Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 259: Should’ve known better than to help you, you jerk!

Ryan hung up the phone with Alice and rubbed his temples.

He had no idea how Alice was doing right now. He had wanted to ask her earlier, but for some reason, the words just wouldn’t come out.

This whole situation was aimed at him. If anyone was in danger, it was him.

When Alice left that morning, she seemed deep in thought. It looked like she had a pretty good idea of who was behind all this.

Their fates were already tightly intertwined. If things went smoothly for Alice, maybe he could breathe a little easier too.

But for now, he needed to focus on his own situation. Maybe he could get some useful information from the vendors around here.

Ryan put his phone away and glanced over at Mia. She was still chatting happily with the woman selling hot dogs.

Alright, let’s start here.

Ryan’s expression grew a bit more serious as he stepped forward to stand next to Mia, ready to ask his question.

But before he could say anything, Mia glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, a small smile playing on her lips, and beat him to it.

“Auntie, have you been setting up your stall here every day?”

Ryan had been planning to ask the same thing. Now that Mia had stolen his line, he looked at her in surprise.

Was Mia trying to help him out?

Ryan’s guess was spot on. In just a few minutes, Mia’s thoughts had shifted back and forth, and she had finally decided to help him. That phone call earlier had sealed the deal for her.

Ryan had just been on the phone with Alice, and Mia could tell from the sudden change in his tone.

As for the content of the call, Mia had a pretty good guess. Alice was probably trying to convince Ryan to stay away from her again.

What a hassle. Even though Alice wasn’t here, it felt like she was always watching Ryan.

But right now, it was Mia standing next to Ryan, not Alice. A determined look flashed in Mia’s eyes. The more someone tried to keep her away, the more she wanted to win.

If she wanted Ryan to respect her, to see who could really help him, Mia knew she had to step up.

“I’m here every day,” the woman replied with a kind smile. She had a daughter about Mia’s age, and no one would suspect a sweet-looking girl like her.

“Auntie, can I ask you something?” Mia’s expression turned serious as she glanced around, then leaned in close to the woman and whispered something in her ear.

Ryan watched Mia, feeling a bit speechless. Every time she made that face, it meant something bad was about to happen.

Sure enough, Mia whispered something to the woman, clearly starting to spin another one of her lies.

“A guy with a head injury… he stole something from you?”

The woman’s expression shifted slightly as she listened to Mia.

Even though Mia didn’t have much reason to lie, the woman still felt a bit suspicious about the whole thing.

If something had been stolen, shouldn’t she have reported it to the police right away? Why wait a few days and then come looking for her?

“What did he steal from you?” The woman’s tone cooled a little. She didn’t mind helping Mia, but no one liked the feeling of being deceived.

Seeing the woman’s reaction, Mia felt a surge of excitement. The fact that she didn’t outright deny it and instead asked what had been stolen meant she had really seen the injured worker.

“It was… it was something my brother gave me…” Mia stammered, her voice suddenly filled with guilt. Her eyes darted between Ryan and the woman, like a frightened deer.

Then, as if upset by the woman’s question, Mia’s gaze turned slightly resentful, as though she was angry that the woman had made her repeat it.

What’s going on with this kid?

The woman was confused, and Ryan had no idea what Mia was up to either.

Then, right in front of both of them, Mia turned around and threw her arms around Ryan, holding him tightly. Her voice was soft and apologetic, and anyone could hear the regret in her tone.

Her face had gone pale, like a wilting flower.

“Ryan, I’m sorry… I lost the ring you gave me.”

“I swear I didn’t mean to. I’ll definitely find it. Please, just trust me one more time, okay?”

Mia’s sudden move left the vendor lady stunned, and Ryan was equally dumbfounded. He’d been through this before—yesterday’s prank was still fresh in his mind.

Mia’s big eyes blinked, filling with tears, as if she was genuinely heartbroken over the whole thing. She kept rubbing her face against Ryan’s chest, looking pitiful.

“Please, Ryan… forgive me, okay? This nice lady will help me find the thief, and I’ll get the ring back.”

Her gaze was intense, burning into Ryan like a hot iron. It made his face tingle.

