369: [Bonus chapter] From zero to hero

[Bonus chapter] From zero to hero

[Hunter's Zone]1

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A round of applause came from the round table near the shooting range, watching the woman take down all the moving paper targets consecutively.

"Wow…" Axel clapped in awe, watching Ivy put down the pistol on the surface before her. "... did she practice before coming in here? She's better than before."

"Haha. Ivy always finds a way to be better," said a man around the same table as Axel.

Axel slowly set his eyes on the guys around the same table. There were four of them, including him. All of them were around the same age as his brother, but to be fair, Dominic was the only person who acted as if he was twice everyone's age. 

"Where's your brother, Axel?" asked another man with a man bun. "Don't tell me he's going to ditch us again?"

"I don't know." Axel shrugged. "It's not like I am my brother's nanny. I won't even blame him if he changed his mind! Even I will change my mind with the thought of spending a few hours of my precious time with you guys!"

The three men chuckled at Axel's remarks, not taking those words to heart. 

"You guys shouldn't judge Dominic like that." Ivy's words reached them, making the four guys (Axel, included) shift their attention to her approaching figure. "I'm sure he won't ditch us like that."

Ivy joined them, taking the vacant seat. Her smile remained, taking the bottle of juice on the table. The guys kept their eyes on her, but only Axel didn't bear the slight admiration or interest of the woman. 

"I said it earlier, but that you're rocking that short hair," said the first guy who complimented her earlier. 

"Thanks, Will." Ivy chuckled. "I didn't know I will like it as well."

"Well, it suits you. You look prettier."

"This is not the time for your romantic advances, Will." The man with a man bun humored, teasing the man named Will. 

William Chen, the heir of Crown Hotel chains, shrugged slightly at his friend. He got to try until he succeeded, right? After all, Ivy Wei was an elite among the elite. Not just that, but Ivy Wei was a successful individual as well. 

If any of them wanted to marry, she would be at the top of their list. 

"You don't even know if she's single," the other guy added, turning his attention to Ivy for some small talk. "Vy, are you still single? Or did you hook up with any foreigner while you were abroad?"

"To be honest, I will not meet you guys if not for the fact that you were, unfortunately, my friends." Ivy rolled her eyes, warranting playful chuckles from her friends. "No. Who has time for dating? I'm busy."

"Man… at this point, you'll be old to get married."

Ivy smirked, glossing her eyes over the guys before her eyes settled on Axel. Her brows slightly rose, seeing that Axel was swirling his drink with the straw while yawning. 

"Axel, are you alright?" she asked, watching Axel look back at them. "You seem a little… distracted."

"Ah? Well, I feel slightly sleepy." Axel couldn't help but yawn again. "I've been working myself to the bones that six hours of sleep feel like an hour."

"That's what you call adulting."

"If this is adulting, I want to stay young forever." Axel frowned, staring at his brother's friend, who was his friend as well. 

This man with a man bun right here who had been teasing William Chen was the person who owned this private target shooting range, Jeremy Li. He was the oldest, but he was the most playful among them. Axel liked the guy, as he was a lot cooler than the other two. However, Axel felt slightly bored with their company. 

"Also, why are you worrying about Ivy's relationship status?" he remarked, indicating he was listening despite his lack of interest. "William, you should just propose to her if you really like her. It's painful to see you try, but don't try enough."

"Axel…" Ivy raised her brows at Axel. "What are you saying? Will and I are friends."

"Ivy, you're smart. It's not a secret that Will likes you since forever!"

"Come on, man. You're making me a little embarrassed." Will scratched his head, but not stopping Axel because that was true. 

His admiration for Ivy Wei was no secret, but she had always acted as if she didn't know. Impossible. With how obvious everyone was, she would catch on. 

Ivy let out a deep exhale, looking at Axel helplessly. The latter had always been known as an insensitive prick, but Axel had always been overprotective of her. It was the reason none of these guys were able to make advances toward her, because Axel was always on guard. 

Hence, Axel was strange today.

"Jeremy, you should take Axel to the private lounge area," she suggested to the man, Jeremy Li. "I think Axel is tired."

YAWN…

Axel yawned again while waving dismissively. "I'm okay. I'm just waiting for my brother. I hope he's bringing lunch with him."

"Why would he bring lunch when there's food here?" Jeremy asked. "Also, I don't think your brother is the type to bring food anywhere with him. Does he even eat?"

"Hey, don't judge my brother with such a judgemental tone." Axel frowned. "My sis is taking care of him, alright? I even missed her cooking."

Axel's frown deepened, thinking that it had been days since Heaven sent food to his home. He was busy and couldn't visit them, but Heaven would still habitually send him some food containers filled with her cooking. His supply already ran out. 

The three guys and then Ivy looked at Axel with slight puzzlement. They looked at each other, only to realize all of them have the same question. 

Since when did Axel ever talk about his sister-in-law with such affection? Or was he just tired that his tone sounded differently?

The question in their mind didn't linger for too long as Axel's lazy demeanor changed in a snap of a finger.

"Sis!" Axel sprung up to his feet, dashing away from the table. Seeing how his mood changed from zero to hero, everyone around the table turned their heads to where he sprinted to. 

As soon as everyone did, their eyes instantly fell on Dominic and then on the beautiful lady walking beside him. 

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