Based on his concern for her, she was certain he wouldn’t let her continue walking.
And indeed, he responded with a disapproving look, “Walking uphill in these shoes will definitely be too much for your feet.”
How could his dear sister hike on a mountain path wearing high heels? Moreover, her dress was so long that someone might accidentally step on it at any moment. He himself was wearing flat leather shoes and a suit, yet he felt uncomfortable walking in them!
Hearing the conversation between the siblings, Jonah did not find them overly dramatic or annoying; on the contrary, he was excited deep down. Here’s a hot topic right after the opening! He spread his hands with a look of resignation, saying, “We can’t help it. This is the only road leading to the village.”
Aaron was displeased. “Can’t you figure out a solution? Can motorcycles go up there?”
Before Jonah could answer, Zac shot a glance at the siblings and scoffed. “Just blame yourselves for dressing up like this despite knowing we’re filming this reality show in the countryside.” He wore casual clothes and sneakers, especially for this purpose. Also, he noticed that apart from the siblings and Leyla, the other guests were dressed suitably for trekking. So, it’s their problem. He continued sarcastically, “You didn’t come prepared, and you’re being dramatic?”
Everyone present was stunned by his words, not expecting him to be so blunt. The rumors are true. This guy does have a sharp tongue, thought the other guests.
Both Keira and Eric were also quite speechless about how the siblings and Leyla were dressed. You’re asking for it if you come to participate in a rural reality show dressed like this.
Aaron’s face darkened at Zac’s mockery. “We didn’t expect to stay in the mountains!” He had watched other reality shows where the villages people visited had accessible roads. Moreover, Jodie’s outfit was something Titus hoped would impress the show’s viewers. Who would have thought that the production team would be so sneaky?
Zac raised an eyebrow, arguing, “The production team has informed us that this show would be filmed in the countryside. Even if you didn’t expect there to be mountain paths, is it proper for you to dress up like this? If I hadn’t known, I’d think you were here for an awards ceremony.”
It was hard not to burst into laughter at his words, not to mention that his sarcastic description was quite on the mark.
Jodie did not expect the man to mock them so bluntly in front of everyone and could not help but feel aggrieved. What an insensitive man! However, the more he treated her like this, the more she wanted to win him over. With a hint of stubbornness, she gave in. “It’s okay, I’m fine. I can keep walking.”
Seeing Aaron’s darkening expression and Jodie’s teary eyes, Simone inwardly gave Zac a thumbs up.
Seeing the situation, Leon could not help but say, “She probably didn’t expect a mountain path. It’s normal for girls to like wearing dresses and high heels, isn’t it? There’s no use arguing so much about this right now. We need to find a way to help our two female guests here get up there smoothly.”
Seeing him step in, Simone knew it was not because he was showing care for the ladies but because he wanted to save Jodie from embarrassment.
Zac did not buy his excuse, though. “Well then, Mr. Foster, what do you suggest we do now?”
Leon was lost for words. How do I know what to do? However, the ball was now in his court, plus he noticed the look of gratitude Jodie gave him. He turned to look at Jonah, asking, “Can we get a few motorcycles to get the female guests up there?” He deliberately referred to all female guests, not wanting Jodie to be singled out for special treatment, or it might affect her popularity with the viewers.
Jonah replied apologetically, “The mountain road here is quite steep, even for motorcycles. Some villagers do ride up there alone, but taking passengers could be risky, so we can’t provide you guys with motorcycles.”
Who can take responsibility if something goes wrong? For a while, everyone was at a loss for what to do.
Meanwhile, fans of Zac, Aaron, and Jodie began arguing in the live chat. Aaron and Jodie’s fans criticized Zac for being rude and mannerless by mocking Jodie, the little fairy, whereas Leon was praised by them for being a courteous and warm-hearted man, forming a stark contrast with Zac.
However, Zac’s fans refused to back down, arguing that it was inappropriate and posey for Jodie to participate in a rural reality show dressed like this. Isn’t she being a burden on everyone right now? And besides, Zeus is just telling the truth. How does that make him rude and mannerless? Can’t they let someone tell them when they’re wrong?
