Chapter 479: It Could Be a Prank

Chapter 479: Chapter 479: It Could Be a Prank

The manager of the Draken Hot Springs Villa Complex checked in the Marsh and Yates families, went over a few things, and then left.

"Mandy, let’s you and I share a room tonight," Susan Roth said, affectionately linking arms with Amanda Lynn as they entered the villa’s great room. "It’s been so long since we had a sleepover."

"Really?" Amanda Lynn thought for a moment. "Didn’t we stay together the night of our middle school reunion during the Spring Festival?"

"Did we? I don’t remember that at all."

"We did! You really forgot?"

"I really did," Susan Roth said, feigning a lapse in memory. "Besides, even if we did stay together back then, that was still more than half a year ago, wasn’t it? Are you saying you don’t want to room with me?"

Amanda Lynn replied helplessly, "I do, I do! I’ve been looking forward to it!"

"That’s more like it!" Susan Roth gave her a playful wink. "Wanna take a dip? Let me admire that killer body of yours again."

Amanda Lynn sighed. "What killer body? It’s completely lost its shape."

Melody Marsh sat quietly in an armchair, smiling as she watched them.

Susan Roth walked over to the young woman and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Melody, why don’t you tell us? Does your mom have a good figure or not?"

"I think it’s very nice," Melody Marsh answered honestly. "But Mom probably holds herself to a different standard than I do. After all, a lot of people are overly harsh and strict with themselves."

Hearing this reply, a flash of displeasure crossed Susan Roth’s eyes.

’Damn brat, what a nasty mouth on her. She could have just said ’yes’ or ’no,’ but she had to ramble on about being ’harsh and strict.’ She’s deliberately rubbing salt in my son’s wounds!’

Jenson Marsh gazed at his daughter, a gentle smile appearing in his eyes behind his glasses.

Jasper Yates ran a hand over the mahjong table, his voice full of regret. "Jenson, when are you going to learn to play mahjong? We’re one player short tonight. Such a shame."

Hearing this, Jenson Marsh gave an apologetic smile. "That’s really not my area of expertise."

Theo Yates was sprawled on the sofa as if he didn’t have a bone in his body, playing a card game on his phone. He chimed in, "Dad, Uncle Marsh might not know how, but I do."

"Go on, get outta here," Jasper Yates said irritably. "You’re just a kid. What’s a kid like you doing playing mahjong? You’re better off doing karaoke with Melody."

Melody Marsh didn’t have a very good impression of Theo Yates. She said softly, "I don’t do karaoke. I’ll just be in the audience and listen to Theo sing."

"It’s fine, Melody, you should sing," Jasper Yates said with a chuckle. "With a voice like yours, anything you sing will sound beautiful."

When Theo Yates heard his dad’s words, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

"Jenson." Jasper Yates clapped him on the shoulder, his tone earnest. "You may not be any good at mahjong, but you can drink, can’t you?"

Jenson Marsh was usually engrossed in his botanical research and had little interest in such entertainment.

He had only come on this trip because Susan Roth and Jasper Yates had been so insistent, and because his daughter had done exceptionally well on her college entrance exams. He wanted to spend some time with her, so he’d taken a few days of annual leave to get away.

Since he was on vacation, he decided not to be a wet blanket.

Jenson Marsh pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and smiled. "I suppose I could give drinking a try."

"Great!" Jasper Yates gave a thumbs-up and gestured outside. "I’ve got both Chinese spirits and Western liquor in the car."

"Do you have any red?" Susan Roth asked. "Mandy, Melody, and I will have some red wine."

Amanda Lynn quickly cut in, "Melody can’t drink."

"Mandy, are you still treating Melody like a child?" Susan Roth said reproachfully. "She’s all grown up now, a young woman. A little red wine won’t hurt her. Theo can drink with the men."

Amanda Lynn pressed her lips together and looked at her daughter. "Melody, do you want to drink?"

’If her daughter didn’t want to, she wouldn’t force her.’

"I’ll just have a little taste, then," Melody Marsh said, not wanting to spoil Susan Roth’s mood.

Although she didn’t care much for Theo Yates, she had a good impression of Susan Roth and her husband.

"Alright then," Susan Roth said with a beaming smile. "Let’s go change, have a soak in the springs, and after a shower, we’ll get the evening started."

"Jenson, you go get changed too." Jasper Yates had already stood up, duffel bag in hand. "The three ladies will stay upstairs tonight, and we three men will be downstairs."

"Okay." Jenson Marsh nodded. He had just gotten up when he saw Amanda Lynn about to carry a suitcase upstairs. "Amanda, I’ll get that."

He hurried forward.

Hearing him, Amanda Lynn smiled. "It’s fine, it’s not heavy."

"Let me," Jenson Marsh insisted, taking the suitcase from her hands.

Susan Roth’s heart soured with jealousy, but she put on a smile and teased, "Jenson is such a devoted husband, not like the one I’ve got at home!"

"That’s just because you spoil him," Amanda Lynn joked back.

Susan Roth sighed dramatically. "Oh, I guess it’s my fault for doting on my husband too much! Oh, well!"

Melody Marsh faltered, suddenly finding Aunt Helen’s words strange.

’She dotes on her husband... Does that mean my own mom doesn’t?’

Melody Marsh glanced at her parents. Seeing their expressions were normal and unconcerned, she could only press her lips together.

’I guess I’m just overthinking things!’

Jenson Marsh carried the suitcase upstairs. When he returned to the ground floor to grab his own luggage and change, he picked up his phone from the coffee table and saw a new message on the screen.

He unlocked his phone as he walked.

As he reached the door to his room, he stopped dead in his tracks, his brow furrowing deeply.

[Hello, Mr. Marsh. My name is Renee Jennings, and I’m an animal streamer. You specialize in researching plants; I specialize in communicating with animals.

Tonight, a black dog from near the bamboo rice restaurant told me that Susan Roth and Jasper Yates are jealous of your daughter Melody Marsh’s college entrance exam scores and are plotting to ruin her.

I can assure you I am not joking, but I don’t have any concrete evidence at the moment. This is the only way I can warn you. I hope you will take this seriously.]

Jenson Marsh stared at the middle section of the message, his expression turning ugly.

’Just because Melody’s exam scores are better, they want to ruin her?’

He gripped his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white.

’If this is true, then Susan Roth and Jasper Yates have truly gone insane.’

’Melody’s good scores were the result of her dedication and hard work, of studying and reviewing day and night!’

Jenson Marsh’s gaze shifted down to the words "don’t have any concrete evidence," and his expression softened slightly.

’This might not be real. It could just be a prank.’

He entered the room and searched for the name "Renee Jennings" online.

There were countless videos related to her.

Jenson Marsh had just finished watching two videos when there was a knock on the door.

"Jenson, are you changed yet?" Jasper Yates asked from outside.

Jenson Marsh frowned. "Jasper, my stomach’s a bit upset. I need to use the restroom first, I’ll be out after."

"Alright," Jasper Yates said. "Hurry up."

"Got it." Jenson Marsh watched Renee Jennings’s video, a thin layer of sweat already forming on his back.

He suddenly remembered someone at the research institute mentioning a streamer who could understand animal languages.

Jenson Marsh quickly scrolled through his contacts and made a call.

"Brother Vince? Aren’t you on vacation?"

"Allen, you mentioned a streamer before who can understand animal languages. What was her name?"