Sometimes, Song Lan really wished Lu Xiang could possess the insight of Conan; spotting a method of crime even when Kogoro Mori just trips over in the living room.
Of course, this is only a metaphor.
He must somehow guide Lu Xiang to come up with the idea of faking death on her own.
He obviously couldn't say it outright, because he usually appeared indifferent towards any case in front of anyone. Now, if he suddenly personifies a famous detective and starts giving advice in front of the department head of the Law Enforcers, it would completely contradict his usual image.
The clueless Song Lan paced to the window, pulled the curtain aside, allowing sunlight to spill into the room.
The slightly glaring sunlight brushed over his shoulder, finally settling on the hospital bed.
Then, he turned around, only to see his supposedly comatose female colleague suddenly open her eyes and started giving him signals with her eyes.
Moments later, under the astonished gaze of Song Lan, she closed her eyes. Her hand, on the side nearer to Song Lan, moved out from under the quilt, passing him a note.
Upon seeing this, Song Lan immediately understood why this female colleague had passed out for two full days after being shot.
Perhaps this girl was awake all along but had continued to feign unconsciousness for some reason.
The note she handed over right now probably detailed the reason for this behaviour.
She was seeking his help.
And she was doing so under the circumstances where Lu Xiang was still in the ward and the entire Forest Hospital was heavily guarded by the elites of Law Enforcers, to him— a seemingly insignificant role.
Even a fool could guess that a huge conspiracy was hidden behind this.
Perhaps the note recorded an address or conveyed some key information that could be of help even if something were to happen to her.
Just like in the movies, he, who was only there to visit a relative, accidentally gets wind of an earth-shattering secret…
"Director Lu, the patient is awake."
With his actions, Song Lan proved that the female colleague was daydreaming.
He already had enough troubles lately. How could he possibly stir the pot even more?
Now it was the female colleague's turn to stare in disbelief, looking as though she was questioning everything she knew about life.
And naturally, Lu Xiang, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, witnessed this scene as well.
With just one glance, she saw the note that the female colleague was trying to hide back under the blanket. With one swift step, she snatched the note before the colleague could do so.
Seeing that her plan was exposed, the colleague sat upright. She bypassed Lu Xiang, directing her questioning gaze at Song Lan, "What kind of person are you?"
"Everyone was very concerned about you while you were unconscious."
Song Lan lied with his eyes wide open. In reality, he didn't even know her name, let alone care about her.
Moreover, he didn't feel the slightest bit guilty.
At this point, Lu Xiang finished reading the contents of the note and handed it back with a straight face, "Do you have any comments about me?"
The female colleague didn't even bother to take it and let the note fall on the quilt. This allowed Song Lan to see the contents of the note:
"Be careful of Lu Xiang, she's not a good person."
Alright, Song Lan admitted that it was indeed a bit awkward when Lu Xiang herself saw the contents of the note.
"Kill me if you desire."
The female colleague seemingly made her peace with dying a noble death. With arms wide open, she laid flat on the bed in the shape of a "big" character—ready for whatever comes next.
"Why would I kill you?"
Lu Xiang was very confused. She had spent so much energy and prepared no less than ten emergency plans just to protect this colleague from being killed by Mr. Killer. She genuinely couldn't understand why the first thing this colleague did upon waking up was to write a note telling Song Lan that she was not a good person.
"Last night... I saw everything!"
"What did you see?"
"You holding a booklet and sneering at me like a serial killer every now and then!"
The female colleague asserted confidently, her tone wasn't fake at all.
Words could deceive, but the murderous intent in one's eyes couldn't be hidden.
Although she couldn't recall offending Lu Xiang, she was certain that the department head wanted to kill her!
After hearing her accusation, Song Lan noticed a slight change on Lu Xiang's face—it was oddly gloomy.
"Song Lan, leave us alone for a while, I have something to say to her."
Despite the immense curiosity, Song Lan exited the ward.
As time trickled by, he sat on the bench in the corridor contemplating his next course of action.
Plans can't keep up with changes.
The unconscious colleague woke up at this critical moment. Judging by her condition, it seemed like she was alright and could be discharged anytime.
If Lu Xiang decided to allow her to return home too, as the one who replaced Mr. Killer's job, he would have no reason to leave her alive.
If Mr. Killer was still alive, he would probably break into the female colleague's house in the middle of the night like before, interrogating her before killing her.
With limited time, he might have to go against his usual style and play a few straight balls in the face of desperate circumstances.
He took out his phone and temporarily searched for all recent movies and novels about faking death. Later, using the excuse of providing her with entertainment while she's bored in the ward, he could recommend these movies and novels to her, which might give her some inspiration.
Indeed, this was the quickest method, but it was also very likely to raise Lu Xiang's suspicions.
Soon after, Lu Xiang came out of the ward with a dark face.
It wasn't hard to tell that her conversation with the female colleague wasn't pleasant.
"There seems to be some misunderstanding between us."
She told Song Lan.
"Definitely a misunderstanding. How could Director Lu possibly be a bad person?"
Song Lan chimed in.
"I'm not a bad person."
Lu Xiang didn't seem to be reassured. She emphasized it again in front of Song Lan.
Her current mood didn't seem as calm as she appeared. She couldn't believe that her subordinate saw her practicing with "A Love Tip Every Day" in the middle of the night.
Although the misunderstanding was cleared up, her initial accusation was like a thorn that pricked her heart and left her unable to calm down for a long time.
"I'm asking you a question, answer truthfully."
"Sure."
After receiving Song Lan's response, Lu Xiang seemed to muster up her courage. She took a deep breath, tried to lift the corners of her mouth a little bit, and therefore due to extreme concentration, her facial expression seemed a little dissonant.
Her eyes were cold, showing no sign of mirth, yet the corner of her mouth was lifted.
Speaking honestly, Song Lan found it hard to imagine a more standard chilling smirk than this.
At this moment, he finally understood the feelings of the female colleague.
If you woke up in the middle of the night and suddenly found someone not far away smiling at you with such a smirk, viewing her as a killer would not be unreasonable.
Thinking back, ever since they met, Lu Xiang never really smiled.
In the blink of an eye, the smirk on Lu Xiang's mouth disappeared completely, and she asked, "Does it seem like I'm a serial killer?"
"No."
"Be honest."
"Alright, maybe a tiny bit."