scene.
Higashino Hiji had a hunch that things weren't that simple. He didn't tell anyone about Hatori Yui's story, but instead instructed his bodyguards to keep a close eye on Sakae Ainomiya. Whether she was the perpetrator or the victim, her first reaction upon waking was crucial. With the bodyguards watching, he could determine her identity in the fire based on her reaction.
Then he asked a waitress to check on Shiramizu Mae to confirm her current condition.
The fire scene was too chaotic, so the second uncle was taken to his friends' villa. Seeing that the fire was about to be put out, the onlookers were relieved and went back to sleep. Edogawa Conan rushed to the scene and wanted to wait until the fire was put out to check the scene, but was grabbed by the ear by Mao Lilan who came over and took him back.
Higashino Hiroshi turned his gaze to Hatori Yuiichi, and with the background sound of Edogawa Conan's "It hurts~ Sister Xiaolan, let go~ I was wrong~", he pulled the person back to his villa without saying a word.
He pushed Hatori Yui onto the sofa, looked at him seriously, and said, "Take off your clothes."
Hatori Yuiichi: “Huh?”
Dong Yexi pursed her lips and looked at him steadily.
Yui Hatori hesitated and reached for the hem of his shirt. Under the stern gaze of his senior, he made up his mind and took off his sweatshirt.
Dong Yexi pulled his right arm over and saw a purple bruise on his elbow from smashing the French window. His right hand was also cut several times by the broken glass.
Seeing Higashino Xi staring at his wound in silence, Hatori Yui immediately said, "These are minor injuries. They're fine. They haven't bled yet."
Dong Yexi looked up and glared at him fiercely, then stood up, found the villa's medicine box, and gave him medicine.
Seeing him immediately wrap the wound with gauze after disinfecting it, Hatori Yui wanted to say it was unnecessary, but after a few murmurs, she didn't stop him. She had a feeling that the senior was in a bad mood.
After Higashino finished bandaging his hand, he took out some medicated oil and massaged the bruise on his elbow. When he was done, Hatori Yui touched the bandage on his hand and asked cautiously, "Senior, are you not angry anymore?"
Dong Yexi paused in packing his things, threw the medicated oil into the medicine box as if to vent his anger, and then closed the lid with a "snap".
He looked up at Hatori Yuiichi and asked, "Why should I be angry?"
Hatori Yui was intimidated by his powerful gaze and couldn't help but touch her nose. When the senior said that, it meant he was truly angry, and the kind that couldn't be easily appeased.
He began to recall what he had done to make someone angry. After thinking about it, he felt that pushing the senior was not a good idea, so he immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I won't do this again."
Higashino Hi was so angry at his quick kneeling that he laughed. He was sure that Hatori Yui had no idea what he was angry about.
"You!..." Before he could open his mouth to curse, he lost his temper when he saw the obedient expression of Hatori Wei admitting her mistake.
Dong Yexi hunched over, covered his face with his hands, and sighed deeply.
Yui Hatori didn't know why his senior suddenly felt lost again. He could only tentatively reach out his hand, gently stroke Higashino Xi's back, and silently comfort him.
Dong Yexi covered his face and couldn't help rolling his eyes in his heart: Here it comes again, here it comes again, treating him like a cat or a dog again! Is he someone who can be coaxed like this?
He turned to look at Hatori Yuiichi and said angrily, "Do you know how dangerous it was just now? How could you rush in without any protection?"
Hearing this, Hatori Yuiichi's expression grew serious. He said, "Then I have to ask, Senior, were you also planning to rush in right away? Since you knew the danger and knew you had to take precautions, why didn't you prepare yourself?"
Higashino was speechless. He stretched out a trembling finger and pointed at Hatori Yuiichi, saying, "Okay, okay, you're using my words to stop me, right?"
Hatori Yuiichi said seriously, "This is just a friendly discussion regarding our actions this time. Actually, both you and I set the wrong example. When rushing into a fire, be sure to have wet blankets to cover your entire body. However, I knew I was fast and capable of quickly rescuing a grown man, so I rushed in to save time. If the fire had been any bigger, I definitely wouldn't have done that."
Dong Yexi: ...He said both good and bad things to me, and I felt even more upset.
"Besides..." Hatori Yui touched the back of Higashino's neck and said softly, "They are your family. I can't just watch you get into danger."
Dong Yexi's eyes flickered slightly, and his heart felt like it was immersed in a hot spring, warm and comfortable, making people indulge in it unconsciously. He thought that he was moved by Hatori's gentleness and thoughtfulness, and gradually fell in love with him. So when he learned his true identity, he was angry, but he couldn't let go.