As for casual viewers watching the live stream and the argument in the live chat, they also found Jodie somewhat less likable.
On the mountain path, Jonah looked at everyone, asking, “Does anyone have a solution? It’s indeed unlikely for Miss Jodie to walk to our destination wearing high heels.”
Simone replied, “That’s easy!”
Everyone shifted their gaze toward her, waiting for her to continue.
She continued, “She probably has flat shoes in her suitcase. She can just change into them.” Then, she added, “Of course, if she didn’t bring any flat shoes or insists on walking in high heels, she can do that, too. If she can’t, she can let someone close to her piggyback her uphill.”
After saying that, she darted a look at Aaron, implying that if Jodie could not walk, she could always turn to her doting brother for help. Here’s to you, Sc*mbag No. 5. This would also ruin Jodie’s plans for establishing a ‘tough girl’ persona for herself.
Aaron’s expression froze at her words. He found it difficult to even walk up there by himself, let alone give Jodie a piggyback. He thus turned to look at her, asking, “Jo, did you bring shoes that are comfortable for walking?”
Inwardly, she cursed Simone for being a busybody. Had Simone not spoken up at this moment, she would have established her image as a tough little fairy; after walking for a while, she would have conveniently ‘recalled’ the flat shoes in her suitcase and changed into them. Now that she could not establish that image anymore, she had no choice but to slap herself lightly on the head, saying, “Oh, my! Had Simone not mentioned it, I would’ve forgotten I’d brought them.”
Everyone else was left speechless. How can you forget such a thing?
Zac sneered with a look of incredulity. Since entering the entertainment industry, he had seen too many people who acted one way in front of others and another behind their backs. Of course, he did not bother to care about them as long as these people did not mess with him. That being said, he seriously did not have a good impression of this Jodie girl.
At a previous party he attended, she had approached him while pretending to be innocent, trying to flirt with him. Do I look like someone who’s indiscriminate with women? Now, knowing that we’re going to film the show in the countryside, she dresses in such a scheme and pretends to forget her shoes. Maybe she’s trying to establish some kind of a ‘tough girl’ persona. In his heart, he grew wary of Jodie. I have to keep my distance from this woman from now on.
Seeing his expression, Jodie felt even more aggrieved. This guy is going too far! However, she also knew that the best way to deal with this situation was to quickly find her shoes and change into them. Consequently, she was just about to go to the crew members who were helping everyone carry their luggage to get her shoes.
Aaron stopped her, though. “I’ll get them for you.” The uneven dirt road made him worry that she might accidentally sprain her ankle.
Seeing how much he doted on Jodie, Simone did not feel upset. In reality, she could not wait for him to act like a doting brother who spoiled his dear sister in every way possible on the show. After all, nobody knew yet that Jodie was not his biological sister. Once her relationship with them was revealed later, she would no longer be singled out for blame.
He doesn’t care about his sister, who’d gone missing for years and was nearly sold to the mountains, instead favoring his adopted sister unconditionally. And here’s the thing – these two aren’t related by blood. Won’t such intimate gestures lead people to think that there’s another kind of relationship between them?
Simone had previously discovered at Gray Residence that Jodie was extremely possessive of her five elder brothers. Not only that, she had a habitual fondness for intimate physical contact with them, hugging and cuddling them even when they were already adults. For instance, she had acted like a spoiled child in the living room, asking her brothers to carry her back to her bedroom. She was quick to rest her head intimately on her brothers’ shoulders and would even take the initiative to hold hands with them.
Sc*mbag No. 1 has a fiancee, but whenever she comes to the house, Jodie will always be tempted to seek his attention, making him neglect his girlfriend and focus solely on his ‘sister’ as if to declare sovereignty over him. Sc*mbag No. 2 had his eyes on a female celebrity and intended to pursue her, but Jodie furtively sabotaged his plans. Not only did she make him give up his pursuit of the female celebrity, he even developed an aversion toward her.
Since this was a live show, Jodie and Aaron’s intimate gestures were bound to reveal themselves. The more everyone praised them for their deep sibling love for each other right now, the harsher the criticisms they would face in the future.
