Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 261: It’s just a cup of coffee, after all

Anna looked at the man in front of her, hesitating slightly. Colin—she felt like she had heard that name somewhere before.

In life, you meet countless people, most of whom eventually just pass by.

Since she couldn’t remember him right away, this so-called Colin was clearly one of those people Anna had categorized as a passerby.

Anna asked herself if she would hesitate if she heard the name Ryan instead. The answer was obvious: no. Not now, not ever. Even decades from now, that name would still carry the same weight in her heart.

“I used to live next door to you when we were kids. Remember?”

The man, noticing Anna didn’t recognize him, felt a bit awkward. But then he laughed a few times, trying to jog her memory.

He had only seen her from behind earlier, but now that he was standing right in front of her, his guess was confirmed.

It really was Anna. And now… she was absolutely stunning.

“I can’t believe it. After all these years, you’ve become so beautiful.”

A childhood neighbor. With that reminder, something seemed to click for Anna.

She frowned slightly, comparing the man in front of her to the image in her memory. The difference was so stark that it was no wonder she hadn’t recognized him.

Back then, there had indeed been a boy living next door, a few years older than her. Since there weren’t many kids in the neighborhood, it was mostly just her, her sister, and this boy who played together.

“Yeah, Colin… it’s you.”

Anna’s tone was completely emotionless. In fact, she was still very resistant to the way he was acting now.

Even if there had been some kind of friendship back then, it was a long time ago. Now, there was no real connection between them, and anyone would feel uncomfortable with how enthusiastically he had approached her.

Besides, the way he was dressed now was so different from how she remembered him. The last time she’d seen him, he was just a cocky little kid. Now, he was dressed like some kind of successful businessman.

But something about him still seemed off, like he was trying too hard. Anna couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was.

His hair was slicked back and tied into a small ponytail. It seemed like a lot of girls these days couldn’t resist guys like that.

Of course, Anna wasn’t one of them.

“So, what are you doing here?”

Colin glanced at the sales associate nearby, a barely noticeable smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He had been watching from a distance for a while before approaching, making sure he had the right person.

“You two know each other?” The sales associate, listening to their conversation, had a strange look on her face.

She had just been talking about how life is full of coincidences, but this one was starting to feel a little too unbelievable.

“Kind of…”

“Yes, we’re friends.”

Before Anna could finish her sentence, Colin cut her off, his enthusiasm making it seem like they were long-lost friends.

The sales associate shrugged. She didn’t quite understand what was going on here, and she didn’t really want to get involved.

The guy was being overly friendly, while the girl, though polite, was clearly keeping her distance.

“Well, okay then. The dress you were about to buy was just purchased by your friend here. You two can figure it out.”

With that, the sales associate walked away, leaving Anna to glance at the shopping bag in Colin’s hand. Sure enough, he was holding the dress she had wanted.

“Anna, you had your eye on this dress?”

Seeing her look over, Colin smacked his forehead as if he had just realized something.

Then, with a grand gesture, he held out the shopping bag, offering it to her like it was no big deal.

Anna’s eyes grew colder. Her bad feeling about him only deepened.

Why would a guy be buying women’s clothes at the mall? That was the first question that popped into her head.

The answer was actually pretty simple. Aside from some unusual, hard-to-understand reasons, there was really only one logical explanation.

“If your girlfriend finds out you gave her gift to me, she’s probably not going to be too happy.”

Anna shot Colin a glance, her words framed as if she was looking out for him, but her tone made it clear she was rejecting him.

She didn’t reach out to take the shopping bag, leaving his hand hanging awkwardly in the air until he finally had no choice but to lower it.

She really had liked that dress, but it was because she wanted Ryan to like how she looked in it. Now that it had ended up in another man’s hands, even if she got it back, it wouldn’t mean the same thing anymore.

“My girlfriend… she’s really understanding, so it’s no big deal,” Colin said with an awkward smile. He had assumed Anna wouldn’t pick up on that detail, but clearly, he had underestimated how perceptive she was.

“By the way, Anna, what brings you here? Are you a student at Capitol City University now?”

“Yeah, I’m studying here,” Anna replied, her tone neutral, already showing signs that she was ready to leave.

Not getting the dress was one thing, but she really didn’t want to engage with Colin any longer. There are different kinds of kindness, and what Anna needed was the quiet, thoughtful care that someone like Ryan provided—not this clumsy, transparent attempt at being nice.

This kind of gesture felt cheap, and Anna wasn’t someone who appreciated cheap things.

Seeing Anna turn to leave, Colin started to panic. If he let her go now, who knew when he’d get another chance to see her again? He quickly stepped forward, reaching out to grab her wrist.

Anna’s eyes darkened, and she casually sped up her pace, easily avoiding his touch.

The movement caught the attention of several people in the store. Anna turned around, crossing her arms and glaring at Colin, her eyes now filled with a hint of anger.

“Uh, Anna, I just got a little excited seeing you, that’s all. Don’t take it the wrong way, okay?”

“We haven’t seen each other in so long. How about I treat you to a cup of coffee? There are a few things I’d like to ask you.”

Colin could sense that Anna’s attitude had shifted, and he knew this wasn’t going well. He had spent the past few years studying in France, where the culture around relationships was much more relaxed. His current girlfriend was someone he was with mostly because of her looks, but seeing Anna now, he finally understood what it meant to be truly captivated by someone.

Compared to Anna, his girlfriend—and every other girl he’d ever dated—paled in comparison. There was no way he was going to let this opportunity slip away.

His voice grew louder, making sure everyone in the store could hear him clearly. Curious onlookers were already starting to glance over. Colin was subtly trying to use the crowd to pressure Anna, a tactic that revealed his manipulative side. On the surface, he seemed polite and well-mannered, but the moment things didn’t go his way, he couldn’t handle it.

Anna was already on her way out of the store when he called out to her again, making her even more irritated. If it weren’t for the people around, she might have already lost her temper.

She had been trying her best to avoid unnecessary interactions with other men, but there were always people who didn’t know when to back off. How would she even explain this to Ryan if he found out?

“Anna, we’re old friends, right? Come on, just one cup of coffee. It won’t take long, I promise.”

Colin’s persistence had finally crossed a line. He had made it clear that he wasn’t going to give up easily, and if she didn’t deal with this now, it would only cause more trouble later.

Fine, let’s deal with it, then. Anna turned to face Colin, a charming smile slowly spreading across her face. She did her best to hide the darkness in her eyes, replacing it with her usual gentle expression.

“Sure, why not? It’s just a cup of coffee, after all.”

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