Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 205: Could it be that the timeline had changed?

“Anna? What are you doing here?”

Ryan was surprised when he opened the door, startling Anna who was standing behind it. She clasped her hands over her chest, her eyes darting around like a frightened deer.

“Ry…Ryan…hi.”

Her voice was soft, just as Ryan remembered Anna to be—always so polite.

Anna sneaked glances at Ryan, her gaze lingering on his profile, almost mesmerized.

Yes, this was the Ryan she had missed so much. He hadn’t changed at all during the days he was gone.

In fact, Anna’s feelings for Ryan had always been one-sided. Ryan only remembered her as a younger classmate he had seen a few times,they didn’t really have any interactions beyond that. But Anna’s emotions were clearly intense.

“Do you remember me, Ryan? Senior Ryan?”

“Uh, of course, I remember. You’re Anna from the library, right? I helped you with your homework before.”

Ryan was puzzled by her question. Hadn’t he just called her by name?

Even though she knew he remembered her, Anna felt a warmth spread through her heart when Ryan said her name. It made all her previous suffering seem worthwhile.

“Uh, anyway, come in.”

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck, wondering why Anna was here.

From what Hannah had said, it was almost certain that Anna was brought here by her.

But that woman definitely wasn’t just helping him out by bringing someone he knew over. What was she really up to?

And did Alice know about this, or was Hannah acting on her own?

Regardless, Anna was here now, and he couldn’t just leave her standing at the door.

Even though it was Alice’s house, Ryan felt obliged to be a good host since he was staying here. He quickly ushered Anna to the sofa and poured her a glass of orange juice.

“So… Anna, how did you find this place?”

Ryan set the orange juice in front of her. Anna stared at the glass for a moment before downing it in one go.

It was a generous pour, meant to be sipped slowly, but Anna kept swallowing even as the juice spilled over her lips and down her neck.

It was from Ryan, and even if it meant showing off a bit, she wanted to finish it.

Ryan watched, a bit taken aback, thinking, ‘You don’t have to rush, Anna. You look like you were dying of thirst.’

“I saw you on the street earlier and followed you here.”

Anna spoke timidly, her voice soft. She wasn’t good at interacting with others and appeared very shy and reserved.

Especially sitting next to Ryan, it all felt surreal to her, like floating on clouds.

She had actually done it.

“By the way, Senior Ryan, why are you here?”

Seeing Ryan fall silent, Anna initiated the conversation.

Her eyes scanned the villa’s lavish decor and the distant bodyguards, pondering how she might get Ryan out of here.

To her, this place seemed like a gilded cage. Ryan shouldn’t be trapped here,he needed to be back where he belonged.

In her life.

“My situation is a bit complicated.”

Ryan touched his nose, unsure of where to start. He was technically brought here against his will, but obviously, he couldn’t share that with Anna.

He still didn’t know why Anna had come looking for him, but telling her might just cause her to do something reckless, and he would regret it later.

Seeing Ryan’s troubled expression, Anna’s heart sank, confirming her suspicions.

Ryan had been forced here, and these bodyguards were here to keep an eye on him. That was the real reason he had disappeared.

“Anna, why did you come looking for me? Did Hannah force you to come?”

Ryan couldn’t think of any other reason. Hannah clearly had a grudge against him, so bringing Anna here might be a way to intimidate him.

Was this to show that she could easily find people connected to Ryan and warn him not to do anything unnecessary?

He wasn’t planning on causing any trouble,on the contrary, the more he could help Alice, the better it would be for him.

“No, it’s not about anyone else.”

“It’s just me, I wanted… to find you, Senior Ryan. That’s all.”

Ryan’s words revealed his concern, which warmed Anna’s heart.

But she shook her head vigorously. She didn’t want Ryan to think she was here out of obligation, she wanted him to understand how important he was to her.

“You wanted to find me.”

Ryan paused, not quite grasping her meaning at first, then something clicked, and he nodded, visibly relieved.

Ryan had always thought he had vanished without a trace, unnoticed by the outside world. He had been here for so long without any news from outside, he almost believed everyone had forgotten about him.

But now, with Anna standing right in front of him, it was clear he hadn’t been completely forgotten, and that touched him deeply.

He hadn’t expected his friends to look for him, but here was Anna, someone he’d only met a few times, who had been thinking about him all this while. Anna really was a thoughtful and kind-hearted girl.

Suddenly, something else crossed Ryan’s mind, sparking his curiosity.

“Do you know about the fire at the orphanage? What happened with that?”

Ryan had died trying to save the orphanage from a fire, and he thought that might have made the news, maybe even earned him a Carnegie Hero Fund Medal.

But at his question, Anna frowned slightly, looking seriously at Ryan.

“Uh, maybe I was being presumptuous. It’s normal if you don’t know about the orphanage.”

Ryan waved his hand dismissively, chuckling at himself. He realized he might be overestimating his own importance.

Anna’s presence didn’t necessarily mean she knew a lot about him. She probably had no idea what Ryan was talking about when he mentioned the orphanage.

But before Ryan could finish his thought, Anna interrupted him, her voice filled with excitement as she set her glass down on the table with such force it nearly shattered, startling Ryan.

“What’s going on? Why such a big reaction?”

“No, I do know. I know about it all.”

“The orphanage is at 37 Riverside Avenue, a three-story duplex that houses seventy-one children. You came from there.”

“You really miss that place, you always go back once a month to volunteer.”

Anna rattled off a string of information, countering Ryan’s assumption, and leaving him utterly stunned.

She was right, even more detailed than Ryan himself knew. He went there every month, but he didn’t even know how many children were there now.

How could Anna know so much about him? Ryan felt goosebumps rise on his skin as he grew increasingly puzzled.

But looking into Anna’s clear eyes, the flicker of suspicion in Ryan’s heart melted away.

Here was his sweet junior, knowing all these things didn’t mean she was plotting anything against him.

He was just an ordinary person after all,who would go out of their way to gather information about him?

Maybe Anna just happened to know these things and had a good memory.

“My frown wasn’t because I have any aversion to you, but what you mentioned about the orphanage, as far as I know, there hasn’t been a fire.”

“No fire?”

Anna spoke earnestly, and after seeing Ryan’s startled reaction, she quickly switched back to her soft, soothing voice.

“But, the fire at the orphanage on March 17th, wasn’t it reported outside?”

Ryan, unable to suppress his inner turmoil any longer, leaned forward, grabbing Anna’s hands in his excitement.

Anna’s cheeks flushed with a hint of red as she noted Ryan’s agitated demeanor, then nodded seriously.

It seemed the orphanage was really important to Ryan. Anna silently filed this information away, knowing it might be useful later.

Worried that Ryan might not believe her, Anna pulled out her phone to show him the Daily Bugle from March 17th.

An event like a fire at an orphanage would definitely make the news if it had happened.

But there was no mention of any fire in the newspaper. Instead, a conspicuous article about city leaders visiting the orphanage children stood out.

That day, the orphanage was safe and sound, with no fire at all.

Ryan was overwhelmed with shock. He couldn’t have misremembered,after all, he had died trying to put out that fire.

But now, faced with this reality, could it be that the timeline had changed?