At this moment, Aaron couldn’t stand to see his younger sister being bullied, so he spoke up. He glared at Zac and said, “Since you know you’re uneducated, maybe you should speak less and not pick on girls all the time.”
Zac chuckled in response, remarking, “Yes, yes, I’m uneducated. I’m not as smart as your siblings, who are academic geniuses. But being honest and speaking the truth doesn’t mean I always pick on girls. Don’t accuse me and label me without any basis.”
Simone sided with Zac, saying, “You’re entitled to your opinions, but doesn’t Zac have the right to speak the truth? You’re being domineering and applying a double standard, Aaron.” She was more than willing to join forces with Zac to counter Sc*mbag No. 5.
Furious, Aaron asked, “Simone, whose side are you on?” He thought, It was inappropriate for my sister to help those I don’t like to gang up on me.
Simone replied boldly, “I stand with whoever is in the right.”
Zac interjected with a self-assured tone, pointing to himself, “You heard that? I’m right.”
Upon seeing the three of them bickering, Jonah’s face broke into a bright smile. Good. Continue fighting and keep the buzz going. Who says that everyone has to be best buddies in variety shows? Why pretend to be harmonious when you clearly don’t like each other? It’s the conflicts that make it real!
He wasn’t worried about Simone either, as he had long been aware of her intelligence and rationality. If she came on the livestream and immediately took the opposing side of the Gray siblings and Leon, she must have had her reasons. He didn’t think it was just for stirring up controversy. Instead, he believed that there was likely some twist or turn coming up.
He anticipated a significant twist or development that would captivate the audience. So, he chose to refrain from intervening and instead watch the two factions clash.
In the live chat, fans of Aaron and Jodie began hurling insults at Zac and Simone.
Meanwhile, fans of Zac and Simone were growing impatient with the Gray siblings, portraying Aaron as an overprotective sibling and Jodie as a schemer.
‘This girl clearly wanted their meat, but when confronted, she denied it. She’s so fake.’
‘Aaron blindly protecting his sister is like my next-door neighbor, a doting sibling fanatic.’
‘This guy has a creepy sister complex.’
‘If Aaron has a girlfriend and gets into a dispute with his sister, who would he support?’
‘Of course, he’d side with Jojo!’
‘Our Zachy indeed lacks the level of education that Aaron has.’
‘It’s just that he was admitted early to a prestigious music academy abroad at the age of 15. It’s not worth mentioning anyway.’
‘Right, Zachy may not have a formal education, but he managed to complete all his credits in just two years and graduated early with outstanding grades.’
‘Then, he returned to gaming, and within a year, he won a world championship. He should be pursuing a more conventional career…’
‘I remember Zeus being fluent in four foreign languages, but he does lack a bit of formal education…’
‘Sigh, we’ve tried to encourage Zachy to study harder, but he simply won’t listen.’
Zac’s fans engaged in self-deprecating humor and playfully teased Aaron’s fans.
Then someone posed a question.
‘What did Aaron mean earlier? Why does he think Simone should be on his side?’
‘Previously, Simone practiced dancing with him alone, and the paparazzi exposed it.’
‘There’s definitely something going on between these two.’
‘Could they have had a secret romance before? Did Simone get dumped by Aaron?’
‘It doesn’t seem likely. From the beginning of the show, it was Aaron who initiated conversations with Simone.’
‘Simone seems to be avoiding getting close to him. That doesn’t seem like someone who got dumped.’
‘But there’s undoubtedly some connection or conflict between them.’
‘Let’s investigate this, paparazzi.’
Among the viewers, there was actually someone who owned a paparazzi company.
Upon reading the comments, they also felt that the relationship between Simone and Aaron was worth further investigation. If they uncovered something, it could be a major revelation. So, they instructed their paparazzi team to get to work.
Aaron realized that engaging in verbal disputes with Zac and Simone was a surefire way to invite trouble. They countered his comments every time, which frustrated him, mainly because Simone consistently took Zac’s side. Aaron began to question if she genuinely considered him her brother. The more he dwelled on this, the more discomfort and jealousy grew within him. After all, she was his sister, not Zac’s. As he directed his gaze towards Zac, a flicker of hostility became apparent on his face.
