Chapter 33
The commotion in the courtyard momentarily ceased with the crowd’s arrival, but the scene was far from pleasant. Rebecca and Janet looked disheveled, their faces and hair in disarray, while Charlie and Theodore sported injuries.
Ben was utterly terrified. He rushed over but was at a loss for words, unsure which side to support. Both parties seemed formidable, and he couldn’t afford to offend either.
Wyatt quickly approached and said, “Mr. Edwards, there’s an urgent matter at the company that needs your attention. Would you like to take a look?”
Theodore shot Wyatt a glance before letting out a snort and walking away.
Seeing this, Janet cast a frosty look at Rebecca and hurriedly followed him.
Among the staff present, except Jared, who had initially overheard some gossip, no one else knew what had transpired. Everyone was bewildered, wondering why Charlie and Theodore had suddenly started fighting.
Could it have been because Charlie had insulted Janet’s appearance in front of the media earlier? Or maybe it was because he deliberately ignored her while cooking? Did Janet complain to Theodore?
Did Theodore get angry because of Janet and thus brawl with Charlie?
This fracas thoroughly disrupted the lunch break. By the time everyone calmed down, it was already time to resume the afternoon shoot.
Ben rubbed his nose and hurriedly reminded everyone to tidy up and touch up their makeup for the shoot.
At his words, the crowd dispersed for their respective tasks.
In the van, Rebecca gazed worriedly at the injury on Charlie’s forehead. “Why did you suddenly get into a fight with him?” she asked, her voice full of concern.
“Good job!” Debra interjected from the side.
She then looked at him with disdain. “Chuck, I’ve always told you to take up Taekwondo seriously, but you never listened. Look at you now. If you’d mastered even half of what I know, not only would you not be hurt, but you could have beat that scumbag up!”
Rebecca was stunned. She looked blankly at her mother and then at her brother, Charlie.
Charlie, feeling wronged, muttered, “had no idea it would come to this.”
If he’d known, he would have taken those Taekwondo lessons seriously. That way, he could have beaten that jerk and stood up for his sister.
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Chapter 33
“I’ll start training seriously as soon as we get back,” Charlie declared earnestly.
Debra was surprised, then elated. She raised her hand and extended it towards Charlie. “Words are just words. High five to seal the deal!”
Charlie rolled his eyes but complied, giving his mother a high–five. “I swear, if I’m lying, may lightning strike me!”
Debra was satisfied. She gave her son an once–over before turning to Rebecca. After a moment of hesitation, she said, “Becky, why don’t you join your brother in a self–defense class when we get back? It’s good for your health and could really come in handy.”
Rebecca was stunned. A self–defense class? Was it what she imagined?
“Mom, let me and Becky do it together. That way, I can be her sparring partner, and we’ll make sure we both learn!” Charlie chimed in excitedly.
Training alone was boring, but with his sister, it seemed like fun. He was genuinely happy about the idea.
“Can I really start learning now?” Rebecca asked nervously, feeling unsure.
“Of course you can. It’s never too late to learn as long as you’re willing to work hard persistently,” Debra replied with a smile.
“Okay,” Rebecca agreed.
She wanted to become stronger and more capable, and her mother’s suggestion was exactly what she needed.
With some ointment applied to the bruise on Charlie’s face, the makeup artist came in to work their magic. No one
No one had expected a fight, least of all involving Charlie. The makeup artist had to put in extra effort to conceal the marks on his face.
Once their makeup was done, they headed out, and the live broadcast resumed. They were back to the mountain.
The afternoon’s filming continued.
Rebecca, eager to attract the chickens as she did in the morning, started tapping on a food bowl.
However, despite her efforts, the surrounding forest remained eerily quiet, with no chickens in sight.
“What’s going on?” Charlie frowned, sensing something was off.
“Where are the chickens?” Rebecca echoed, equally puzzled.
Standing still wouldn’t yield any answers. Exchanging glances, Charlie and Rebecca turned to look at the crew. The
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steff’s calm demeanor suggested that the program team might be up to something.
With the chickens they caught in the morning still nearby, Rebecca and Charlie walked deeper into the forest, tapping the food bowl with spoon as they went. Suddenly, they spotted a chicken.
So there were chickens in the forest, after all.
Charlie immediately darted forward to catch it.
But catching a chicken with bare hands proved difficult. Charlie chased after it while the chicken flapped its wings, sending feathers and dust flying into the air. The flurry of feathers and dirt hit both Charlie and Rebecca in the face. Rebecca quickly raised her hands to shield herself and Charlie, trying to avoid getting covered in feathers and dust.
Now thoroughly frustrated by the chicken, Charlie rolled up his sleeves and gave chase with renewed determination.
Once he let go of his idol image, his efforts paid off. He quickly caught the plump hen, which flapped helplessly in
his grasp.
“Becky, hurry and grab some straw,” he instructed.
Snapping out of her daze, Rebecca rushed to fetch the straw. Working together, they managed to secure the chicken by tying its legs with the straw.
As they walked back to where they had penned the chickens earlier, they couldn’t help but wonder. In the morning, the sound of the food bowl had drawn a flock of chickens, but in the afternoon, their attempts yielded no
response.
Rebecca’s gaze drifted to the chicken’s swollen crop, a heavy, round bulge.
A sudden realization struck her, and she reached out to touch it. It was indeed full and firm..
“I get it now! These chickens have all eaten their fill!” she exclaimed.
“Eaten their fill?” Charlie was puzzled.
He reached out and touched the same area Rebecca had checked. He could feel the individual grains, likely corn, still undigested in the chicken’s crop.
“Someone must have secretly fed the chickens in the forest during lunch.” Charlie deduced calmly.
Rebecca nodded in agreement. “Yes, since they’re all full, they didn’t react to us tapping the food bowl just now.”
At that moment, Charlie and Rebecca realized that their “magic tool” was now useless.
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No wonder the production team had been so chill all morning, letting them do their thing without interference. They’d been plotting this from the get–go.
Charlie glanced at the live–stream camera, exasperated, and said, “I knew it. The production team isn’t that easy to fool. Everywhere we turn, there’s a trap waiting for us.”
In Room Five, the comment section exploded with laughter.
[This is hilarious! I just love it when Chuck messes
sses up.]
[The magic tool is useless now. I’m really curious how Chuck and Becky are going to catch chickens this afternoon.]
[I heard over at the neighboring stream Lesley and Angie tried catching chickens barehanded. They got their heads stomped on by chicken feet countless times, their faces trampled thirty–eight times, chased all over the mountain, pecked three times, and when they finally caught a chicken, they ended up covered in chicken manure!]
[I watched that stream too. Lesley had a hen stomp on her head, and then it escaped, turned around, and started clucking at her nonstop. It was like it was mocking her, and we all nearly died laughing!]