Real sibling affections aren’t like this. I’ll let those who previously called me a player take a good look and see who the real player is.
Aaron fetched Jodie’s shoes and even helped her put them on.
As expected, their fans who were watching the live stream exclaimed excitedly at Aaron’s caring gesture and praised them for being wonderful siblings.
Even the fans of the other guests and casual viewers thought that Aaron and Jodie had a remarkably close relationship. They wished they had a brother like Aaron who doted on his sister, especially those who argued and fought with their own siblings every day. They flooded the live chat with comments expressing their desire for such a loving brother.
After Jodie finished changing her shoes, they continued walking uphill.
Since it was inconvenient to change clothes, Jodie had no choice but to let her dress drag on the ground. Aaron even volunteered to hold up her dress as they walked. While this might be normal at a party or an awards ceremony, it looked out of place on the narrow and steep mountain path.
Leyla, wearing flat leather shoes, also found it difficult to walk on the mountain path in a long dress. She had to keep holding it up with her hands, which made her appear awkward.
Many people wanted to criticize Jodie and Leyla for their choice of attire despite knowing they were filming a reality show in the countryside. By comparison, Simone and Keira were dressed appropriately for walking and performing labor.
After walking for half an hour, Leyla coquettishly declared that she couldn’t go on and needed a break.
In reality, Jodie couldn’t walk any longer either. Despite changing her shoes, her dress still hindered her. Moreover, having been pampered by the Gray Family for so many years, she had never walked on such a difficult mountain path for such a long time. However, she knew she couldn’t show her exhaustion, as it might affect her popularity with the show’s viewers. She gritted her teeth and persevered, especially when she saw Simone effortlessly walking. Hearing Leyla ask for a break, she felt relieved.
Indeed, Leyla’s appearance and fragility at that moment caused many viewers to have a less favorable opinion of her.
Jonah allowed everyone to rest for over ten minutes.
After another half hour of walking, the village finally came into view. They continued walking until the crew stopped at the entrance to a small farmhouse.
Simone had been practicing martial arts almost every day since she was little to stay in shape. As a result, she didn’t feel tired after over an hour of trekking.
Apart from her, only Zac, who regularly worked out and even practiced kickboxing, looked relaxed. Everyone else, including Keira, who had been in good shape at the beginning, was almost ready to collapse from exhaustion. During the last half hour, Keira even needed Simone’s support.
Jodie felt like her legs were about to give up at any moment. If she were at home or the episode wasn’t being live-streamed, she would have burst into tears of frustration in front of Aaron. At that moment, she leaned against him, wearing an expression that said, “I’m tired, but I’ll keep going.”
Feeling sorry for her, Aaron put his arm around her shoulders to support her. “Jo, you must be tired, aren’t you? I’ll massage your feet when we get inside.”
Jodie glanced at Simone, who was standing nearby, and replied sweetly, “Okay! Thank you so much, Aaron!” Simone must be upset and jealous after hearing what Aaron said. It would be even better if she says something thoughtless later.
He patted her head with his free hand and replied, “Thanks for what? You’re my sister, after all.” However, he suddenly remembered that his other sister was there too. He couldn’t help but shift his gaze towards Simone somewhat sheepishly, but she wasn’t looking at him at all. Instead, she was talking to Keira.
For some reason, he breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he also felt a little disappointed. If Simone hadn’t fallen out with his family, she would probably have taken the initiative to ask if his feet hurt. Then, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was because they were being live-streamed that Simone acted so indifferent towards him. The live stream will be paused after we get inside and take a break. After that, she’ll probably come to me on her own and massage my legs with special techniques.
He was still contemplating whether he should reluctantly forgive her if she came to make up with him or give her the cold shoulder and make her understand the consequences of her actions.
Just then, Jonah pushed open the gate to the farmhouse and smiled, gesturing for the eight guests to enter. “This farmhouse has been specially arranged for all of you by our production team. Although it may not compare to the two best brick-and-tile houses in the village, the conditions here are among the top five in the village.”
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.