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“Uncle Leon!” Emily threw herself into Leon’s arms the moment she came out from the school gates. Leon hooked her backpack onto his arm skillfully, then lifted the little girl up with only a hand.
“Emily, don't forget to send Grace a message.” Leon reminded her. She immediately spoke a few words into her sticker-covered Gizmo. Leon kept her backpack hanging from his arm while freeing his left hand to ruffled her white hair gently.
“Hello sweetie .” Ada walked over from nearby, holding two ice cream cones. “Your Uncle Leon specifically told me to get you some bubblegum flavored ice cream.”
“But Grace said I’m not allowed to eat any snacks before dinner…”
“It’s fine, little one.” Ada leaned closer against Leon’s arm, shortening the distance between them. “Grace wouldn't know this.” Ada winked.
No child could resist the temptation of ice cream. Emily immediately jumped down from Leon’s arms, hopping and skipping around with her favorite bubblegum ice cream.
“What about me?” Leon pointed at himself. “Didn't I get any ice cream?” He looked at Ada with exaggerated disappointment.
Ada glanced at Emily, then at Leon, a grown man still acting like a child over ice cream.
“Oh, Leon…...” Ada laughed softly before lifting the strawberry cone in her hand. “I can’t finish this myself anyway. You don’t mind sharing, do you?”
Of course Leon didn’t mind. He lowered his head and took a huge bite out of her strawberry ice cream without hesitation.
“Tch.” Ada stared at the cone that was now more than half gone.
“What?” Leon grinned, clearly pleased with himself. “You said you couldn’t finish it.”
“I didn’t realize you were this greedy.” Ada frowned.
Emily held her bubblegum ice cream and looked back and forth between them before speaking with complete seriousness.
“Grace told me that people who steal other’s snacks are childish.”
“Hear that?” Ada raised an eyebrow.
“This is called reasonable sharing.” Leon replied without missing a beat.
By then, Emily had already stopped listening. Her feet wandered in two completely different directions as she continued happily eating her ice cream.
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“Uncle Leon! Auntie Ada! Hurry up! The car’s parked up ahead, right?” Emily turned around from farther ahead, waving excitedly at them. The blue of the bubblegum ice cream stains circled her lips.
Leon walked over and pulled a tissue from his pocket to wipe her mouth clean.
“Hold still kiddo. You got it everywhere.”
“That’s because bubblegum flavor is the best~”
“I still think strawberry tastes better.” After wiping her mouth, he absentmindedly fixed her clothes and smoothed her hair too.
“That’s because you were stealing mine.” Ada replied.
Leon couldn’t help laughing, then he received a kick from his wife.
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On the walk back to the parking lot, Emily gradually quieted down. Children always burned through their energy quickly. Not long after getting into the car, she fell asleep in the back seat, hugging her little backpack.
Leon kept both hands on the steering wheel and glanced at the sleeping girl through the rearview mirror.
“She’s asleep,” he said quietly.
“Mhm.” Ada leaned against the car window and looked back at her too.
After a brief silence, Leon suddenly smiled.
“What?” Ada asked.
“Nothing.” He looked ahead at the streetlights flickering on outside, his voice soft.
“It’s just… I never imagined I’d end up doing something like this someday. Picking a kid up after school.”
“I thought I’d just spend the rest of my life fighting the kick-ass B.O.Ws, you know?”
“ Well, I think you actually suit it.”
Leon glanced sideways at her.
“What? Being a chauffeur?”
Ada watched the streetlights pass by outside the window and smiled faintly.
“This kind of life.”