Guns and Coffee in the World of Science

In the evening, the three finally arrived at the door of the villa, and Mao Lilan rang the doorbell. A moment later, Suzuki Sonoko opened the door and came out. Seeing Chen Shuo and Mao Lilan, she showed a welcoming smile on her face, but when she saw Conan standing beside her, her expression was a little dull.

"Oh, Xiaolan, you brought Conan with you." Sonoko squinted her eyes and looked at Conan. It was obvious that she was not very welcome to this little guy.

Mao Lilan was also very helpless about Conan's decision to follow, but she had no choice: "It doesn't matter, he can take care of himself."

Sonoko nodded, her expression showing no extra enthusiasm, "Oh, so that's how it is. Come in and sit down, everyone."

After the three of them entered the villa, Mao Lilan told Sonoko with some fear about the bandaged monster they had just met on the suspension bridge. Her description was vivid and emotional, and she seemed a little nervous.

Sonoko frowned after hearing this. "Bandaged weirdo? This doesn't look like a guest I invited. Maybe he's just an injured passerby?"

"Maybe an artist looking for inspiration?" Chen Shuo interjected, trying to ease the atmosphere.

Ran nodded, trying to relax. Conan stood quietly by, scanning the surroundings, still a little confused about the appearance of this bandaged man.

Sonoko looked at Conan, still a little confused, but she tried her best to hide her emotions, "Anyway, it's good that everyone is here. We can enjoy the tranquility of our mountain villa tonight."

Yuanzi led the way with a smile: "This is my sister's class reunion, and there is a handsome guy here!"

"Ah~~~ Hahaha! Is that so..." Mouri Ran looked at Suzuki Sonoko speechlessly. How could a grown lady be such a loser?

Chen Shuo also looked at this rich young lady with amusement. She was obviously rich enough to rival a country, but she had a strong sense of worldly life. He actually liked getting along with this little girl. At least she was much better than some rich second-generations who were arrogant.

Following Sonoko's instructions, the three of them went upstairs together, intending to find their respective rooms to put their luggage in. Mao Lilan's usual tendency to be confused once again emerged. She opened two doors in succession, but both doors revealed men changing clothes. Mao Lilan hurriedly apologized and hurriedly closed the door, feeling extremely embarrassed.

As he was about to open the third door, Chen Shuo quickly stepped forward, gently took Mao Lilan's hand, and then knocked on the door. A response came from inside the house.

Mao Lilan instantly realized that she had almost broken into someone else's room again, and suddenly felt shy. She couldn't help but look at Chen Shuo with gratitude. Chen Shuo smiled, touched her head, and gently comforted her: "Xiao Lan, don't be nervous, it's all a misunderstanding."

He then found two empty rooms, giving one to Ran Mouri and the other he and Conan shared.

"Xiaolan, there's no one here, don't worry." Chen Shuo pointed to the room with the open door and then grabbed Conan's head like a basketball: "Boy! Just stay in the same room with me!"

"Why..." Conan was dissatisfied with sharing a room with Chen Shuo, and he also had some complaints about Chen Shuo in his heart, but when Chen Shuo said lightly: "Do you still want to share a room with Xiaolan?" This sentence immediately shut Conan up. He felt the unfriendly eyes of Mao Lilan, and his heart tightened, knowing that he had said the wrong thing.

Conan immediately admitted his mistake and followed Chen Shuo into their shared room. Both of them knew his identity, so his childish and cute tricks wouldn't work.

---

Outside, a few rumbles of thunder sounded, foreshadowing a rainstorm tonight. Inside, besides Chen Shuo, Mao Lilan, and Suzuki Sonoko, there were also several of Suzuki Ayako's classmates from the university film club.

Ota Masaru, the handsome protagonist, sat in a chair, a cigarette in his mouth and a frivolous smile on his face. Kakutani Hiroki, holding a camera, occasionally glanced up at his surroundings. Takahashi Ryoichi, smiling broadly, sat in a corner, his figure and smile making him appear particularly friendly. Ikeda Chikako, the somewhat renowned screenwriter, sat in a chair, chatting and laughing. Suzuki Ayako, the host of this gathering, warmly entertained each guest.

The old friends, reunited for a rare reunion, inevitably reminisced about their experiences since graduating from university. Chikako Ikeda proudly shared the phenomenal success of her film, "Blue Kingdom," drawing praise from her colleagues. Masaru Ota modestly discussed his recent progress, while Hiroki Kakutani discreetly captured every moment in the room. Ryoichi Takahashi playfully joked about his increased weight, earning even more laughter from the group as they gazed at his enormous belly.

Chen Shuo couldn't help but notice Takahashi Ryoichi's strange body proportions, and was secretly puzzled, but he didn't show it. As the thunder continued, the atmosphere in the room became warmer and more relaxed.

When everyone was chatting animatedly, Suzuki Ayako suddenly sighed softly: "It would be great if Atsuko were still here." This sentence instantly froze the originally cheerful atmosphere, and the faces of the four old classmates all changed.

The most violent reaction came from Chikako Ikeda. As if she had heard some untouchable taboo, she slammed the table and said with a hint of suppressed anger, "Stop talking about that dead person!"

The air in the room suddenly grew heavy, and everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Chen Shuo remained calm in his chair, appearing composed, but his heart was filled with turmoil.

