American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

Having witnessed Mike's songwriting abilities from the girls' previous album, Miracle Records specially invited Mike to write a new song for the group's future development.

And they are very sincere.

After providing a substantial songwriting fee, Miracle Records also promised to give Mike a share of the profits from the new album in order to ensure the quality of the songs.

Having gained both face and substance, and with the added benefit of profit, Mike readily accepted the deal.

"By the way, Mike. Your title of 'Most Popular Person' at school is almost being taken away. What do you think about that?" Princess Mia, who didn't have a good impression of the entertainment industry or, more specifically, the "Perfect Body Group," looked at Mike's handsome profile and started a new topic.

Back at school, with the spring rugby invitational tournament halfway through, Bill, who led his team to impressive results, is gaining increasing popularity.

"It's just an empty title, anyone who wants it can have it." Mike, who had won the title of most popular student on campus for two consecutive years, made his Versailles declaration.

It's not that Mike is narcissistic, but with his handsome face, as long as he's still in school, no one can shake his title as "Mr. Most Popular" on campus.

Although Bill is also handsome and sunny, he is not in the same league as Mike at all, and there is no comparison between them.

"Why do you make me so infatuated with you?" Princess Mia couldn't help but touch Mike's cheek.

The girl wasn't averse to Mike's Versailles-like advances. Having tasted the sweetness of love, she found herself becoming increasingly dependent on him.

Unfortunately, the two were destined to part ways after graduating from high school.

Just as Princess Mia was feeling down, the maid and secretary who had recovered started cleaning up the "battlefield" on their own.

She is sensible, beautiful, and not clingy.

It must be said that becoming a prince in the Kingdom of Genovia was also very attractive to Mike.

……

"George, how many times have I told you not to litter!" Mary, returning home from church in the evening, felt inexplicably irritated as she looked at her husband sprawled on the sofa drinking beer.

"I..." Coach George, who was in high spirits because of the team's recent good results, lost most of his good mood when he saw his wife's dark face.

However, for the sake of family harmony, George ultimately chose to endure it.

Actually, Grandma Connie was also in the living room drinking beer with George's dad.

Both of them love drinking beer and are quite lazy, but to say they litter would be unfair to them.

At this time, apart from a few empty wine bottles, there was nothing wrong with the living room.

"George, have you done something to upset Mary lately?" After watching her daughter go to the kitchen to make dinner, Connie's grandmother turned around and asked curiously.

From the perspective of someone who has been through it, the way George and his wife were getting along was clearly problematic.

“How should I know?” George said, sounding a little aggrieved.

Chapter 326 Family Conflict

"Think again, did you unintentionally offend Mary?"

As the matriarch, Grandma Connie was prepared to try and smooth things over between George and his wife again.

"Could such a thing be? I really can't remember." George, who has been focusing all his attention on the team's invitational tournament lately, really can't figure out what he could have done to offend his wife.

"Is that so?" Grandma Connie looked at George and didn't seem to be lying, so she asked from a different angle, "When was the last time you two were intimate?"

For long-married couples, the harmony of their sex life is a good indicator of their relationship.

"This..." George felt very awkward talking about such a private topic with Grandma Connie.

However, since the topic had already come up, George, who was dissatisfied with his marital relationship, took the opportunity to speak out: "It's been over a month, hasn't it? Mary seems to be very resistant to that kind of thing lately..."

As a normal man, George, although middle-aged, still occasionally has sexual needs.

He felt embarrassed and annoyed by his wife's lack of cooperation.

"Could it be menopause..." After drawing this conclusion, Grandma Connie advised, "Women's tempers can indeed become erratic during menopause. You need to learn to be tolerant of her..."

Menopause? George was a little unsure.

As a husband, George actually had some idea about his wife's emotional changes.

It is worth noting that Mary's position at the church was upgraded to that of a priest a little over a month ago.

They acquired the right to baptize and preach.

It can be said that Mary's "career" experienced a second spring from that moment on.

Of course, it was from that time on that Mary became increasingly busy with her work at the church, while she became increasingly perfunctory in taking care of her family and husband.

It has now evolved into her being critical of her husband.

George had his suspicions, but out of respect for his wife, he didn't say anything.

Back in the living room, just as Grandma Connie was advising George to be more understanding, there was a knock at the door.

"Brenda, what's the matter?" George asked as he opened the door.

"Sorry to bother you at this time." Brenda, with her messy hair and water stains on her clothes, looked quite disheveled. "The water pipe in my kitchen is broken again. If it's convenient, could you please go and take a look?"

Brenda's life has become difficult since her husband left her and she became a single mother.

Therefore, George would often go over and help out with small favors whenever he was able.

……

In Brenda's kitchen, utensils and ingredients were scattered haphazardly on the floor. Clearly, this single mother had been preparing dinner for herself and her secretary's son.

The sudden malfunction of the water pipes left her somewhat bewildered, and in her panic, she knocked over quite a few things.

Indeed, having a man in the house is very important.

When George arrived, he first checked the leak, then picked up his repair tools and quickly fixed the drain pipe under the sink.

"It's nothing serious, just that the water pipe is old. Go buy a new pipe when you have time, and I'll come back to replace it for you then..."

After packing up his tools, George stepped aside and continued, "Take a look. If everything's alright, I'll head back."

"Thank you so much." The usually tough Brenda showed a rare moment of tenderness, taking out a dry towel to wipe the water from George's head as she said, "How about I treat you to dinner as a token of my gratitude?"

George has indeed helped Brenda a lot lately, fixing water pipes, changing light bulbs, and tightening screws.

