American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

When the little girl saw Mike's performance, she thought he had really forgotten her birthday, and her mood visibly dropped.

"It's okay, let's go home!"

After giving the other person a pouty glare, Peggy strode forward without looking back.

Disappointment and resentment welled up in my heart at the same time.

As it turns out, no matter how mature Peggy usually appears, she is still a child and cannot hide her emotions very well.

Behind them, Mike, who had made a joke, quickly stopped teasing the little girl after seeing her reaction.

Then, he took out a small gift he had prepared beforehand from his pocket and exclaimed in feigned surprise, "Peggy, is this what you dropped?"

The little girl turned around and saw the exquisite little gift box that Mike was holding, and her eyes immediately lit up with surprise.

“I knew you hadn’t forgotten…” Peggy turned and ran to Mike, giving him a big hug.

The gift itself isn't important; what the girl cares about more is the thought behind it.

"Okay, Peggy." Mike patted the little girl on the back, put her down, and said with a smile, "Happy birthday, Peggy!"

Because of her family background, the little girl, who should have been innocent and carefree, always acted like a mature little adult.

Over time, Mike realized that Peggy's true personality wasn't like that at all.

Therefore, suppressing her emotions for a long time is not a good thing for her either.

It was precisely because of this situation that Mike made that joke earlier.

Across from her, Peggy, having calmed down, also realized that she had been a bit emotional earlier.

"What's in here?" Peggy, who wasn't used to this feeling yet, took the gift box from Mike and immediately changed the subject.

"Just open it and you'll see." Mike didn't intend to tease the girl any further, knowing that character development often takes a long time.

……

“This is… a butterfly…” Peggy opened the gift box and saw the butterfly-shaped hair clip inside.

The clever design allows the wings on both sides of this butterfly hair clip, studded with small diamonds, to move when it is shaken.

Under the sunlight, it reflects a dazzling array of colors.

"How is it? Does it look good?" Peggy asked happily after taking a few brisk steps with the hair clip on.

“It’s beautiful, it suits you perfectly,” Mike replied with a smile.

As a grown man, Mike didn't really have that kind of taste; this gift was something Torina had helped him prepare beforehand.

Now it seems that the effect is very good.

"Thank you, Mike!" Peggy looked even happier after receiving the compliment.

"Let's go back now. Grandma Connie and the others have prepared a birthday cake for you..." Seeing the little girl's happy expression, Mike's mood inexplicably improved a bit.

Back home, after learning that it was Peggy's birthday, Connie's grandma volunteered to make the cake.

Of course, on this special day, another surprise awaits Peggy.

Along the way, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, two figures, one tall and one short, walked towards home.

When the two entered Cooper's house, a sumptuous meal was already laid out in the dining room.

Happy birthday, Peggy!

Amidst the blessings, Connie's grandmother and the Cooper family, carrying a cake, came one after another to Peggy.

“Before we make a wish, we have some guests arriving,” Grandma Connie gestured for Peggy to look to the side.

Happy birthday, our little angel...

The Barry couple, along with their eldest daughter, came out from the side hall.

"Mom, dad, and Erica~" Peggy stepped forward with delight and hugged each of her family members.

The Barry couple, now reconciled, seemed to be in good spirits, both wearing happy smiles.

Erica, standing to the side, had also changed her rebellious style. Dressed appropriately, she now looked somewhat like a lady.

The harmonious atmosphere of the family was arguably the most special gift Peggy received on her birthday.

"Alright, Peggy. Come on over and make a wish~" Grandma Connie said after the little girl hugged her family.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, Peggy went to the cake, closed her eyes, silently made a wish, and then blew out the candles.

"Peggy, what did you wish for?" Grandma Connie asked curiously.

"It's a secret, it won't work if I tell you," Peggy replied with a smile after glancing at her family and then at Mike and the others.

There is indeed a saying that you shouldn't tell others about the wishes you make, otherwise they won't come true.

"This isn't fair!" Young Sheldon, who had just spoken his wish on his birthday, protested vehemently.

At a successful party, there always needs to be a standout bag.

Seeing Sheldon's funny yet aggrieved expression, the people around him laughed good-naturedly.

……

After celebrating with their youngest daughter, the Barry couple showed no intention of leaving that day.

The couple, now happily together, treated their trip to celebrate their youngest daughter's birthday as a relaxing getaway.

So, tonight the two of them planned to go to a nearby hotel for some alone time.

As for the eldest daughter, Erica, she was entrusted to her maternal grandmother, Connie, for care.

Chapter 228 Spring Invitational Tournament

Saturday arrived, the day the Melford Invitational was about to begin.

Although the game was on the weekend, the field was still packed with students who came to support the school's rugby team in order to witness history.

Among the crowd were also some enthusiastic spectators holding signs that read "Melford! Go for it!"

Judging from the enthusiastic atmosphere at the scene, Melford High School is indeed showing signs of becoming a sports powerhouse.

To serve as a warm-up, Melford chose to play against the local St. Yu High School football team, a team that finished at the bottom of the state league, in their first invitational match.

