Leon Batton hated people who bullied the weak, especially those who did that blatantly right in front of him.His voice startled many of them, who fell silent when they saw him. The girl subconsciously clenched her fists as she snuck a glance at Leon.It was the first time he had seen her face properly.She had a small face with almond-shaped eyes, and shapely eyebrows.The corners of her eyes were slightly reddish as they glistened with tears. She looked like an injured fawn.Being seen in such a downtrodden state by the person she deeply admired, she genuinely wanted to dig herself a hole to hide.She was worried Leon would notice her, and to her surprise, he did.She didn’t mind being seen by thousands with scars all over her body, but the only person she wouldn’t want to see her that way was Leon.She felt her fragile ego shatter into pieces right then.In the next moment, Lynette Batton stepped directly in front of the girl, facing off all the boys and girls bullying he
After taking the toast out of the box, Leon Batton noticed a red, heart-shaped hairpin under it.It probably belonged to the person who sent this gift.At that moment, he suddenly recalled the girl bullied by the door earlier. She was wearing the same hairpin.Was it a coincidence?He didn’t think so.Those two hairpins looked identical. Moreover, upon closer inspection, Leon realized that he recognized the brand that his mother owned.He recalled this particular brand’s hairpin designs were one-of-a-kind.The two hairpins looked identical at first, but they were different.One of the heart-shaped symbols was slightly bigger in size than the other.He had a clear recollection of how the hairpin on the girl’s head looked. He was positive that this hairpin came with the other one as a pair and that they both belonged to the brand his mother owned.Leon couldn’t help but think about how the other students treated the girl earlier.Her loneliness and dejected look made him fee
Leon Batton frowned slightly. “Perhaps.”He was no stranger to being pursued by numerous girls since primary school, yet none of them were as determined as this girl.He couldn’t help but recall the scene where the girl was surrounded and taunted by bullies.Her teary eyes and pitiful facial expression kept appearing in his mind.Ring, ring, ring—The bell rang, signalling the end of one lesson just as their English teacher entered the classroom.Everyone fell silent.Even Leon’s thoughts were interrupted as he watched the teacher approach the podium.Their English lesson proceeded as usual.***The morning flew by very quickly, and soon, it was time for lunch. Conversations swirled around as students wondered what to eat.Meanwhile, Lynette Batton also couldn't decide as she stood next to Leon’s table. “What are we having for lunch?”“What would you like to eat?” he countered.She considered for a few seconds. “Why don’t we go to the street food area in the city center
Some younger boys and girls were practically staring at Lynette Batton and Leon Batton, although they had already gotten used to that.They’d been experiencing this ever since they were kids.Wherever they went, they’d be the center of attention.Beep, beep, beep—Leon’s phone started ringing then.He immediately answered upon seeing that it was from an unknown number. “Hello? Who’s this?”“Is this Leon Batton?" a voice said. "I’m from a delivery company and there's a parcel here for you. I’m in front of your school’s entrance right now. Will you please come and collect it?”He felt puzzled as he hadn't bought anything recently.Besides, even if he did order something online, he’d have it delivered to his home address instead of the school.There was only one possibility.This parcel might be from one of his admirers.“Please send it back. I didn’t buy anything,” he said.“But it can’t be sent back.”“What do you mean?” he asked.“There is no information about the sender.
Lynette Batton ran out of the car to enter the security office when she saw the huge box of letters.“Wow! Who on earth wrote you so many letters?” she exclaimed in surprise. Leon Batton frowned but didn’t reply. He picked up the box and put it in the backseat of his car before getting back into the driver’s seat.Meanwhile, his sister hastily followed him back into the car.Then, he drove to his parking space, bringing the car to a halt.He carried the box over to a quiet gazebo and sat down, leaving his sister to trail after him silently out of curiosity.He slowly retrieved a letter from the box, bearing the number '1' marked on the envelope. Upon opening the envelope, Leon could see someone’s pretty handwriting scribbled across the page—“Dear Leon, this is my first letter to you.“It was the first day of high school. I saw you at our school’s entrance, and I was stunned.“Before meeting you, I’ve never seen a face like yours that gave me such a soul-shaking experience.
“Sometimes, you're not even in the classroom, but looking at your seat, your books, and your pen and paper on the table is enough to make me happy."After that, Leon Batton opened even more envelopes, all marked with different numbers.By the tenth letter, he was certain that the numbers indicated the sequence that she had written them.Each letter contained a young teenager’s feelings toward her crush.Leon could tell what a humble person she was from her words alone.He could tell that she had self-esteem issues.His gaze softened gradually as he read on.Lynette Batton felt similarly, despite never experiencing a crush on anyone herself. She could somehow relate to how this girl felt.The siblings found themselves the object of countless admiration over the years, but none of them were as devoted and genuine as the author of these letters.Lynette realized that this girl paid attention to everything her brother did and every move he made.He had become something akin to a
“It’s probably the girl who dropped out of school,” Leon Batton answered.Memories of the pitiful expression on the girl’s face came to Lynette Batton's mind at his words.Her eyes lit up. “So it is her! It seems she’s fallen head over heels in love with you.”Her brother frowned slightly. “So it would seem.”“Leon, I think you can try dating her if you have feelings for her. You seem very touched by her confession.”He didn’t respond immediately and contemplated with a deep frown for a few seconds. “Do I have to date her just because I’m touched?”She was stumped by the question.Her brother didn’t say anything further. Instead, he gathered everything up before carrying the box back to his car with her following him closely behind.She really couldn’t understand her brother sometimes.He seemed affected by the letters and even cared about the girl.But why was he saying this now?What was he worried of?She couldn’t understand no matter how hard she tried, so she decided t
Leon Batton gazed at Lynette Batton with a serious expression. “I just want you to be by my side and watch while I play, understood? I don’t want you to tire yourself out needlessly.”She didn't persist and only nodded after hearing what he said.“All right, sis. The lesson is about to start. Get back to your seat,” he ordered.She nodded obediently and returned to her seat.***After school, Lynette and Leon returned home for dinner as usual.After dinner, he drove his limited-edition Ferarri to Team XS’s base, which had moved to the beachside of Atlantis.It was a luxurious six-leveled villa with an ocean view.The white European-style design made it look like a European castle.The base lit up brightly, appearing exclusive from the outside.An intricate wooden sign located by the villa’s entrance read “Team XS’s Base.”Leon would be impressed by his mother whenever he saw Team XS’s name.Ever since Xyla Quest took over Team XS, they had become virtually undefeatable, nev