After putting his things in the car, Mike took out a pair of athletic wristbands that he had specifically asked Dale to package separately, along with the brass whistle.
Mike handed them to George and his son, saying, "Thank you for accompanying me to buy protective gear. Please accept these small gifts."
George and his son were both very happy to receive such "thoughtful" gifts.
Next, Mike indicated to George that he also wanted to bring some small gifts for Sheldon and Connie.
So George drove around the streets with Mike again.
Meanwhile, Sheldon, who had returned home alone, saw his mother Mary and Connie.
He excitedly went up to them and told them about making a friend today.
Mary had been worried that Sheldon, being so young and attending high school, might be bullied or isolated due to not making friends.
Now, hearing that Sheldon had a friend at school, she was naturally happy for her youngest son.
Connie also went up and hugged Sheldon as a sign of encouragement.
Missy heard the commotion from her bedroom and came out. After learning about Sheldon, she disdainfully said, "Anyone who can be friends with Sheldon is probably a weirdo too."
Mary, who had just breathed a sigh of relief about her son making a friend, heard her youngest daughter say this, and her heart tightened again.
Understanding her youngest son's personality, she deliberated for a moment and suggested, "Sheldon, why don't you invite your friend over for dinner?"
Sheldon, being naive and not understanding social niceties, asked in confusion, "Why?"
Mary smiled and explained, "As friends, it's normal to have dinner at each other's houses. It's also a friendly gesture between friends."
In reality, Mary was worried that some people with ulterior motives might approach Sheldon, the "genius," under the guise of making friends.
Inviting the person home was also to help Sheldon vet them, to prevent him from being hurt.
Hearing Mary's explanation, Shelly believed her without much thought. Still in an excited state, he immediately called Tam to invite him.
Soon after, Sheldon happily returned, informing everyone that Tam had accepted his dinner invitation.
Seeing her "plan" succeed, Mary also "happily" went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
As an experienced person, Connie immediately saw through Mary's little scheme. She followed her to the kitchen and warned, "Mary, what you're doing isn't good. It might hurt Sheldon and his friend."
Mary's little scheme was exposed, but she still stubbornly said, "I'm doing this for Sheldon's own good."
"Alright, I hope you don't scare Sheldon's friend later," Connie shook her head and elegantly left the kitchen.
...
When George and the others returned, they saw a table full of sumptuous food. The people in the room were also dressed appropriately, looking very formal.
George exclaimed in surprise, "Is today some important day?"
Seeing George's astonished look, Mary explained, "Sheldon's friend will be visiting us later..."
She didn't tell her husband about her worries, only sharing the joy of Sheldon making a friend.
On the other side, Mike, seeing everyone there, also found an opportunity to distribute the gifts he had brought to them.
Connie received a stylish sun hat, Mary received a soft silk scarf, Sheldon received a toy train, and Missy received a pink Barbie doll.
Of those who received gifts, except for Sheldon who was busy playing with his toy train, everyone else immediately expressed their gratitude to Mike.
Missy even took the opportunity to once again pounce into Mike's arms.
The little girl also noticed the large bag Mike was carrying. She curiously asked, "Mike, what's this?"
Connie and Mary also looked over.
Evidently, although Mike had only been there for a day, Sheldon's family already treated him like family.
So, under their curious gazes, Mike told them about joining the football team.
"Cool~" Missy exclaimed, then pestered Mike to put on the protective gear for everyone to see.
Actually, the little girl just wanted to see it herself.
Mike was initially hesitant, but then Connie, standing nearby, playfully said, "Mike, try it on. Grandma wants to see it too~"
Seeing that he had nothing else to do, Mike nodded. Then, carrying the protective gear, he followed Georgie to his room.
With Georgie's help, Mike quickly put on the entire football uniform.
Wearing the protective gear, Mike felt like a general ready for battle, with the gear as his armor.
When he came out holding his helmet, he was met with cheers from the ladies in the room.
Connie said with a smile, "Mike, in that outfit, I don't know how many high school girls you'll charm!"
Missy, on the other hand, directly reached out and touched the protective gear on Mike's body.
Seeing that Mary also had an admiring expression, George said jealously, "Back in the day, I was just as handsome~"
Mary turned to look at her husband's bloated figure and huge beer belly, and made two "tsk-tsk" sounds.
Although she didn't say a word, her actions were extremely insulting.
George awkwardly rubbed his beer belly and didn't dare to boast anymore.
In the room, everyone except Sheldon, who was still playing with his toy train, praised Mike.
Afterwards, Mike, feeling hot, went back to Georgie's room alone and took off the equipment.
When he came out again, Sheldon's friend Tam had already arrived.
He sat at the dining table, looking somewhat flustered under the gaze of Sheldon's family.
Sheldon, who should have introduced Tam to his family, didn't even notice that the atmosphere was a bit tense.
Everyone at the table stared at each other.
The atmosphere only improved after Mike sat down at the dining table.
After the prayer, Connie, to liven the mood, started talking about interesting anecdotes from Mike's enrollment: how girls from the entire building were attracted to Mike, how Mike got a perfect score on his entrance exam...
In Connie's words, Mike was a "heartthrob" who was good at studying and smart.
George took a sip of beer and joined the conversation. He mainly talked about Mike's talent in football.
In his words, Mike had great athletic talent and was the team's future "savior."
As the conversation deepened, everyone at the dining table, except for Sheldon and Mary, focused their attention on Mike.
Tam looked at Mike enviously and whispered to Sheldon beside him, "I wish I were as outstanding and popular with girls as he is."
Although Sheldon was unwilling to admit it, after a day of personal experience, he felt that Mike was constantly "stealing" his thunder.
Now even his only friend, Tam, was siding with the other person. Feeling threatened, he said defiantly, "I'm better than Mike, and the girls at school like me a lot too..."
"That's not the same..." Tam organized his words and whispered, "Girls like you because your testosterone secretion is insufficient, and they find you cute. Girls like Mike because he's very attractive to the opposite sex."
Sheldon: "Is there a difference?"
Looking at Sheldon's innocent expression, Tam found it difficult to explain to him the difference between a woman's liking for the opposite sex and her liking for cute objects.
So, Tam decisively replied, "No!"