This person is really gentle! This person's kindness to him is also real!
He didn't believe that Hatori's only emotion was acted out. Even the best actor has his moments of slacking off, okay?
The distance between the two was very close, and they could see each other's eyes.
Higashino Xi raised his hand, pinched Hatori Yui's chin, and moved closer.
Hatori Yui's eyes widened in disbelief.
Their breaths intertwined, and the soft touch accompanied by body temperature came from their lips. Just pressing them together made Hatori's heartbeat rise rapidly, as if it would jump out of his chest in the next second.
He didn't close his eyes, and could see Dong Yexi's eyelashes trembling slightly close to him.
He thought to himself: Senior’s eyelashes are so long, so thick, and so beautiful... Is senior also nervous?
Higashino Hi was in a dilemma. He'd followed his instincts and made a quick move, but once he'd gotten close, he wasn't sure if he should continue. Hatori Yui, in particular, was completely lost in thought, clinging to him, holding onto his hand with no sign of a passionate kiss.
This innocent display made Dong Yexi unsure whether he should continue.
If he stuck out his tongue at this moment, wouldn't Hatori Yui think he was terrible?
He was somewhat glad that he had his eyes closed and could not see the other person's expression.
After sticking like this for two minutes, Dong Yexi couldn't bear it anymore and bit Hatori Wei's lips angrily, and was about to end this "sticking".
It was as if Hatori Yui was electrocuted, and her lips felt a little numb. When Dong Yexi was about to leave, she immediately raised her hand and pressed his neck, and they pressed tightly together again.
This time, it was no longer a joking clinging, but a gentle and meticulous exploration from the inside out.
Dong Yexi was shocked by his initial strength, but then he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
This person is so gentle even in a kiss.
The kiss was not passionate, but it was like a soft brush, slowly soothing the fear in his heart.
The feeling of lips and tongues touching was so wonderful that both of them could not stop, and they did not slowly separate until the doorbell of the villa rang.
Their foreheads rested against each other, noses touching, chests rising and falling slightly as they steadied their breathing. Their eyes met, their eyelashes almost touching.
The doorbell rang again, Dong Yexi stepped back, and Yu Tiao Wei subconsciously wanted to chase him again.
Dong Yexi said: "Wait a minute, I'll go see who it is."
Hatori nodded, then reluctantly let go of her hand.
Dong Yexi stood up and patted his cheeks. By the time he reached the door, he had controlled his expression.
Outside the door stood the waitress he had sent to look after Second Aunt. She said, "The bride is fine; she's just very tired and sleeping soundly. When I went to see her just now, she had just woken up. I told her about the fire, and knowing the groom was alright, she went back to sleep peacefully."
Dong Yexi nodded slightly: "Thank you. You should go back and rest early too."
The waiter nodded and turned to leave.
Dong Yexi frowned after closing the door.
It seems that the future second aunt really doesn't love the second uncle very much, just as the system said.
Thinking of his second uncle's enthusiastic preparations for the wedding, he suddenly felt a little unhappy.
The one who gives more in a relationship will lose, right?
Higashino Hi walked into the living room and saw Hatori Yuiichi sitting on the sofa. He thought to himself: Who will lose between you and me?
After the kiss ended, Hatori Yui realized what he had done. His cheeks and ears instantly turned red. Thinking that he had just wanted to chase the senior and kiss him again, he couldn't help but cover his mouth.
Ah!!! Will the senior think he is too reckless?
But, but... kissing feels really good.
Hatori Yuiichi didn't know what he was thinking about, and his eyes became a little blurry. When he heard the footsteps of Higashino Hee returning, he came back to his senses and put down his hand as if nothing had happened. He looked at Higashino Hee and asked calmly, "Who is it?"
He pretended to be calm, but his cheeks and ears betrayed him. Dong Yexi frowned and thought: Ah, actually I have a chance of winning too.
"Don't worry, it's just a waiter."
Dong Yexi walked behind the sofa, supported himself with his hands on the backrest, looked down at Hatori Yuiichi, and asked, "Do you want to continue what you were doing just now?"
Hatori Wei instinctively licked his lips and swallowed, his Adam's apple sliding up and down as he swallowed. Although he didn't answer, his eyes were filled with desire.
Dong Yexi chuckled and leaned forward slightly. When their lips were about to touch, he tilted his head and said, "I've thought about it, so forget it."
Hatori Yui:?
Dong Yexi stood up straight, looked down at him and said, "You are not my boyfriend, why should I let you kiss me?" Humph, not to mention that you lied to me!
Hatori Yui:? ? ?
