Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 281: Or… do you want to do something else?

“Wait… a kiss?”

Alice’s words hit Ryan like a bolt of lightning, leaving him standing there with his mouth wide open, big enough to fit an egg.

Every teenage guy has probably fantasized about this at some point—having a beautiful girl standing next to you, giving you that look, lightly touching her lips with her finger, forming a tempting curve.

To kiss or not to kiss? That’s the question.

Most people would probably just go for it. I mean, opportunities like this don’t come around often, and who knows when the next one will be?

Ryan’s first instinct was the same. His hormones were going wild, practically short-circuiting his brain.

But… then he remembered it was Alice standing in front of him, and it was like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. He snapped back to reality.

Dangerous. Mysterious. Intriguing. Confusing. All these feelings mixed together, overpowering his initial impulse.

A kiss?

Kiss Alice?

“What, you don’t want to?”

Alice noticed Ryan’s hesitation, and her eyes darkened slightly.

She leaned in just a bit, her elegant nose moving closer. Her body formed a triangle with the car seat, and Ryan was stuck in the middle, unable to move.

Alice’s dress wasn’t exactly revealing, but compared to her usual outfits, it was definitely more… daring. Ryan’s eyes darted to her chest, watching the rise and fall of her breathing, and suddenly, he felt like the temperature in the car had shot up.

“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just…”

He was trying to figure out how to explain himself without sounding like he was making excuses, but unfortunately, lying wasn’t one of his strong suits.

Ryan glanced at the system interface and saw that Alice’s status was still marked as [???], just like it had been for a while now. It hadn’t gone away.

Something was off with Alice. Her behavior might be a result of this unknown status, making her act irrationally.

Was that the real issue? Maybe, but it didn’t feel like the whole story.

“Look at you, all scared. I’m not going to eat you.”

Ryan kept avoiding her gaze, which Alice found amusing. But in a way, it was a good thing. It showed that Ryan took their relationship seriously, that he wasn’t the type to mess around.

If something did happen between them, Ryan would definitely take responsibility. That’s just the kind of guy he was.

But now wasn’t the right time.

“I meant a hand-kiss, you know? You should at least learn how to do that.”

Alice had already prepared an excuse before she even said anything. So when Ryan hesitated, she didn’t seem too bothered. She casually extended her right hand toward him.

A hand-kiss?

Ryan looked at her calm expression. Alice didn’t seem like she was lying. Had he really overthought the whole thing?

He’d seen hand-kissing in TV shows before. It seemed like something fancy people did as a greeting, but he’d never actually done it himself.

Tentatively, he reached out and touched Alice’s hand. His right hand cradled her palm, feeling the warmth of her skin, while his left hand gently held her wrist in place.

He’d never really looked at her hands before, but now he noticed how delicate they were, like a work of art. Her fingers were long and slender, with clearly defined joints. Her skin was smooth, without a trace of excess flesh, both on the back and the palm.

Her hand was as smooth as polished jade, and his fingers could glide effortlessly along the lines of her palm.

A hand-kiss… Was this how Alice interacted with others? Did she let other people hold her hand like this?

Wait, no. What am I even thinking?

Ryan couldn’t control his thoughts. Ever since he’d seen Alice in that dress on the stairs, his mind had been a mess. He didn’t even know why he was thinking like this.

All he knew was that the moment the thought crossed his mind, it felt like someone had smacked him in the back of the head.

Trying to prove to himself that he was fine, Ryan took a deep breath and, almost out of spite, planted a firm kiss on the back of her hand.

“…”

Whether it was because Ryan kissed her a little too hard or because the car was already dead silent, the atmosphere inside suddenly became… weird.

The driver in the front didn’t dare look back to see what was happening, but their ears were sharp enough to pick up on the awkwardness. The car jerked forward slightly, as if the driver’s shock had momentarily affected their control.

“Is that good enough?”

“Or… do you want to do something else?”

Ryan didn’t dare look Alice in the eye. Of course, if he had looked up and seen the blush spreading across her face, things might have gone in a very different direction.

“Y-Yeah… that’s enough…”

The car slowly pulled into the parking lot, but it was quite different from the ones Ryan had seen before. After driving through a circular ramp, the car came to a smooth stop on the second floor.

Compared to the stuffy atmosphere of an underground garage, this place was on a whole other level.

The city at night was dotted with neon lights, the darkness like a mysterious veil gently draped over the city’s face. Unlike the hustle and bustle of the day, the night felt quieter, more enigmatic.

“We’re here.”

Alice didn’t need to say it for Ryan to know they’d arrived. He nodded, quickly got out of the car, and hurried to Alice’s side to open the door for her.

He was used to this by now. Alice didn’t need to ask; Ryan would naturally take care of it.

He helped her out of the car, and the driver gave Ryan a nod before parking the car. It didn’t seem like the driver was planning to join them inside. It looked like only Ryan and Alice were attending the event.

Now that they were out of the car, Ryan could take in the full view of the place. It was a massive estate, much larger than Alice’s villa.

At the front entrance, a fountain danced to the soft melody of a violin. One by one, cars arrived, each more luxurious than the last. Ryan wasn’t exactly a car expert, but even he could tell these were expensive.

“When we go in, don’t talk too much, don’t stare at anyone, and stay close to me.”

Alice had been to events like this countless times, but knowing she had a complete newbie by her side, she patiently repeated the ground rules.

Honestly, it didn’t matter what Ryan did inside. Even if he flipped the place upside down, Alice could handle it.

But her real concern was the “don’t stare” part. This was a business gala hosted by one of the city’s top moguls, and the guests were all influential figures. There was no telling which family’s heiress might be there.

With Mia and Anna already being enough of a headache, the last thing Alice needed was Ryan locking eyes with some other girl. She wasn’t sure she could keep her temper in check if that happened.

“Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you.”

Ryan didn’t quite catch the hidden meaning behind Alice’s words. He was too busy curiously taking in the sights of the estate. It wasn’t every day he got to experience something like this, and it wasn’t too different from what he’d seen on TV.

As the time approached, Alice pulled a gold-embossed invitation from her bag and handed it to Ryan. Then, before he could react, she wrapped her arm around his.

The sudden softness against his arm made Ryan suck in a sharp breath, but when he saw the look on Alice’s face—the one that said, “If you pull your arm away, you’re dead”—he decided it was best to stay still and let her hold on. He didn’t dare move.

“Miss Alice, isn’t this a bit… inappropriate?”

“You’re my date. At least for tonight.”

Ryan glanced at the invitation in his hand, then at Alice’s delicate hand, now covered by white gloves.

This was Alice’s world, her social scene. But why did it feel like she was giving him the upper hand, like she was the one accompanying him?

And hadn’t she just been talking about a hand-kiss earlier? Now her hands were completely covered. Was she messing with him the whole time?

“Miss Alice, do I need to kiss anyone’s hand tonight?”

“If you dare, you’re dead.”

Yep… he was starting to get a better idea of what Alice was thinking.