Chapter 301: The Wedding Two Days From Now

Returning to her room, she picked up the phone; the caller ID showed an unknown number.

Mao Li Lan thought it over for a moment, then answered the call anyway.

"Hello, may I ask who's calling?"

"Xiao Lan… do you still remember my voice?"

The voice on the other end of the phone did give Mao Li Lan a faint sense of familiarity; she felt as though she had heard that tone somewhere before.

Suddenly, a name popped into Mao Li Lan's mind.

Matsumoto Sayuri.

"Is… is that you, Teacher Matsumoto?"

"Aiya~ I thought you'd already forgotten all about me."

"It really is Teacher Matsumoto!"

Mao Li Lan hadn't expected that the one reaching out to her would be her former Teacher Matsumoto.

She remembered that Teacher Matsumoto had been her elementary school music teacher; after she graduated from elementary school and moved on to middle school, she would still often go back to visit this teacher.

It was only after graduating from middle school that the chances of meeting this teacher truly dwindled.

After all, once high school started, things began to pile up.

She just hadn't expected that at this point, Teacher Matsumoto would actually take the initiative to contact her.

"It's been a long time, Teacher Matsumoto."

"Yes, it's been a long time."

"Well~ I do know things on your end are pretty complicated."

"That kid Kudo's situation… you've been keeping a close eye on him, haven't you?"

"I turned on the TV a while back and could see Kudo being reported on the news; it's just that in the last few weeks he's been on less."

Matsumoto Sayuri could also be said to know about the complicated relationship between Mao Li Lan and Kudo Shinichi.

The two of them were childhood friends who had grown up together, a situation somewhat similar to her own.

But clearly Kudo Shinichi hadn't fully come to his senses; ever since graduating from middle school, Mao Li Lan had always been walking alongside that block of wood Kudo, so it was no wonder she had never kept in touch with her.

With such a big block of wood right beside her, she'd better keep a close eye on him.

"By the way, how's that kid Kudo doing lately? Haven't seen him on the news in ages — I kind of miss him."

"Uh… Teacher Matsumoto, please calm down a moment."

"Hmm?"

Hearing those words, Matsumoto Sayuri was briefly stunned; why did that line feel so familiar?

Ah, right — her old man seemed to say things like that all the time when facing the families of the deceased.

Thinking of this, Matsumoto Sayuri could only feel the corners of her own face twitch a few times.

"No way… that kid Kudo… he wouldn't have…"

"……Yes. An accident happened. Shinichi has already passed away."

Those words really were like a thunderbolt streaking across Matsumoto Sayuri's world.

"On the evening when we had arranged to go to Tropical Land together, he saw someone he thought was suspicious and followed them."

"And it was that time the accident happened."

Mao Li Lan's voice gave away no grief or joy, as though she were simply stating a fact.

But Matsumoto Sayuri felt this reaction was far from normal.

She even thought that perhaps, at this very moment, Ran has already not quite normal.

"Xiao Lan, are you… all right?"

"I'm fine."

Mao Li Lan showed absolutely no emotional fluctuation.

In fact, it wasn't as though she didn't know Kudo Shinichi was alive — she even knew that Kudo Shinichi had now transformed into an elementary schooler and was living at her house.

How could that possibly stir any emotional fluctuation in her?

"It's been almost two weeks since Shinichi's accident and passing — what could possibly be wrong with me?"

"I can't exactly bring the dead back to life, can I?"

"All I can do is think about the things at hand."

"To put it bluntly, just because he died, am I supposed to go join him?"

"What about my mom and dad then?"

"……"

Matsumoto Sayuri could tell that Mao Li Lan really didn't need her to worry.

Actually, having a mindset like that was already pretty good; as long as she could go on living, she could still hope Mao Li Lan would go on living well, and absolutely mustn't do anything rash.

"Actually, a mindset like yours is already great."

That line almost made Mao Li Lan laugh out loud.

She knew Teacher Matsumoto had definitely gotten the wrong idea, but she didn't mind Teacher Matsumoto's misunderstanding — there were some things it was better Teacher Matsumoto didn't know.

"Teacher Matsumoto, why are you suddenly contacting me?"

"What else could it be — I'm getting married! I'm calling to invite you all to come to my wedding."