From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 238: A Child’s Words, A Soldier’s Memory

Micah had just turned to leave, brushing a hand against his jacket, when something soft and small slammed into his leg.

He staggered half a step before looking down. Arlo. The boy’s tiny arms were wrapped tightly around his leg, clinging. His round eyes were wide and teary, his lips trembling.

"Arlo?" Micah bent down immediately, concerned. "Why are you here? Where is your nanny? Weren’t you with other kids?"

"I don’t want to play with them anymore," he muttered. "They said mean things about you."

Micah looked at Arlo in puzzlement. "What are you talking about?" He reached out and gently cupped the back of Arlo’s head, coaxing him into loosening his grip so they could talk face to face.

"They said..." Arlo sniffed. "Something like... You are a bad person. Always fighting."

Micah paused.

Owen stepped closer, shoulders stiff. "Arlo," he said in a low tone, his voice filled with warning.

"That’s okay, Uncle," Micah said, crouching down. His knee pressed into the floor, and he rested one arm on his thigh, so he could meet Arlo at eye level.

"You know," he began gently. "Fighting is bad, yeah. Hurting others for no reason, definitely not something to be proud of."

Arlo tilted his head, confusion filling his face.

"But..." Micah continued. "If you’re standing up to bullies or protecting someone, that’s when it becomes something else. That’s when it’s called courage. And that’s something people should praise."

Arlo frowned, trying to understand. "Huh?"

"Let’s say, your father saw some bad guys bullying a poor kid, what would he do? Just standing watching? Saying fighting is bad?"

Arlo didn’t even hesitate. He puffed his chest and said, "Of course not, my father would beat them up and save the kid!"

"Yeah? That’s right. He is a hero, isn’t he? That’s the thing everyone would praise you for. Remember that. Okay?" Micah said, ruffling Arlo’s hair. "Don’t care what people say, a good heart always shines in the end. You do whatever is right to do." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Arlo’s eyes lit up. He nodded enthusiastically.

"But next time," Micah added. "If someone says bad things about me, just get up and walk away. Don’t argue with them, their hearts are so dark, they won’t get it even if you shout."

Arlo bit his lip. "Okay."

Micah offered his hand, palm up. "Come on, let’s go find your mum."

Arlo grinned now, slipping his smaller hand into Micah’s without hesitation. Micah stood up, smoothing the crease on his pants with one hand. Before walking away, he gave Seth and the others a nod.

As Micah led Arlo away, the group behind him watched in silence for a moment.

"Wow. He is really good with kids," Seth murmured, unable to bring himself and stop Micah, separating him from the little boy. Even if he needed to talk to him, now wasn’t the time.

Owen Booker spoke suddenly. "Yeah. He has a soft heart."

There was something different in Owen’s expression now. A shadow of memory flickered behind his eyes, and he tilted his chin as if deciding whether to speak.

"What he told my son just now," Owen continued. "He had done it himself."

William and Seth turned toward him, curious.

"He was just five years old. He caught three older boys, Aria’s classmates, harassing his sister. When we found him," he paused, brows drawing together. "Micah was standing there with a bruised body, but the other three were on the ground. The funny thing was, after that incident, people said he was violent, a troublemaker. Instead of praising him for protecting his sister."

William and Seth exchanged glances. The lieutenant general they knew rarely spoke, especially like this. He was even worse than William at talking. But defending Micah like that...

Seth’s lips curled into a small smile. "Sounds like young master Micah was already uptight from a young age. Even now, he is remarkable. My family and I will always be indebted to him for saving Leo."

Owen’s expression fluctuated before returning to normal. He just nodded. "If you excuse me," he said quietly and walked after Arlo and Micah, almost like he was escaping.

Seth’s smile deepened. "Man, Micah is really a firecracker, huh? Even Lieutenant General Booker is afraid of him. He fled before we could say anything more. Now, I’m itching to recruit him into my unit."

William leaned in and whispered to Seth’s ear, his voice frosty. "Oh? Did you change your type? It seems I’m no longer enough for you. You are all eyes for someone younger now. Some fresh..."

Seth put his hand on William’s mouth in a rush. "Shut up," he hissed. "You know I’m just paying attention to him because of Leo."

"Really?" he put down Seth’s hand coldly. "You couldn’t take your eyes off him, praising him left and right..."

"I’m twice his age. He could be my son!" Seth said through gritted teeth.

"I can give you one if that’s what you want..."

Seth glared at him. "Stop with the nonsense."

William stared at him intensely before straightening up. Seth’s ears were pink now, bright and undeniable.

A slow smirk passed William’s face. "So...what now?" he asked.

Seth rubbed his ears before narrowing his eyes. "With what we heard, I’m guessing Micah helped Leo on a whim. He would probably do that for anybody," he said with a sigh. "How am I supposed to tell Leo that?"

Seth massaged his temple in frustration. "But seriously, isn’t it strange that the rumour about Leo’s saviour is so bad?"

"He doesn’t care to clarify," William replied. "Maybe it’s a defensive mechanism."

Seth looked at him and thought for a bit. It made sense. If Micah were sensitive, showing vulnerability, a weakness... people would press harder, thinking he was an easy target. He would be hurt even more.

But the real problem was Leo. He had become so fixated on Micah that even he didn’t care about his career as a star anymore. His situation with Twilight Entertainment had been stuck without any progress. But Leo didn’t show any sign of anxiety or determination to solve the deadlock.

Seth clenched his jaw.

He needed to talk to Micah. It was the only way. Only Micah could bring Leo back, shattering his growing obsession.

"I’m going after him. Stay here." Seth said and walked in the direction where Micah disappeared.