Furthermore, a previous incident concerning slots had already created a rift between them. This made Aaron wonder whether Zac had ulterior motives to separate his sister from him. When Aaron locked eyes with Simone, her demeanor appeared cold. Aaron realized that this situation couldn’t continue. He couldn’t allow Zac to take his sister away. He needed to find a way to bring her back.
Regarding the request from the four brothers to teach her a lesson and make her realize her mistake, he could temporarily set that aside.
Being her brother, allowing her to win for once didn’t appear to be a significant matter. It was a means to mend their relationship and avoid giving Zac the satisfaction of victory. With this in mind, he turned to her and asked in a gentler tone, “Are you cooking this afternoon?” Even though Jodie had recently started cooking, he still believed Simone’s culinary skills were superior.
Simone glanced at Aaron and replied, “Someone invited us for a meal, so I’m not cooking.”
This left him speechless. He had initially planned to approach her while she was cooking to help mend the relationship.
On the side, Zac noticed Aaron’s attitude toward Simone was slightly off. She was generally easygoing, but there was a lingering resentment toward Aaron and Jodie. Suddenly, it struck Zac that the Gray Family had found their long-lost daughter, yet they hadn’t disclosed her identity publicly or included her in social gatherings. What perplexed him was that they still treated their adopted daughter as the family’s heiress.
When he recalled the past few days of interaction between the Gray siblings and Simone, he suspected she might be the long-lost daughter the Gray Family had found. It seemed like they mistreated her, which led her to distance herself from the Gray siblings and potentially harbor a sense of aversion toward them. At this moment, Zac felt like he finally understood.
This realization further deepened Zac’s dislike for Aaron and Jodie. He pondered, If Simone wants to distance herself from them, why do they keep insisting on approaching her? They’re so annoying.
He smiled smugly at Aaron and said, “Don’t worry; I’ll take pictures of the meal and share them in the group chat when we eat. Then, you’ll know what you’re missing.”
Aaron was left speechless, thinking, Who the hell wants to see what you’re eating? That’s just masochistic. He snickered sarcastically and said, “Well, thank you.”
With a grin, Zac responded, “You’re welcome. I’ll satisfy your curiosity since you seem to enjoy it.”
Aaron was at a loss for words, thinking, This guy is as annoying as ever. “That’s unnecessary; it’s too much trouble,” he refused.
Nevertheless, Zac happily said, “No worries, it’s not troublesome.”
Aaron struggled to contain his annoyance, unable to comprehend Zac’s obliviousness. Since it was a livestream, he held back from voicing his true feelings, but he felt both irritated and frustrated.
Meanwhile, Simone observed Aaron’s efforts to suppress his irritation and thought he deserved it. She found Zac even more endearing now.
Just as they arranged the food on the table and hung the meat in a basket over the well, Deuce came over to invite the four of them to dinner at his home.
In gratitude for saving the children’s lives, Deuce’s family had explicitly gone to town to purchase chicken, duck, and fish, preparing a hearty home-cooked meal.
Before they began eating, Zac snapped a photo with his phone and shared it in the group chat.
On the other side, Jodie was responsible for washing and chopping vegetables to showcase her efforts. She had put a lot of work into preparing four dishes and one soup, presenting them in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
The other three each took a bite of the dishes, finding them edible but rather ordinary in flavor. Leyla thought the food wasn’t as good as the meals they had on set.
Their phones chimed with notifications, and they opened the group chat to find Zac’s shared photo. It displayed a table filled with various dishes, and although it lacked the presentation of a restaurant, the food looked delicious.
All four of them, including Jodie, suddenly lost their appetites. However, being hungry from a long day’s work, they had no choice but to continue eating.
Moments later, more notifications arrived. They clicked on them almost masochistically, only to see Zac taking a selfie while enjoying a drumstick. The selfie was accompanied by a message. ‘This drumstick is roasted to perfection. It’s so good!’
After a while, he deliberately sent pictures of grilled shrimp and deep-fried pork ribs with a message.
‘These shrimps are grilled to perfection and have a delightful sweetness. Delicious!’
‘First time trying oregano pork ribs. Yum!’
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.