Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 219: Your forever sister, Bella

“Anna was here too?”

The director’s words shocked Ryan more with each sentence. Bella having come back was already beyond Ryan’s expectations.

And now, Anna had been here too, making everything feel even more surreal.

Anna had mentioned some specifics about the orphanage before, details that had startled Ryan.

At the time, Ryan found it a bit odd but didn’t delve deeper.

Now, he finally understood why. Anna had been here,she had really taken the time to understand this place.

Ryan couldn’t help but wonder if Anna knew more, what else might she have done in secret?

But then, Ryan chuckled at himself, perhaps he was making himself too important.

He was just an ordinary guy, after all. Why would Anna go to such lengths just for him?

Finding the orphanage must have been the deepest she dug into his life,she probably hadn’t done anything else.

Yet, remembering how distracted Anna looked when she left, Ryan felt unsure again.

“Yes, she’s been here. What exactly is your relationship with her?” the director asked, sensing something in Ryan’s tone and frowning slightly.

“Anna is indeed a classmate of mine, but it’s… complicated,” Ryan replied.

“Director, what did she do when she was here?”

Ryan stuttered a bit as he spoke, then asked a bit anxiously.

He didn’t even notice that he was more concerned about Anna’s involvement than Bella’s.

Seeing Ryan’s reaction, the director clicked her tongue slightly in displeasure.

Although Anna had helped out a lot here and seemed like a nice girl, she wasn’t one of the kids the director had watched grow up.

In the director’s heart, her favorites over the years were two kids: Ryan and Bella, who had just returned.

And if her two favorite kids could rekindle their past, it would put her mind at ease about Ryan.

So, between Anna and Bella, she undoubtedly leaned towards Bella.

“She probably came looking for you initially, but after finding out this was where you used to live, she started coming by often.”

“She’d do volunteer work and stuff like that. You can ask the kids about it,they’ve interacted with Anna more than I have.”

The director pointed to the children playing in the yard, then looked back at Ryan.

Ryan nodded slightly, his mind clearly elsewhere. He was more determined than ever to find Anna and get some answers.

The rescue, her pained expression when she left, and her secretive actions—all of it made Ryan very concerned, and he needed to talk to her face-to-face.

Seeing Ryan so preoccupied with Anna made the director even more worried.

She felt a twinge of concern for Bella, knowing that despite Ryan saying he and Anna were just classmates, Bella’s competition seemed tougher than ever.

The director sighed slightly but decided to give Bella a push and repeated her story.

“Bella was adopted by a family nine years ago, finally ending her tough times.”

“I remember how upset you were, going out drinking with your friends for days.”

The director watched Ryan’s expression with interest, her eyes reflecting memories of the past.

“Uh, director, let’s not dig up the past,” Ryan said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, but he couldn’t deny the truth.

Ryan was like a big brother to everyone at the orphanage, but even he had his favorites, and Bella was clearly the child he favored.

Initially, Bella struggled to adapt to life in the orphanage, living in her own little world and ignoring everyone.

Even the caregivers and the director couldn’t get through to her,it seemed she harbored deep sadness.

But somehow, after meeting Ryan, she clung to his arm and wouldn’t let go. Ryan, ever the optimist, infected Bella with his cheerfulness, completely changing her.

They were inseparable, and wherever Ryan was, Bella was sure to be there too. Their understanding had become a habit.

Yet, fate still arrived that day, and they were cruelly separated.

“You, you’re too sensible, and that’s what I’m both most pleased and displeased about.”

“At twenty-three, so many have left this orphanage and started their new lives. But you, you’re still stuck here.”

“I won’t say much more, you should understand that it’s time to start thinking about your own life.”

“Think about my own life?”

Ryan was puzzled by the director’s words. He liked his current lifestyle and didn’t see anything wrong with it.

The director just sighed and pursed her lips.

She regretted focusing solely on moral education for Ryan and neglecting emotional intelligence, which made him a bit too naive now.

Getting him to express his feelings openly seemed like it would take forever, so she decided to be blunt.

“Bella has liked you since she was little, and she came back to this city specifically to find you. You should be aware of that.”

The director was clearly talking about matters of the heart, and she spoke earnestly, but Ryan’s face turned awkward as he listened.

For some reason, when she mentioned starting a new life, the first person who popped into Ryan’s mind was Alice.

Was it because being with Alice meant a break from the routine, or was it something else?

Did Bella come back for him?

The director’s words stirred deep memories in Ryan, and closing his eyes, he could see the girl who always smiled by his side.

The depth of that impression didn’t need reiterating.

When Bella was adopted, Ryan wasn’t actually at the orphanage,he had deliberately stayed away, not wanting to face the goodbye.

He later heard that Bella had cried a lot when she was taken away, upset that Ryan hadn’t been there.

Ryan had always felt guilty about that. Everyone thought he was sensible and optimistic, but in reality, he was the most sensitive and least able to handle farewells.

Four years had passed unknowingly, and Ryan occasionally thought of Bella.

Initially, he missed her and felt sad, but those thoughts were merely hopes that she was living a good life.

That bond was in the past, after all, and people need to look forward.

“Feelings like that are in the past. Now we’re all adults, and we need to be more realistic.”

Ryan chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, not believing that Bella still harbored any feelings for him.

Back then, they were young and hopeful about many things, but they never took the step to reveal their true feelings.

Now, nine years had passed, and a lot could change.

“You’re playing the adult in front of me again,” the director said, pretending to be annoyed as she tapped Ryan on the forehead.

To her, Ryan was still a child at twenty-three, and he would still be a child at thirty, always a worry.

Having said her piece, the director believed Ryan understood her point and didn’t add more. She pulled a note from her pocket and placed it in Ryan’s hand.

“Bella is a good girl. You should seize the opportunity and not waste her kindness.”

With those words, the director left without looking back, leaving Ryan alone in the courtyard, staring at the note in his hand.

The message on the note was simple, just a few straightforward lines.

“Brother, I’m back. Did you miss me?”

“Your forever sister, Bella.”