Mia was acting again. And honestly, she was really good at it. Even if she had actually lost something Ryan gave her, he couldn’t bring himself to get mad at her when she looked like this.

He was completely wrapped around her finger. How pathetic.

“Alright.”

Ryan wasn’t blind to the situation. The vendor clearly knew something. If playing along with Mia’s act could get them the information they needed, then why not?

He gently wrapped his arm around Mia’s shoulders, pulling her closer. His chin rested lightly on her forehead as he comforted her.

Even though it was all fake, Mia’s heart raced like crazy. Her face flushed a deep red.

The vendor lady watched their interaction, her hand trembling slightly as she held the hot dog. The two of them were so affectionate, it was almost too much to handle. Were young couples really this bold nowadays?

Afraid that if she waited any longer, Ryan and Mia might start kissing right in front of her, the woman quickly put down what she was doing and spoke up.

“Alright, alright, sweetheart, don’t be sad. I’ll help you.”

The woman paused her work. Since the construction site had been shut down, she didn’t have much business anyway, so she focused on helping Mia find the guy.

Just a few minutes ago, they were strangers, but now the woman had transformed into a helpful citizen, eagerly going over the man’s description with Mia. Ryan watched from the side, amazed at how easily Mia had turned the situation around.

Everyone has their own talents, and Mia’s was clearly in these strange, unexpected situations.

Ryan had thought about this before. Alice wasn’t happy in the gang, so what about Mia, who wasn’t all that different from Alice? She probably didn’t like this life either.

No kid starts out lying all the time. They’re all innocent at first, but their environment changes them.

Once Alice’s situation was resolved, maybe Mia would have a chance at a better life too.

“I knew there was something off about that guy,” the woman said, slapping her thigh proudly. “He was acting all shady. You could tell he was up to no good.”

Mia, ever the charmer, flattered the woman even more, making her spill everything she knew.

By the time Ryan and Mia left the stall a few minutes later, they had a lot of new leads.

Mia puffed out her chest, her pride obvious. She didn’t always step in, but when she did, things got done.

“So, are you going to praise me now?” Mia quickly stepped in front of Ryan, spreading her arms to block his path. Her expression made it clear that she wasn’t letting him go until he gave her the recognition she deserved.

Ryan was jotting down the new information in his notebook. The vendor had given them a description of the guy, and if they handed it over to the right people, they could probably get a sketch made.

Ryan didn’t know anyone who could do that, but Alice had plenty of connections. She’d figure it out.

Lost in thought, Ryan realized Mia was blocking his way and gave her an awkward smile.

He had to admit, if it had been him talking to the vendor, he wouldn’t have gotten nearly as much information. Mia had really come through for him.

“Alright, alright, Mia, you’re the best.”

He ruffled her hair a couple of times. Ryan wasn’t great at talking to girls, and he felt a bit awkward as he tried to play along.

“So, what exactly am I the best at?”

“You’re good at everything, really. You helped me out a ton.”

Ryan was trying his best, but he couldn’t think of any more specific compliments. He wasn’t exactly smooth with words—everything he said was straight from the heart.

But that wasn’t enough for Mia. She puffed out her cheeks like an angry pufferfish, her big eyes glaring at Ryan in frustration.

“That’s it?”

“Uh… yeah, that’s it. What else do you want?”

Ryan found her little outburst amusing and reached out to ruffle her hair again, which only made Mia even more upset.

He could talk to Alice for hours, but when it came to complimenting her, he could only manage a couple of words? Did he really think Mia was that easy to please?

Mia was so mad she started grinding her teeth. Her eyes narrowed, and she grabbed Ryan’s right hand with both of hers.

Ryan’s hand was always warm, but right now, it felt almost hot to the touch.

She was furious, and she needed to teach Ryan a lesson. Otherwise, how could she ever hold her ground with him?

Mia tightened her grip on Ryan’s hand, pulling it toward her. Then, she opened her small mouth, and from Ryan’s angle, he could even see her cute little tongue.

But instead of what Ryan was expecting, Mia bit down on his hand—hard.

“Should’ve known better than to help you, you jerk!”