23
Before he could react,
I quickly stepped back, putting some distance between us.
But the bus was so crowded that I ended up bumping right into Eric again.
I tried to move away.
Eric said, “It’s fine. If you can’t stand steady, just lean on me.”
He raised his arm to grab the overhead rail and smiled at me,
“Hold onto my sleeve if you need to.”
I nodded and gently grabbed his sleeve.
I could feel someone’s gaze burning into my back, watching my every move.
At the next stop, the driver somehow managed to cram in two more people.
Suddenly, the space between me, Eric, and Ryan Lee shrank even more.
It was uncomfortable—Ryan’s presence was so close it made me uneasy.
But I was still mad at him, so I didn’t even bother to look at his face.
I spent the whole ride giving him the cold shoulder.
Eric suddenly asked, “Lily, which university do you want to go to?”
Without thinking, I answered, “S University!”
Just then, a hand reached across in front of me.
The sleeve was rolled up halfway, and the arm grabbed the hanging strap right in front of my face.
I had to turn my head to avoid it, glaring at Ryan Lee—only to accidentally meet his gaze.
24
But this time, for some reason,
Ryan seemed a little down.
There was something in his eyes, like he wanted to say something.
But remembering how he embarrassed me that morning just made me angrier.
He was the one who pretended not to know me, so why was he looking at me like that now?
Eric kept chatting, “What a coincidence, I want to apply to S University too.”
I was distracted, feeling like Ryan was watching me the whole time.
I just replied absentmindedly, “Oh, that’s great. Let’s go to S University together!”
At that moment, I overheard Ryan’s friends talking.
They sounded shocked.
“Dude, Ryan, what are you doing?! Why are you eating that stuff again?!
“Are you trying to kill yourself?!”
“I know what I’m doing. Stay out of it,” Ryan’s voice was low and heavy.
Curious, I turned to see what he was doing.
Suddenly, my wrist was grabbed.
Ryan’s hand clamped around mine with so much force I barely had time to react before he started pulling me toward the exit.
Eric called out, “Hey, what are you doing?”
Ryan just turned his head and shot him a fierce glare.
One of Ryan’s friends tried to smooth things over, “It’s fine, it’s fine, we’re all friends here.”
And just like that, I was dragged off the bus by Ryan,
one stop early.
Ryan’s silent, brooding demeanor was honestly a little scary.
He held my hand tightly and walked straight toward a nearby alley.
25
Me: “!!!”
What is he trying to do?!
He’s not going to hit me, right?
Ryan finally stopped at a spot in the alley, breathing hard, something about him seemed off.
He said, “Lily Wang, I’ll keep this short.”
Still angry, I covered my ears and said, “I don’t want to hear it.”
He sighed helplessly.
He reached out and poked my cheek.
Then gently pinched it, the gesture oddly intimate.
His voice was tinged with resignation, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you.
“Remember you mentioned mind reading the other day?”
I could actually hear what he was saying, but I forgot to put my hands down, so I just nodded in a daze.
He let out a small laugh, his forehead glistening with a fine mist of sweat.
“There really is mind reading in this world.”
I jumped, startled, and instinctively took a step back, pressing myself against the wall.
“You—you’re not saying you have mind reading powers, are you?”
He shook his head, maybe thinking I’d backed away too far.
So he stepped closer.
“I don’t, but I know a girl who does.” Ryan swayed a little, bracing himself against the wall with his arm to keep steady.
His tone was calm, but there was a dark sense of despair.
“That girl… she’s a psycho who’s obsessed with me.
“She’s my mom’s ex-husband’s daughter. When I lived in Japan,
“Once, a girl tried to give me a love letter, and she stabbed her in the neck with a pencil.
“She was only twelve at the time, and became a juvenile delinquent.
“She was locked up for four years. After she got out of juvenile detention in Japan, she came to China with her dad.”
Ryan suddenly seemed to lose all strength, bending over so his upper body rested on my shoulder.
His voice was tired and frustrated,
“And now she’s after me again.”
26
My heart tightened.
It sounded like this girl had really tormented Ryan.
But… why did he look like he was about to pass out?
I nudged him. “Are you okay?”
Suddenly, the alley light flickered on.
In the light, I could see Ryan’s face—his ivory skin was flushed with an odd redness.
That’s when I smelled the faint scent of alcohol on him.
He pulled a small box of candies from his pocket. “Eat this.”
Wasn’t this one of those candies with alcohol inside?
“I’m allergic to alcohol,” he said.
I panicked. “What? Is it serious?” I quickly reached out to support his waist. “Then why are you eating this stuff?”
“When there’s alcohol in my system, her mind reading doesn’t work.” He rubbed his forehead, looking like he was getting a headache.
“I was just in a hurry.” He gave a silent laugh. “Saw you chatting so happily with that guy.”
What is he even talking about…
My ears turned red. “Let me take you to the hospital!”
His breathing grew more rapid—it really seemed serious.
Suddenly, he slumped against me, and I felt his whole weight press down.
Ryan’s voice cut off abruptly.
“If you can… just call 120.”
Me: “Ryan Lee?!”
Did he just… faint?!
27
After getting Ryan Lee to the hospital, the doctor gave him an IV, and now he was out of danger.
I looked at him lying on the hospital bed, eyes closed, not sure what to do.
Just to explain things to me, Ryan had ignored his severe alcohol allergy.
Should I be touched, or just call him crazy?
My phone rang—it was Eric Chen calling.
“Lily, did you get home yet?”
I instinctively lied, “Oh, yeah, I’m home.”
Eric sounded relieved. “That’s good.
“Lily… you and Ryan Lee…”
I glanced at Ryan on the bed, turned away, and lowered my voice.
“Oh, he’s my mom’s friend’s son. We know each other.”
Eric said, “Alright, I just wanted to check. After the bus reached the next stop, I doubled back to look for you, but couldn’t find you.”
I laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m about to go to bed.”
We chatted a bit about schoolwork before hanging up.
When I turned around, I saw Ryan was already awake and sitting up. I had no idea how much he’d overheard.
Ryan was lounging with one leg propped up, looking at me lazily.
His drawn-out tone was obviously unhappy: “So much to talk about, huh?”
28
I let out a little yelp.
“You’re awake?”
Ryan moved his arm a bit. “Yeah.”
I clapped my hands and stood up. “Alright, you rest. I’m heading home.”
Ryan looked a bit surprised.
“Going home? What about me?”
I slung my backpack over my shoulder. “You’re in the hospital—just rest. I can’t stay here with you forever. The doctor said you can go home once your IV is done.”
Ryan fell silent.
He lay back down, arms behind his head, watching me pack up without saying a word.
At the door, I paused, hesitated, but finally couldn’t help turning back.
I called my parents, telling them I’d sleep at Sophie’s house tonight, and then gave Sophie a heads-up too.
After all that, I put my backpack down again and took out my books.
Ryan smirked and teased me, “Can’t bear to leave your big brother, huh?”
Shut up, will you!
As I worked on my homework, I asked him, “How did you know she had mind reading?”
Ryan said, “Even when she was in juvie, she’d send me letters asking who the girl was that confessed to me.
“When it happens that often, it’s not a coincidence.
“She admitted it herself later.”
I asked, “If you absorb alcohol, can she immediately hear your thoughts again?
“Can you feel it when she’s reading your mind?”
Ryan nodded. “Now I can feel it, just a little.”
He looked out the window, his expression bleak. “But besides drinking, there’s another way to block her mind reading.”
I asked, “What?!”
“Medication.”