American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

And so, the time came to the seventh day of the Christmas holiday.

That day, after Mike had spent the whole day playing with Lina alone, he was surprised to see the Peggy sisters in the living room when he returned home.

Merry Christmas!

After delivering her Christmas greetings, Peggy smiled and said, "Mike, I watched your performance on 'Merry Christmas Day,' and the songs were really good."

The little girl's words of praise, though somewhat ambiguous, were her sincere feelings.

Peggy had seen the manuscripts of Michael's songs before.

At the time, she thought the song was good, but she never imagined that it would be so well-received when performed by Mike and others.

It's no exaggeration to say that this new Christmas song has become a phenomenon in Texas since it aired on television.

If an entertainment company were willing to promote them, it wouldn't be impossible for this song alone to turn Mike and the girls from the "Devil Body Group" into big stars.

"Thank you."

Mike wasn't particularly interested in becoming an entertainment star. He chuckled and then asked curiously, "What are you doing here? Where are Mr. Barry and the others?"

As mentioned earlier, Christmas is an important day for family reunions. Barring unforeseen circumstances, whether traveling or relaxing at home, families will try their best to stay together.

According to Mike's observation, Peggy's parents were not present to accompany the two sisters.

“My parents wanted a sweet Christmas trip for the two of us, so they sent my sister and me here…” Peggy explained with a smile.

It's clear that the little girl wasn't disappointed at being abandoned by her parents on Christmas.

On the contrary, the closer relationship between her parents made her seem to be in a good mood.

“By the way, Mike. They already know about the event you planned for my parents last time.” After Peggy finished speaking, she took out a beautifully packaged gift box from her person, handed it to Mike, and continued, “This is a thank-you gift from them to you.”

Inside the box was a Parker pen, which MacArthur had used and praised highly.

When elders give fountain pens to younger generations at Christmas, it is very likely that they are wishing the younger generation to make further progress in their studies.

Of course, the Barry couple's gift of the pen to Mike was likely intended to demonstrate their approval of Mike's character.

"Please thank your parents for me. I really like this gift," Mike said with a smile after trying out the pen.

Although the gift's monetary value couldn't compare to Mike's sacrifice, its underlying meaning indicated that the Barry couple considered Mike one of their own.

It feels wonderful to receive kindness in return for such an effort.

"Mike, Peggy, stop chatting, it's time to eat." Just then, Connie's grandma, who had prepared dinner, appeared at the restaurant door and called out.

Grandma Connie was very happy that the Peggy sisters could come to her home for the holidays.

On the one hand, the more lively the house is during the holidays, the better. On the other hand, the Barry couple's behavior showed that they trusted Grandma Connie very much.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have felt comfortable leaving their daughter here on such an important day as Christmas.

Afterwards, Peggy and her sister joined the others for a Christmas dinner at their grandmother Connie's house.

In the pleasant atmosphere of dinner, Mary suggested that everyone go to church together the next morning.

Tomorrow is Saturday, which is also the first Sunday after Christmas.

Seeing Mary's expectant expression, everyone agreed to go to church together the next day.

Mike had been spending several days playing with Katie and the other girls, so he decided to take a day off tomorrow.

The next morning, Pastor Jeff led everyone in prayer and blessings at the church.

As the ceremony ended and Mike and his group prepared to leave the church, Mary spotted Veronica in a corner, her expression somber.

The girl, who was relatively close to the Cooper family, was sitting alone in the corner, looking both lonely and helpless.

“Wait, she looks like she needs help.” After observing her for a moment, Mary walked over to the girl.

“Veronica, what happened? You don’t look well,” Mary asked with concern.

The girl, lost in thought, looked up and saw the Cooper family and Connie's grandmother, among others.

"I..." Surprised by the large crowd, Veronica's expression became complicated as if she had thought of something unspeakable.

There are still many worshippers in the church, so it's clearly not a good place to discuss personal matters.

Grandma Connie, being observant, noticed this and said to the girl, "Veronica, right? Would you like to come to my house for a cup of hot chocolate?"

The girl, burdened by her worries, longed to confide in someone. Grandma Connie's suggestion was exactly what she wanted.

Then, a large group of people returned to Connie's maternal grandmother's house.

In a cozy spot, Veronica, holding a cup of hot chocolate, shared her troubles.

It turns out that during the Christmas season, the girl's single mother found a boyfriend from somewhere.

This man was not only rude and ill-mannered, but he had also sexually harassed the girl behind Veronica's mother's back.

Unfortunately, this man somehow managed to drug Veronica's mother, making her completely infatuated.

As a result, Veronica repeatedly hinted to her mother that the man she had found was not a good person, but all she received in return was a scolding from her mother.

This situation left the girl bewildered.

Not wanting to stay at home for even a moment longer, she used the excuse of attending church services to run away from home today.

"That's outrageous! I'm going to your house right now to get justice for you!" After hearing the girl's story, little George angrily set off to cause trouble for the man.

Although George had been rejected by Veronica before, he still couldn't let go of his first love.

What's more, his beloved was almost bullied by a despicable man.

This was something George couldn't tolerate.

"Calm down, little George," Mary said, stopping her eldest son after seeing his reaction.

Although she sympathized with the girl's plight, Mary, who had more life experience, realized that this was Veronica's family matter and that it was difficult for outsiders to interfere.

Unless Veronica's mother comes to her senses.

Chapter 204 Trouble is coming

"Are we just going to stand by and do nothing while Veronica is being bullied?" George, though suppressed by his mother, still said indignantly.