Brenda, feeling the warmth, became sentimental at that moment.

On the other side, because of the angle, George looked up and met the woman's gentle gaze.

Their eyes met, and the atmosphere became strange.

"Mom, how long until dinner is ready? I'm starving!" Billy's voice from the living room interrupted the ambiguous atmosphere in the kitchen.

Billy, who is in the same grade as Missy, has low IQ and EQ, and looks silly and simple-minded.

Taking care of such a son shows how difficult Brenda's life must have been.

“Mary should have dinner ready by now, I should go back…” In the kitchen, George, whose mood had been interrupted, turned and walked out after avoiding the woman’s burning gaze.

……

Mike, returning from Mia's place, saw George hesitating at the Cooper's doorstep.

"Coach George, what are you doing? Why don't you go in?" Mike greeted him.

"N-nothing..." Old Man George, who was lost in thought, was startled when he suddenly heard Mike's voice.

Then, realizing what was happening, and thinking about his worries at home, he tentatively asked, "Mike, what do you think..."

He had intended to ask Mike if there were any ways to improve the relationship between the couple.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized: Mike, though intelligent, was still just a child. It wasn't appropriate to ask him about those kinds of emotional issues.

"What do you think?" Mike pressed, seeing that the other person hadn't said anything for a while.

At that moment, he also noticed that George's expression was a little off.

"It's nothing, let's go inside. Mary and the others should be waiting for us to start dinner." Old George chuckled and didn't bring up the previous matter again.

At this moment, everyone except Mike and George's father was present in the Cooper family's dining room.

"Mike, George, you're finally back! Come and sit down," Grandma Connie greeted the two as they walked in.

George, feeling a little guilty, sat down next to his wife. Looking at the sumptuous food on the table and his family sitting around it, he felt a pang of remorse.

There was a moment when he admitted to himself that he was attracted to Brenda at her house.

But at this moment, feeling the happiness of family again, he was glad that he had held the line.

"Little George, what brings you back for dinner today? Is the arcade not busy anymore?" After the pre-dinner prayers, Grandma Connie asked with interest.

Over the past two months, business at the arcade has been booming. Little George, too busy to manage, hasn't been able to bring Mandy home for dinner with the family in a long time.

“I have two things I want to discuss with you since I’m back this time…” George said, “First, I want Mandy to move back into the house.”

Mandy is now five months pregnant, and her pregnancy is quite noticeable. As her mobility decreases, she needs someone to take care of her.

“No problem, Shelley can make the room available.” Mary agreed to George’s request.

As she is about to become a mother-in-law, she does indeed have an obligation to take care of her pregnant "daughter-in-law".

"The second thing is that I'm going to expand the arcade. I'm letting you know in advance," George said, revealing his plan.

It was called a discussion, but it was really just a notification.

It was precisely because he was busy with the expansion of the arcade that George was eager to entrust the care of his girlfriend to his family.

"Expansion? Are you serious?" Connie's grandmother asked in surprise.

George and his wife also turned their attention to their eldest son.

In fact, based on Mike's previous analysis, the Cooper family was not optimistic about George's arcade business.

“Of course, I’ve discussed it with Mandy. We’ve decided to bring in another fifty high-end game consoles.” At this point, little George seemed to be giving orders.

A high-end game console costs at least 2,000 US dollars, so fifty consoles would cost 100,000 US dollars, which is no small sum.

George Jr. has really stirred things up this time.

"Fifty units? Where did you get so much money?" Connie's grandmother pressed.

“I’ve made some money in the last two months, and Mandy also invested some. It should be enough to buy a new machine,” George boasted. “Besides, I’ve found a reliable connection to get the latest game consoles at a low price. This time, I’m going to be rich.”

After George's persuasive speech, both Grandma Connie and George and his wife were somewhat convinced.

In their minds, making money is a good thing.

“George, I think you need to think about it some more. With that money, you might as well buy a house first.” Mike offered a practical suggestion.

George Jr. and Mandy's wedding is just a few months away. Before they get married, it's time to start thinking about housing.

Moreover, there is a saying: "Consider defeat before victory."

At the arcade, little George was already messing around with things on his own. He even invested the secret stash of money Louis had left for his daughter to use during her pregnancy.

This point is really ill-considered.

Chapter 327 Unlucky Little George

"It's been three days since little George left. I wonder how his game console purchase is going." During dinner at the Cooper family, Grandma Connie found herself talking about little George.

Yes, three days ago, Mike finally couldn't dissuade little George. Under pressure from marriage and having children, little George decided to take a gamble.

For the Cooper family, a deal worth 100,000 US dollars was a significant undertaking.

Therefore, in the past few days, most of the attention has been focused on the departed George.

“Not a single phone call, all mysterious…” Mary frowned as she mentioned her unreliable eldest son: “I don’t know why, but I’ve had a bad feeling about this for the past few days.”

As the saying goes, a mother's heart is connected to her child's, and the fact that little George had been missing for three days naturally made his mother, Mary, very worried.

"Don't worry, little George is all grown up now. I believe he can take responsibility for his actions." As the head of the family, George's father had a lot of confidence in his eldest son.

The fledgling will grow up sooner or later.

George Jr. is getting married soon, and his child is almost due.

In this situation, George's father was very happy to see the other party able to stand on his own.

Just as everyone was talking about little George, the home phone in the living room rang.

"It must be little George calling, I'll go answer it..." Mary, her heart pounding, hurried out of the restaurant.

A few minutes later, she returned, looking as if all her energy had been drained away.