American TV series: Starting with exploiting young Sheldon

Finally, after friendly negotiations, Mike swiped his card for 2,100 US dollars, and the transaction was completed.

As they were leaving, Dale called out to George, "You'd be perfect as a boss after you retire!"

George smiled and waved, indicating that they should meet up for drinks another time. Then, he led Mike and little George out of the sporting goods store.

Chapter 12 Young Sheldon's Jealousy

After getting into the car and putting his things away, Mike took out a pair of sports wristbands and a brass whistle from the package, which had been specially packed by Boss Dell.

Mike handed them to George and his son, saying, "Thank you for coming with me to buy protective gear. Please accept these little gifts."

George and his son were delighted to receive such a thoughtful gift.

Next, Mike gestured to George that he wanted to bring some small gifts for Sheldon and Connie's grandmother as well.

So George drove around the streets with Mike on the back.

Meanwhile, young Sheldon, who had returned home alone, met Mary's mother and Connie's grandmother.

He excitedly stepped forward and told the two of them about the friends he had made that day.

Mary was worried that Sheldon, being so young to be in high school, might not be able to make friends and could be bullied or isolated.

Now that she hears that little Sheldon has made friends at school, she is naturally happy for her youngest son.

Grandma Connie also went up and hugged little Sheldon to show her encouragement.

Missy came out of the bedroom after hearing the noise. After learning about Sheldon's situation, she said disdainfully, "Anyone who can be friends with Sheldon must be a weirdo."

Mary, who had just breathed a sigh of relief that her son had made a friend, felt her heart jump again when she heard what her youngest daughter said.

Knowing her youngest son's personality, she hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "Sheli, why don't you invite your friend over for dinner?"

Young Sheldon, simple-minded and lacking in social skills, asked in confusion, "Why?"

Mary explained with a smile, "It's normal for friends to visit each other's homes for a meal; it's a friendly gesture between friends."

Actually, Mary was worried that some people with ulterior motives would use the excuse of making friends to deliberately get close to Sheldon, this "genius".

Inviting the other party to the house was also to help vet young Sheldon and prevent him from getting hurt.

Upon hearing Mary's explanation, Sheldon believed her without much thought. Still in a state of excitement, he immediately called Dan to invite him.

A short while later, Sheldon returned happily and informed everyone that Dan had accepted his dinner invitation.

Seeing that her "plan" had succeeded, Mary happily went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Grandma Connie, with her experience, immediately saw through Mary's little scheme. She followed her to the kitchen and reminded her, "Mary, what you're doing is wrong. It might hurt Sheldon and his friends."

Mary's little scheme was exposed, but she still stubbornly insisted, "I'm doing this for Sheldon's own good."

“Okay, I hope you don’t scare Sheldon’s friends later.” Connie shook her head and left the kitchen with a flourish.

……

When George and his friends returned, they saw a sumptuous feast laid out on the table. The people in the room were all dressed appropriately, looking very formal.

George asked in surprise, "Is today some important day?"

Seeing George's surprised look, Mary explained, "Sheldon's friends will be coming over in a little while..."

She didn't tell her husband about her worries, but instead shared with him the joy of Sheldon making friends.

Meanwhile, seeing that everyone was there, Mike took the opportunity to distribute the gifts he had brought to the group.

Grandma Connie had a stylish sun hat, Mary had a soft silk scarf, little Sheldon had a toy train, and Missy had a pink Barbie doll.

Of the people who received the gifts, except for Sheldon who was busy playing with the toy train, the others immediately expressed their gratitude to Mike.

Missy seized the opportunity and threw herself into Mike's arms again.

The little girl also noticed the large bag Mike was carrying and asked curiously, "Mike, what's this?"

Grandma Connie and Mary also looked over.

Clearly, even though Mike had only been there for a day, the Sheldon family already treated him like family.

So, under the curious gazes of the group, Mike told them that he had joined the football team.

"Cool~" Missy exclaimed, then pestered Mike to put on the protective gear so everyone could see.

Actually, it was the little girl who wanted to see it.

Mike was still hesitating, but then Grandma Connie playfully said, "Mike, why don't you try it on? Grandma really wants to see too!"

Seeing that he had nothing better to do, Mike nodded. Then, carrying his protective gear, he followed little George to his room.

With George Jr.'s help, Mike quickly got dressed in his full football gear.

Wearing the protective gear, Mike felt like a general ready for battle, the gear being his armor.

After he went out with the helmet, he was greeted with cheers from several women in the room.

Grandma Connie laughed and said, "Mike, you're going to charm countless high school girls with that look on you!"

Missy, on the other hand, went straight to Mike and touched his protective gear.

Seeing Mary's admiring expression, George said, feigning jealousy, "Back in my day, I was just as handsome!"

Mary turned to look at her husband's overweight figure and huge beer belly, and clicked her tongue twice.

Although she didn't say a word, her words were extremely insulting.

George awkwardly touched his beer belly and didn't dare to boast anymore.

Apart from Sheldon, who was still playing with his toy train, everyone else in the room praised Mike.

Then, feeling hot, Mike went back to George's room alone and took off his gear.

When he came out again, Sheldon's friend Dan had already arrived.

He sat at the dining table, looking somewhat flustered under the gaze of the Sheldon family.

Meanwhile, Sheldon, who was supposed to introduce Dan to his family, didn't notice that the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

The group of people at the table stared at each other blankly.

The atmosphere improved after Mike sat down at the table.

After the prayer, to lighten the mood, Grandma Connie told stories about the funny things that happened when Mike started school: how all the girls in the building were attracted to Mike, how Mike got a perfect score on his entrance exam...

