"When your eyes are black, you always have to be more irritable - I think so." I continued. "I have a theory about this."

His eyes narrowed. "Theory again?"

"Uh-huh." I took a small bite of bread, trying to make my expression appear more indifferent.

"I hope you're more creative this time...... Or, are you still stealing theories from comic books? His faint smile was full of mockery, but his eyes were still fascinating.

"Well, no, I didn't see it from comic books, but I didn't come up with it myself." I confessed.

"What else?" He urged.

But then the waitress walked around the wall again and strode over with my food. I realized that we both unconsciously leaned over the table towards each other, as we both stepped back and sat up straight when she came over. She put the dish in front of me—it looked quite delicious—and quickly turned to face Roger.

"Have you changed your mind?" She asked. "Is there really nothing I can do for you?" I'm already starting to imagine the double meaning of her words.

"No thanks. It's best to bring some more soda, though. He gestured to the empty cup in front of me with his long, snow-white hand.

"No problem." She took the two empty cups and walked away.

"You just said that?" He asked.

"I'll tell you in the car. If ......" I stopped.

"Still on the ground?" He raised a frown, his voice filled with ominous omens.

"Of course, I do have a couple of questions to ask."

"Of course."

The waitress came back with two more bottles of Coke. This time she put down her things, didn't say anything, and left again.

I took a small sip of Coke.

"Alright, move on." He urged me, his voice still mesmerizing.

I'll start with the easiest one. Or maybe only I think so. "Why are you in Ao Xiang Harbor?"

He lowered his head and slowly folded the two large hands on the table. His eyes darted over me from under his eyelashes, and a wicked smile appeared on his face.

"Next."

"But it's the easiest one." I'm against it.

"Next." He repeated.

I bowed my head in frustration. I took apart my set of silver cutlery, took out a fork, and carefully poked a ravioli. I slowly put it in my mouth, still keeping my head down, chewing and thinking. The mushrooms were delicious. I swallowed it, took another sip of Coke, and then looked up.

"Okay, then." I stared at him and spoke slowly. "Let's say, of course, it's just hypothetical, then...... Someone...... Being able to know what's going on in other people's minds, you know, mind reading – but there are always a few exceptions. ”

"There is only one exception." He corrected. "Hypothetical."

"Well, there's only one exception, then." I was shocked by his cooperation, but I tried to be casual.

"How the hell is this done? Are there any restrictions? That someone...... How can it be ...... Find another person at the right time? How did he know she was in trouble? "I wanted to know if there was any point in asking me questions.

"Just hypothetical?" He asked.

"Of course."

"Well, what if...... That somebody ......"

"Let's call him 'Jim.'" I proposed.

He smiled sarcastically. "Jim, then. If Jim had been paying attention, the timing might not have been so accurate. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. Only you can get into trouble in such a small town. You know, you may have broken down their crime statistics for a decade. ”

"We're talking about a hypothetical case." I reminded him coldly.

He laughed at me, his eyes filled with warmth.

"Well, we do." He agreed. "Can we call you 'Jane'?"

"How the hell do you know?" I couldn't contain my emotions anymore and asked. I realized I was turning sideways towards him again.

He seemed to be shaken, torn by a dilemma in his heart. His gaze locked on mine, and I guessed he was deciding whether or not to tell me the truth.

"You can trust me, you know." I whispered. I reached forward and, without thinking, tried to touch his folded hands, but he removed them without a trace, and I had to withdraw them.

"I don't know if I have any other options." His voice was almost a whisper. "I was wrong—you are more observant than I admire."

"I think you're usually right."

"I used to be." He shook his head again. "Again, I misjudged you on another matter. You're not a magnet for the unexpected – that's too broad a definition. You're a magnet for disaster. If there's anything dangerous within a 10-mile radius, it's sure to find you. ”

"And you've put yourself in danger?" I guessed.

His face immediately became cold and expressionless. "There is no doubt about it."

I reached over the table again—ignoring his attempt to pull it back again without a trace—and shyly touched the back of his hand with my fingertips. His skin was cold and hard, like a stone.

"Thank you." My voice was filled with fervent gratitude. "This is the second time."

His expression softened. "Don't give us a chance to try a third time, okay?"

I frowned, but nodded. He removed his hands from under my fingertips and placed both hands under the table. But he leaned over to me.

"I'll follow you all the way to Ao Xiang Harbor." He admitted, completely unable to hold back his words. "I've never tried so hard to protect a particular person before. And it's even more difficult than I originally believed. But it may also be because of you that it is so difficult. Ordinary people would not encounter so many disasters even if they spent a whole day here. He stopped. I wonder if it bothers me if he stalking me. But on the contrary, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction. He stared at me, perhaps wondering why my lips were curling, and couldn't help but smile.

