"Then they might fear that the more hope they have now, the greater the disappointment will be later," Mabel Quinn said.
"What do you mean by that?" Katie asked, puzzled.
"In a few days, you’ll know," Mabel Quinn replied. After all, Joseph Grant being investigated hadn’t been publicly disclosed, so she couldn’t reveal it either.
Fortunately, Katie wasn’t the type to insist on breaking the pot to get to the bottom of things and didn’t press further. Instead, she chatted with Mabel Quinn about some everyday matters.
The funeral started soon. As she listened to Mr. Wang’s son recount the teacher’s life, as she saw the teacher’s body lying quietly in the coffin, and as she heard the Wang family wailing in grief, Mabel Quinn felt tears welling up in her eyes.
A person, just like that, vanished from this world, never to be seen again.
Life sometimes is too fragile; sometimes, a person’s death is too easily come by.
Mr. Wang’s body was cremated. The family hired a bus, which could accommodate everyone who came. Everyone took the bus together to lay Mr. Wang to rest and set up the tombstone.
By the time everything was done, it was already noon.
Mr. Wang’s family reserved 20 tables at a restaurant, inviting everyone to tofu rice, divided by class. Mabel Quinn’s class that year had over ten people attending, along with several teachers, which filled about two tables.
Halfway through the tofu rice, a girl named Hannah, from Lyra Grant’s table, came over to Mabel Quinn’s table. She wanted to toast Mabel Quinn and spoke bluntly, "Mabel Quinn, it seems you and Lyra are both working at Morningstar now. I heard you shamelessly stole Lyra’s draft? Ha, you were back then, and four years later, you’re at it again! Lyra is soft-hearted and forgives you, but I can’t stand people like you! Today, in front of everyone, you should kneel and apologize to Lyra, or I won’t let you off!"
In an instant, both their table and Lyra Grant’s table fell silent, and all eyes turned to Mabel Quinn. This incident had been a big deal back then. Even after four years, everyone still remembered it.
Mabel Quinn’s lips curled into a mocking smile as she glanced at Lyra Grant at the other table, then turned to Hannah.
"And who do you think you are, a police officer? A judge? Do you decide right from wrong, decide not to let someone off? Who gave you that power?" Mabel Quinn’s questioning flushed Hannah’s face red on the spot.
But in such a moment, she wouldn’t back down easily, "Since you did such a shameless thing, you should bear the consequences! Don’t you all agree?" Hannah was trying to rally others to join her in criticizing Mabel Quinn.
A few classmates who were close to Lyra Grant naturally echoed her.
Katie stood up and said, "Hannah, you’re going too far. You’re just taking Lyra Grant’s one-sided story and making trouble while Lyra Grant herself isn’t even speaking. What’s your agenda? Is it because Lyra Grant’s father is an executive at a big company, and you’re eager to curry favor!"
Hannah’s face reddened even more when Katie exposed her intentions, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Am I spouting nonsense, or are you feeling guilty?" Katie wasn’t afraid of Hannah.
Mabel Quinn also stood up, gently patted Katie’s shoulder, and then said to Lyra Grant, "Why don’t you tell us, Miss Grant, did I steal your draft? Why is it that Morningstar has decided I’m the screenwriter, and Miss Grant is not involved in the scriptwriting anymore? What really happened at Morningstar? Didn’t Miss Grant tell Hannah?"