Chapter 550: Public Opinion War
Ronan Kendrick was silent. He was clearly unwilling.
Rhys Chase pulled the blanket over his head, burying himself completely. Watching from the side, Liam Sterling’s mouth twitched. He could no longer look Rhys straight in the eye; the man was even more childish than Zoe.
The three of them came out of the guest room, and Quincy waved them over for barbecue.
"It smells so good! What kind of meat is this?" Liam Sterling swallowed hard and rushed to the grill as fast as he could, his eyes shining as he stared at the cooked skewers.
"It’s mutton. I sprinkled cumin and chili powder on it, so of course it smells good."
Liam Sterling had already gotten friendly with Quincy. He took the Mutton Skewers and started eating right away.
"It’s so tender! Is this fresh mutton?"
Quincy just smiled without answering.
"Ronan Kendrick, Mr. Chase, come eat with us. Ronan, I made you some lemonade. Mr. Chase, would you like tea or coffee?"
Rhys Chase watched everyone sitting together, eating barbecue, a trace of confusion in his eyes. ’Is this what the books call the warmth of worldly life?’
"I’ll have tea."
Evelyn Ford nodded. "Alright. Please, have a seat."
Everyone was very casual with Liam Sterling, but with him, they were more polite. This politeness was like an invisible barrier, separating him from the group. Rhys Chase knew he was an outsider. ’But why can Liam Sterling fit in so easily when I can’t?’
His mind was filled with questions, and he desperately wanted answers. But Liam Sterling was preoccupied with his food, and Ronan Kendrick was busy clinging to his wife. Neither of them had time for him.
"Mister, this is for you." Zoe held out a skewer of meat to Rhys Chase.
"It’s really yummy."
Rhys Chase took the skewer from Zoe and thanked her sincerely.
"You’re welcome! Do you like meat? If you do, have some more. My dad makes the best skewers."
Hearing Zoe praise him, Quincy got incredibly smug. "But of course! If I set up a stall selling skewers, I’d be the richest man in the area."
"Tch, bragging again."
"Quincy, can you be serious for once?"
"Quincy would die if he went a day without boasting."
Zoe got angry. "Don’t say my daddy is bragging! Everything he says is true. I can prove it!"
Wyatt Vaughn wiped her greasy mouth. "And how are you going to prove it?"
Zoe puffed out her little tummy. "I’ve gotten chubby from eating! That’s the proof. My tummy can prove it."
"HAHAHA..." Her antics made everyone burst out laughing.
Evelyn Ford brewed a pot of tea for Rhys Chase. Ronan Kendrick, practically boneless, pressed himself tightly against her. Evelyn pinched his waist, but he didn’t react at all.
’Is this guy made of iron? His muscles are rock-hard. I never see him exercise, yet he always stays in perfect shape.’
"I heard Seth Scott and his dad have both been discharged from the hospital."
Evelyn Ford looked at Quincy. "Who did you hear that from?"
"Winnie Miller. I was in the garden just now when she came back from outside. We chatted for a bit."
"Didn’t they say he needed to recover for three months?"
"He’s recovering at home. His dad is rich and powerful, so they definitely have plenty of maids to take care of them. That kid is so arrogant. He really suffered this time, but he might still try to get revenge on us later." The thought of Seth Scott getting pinned to the ground and thrashed by Evelyn Ford made Quincy gloat.
"He’s definitely traumatized by Evelyn Ford."
Evelyn Ford shrugged. "I only used twenty percent of my strength."
"Whoa." Quincy started clapping. "The Humblebrag Master has arrived! Everybody, give her a round of applause."
"Quincy, don’t forget to grind the medicinal powder."
The smile on Quincy’s face vanished instantly. But just then, his adoring daughter sold him out.
"Daddy, are you going to help Auntie grind the powder? I’ll supervise you later. You have to work hard and not be lazy."
Annie raised her hand. "Zoe, I’ll help you supervise."
Quincy forced a dry smile. "You two really don’t have to be so diligent."
Evelyn Ford snickered on the side, and Ronan Kendrick squeezed her palm.
When the barbecue party ended, Liam Sterling grabbed a large box of grilled meat and hurried back to the base. The rest of the group continued to watch TV and play mahjong in the living room, leaving Quincy to sit alone in a corner grinding medicinal powder, occasionally shooting everyone a mournful gaze.
"Take a break. You can finish grinding it tomorrow."
Quincy immediately dropped his tools. "I’m exhausted! Evelyn Ford, you finally said something sensible."
Evelyn Ford went to check on the powder he’d ground. After an hour, he had only produced half a spoonful. The term "slacking off" was practically made for people like him.
"I really regret ever meeting Quincy. If I could go back to the day we met, I’d push him into the water without a second thought."
Ronan Kendrick chuckled.
"You two really are like brother and sister."
Evelyn Ford huffed.
Back in the bedroom, Evelyn Ford asked about the purpose of Rhys Chase’s visit.
"There’s conflict among the base’s management. The people under him are forming factions, trying to carve up his power. Rhys Chase didn’t want to deal with them, so he followed me here."
"Still fighting for power at a time like this... though it’s not hard to understand. With the end of the polar night nowhere in sight and resources so limited, everyone wants a bigger piece of the pie. Once the balance is broken, conflict is inevitable."
The people at the bottom are always just stepping stones.
"He pushed through the construction of the shelters despite the pressure. Remember those three dumb thieves?"
Evelyn Ford nodded. "What task did you assign them?"
"Rhys Chase spent a great deal of manpower and resources to build the shelters. The residents of the refugee camp naturally need to know who brought them these benefits. One hundred and fifty thousand refugees is no small number; it’s a significant force. Their task is to publicize what Rhys Chase has done."
Evelyn Ford patted Ronan Kendrick’s shoulder. "A war of public opinion is indeed powerful. Was this part of your agreement with him? You help him with the PR battle, and he gives you supplies? He has plenty of his own people; he should be able to handle this task himself."
Ronan Kendrick pulled Evelyn Ford’s hand to his lips and kissed it. "I was the one who proposed it. You like medicinal herbs, so for this deal, I only asked him for a few hundred pounds of herb seeds."
’How could Ronan Kendrick be so wonderful?’ Evelyn Ford threw herself into his arms, hugging his waist tightly.
’Everything he did, he did for her.’
"Ronan Kendrick, you big dummy."
"Doing anything for you makes me happy."
"You should do things you like for yourself, too. Don’t just think about me all the time."
Ronan Kendrick tilted his head. "I don’t have things I like to do. When you’re happy, I’m happy. Whatever you like, I like."
Evelyn Ford ruffled his hair. "Dummy, dummy, dummy."
"Does Felicity like me?"
"Yes, I like you. I like you to death. I like you more than anything."
Ronan Kendrick’s ears turned a little red. "That’s enough. For me, as long as you like me, that’s all that matters."
"Then will you agree to anything I say?"
"Of course." The naive Ronan Kendrick had no idea he had just fallen into a trap set by Evelyn Ford.
"Since you agreed, you can’t go back on your word."
Evelyn Ford took a wig and a dress out of her space.
The fear of being forced into women’s clothing swept over him once again. Ronan Kendrick pressed his lips together, wanting to refuse but afraid of making Evelyn Ford unhappy.
"Come on, Kendrick. Let me get you all dressed up."
To satisfy Evelyn Ford’s peculiar hobby, Ronan Kendrick reluctantly accepted.
"Who am I now?"
"Ronan Kendrick."
"Wrong. Answer again."
"Eeep~"