Leslie’s gaze shifted slightly. “Really? Shermaine doesn’t seem like that kind of person to me.”

Clyde scoffed. “Don’t be fooled by her pretty face. You can never judge someone by their looks. She’s a manipulative and evil woman.”

He had his reasons for disliking Shermaine. First, he believed Shermaine’s presence had harmed Wendelyn. Second, he’d heard too many rumors about Shermaine and made some baseless assumptions.

He added, “She spends all her time on these flashy, meaningless things instead of thinking about how to improve herself. Wendy’s better than her in every way. This is infuriating.”

“But Joshua seems to be really good to her,” Leslie said.

“Who knows if he’s serious?” Clyde soured. “To wealthy families like ours, reputation is everything. Joshua is known for being cold and distant with women. Their engagement is merely a family arrangement."

“Wendy’s parents act all lovey-dovey in front of others, but it’s all for show. They don’t love each other anymore and have been sleeping in separate rooms for years.”

Leslie’s expression shifted as if everything had suddenly clicked.

The more Clyde thought about it, the angrier he got. But with Joshua present, he didn’t dare stir up trouble. He vowed to wait for the right moment and get some payback for Wendy.

At 8 pm, the family dinner started. The meal was lavish, with a spread of seafood, lobster, and fine wine. The aroma alone was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

Before dinner, Shermaine had asked Bradley about the jewelry and lipsticks she had received in Joshua’s car. Once everyone was seated, she, already starving, started with some soup before digging in with gusto.

Janice was seated right next to her. Shermaine picked up the plate of shrimp and said, “Grandina, why don’t you have some shrimp? It’s delicious.”

“Oh, you are so sweet, honey,” Janice said with a smile.

Leon copied her, passing the creamy garlic chicken to Janice. “Grandina, have some chicken.”

“Thank you, dear,” Janice replied, clearly pleased.

Clyde and Wendelyn also offered dishes, but Janice just looked at Wendelyn without taking the plate, her face instantly clouding with distaste. Then she said flatly, “I don’t eat this.”

Wendelyn’s face turned pale again. She bit her lip and lowered her head, looking pitiful. “I’m sorry, Grandma.”

“Mom,” Jameson called out. Janice snorted coldly.

Ruth felt anxious, but there was nothing she could do. So she cursed inwardly, "She is so annoying, always picking on Wendy!"

Shermaine couldn’t be happier as she saw this. She recalled her first day back at the Jean residence. She had suggested that Ruth try some food, thinking that since she was back, she should build rapport and strengthen bonds with her parents.

But Ruth had kept a cold expression and, right in front of everyone, said she didn’t eat that dish because it was her least favorite.

Wendelyn, as thoughtful as ever, had chimed in, explaining what their mother liked to eat and what colors she preferred.

Shermaine had barely resisted the urge to pull her hair.

Bradley had stepped in to smooth things over, telling her that she didn’t need to please anyone in this family.

At this point, Shermaine couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Could it be that Grandma knows everything happening in this family, despite living in the suburbs? Is she taking revenge for me?’

As she was pondering, Joshua placed a piece of crab meat in her bowl. “Try this.”

Shermaine snapped out of her thoughts, blinked, and then popped some crab meat into her mouth. She smiled. “It’s delicious.”

She looked at the spread of food and, returning the gesture, helped him with some fresh fish. “This looks good, too. Try it.”

Seeing this, Wendelyn tightened her grip on her fork. “Shermaine, Mr. York doesn’t eat fish, right?

Shermaine instinctively glanced at Joshua and asked, “You don’t eat fish?”

Joshua popped a piece of fish into his mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing. “I don’t eat fish? That’s news to me,” he said. He’d just gone through a phase where he ate vegetarian food, and somehow, rumors started circulating that he’d joined some kind of religion and sworn off meat.

Wendelyn could barely keep her composure. She forced a smile and said, “I read a news report about you once, Mr. York. It said you don’t eat fish.”

Janice chimed in with a sharp tone. “That kind of news is just nonsense. You should stop reading that trash.”

“I will, Grandma,” Wendelyn muttered, lowering her head. Her hands, hidden under the table, were shaking with frustration.

Janice was spot on; these reports were indeed wild rumors.

For Shermaine, this was the first time she truly felt at ease during a Jean family dinner.

There was just one small incident: while Leslie was peeling shrimp, he accidentally pricked his finger, and blood kept oozing out.

Ruth spoke up. “Sheary, there’s some tissue next to you. Can you pass it to Leslie?”

There was tissue right next to Clyde, but Ruth had asked Shermaine to help.

Shermaine didn’t say anything and just passed it over.

“Thanks,” Leslie took the tissue, but as he did, his fingertips accidentally brushed against Shermaine’s, and his heart instantly started racing.

Ruth noticed and gave a subtle, almost imperceptible smile.

After dinner, Shermaine checked the time – it was almost nine. Although she didn’t want to leave her grandmother, she still gave Joshua a look, silently asking, “When are we leaving?”

Surprisingly, Joshua understood her unspoken question and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Just a bit longer. Your father wants to talk to me in the study.”

“Okay,” Shermaine felt a little tickle in her ear from his breath.

