29
Ryan explained that as long as he’s sick and on medication, or getting hospital treatments,
the drugs seem to block her mind reading for a while.
When the effects wear off, she can hear his thoughts again.
I was shocked. “Wait, so was your last hospital stay on purpose?!”
“That time was real,” he said with a helpless smile. “Lily, use your brain.
“How could anyone do that on purpose?”
True.
My dad’s a tough, retired soldier. He once said he could take a bullet to the leg and still manage, but when it came to hemorrhoids, even he couldn’t stand the pain.
I glanced at Ryan with sympathy. Between the surgery and the mind reading, I couldn’t imagine going through all that.
If some creepy guy I didn’t like was eavesdropping on my thoughts every day, I’d go crazy too.
Just then, Ryan’s phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, and all the warmth vanished from his face, replaced by a chill.
I saw his jaw clench and then relax.
He looked at me, his voice calm but heavy: “Go hide. That psycho is calling.
“I don’t want you to get scared.”
30
What am I afraid of?
I shook my head. “Just put it on speaker. I want to see what this person is like.
“Besides, two heads are better than one. Maybe we can come up with a solution together.”
Ryan hesitated for a second, then answered the call.
“Onii-chan~~” The girl’s voice was sweet and childish—nothing like someone who’d actually hurt someone before.
Ryan sneered, his anger obvious. “I don’t understand Japanese.”
The girl laughed, then switched to Chinese, her accent surprisingly good. “You’re still such a joker, aren’t you? Back in Japan, the teachers always said you had a gift for languages.”
Ryan couldn’t be bothered to reply.
“Brother,” her tone suddenly turned strange, “why can’t I read your thoughts lately? Are you sick again?
“Are you in the hospital now?”
Ryan scoffed, “Yeah, I’m in the hospital. Don’t worry, you can’t get in.”
The girl laughed even more, “That’s okay, I’ll get a chance to see you soon~
“But brother, you must remember… you’re not allowed to fall for another girl… hmm… You know what I’m capable of.”
Ryan’s knuckles turned white as he clenched his fist, clearly struggling to control his emotions.
Finally, he spoke again, his voice calm but with a chilling edge. “Kana, do you know where you are?
“This is China.
“Try anything here, and I swear—
“We’ll go down together.”
31
The girl paused, her tone softening. “Brother, I just love you, that’s all. You can’t die—I won’t let you die.”
Ryan hung up before she could finish.
The call ended, but the goosebumps on my arms didn’t fade.
This was like something straight out of a drama about a crazy, obsessive girl.
Except this was real—and people could actually get hurt.
Maybe he sensed my sympathetic look.
Ryan glanced at me, hesitated, then said, “Don’t look at me like that.”
He looked at his IV; the fluid was almost finished.
“Lily Wang.” His voice was tired, mostly just weary.
The last of the medicine was about to drip through. I was about to press the call button for the nurse.
Ryan raised his hand to stop me, gently squeezing my hand.
“Lily Wang.” He called my name again, and I felt like he had something important left unsaid.
Maybe he realized that girl would be able to read his mind again soon, because his words sped up.
Ryan’s fingers brushed lightly over the back of my hand.
It was soft, almost ticklish.
But for some reason, I felt a strange sense of strength from it.
He smiled, squeezed my hand tightly, then let go. “Lily Wang, see you at S University.”
Just a few words, but I could feel the weight of a promise.
32
After his IV finished, we left the hospital in silence,
not even exchanging another glance.
He hailed a cab, and I couldn’t help but turn back to look at him.
Even though I knew he had no choice,
I still felt a little unsettled.
We knew each other, but he had to pretend we were strangers.
As the college entrance exam approached,
everyone was wound tight like a stretched string.
Every day was just studying, memorizing, and endless practice tests.
Sometimes I’d pass him and his friends on the way back from the school store.
Even when we crossed paths, he never looked my way.
It was impossible not to feel a little disappointed.
After a while, I even started to wonder if that promise he made was just my imagination.
But with the pressure of exams, there was no time to dwell on it.
In June, we each marked our futures on those thin answer sheets.
Suddenly, I missed Ryan Lee. I wanted to talk to him.
I wanted to ask how his exams went.
But every time I saw that red exclamation mark, I hesitated.
“Lily, don’t be late for the class get-together tomorrow night,” I got a text from Sophie.
That’s when it hit me—it was really graduation.
The party was lively; almost every class in our grade had booked the same place.
Maybe because we were officially adults, the teachers turned a blind eye to some students drinking.
They just reminded us to go home early after we finished.
I drank a couple of sips and immediately gagged at the bitterness.
Sophie and I went outside to use the bathroom, and at the door, we ran into Eric Chen.