Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 237: Unexpected

Mia was being way too bold, and even Ryan couldn’t help but blush for a moment, though Mia remained completely unfazed.

“This is just ridiculous,” Ryan muttered under his breath, trying to scold Mia for her antics. But the little troublemaker didn’t care at all about Ryan’s opinion—she just pouted, waiting for a kiss.

“No way, absolutely not!”

After all, they weren’t in that kind of relationship, and besides, Mia was still just a kid. Ryan definitely didn’t want to end up in jail this early in life.

“Uh… there are so many people around.”

Ryan was on the verge of losing it, but he had to keep up appearances in front of everyone. They were supposed to be on good terms now, so he couldn’t make things too awkward.

The crowd watching them let out a collective sigh, finally snapping out of their shock. “Oh my God, these young people…” they murmured, clearly amazed.

At this point, they thought Ryan was being a hypocrite. If he wanted to kiss her, he should just go for it—why make such a fuss?

After all, they’d already done things way more intimate than this. No one believed that Ryan would suddenly get shy over just a kiss.

The guy who had been causing trouble earlier crossed his arms and watched Ryan and Mia with growing impatience. Ever since Ryan had questioned him, he’d been suspicious of Ryan’s behavior.

Mia pouted even more and leaned in closer, wrapping her arms around Ryan’s waist, cutting off any chance of him backing away.

At the same time, she whispered softly in his ear, her warm breath sending a shiver down his spine.

“Ryan, come on~ Just give in. It’s just a kiss, after all.”

“I kissed you before, didn’t I? You should at least return the favor.”

Ryan’s face flushed with embarrassment as Mia brought up the past. Especially that kiss—he still hadn’t figured out what it really meant.

There was definitely some kind of connection between him and Mia, but it was more like a cursed bond. Ever since he met her, it felt like she’d been leading him around by the nose.

“That was you coming onto me, I didn’t…”

Ryan pinched Mia’s waist hard, feeling like a jerk for saying it, but it was the truth.

Mia’s body shuddered from the sudden pinch, and she went limp in Ryan’s arms, her breath quickening slightly.

She hadn’t expected Ryan to be so firm today—probably because he was embarrassed in front of everyone.

But that just made it more fun. Seeing Ryan’s flushed face made Mia’s heart race, and she felt an overwhelming urge to devour him like a hungry wolf.

So, in the next moment, she smirked and leaned in closer, whispering in his ear again.

“It’s all the same, really. If you don’t give in, I’ll just tell Alice about this.”

“Do you think she’ll listen to your side of the story?”

At the mention of Alice, Ryan froze, like someone had just stepped on his tail. His earlier anger quickly faded, replaced by worry.

He shot Mia a fierce glare, but she just shrugged it off, clearly ready to go down with the ship if necessary.

Where did this little brat learn to be so ruthless? If he didn’t give her what she wanted, she’d just blow everything up?

“Miss Alice wouldn’t get mad over something so trivial.”

Ryan tried to sound confident, but deep down, he was starting to worry.

Sure, he said that, but thinking back, Alice did seem to have a bit of a possessive streak.

She never let him go out, imposed all sorts of restrictions on him, and didn’t want him talking to other girls—especially Anna and Mia…

Miss Alice seemed to have some special feelings for him. If he had to guess, it was probably possessiveness?

So it wasn’t entirely impossible that she’d come down hard on him over something like this.

Everyone has their kryptonite, and right now, Alice was definitely Ryan’s biggest weakness.

“Really? Then go ahead and try.”

Mia waved her hand dismissively, having already noticed Ryan’s hesitation. She was secretly thrilled, knowing he was about to give in.

But just thinking about Alice made her furious. What was so great about that woman anyway? Why was Ryan always defending her?

Ryan stared at Mia seriously for a few seconds. The little troublemaker looked calm, even ready to back off. Her hands slipped from his waist, and it looked like she was about to start crying again.

Seeing this, Ryan couldn’t help but twitch his lips. Mia was gearing up for another dramatic performance.

If he didn’t go along with her, this whole thing would never end.

“Alright, alright, I give up, okay?”

Ryan was frustrated. If he didn’t give in, he’d be in deep trouble. Why did it always feel like he never had a choice?

He quickly grabbed Mia’s hand, which she had just pulled away, and yanked her back. Then, with a scowl, he planted a quick, rough kiss on her soft cheek.

It was just a peck on the cheek, nothing more. Ryan convinced himself that there was nothing inappropriate about it—nothing that would make him feel guilty toward Alice.

Wait, why was he thinking about Alice again?

Mia felt the impact on her cheek, like something had just crashed into her. It was far from the romantic kiss she had imagined.

The strong scent of Ryan’s masculinity overwhelmed her senses, but it had happened so fast that she didn’t even get to savor it. Naturally, she was a bit displeased.

