Seeing Vermouth walking toward him, Toru was slightly stunned and did not understand what she intended to do for a moment.
However, he remained calm and made no unnecessary movements, waiting to see her next move before responding.
Appearing as the Hollywood superstar Chris Vineyard, Vermouth stopped in front of him and revealed a sorrowful expression.
"Darling, even though our time together is in the past, and you were the one who broke up with me, were those romantic nights under the moon and flowers all fake?"
"Seeing you look at me as if you do not even recognize me truly makes me sad and heartbroken."
Vermouth truly was a woman who had been acting her entire life.
Her expression, like a woman abandoned by the man she loved and on the verge of tears, was incredibly lifelike. Even Yukiko, who was also a top actress, could not tell whether she was speaking the truth or lying.
Almost everyone present believed her words.
Even several dignitaries began whispering among themselves.
They gathered together and spoke softly, looking at Toru with surprise and envy.
"Why do I not remember Ms. Chris ever having a boyfriend?"
"Does she need to announce it if she has one? They were probably dating in secret and never discovered."
"Those paparazzi in America are useless. They did not even catch something this big."
"Hey, Ms. Chris is twenty-nine this year, right? I remember Fujiwara Toru is only twenty. That is quite an age gap."
"It is only nine years. What is the big deal? That is just a standard older woman and younger man relationship. If it were a beauty like Ms. Chris, even if she were nineteen years older, I would still be willing."
Similar remarks spread through the crowd.
The only person unhappy hearing this was Yukiko.
Her age was indeed much greater than Toru's. Not as exaggerated as nineteen years, but still seventeen.
No wonder these men envied him.
Chris Vineyard's beauty ranked among the very best in Hollywood, both sexy and pure.
Unlike many chaotic Hollywood actresses, her private life was remarkably clean. She had never been involved in any scandal with a man.
She did not drink excessively, did not smoke, and did not frequent nightclubs. In the chaotic world of Hollywood, she was like a beacon shining in the hearts of men.
Such a reclusive and stunning beauty was deeply in love with a man, and Toru had even dumped her. That alone was enough to make men die of jealousy.
There was also a more important reason. Chris was American and a Hollywood superstar.
Although the people present were influential figures in Japan, either wealthy or powerful, and certainly not lacking women in their daily lives, a Hollywood superstar had nothing to do with them. Their money meant nothing to someone of Chris's status, and their influence in Japan did not reach Hollywood.
Japan was inherently at a disadvantage compared to America, and pursuing a top Hollywood star was almost impossible.
While many envied Toru, some thoughtful individuals found him even more mysterious.
Many already knew he was the adopted son of the CIA Director. Now it seemed that his relationship with the Director might not be simple. He truly had deep connections in America.
Toru ignored the wild thoughts of the crowd. He only felt a headache.
Vermouth's move had instantly made him the center of attention in the entire venue.
Following the role she forced on him, he said coldly, "Chris, what is past is past. Do not bring it up again."
Vermouth looked hurt for a moment, then forced a smile.
"Darling, I will be staying in Japan for a while. Can you find some time to have coffee with me someday?"
What else could he say? He could only agree.
Her face immediately brightened.
"Then I will not disturb you anymore, darling."
You already have.
Toru complained inwardly.
In the eyes of others, however, this only made the Hollywood superstar seem considerate.
Vermouth reluctantly said goodbye and went off to socialize with investors and directors.
Many local Japanese actors and directors quickly surrounded her, eager to please the superstar.
There were simply too many people in the world who dreamed of entering Hollywood.
Haibara's heart was pounding rapidly. She looked around with a pale expression, trying to sense anything unusual.
There were too many people present. She could not determine who belonged to the Organization.
For now, she even considered Chris Vineyard one of the suspicious targets.
Her ability to sense the Organization could only tell her that someone from it was nearby. She could not identify exactly who it was.
"Hey, what is wrong with you?"
Seeing her frightened expression, Conan walked over and asked.
It was not that he cared about this bad woman. It was just that her fear made him uneasy as well.
Seeing him approach, Haibara suppressed the fear in her heart. She did not want to show weakness in front of him. That weakness, she would only show to Toru.
She sneered lightly.
"Nothing. I just have a feeling someone might die here."
"Die?"
Conan's expression changed instantly.
"Is your Organization planning to kill someone here?"
Haibara did not respond.
She had only said it casually. Earlier, Toru had joked that wherever Kudo Shinichi went, a murder case would always follow.
Conan knew he would not get any useful information from her. He looked anxiously at the crowd, wondering who the Organization's target might be.
Suppressing his doubts, he asked the real question.
"Do you still have that medicine?"
At this moment, he completely believed what she had told him before.
After taking that medicine, he had indeed returned to his original appearance as Kudo Shinichi.
Although it lasted less than a day, it gave him hope.
He did not want to spend his entire life as an elementary school student, forever trapped in a child's body.
He also believed that Haibara was the inventor of the drug. Otherwise, how could she produce a temporary antidote so quickly?
"I do not recommend that you take it repeatedly. Although it will not cause much harm to your body, it is very likely to create resistance."
"If you still want to return to your original form in the future, use it as little as possible."
Haibara spoke calmly.
She was genuinely worried that Kudo Shinichi would treat it like candy and eventually develop resistance. If that happened, she would lose her most important test subject.
Conan understood drug resistance, so he could only reluctantly give up asking for more.
"That was just experimental subject number one. There are still many issues, such as the heart pain. After I improve the medicine, I will give you more for testing."
First, she would fix the smaller flaws. Then she would find a way to create a complete antidote that could permanently restore the body. That was her plan.
Another important reason was that her equipment at home was insufficient for further research.
She would have to wait until Toru's research institute was completed. Only with better equipment could she move to the next stage.
Reaching this point with only home equipment was already proof of her talent.
Conan clearly knew she was treating him as a test subject, but what choice did he have? He could only agree and urge her to work faster.
"Toru-kun, were you really Chris's ex-boyfriend?"
Yukiko asked, clearly displeased.
"It is all in the past."
He did not want to admit it, but after Vermouth made such a scene, he had no choice.
If he denied it, he would only look like a scumbag.
He also understood why Vermouth had done this.
It was not suitable for her to have too much contact with him as Vermouth. That would attract attention.
But if she used the identity of Chris Vineyard and confirmed she was his ex-girlfriend, they could interact publicly without suspicion.
Others would only think the Hollywood superstar was a woman deeply in love.
It had to be said, she was clever. She dug a pit that he had no choice but to jump into.
"I am very familiar with her mother. I did not expect little Chris to have such a relationship with Toru-kun."
Yukiko's expression was complicated.
Was she now sharing a man with her friend's daughter?
On second thought, it did not seem like such a big issue. She had already done something similar with Eri.
Yukiko was a mature woman. Although she felt jealous, she knew she had no right to argue with Toru over this.
They had spoken for too long already. To avoid drawing attention, she took Conan and said goodbye.
After all, she was married. Even though she had an affair, she understood clearly that she and Toru had no future.
Maintaining their relationship as it was now was enough. They should not expect more.
She also needed to maintain her family. Only then could she continue seeing him.
After leaving with his mother, Conan began running around the venue under the guise of a child, trying to locate someone from the Black Organization.
There were simply too many people. Finding someone among them was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Did he really have to wait until someone was killed?
Besides stopping a murder, he also wanted to uncover more identities within the Organization.
Meanwhile, a pair of eyes was staring fixedly at Haibara.
She looks exactly like Sherry when she was little.
At that moment, Oko walked up to Toru excitedly.
"Toru-kun, thanks to you, our Shinomiya family made a fortune this time."
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)