Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 211: What was that blue and white triangular thing in the corner?

Ryan had been to Alice’s room a couple of times before, and both visits were strictly business-related.

As a decent guy, Ryan felt that casually entering a girl’s bedroom was a bit ungentlemanly, and he really didn’t want to intrude.

But human nature is a funny thing—it’s that very sense of doing something morally ambiguous that piqued his curiosity.

He always came by at night and was too rushed with his tasks to take a good look around.

Now, he was just dropping off some clothes, no one was watching, and technically, he could explore as long as he wanted.

As he entered, the ice-blue wallpaper struck him first, making the room feel a bit oppressive.

“No wonder she’s so icy, living in a room like this. I should suggest she changes this wallpaper.”

The furniture was all very Western and vintage. Right in the center was a huge princess bed.

The curtains hung down by the bed, and the mattress was top-notch, chosen with care to ensure Miss Alice’s comfort.

No wonder three people could sit on it playing UNO last night,the bed was so big, two people could probably have a wrestling match on it.

Ryan didn’t head straight for the bed but wandered over to the nightstand instead.

In front of a mirror, there were several small items, one of which was a photo frame that caught Ryan’s attention.

The photo was taken in an amusement park, as you could tell from the clown blowing up balloons in the background.

The main subjects were two figures,on the left, a kindly-looking man with a benevolent smile, and on the right, a little girl only as tall as his belly button.

She wore a pink and white dress and a straw hat adorned with yellow flowers, smiling happily, radiating pure, warm sunshine.

Ryan thought the girl looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before.

“Is this Alice as a kid?”

Slapping his forehead, he muttered to himself and picked up the frame.

His fingers unconsciously traced the girl’s face in the photo, confirming this was indeed a younger Alice, but that smile…

The photo was proof that the old Alice was no different from anyone else,she could smile just as happily.

And now, Ryan hadn’t even seen her smile.

What on earth had happened in between? Ryan couldn’t help but be curious.

If it was just suddenly becoming the boss of a gang, such a drastic change could indeed alter a person, but it wouldn’t completely transform their personality.

The current Alice, although sometimes cute, was always on guard, never truly relaxed, in Ryan’s words.

His finger brushed the little girl’s face in the photo, her radiant smile making his heart feel as if it were being pricked by needles, the impact of the photo far greater than he had anticipated.

“Fate really isn’t fair.”

He looked closely, as if trying to etch the girl’s smiling face into his memory, feeling quite sentimental.

Just as he was about to put the frame back, a glint in his eye caught something amiss.

“This photo, it’s incomplete.”

Ryan’s gaze fixed on the right side of the photo, at the girl’s left hand, which was holding another hand.

It seemed that Alice was supposed to be in the middle, her hand holding someone else’s.

But for some reason, the photo had been cropped, someone erased from the picture.

Photos are meant to preserve memories, and yet this medium had been damaged—could it be that those memories were too painful to revisit?

Ryan refrained from making any rash guesses,any unreliable speculation would be irresponsible towards Alice’s past.

Like a bystander, he noted this discovery.

Entering the room, he had indeed learned something.

But as he understood Alice a bit more, he felt increasingly sympathetic towards this outwardly tough girl.

Ryan grew more curious about what Alice, who kept her inner world tightly wrapped, was really like.

“Ah, never mind for now, I’ll ask her when I get a chance.”

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the image of young Alice’s bright smile remained etched in his heart, impossible to erase.

Alice has always been pretty reserved, but if she could show that smile more often, she’d definitely be even more stunning.

Ryan placed the photo frame back on the desk and glanced at his watch.

He hadn’t realized it, but he’d already been up here for five minutes. Smacking his forehead, he suddenly remembered why he was here in the first place.

What was he doing? Wasn’t he supposed to be putting away Alice’s clothes?

Having lingered in Alice’s room for so long, it would seem odd if he hadn’t been up to something strange. If Alice found out, she’d probably think he was a creep.

They were going to be spending a lot of time together, and if she thought he was a weirdo, his life would definitely start to go downhill.

Ryan hurriedly grabbed the coat and placed it on the bed.