He immediately stood up, and the two of them switched perspectives. He said a little aggrievedly, "But, but it wasn't just now..."
Dong Yexi said confidently: "I just got carried away for a moment, I've calmed down now."
Hatori Yui bit his lower lip and asked softly, "When will you get high again?"
Dong Yexi glanced at him, raised his chin and said, "It depends on your performance." He raised his hands and pinched the flesh of Hatori Yui's cheeks, saying, "If you perform well, I'll give you a reward; if you don't, I'll banish you to the cold palace!"
Hatori Yui blinked and mumbled, "I'll do my best."
"Okay, then you can go back and rest tonight." After saying that, Dong Yexi turned and walked towards the room on the second floor, like a ruthless man.
Halfway up the stairs, he turned to look at Hatori Yuiichi and said, "If you dare to deceive me, you will be banished to the cold palace!"
Hatori Yuiichi's heart moved, and he said seriously: "I will never lie to you!"
Dong Yexi looked at him deeply and said, "You'd better do what you say." Then he disappeared at the end of the stairs.
Standing there, Yui Hatori lowered his eyes slightly, slowly put on his sweatshirt, turned off the lights in the living room before leaving.
The fire was put out and the noisy island returned to peace. Only in such a quiet environment could he calmly think about the abnormality of his senior.
Whether it was the sudden tears at the fire scene or the kiss in the villa, he sensed the senior's hidden uneasiness.
But he couldn't think of anything that could have so upset the senior. Perhaps the senior was just frightened by his sudden rush into the fire.
Hopefully he'll recover after a good night's sleep.
Hatori Yuiichi thought.
He was right, and it worked.
Higashino could fall asleep even in extreme grief, and now that he was out of danger and certain that Hatori's feelings for him were genuine, he felt even less burdened and slept even more deeply. When he woke up, the scheduled wedding reception time had already passed.
He was still a little confused, but he felt in his heart that today's wedding was probably canceled.
However, he still changed into a formal suit and went to see his second uncle.
When we arrived at my uncle's villa, we saw that he was still planning a wedding and had already put on his groom's suit. However, his friends strongly disagreed and none of them changed into suits, as if to protest.
"Is this marriage still necessary?" Kimiya Tsukishiro said sarcastically, "That woman hasn't even come to see you since last night, and she doesn't care whether you are hurt or not. She doesn't love you at all." As a childhood friend who grew up with Higashino Lang, he spoke very bluntly and was not afraid of angering him at all.
Friends and relatives nearby responded, "Indeed, this is totally inappropriate. We don't adhere to the custom of 'not seeing each other before marriage,' so it's really unreasonable not to come and see."
Higashino Nami said: "That's just Mae's personality. She doesn't have big emotional fluctuations. Once she hears from others that I'm fine, she will concentrate on preparing for today's wedding."
Kiyazaki rolled his eyes. "She believes what others say? She doesn't even come to see for herself? Isn't she easily deceived?"
Dong Yelang wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by his sister: "Okay, this matter is not up to you alone. I have asked someone to invite the bride. When she arrives, you can have a good chat and decide whether to go ahead with the wedding."
As soon as Dong Yexi saw his third aunt speak, he knew that his second uncle's wedding today was in jeopardy.
Although Second Uncle is now the oldest member of the Higashino family, he's not very good at speaking. Especially when it comes to Third Aunt, he becomes a complete "sister control" - controlled by his sister's words. Even though the two of them are almost ninety years old, he still habitually listens to his sister.
As for the fourth brother who has never "respected" him, let's not even mention him.
My third aunt's family also arrived last night, but they didn't attend my second uncle's bachelor party. Hearing that my second uncle had nearly burned to death, they were so frightened they came to see him overnight and didn't sleep well the whole night. So, they were a little upset that Shiramizu Mae hadn't shown up, especially Tono Hanasaki. When she heard that my second uncle still wanted to have a wedding, she rolled her eyes. Then, her father hit her on the head.
As for Fourth Uncle and his eldest brother, they were too busy with work and could only reach the island this morning. Calculating the time, they should be arriving soon.
After a while, Hakuba Tan and Edogawa Conan hurried over. They were relieved to see that the scene was not yet prepared.
Bai Ma walked up to Dong Yelang and said, "Mr. Dong Ye, let's put today's wedding on hold."
Dong Yelang didn't expect that there would be a child to persuade him. He asked in surprise: "Why?"
Edogawa Conan said in a deep voice: "Yesterday's fire was not an accident, it was deliberately set!"
Everyone:!!!
"Are you serious?!" Kiyazaki almost jumped up.