"Mike, I'm sorry. Your joining the team will probably have to wait a while..." Captain Aaron said apologetically from outside the bustling crowd.

"It's okay, I can tell you've done your best." Mike shook his head, not blaming the other person.

Then, he turned to look at the preparation area next to the field and asked curiously, "Is it because of the coach?"

At this moment, Coach Wayne was sitting in the preparation area with his head down, radiating a dejected and low-spirited atmosphere.

His indifferent demeanor seemed to belong to a completely different world from the bustling crowd around him.

Upon hearing this, Captain Aaron glanced at the crowd and then offered a somewhat insincere explanation: "Coach Wayne is indeed a bit out of sorts right now because of family matters, but I believe he will adjust soon."

Because of the good results achieved last year, the team has added many new players, including many strong and promising talents.

In this situation, even if Wayne's level is not as good as George's, as long as he can fulfill the responsibilities of a head coach, the overall strength of Melford's team this year will not be bad.

However, Coach Wayne did not seize this opportunity because he had not seriously managed the team for a long time due to personal family matters.

Even during the necessary afternoon practice sessions, it's rare to see the head coach on the field.

Mike's request to return to the team was also ignored by him.

It's fair to say that Melford's rugby team is now a mess because of Wayne's inaction.

It would be unrealistic to say that Captain Aaron, who witnessed all of this, didn't harbor any resentment.

This young man, who is passionate about rugby, must be going through a lot of hardship right now.

……

Just as Mike and his companion were chatting, a bus carrying the St. Yu High School football team slowly drove into the Melford campus.

Seemingly aware that they would become stepping stones for the opposing team, the Sheng Yu High School rugby players who got off the bus weren't very enthusiastic.

This completely exposed Melford's home advantage.

Even though the students on the playground didn't boo the St. Yu High School rugby team, the intense and lively atmosphere around them still significantly dampened the fighting spirit of everyone at St. Yu High School.

"Children, don't be discouraged!"

The head coach of St. Yu High School clapped his hands, drawing the attention of his players, and encouraged them, "Melford was a top ten team last year. Playing against them will give us a lot of experience. And as the challengers, we're not necessarily going to lose this time!"

"So, everyone, please cheer up..."

"Saint Yu High School~"

After motivating his players, the head coach of Shengyu High School was the first to extend his hand.

Then, the members of St. Yu High School also tried to put their hands together.

"come on!"

"Saint Yu High School~"

"come on!!"

……

Amidst the impressive cheers, the team members from Shengyu High School regained some of their fighting spirit.

Seeing this, the head coach of the Shengyu High School team also smiled.

After that, he arranged for the team members to go to the playground to familiarize themselves with the venue and prepare for the upcoming competition.

Clearly, the head coach of St. Yu High School has not given up on this game.

Mike, who was at the back of the crowd, said to Captain Aaron beside him after seeing the students from St. Yu High School enter the arena: "The game is about to start, you should go and get ready."

“Okay, we’ll talk about your matter later…” Captain Aaron clearly also valued this invitational tournament very much. After greeting Mike, he turned and walked towards the arena.

As both teams finished warming up, it was 10:00 AM.

As the two teams faced off on the midfield line, the audience, realizing the match was about to begin, erupted in a huge cheer.

Then, during the coin toss, Melford got possession of the ball first, and the fans supporting them created a wave of cheers with their enthusiasm.

This demonstrates the popularity of rugby in the area.

On the field, because Coach Wayne did not arrange any tactics, Captain Aaron could only organize his team and continue to use the "wolves" tactic from last year.

Among the veteran players, Sam replaced Mike in his role last year, becoming another core member of the team.

beep—

As the game began, Melford's players, familiar with the dual-core tactic, still maintained a certain level of teamwork.

With the support of their teammates, Aaron and Sam both made their way into the opponent's back half of the field.

Then, facing the opponent's second line of defense, the rugby ball was passed around several times by the two players, and finally Captain Aaron caught the rugby ball and charged into the opponent's end zone.

Melford +6 points.

Captain Aaron, who had scored the first touchdown, excitedly tossed the football into the air and let out a huge roar.

Judging from his expression, it seemed like he was trying to vent all the frustration he had been holding in for a while.

The spectators on the sidelines, watching their team's wonderful performance, were also infected with excitement and cheered enthusiastically.

After the celebration, Captain Aaron pressed his advantage and, with the help of his teammates, scored a second touchdown during a second scoring opportunity.

6 points + 2 points,

Melford rugby team took an 8-point lead in the first round of attacks.

With the Melford students cheering even louder from the sidelines, everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

"Don't be discouraged, kids! We still have a chance!"

After possession of the ball changed, the head coach of Sheng Yu High School stood on the sidelines, continuously encouraging his players.

Looking at Coach Wayne, sitting in the preparation area, he seemed completely lost in thought, his attention still not on the game.

Defense has never been a strong suit for the Melford rugby team.

In the following match, Sheng Yu High School also managed to score a goal with a steady and methodical attacking strategy.

Sheng Yu High School +3 points.