But she knew when to quit while she was ahead. She had gotten what she wanted, so there was no need to push it further.

Satisfied, Mia didn’t linger. She put on a little show for the crowd, attributing her earlier behavior to “love,” and then quickly dragged Ryan away from the scene.

As the excitement died down, the man who had been causing trouble earlier watched Ryan and Mia’s retreating figures with a puzzled expression.

If they had come just to mess with him, it didn’t really seem like it. But there was no denying that the crowd had been most riled up when they interrupted.

All his earlier efforts had gone to waste. He let out a deep sigh, then his face twisted back into a look of hatred as he resumed his speech, trying to stir up the crowd again.

But the earlier commotion had thrown things off, and the effect wasn’t nearly as strong this time.

“Mia, have you had enough of this?”

Ryan was finally able to speak up after Mia dragged him far away from the crowd.

He figured they were far enough now, and just as he was about to pull his hand free and let loose, Mia beat him to it and let go first.

It was like she had anticipated his move. She released his hand without a second thought and nimbly hopped a few steps ahead.

The sudden distance between them left Ryan’s anger hanging in the air, like a punch that landed on nothing but soft cotton.

“Mia, we really need to have a serious talk about this.”

Ryan hadn’t paid much attention to Mia’s antics before, chalking it up to her being just a kid.

But this time, he was determined to set her straight. She needed to learn to pick her moments—this time, she had gone way too far.

“Ryan, don’t be mad~ Look, you didn’t lose anything, did you?”

“And besides, those people were so riled up. If they had actually stormed the construction site, are you sure Alice wouldn’t be in even more trouble?”

Mia blinked her big, innocent eyes at him, deliberately keeping her distance like a playful little rabbit. Ryan reached out a few times, but she was too quick, and he couldn’t even grab the hem of her dress.

But, to be fair, Mia wasn’t entirely wrong. It was just that her behavior had been so out of the ordinary that it made Ryan uncomfortable.

Saying something like drugging someone out of love—that was just too weird. What on earth was going on in her head? Whatever it was, it was far from what Ryan had imagined.

“Alright, alright, I’ll apologize properly later.”

“But for now, let’s talk about this situation.”

Mia finally stopped and perched herself on a nearby dirt mound, tugging at her skirt before sitting down, looking down at Ryan with a mischievous grin.

Her expensive white dress got dirty from the dirt mound, but she didn’t seem to care. Instead, she watched Ryan with great interest.

Today, Mia was wearing a white dress, paired with simple white ankle socks with lace trim, and black leather shoes that snugly fit her feet, leaving her delicate, curved instep exposed.

She swung her legs back and forth, her pale calves almost blindingly bright in the sunlight. Ryan quickly averted his gaze, not daring to look any higher, afraid that he really wouldn’t be able to explain himself to Alice later.

“Are you really helping Miss Alice?”

Ryan still sounded doubtful. He had originally suspected that Mia was behind this whole incident.

But now, it seemed like there were some discrepancies. The man causing trouble earlier clearly didn’t know Mia.

“Well, at least in this case, that’s true.”

Mia tapped her chin thoughtfully, a hint of resentment in her voice. She really didn’t like hearing Ryan say “Miss Alice.”

At least for now, she needed to make sure Ryan only had eyes for her.

“Let’s not talk about that right now. Even though your performance earlier was a bit lacking, I’m still going to share some information with you.”

Mia giggled softly, and before Ryan could react, she kicked her foot out toward him.

But she wasn’t trying to hit him. Instead, she hooked her foot around his shoulder and used her calf to pull him closer.

Ryan instinctively tried to resist, but when his hand landed on her thigh, he realized something was off.

The soft, springy sensation was almost too much to handle. Didn’t Mia realize she was wearing a skirt?

He couldn’t move his hand any further without it seeming inappropriate, so Ryan let out a frustrated grunt and pulled his hand away.

But thankfully, Mia seemed to get embarrassed too. She just kept her legs hooked around his neck, pulling him closer.

Just as Ryan’s head was about to bump into her thighs, Mia suddenly realized what was happening. Her face turned bright red, and she quickly pressed down on her skirt with both hands.

“Don’t even think about it, or I won’t tell you anything.”

Mia gave Ryan a sharp flick on the forehead, warning him sternly. But she still didn’t let go, keeping him firmly in place.

Ryan rolled his eyes at her, exasperated. What was she even thinking? She was the one who always had weird ideas!

He let out a couple of annoyed grunts, his nose once again filled with the scent of oranges. Ryan turned his head away, looking up at the sky.

“That guy isn’t from our organization, and this wasn’t the work of any gang either.”

“And if you’re interested, you might want to take a closer look at the socks that guy was wearing today. You’ll find something… unexpected.”

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