"Have you ever thought that maybe the first time I should have run out of gas, because of that truck, and you changed the direction of your fate?" I speculated, trying to divert my attention.

"That's not the first time." He spoke, his voice so low that he could barely be heard. I looked at him in amazement, but he kept his head down. "The first time I met you, you were doomed."

His words sent me a wave of horror through the memories of the first day: his furious, black eyes glaring...... But when I realized he was there, that overwhelming sense of security prevented me from recalling memories. Then he looked up into my eyes, but there was no trace of fear in my eyes.

"Do you remember?" He asked, his angelic face a little gloomy.

"Yes." I was very calm.

"How dare you sit here?" There was something of disbelief in his voice. He raised a frown.

"yes, I can still sit here...... It's because of you. "I paused." Is it because today, somehow do you know how to find my ......? I urged.

He closed his lips tightly, narrowed his eyes at me, and began to hesitate again. His eyes raced over my still-full plate, and then at me.

"You eat, I say." He bargained.

I quickly scooped up a ravioli and put it in my mouth.

"It's a little bit harder to do - I mean follow you. Usually I can easily find someone, even if I have never read their hearts before. He looked at me worriedly, and I felt myself freeze. I allowed myself to swallow a bit, then poked another ravioli and threw it in my mouth.

"I've been keeping an eye on Mary, but I've been paying little attention to it—like I said, you're the only one who will get into trouble in Port Osho—and at first I didn't notice that you had left the group and started wandering around alone. Then, when I realized that you weren't with her, I rushed to the bookstore where she saw in her head to look for you. I dare say you didn't go in at all, you went south...... I know you'll be turning around and coming back soon. So I'm just waiting for you, casually looking at the thoughts of the people on the street - to see if anyone notices you, so I can know where you are. I have no reason to worry...... But I was strangely uneasy...... "He was lost in thought, his gaze passing through me, looking at things I couldn't imagine.

"I started going around in circles and still ...... Listen. The sun is about to go down, so I can get out of the car and follow you on foot. And—" He stopped, his sudden rage causing him to grit his teeth. He tried to calm himself down.

"And then what's wrong?" I asked in a low voice. His gaze crossed over my head and continued.

"I heard what they were thinking." He growled, his upper lip curled slightly, baring his teeth. "I saw your face in his head." He suddenly leaned forward, and an arm appeared on the table. He covered his eyes with the palm of his hand. The movement was so fast that it startled me.

"It's really ...... Tough - you can't imagine how hard it is for me - just take you away and leave them behind...... of life. His voice was hidden under his arm. I could have let you go with Mary and Reilis, but I'm afraid I'll go back to them if you leave me alone. He admitted in a voice that bordered on a whisper.

I sat quietly, dazed, my mind completely confused. I folded my hands on my knees and leaned weakly against the back of my chair. He still hid his face under his palms, motionless, as if he had been carved out of stone that resembled his skin.

Eventually, he looked up, his eyes searching for mine, his eyes full of his questions.

"Are you ready to go home?" He asked.

"I'm ready to leave." I corrected, overly excited that we were going to spend the hour driving home together. I'm not ready to say goodbye to him.

The hostess appeared as if she had been summoned. Or maybe she's just been watching.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" She asked Roger.

"We're ready to check out, thank you." His voice was quiet, but somewhat rough, still reflecting the atmosphere of our conversation. This seemed to confuse her. He looked up and waited.

"Okay—okay." She stammered. "Here's your bill." She took a small leather wallet from the front pocket of her black apron and handed it to him.

He already had a bill in his hand. He slipped it into a clip and handed it back to her immediately.

"No need to look for it." He smiled, then stood up. I stood up awkwardly.

She smiled charmingly at him again. "Have a nice evening."

When he thanked her, he didn't take his eyes off me at all. I couldn't hold back my laughter.

He followed me to the door, still careful not to touch me. I'm reminded of what Mary said about her relationship with Jack, and they're almost at the stage of their first kiss. I sighed. Roger seemed to hear, and he looked down at me curiously. I stared at the sidewalk, relieved that he didn't seem to know what I was thinking.

He opened the door of the passenger seat, held on to it as I got in, and then gently closed the door behind me. I watched him walk past the car and was once again amazed at his amazing grace. Maybe I'll have to get used to this from now on - but I'm used to it. I have a feeling that Roger is not the kind of person that people can take for granted.

As soon as he got into the car, he started the engine and turned the heating up to the maximum. It's getting cold now, and I guess the good weather is coming to an end. However, wearing his jacket warmed me, and I always secretly sniffed the aroma on my clothes when he wasn't looking.

Roger drove the car into the traffic, apparently without looking, and deftly turned towards the highway.

"Now," he said meaningfully. "It's your turn."