In fact, the kind of upsetting thing that the girl encountered was indeed very difficult to deal with.

Finally, it was Grandma Connie who spoke up: "How about this, Veronica stays with us for a few days. She can go home after that awful man is kicked out..."

According to Connie's grandmother, the man's character was so despicable that Veronica's mother would eventually discover his true colors and break up with him.

Before that, all everyone needed to do was protect Veronica and keep her from being harassed by that man.

Compared to George Jr.'s radical approach, Connie's relatively mild suggestion is clearly more suitable for handling the current situation.

After calming down, little George also agreed to Grandma Connie's suggestion.

He then said, "Veronica can stay in my room first..."

George had intended to offer the girl a place to stay at his house, promising to protect her. However, seeing the strange looks he received from the crowd, he realized they had misunderstood.

“I mean, she’ll stay in my room, and I’ll make do on the sofa for a few days,” George quickly explained.

He had been misunderstood by everyone in the same situation before.

“We didn’t think much of it…” George smiled and patted his eldest son on the shoulder, praising him, “You did the right thing; it proves you’ve grown up.”

Regardless, George's sincerity in protecting the girl this time is undeniable.

Veronica, who had received help, said gratefully, "Thank you, little George!"

For the girl who is currently in a quagmire, George's selfless act is like a ray of dawn.

"It's nothing, it's what I should do..." Little George, who didn't think he had done anything good, scratched his head a little embarrassedly after receiving the girl's sincere thanks.

But when she noticed that Peggy's sister Erica was also looking at her with an approving expression, she realized that...

Little George immediately straightened his back, striking a very manly pose, and said, "Don't worry, Veronica, with me here, no one can hurt you!"

Fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls are at an age where they admire heroes. Little George's current behavior is very much in line with the image of a hero.

Of course, this is on the premise that his smile isn't too exaggerated. Because no hero's mouth stretches to their ears when they're happy.

In any case, Veronica is now safe, having been settled in.

Then, in the following days, after selling the second batch of crystal balls, little George stopped his money-making plan.

He used the money he made from reselling the crystal ball to invite Veronica and Erica to go out for several rounds of fun.

Thus, he finally got to enjoy the treatment that only Mike received.

And just like that, another week passed.

On this day, a man reeking of alcohol knocked on the Cooper family's door.

"Who are you looking for?" George asked, frowning as he opened the door and saw the man's face.

The man, reeking of alcohol and looking listless, had large tattoos on his neck; he didn't look like a good person at all.

"Is Veronica with you?" the man asked.

"Who are you?" George had obviously figured out the man's identity, so while stalling for time, he did not open the door.

Seeing George's wary look, the man explained, "I'm Veronica's mother's boyfriend. She misses her daughter terribly, so she sent me to take her back..."

Just as George was wondering if the other person was lying, Veronica, who had heard the noise at the door, came to the door accompanied by George and the others.

Meanwhile, Connie's grandmother, who lived across the street, also noticed what was happening at Cooper's doorstep.

So she called Mike over to help.

"So you really are here. Come back with me..." The man's eyes lit up when he saw Veronica, and he tried to pull her up.

“You’re that tasteless man!” Little George guessed the other person’s identity.

He shielded Veronica behind him while glaring angrily at the man in front of him.

"And who are you? What right do you have to interfere in Veronica's affairs?" The man who was stopped looked at little George with equal displeasure.

“I’m her…good, good friend~” These past few days, little George and Veronica’s relationship has progressed rapidly, but they haven’t reached the point of confirming their romantic relationship.

However, this did not stop little George from standing up for the girl.

At this moment, he acted like a man, staring at the man opposite him and rebuking him: "I know all about your dirty deeds. With me here, you'll never again harm a hair on Veronica's head!"

"What did you say? Say it again if you dare!" The man opposite was furious that his little scheme had been exposed and wanted to step forward to teach little George a lesson.

That's just how some things are—easy to do but hard to explain.

Once exposed by others, it would be tantamount to social death.

The man who arrived at Cooper's doorstep was in this situation. His current anger was probably an attempt to use a show of force to cover up his previous despicable behavior.

"What, you're afraid of what others will say about what you did?" George, who was in a fit of emotion, didn't give the other person any face.

Moreover, taking advantage of the man's guilty conscience, little George sneakily punched "Bang Bang" twice, landing two punches on the man's face, which he deserved to be hit.

Then, the two started fighting.

George, who was watching the situation unfold, was about to step in and break up the fight.

Meanwhile, Mike, who came to help out, also learned the whole story.

He pulled George aside first, gesturing for him to look to the side, then whispered, "With us here, little George will be fine. Let him show off a bit first..."

This situation presents a perfect opportunity for little George to win over girls.

Veronica, who was being protected nearby, was deeply moved as she watched George's heroic act of protecting her.

Even Erica, who came here to play, looked at little George with a hint of admiration.

Therefore, for the sake of little George's future happiness, it's not a loss even if he takes a few hits this time.

Moreover, that man on the field, although very tall, looks rather frail. If a fight were to break out, George might not necessarily come out worse off.

As expected, George, who had experience in football, did not encounter any surprises in the following match.

With his nimble steps, he struck the man several more times.

The man opposite him, having suffered repeated losses, was flushed red with anger and looked ready to unleash a vicious attack.

Realizing something was wrong, Mike shouted, "Stop fighting!" and quickly stepped forward to restrain the man.

George, who also realized what was happening, immediately stepped forward, went to the other side, and restrained the man's arm.