According to Connie's grandmother, Mike was a popular and intelligent student.

George took a sip of beer and joined the conversation, mainly talking about Mike's talent in football.

In his words, Mike is incredibly athletic and is the team's future "savior".

As the conversation progressed, everyone at the table except for Sheldon Jr. and Mary focused their attention on Mike.

Dan looked at Mike with envy and whispered to Sheldon beside him, "I wish I were as good as him and popular with girls."

Although Sheldon was reluctant to admit it, after a day of experiencing it firsthand, he felt that Mike was "stealing" his thunder at every turn.

Now even his only friend, Dan, is siding with the other. Sensing the threat, he retorted defiantly, "I'm better than Mike, and the girls at school like me too..."

“That’s different…” Dan paused for a moment, then whispered, “You’re popular with girls because you have low testosterone levels, and they find you cute. Mike is popular with girls because he’s very attractive to the opposite sex.”

Young Sheldon: "What's the difference?"

Looking at young Sheldon's innocent appearance, Dan felt it would be difficult to explain to him the difference between a woman's attraction to the opposite sex and her attraction to cute objects.

So Dan decisively replied, "No!"

Chapter 13 Guests

At the dinner table, Mary kept secretly observing Dan, as if she wanted to thoroughly study young Sheldon's friend.

Seeing Dan whispering to Sheldon, the sensitive mother's expression immediately turned serious.

She pinched her husband, who was engrossed in drinking his beer, and whispered, "George~"

Then, she gestured for her husband to go see Sheldon and his friends.

George assumed Mary was worried that Sheldon's friend was being neglected. So he casually asked, "Dan, what's your name?"

Dan looked up and saw George's kind face, and explained, "This is Yue Nan's name, sir."

You could tell he was still a little reserved.

When George heard that Dan was from Vietnam, he immediately became interested. He had served in the military in his youth and fought in Vietnam, so he had his own views on that backward little country.

However, as two different sides, their feelings about the war were naturally different. George simply couldn't comprehend the immense trauma that war had inflicted on Dan and his family.

As George seemed oblivious, he started talking to Dan about the war years ago.

Grandma Connie, who was standing nearby, suddenly called out, "George!"

George's conversation was abruptly stopped, and he turned his head, puzzled, asking, "What's wrong?"

"I want an ice-cold beer, go get me a bottle." Connie's grandmother said in a bossy manner.

“Well, you really know how to boss people around.” George gave in to Grandma Connie’s gaze and grumbled as he walked toward the refrigerator.

Mike quietly gave Grandma Connie a thumbs up. The others at the table might not understand Grandma Connie's intention, but Mike knew that although Grandma Connie seemed to be "bullying" George, she was actually taking care of Dan's feelings as a guest.

Mary, standing to the side, seemed even more worried after learning that Dan was from Vietnam.

While she was thinking about how to interrogate Dan, Mike spoke up first: "Dan, which class do you attend? What are your hobbies?"

Mike, who is handsome and outstanding in every way, is someone that Dan can only look up to.

Dan felt flattered when Mike took the initiative to speak to him.

Seeing that the other party's tone was very friendly, Dan got excited and foolishly revealed all her information.

Then, under Mike's deliberate guidance, Dan, this naive child, revealed information about his family.

Finally, in a friendly atmosphere, Dan took the initiative to talk about the hardships he suffered as a child.

“I deeply regret what happened to you,” Mike said after hearing Dan’s story.

"Thank you~" Dan felt Mike's kindness, and after confiding in him, he seemed to feel much better and more at ease.

At this moment, Sheldon Jr., who was standing nearby, seemed to suddenly become more emotionally intelligent and immediately expressed his concern for Dan.

As Sheldon expressed his concern, the bond between these two equally innocent friends seemed to deepen further.

When George returned with the chilled beer, he found a harmonious scene unfolding at the dining table.

George: Finally, I don't have to liven things up anymore!

After placing the chilled beer in front of Grandma Connie, George, now enjoying a moment of leisure, also began to drink his beer in peace.

As for Mary, after fully understanding Dan's situation, she gradually accepted her friend, Sheldon.

……

Meanwhile, a conversation was also taking place at Katie's family's dining table.

Katie has been acting strangely ever since she got home today. She rummaged through her closet, which she would never normally pay attention to, and even hummed a little tune in her room.

This energetic performance was a stark contrast to her behavior two weeks prior.

At the dinner table, Katie's mother cautiously asked, "Katie, how was your day at school?"

"Not bad~" Katie smiled.

Seeing their daughter smile, Katie's parents exchanged a knowing glance before Katie's mother continued, "Did something good happen to you at school?"

“I made my first friend, his name is Mike, and he’s a really, really good person.” Katie said, her face flushing slightly as she thought of Mike’s handsome face.

Mike is a name that sounds like a boy's name, and seeing his daughter's shy appearance, Katie's father immediately became alert.

He casually asked, "What grade is Mike in? Does he have any bad habits? His family..."

"Dad!" Seeing her father's questions getting increasingly absurd, Katie immediately interrupted him, then said with displeasure, "We've only just met!!"

In order not to provoke his daughter's rebellious tendencies, Katie's father could only look to Katie's mother for help.

Katie's mother understood and gently said to her daughter, "Katie, tell us how you met Mike, okay?"

Katie also felt that meeting Mike today was a dream come true, so she happily shared the moment with her mother.

Beside him, Katie's father couldn't stop smiling whenever his daughter mentioned that kid named Mike.