After Joshua went upstairs to the study, Clyde suddenly started urging everyone to play “Phantom Epoch.” He then called out to Shermaine, who had been sitting in the living room.

The elderly folks had a habit of taking a walk after dinner, so Janice and her own housekeeper went out for a stroll to help with digestion.

When Shermaine heard “Phantom Epoch,” she replied, “I’ve never played it before. Don’t know how.” She had heard of it and knew it was a mobile game very similar to League of Legends, which she was actually quite good at.

Clyde waved his hand dismissively. “That’s okay. It’s just a game. Don’t be a buzzkill.”

“Come on, Sheary, I’ll protect you,” Leon said, patting his chest and grinning.

Leslie chimed in, “It’s a fun game. You should give it a try.”

“Buzzkill? You just don’t deserve my time,” Shermaine thought, chuckling. Not wanting Leon to be disappointed, she pulled out her phone and said, “Fine, I’ll download it now.”

A triumphant grin spread across Clyde’s face. He knew that most girls weren’t good at the game, and newbies were usually terrible. He was looking forward to seeing Shermaine repeatedly get killed in the game, so he could laugh at her.

Thanks to the game accelerator she made herself, within two minutes, the game was ready to go. After logging in, finishing the tutorial, and adding Leon as a friend, she was added to their team.

Leslie was the team captain, and he was a Stellar Hunter. Clyde and Leon were both Stellar Guardians.

Once everything was ready, the game began.

With no heroes unlocked, Shermaine just picked a random marksman. After all, she usually played the marksman and jungler roles in League of Legends.

Leslie’s rank was high, so the opponents were no slouches either.

As a beginner, Shermaine struggled to get the hang of it. Barely three minutes in, she was taken down by the enemy marksman, giving them First Blood.

Her support didn’t say anything and continued to stick by her side.

After Shermaine died two more times, Clyde couldn’t hold back. “Shermaine, you’re getting stomped. Why don’t you just back off? Don’t keep fighting the marksman – you’re not gonna win that fight!”

Shermaine shrugged it off. “It’s just a game. Why be so serious?”

Leslie, playing jungle, was doing pretty well; in no time, he had five kills. Meanwhile, Shermaine kept feeding, so the score was tied, and the gold difference wasn’t that big.

After Shermaine died again, this time from an enemy ambush, Clyde kept on complaining. “Shermaine, seriously? Another death? Please, stop feeding, okay?”

“Seriously, how can you be so bad at this? Just stick with us if you don’t know how to play. If you keep feeding like this, how are we supposed to win?”

“You’re so good at fighting in real life, making Ronnie’s gang run scared when they see you. How come you’re so bad at this game? This doesn’t fit your image!”

His complaints just kept going and going.

Leon couldn’t stand it anymore. “It’s not even a ranked match. Why are you yelling at her?”

“Did I yell at her?” Clyde feigned innocence.

Leslie wanted to say something but just held back.

Shermaine wasn’t really focusing on the game. She was in a hurry to leave because she’d promised to tutor her classmates in a livestream tonight. She knew the problem wasn’t really her gameplay–just that she wasn’t paying full attention.

Shermaine was frustrated with Clyde’s loud noise, her gaze turning a bit colder. “Clyde, if I get a pentakill, will you shut up?”

Clyde snorted in disdain. “If you get a pentakill, I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”

“Remember what you said. Don’t back out later,” Shermaine replied. She wasn’t about to let him get away with being so dismissive – people who look down on others deserved a little lesson.

The match had been going on for over ten minutes, with both teams' turrets destroyed. The game was at a stalemate. Finally, the enemy marksman, support, and top laner, trying to ambush Shermaine in the jungle, managed to corner her.

They thought they could take her out, but to their surprise, Shermaine seemed to suddenly level up, pulling off an amazing string of plays, taking down the whole team. By the time their teammates arrived to support, it was too late.

What they thought would be an easy kill on the marksman turned into a disaster for them. Shermaine used her revival item, respawned in seconds, and then took them out one by one, securing the pentakill.

During this critical moment, the jungler was busy taking down the big monster and couldn’t provide timely support. Leon and Clyde rushed over to help. Leon shielded some damage for Shermaine but was killed by the enemy marksman.

Meanwhile, Clyde barely contributed; he just stood there like a bystander, doing nothing. When he saw Shermaine die, he sighed in relief. But then, to his shock, Shermaine swapped her revival item in the blink of an eye – her reaction speed was insane.

If Shermaine weren’t sitting right in front of him, he’d think she was cheating.

Shermaine then ordered, “Push mid lane.”

When the enemy team surrendered, Shermaine looked up at Clyde, whose face was now a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

Shermaine chuckled. “Now, time to keep your promise. There’s a bit of leftover food tonight. How about you finish it all?”

Leon held back his laughter, thinking, 'A bit of? There’s a lot of it. And Sheary’s incredible – her counter-kill just now was pure brilliance!'

At that moment, upstairs, Joshua came out of the study. Suddenly, a strong scent wafted through the air, mixed with a hint of alcohol. Then Wendelyn neared, her steps unsteady as if she were drunk. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she stumbled toward Joshua.