The Villain Mom Awakens — Going Viral by Parenting on a Reality Show-Chapter 20: Naomi Kenway, Take Me as an Apprentice

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Naomi Kenway, Take Me as an Apprentice

Jared Woods had barely finished speaking when Chelsea Raines pinched his arm. She hadn’t used much force, but Jared was so spoiled that he immediately burst into tears.

Everyone turned to look.

Chelsea Raines’s brow twitched. "What’s wrong, Jared?"

Jared pointed at Chelsea Raines, sobbing accusatorily, "Mommy, why did you pinch me..."

Chelsea Raines hadn’t expected Jared to be so blunt, and a flash of embarrassment crossed her face. Fortunately, Renee Jennings came to her rescue. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Jared, your mom just wanted to get your attention," she said with a smile. "Maybe she was just a little too rough by accident. One time, I had a sudden urge to style Nathan’s hair, but I accidentally pulled too hard and yanked out a few strands. I felt so awful I couldn’t sleep that night."

Margaret Jennings nodded in agreement. "Still, it’s best to be careful. A child’s skin is quite delicate."

Chelsea Raines gave a chastened nod.

Jared was a true foodie. Once his tears subsided, he picked up his chopsticks again, reaching for Naomi Kenway’s knife-cut noodles. When he found the bowl was just out of reach, he tugged on Chelsea Raines’s arm, silently asking her to move it closer.

Chelsea Raines forced a smile. "What do you mean you can’t reach them? The knife-cut noodles are right here, aren’t they?"

As she spoke, she pushed the bowl of knife-cut noodles Renee Jennings had made closer to Jared.

Jared shook his head. "No, not this one! I want *that* one!"

Renee Jennings’s expression instantly darkened.

Chelsea Raines, sitting right next to Renee Jennings, immediately noticed her change in expression. ’Oh, no,’ she thought, scrambling to salvage the situation. "You haven’t even tried the other noodles, so how do you know only that bowl is tasty? Look how thoughtful Aunt Renee was to prepare a bowl for everyone. Hurry up and say thank you to Aunt Renee."

Jared repeated mechanically, "Thank you, Aunt Renee..."

Renee Jennings smiled and nodded. "Such a good boy, Jared."

"You know, I always thought knife-cut noodles were incredibly hard to make, but I guess it’s not so bad. I’ve been looking forward to your noodles for ages, Renee. If I’m not mistaken, didn’t you win an award for your knife-cut noodles?" Chelsea Raines lifted Renee’s bowl and shoveled a large mouthful in. The more she ate, the more tasteless it seemed.

’They don’t seem to have the same firm texture as Naomi’s, do they? And the broth is a little salty...’

She couldn’t figure out how to voice the praise she’d planned to give. To make matters worse, Renee was staring at her expectantly. Chelsea coughed twice before exclaiming, "Delicious! It’s absolutely delicious!!"

’My mom’s a really picky eater. If she says it’s delicious, it must be some kind of divine treat! Is it even better than the bowl of knife-cut noodles I just had?’ The little foodie, Jared, immediately fixed his eyes on the noodles Renee had made.

He took a bite, full of anticipation, only to frown a second later. "This isn’t good. I like that one."

His finger pointed at Naomi Kenway’s bowl of knife-cut noodles.

The color drained from Chelsea Raines’s face. She quickly grabbed his hand. "I think there’s something wrong with your taste buds! You can’t even tell what’s delicious!"

Hearing his taste called into question, Jared retorted, "No, there isn’t! My taste buds are perfectly normal. It’s *your* taste buds that are broken, Mom!"

"You..."

Renee Jennings sat in mortified silence. She was already well aware of the difference in quality between her noodles and Naomi’s. Chelsea’s clumsy, forced compliments weren’t making her feel better; they were just making her feel incredibly awkward, as if she were on pins and needles.

"I suppose everyone’s tastes are different."

Chelsea Raines completely missed her point, assuming Renee was just being humble. "Renee, your knife-cut noodles are truly a masterpiece! I’ve never had any this good in my entire life!"

"Is that right...?" Renee’s smile was strained. Inwardly, she was cursing Chelsea out.

’This useless idiot!’

To think a simple bowl of knife-cut noodles could cause such a stir. Ruby Preston and Margaret Jennings also turned their attention to the noodles.

Margaret Jennings tried Renee’s noodles first. "No wonder these are award-winning noodles," she said, surprised. "They’re so silky smooth!"

Then she tried Naomi’s noodles.

The noodles were smooth on the outside yet firm on the inside, soft but not sticky. The flavor deepened with every chew. The rich, thick broth coated every strand, setting off an explosion on her taste buds.

She was speechless for a moment. After she finished chewing, she looked at Naomi, her expression filled with undisguised excitement. "Naomi, did you make this? Good heavens, would you mind taking me on as your apprentice?"

Naomi smiled. "If you’re willing to learn, I’d be happy to teach you."

Ruby Preston also chimed in, asking for lessons. Her son, Simon Sawyer, was notorious for having a sensitive stomach and being a picky eater. Since their arrival, he hadn’t taken to the food and would barely eat anything. In just two days, he already looked like he’d lost weight, which pained Ruby to see. But just moments ago, Simon had devoured an entire bowl of Naomi’s knife-cut noodles.

Renee sat awkwardly in her seat. She had planned to use this opportunity to steal the spotlight and teach Naomi a lesson about overestimating her own abilities and trying to compete with her. But who could have known...

In the end, the four bowls of knife-cut noodles Naomi had brought were all gone, with several children crying out that it wasn’t enough.

Jared was making the biggest fuss. He slid off the bench and started throwing a tantrum on the lawn, rolling his chubby body back and forth. "I don’t care! I want more! I want more knife-cut noodles!"

"Don’t you know how cold the ground is?" Chelsea quickly pulled him up, finally coaxing him back to his seat with soft words.

"No one said you can’t have any more. There’s still some right here, isn’t there?" she said, pointing to Renee’s noodles.

"That one’s not good!!"

Chelsea pinched him again.

"I think Annie’s mom’s knife-cut noodles are the best!" Carina Sanders added.

Margaret Jennings quickly grabbed an apple slice from the table and stuffed it into Carina’s mouth. "This apple is so sweet. Here, try it."

Sensing a venomous glare, Naomi raised her eyes and met it directly.

Their gazes locked. Naomi gave the other woman a casual, dismissive glance, and the latter quickly looked away in a panic.

Renee couldn’t stand it a moment longer. She stood up and announced, "I’m feeling a bit warm. I’m just going to take a short walk nearby to get some air. You all carry on, don’t mind me."

"Mom..." Nathan tugged on Renee’s sleeve. As she looked down at him, puzzled, he said slowly, "Mom, your noodles were really good."

He had sensed his mother’s disappointment and wanted to comfort her with his praise.

Renee was too annoyed to appreciate the gesture. She just gave him a perfunctory nod. "If you like them, then eat more. It’s not like anyone else is touching the many bowls left..."

Her last words were laced with resentment.

Renee also realized that her emotions weren’t fit for the camera. She shielded her face and said, "I’m going to take a walk. I’ll stay nearby."

After Renee left, Chelsea stopped talking as well, and the atmosphere instantly became much more harmonious. Naomi and the other two chatted about various topics.

When Renee returned, she deliberately glanced at the table. The bowls of noodles she had made remained largely untouched.

’So, after eating Naomi’s noodles, no one wants to even touch mine?’

She couldn’t help but clench her fists.