Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 306: Mm! No… not letting go… I caught it!

Half an hour of visiting time flew by, and Ryan left Room 1602 under the head nurse’s urging.

The moment he stepped out of the room, it was like he suddenly snapped out of a daze. His back was drenched in sweat, and that dizzy, lightheaded feeling had only just started to fade.

Before the door fully closed, he glanced back at the girl inside. She had already turned her head to look out the window again. The sunlight poured over her, but it didn’t seem to give her any warmth.

Her words still echoed in Ryan’s ears. He had gotten the information he came for, but there wasn’t even a hint of satisfaction.

Wasn’t this all just a bit too heavy?

When life becomes a commodity, when a father chooses to die so his child can live, it might seem like a fair trade. But is it really?

“There’s someone waiting for you.”

The head nurse left him with that sentence as she closed the door and went back to her duties.

Ryan looked down the hallway. Mia was already sitting on one of the chairs in the corridor.

She must’ve been waiting for a while. She had tried to enter the room but was stopped by the nurse, so now she was dozing off in the hallway, bored out of her mind.

Ryan walked over quietly and sat down next to her. Mia had her head drooped, legs pressed together, and her small hands tucked between her thighs, curled up like a little bunny.

Ryan stared at her for a moment, a bit dazed, before carefully sitting down beside her.

There was still a bit of space between them, though for people who knew each other, it was probably closer than usual.

Ryan had gotten used to Mia’s energy, her loud and chaotic personality. He’d always thought of her as a little troublemaker, constantly stirring things up—that was just Mia’s style, right? Always up to something, 24/7.

But sitting next to her now, watching her nap, Ryan started to see her differently.

Her features were delicate, almost doll-like. She was undeniably cute, but if you looked closely, you’d notice how striking her eyes and brows were. In fact, she even resembled Alice a little.

Give her a few more years, and there was no doubt she’d be just as stunning as Alice.

Ryan had always had a clear picture of what both girls looked like, but what caught his attention now were the dark circles under Mia’s eyes.

She wasn’t sleeping well. That’s why she was so exhausted now.

You couldn’t treat Alice like a normal girl, and the same went for Mia. Even though Mia looked like your average middle schooler, growing up in a gang meant she didn’t have much control over her life.

Why was she so obsessed with Alice’s position as the gang leader? That was something Ryan had never understood. And now, instead of getting any answers, his confusion was only deepening.

Ryan’s mind was a mess. Clara’s situation, Mia’s health, Alice and Bella’s issues—it was all piling up, and his temples were throbbing from the stress.

He rubbed his head, forcing himself to focus on one thing at a time.

The conversation with Clara had hit him hard. He needed to deal with that first.

Mia showed no signs of waking up, but she seemed to be dreaming about something. Her nose twitched as she sniffed the air, inching closer to Ryan.

Was she dreaming about food? Her nose flared slightly as she leaned toward him, and once she seemed to confirm the scent, a satisfied smile spread across her face. Then, she relaxed completely and slumped against Ryan.

“Hehe… gotcha… hehe.”

Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, and her face ended up in a rather awkward spot. Ryan’s expression immediately darkened.

It was well past the time for any “flag-raising,” especially with so many people around. If something like that actually happened, his life would be over.

Maybe he should take back what he’d thought earlier. A little devil is still a little devil. Even asleep, looking all peaceful, her mischievous nature hadn’t changed one bit.

Ryan gently nudged Mia’s shoulder, but when she didn’t wake up, he sighed and carefully tried to adjust her position, hoping to make her more comfortable.

Mia resisted as he moved her, especially when he tried to pry her arms off his waist. She was stubborn, even in her sleep.

“Mm! No… not letting go… I caught it!”

What on earth was she dreaming about? Hunting? Why was she so fixated on catching something…

If Ryan wasn’t absolutely sure that Mia was still asleep, he’d seriously suspect the little troublemaker was just pretending to mess with him.

After several failed attempts to get Mia off him, Ryan gave up. He managed to avoid the earlier awkward position and ended up with Mia lying across his lap.

Ryan noticed that Mia’s grip wasn’t completely unbreakable. As long as he held her, she’d stay still, but the moment he let go, her hands would instinctively latch onto him again, like some kind of reflex.

“Seriously…”

After struggling for a bit, Ryan sighed in defeat. He wrapped his arms around Mia, letting her head rest against his chest to keep her from squirming around.

Compared to Ryan, Mia’s body was so small. Even though Ryan didn’t consider himself someone with a thing for “lolis,” he had to admit he didn’t have much resistance when it came to this soft, cute little creature.

With Mia asleep on him, Ryan was stuck for a while. The faint scent of oranges filled the air as he finally began to process the information he’d just learned.

…

Meanwhile, a few hundred meters away in a café, Bella sat with an empty coffee cup in front of her. Even though the coffee didn’t meet her picky standards, she had downed it in one gulp.

The reason? Alice’s words had completely blindsided her. Despite all the preparation she’d done, she hadn’t expected this.

A dry, burning sensation lingered in her throat. If it weren’t for the annoying eyes watching her, Bella would’ve loved to destroy everything in sight.

What did Alice mean by being troubled over feelings? What did she mean by not knowing how to handle Ryan’s emotions? Were these words really just casually thrown out?

No matter how well she tried to hide it, Bella’s body was still trembling slightly. She had done her research before making her move, but Alice was a tough opponent—there was so little information available about her.

Even now, Bella had no idea what the real relationship between Ryan and Alice was. Master and servant? That didn’t seem to cover it. Lovers at the party? She couldn’t bring herself to believe that either.

The fact that Alice had brought up Ryan in front of her, and the things she said, felt like sharp needles piercing Bella’s heart. Her head was spinning, and she couldn’t tell what was real anymore.

“Nella, is something wrong?”

“Oh, it’s just a casual chat between girls,” Alice said, her tone light. “Ryan has feelings for me, and I like him too. I just don’t know how to break the ice.”

“I was thinking, since you and your lover have been apart for four years and still seem as close as ever, maybe you could give me some advice on how to handle this.”

Alice’s eyes were locked onto Bella’s face, her gaze so intense it made Bella incredibly uncomfortable. Yet, Alice’s demeanor was so casual, so indifferent, that it was impossible to tell which side of her was the real one.

Or maybe, none of it was real.

“Miss Alice, you must be joking. Your personal matters are best handled on your own.”

“I’m just offering a suggestion,” Alice replied with a smile. “Make sure to keep an eye on your man. You wouldn’t want him to slip away without you even realizing it. Then you’d be left regretting it all alone.”

“Oh? Has Miss Nella experienced the pain of losing a lover?”

“No, no, it was just a joke…” Bella quickly deflected, her voice trailing off.

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