He thought to himself, how dare a mere screenwriter slam the table in front of the daughter of the Suzuki Group? How dare she? His gaze shifted slightly, landing on Takahashi Ryoichi. He had just sensed a hint of murderous intent from this chubby, seemingly harmless prop master.

Chen Shuo narrowed his eyes slightly, sneering inwardly, "Looks like this trip won't be peaceful." Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, but he remained calm and continued to watch the "performance." Mao Lilan and Sonoko were both a little embarrassed, but they didn't dare to interrupt. Conan also quietly observed the changes before his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed, clearly aware of the unusual atmosphere.

At this moment, thunder sounded outside the house again, as if foreshadowing that what was about to happen tonight would no longer be so simple.

Seeing the atmosphere becoming awkward, Suzuki Ayako awkwardly stood up and said with a smile, "I'll go cook. Everyone, wait a moment." The atmosphere seemed to relax a bit as she left. Takahashi Ryoichi stood up, scratching his head. "Then I'll check the roof. It seems to be leaking a bit." His innocent smile, combined with his chubby figure, made him look harmless. Ikeda Chikako said she wanted to go for a walk outside, and Kakutani Hiroki quickly followed.

Not long after, fine rain began to fall from the sky. Mao Lilan stood by the window, watching the rain hitting the glass, and sighed a little disappointedly: "Alas, it's a pity that I can't see the beautiful maple leaves."

Chen Shuo, standing next to her, spoke in a relaxed tone, "Don't be depressed. The rain in the forest has its own unique charm." He gently pointed to the wet trees outside the window. Mao Lilan smiled slightly after hearing this, and the depression on her face dissipated a little. She couldn't help but move closer to Chen Shuo, as if she was infected by his optimistic mood.

Behind the two, Sonoko and Conan were watching all this quietly. Sonoko leaned close to Conan's ear with a gossipy look on her face and whispered, "Hey, are you saying that Ran is with Shuo? Look at the two of them, they're so harmonious!" Her tone was filled with gossipy excitement, and her eyes were shining.

Conan, however, was displeased and whispered back, "Impossible!" His tone was filled with sourness. Hearing this, Sonoko couldn't help but chuckle and patted his shoulder, "What are you jealous of? You're so jealous, aren't you?"

Conan rolled his eyes and muttered inwardly in dissatisfaction: "No way..." But looking at the tacit interaction between Lan and Chen Shuo, he couldn't completely convince himself.

Raindrops hit the window, and the temperature in the house seemed to rise quietly because of the drizzle and some subtle emotional changes.

Just as Mao Lilan and Chen Shuo were enjoying the rain outside the window, someone seemed to be trying to disrupt the atmosphere. Ota Katsu, looking frivolous, walked over with an umbrella and a smile. He ignored Chen Shuo and invited Mao Lilan: "My beautiful lady, would you like to take a walk in the woods together? Walking in the rain is very romantic~" His tone was full of ambiguity.

Mao Lilan didn't react for a moment, and a look of embarrassment flashed across her face. She was not very good at rejecting others, especially this kind of invitation with a smile. She took two steps back uneasily, wanting to speak, but the words were on her lips but she couldn't say them.

Seeing her hesitation, Ota Katsu became even more aggressive and took a step closer. At this moment, his umbrella was suddenly snatched away by someone with such force that Ota Katsu stumbled. He turned around and saw Chen Shuo standing coldly beside him, his eyes sharp and his aura overwhelming. It was like a cold wind blowing through the cold winter, causing Ota Katsu to take a few steps back.

"A walk in the rain?" Chen Shuo repeated slowly, with a hint of coldness in his tone. Then his eyes softened and he turned to Mao Lilan and said gently, "It's indeed a good idea. Xiaolan, do you want to go for a walk together?" His voice was gentle and protective, which made people feel at ease.

This time, Mao Lilan did not hesitate. A hint of gratitude flashed in her eyes. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly and she nodded: "Okay." She smiled warmly, her eyes seemed to be filled with stars, and her previous helplessness was completely gone.

Seeing this, Ota Katsu touched his nose embarrassedly, knowing that he had been rejected. He retreated back to the sofa in disappointment, cursing in his heart that it was bad luck.

Seeing Chen Shuo's "wife-protecting" action, the little stars in Suzuki Sonoko's eyes were almost blinded. She held her face with an infatuated look and muttered softly: "This is too much like an idol drama! So sweet!" Her eyes were full of admiration, as if the classic scene of the top male lead in an idol drama protecting the female lead was being staged in front of her.

Conan, who was standing aside, had a completely different expression. Seeing that Chen Shuo and Mao Lilan were actually going for a walk in the rain alone, he suddenly felt sour and jealous.

"This guy!" He gritted his teeth inwardly, his inner OS starting to flash wildly: "Why! It should be me who takes Xiaolan for a walk!"

Despite their completely different starting points, Suzuki Sonoko and Conan unexpectedly reached a consensus at this moment - they had to follow and see! Sonoko was eager to see how Chen Shuo and Xiaolan's "idol drama" unfolded, while Conan, full of jealousy, wanted to monitor Chen Shuo to prevent him from plotting anything bad against Xiaolan.

"Come on, let's follow and see!" Suzuki Sonoko had stars in her eyes and grabbed Conan.

Conan did not refuse. The two of them followed Chen Shuo and Mao Li Ran stealthily, one in front and one behind, ready to witness - or rather, ruin this "romantic" walk in the rain.