Chapter 144 - 143
Anna Yates: "...!!!"
’How is there someone else here?!’
Joanna sighed, feeling mentally exhausted.
’Why do I have such a bad feeling about this? What if they start fighting?’
’Kick Sean Grant out? A brilliant idea.’
The four of them sat in silence in the living room, the air thick with an inexplicable awkwardness. Joanna desperately tried to find something to talk about.
Perhaps their personalities just clashed, because after exchanging only a few words, Anna Yates and Sean Grant started trading passive-aggressive barbs.
Sean Grant feigned concern. "I’m staying for dinner. Isn’t Miss Yates leaving? It’ll be dark soon."
Anna Yates: "..."
Anna Yates forced a smile, her voice tight with anger. "I’m staying for dinner, too!"
"Copycat."
"You—"
"Everyone’s eating, everyone’s eating," Joanna said wearily, trying to smooth things over.
That got Sean Grant excited all over again. He opened the mooncakes he’d brought and began to show them off, declaring he’d have one as an appetizer so he could eat more later.
Not to be outdone, Anna Yates scanned the room and spotted the kitten sleeping on the balcony.
Her eyes lit up. Just as she was about to walk over, a large, dark shadow shot past her with a WHOOSH.
"MEEOOOW!" A miserable cry came from the kitten. Everyone looked over to see Sean Grant, butt in the air, burying his face in the kitten’s belly and rubbing it furiously.
Joanna Kennedy: "..."
Jack Warren and Anna Yates: "..."
Utterly unhinged. This was pure madness.
Jack Warren fell silent and smacked his forehead hard, as if trying to knock himself unconscious just to avoid witnessing the moron’s antics.
Anna Yates rubbed the goosebumps off her arms.
The noise gave Joanna a headache. She made a quick escape, using the excuse that she was going to help in the kitchen.
In the kitchen, a tall, well-built man was wearing the new pink apron she had bought for him. He looked refined and elegant as he sliced cooked beef.
Joanna couldn’t resist wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and nuzzling against him. The faint, clean scent of soap from his body filled her nose, and like a little puppy, she couldn’t help but nuzzle him again.
The man’s movements slowed for a fraction of a second. His voice was low and pleasant as he asked softly, "Hungry?"
Joanna rested her forehead against the man’s firm, strong back. She shook her head, then nodded.
Simon Lockwood stopped what he was doing and turned around. Joanna took the opportunity to nestle into his embrace, her small face tilted up, her eyes shimmering. "Are you done?"
"Just the soup left," Simon Lockwood said, his eyes lowered and fixed on hers.
Her eyes were so bright, sparkling with a liquid light. Simon Lockwood fought the urge to embrace her, his fingers twitching at his side.
Joanna couldn’t help but smile, cooing, "Oh..."
She hugged the man’s waist tightly. After a moment, when he didn’t hug her back, she pouted, a little displeased. "Why aren’t you hugging me?"
"My hands are dirty," Simon Lockwood said, his expression serious.
’She was so clean, soft, and smelled so good. He had just finished cooking, and his hands reeked of oil. He found it unpleasant himself, so how could he possibly touch her?’
From the living room, they could faintly hear the ruckus of Sean Grant, the kitten, and Anna Yates, punctuated by Jack Warren’s voice giving warnings.
In the kitchen, the old duck soup simmered, BUBBLE, BUBBLE, BUBBLE.
The man’s voice was low, and his embrace was warm and smelled wonderful. Joanna’s eyes suddenly started to burn. She quickly averted her gaze and said softly, "I’ll take the dishes out."
Fortunately, they had made plenty of food, so there was more than enough to go around. She also steamed the hairy crabs and placed them in the center of the table, which was now laden with dishes.
Sean Grant ate with such gusto that his mouth was slick with oil. Anna Yates was reserved at first, but seeing all the food vanishing into Sean, she quickly dropped her pretense and dug in.
’Comparisons are infuriating! How is Simon Lockwood so good at cooking?!’
Jack Warren remained elegant, but his chopsticks were moving just as quickly. He usually had to just watch Simon Lockwood cook at the office; now he finally had a chance to eat.
Joanna finished one hairy crab and wanted another. Just as she reached for a second one, Simon Lockwood’s calm voice cut in. "That’s enough for today."
"Why not?" Joanna asked, displeased.
The others at the table suddenly became very interested in their plates, keeping their eyes down and their mouths shut.
"Crab is hard on your stomach. Eating too much isn’t good for you," Simon Lockwood said, his expression unchanging.
Having already eaten two hairy crabs each, Anna Yates and Sean Grant silently withdrew the hands they were extending for more. Jack Warren was still blissfully working on his first.
’A little self-discipline really pays off!’
Outside, the moon hung high in the sky. Inside the villa, the lively chatter continued. They say the moon of the fifteenth is roundest on the sixteenth, but it turned out the fourteenth could be just as perfect—as long as you were together.
Almost nothing was left of the huge feast. The three guests, full and completely satisfied, proactively helped with the pots and pans, cleaning everything up before they left.
Before going to bed, Joanna went over the lyrics one more time, humming the melody to herself.
「The next afternoon」
Julie drove her to the gala venue. The moment she stepped out of the car, she was met with the shouts of her fans.
"AHHHH, JOJO!!"
"Jojo! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! You look beautiful!"
They were all such lovely young women. Joanna couldn’t help but wave back and reply, "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to you, too~"
Instantly, the fans’ cheers grew even louder.
She entered the venue, recorded a video to share Mid-Autumn Festival greetings, and then headed to the backstage waiting area.
Joanna Kennedy and Owen Jennings sat side-by-side on a sofa across from the host. Nearby, a moon-shaped table was laid out with all the ingredients and tools needed to make mooncakes.
"Owen, have you ever made mooncakes yourself?" the host asked with a smile.
"No," Owen Jennings answered decisively after a moment of serious thought. His response made the host laugh, and she then posed the same question to Joanna.
After running through the script, the host shared a short story about the Mid-Autumn Festival before asking the two of them to try making a few mooncakes.
The ingredients were plentiful. Following the instructions of an on-site pastry chef, they began. A few mooncakes left behind by other celebrities were already on the table, most of them lopsided and misshapen.
Kneading the dough was easy enough, but creating the flaky pastry was the real test of skill. Joanna’s attempts were either burnt or undercooked.
While Owen Jennings bantered with the host for the camera, Joanna focused seriously on mastering the flaky pastry. At last, she produced one that looked perfect, and she couldn’t help but smile.
Owen Jennings, who had been watching her the whole time, let out a "Wow!" and offered a sincere compliment. "Jojo, that mooncake you made looks so appetizing. Just looking at it is making me hungry~~"
The implication was obvious. Any other savvy celebrity would have immediately said, "You can have it, then. I’ll just make another one."
It was just one mooncake, but giving it away would not only build goodwill but also establish a thoughtful, high-EQ persona when the show aired. It was a win-win.
Joanna, however, frowned almost imperceptibly. She wouldn’t let her displeasure show on camera, so she kept her smile in place. "It does, doesn’t it? I failed so many times to make just this one good one. Of course it looks tasty."
It was a polite but noncommittal response. Owen Jennings narrowed his eyes, not ready to give up, but Joanna had already turned to ask the chef for a gift box.
She carefully placed the mooncake inside and sealed the box.
Just then, it was time for their performance. On the traditional Chinese-style stage, accompanied by graceful dancers, Owen Jennings sang with a beautiful, moving voice. As he sang, he kept looking at Joanna Kennedy, his eyes filled with deep affection.
’During rehearsal, we were only supposed to make eye contact once! What is that brat Owen Jennings trying to pull?!’