Bai Ma nodded. "Really." He said seriously, "This morning, Conan and I went to the fire scene to check it out. We found that the fire started in the guest room on the second floor. The first thing that caught fire was probably a bedside table. There was an ashtray on the bedside table close to the sheets. It looked like an unburned cigarette butt ignited the sheets and caused the fire."
"So what's the problem?" asked Kiyatsuki.
Edogawa Ke explained, "The problem is, no one has ever slept in that room. That villa is to be used as a bridal chamber, so surely no one except the groom would be allowed to live there? So, how could there be a cigarette butt in an unoccupied room? Could it have been left there by someone visiting yesterday? But then again, nobody's going to visit the guest rooms, are they?"
Kiyazaki's face fell, and he said, "We didn't even enter that villa!" He had arrived early yesterday and saw that Higane Lang had arranged for staff to decorate the rooms, while he went off to work on the party and wedding. Besides, the houses in the resort were all the same, nothing special. His group of good friends had all come to watch Higane Lang busy himself, teasing him as they went.
Bai Ma Tan immediately said, "So we infer that someone must have set the fire intentionally. It might be aimed at Mr. Dongye, or this wedding."
The expressions of everyone present turned ugly.
Dong Yeman made the final decision: "The wedding is cancelled."
Dong Yelang opened his mouth, but was stopped by her eyes.
At this moment, the person who was sent to call the bride ran in in a panic, saying with a pale face: "No, it's bad! The bride, the bride is dead!"
Everyone:!!!
"What?!" Dong Yelang stood up suddenly, as if he couldn't bear the blow. His body swayed twice and he almost fainted.
The people around him quickly supported him.
"Really? Everyone, go check it out!"
Hakuba Tan and Edogawa Conan reacted quickly and ran out before he could say this, followed closely by Higashino Hiroshi.
He didn't understand why Shiramizu Mae died.
Now, who are the remaining suspects? Wouldn't Saka Aimiya really burn herself to death? Wouldn't Tsuki Kiyaya, who had such a close relationship with his uncle, burn him just because he insisted on getting married despite their advice? Could it really have been a Black Organization member who set the fire?
The three of them ran to the villa where Shiramizu Mae lived, and several staff members hid at the door of the room and did not dare to go in.
Hakuba took out a pair of gloves from his pocket and put them on. He felt Shiramizu Mae's carotid artery, then shook his head at the two of them.
Confirmed dead.
Higashino Hi also took a pair of gloves from the cleaning staff and put them on, and briefly checked Shiramizu Mae's body.
"There are no obvious external injuries. The body is still warm, and livor mortis is beginning to appear on the back, though it's not obvious. The limbs are stiff, but the body isn't completely stiff yet. Preliminary estimates put the time of death at within three to five hours." Dong Yexi glanced at his watch. "That would be between three and five in the morning."
Edogawa Conan said: "The air conditioner has been on all the time, and the indoor temperature has been 23 degrees Celsius. The time inference should be correct."
He saw a half-full glass of water by the bed and sniffed it. It smelled like soda, but there were no bubbles in it. He said, "Poisoning is a possibility."
Bai Ma Tan also walked around the room, but found no clues, and said: "It should be poisoning. The murderer may not have entered this room."
The three of them reconstructed the scene and left the room. Higashino added, "Early this morning, I arranged for staff to come and see Shiramizu Mae. She was still alive."
Edogawa Conan immediately asked, "What time?"
Dong Yexi recalled and said, "It should be around 2:30. There was a sudden fire at that time. I was a little worried about her, so I asked someone to go see her. When the staff went to my villa to reply, it should have been 2:40. If she is not lying, minus the walking time, it was probably around 2:30."
Edogawa Conan supported his chin and said in a deep voice: "Then it is possible that the staff member was killed not long after leaving."
"But if it was poisoning, then the murderer doesn't necessarily come here after that. The time of death doesn't necessarily mean when she was poisoned." Bai Ma Tan pondered, "We need to know what poison she was poisoned with."
The three of them fell silent. This would require an autopsy to find out.
After a while, the main force arrived in a hurry. The second uncle pushed open the door and saw Shiramizu Mae lying on the bed with a calm face, and was about to rush over. Maori Kogoro immediately grabbed him from behind and dragged him back: "Don't destroy the scene!"
Only Odagiri Toshio, Matsumoto Seinaga and Kuroda Heibei, who arrived together, were qualified to go in and check on the deceased.
When Higashino Hiroshi heard what Kogoro Mori said, he touched his nose guiltily: They had already destroyed the scene.
However, he found that the expressions of his other two "accomplices" did not change at all.
Dong Yexi thought to himself: His heart is not strong enough and his skin is not thick enough.
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