Chapter 24: Simone, Whose Side Are You On?

Leon was aware that Simone had chosen mechanical engineering as her minor in college, but he was still surprised by her ability to repair various electrical appliances.

Aaron, on the other hand, had no idea that his younger sister possessed this skill. She had been at home for over a year and had never mentioned it to them. However, he didn’t consider that even if she had mentioned it, the Grays would likely have dismissed it as unimportant. They might have even criticized her for not focusing on more substantial pursuits.

Meanwhile, Jodie couldn’t help but curse Simone in her mind. She believed that Simone had hidden her abilities too well during her time at home, and now she was intentionally showcasing them on the program. Jodie thought to herself, “Such a cunning person.”

As Jodie looked at the abundance of food on the table compared to their meager supplies, she couldn’t help but feel jealous. She wondered what the big deal was about being able to fix appliances. She thought, “She’ll enjoy her time in the spotlight for a day or two. Let’s see how long she can stay in the limelight when there are no more appliances to fix.”

Jodie stared at the pork and chicken on the table and commented, “Wow, you guys received a lot of food today. Will you be able to finish it all?” Smiling, she continued, “The weather is hot, and we don’t have a refrigerator where we live. I wonder if the meat will spoil by tomorrow.”

They had spent most of the day picking fruit, but their reward did not include any meat. The family they worked for had only given them a few eggs, rice, eggplants, cucumbers, cabbage, and potatoes.

With her statement, Jodie hoped that Simone and the others would share some of their meat. After all, it would go to waste if they couldn’t finish it, and that would be a shame. Of course, if Simone refused, it could also make her appear stingy.

Simone easily understood the implied meaning in Jodie’s words. She thought, “She thinks the meat will spoil if we can’t finish it, so they want a portion.” With a smile, she responded, “It won’t spoil. An old lady taught us to hang the meat in a basket in the well to keep it fresh. Luckily, our yard has a well.”

Jodie was visibly annoyed by Simone’s apparent pretense. She decided to be more direct. “You won’t be able to finish all of this.”

Simone raised an eyebrow and replied, “You don’t need to worry about that.”

Zac proudly added, “Simone earned all of this meat by repairing electrical appliances.” Then, he looked at Jodie with a smirk. “If you want meat, earn it yourself. Don’t try to take ours. They wouldn’t even share the meat with the sibling duo, even if they were going to feed it to dogs.”

Jodie was shocked by his blunt words. She thought, “Crave meat? How can he say that? He knows I’m from an affluent family and have tasted all kinds of meat. I’ve only recently learned to cook a few meat dishes during my previous cooking lessons. I just wanted to showcase my cooking skills and divert attention from Simone. But his words make it sound like I’m desperately craving meat.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and her voice quivered as she said, “I didn’t want it, and I wasn’t trying to take it. I just thought you had so much meat, and I wanted to remind you that it might go bad. That’s all.”

However, Jodie’s pitiable appearance failed to elicit sympathy from Zac. He rolled his eyes and said, “Don’t mock me just because I’m uneducated. Despite my lack of education, I can still understand the meaning behind your words.”

Jodie had never been publicly teased like this before, especially not by someone she had a crush on. She felt wronged and her voice quivered with a hint of crying. “I really didn’t—”

At this moment, Aaron couldn’t stand to see his younger sister being bullied, so he spoke up. He glared and said, “Since you know you’re uneducated, maybe you should speak less and not pick on girls all the time.”

Zac clicked his tongue, remarking, “Yes, yes, I’m uneducated. I’m not as smart as you Grays, who are academic geniuses. But being smart at speaking doesn’t mean you’re always right.”

Aaron frowned and said, “Simone, whose side are you on?”

Simone replied boldly, “I stand with whoever is in the right.”

Seeing the three of them bickering, Joanna stepped in to lighten the mood. “Come on, let’s keep the focus on our tasks. We don’t have time for this.”

Aaron reluctantly agreed, but he was still upset that Simone hadn’t sided with him and Jodie.

Zac scoffed, “This guy clearly wanted our meat, but when confronted, she denied it. She’s so transparent.”

Aaron blindly protecting his sister is like my neighbor’s doting brother.

“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 Jodie.”

Zac indeed lacks the level of education that Aaron has, 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.

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.

Simone’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.

4o