Chapter 276: Good friends

Chapter 276: Good friends

Chapter 276: Good friends

Ryan had been having meals with Alice for quite some time now. He vaguely remembered how, in the beginning, they used to sit on opposite sides of the table, with a long distance between them.

Back then, Alice was still quite cold, and their conversations were minimal. During meals, Ryan was basically not allowed to speak at all.

At the time, Ryan didn’t really understand why Alice had brought him there in the first place—just to have him sit by her side without doing anything.

It wasn’t until the first incident, the first time he listened to the girl’s tearful confessions, that he began to truly understand what was going on.

After that, their relationship gradually improved. The distance between them at the table shrank, and recently, sitting next to Alice during meals had become a non-negotiable requirement.

Alice’s demands were growing, but so far, Ryan could still meet them, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

A lot of things seemed to go beyond the boundaries of friendship, but it wasn’t clear what they had turned into. They definitely weren’t lovers—at least, not yet.

As for tonight’s dinner, the seating arrangement was no surprise. Ryan was, of course, sitting at the head of the table with Alice, while Mia and Anna sat on either side.

Mia didn’t seem to be in the best mood. It was obvious that Alice was staking her claim, treating Ryan like he was her possession.

But Mia had long since come to terms with Alice’s possessiveness, so she held back from making a scene. Instead, she took out her frustration on the Boston lobster in front of her.

Ryan had seen lobsters before when he worked as a waiter during the holidays, but they were only about the size of his hand.

The one on the table now, though, was as big as Mia’s forearm, and the rich aroma coming from it left Ryan stunned once again by Alice’s extravagant lifestyle.

Anna had also picked up her fork, but unlike Mia, who was devouring her food with reckless abandon, Anna was eating slowly and gracefully, carefully picking at the vegetables in front of her.

Every now and then, her beautiful eyes would glance at Ryan, and whenever their gazes met, she’d flash him a sweet smile.

It was like dipping an apple into thick syrup—the sweetness seeped straight into Ryan’s heart.

Just looking at that gentle smile, it felt like all his worries could melt away.

Honestly, Anna was really something special. If things were normal, he might’ve wanted to have a sweet, simple relationship with her.

Ryan smiled back at Anna, but the smile barely lasted a few seconds before his face twisted in pain, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

“Hiss—”

His fork nearly slipped from his hand, and the smile froze on his face.

“Senior, are you okay?”

Anna had been watching Ryan closely, so his sudden change in expression didn’t escape her notice. She immediately stopped what she was doing and asked with concern.

Mia, hearing Anna’s question, also looked over, licking her fingers with a puzzled expression.

Conversation is an art, and keeping it flowing takes skill.

When Ryan was with Mia or Anna, he acted completely normal. But in front of Alice, he became overly cautious, constantly second-guessing his words.

And Alice? She was even worse. The way she treated Ryan was more like a superior talking to a subordinate—question and answer, with no room for deeper connection.

Ryan scratched his head. He was never great at talking to girls, and Alice’s attitude only made it harder for him to figure out what to say.

Alice continued to wait for Ryan to speak, but after a long silence, she could only poke at the expensive steak on her plate, clearly disappointed.

She didn’t realize that her own habits were the problem, and now she was left to stew in her frustration.

Anna, noticing this, smirked slightly. Earlier, in the car, Alice had been so confident that it had made Anna a little nervous. But now, it was clear that Alice was just tripping over her own feet.

Alice was smart, no doubt about that. But when it came to emotions, she was hopelessly clumsy. People who can’t express their feelings properly are bound to suffer for it.

Not that Anna had any intention of helping Alice out. In fact, she was waiting for Alice to mess up—that would be her chance to shine.

“Senior, do you have any leads on who framed you?”

Anna had finished eating and set down her knife and fork. She rested her chin on her hands, looking at Ryan with genuine concern.

Her voice was soft and sweet, like cotton candy, and Alice’s expression darkened as she heard it. Mia, still eating, nearly choked trying to hold back a laugh.

Everyone knew Anna could be a bit of an actress, but this was just over the top.

Alice shot Ryan a hopeful look, silently pleading for him to see through Anna’s act.

But Ryan didn’t seem to notice anything. He just thought for a moment before responding to Anna’s question.

The two of them started discussing the incident in detail, with Ryan sharing almost all of his thoughts with Anna, and Anna chiming in with supportive comments.

Things like, “That person was so awful,” and “I’ll always believe in you,” which, to Alice, sounded like completely useless fluff.

If they had time for this, wouldn’t it be better to focus on finding the person behind all this and actually solving Ryan’s problem? Wasn’t that the most important thing?

Yet, for some reason, Ryan seemed to eat it all up. Their conversation flowed naturally, without the awkwardness that had been present when he was talking to Alice. They seemed closer, more comfortable with each other.

“Thanks, Anna. I honestly thought no one cared about this.”

“I really appreciate you believing in me.”

“What are you talking about? I told you, we’re good friends~~”

At the mention of “good friends,” Alice’s eyes darkened, and a shadow seemed to gather in her gaze.