The bed was covered with a warm yellow sheet, which didn’t really match the rest of the room’s style.

After all, this was Alice’s personal space, and even from a distance, he could catch the faint, delicate scent that seemed so characteristic of her.

But… what on earth was all this stuff on the bed?

Ryan’s eye twitched as he approached the bed, the clothes in his hands suddenly feeling like they weighed a ton. He was utterly shocked.

The warm yellow bedding was cluttered with clothes—a white shirt and black slim-fit pants, probably what Alice wore yesterday.

Did she just strip them off and toss them here? Could it be that Alice was a secret slob who liked her room messy?

But it was just the bed that was a bit messy,the rest of the room was pretty tidy, which was odd.

Ryan was a bit curious, pondering the possibilities as he looked at the clothes on the bed.

Clothes, he could understand.

But what was that blue and white thing? A sleep mask?

Ryan’s gaze was drawn to it, and then he froze, unable to look away.

No way, Ryan’s hand trembled slightly as he picked it up with two fingers and examined it.

It was indeed a pair, but compared to a sleep mask, it was way too big. This was clearly a bra!

No way, why would Miss Alice casually throw her underwear on the bed?

He didn’t even know why he picked it up, and with a shudder, Ryan quickly withdrew his hand.

The “bra” was tossed back onto the bed, and Ryan felt guilty, hoping Miss Alice would forgive his intrusion. He hadn’t meant to.

But then… Ryan’s gaze was drawn to another item.

If that was a bra, then what was that blue and white triangular thing in the corner?

Ryan didn’t dare to think further. He smacked his lips, puzzled by the situation.

Alice seemed so strict and cautious on the surface, yet her underwear was just casually thrown on the bed?

What did she mean by letting him come up here?

Had she forgotten that her personal items were still on the bed?

Ryan’s eyes sneaked another glance at the pair of small panties, blue and white with a tiny bow stitched on them, incredibly cute. Beneath Alice’s masculine attire was a girlish heart.

No, what was he still looking at!

Look away, look away!

Suppressing the turmoil inside, Ryan dared not linger any longer. He quickly placed the coat on the bed and fled Alice’s room.

When he got back downstairs, his expression was somewhat peculiar. He couldn’t figure out if Alice had done this intentionally or not.

He had now unlocked two of Alice’s personality traits in the system panel: “Cold outside, warm inside” and “Paranoia.”

The third trait hadn’t been unlocked yet, but surely it couldn’t be something like “flirtatious,” right?

Ryan’s mind was a mess. If this was really a hint from Alice, what was he supposed to do? He just wanted to be friends with Miss Alice.

But the truth obviously didn’t give Ryan that chance,he had indeed misunderstood Alice.

Miss Alice had a lot on her mind, and naturally, her room was usually tidied by a maid. Clothes left on the bed would be taken away the next day and replaced with new ones.

Today, the maid responsible for cleaning the room happened to be sick, which led to the scene Ryan had witnessed.

Alice, hearing Ryan’s footsteps, turned to look back. Ryan, however, nodded awkwardly, indicating that he had placed the clothes as instructed.

What was up with Ryan? And why had he stayed upstairs so long?

Alice was slightly hesitant inside but didn’t show it because Anna and Mia were there. She patted the sofa next to her, signaling Ryan to come sit.

Ryan looked at the expressions of the three girls. Alice was expressionless, which was better than being frighteningly cold, while Mia and Anna were casually sipping orange juice.

Had he been wrong before? Were they actually getting along better than expected?

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. He had always feared that Anna and Alice would clash, and he felt it would be awkward to take sides.

Obediently, Ryan moved next to Alice, the awkwardness still lingering as he sat about 10 inches away from her.

Alice glanced at Ryan, feeling slightly displeased but not showing it. Instead, she shifted a bit closer to him.

“So, here’s the deal: Ryan is now my assistant, and he’s not going anywhere.”

“If you don’t believe it, you can ask him yourself.”

As Alice said this, the three girls’ gazes fell on Ryan, who was still settling into his seat, each look carrying a different nuance.

Anna’s anticipation, Mia’s quirky curiosity, and Alice’s deeply hidden plea.

No, what on earth was going on here?